GT: Boston Celtics @ Cleveland Cavaliers Nov 27

bbwchingy0007 · Nov 27, 2007

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November 27, 2007 @ 7:00pm EST
Quicken Loans Arena, Cleveland, OH
NBATV, CSNNE, FSOhio HD, AND CHANNEL 5 IN THE UK @ 2:00 GMT!!!
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Cleveland Cavaliers
(8-6)


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Boston Celtics
(11-1)


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<h4 align="center">Projected Starters</h4>
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PG Daniel Gibson SGAleksandar Pavlovic

SF LeBron James PF Drew Gooden C Zydrunas Ilgauskas


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PGRajon RondoSG Ray Allen

SFPaul PiercePFKevin GarnettC Kendrick Perkins


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<h4>Season Stats</h4>
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<td class="strong">Points</td>
<td>101.6PPG</td>
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<td class="strong">FG%</td>
<td>44.8%</td>
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<td class="strong">3pt%</td>
<td>37.7%</td>
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<td class="strong">Rebounds</td>
<td>45.9 RPG</td>
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<td class="strong">Assists</td>
<td>20.0APG</td>
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<td class="strong">Points</td>
<td>102.7PPG</td>
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<td class="strong">FG%</td>
<td>49.6%</td>
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<td class="strong">3pt%</td>
<td>37.9%</td>
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<td class="strong">Rebounds</td>
<td>42.3RPG</td>
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<td class="strong">Aassists</td>
<td>24.4RPG</td>
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<h4>Season Team Leaders</h4>
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<td class="strong">Points</td>
<td>James 31.3 PPG</td>
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<td class="strong">Rebounds</td>
<td>Ilgauskas 11.9RPG</td>
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<td class="strong">Assists</td>
<td>James8.3 APG</td>
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<td class="strong">Points</td>
<td>Pierce22.2 PPG</td>
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<td>Garnett12.7 RPG</td>
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<td class="strong">Assists</td>
<td>Rondo/Pierce5.2 APG</td>
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<h4>Key Matchup:SF- LeBron James v Paul Pierce</h4>
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v
LeBron is in the form of his life at the moment, demolishing teams with little or no help from his team-mates. Yes, some others will score 20 points in a game, but this is largely thanks to the opposition having to focus their defensive efforts on LeBron. He will need yet another flawless game if the Cavs are to beat the outstanding Celtics tonight.
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<h4>Keys to the Game</h4>
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<ul>[*]Win the Battle of the Boards -This is incredibly important for the Cavs today. If they fail to win this battle, they lose their main advantage over the Celtics.And tonight, they will need every advantage they can get.

[*]LeBron has to continue his run of form - LeBron has been outstanding of late, and his record against the Celtics is immaculate, too. If, and only if, he can keep those records up, the Cavs might just get away with a win.
[*]Hit shots - The Cavaliers have actually been shooting really well from downtown recently, though this is largely thanks to LeBron stretching the defense to give open shots to his team-mates. If they can continue hitting the big shots when it counts, they could see themselves victorious tonight.[/list]
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<ul>[*]Lock down on LeBron - The Celtics can afford to give up some open looks if it means keeping a lid on LeBron's activities for the evening. If LeBron cannot produce the numbers that he has been able to produce recently, the Cavs simply cannot win..
[*]Play tough defense- Many Cavaliers, including Drew Gooden, Daniel Gibson and Sasha Pavlovic are youngsters, and will often react poorly to tight defense and begin making mistakes with the basketball. If the Celtics can force guys such as these into needless turnovers, the Cavs will really struggle to win.

[*]Continueplaying as normal- The Celtics are a grat team. In my books, the definition of a great team is one which wins even when it plays poorly. The Celtics have been doing so this season, but if they play poorly tonight, the reigning Eastern Conference Champions might just be able to beat them.[/list]
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<h4>The Cavs since 2003 v Boston</h4>
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<td colspan="2">The two teams have met 14 times. The Cavaliers have won nine times, and average 98.3 PPG, whilst the Celtics have won five times, and average 96.8 PPG. LeBron James has competed in 12 of the games, and averages 29.8 PPG, 6.2 RPG and 5.5 APG against the Celtics. In his last 7 games against Boston, he has managed to score 31+ points in each, and has managed that feat in 8 out of the 12 meetings they have had. He has had one triple double (43-12-11) against the Celtics, and may need another similar performance if the Cavs are to win tonight.</td>
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<h4>Prediction</h4>
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I would love to say that the Cavs will win tonight, and I think they could, but my brain tells me that the Celtics are simply more likely to win than the home team.

101 - 106
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