Preview
Cleveland (4-2) at
Orlando (2-3)
Game Info: 6:00 pm EST Sun Nov 13, 2005
TV: WUAB, SUNS
On the verge of achieving an impressive feat on offense,
LeBron James may be more focused on his
Cleveland Cavaliers maintaining their solid play defensively going into a matchup with the
Orlando Magic.
James needs 10 points in this contest -- he's been held below double digits once in his last 115 games -- to become the youngest player in NBA history to reach 4,000.
The third-year superstar, who turns 21 on Dec. 30, would break the mark set by
Kobe Bryant, who was 21 years, 216 days old when he hit 4,000.
Of greater importance to James will be seeing the Cavaliers come up with another strong defensive effort. Their opponent's point total has gone down in three straight games, and they've won them all to bounce back from a 1-2 start.
"We are just making things happen defensively and it's great to see," James said after Cleveland held Memphis to a season low in points in an 89-70 win on Friday.
The Cavs have held the opposition to a combined 38.6 percent from the field in the last two games, easy victories over Seattle and Memphis.
"Ever since coach (Mike) Brown has come in, we have been trying to buy into his system and working on getting better with our defense every day," center
Zydrunas Ilgauskas said. "We still have a way to go but there has been a lot of teaching and we are still improving."
Cleveland has been dominant on the boards during the three-game win streak, outrebounding opponents by a 152-80 margin.
The Cavs could be set up for another solid game defensively facing Orlando, which averages a league-low 81.2 points.
The Magic, though, posted their highest point total of the season in their most recent game, an 88-83 win over New Orleans on Wednesday. Orlando finished with a 43-33 rebounding edge.
"This was a character game for us," Magic coach Brian Hill said. "This showed exactly what type of character these guys have."
Steve Francis had 24 points, including seven in the final 2:01, after scoring a season-high 27 in Tuesday's 76-74 victory at Houston. Those two wins followed an 0-3 start for Orlando.
These teams will also meet Friday in Cleveland.
STANDINGS (through Nov. 12): Cavaliers - 3rd place (tied), 2 GB, Central Division. Magic - 3rd place, 2 1/2 GB, Southeast Division.
PROBABLE STARTERS: Cavaliers - F James, F
Drew Gooden, C Ilgauskas, G
Eric Snow, G
Larry Hughes. Magic - F
Hedo Turkoglu, F
Dwight Howard, C
Tony Battie, G
DeShawn Stevenson, G Francis.
TEAM LEADERS: Cavaliers - James, 26.8 ppg; Ilgauskas, 9.3 rpg; Snow, 4 apg. Magic - Francis, 20.8 ppg and 5.8 apg; Howard, 9.2 rpg.
2004-05 SEASON SERIES: Cavaliers, 3-1.
LAST MEETING: April 11; Cavaliers, 114-106. At Orlando, Fla., James played all 48 minutes, finishing with 33 points, seven rebounds, six assists and five steals.
ROAD/HOME RECORDS: Cavaliers - 1-2 on the road. Magic - 0-2 at home.
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