<font color="red">Philadelphia 76ers (31-33)</font> @ <font color="darkRed">Cleveland Cavaliers (26-26)</font> Time: 7:30 PM, EST Arena: Gund Arena TV: CSN, NBALP ____________________ <u>Last Meeting</u> Cavaliers 89, 76ers 98 ____________________ <font color="red">Philadelphia 76ers Starting Five</font> <font size="1"><font color="Red">PG</font> Allen Iverson <font color="Red">SG</font> Andre Iguodala <font color="Red">SF</font> Kyle Korver <font color="Red">PF</font> Chris Webber <font color="Red">C</font> Samuel Dalmbert</font> <font size="1">Head Coach- Jim O'Brien</font> ____________________ <font color="darkred">Cleveland Cavaliers Starting Five</font> <font size="1"><font color="DarkRed">PG</font> Jeff McInnis <font color="DarkRed">SG</font> Ira Newble <font color="DarkRed">SF</font> LeBron James <font color="DarkRed">PF</font> Drew Gooden <font color="DarkRed">C</font> Zydrunas Ilgauskas</font> <font size="1">Head Coach- Paul Silas</font> ____________________ Player(s) To Watch <font color="red">Allen Iverson - Philadelphia 76ers</font> Besides Michael Jordan you can't find another player that loves playing in the Gund Arena more than Allen Iverson. Iverson has a history of lighting this team up on countless occasions. However, thing may be a little different this time around. Iverson suffered a chipped bone in his left thumb in his last game against the Los Angeles Lakers. The 76ers Medical Staff announced that there is a 50-50 chance of him suiting up Friday night, but Allen Iverson as usual thinks otherwise. He is much more optimistic about his chances of suiting up and thus he has made it clear that there is a 90% chance of him playing, so he is basically good to go. In the last seven games Iverson is averaging 31 Points on 43% shooting and 9 Assists. His last game against the L.A Lakers he posted 36 Points to go along with 4 Rebounds, 3 Steals, 9 Assists and 1 Block. Projected Stats: 39 Points , 6 Assists, 1 Rebounds, 2 Steals, 0 Blocks ____________________ <u>Keys To The Game</u> <font color="Red">Philadelphia 76ers</font> <ul><font color="Red">Defense</font> This should be the number one priority. Defense! They 76ers have been inconsistent on defense end throughout the season. But as of late they seem to be picking things up. They defeated the Bobcats by 32 Points and later that week they defeated the L.A Lakers by 17 while forcing Kobe to settle with a mere 20 Points. So they should look to play the Cavaliers like they played the Lakers especially on LeBron James. Andre Iguodala did an excellent job at defending Kobe, and the 76ers did an even better job giving help defense. But with a Center like Big Z in the middle it's going to be hard to give LeBron James all the attention, so the 76er must adjust and find a way to make Big Z put it on the floor and simultaneously stop ball penetration from LeBron James. It?s much more easier said than done, but defense is going to be the key.[/list] <ul><font color="Red">Chris Webber</font> Webber must stay away from the 10-18 ft jump shot. He can occasionally still take those shots, but he can do even more damage in the low-post. Playing against Drew Gooden he can easily out play him with his speed. Yes, speed. Webber ailing ankle doesn?t' give him the foot quickness, but his intelligence and basketball IQ can let him out perform Gooden on his feet. Webber is a brilliant player and he can take Gooden to school if he can get his swagger back and just be himself. Webber actually had one of his best games as a 76ers against the Cavaliers when both ball clubs met up earlier, so they should look to go to Webber if Iverson so happens to struggle with his injury.[/list] <ul><font color="Red">Control The Tempo</font> The 76ers must control the tempo, they can't let the Cavaliers get into the open court because that is where Drew Gooden and LeBron James is most effective. If the 76ers can get them to play the halfcourt game all game long they will have a good chance at wining. Philly ranks number one in forcing turnovers, that said they can't give the likes of McInnis and James to throw the outlet passes and get into the fastbreak game, they must put pressure on the Cav's backcourt and try to make them cough up the ball.[/list] __________________ Personal Prediction Is it me or does Allen Iverson play better playing with injuries? Nevertheless, I'm expecting a big game from the Answer as well as Kyle Korver. I think the both of them like combine for 59 Points, while Webber will have a big rebounding night. The game will be in the 76ers favor throughout, but the Cavs will make it an up and down game late in the 3rd quarter and ultimately make it a "whoever wants it more" game in the 4th quarter. LeBron James will also have a huge game, I see a 32 Point, 7 Rebound and 8 Assists stat line from him. In the end who ever executes on their plays and rebound the ball will be the victor.
Every game is vital for the Sixers from now on, and we need all the wins as possible or the best playoffs scenario available will be the 8th seed. For this game I think it is important to get good play from Chris Webb. The last time we played the Cavs he played well and hopefully he can again. But the only way Webber can be effective is if he gets the ball enough. Webber is a guy that needs a lot of touches for production. It's different with Webb though, some say he still plays on one leg from the past knee injury so that has slowed him down a lot. The X-Factor for most of are games is Andre, whenever he is aggressive on offensively we seem to be a better team, so I also want to see him get some shots. This should be a good game, the Sixers have to play defense for 4 quarters with no lapses. If they can play consistent D, then we should be able to pull this off.
<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">best playoffs scenario available will be the 8th seed</div> Granted that we don't win the Atlantic Division, the best case scenario could actually be the 6th seed. We're right behind Indiana (7th seed) which is a team that's going to eventually fall off without JO and the Bulls are struggling a little, so if we play our cards right we could win the 6th seed. And if we put ourselves in contention for the 6th seed then we should probably be within a game and half or two games at most for the Atlantic Division crown, but then again that all depends on how well Boston fares in their upcoming weeks.
I know that, I said we need all the wins as possible or the best case scenario is we'll have to settle for is the 8th spot. I understand we can get a higher seeed but what I'm trying to say is if we keep up this pace we'll be at best an eigth seed. EDIT: This was a very good game for us. Our defense seems to be improving as we held Bron with 16 points on 3-20 shooting from the field and thats exceptional. Another exceptional stat in this game is the Cavs didn't have any fastbreak points and another is they shot 31% from the field. Although the Sixers played well early onthe Cavs made a run and we almost let the game go but from what I read C Webb made a desperation crazy 3 that put us up for good. Also heard Iguodala had a nice block on Ilgaskus that ended up a very important play as well. Iguodala has played well defensivley holding Kobe to only 20 points and James to only 16. Next up is the Bulls who have been struggling lately even losing to the Hornets at home. A back to back game may be tough for us, AI has a thumb injury that could need some rest, and Webber's knee swells during heavy activity and it's been said he may struggle with his knee in back to back situations. Never the less, I expect a W from the Sixers tommrow as well.
<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post"><ul> <font color="Red">Defense</font> This should be the number one priority. Defense! They 76ers have been inconsistent on defense end throughout the season. But as of late they seem to be picking things up. They defeated the Bobcats by 32 Points and later that week they defeated the L.A Lakers by 17 while forcing Kobe to settle with a mere 20 Points. So they should look to play the Cavaliers like they played the Lakers especially on LeBron James. Andre Iguodala did an excellent job at defending Kobe, and the 76ers did an even better job giving help defense. But with a Center like Big Z in the middle it's going to be hard to give LeBron James all the attention, so the 76er must adjust and find a way to make Big Z put it on the floor and simultaneously stop ball penetration from LeBron James. It?s much more easier said than done, but defense is going to be the key.[/list]</div> LeBron James went 3-20 shooting and that's basically all you need to know. Ilgauskas on the other hand shot 5-19. So it seemed as if my key for them to play defense was the beneficiary of the game. <div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post"><ul><font color="Red">Control The Tempo</font> The 76ers must control the tempo, they can't let the Cavaliers get into the open court because that is where Drew Gooden and LeBron James is most effective. If the 76ers can get them to play the halfcourt game all game long they will have a good chance at wining. Philly ranks number one in forcing turnovers, that said they can't give the likes of McInnis and James to throw the outlet passes and get into the fastbreak game, they must put pressure on the Cav's backcourt and try to make them cough up the ball.[/list]</div> Talking about controlling the tempo and playing good defense... The 76ers allowed 0 fastbreak points which was a BIG help since the Cavs are so good in the open court and in which they also do a lot of damage in. So all in all, it was a great game. The Cavs went on a major run late in the 3rd quarter, but the 76ers capitalized in mid 4th quarter and sparked a run of their own. And I must say, I'm impressed with the 76ers defense. It?s looking very, very good as of right now. We held Kobe to just 20 Points, we later than forced LeBron James to 3-20 shooting and before those games we beated the Bobcats by 32. So our defense is looking pretty good right now. Let's see how well we fare tonight against the Bulls. And as a footnote, forget about the Atlantic Division. If Philadelphia defeats the Bulls tonight we will be tied for the 6th spot with them, and if the Wizards and Cavs continue to struggle we could possible have a shot at the 4th seed. You never know, there is a lot of games remaining and we could do some big things. If they stay optimistic and believe in one another they could on a major run in the upcoming weeks.
Webber had another bad shooting performance but he made the shot that mattered the most so Im not gonna whine about it. Mckie and Iguodala made nice job on LeBron,you don't see him hitting only 3 shots in a game every day so for the job made on him.
