<div align="center"> <span style="font-size:24pt;line-height:100%">@</span> January 3, 2007 - 7:30 pm ET</div> <span style="color:#990000">Cleveland Cavaliers</span> <span style="color:#CC9933">(18-12)</span> <span style="color:#CC9933">PG</span> <span style="color:#990000">Eric Snow</span> <span style="color:#CC9933">SG</span> <span style="color:#990000">Larry Hughes</span> <span style="color:#CC9933">SF</span> <span style="color:#990000">LeBron James</span> <span style="color:#CC9933">PF</span> <span style="color:#990000">Drew Gooden</span> <span style="color:#CC9933">C</span> <span style="color:#990000">Zydrunas Ilgauskas</span> <span style="color:#CC9933">Key Bench Players:</span> <span style="color:#990000">Donyell Marshall, Anderson Varajoe, Damon Jones, Daniel Gibson</span> <span style="color:#009900">Boston Celtics</span> <span style="color:#000000">(11-19)</span> <span style="color:#000000">PG</span> <span style="color:#009900">Delonte West</span> <span style="color:#000000">SG</span> <span style="color:#009900">Tony Allen</span> <span style="color:#000000">SF</span> <span style="color:#009900">Wally Szczerbiak</span> <span style="color:#000000">PF</span> <span style="color:#009900">Ryan Gomes</span> <span style="color:#000000">C</span> <span style="color:#009900">Al Jefferson</span> <span style="color:#000000">Key Bench Players:</span> <span style="color:#009900">Sebastian Telfair, Gerald Green, Kendrick Perkins, Rajon Rondo, Brian Scalabrine</span> Injury Report <span style="color:#000000">BOS:</span> <span style="color:#009900">Paul Pierce will not play (stress reaction in left foot)</span> <span style="color:#000000">BOS:</span> <span style="color:#009900">Theo Ratliff will not play (lower back)</span> Who To Watch Out For <span style="color:#990000">LeBron James</span> <span style="color:#CC9933">Season Stats: 27.1 ppg, 6.5 rpg, 6.8 apg, 1.5 spg</span> <span style="color:#990000">Larry Hughes</span> <span style="color:#CC9933">Season Stats: 14.7 ppg, 3.4 rpg, 3.1 apg, 1.3 spg</span> <span style="color:#009900">Al Jefferson</span> <span style="color:#000000">Season Stats: 13.5 ppg, 9.7 rpg, 1.4 bpg As A Starter: 16.1 ppg, 11.4 rpg, 1.7 bpg</span> <span style="color:#009900">Wally Szczerbiak</span> <span style="color:#000000">Season Stats: 16.8 ppg, 3.7 rpg, 2.0 apg</span> <span style="color:#009900">Tony Allen</span> <span style="color:#000000">Season Stats: 10.2 ppg, 3.7 rpg, 1.1 apg, 1.1 spg As A Starter: 15.2 ppg, 5.8 rpg, 2.1 apg, 1.7 spg</span> Rookie Watch <span style="color:#CC9933">CLE:</span> <span style="color:#990000">Shannon Brown</span> <span style="color:#000000">Overall Selection: 25</span> <span style="color:#CC9933">Season Stats:</span> <span style="color:#990000">2.5 ppg, 1.4 rpg, 0.7 apg</span> <span style="color:#CC9933">CLE:</span> <span style="color:#990000">Daniel Gibson</span> <span style="color:#000000">Overall Selection: 42</span> <span style="color:#CC9933">Season Stats:</span> <span style="color:#990000">5.0 ppg, 1.7 rpg, 0.9 apg</span> <span style="color:#000000">BOS:</span> <span style="color:#009900">Rajon Rondo</span> <span style="color:#000000">Overall Selection: 21</span> <span style="color:#000000">Season Stats:</span> <span style="color:#009900">3.7 ppg, 2.5 rpg, 2.3 apg, 1.1 spg</span> <span style="color:#000000">BOS:</span> <span style="color:#009900">Leon Powe</span> <span style="color:#000000">Overall Selection: 49</span> <span style="color:#000000">Season Stats:</span> <span style="color:#009900">3.4 ppg, 2.7 rpg, 0.6 bpg</span> <span style="color:#000000">BOS:</span> <span style="color:#009900">Allan Ray</span> <span style="color:#000000">Overall Selection: Undrafted</span> <span style="color:#000000">Season Stats:</span> <span style="color:#009900">2.4 ppg, 0.6 rpg</span> <span style="color:#990000">Cleveland's X-Factor</span> <span style="color:#990000">Zydrunas Ilgauskas</span> <span style="color:#CC9933">Season Stats: 11.2 ppg, 8.3 rpg, 1.3 bpg</span> <span style="color:#990000">Big Z has a major size advantage on Al Jefferson, he needs to take advantage of it. Granted, Jefferson's quickness could kill Z, he has to take advantage of the size. That means rebounds, getting shots over him, and changing shots.</span> <span style="color:#009900">Boston's X-Factor</span> <span style="color:#009900">Ryan Gomes</span> <span style="color:#000000">Season Stats: 11.0 ppg, 6.0 rpg, 2.1 apg</span> <span style="color:#009900">Gomes had an outstanding game the other night in Portland, and he defended Randolph very well. All I am looking for tonight is a solid game. We need Gomes' solidity and grit back. He has been a little up and down, because he is still not 100% with the calf injury. We need him back to his normal self, and he'll have his work cut out for him on the boards tonight against a tough player like Drew Gooden.</span> <div align="center">Key Matchup vs. <span style="color:#990000">LeBron James</span> <span style="color:#000000">vs.</span> <span style="color:#009900">Tony Allen</span></div> <span style="color:#000000">This was easily the key matchup, IMO. LeBron is LeBron, and nobody can "stop" him, but it will be interesting to see how well Tony does do on him (seeing how he is a good defender). Plus, TA has been playing out of his mind lately (and consistently).</span> CelticBalla's Extra Thoughts/Notes Home, sweet home. Finally! CelticBalla's Prediction I don't see us winning. I know Cleveland played last night (and got a great win vs. San Antonio), but they are just a better team. Not to mention, we don't have Pierce. LeBron vs. the Celtics without Pierce (and a still not 100% Wally, Perk, West, and Gomes), I don't see us taking it. I just want to see the kids continue to play hard.
Al Jefferson vs. Zach Randolph? Any way, I see the Cavaliers having to fight for this one.No PP for Boston is a lot of help for the Cavaliers. Cavs have sucked on the road and on back to back games. Boston could get this win and I see them having a shot at it.Good Luck to Boston.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Cavsrules @ Jan 3 2007, 01:18 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'>Al Jefferson vs. Zach Randolph? Any way, I see the Cavaliers having to fight for this one. No PP for Boston is a lot of help for the Cavaliers. Cavs have sucked on the road and on back to back games. Boston could get this win and I see them having a shot at it. Good Luck to Boston.</div> Haha, my bad. Fixed. I forgot to change that from the last game.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (CelticBalla32 @ Jan 3 2007, 01:28 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'>Haha, my bad. Fixed. I forgot to change that from the last game.</div>Hehe, good job with the thread man. And good luck! :happy0144:
Hahha booyeah I got tix tonight, I'll be there. DOC PLAY RONDO AND GERALD. I say this evey single game thread and he never does. I wanna see Gerald throw one down so bad.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (yankshater213 @ Jan 3 2007, 05:48 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'>Hahha booyeah I got tix tonight, I'll be there. DOC PLAY RONDO AND GERALD. I say this evey single game thread and he never does. I wanna see Gerald throw one down so bad.</div> Where have you been? lol Gerald has been playingat least 15 minutes every night. He played over 30 a game when he started too. But he should be playing more than 15 a game, and Wally should be playing a little less unless he gets something going.
WOOH!I'll be there and I got loge seats from my mom's union for half price so it wasnt even expensiveI'll have the perfect viewI wanna see GG posterize LebronAl to have a double doubleand the C's to pull out a victory
I don't see anyone dunking over LBJ...lolFor the ones that are going, make sure u root for Larry Hughes. hehe
Well, CB, I know. I shoudl have went more into depth about what I meant. I should have said play Rondo and play Gerald MORE, because its obvious that Wally hasn't been getting it done. Haha, it seems like me and POTG go to the same games.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (playaofthegame @ Jan 3 2007, 03:00 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'>lol I like hughes but I'd rather root for Gerald and if anyone can dunk on LBJ it's GG</div>Aw man, hands down.Dude has some major Hops. If he doesn't win the Dunk Contest, something is up.
I dont see this as a game that the celtics are going to be winning. They are going to have Wally guarding Lebron? Lebron is going to have a complete field day. And if TA guards him, Lebron is going to have 5 inches over him. Zadrunas might have a good game considering he is going to be 5 inches taller than everybody on the court. AND, the celtics dont have Paul.....I see Cleveland winning by 8-15 points.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (ballerman2112 @ Jan 3 2007, 04:45 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'>I dont see this as a game that the celtics are going to be winning. They are going to have Wally guarding Lebron? Lebron is going to have a complete field day. And if TA guards him, Lebron is going to have 5 inches over him. Zadrunas might have a good game considering he is going to be 5 inches taller than everybody on the court. AND, the celtics dont have Paul.....I see Cleveland winning by 8-15 points.</div>I hope your right.But always keep the faith in your team. I think Boston has a GREAT shot at winning. Cavaliers suck back to back and on the road. I wont be shocked to see us lose this one and Boston come out on top.
This will be a good game.We've shown we can take a lead with on them(a commanding one too) and now we have to hold a lead. It will be hard with our injury riddled team but I think well manage.Btw Clevelands xfactor may be Eric snow but that is a pic of Zydrunas Ilgauskas just to help.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (ballerman2112 @ Jan 3 2007, 04:45 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'>I dont see this as a game that the celtics are going to be winning. They are going to have Wally guarding Lebron? Lebron is going to have a complete field day. And if TA guards him, Lebron is going to have 5 inches over him. Zadrunas might have a good game considering he is going to be 5 inches taller than everybody on the court. AND, the celtics dont have Paul.....I see Cleveland winning by 8-15 points.</div> he has a field day on just about everyone, and btw he didn't have a "field day" on wally last time we played until they played the give the ball to Lebron every trip down the court game. He damn near shut Lbj out the first half of the game.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (TheIrishGodFather25 @ Jan 3 2007, 05:03 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'>Btw Clevelands xfactor may be Eric snow but that is a pic of Zydrunas Ilgauskas just to help.</div> Yeah, I copied and pasted from the last Cavs game thread I made, and I just forgot to change the name, no biggie. I still had a mini-paragraph on Z and his numbers, just forgot to change the name (I had Eric Snow as the X-Factor in the last Cavs game thread I did).
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (TheIrishGodFather25 @ Jan 3 2007, 05:23 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'>didn't mean anything by it just trying to help.</div> Oh, I know. And I thank you.
I really think Larry Hughes is our X-Factor.Matter fact, most of the games he is. If where facing a team that is battling with people hurt and all that, they double up on James, leaving Hughes open.All I'm saying.Games about 15 min away I believe, good luck again boston.
