| ||
| PACERS | vs. | CAVALIERS |
 J. Tinsley |
Point Guard |
 D. Gibson |
 M. Dunleavy |
Shooting Guard |
 S. Pavlovic |
 D. Granger |
Small Forward |
 L. James |
 T. Murphy |
Power Forward |
 D. Gooden |
 J. Foster |
Center |  Z. Ilgauskas |
 M. Daniels |
Sixth Man |
 D. Jones |
 J. O'Brien |
Coach |  M. Brown |
Pacers hope to sharpen edge at home
By Conrad Brunner | Nov. 24, 2007
Sunday 2:30 p.m., Home TV: None Radio: WIBC 1070-AM |
Their 111-107 victory over Dallas Friday was the third in four games for the Pacers (6-7) and was performed in front of a raucous crowd (14,002) that was credited by Coach Jim O'Brien with assisting the team.
"I think we fed off the crowd maybe for the first time since the Miami game (the home opener)," O'Brien said. "The crowd really gave us a lot of energy. With LeBron (James) coming in and as good as that basketball team is, we need our crowd. Whoever finds it in their will to come to a game and be a part of this, they're going to see an exciting basketball team and a team that works hard. We really need our fans to be a big-time sixth man for us."
After facing the Cavs, the Pacers head West for their first extended road trip of the season beginning Tuesday in Denver. In fact, they play just one of the next seven at home.
"We have a chance to get to .500 this weekend and that will be a big goal for us," said Jeff Foster after the Dallas victory. "This was a big win and we’ve got to build on this."
"We must continue to improve on both ends and learn from each other," said Jamaal Tinsley. "Hopefully, this is the beginning of a lot of good things to come from our team. We still have a lot of improvement, which I know we can do.”
The Pacers remain uncertain of the status of franchise forward Jermaine O'Neal, who missed the last two games due to swelling in his left knee. He's officially listed as day-to-day, with his availability to be determined by the team's medical staff.
"He has to be basically ready to play at a 90 percent level," O'Brien said. "He has to be ready to practice. It's awful difficult to just play games and not practice. Jermaine knows how important he is to our team on the practice floor and also in games. He also knows by having this swelling in his leg that it's hard to practice. You almost can't. And if you're not practicing you're not going to play to your capabilities. When he gets right he'll be able to do both of those things at a very, very high level."
The Cavs (7-6) are coming off a 111-108 victory over Toronto Saturday afternoon in which James posted his 13th career triple-double with 37 points, 12 rebounds and 12 assists. With Donyell Marshall and Cedric Simmons both out with injuries and Anderson Varejao still unsigned, the Mavs are perilously thin up front. The defending Eastern Conference champions turned to their perimeter game against the Raptors, tossing in nine 3-pointers in the second half.
KEY TO THE GAME
There really isn’t much a team can do to stop LeBron James, who's going to find a way to get his points. As always, the defense needs to encourage him to take as many jump shots as possible because that's the most vulnerable part of his repertoire. The difference-maker for the Cavs at the moment is 7-3 center Zydrunas Ilgauskas, who is making the most of his expanded opportunities. He's a tough cover but can be rendered ineffective in an up-tempo game because he is ponderous.
TRENDS
Marquis Daniels has shot 6-of-22 from the field (.273) and totaled 20 points (6.7) in the last three. … Mike Dunleavy averages 21.2 points on .505 shooting in victories, but 11.4 points and .380 shooting in losses. … Jeff Foster has averaged 12.0 rebounds in the last three, 11.3 rebounds in the last six. … Danny Granger has averaged 20.8 points and 5.8 rebounds while shooting .571 from the field and .429 from the 3-point line in the last four. … Troy Murphy has averaged 20.5 points and 8.5 rebounds in the last two. … Kareem Rush is 9-of-34 from the field (.265) and 2-of-13 from the 3-point line (.154) in the last seven. … Jamaal Tinsley has totaled 42 assists and 10 turnovers in the last four games. … Shawne Williams has averaged 13.0 points and 4.5 rebounds while shooting .576 overall and .500 from the 3-point line in the last four. … The offense has averaged 111.8 points on .468 shooting in the last four. … The Pacers have scored at least 100 points in five consecutive games for the first time since April 6-13, 2001. … In the last three victories, the defense has yielded 99.0 points on .425 shooting overall and .224 from the arc. … The Pacers have totaled 27 turnovers in the last three games (9.0) after averaging 17.5 in the first 10.
SERIES
The Cavs won the last three meetings and six of seven. Indiana leads 74-71 overall and is 46-25 at home.
INJURIES
Pacers - F-C Jermaine O'Neal (left knee swelling) is day-to-day; F Ike Diogu (torn left calf muscle) are out.
Cavaliers - G Larry Hughes (deep one bruise, left leg), F Donyell Marshall (sprained right wrist) and F Cedric Simmons (left ankle sprain) are out.
