Fresh from knocking off the perennial-heavyweight Pistons, the Wine and Gold travel to Texas for their first foray into the Finals as Mike Brown takes on his former mentor in the improbable matchup of the Cavaliers and Spurs.

At cavs.com, we’ll preview the series right up until tipoff and provide the most comprehensive coverage possible once the action begins. Today – a look at the position-by-position battles to watch throughout the Finals.

From LeBron v. Bowen to Manu v. Boobie, here’s a glance at the matchups …

POINT GUARD

Larry Hughes v. Tony Parker Parker – 19.8 ppg, 6.4 apg, 2.9 rpg
Hughes – 12.6 ppg, 2.6 apg, 4.1 rpg
Injured early in the Pistons series, Hughes started the last two games, but Boobie Gibson closed – in style. Hughes gets a couple days to rest his left foot and his length could give Tony Parker problems. Hughes had two great games against the Spurs, going for nine and 13 points in the fourth quarters of both matchups, but Parker’s speed – (mixed with Hughes’ injury) – could force Mike Brown to go with a larger dose of Gibson in the second half.

SHOOTING GUARD

Sasha Pavlovic vs. Michael Finley Pavlovic – 9.0 ppg, 2.6 rpg, 1.8 apg
Finley – 13.1 ppg, 3.1 rpg, 1.2 apg
Michael Finley is still in search of a ring and the crafty veteran matches up with the young Pavlovic – who began the Playoffs well, but has struggled to find his range since. Finley averaged a solid 13.1 ppg in 16 postseason games while Pavlovic got out to a good start – averaging 16 points in the first two games against New Jersey – but has reached double-figures only twice in the last 10. His solid defense against Rip Hamilton kept him in the lineup.

SMALL FORWARD

LeBron James vs. Bruce Bowen James – 25.8 ppg, 8.3 rpg, 8.3 rpg
Bowen – 6.6 ppg, 3.7 rpg, 1.3 apg
Bruce Bowen’s reputation as one of the league’s best defenders will be put to the test when he faces off against LeBron James. LeBron started out slowly against Detroit, but was unstoppable in the Cavaliers’ final four victories. Bowen had his problems with Deron Williams and now he’s going against someone bigger, stronger and nearly as quick. Bowen will try to aggravate James and make him work on the defensive end.

POWER FORWARD

Drew Gooden vs. Tim Duncan Gooden – 11.1 ppg, 8.5 rpg, 1.2 apg
Duncan – 23.2 ppg, 11.4 rpg, 3.1 apg
Drew Gooden has been solid throughout the postseason – averaging 11 and 8 – but he’ll face his toughest test yet when he takes on the Big Fundamental, who’s been at his best in the postseason. The future Hall of Famer and three-time Finals MVP can do everything but shoot free throws consistently, so look for the Cavaliers to send Anderson Varejao at him to try and get Duncan out of his game. Big Z has done well when matched up with Duncan.

CENTER

Zydrunas Ilgauskas vs. Fabricio Oberto Ilgauskas – 13.8 ppg, 9.5 rpg, 0.9 apg
Oberto – 5.9 ppg, 5.1 rpg, 0.8 apg
Whereas Zydrunas Ilgauskas is a mainstay of the Cleveland offense, Fabricio Oberto rarely gets his number called on the offensive end. The Argentinean big man has shot the ball well in the postseason – 67 percent – but this matchup clearly favors the Large Lithuanian, who is shooting 52 percent from the floor and has been reborn in the postseason. Varejao will get plenty of time in the middle during the series.

BENCH

The Spurs have one of the deepest benches in the NBA, led by their frenetic swingman, Manu Ginobili – who’s as dangerous a reserve as there is in the league. He can create his own shot and stretches the defense with his outside shooting. Robert Horry can still hit the big shot as can Brent Barry – and both have big-time Playoff experience. Jacque Vaughn is a big, stellar backup point and Francisco Elson is their designated banger. The Wild Thing is a frontline jack-of-all-trades and Daniel Gibson is a loaded weapon coming off the Cavs bench who gains confidence with every outing. Donyell Marshall and Damon Jones stretch the defense and play steady, if not solid, D. Eric Snow is the stabilizer who will scrap with just about anyone and run the offense efficiently. He's the only Cavalier with Finals experience.

HEAD COACH

Mike Brown vs. Gregg Popovich Mike Brown brought the Spurs’ system with him and the Cavaliers have been called “San Antonio East” because of their many ties to the perennial heavyweights. Gregg Popovich is one of Brown’s close friends and coaching mentors. Popovich has Finals experience in spades while Brown makes his first foray into the Finals after back-to-back 50 win seasons at the helm of the Cavaliers. He’s brought defense to a team that, after some mid-season growing pains, now believes totally in his system and message. Popovich’s has commanded that for years in the Lone Star State.