Cavaliers vs. Pacers (2:30PM / FSN HD)

[Smooth]

PG Jamaal Tinsley

ESPN's Scouting Report

Tinsley has the size, quickness and dribbling ability to be a top-notch point guard. What's held him back is a weak outside shot that uses way too much guide hand, allowing defenders to lay off him and play for the drive. That, in turn, has made him turnover-prone at times, although he cut his rate this past season. Tinsley also sees the floor well and, even in last season's shot-happy state, posted a decent assist ratio.

Defensively, Tinsley seems to alternate between very good and quite awful depending on the evening. He seems to have the skill to be an All-Defense caliber point guard, but doesn't always show it; injuries might be a factor here, as he's tried to play through a number of aches and pains. He's also a good rebounder, especially when it comes to following his own missed shot.

SG Mike Dunleavy Jr.

ESPN's Scouting Report

Though he'll never live up to the billing of being the No. 3 overall pick in 2002, or the five-year, $45 million extension the Warriors foolishly gave him, Dunleavy is a solid complementary player who has put up decent numbers in three of the past four seasons. He can create shots through his ballhandling and passing skills, he's a good team defender who ranked 10th in offensive fouls drawn last season, and he's a passable shooter, especially from midrange. If somebody would just use him this way, he'd be fine.

However, he's totally overmatched as a shooting guard. He's not terribly quick even at small forward, but off guards repeatedly blew past him after the trade. Meanwhile, his offensive skills were more easily neutralized by smaller, quicker players, and he wasn't a good enough shooter to stretch defenses that were collapsing against the Pacers' steady diet of post-up plays.

SF Danny Granger

ESPN's Scouting Report

Granger is a good athlete who is emerging as a defensive stopper against bigger wing players. At 6-9 he can't stay with the smaller, quicker guards, but against the McGradys and Anthonys of the league, few are better.

Offensively, he's a good finisher who shot 63 percent in the immediate basket area, and his driving ability helped him get to the line so much. He's also become a reliable outside shooter, but one would like to see him get more aggressive.

This is particularly true when he goes against a smaller opponent -- he seems reluctant to back the guy down and shoot over him. Overall, Granger's usage rate of 16.7 is glaringly low when one considers he was a good offensive player on a bad offensive team; he was standing by while lesser players fired away.

PF Jermaine O'Neal

ESPN's Scouting Report

Obviously O'Neal is a great defender, but his warrior mentality might be wearing him down. O'Neal has missed 77 games due to injury over the past three seasons, with shoulder and knee problems the most common culprits. He'll only be 29 on opening day, but at times it seems like he's 35 because he's nursing so many aches and pains.

O'Neal is a good low-post scorer, but not so good that the Pacers can keep running plays for him to the exclusion of everyone else. He likes to post up 12-15 feet away and face up off the dribble, although this often results in a forced jumper with a slight sideways rotation. He also doesn't seem to have the same explosion around the rim that he used to, with more shots at the basket getting rejected -- he only made 45.6 percent of his inside shots last season, well below the league average and a decline from the previous two seasons (49.5 percent and 48.2 percent, respectively).

CT Troy Murphy

ESPN's Scouting Report

Murphy has a sweet midrange shot and does solid work on the boards, which in theory should make him a big-time player. But his defense is severely lacking. He's a step slow on rotations -- except when he's two steps slow -- and doesn't have the length to challenge shots the way you might expect from a 6-11 guy. His slump on the boards last season is also worrisome, although since he depends on strength and positioning rather than athleticism, one might expect it to bounce back this season.

Offensively, he's deadly on midrange shots from the right elbow and has worked on extending his range to the 3-point line, where he hit 40.9 percent after joining the Pacers. However, he's a poor finisher around the basket who doesn't elevate well and rarely uses his right hand. He'll occasionally drive off the show-and-go, but almost never makes a straight one-on-one move.

INDIANA ROTATION

Jeff Foster (F-C) / Shawne Williams (F) / Travis Diener (G) / Marquis Daniels (G-F)

Indiana BENCH

>> Andre Owens (G)
>> David Harrison (C)
>> Kareem Rush (G)

INACTIVE LIST

Jermaine O'Neal (F) | Status Alert: O'Neal sat out Friday night's game against the Mavericks with swelling in his left knee and lower leg, the Associated Press reports. (Nov 23)

Ike Diogu (F) | Status Alert: Indiana Pacers forward Ike Diogu tore his left calf muscle during practice and the team expects he'll be out four to six weeks.

Stephen Graham (G-F)

Courtney Sims (C)

PG Daniel Gibson

ESPN's Scouting Report

At 6-2 with decent athleticism, Gibson should have the size to be able to get to the basket more than he does -- something he showed at least briefly in the Detroit series. The threat of his shot could become an especially potent weapon, as he's a deadly outside shooter who should be able to open up driving lanes with a pump fake.

Gibson isn't a natural point guard by any stretch, but on this team that isn't a problem -- LeBron James and Larry Hughes do most of the ballhandling anyway. However, he'll have to cut down on the turnovers (a common rookie problem) in coming seasons.

Defensively, Gibson seems to do better against bigger point guards, especially in the playoffs. He seemed to have a much easier time defending bigger points like Chauncey Billups and Jason Kidd than he did chasing around Tony Parker.

SG Sasha Pavlovic

ESPN's Scouting Report

An athletic 6-7 forward, Pavlovic can defend both wing positions and is a good finisher in transition. Defense is his best asset, as the Cavs used him as their primary stopper against high-scoring wings and he was a big factor in their fourth-rated defense.

While Pavlovic is a good leaper, he doesn't get many open-court chances because he's such a poor ballhandler, and his inability to handle also limits his ability to take slower players off the dribble in the halfcourt. He's developed a niche by cultivating his skill at shooting 3s from the wing, and since he doesn't turn 24 until early November his game has a chance to progress further from here.

SF LeBron James

ESPN's Scouting Report

One reason James often ends up trying to make a heroic shot at the end of the clock is because there is so little going on up until that point. James tends to be far too methodical when attacking defenses, often waiting several seconds to read the defense before he attacks. That tends to bring the offense to a halt and makes it easier for help defenders to collapse on him. His habit of retreating when double-teamed on the pick-and-roll only exacerbates this problem.

This is particularly noticeable when James tries to post up. Despite his imposing physique, James rarely attacks opponents on the blocks and isn't terribly effective when he does. All he does is wait for the double-team instead of making a quick move, neutralizing what should be his best tool.

Of course, other players would kill for such problems. James is an amazingly good ball handler for his size, acting as the Cavs' de facto point guard and ranking 12th among small forwards in assist ratio. He's almost impossible to stop once he gets some momentum toward the basket and, though a streaky shooter, can get his shot off over anyone. James is also a devastating finisher in transition, making it unfortunate the Cavs can't find a guard to help push the tempo more often.

Defensively, James does a poor job fighting through screens but the rest of his game has become pretty solid. He's still better at playing passing lanes than he is at making help-side plays or taking charges, and he rarely guards the opponent's top scorer. On the other hand, nobody seems particularly anxious to attack him, and he's virtually impossible to post up against.

PF Drew Gooden

ESPN's Scouting Report

Gooden's best asset isn't his scoring, but his rebounding. Despite a slender build, Gooden is a force on the glass because of his quick hops and a nose for the ball. Gooden had the sixth-best rebound rate among power forwards last season, and that was completely consistent with what he'd done the previous two campaigns.

Gooden can be a frustrating player because of his concentration lapses. He'll lose track of his man or forget a play and go the wrong way. He cemented this impression at the end of Game 5 of the Cleveland-Detroit series, when the Cavs had a four-point lead in the final seconds and you could see LeBron James screaming at Gooden during a timeout to stay on the floor. The first thing Gooden did? Take a flying leap at Rasheed Wallace while he was shooting a 3-pointer -- even though the only way Detroit could tie was by being fouled on a triple.

People tend to focus on Gooden's mental lapses, but he also makes a lot of positive plays at the defensive end. Gooden is very quick for his size and his ability to switch out on guards on screens or rotate off his man is one of the reasons the Cavs were the league's fourth-best defense last season. He's not as good in post defense, where his lack of strength becomes a factor, and he's a poor shot-blocker, but overall he's a solid defensive player.

CT Zydrunas Ilgauskas

ESPN's Scouting Report

Though the Cavs go to him less often these days, the 7-3 Ilgauskas is still a weapon in the post. He's become increasingly reliant on a sweeping one-handed hook shot going to his right, although he also has a nice touch on turnarounds going to either side.

Ilgauskas is also very dangerous on the offensive boards, where despite a lack of elevation he has an almost Rodman-like knack for tipping the ball multiple times before either possessing it or tipping it in. Along with his height, that same ability makes him very good on jump balls.

Defensively, Ilgauskas has the size to be an effective deterrent around the basket, but struggles when he is pulled farther from the basket. Teams try to attack him in screen-and-roll plays, where he struggles to help on the guard and still get back to his man. For that reason, Anderson Varejao often finished games in the middle instead of Ilgauskas.

CLEVELAND ROTATION

Eric Snow (G) / Ira Newble (F) / Damon Jones (G) / Devin Brown (G-F)

CLEVELAND BENCH

>> Dwayne Jones (F-C)
>> Demetris Nichols (G-F)
>> Shannon Brown (G)

INACTIVE LIST

Larry Hughes (G) | Status Alert: Cavaliers guard Larry Hughes will miss at least four weeks with a bruised left leg, yet another setback for the fragile player and the defending Eastern Conference champions

Donyell Marshall (F) | Status Alert: Marshall hurt his wrist versus the Mavericks in the Cavaliers home opener. He is listed as day-to-day after sitting out versus the Suns Sunday night, but it looks more like week-to-week.

Cedric Simmons (F) | Status Alert: Simmons re-injured an ankle that he has had problems with throughout the Cavaliers season and pre-season.

BREAKDOWN OF LINEUPS AND BENCHES

PG
Daniel Gibson vs. Jamaal Tinsley​

This should be an interesting matchup as Gibson has had trouble versus bigger point guards this year but Tinsley should have some trouble since he doesn't have the quickness to stay with Gibson. Gibson has been on a hot streak on offense while Tinsley is putting up 8 assists per game in Jim O'Brien's new offense.
Advantage: EVEN

SG​

Sasha Pavlovic vs. Mike Dunleavy Jr.​

This will be the second most interesting matchup beside the obvious one of the two small forwards because of Dunleavy's resurgence in this new offense as he has really fit it well and has produced real well. Sasha has been off to slow start on both ends of the floor since coming back late, but is starting to look good of late, especially in the Toronto game.
Advantage:

SF​

LeBron James vs. Danny Granger​

This will be the matchup I will be watching because of LeBron's latest theatrics as he's been off the charts recently in the last few games on offense putting up triple-doubles with ease and playing well on the defensive end. Quietly Granger is becoming one of the star's in this league as a very versatile forward who is fitting this new offensive system real well.
Advantage:

PF​

Drew Gooden vs. Jermaine O'Neal
O'Neal really has been struggling of late with his injury issues as well as him not getting a lot of touches with the new offensive system. Gooden has been getting big minutes of late and putting up some nice stats.
Advantage:

CT​

Zydrunas Ilgauskas vs. Troy Murphy
Z has been absolutely dominant of late with him getting more minutes and looks like a lock to be in the All-Star game if he continues at his pace. Murphy has been solid as he's always been a good double-double player but there is no contest here.
Advantage:

Benches​

Clevaland Bench vs. Indiana Bench
Right now the Cleveland bench is really depleted of its top performers and it's no contest even though Indiana doesn't have much of a bench as it stands now. They have depth and some solid players whereas Cleveland is really stretching right now.
Advantage:

SMOOTH'S KEY POINTS & PREDICTION​

---> Don't get caught up in the run-and-gun game. The Pacers have really changed their offensive system under Jim O'Brien to a more run-and-gun offense which is something we don't do very well and don't have the bodies for. We need to play our game, not theirs.
--->Hit shots. We saw how effective we could be versus the Raptors when we were hitting our shots. We need to continue to do that as well as the great passing to set up shots and the driving as well. Foul shots are included in this, which is something that has hurt us down the stretch.
---> 48 minutes of madness. We haven't been playing a full 48 minutes the the last 2-3 games and it's hurt us as we've either had to hold onto our lead or come from behind and it's going to take a toll on us after all of those games have been close until the end. We need to play hard for all 48, not for 38.

Cavs - 110
Pacers - 108



* Jermaine O'Neal might or might not be ready to go for the game. If he shouldn't then Jeff Foster will start in his position and Courtney Sims will be the 15th man.

* The Pacers should be wearing their blue uniforms but could be wearing their new yellow alternate jerseys they have worn some of the away games this year.

 

[Glen Infante]

Very pimpin' preview.

 

[chiefwahoo]

Not to nitpick, but isn't this game in Indy?

 

[Karma]

Good preview Smooth.

Need to pick up some wins against our division rivals. Hopefully O'Neal will sit out one more.

 

[TJ_4_CV31]

One of the best previews I've ever seen. Nice job Smooth. I love that sig, can I borrow it? Thanks.

Should be a very good game. If Cleveland can blow the Pacers away at home, I'd say that they're on their way back. If the Cavs struggle and rely too heavily on James, I think it will be indicative of their path the rest of the season. Lebron may take IV's of Red Bull before games, but even he will need physical and emotional rest on certain nights. We'll see if the Cavs "others" can provide adequate support this afternoon. Props to Gibson and Z who have remained consistent. Gooden, Jones, and Pavlovic have to look at the man in the mirror and start bringing it every night.

 

[TJ_4_CV31]

Ah, this game actually is in Indianapolis. This one will be tougher than you may think. The Pacers are far from also rans.

 

[Pioneer10]

Another team on back to back for us who will have the day off before. Our schedule has been pretty rough so far in terms of back to back and road games.

 

[Smooth]

Really sorry guys about the crappy preview... I was rushing it and completely forgot it was in Indy...

Indy will be in their whites:

Cavs in their away:

And we'll be at the Conseco Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, Indiana:

Again sorry guys, it'll be better next week...

 

[Joe Henderson]

If the Cavs struggle and rely too heavily on James

i'm gonna go out on a limb here and make the bold prediction that the Cavs will rely heavily on James. He might be their high scorer and top assist man today. Not sure why i'm saying this, just a gut feeling.

 

[TyGuy]

Same problems here, drew bobbling passes and boobie getting in foul trouble.

 

[TyGuy]

With snow on the floor, lebron is getting those awesome triple teams.

 

[TyGuy]

Drew has terrible hands.

 

[Benedict_Boozer]

Gooden is so bad defensively it's not even funny. He misses his assignments, is always late rotating - uggh

 

[Benedict_Boozer]

The Pacers aren't even guarding Dwayne Jones, he needs to cut to the basket so James can find him (actually with this lineup, the Pacers aren't guarding him OR Snow)

 

[Benedict_Boozer]

This lineup is garbage...