LyXo
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GAME #41
Orlando Magic @ Cleveland Cavaliers
Monday, January 22, 2007
7:00pm ET
TV: FSNO (HD), NBALP
Radio : WTAM 1100
Head Coaches
Brian Hill / Mike Brown
Probable Starters
Jameer Nelson / Eric Snow
Hido Turkoglu / Larry Hughes
Grant Hill / LeBron James
Tony Battie / Drew Gooden
Dwight Howard / Zydrunas Ilgauskas
Cleveland Cavaliers Bench
Jones / Marshall / Pavlovic / Varejao / Wesley / Gibson
Orlando Bench
Milicic / Diener / Arroyo / Redick / Garrity / Bogans
-- ## -- NOTES -- ## --
* Wow, what a road trip. Disappointments here and there, some surprises, but mostly what was expected... being weary and worn down from travelling. But we did come out 3-4, which is a respectable number... but a curious way to attain that feat.
* No injuries for the Cavs, but who knows what could happen to Hughes in practice, or on the way to buy a pack of gum. Cross your fingers.
ray:* As for the Magic, their own Mr. Glass, Grant Hill was out last game with a pinkie injury
gheylaf. He's out indefinitely. So really, things could be worse for us. Trevor Ariza is out for a few more weeks with a bruised MCL.-: lyXo's Keys to the Game :-
* Contain Dwight Howard. I know this sounds almost hopeless, to stop a guy that can put up 30 points and 25 rebounds. But, New Jersey did just that Saturday, holding him to ONE point and 6 rebounds. And, they are notorious for not having a frontcourt. Drew Gooden either needs to get out of his funk... or out of the way so Varejao can take over. If we can slow down Dwight Howard, the Magic are definitely a mediocre team.
* Another way to accomplish this? Establish our post game. Make Battie and Howard work on the defensive end to expend their energy. Z has been putting up double digit scoring nights for the past month, and there is no reason why he should stop now. Light a fire up Drew Gooden, he should have a reason to play hard against the team who traded him.
* Play solid man-to-man defense. If Grant Hill plays, he'll be paired up with Turkoglu... both are very good jump shooters. We have to make sure that we play our defense against them, contesting their shots.
* Can our bench step up like last game? Let's hope it doesn't have to. Although the Magic are among the top in the East, they still should not be able to match our talent level. We should be able to crush them, and we better be able to without the need for spirited performances from David Welsey and Sasha Pavlovic. They should only come as complements to a thriving starting lineup, not a struggling one.
* It's good to be home, right? Yes, you're still tired from travelling, 2 days wasn't enough, but... Take the energy of the crowd, translate it onto the floor. They're actually cheering for you now!
Cavaliers take it in an ugly defensive game, 86-78
