<div align="center">New Jersey @ Cleveland Quicken Loans Arena Dec.9th, 7:30pm Yes Network, ESPN Starting 5 (Cleveland) PG: E. Snow / SG: L. Hughes / SF: L. James / PF: D. Gooden / C: Z. Ilgauskas Starting 5 (New Jersey) PG: J. Kidd / SG: V. Carter / SF: R. Jefferson / PF: C. Robinson / C: N. Krstic</div> Team Outlooks Coming In.... New Jersey's rollcoaster ride called the 06 season continued Wednesday as they bounced back from a sorry performance at home Monday vs the Raptors, to beat a young Charlotte Bobcat team 97-84. The Win improved the Nets to a disappointing 8-9 record...but everything wasnt a bed of roses Wednesday as they got word that they would be without starting PF/C Jason Collins indefinately. The Loss leaves the Nets with a huge hole in the frontcourt from a defensive standpoint. But they look to figh on in their matchup with Cleveland and hope to improve to .500. But a win in Cleveland will be a tall order for New Jersey, as they face a much improved Cavs team for last season. The additions of Damon Jones and Larry Hughes has added scoring punch to a perimeter that already features Lebron James. And the other key offseason aquistion Donyell Marshall has added needed vestilty to the Cleveland frontcourt. The addition of some key offseason parts along with what Cleveland brought back from last year most notedly James, Gooden and Ilgauskas has Cleveland sitting at 11-6, which is respectable. But how tough this young team is at home is what really stands out..they are currently among the league's best at home with a 8-1 record. And have already knocked off some quality opponents like Memphis and the Clippers in Quicken Loans. So the Nets definately have a difficult road ahead of them in their first visit to the land of Lebron. <div align="center">Game Spotlight : The Wing</div> [imgl]http://www.nba.com/media/cavaliers/james_140_050701.jpg[/imgl] If you are looking for the scoring action in tonights matchup between Cleveland and New Jersey look no further then the wing positions for both teams. The Shooting Guard and Small Forward postion features both teams Top 2 scorers. Cleveland averages 46.5ppg between their starting wings Larry Hughes (17.6) and Lebron James (28.9), New Jersey gets a shade under 40ppg 39.4 to be exact) from their to premier wingmen, Jefferson (18.9ppg) and Carter ( 20.5ppg). But dont be confused both teams wings bring more then just scoring to the table. When you are talking about the most complete wing players in the league ,right now, the consenses will tell you look no further then Lebron James. Lebron brings an assortment of skills to the table....he has point guard playmaking abllity escepially his vision in the opencourt. But he has aslo greatly improved his half-court game now in his third season. The fact that Lebron has added a more consistent perimeter jumper to his arsenal, is what has really allowed him to surpass the likes of Kobe and Mcgrady, as the most complete wingman in the league. Teams can no longer play him just to drive in the half-court. While many still elect to give him the jumper they still must respect it at times and play up on him. And that has made his first step explosiveness even that more devastating to oposing defense. On the ball defense however, is still a glaring weakness in the young kids game, a weakness the New Jersey's Richard Jefferson should definately look to exploit. If Lebron is the most complete Small Forward in the league then Richard Jefferson has to be considered top 5 or 6, when you are talking complete players at the position. While Jefferson definately isnt the explosive offensive talent that James is..he is definately comparable in alot of other areas. Jefferson who is among the league's best perimeter glass working the glass, avages over three more boards per game then James...9.2 rpg to 5.8rpg. And also a very often over looked part of Jefferson's game is his ablity to make plays for other...James, has the playmaking edge 4.9apg to 4.1apg but he doesnt have Jason Kidd in his backcourt..so he is asked to make more happen for others then Jefferson is called upon to do for his mates. Jefferson is also the more expereinced defender. So while Lebron is better, expect to see Jefferson give the youngster a pshyical matchup and battle on both ends. [imgr]http://www.nba.com/media/nets/carter_140_050713.jpg[/imgr] The other key matchup on the wing will feature shooting guards Vince Carter and Larry Hughes. While the Cavs made plenty of key moves over the summer signing Jones and Marshall, adding new head coach Mike Brown, etc...no move was bigger then the addition of Larry Hughes. The addtion of Hughes has not only provied Cleveland with another go to scorer but it also provided another creator on the floor. Larry Hughes has always been noted for his ablity to creator opportinuties for teammattes threw his play off the dribble. Backcourt guys Damon Jones and Eric Snow are solid role contributors but neither are really the creators that you need from the point guard postion to be successful, so the addtion of Hughes covers up a bit of the fact that Cleveland doesnt have a creator at point. Larry Hughes also brings quality defense to the table. Hughes, who last year ranked among the league leaders in steals, gives the Cavs not only someone who can pick your pocket..but also a solid on ball defender to throw on some of the leagues best perimeter scorers. Hughes Defense will definately be put to the test in a matchup against New Jersey's Vince Carter. While, Carter has only been a shadow of the player he was during the 2nd half of the 04-05 season, after the trade to Jersey, a matchup against the Cavs should bring a bit of that old Carter back to life. Carter's competive juices will have to be flowing in a Espn matchup on the same floor a Lebron. Vince Carter remembers when people considered him the best thing since slice bread...that spot has now been taken over by Lebron. So you should get you VHS tape decks on record(if you still use those), Iam pretty sure Carter will have a few tricks up his sleeve to please the Espn faithful. <div align="center"><u>Other Things To Watch For</u></div> [imgl]http://www.nba.com/media/playerfile/drew_gooden.jpg[/imgl] While much of the focus will be on the starter power on the wing, the game maybe won or lost with the battle in the frontcourt and interior. The Nets already come into the matchup short handed without Jason Collins..but they also have to face an extremely verstile Cleveland front court. Drew Gooden brings athletism, shot blocking and rebounding to the table for the Cavs while fellow starting big Center Ilgauskas provides the team with Finesse, as he has the ablity to step out and make the 15 foot jumper...but can also throw his body around in the paint. And then Cleveland tops their frontcourt by bringing in veteran scorer Donyell MArshall, who can score in the paint, but his most noted for his ablity to step out to three point range, drawing opposing teams bigs way from the basket. The Nets are very familar with Marshall's play, when he was a division rival with the Toronto Raptors. Marshall + Gooden + Ilguakus spells trouble for the Nets frontline. A frontline that has suffered to gain an indentity all season long. Marc Jacskon and Scott Padgett, who were expected to be major contributors this year have been disappointments, while Collins a normally consistent staple has been in & out of the lineup with a nagging injury suffered last year. Injuries and Inconsistencies have left New Jersey with only two reliable frontcourt sources Power Forward Cliff Robinson and 2nd year starter Nenad Krstic. Robinson will lok to be the defensive matchup to take away some of that vestatly that Marshall and Gooden will bring...while Krstic looks to battle Ilguauskas in the painted area. One thing to note is can Krstic do a good job of staying out of foul trouble, he doesnt matchup well with any of the Cavs bigman as far as trying to play defense against them, so he usually gets fustrated and picks up sill fouls in this type of situation, something the Nets can ill afford with Cleveland already having the frontcourt edge. Marc Jackson will also needed to show up to neutralize some of the points in the paint advantage Cleveland may have. [imgr]http://www.nba.com/media/playerfile/jason_kidd.jpg[/imgr] The way the Nets can minimize the front court damage Cleveland way do, is by creating a desive edge in point guard plard. Something they are very capable of doing since they have one of the league's elite. While Starter Eric Snow, doesnt look to get involved in the scoring column much the key for Jersey will come in how well they contest the shot of backup Damon Jones. Jones, a quality shooter from the outside, can be a killer if you dont respect his shooting ablity(see Jersey vs. Maimi 05 1st round for further reference). McInnis and Kidd must keep a hand in his face. Jones isnt someone who looks to put the ball on the floor, so fourcing him off his shooting spots. And into a situation where Damon must put the ball on the floor, will be key in taking him out of his comfort zone. If the Nets can control Jones shooting, a get a quality game from McInnis, they should be able to create that point guard edge needed to offset Clevelands bigman play. Also exploit Jones on defense, he is someone the Nets can attack, McInnis in Pick & Rolls, coming off screens and Kidd in the post up 12 to 15 foot area. Enjoy, what should be a very entertaining matchup............
Please discuss this should be a very interesting game,with some interesting matchups...please share where you feel each team has the biggest edge, outcome etc.
Excellent preview Henacy. Sorry about posting that post a bit prematurely (I shall be heading out of town today for a few days). I don't think Carter is going to be guarding Hughes. Kidd in my option is much more willing and able to guard him. If this game were in Nets' home, then the Nets definitly would have won it, but since this is a new Cavs team and in Cleveland, the Nets are going to have a very tough time. I think that the Nets can win this game, but it will be though. James is also not as shabby a defender as you pointed out. I would not be too surprised if Jefferson struggles offensivly against James. If Carter has the will, then no one, not Hughes or James, can really stop him. The question is, will he have the will. I think that if Kidd is able to make more than four three, then the Nets are in very good shape. The bigmen for Cleveland do not have particularly good defense in my opinion. I think that Krstic will be able to exploit it. I would really love to see him get physical on Illgauskas or Gooden. The Nets obvoiusly cannot take Cleveland lightly and will have to play at thier best offensivly and defensivly. So long as Jefferson can keep James at under 4 assists and 20 points, the Nets should have a win. I overall doubt that the Nets will show up at thier best in this game. I think they will much later on in the season to make a playoff push.
I definately agree their will be some cross matching in this one....But Vince will still have to matchup with Hughes at some point in the game...because when McInnis comes in for Jason...McInnis cant matchup against Larry. A team like Cleveland Vince has to put up a defensive effort cause it is going to be really hard to hide him for a full 48. IF Krstic can stay out of foul trouble he can have a bit of offensive success...but honestly this is usual a type of game where Krstic cant stay on the floor because he consistently picks up cheap fouls. But we will see with Krstic, staying out of foul trouble is the growth process that we need to see from Krstic in matchups against quality front lines. He did a nice job against Emeka the other night hopefully, he can carry that play over to tonights matchup.
What I wonder about Krstic is does he play physically when another player is physical or will he be physical no matter what. Illgaukas has never been too physical nor will he be so in tonight's game. The question is will Krstic initiate physicalness with him? I personally hope so.
Very Nice preview, Henacy. I always enjoy your insight. This will be a tough game for the Nets playing the Cavs at home. So far they are 7-1 and after dropping 2 of 3 in their last road trip, I think they'll be glad to come home and face an Eastern Conference opponent. James and Jefferson should be an entertaining one. I'm taking Cleveland by 10.
That was a great game by. In my opinion that was the best game by the Nets this season. They controlled the tempo through most of the game. When Cleveland tied it up, I said uh oh but the Nets managed to still win the game. All 5 of the Nets starters had a great game. Each of them really contributed to the win especially Carter. 38 pts 11 rebs and 6 assists. I expected a lot from McInnis but he didn't provide anything tonight. Still it was a great win and I hope the Nets play the same if not better against the Sixers BTW- Great Preview Henacy
I watched on ESPN, and I can't stand Bill Walton. Most of the time he just babbles things out of his mouth without thinking. Anyhoo, the Nets played great D in the first half, most notably Krstic and Jefferson. If they continue to defend at that level, then the wins will start piling up.
Great game for the Nets. I think that Lebron's turnovers really aided the Nets. And you were right, Henacy about Krstic's fouling. It almost seems as if when ever McInnis has a bad game the Nets win. Actually I do not think that he Nets will be able to win too many games like this. Thier shooting percentage was: 56%. Pardon me if I am wrong, but that takes a bit of luck to attain.
