What to Watch For - Cavs v. Pacers

What to watch for tonight as the Cavaliers take on the Indiana Pacers at the Q:

1. Are the Pacers giant killers? The Pacers are 1-2 on the year, but their one victory was a 95-79 shellacking of the Boston Celtics at home. The Pacers have had an even tougher schedule than the Cavaliers through the first two weeks, facing the Pistons, Celtics and Suns, and were competitive at the very least in their two losses. Holding the Celtics to 79 points is pretty impressive, and if the Pacers can bring that kind of defensive intensity to bear, they could catch the Cavaliers by surprise. The Pacers are also a good 3-point shooting team, which can keep them in the game if they make their shots.

2. How will the Cavs deal with T.J. Ford? Ford is the quintessential Cavs-killing point guard, a guy with tremendous speed and a knack for slipping past his defender and getting into the lane. The Cavs had a tough time containing Derrick Rose on Wednesday, and Ford presents similar matchup problems. Ford had 23 points on Wednesday when he matched up with Steve Nash, and he could put up similar numbers tonight. The Cavaliers interior defense has been superb this season, but the perimeter defense is still very much a work in progress.

3. Will LeBron James one-up Amare Stoudemire? In the Pacers' last game, Amare Stoudemire dropped 49 points while grabbing 10 rebounds, dishing off 6 assists, nabbing 5 steals and picking up 2 blocks. Yes, that's a lot of "ing" phrases, but when someone is putting up numbers like that, it can leave you at a loss for words. LeBron is coming off a 41-9-6-4 night of his own, and should be able to take advantage of some suspect Indiana defenders. I'm not expecting a 50-point night, as LeBron's minutes could be cut short with the Cavs headed to Chicago for a back-to-back game Saturday, but I expect LeBron to make his presence known tonight.

Go Cavs. I am really expecting the team to get fat on these weak Central Division opponents this weekend.

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Posted by Mike C at 11/7/2008 2:47 PM
Categories: uncategorized
 

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