Where: The Quicken Loans Arena, Cleveland, OH
When: Tuesday, January 30th, 2007 at 7:00 pm Eastern
Last meeting: Saturday, January 20, 2007
Cavs 106, Warriors 104 (OT)
Probable starters:
SF: Mickael Pietrus
PF: Al Harrington
C: Andris Biedrins
SG: Stephen Jackson
PG: Monta Ellis
SF: LeBron James
PF: Drew Gooden
C: Zydrunas Ilgauskas
SG: Larry Hughes
PG: Eric Snow
Keys to this game:
-Golden State likes to play run-and-gun small ball with a small lineup. The Cavs have already seen run-and-gun at it's finest on Sunday against Phoenix and have to continue to defend it against a Warriors team trying to copy Phoenix's style. Getting back in transition and contesting possible fast breaks will go a long way in defending this team.
-Golden State is not a good rebounding team, and with Harrington, who is a poor rebounder for his size and position, they got worse in that regard. The Cavs ambushed the Warriors, 57-45, on the boards in the last meeting. Continuing to hit the glass in the second half was a huge part of their comeback to win that game. With the home energy behind them and the decided edge in rebounding talent already on their side, there is no reason that the abuse on rebounding shouldn't continue.
-Don't try to out-shoot the Warriors. Make them play a physical, grind-it-out style, and they'll fold. The team doesn't have any low-post threats that can beat you inside consistently, and the Cavs have to realize it. Then again, the Cavs don't have any consistent low-post defender, so it might not matter, anyways.
Prediction: Cavs bounce back from the loss to PHX and win, 102-94.