Some things to keep an eye on tonight when the Cavs head into Denver to take on the surprising Nuggets, who are 17-8 and 16-5 since the arrival of Chauncey Billups:

1.  Like the Cavaliers, the Nuggets don’t have what you would call a “bad” loss on their record since acquiring Chauncey Billups.  Those five losses are to Cleveland, New Orleans, San Antonio, Houston and the L.A. Lakers.  In that same stretch, the Nuggets have beaten the Celtics in Boston, the Spurs in San Antoinio, the Rockets and Raptors at home, and the Mavericks twice, so it’s not as if the Nuggets are just getting fat on the bad teams.  If the Cavaliers find a way to win tonight in Denver, it will be their best win of the season so far.

However, the Cavaliers have come out flat in these tougher road games this season.  Say what you will about it being the fourth game in five nights, the Cavs didn’t come out firing on all cylinders against Atlanta on Saturday.  In New Orleans at the beginning of the season, the Cavs faced a Hornets team missing Tyson Chandler and Peja Stojakovic, and didn’t come out quickly.  Tonight the Cavaliers have the rest and should be ready to go.  But they’re going to need to find energy throughout the night if they want to bring home a win.

2.  Which Mo Williams will show up?  In the first game against Denver, Mo had a whopping 24 points and 6 assists, giving the Cavaliers a much needed spark against the high-octane Nuggets.  On Wednesday, however, Mo couldn’t find his spots, and finished with just six points against a Wolves point guard crew that can only be called suspect.

With Z and Bobbie out tonight, the Cavs need to find some extra offense against the Nuggets, who are averaging 103.4 points per game.  Williams is one of those players that needs to step up and deliver if the Cavs are going to win tonight.

3.  About that LeBron-Carmelo rivalry…  I know, I haven’t talked about Carmelo Anthony in like a week, you’re having withdrawal.  Melo’s scoring and field goal percentage numbers are down thanks to an elbow injury he’s fighting through, but I’m really impressed by his rebound rate (8.0 rpg, rebound rate of 13.4, good for 5th among small forwards).  He seems more comfortable with Billups at the helm (futher proving Iverson’s disruptive nature), as do the rest of the Nuggets.  

To be honest, this is looking like one of those games where the two teams battle back and forth, LeBron drops 36 to Anthony’s 24, but Anthony hits a single big bucket and gives Denver the edge.  I’m hoping that the Cavs come to play early, but I think this is going to be a back-and-forth contest throughout the night.

Go Cavs.

What to watch for tonight:

1.  How will the Cavaliers handle the loss of Zydrunas Ilgauskas and Daniel Gibson?  

With Z on the bench with his ankle sprain, look for the Cavaliers to try to get out and run, as the offense will no longer benefit from waiting for Big Z to get down the floor.  The Cavaliers will likely look for more early offense as well.  But the mostly likely change, at least for the first few games, will be more LeBron isolation in the half-court, whether it be on the perimeter or in the post.  

While Z is getting plenty of praise all around this season, even I was surprised to see that Ilgauskas is putting up 14.8 points per night in just 26 minutes.  The Cavaliers have to find a way to make up some of that production, and a number of players are going to get that opportunity.  Hickson will likely get the first chance to pick up some points in the paint, but I also wouldn’t be surprised if Darnell Jackson shows off that solid 12 footer from the corner, a spot that is often open in the Cavalier offense.  

When you add the loss of Gibson’s scoring (9.4 points per game), the Cavaliers are looking at a deficit of 24.2 points per game.  Expect LeBron to cover about 6 of the missing points, and Mo Williams to cover another 4.  That leaves 14 points for the rest of the players to make up.  Even though the Cavaliers are currently beating their opponents by a whopping 13.36 points per game, they need to find some more points from the other guys if they want to keep this win streak rolling.

2.  How will the Cavs handle the 76ers break?

The 76ers had 26 fast break points on Wednesday while scoring only 93 points overall.  That means that 28% of their total point output was through the fast break, and anyone watching the game could see that the only way the Sixers were effectively scoring was when they were running in transition.  If the Cavaliers want to shut down the Sixers tonight, they have to keep them from running.

To do that, there are two things the Cavs need to do offensively.  First, they need to avoid taking too many long jump shots.  The jumpshot is the perfect catalyst for the transition game, and the Sixers were certainly giving the Cavaliers a little extra space on Wednesday, daring the ballhandlers to shoot.  The Cavaliers have to resist that urge and focus on moving the ball and getting into the lane.

The Cavalier bigs should also crash the offensive boards a little less, instead getting back on defense when the shot goes up and the rebound is legitimately out of reach.  I know the Cavaliers thrive on getting offensive rebounds, especially at home where the hustle is quickly rewarded by the fans.  But discretion is the better part of valor, and with the 76ers having no luck against the Cavalier halfcourt defense, I think the Cavs would be well-served to give up a few of those offensive boards for better defensive position on the other end.  Again, I think the Cavs should go out there trying to win this game 80-60, because the Sixers have no idea how to score effectively in a slowdown game right now.

3.  Will the crowd have an impact in the game tonight?

The Cavaliers are 11-0 at home, and given the terrible season the Browns are currently finishing, the city has turned it’s attention to the very impressive Cavaliers.  That can lead to some very excited fans filling up the Q, and that extra boost might be just what the team needs to help them weather the storm with Z and Boobie on the bench.  With a rough road stretch coming up next week, it is very important that the Cavs end tonight with that home winning streak still intact.  The Sixers put up a tough fight on Wednesday, and I imagine they will be even tougher tonight.  Here’s hoping the home crowd stays loud and involved, and carries the good guys to victory.

Go Cavs.

What to watch for tonight when the Cavaliers try to pick up their eighth straight victory in a road contest against the Charlotte Bobcats:

1.  Will LeBron James light it up in front of Bobcats head coach Larry Brown and GM Michael Jordan?  LeBron has made his feelings known about Larry Brown after their time together on the 2004 Olympic team, and Jordan has always held his Airness in the highest esteem.  After a rough night last night, it wouldn’t be too crazy to expect an early explosion from LeBron, though he might end up sitting through another fourth quarter if he does go off early.  

2.  Who will win the matchup between Bobcats rookie point guard D.J. Augustin and Cavalier guard Boobie Gibson?  Both Augustin and Gibson played their college ball at the University of Texas, and Augustin is off to a hot start to his rookie campaign, scoring 12.5 points per game and dishing off 4.2 assists.  Gibson on the other hand has struggled to start the season, averaging 8.9 points per game on just 38% shooting from the field and 27% from beyond the arc, an astounding 17% drop from last season’s 44% 3-point percentage.  Gibson has shown signs of snapping out of this funk recently, and has scored in double figures in four of the last five games.  It could be interesting to watch Augustin and Gibson go head-to-head for a bit tonight.

3.  Are the Cavaliers still window shopping for Bobcats players?  When the Bobcats came to Cleveland for the Cavalier home opener (a 96-79 Cavs victory), there was plenty of talk about the Cavaliers possibly acquiring either Jason Richardson or Gerald Wallace from the ‘Cats.  To get a better feel for how the Bobcats and their fans feel about Richardson and Wallace, and the likelihood of a trade, I consulted David Arnott of RufusOnFire.com (say it out loud).  His thoughts:

Gerald Wallace is the best player on the team, with Emeka Okafor the only other player giving him a run for the honor. Jason Richardson scores the most points, since the offense tends to be funneled toward him, but his defense is lacking when compared to Crash.  Should the Bobcats trade Wallace, they won’t only be trading their defensive stopper, best finisher at the rim, and best slasher, they’ll be trading their emotional center, who happens to be signed to a multi-year contract for very reasonable money.  Richardson, on the other hand, is the team’s third worst contract, after Matt Carroll’s and Nazr Mohammed’s.  In a very direct way, as long as they’re responsible for Richardson’s contract, they’ll be unable to sign a truly transcendent player, a perennial All Star type.

But try telling the average fan that the guy with the most points per game is only the third best player on the team, and there’ll be lots of resistance. If the Cats can trade Richardson for a better contract–say, as part of a package for Chris Kaman–it would be an utter coup.  It is highly unlikely, at this point, that Richardson gets traded, and somewhat unlikely Wallace gets traded, now that Zach Randolph is in Los Angeles.

Any possible trade you could see happening?

The player on the Cavs who is both expendable and would make a real difference for the Bobcats is probably Delonte West. We don’t need another spot up shooter like Wally, but his expiring deal certainly looks tasty. If I were running the Bobcats, I’d propose this trade and hope the Cavs see how it benefits both of us.

http://www.realgm.com/src_checktrade.php?tradeid=4852098

Straight talent-wise, the Cavs get the best player in the trade, Richardson, to start at the two and give LeBron the best second banana he’s ever had, so that the starting lineup is Williams, JRich, LBJ, Ben/Andy, and Big Z. Carroll is a jump shooting two for the end of the bench, and you put up with his awful contract in order to get Richardson. Felton is essentially a younger Mo Williams and is only a slight step down at the point coming off the bench, allowing Boobie to be a shooter at his natural spot at the two when the Cavs go small.

For the Bobcats, the primary attraction is converting Richardson’s long contract into Wally’s expiring deal. West is a better partner for DJ Augustin, since he’s more defensive-minded and makes more sense playing the two than Felton does.  (And we’ve seen that West can thrive next to a shoot-first point guard in Mo Williams, a guy Augustin should try to emulate.)  Hickson is a lottery ticket who might be the sidekick Emeka needs in the front court. And Pavlovic would give Adam Morrison competition for PT. Based on what Larry Brown’s done all year, he’d start a lineup of Augustin, Wally, Crash, Hickson, and Okafor.

Interesting ideas there.  Before the season started, there were (legitimate) concerns about Delonte West in the starting shooting guard spot.  By acquiring Richardson for West and Szczerbiak, the Cavaliers would be adding size and scoring firepower to the backcourt.  While Cavalier fans love Delonte West and his recent play, I don’t think any player is safe as the Cavaliers have just a 2-year window to win a Championship before LeBron James has to make his 2010 decision.  

I can’t see the Cavaliers making a move like this for a couple of reasons.  First, I don’t see the Cavaliers shipping out four players on a team that is playing this well.  Such a dramatic overhaul midway through what could be a championship season seems unlikely.  Second, the proposed trade would weaken the Cavalier front line more than it appears, as Wally Szczerbiak is actually getting a number of minutes alongside LeBron James in the frontcourt, and Hickson, for better or worse, will be expected to contribute for more minutes as the season progresses.  

But take Hickson out of that deal and you might have something.  Make it just Szczerbiak and West for Richardson and Felton, and I think the Cavaliers make that deal tomorrow, even if they have to throw in a first round pick.  Obviously we’re just kicking this stuff around, but I still wouldn’t be shocked if there are serious conversations between the Bobcats and the Cavaliers before the trade deadline.

Then again, maybe Danny Ferry and Bobcats GM Michael Jordan still have some bad blood from this.  

A last note from Arnott:

As for Saturday night, the Cats are on the second half of a back to back, and they just lost to the Bucks tonight. They’re nowhere near the Cavs’ class. The frontcourt after Emeka is totally overmatched, and the bench in general is totally overmatched. 

I couldn’t agree more.  The schedule has been great to the Cavaliers this season, and they have taken full advantage.  Even the typically dicey road games on the second night of back-to-backs have been made easier of late, because the opposition has been coming off of a back-to-back as well.  

Thanks again to David Arnott and the fantastically-named RufusOnFire.com (Rufus is the name of the Bobcat’s mascot).  Enjoy the game tonight, and Go Cavs.

What to watch for tonight as the Cavs go for their eleventh straight home victory over the Indiana Pacers:

1.  Can the Cavaliers keep up this torrid pace?  The Cavs have won six in a row overall, ten straight at home, and they are winning games by an average of 12.33 points per game.  It’s gotten to the point where even ABJ beat writer George Thomas is calling the excellence downright boring, and it’s hard to disagree with him.  The Cavaliers are bringing multiple weapons to each game right now, and even when one piece has an off night (take Wally Szczerbiak’s 2-for-7 performance on Wednesday), there is more than enough left to push the Cavaliers over the top.  It’s hard to know who the hero will be night in and night out (besides LeBron James of course).  Tonight I’m guessing that Delonte West finds his stroke again after going just 11-for-29 (38%) over the last three games.

2. How have the Pacers been able to come up with wins over elite teams like the Boston Celtics and the Los Angeles Lakers already  this season?  Despite a 7-11 record, the Pacers are ranked 11th in John Hollinger’s Power Rankings, thanks in large part to the fact that they have played by far the toughest schedule in the league (Pacer opponents have won 61% of their games this season).  For a little insight on all things Pacers, I asked Tom Lewis from IndyCornrows.com the same question.  His response:

This Indiana Pacers team doesn’t always play well but they do play hard for 48 minutes, so when they do play well they have a shot to beat any team in the league. Unfortunately, their margin for error is slim regardless of the opponent. Without a bona fide superstar I think some of the better teams think they can impose their will and beat down the Pacers.

The Lakers put a 17-0 run on the Pacers to end the third quarter on Tuesday night to head to the fourth up 15. The Lakers normally cruise home with that big a lead in the fourth and they appeared stunned when the Pacers hopped up off the mat and scrapped their way back into the game. The Lakers weren’t able to turn the go switch back on.

So effort is a big part of it, not backing down. Then there is the depth of talent the Pacers use. Again, no superstars but Danny Granger averages over 24 points per game and Troy Murphy is averaging a double-double on the year. There are playmakers in T.J. Ford and Marquis Daniels who have had some great games this year. So when the team takes care of the ball (unlike the last Cavs game when they had 24 turnovers) and the shots are falling, a W over any team, even the Lakers and Celtics, shouldn’t be a surprise.

In short, even if the Cavaliers do sprint out to a big lead early, they are going to have to contend with the Pacers all night tonight.  It should be a good test for a team that has been cruising against bad teams of late.

3.   Will Danny Granger continue his string of excellent performances against the Cavaliers?  In his trip to Cleveland, Granger had 33 points and played so well that it caught the attention of LeBron James as the two got into it down the stretch, LeBron jawing at Granger while making some game-sealing free throws.  Granger is really developing into a player, enough that I compared Granger to Carmelo Anthony after the first matchup between Indy and Cleveland.  

Granger has continued his solid play since then, and is averaging 24.4 points, good for seventh in the league, and 5.1 rebounds per game.  Just looking at the numbers, it’s easy to see that he is foul prone (4.06 fouls per game) and turnover prone (3.24 turnovers per game compared to 2.7 assists per game), and if he can limit those mistakes, he could develop into a top-10 overall talent in the league.  That’s no small feat for a player who fell to number 17 in the Draft three years ago.  

Go Cavs.  I’m expecting tonight’s game to be even tougher than the one in Milwaukee last Saturday.

What to watch for when the Cavaliers host the New York Knicks tonight at the Q.

1.  How about those throwback jerseys?  The Cavaliers will be unveiling the third throwback jersey of the LeBron James era, heading all the way back to the team’s first season in 1974 for this gold number.  The Cavaliers have done a great job in showing off the iconic color schemes from the team’s history, and the bright gold-yellow color is unique in the league at this time.  Here’s hoping that the team finds success in the jersey tonight, because we’ll be seeing it five more times this season, including big home games against the Hornets and Pistons.

2.  Al Harrington is loving his current role with the Knicks, who acquired Harrington in a trade two weeks ago.  Since his arrival in New York, Harrington is averaging 22.5 points, 8.3 rebounds and 1.5 assists per game.  That doesn’t mean that Harrington is playing well, as he is shooting only 38.7% (30-81), but he sees himself as a scorer, and so far the Knicks have allowed him to hoist whenever he feels like it.  But while Harrington might end up with solid numbers, he’s not going to help the Knicks win very many games.  There’s a reason why a bad team like the Warriors would happily send him packing.

3.  Will the Cavaliers overlook the Knicks?  The Cavs enter tonight’s game as the clearly better team, but the disparity isn’t as great today as it was last Tuesday, when the Cavaliers beat the Knicks by 18 points in New York.  The Knicks are still adjusting to the departure of Jamal Crawford and Zach Randolph and the addition of Harrington, Cuttino Mobley and Tim Thomas.  But the sea change in the roster hasn’t kept the Knicks from scoring bunches of points, as New York is averaging 105 ppg on the season and scored a whopping 138 points against the Golden State Warriors on Sunday.  The Knicks love to push misses, so the Cavaliers best defense might be a good, methodical offense that creates good shots and keeps the Knicks from getting into transition.  But if the Cavs try to shoot over the Knicks defense, this game could end up being a lot tougher than the Cavaliers expect.  Still, with the Knicks playing on the second night of a back-to-back, I expect the Cavaliers to roll the Knicks one more time as they start a relatively easy week.

Go Cavs.

What to watch for tonight when the Cavaliers head up to Milwaukee for a matchup with the Bucks:

1.  Can the Cavaliers keep rolling?  The Cavs have won four in a row, they are winning by an average margin of 11 points a game, and they are coming off three straight games that have gone so well that LeBron hasn’t had to play a single fourth quarter minute.  Road games on the second night of back-to-backs are the hardest challenge in the NBA regular season, but the Cavaliers seem to be playing so well lately that it might not matter.  Especially when the opponent is the Bucks.

2.  Have the Bucks gotten any better since we saw them two weeks ago?  It’s hard to tell, as the Bucks have had a very uneven schedule to start the season, playing both the best teams and worst teams in the league.  At 7-11, Milwaukee has beaten the teams they should beat (New York twice, Charlotte, Oklahoma City, Washington, Memphis), won one game they should have lost (at San Antonio when the Spurs were struggling), and have lost to teams they should lose against (Boston twice, Denver, Utah, Detroit last night, etc).  Head Coach Scott Skiles was brought in to instill a defensive mentality to the team, and so far he’s been mildly successful, as the Bucks are currently 15th in opponents’ points allowed this season at 97.4 points per game, better than the 103.9 ppg they allowed last season, good for 23rd overall.  The biggest problem plaguing the Bucks so far is turnovers, where the Bucks rank 28th in the league, coughing the ball up over 16 times a game.  On the flip side, the Cavaliers average the third-fewest turnovers per game in the league, at just over 13 turnovers a game.  

3.  How will Michael Redd perform in his first game back in almost a month?  Redd has missed 14 games due to a sprained ankle, and is probable for tonight’s game.  Redd was averaging 21.4 points per game before the injury, but this long layoff certainly hasn’t helped him adapt to Skiles and new Bucks forward Richard Jefferson.  Redd has been known to hurt the Cavs in the past, but with the way Delonte West has been playing defense, combined with some post-injury rust for Redd, I would be surprised if Redd is a determining factor in tonight’s contest.  And without Redd lighting it up, I just don’t see how the Bucks can beat the Cavaliers with the way Cleveland has been playing.

Go Cavs.

What to Watch For tonight as the Cavaliers stray their vagabond shoes into the Big Apple.

1.  Will the Knicks’ players be ready to unleash a little pent up aggression against LeBron and the boys after a week of stories about how it’s okay that they stink, because it will help bring LeBron to New York? 

When the Cavs were in New Jersey last week, there were some rather thoughtful columnists saying that the best thing the Nets could do to woo LeBron would be to actually win a game against him, showing him that there was talent in New Jersey to build upon.  The Knicks gave up any thought of that last Friday, when they sent their two best players out of town and replaced them with Taco Bell food. 

But while the Cavaliers head into Madison Square Garden with a significant talent advantage and coming off of two days rest, don’t be surprised if the Knicks show a little fight, getting chippy as the fans shower LeBron with applause and thin-crust pizza and sub-prime mortgages and whatever else New York is teeming with these days.  Remember, the Cavaliers actually lost in New York last season - even with LeBron wowing the crowd with 31 points and 6 steals - when David Lee and the now-departed Jamal Crawford combined for 43 points and powered the Knicks to an 18-point victory.  Don’t be surprised if these two teams get on each other’s nerves very early tonight, with some jawing and some shoving and other extracurricular activities throughout the night. 

Fortunately, Isiah Thomas is no longer around to tell his players to go after the opposition, like he did when he incited a small brawl two years ago when the Nuggets were in town.

2.  Keep an eye on diminutive Knicks point guard Nate Robinson.  Robinson is out to a hot start, averaging 15.3 points per game and shooting 41% from beyond the arc, and he averaged 18 points per game last season against the Cavaliers.  Robinson, like Tyronne Lue and many other small-but-superquick guards, has a history of making life difficult for the Cavs, and he could be a factor tonight.  And at least twice tonight he’s going to grab a rebound that he can’t possible reach (even though those might be his only two rebounds of the night.  Serious, dude looks tiny at 5′9″).  And if anyone is going to throw a sucker punch tonight, it’s going to be Robinson and his Napoleon complex leading the way.

3.  The Cavaliers have to avoid getting into a running game with the Knicks, who will be constantly pushing the ball in new Head Coach Mike D’Antoni’s system.  D’Antoni, who made his name with the 7-Seconds-or-Less Phoenix Suns, will be looking to exploit a shaky Cavalier transition defense that had its hiccups against teams like Chicago and Indiana a few weeks ago.  Despite the talent disadvantage, the Cavaliers must remain disciplined tonight, imposing their will upon the Knicks, rather than allowing the Knicks to dictate the pace of the ballgame.  You will know the Cavaliers are in trouble if they start settling for long jumpers instead of exploiting the very weak interior defense of the Knicks. 

4.  Knicks forward Al Harrington, acquired in that Friday trade for Jamal Crawford, will sit out tonight with a sore back.  Cuttino Mobley, who the Knicks added from the Clippers in exchange for Zach Randolph, is also out as there are apparently some issues with his physical.  Is anyone else still flabbergasted the Knicks made these trades and people are happy?  At the very least, it means the Knicks are shorthanded tonight, which means that a focused Cavalier team will make quick work of New York and head right back to Cleveland for tomorrow night’s matchup with the Oklahoma City Thunder.  Yeah, the schedule-makers have been much nicer to the Cavaliers to start this season.

5.  More Than a Game, the documentary about LeBron’s St. Vincent-St. Mary High School team has been sold to Lionsgate, and is tentatively scheduled for a Fall 2009 release.  If you have a few minutes, go back and take a look at my thoughts from the Toronto Film Festival screening this Summer.  In short, I loved it.

Go Cavs.

What to watch for on a cold Cleveland night when the Cavaliers face the Atlanta Hawks:

1.  How will the Hawks defend LeBron James?  LeBron leads the league in scoring at 29.5 points per game, and he has been getting fat against medicore teams, with 41 against Chicago (twice) and Indiana, and 38 against New Jersey.  LeBron looked mortal on Wednesday against the Pistons, but so did the rest of the team facing the back-to-back.  Tonight, LeBron faces a Hawks team that that is without it’s best defender in Josh Smith, one of the few players in the league with the physical tools to defend James both on the perimeter and in the lane.  It would have been interesting to see LeBron and Smith battling, especially when LeBron goes to the power forward spot.  As it is, Marvin Williams will likely see most of the LeBron duty tonight, as he tries to hold LeBron below the 31points he averaged against the Hawks last season.  Without Smith in the lineup and with center Al Horford still working his way back from an ankle injury, LeBron will certainly have an opportunity to fill the scorecard.

Hopefully it will look a lot like LeBron’s last game against the Hawks in Cleveland, when he scored 19 points in the Fourth Quarter to lead the team to a victory. 

2.   How will the Cavs defend Joe Johnson?  When the Hawks were jetting out to a 6-0 start, it was Johnson, not LeBron James, who ended the first week of the season leading the league in scoring.  Johnson is now fourth at 25.7 ppg, trailing only LeBron, Miami’s Dwayne Wade (28.2 ppg), and Toronto’s Chris Bosh (26.9 ppg).   Now you see why everyone is so excited about the free agent class of 2010 - the top four scorers in the league are going to be free agents that Summer.  Johnson has recieved the least hype of the four, but he established himself as a clutch scorer in last year’s playoff matchup against the Boston Celtics, and he has the skills to make the Cavaliers’ lives hard tonight.  The Cavs did a solid job against Vince Carter on Tuesday, and Carter is not a bad comparison talent-wise to Johnson (attitude is a whole other matter).  Still, the matchup with Johnson is yet another tough test for Delonte West and any other Cavaliers charged with keeping Johnson off the scoreboard.

3.  Can the Cavs stay focused during what could be an easy week?  The Cavaliers face the Hawks tonight with Atlanta playing the second leg of a back-to-back.  The team will then head to New York to face the new-look Knicks - and all the distractions that come with it - before coming back home to play an Oklahoma City Thunder team that just fired its head coach.   The they have another back-to-back for the weekend, facing the Golden State Warriors on Black Friday before closing the week in Milwaukee against the Bucks.  It may be five games in eight nights, but with the exception of Atlanta none of those teams are going to make the playoffs this season.  The Cavs have gotten fat off of an easy schedule so far this season, and if they stay focused they can continue to make hay well into December.  They will have a talent advantage in every one of these games.  If they lose, it will likely be because they couldn’t muster the kind of effort and concentration necessary really dominate in the regular season.  Based on what I’ve seen so far, I’d be very surprised if the Cavs lost a game this week.

Go Cavs.

What to watch for tonight as the Cavs head into Detroit for a road battle with the Pistons:

1.  How will the team handle the back-to-back?  The toughest situation in the NBA schedule is a road-road back-to-back, which is what the Cavs are facing tonight in Detroit.  The Cavs were lucky to have a relatively easy fourth quarter last night, and should be as rested as possible when they get to the Motor City, but it will still be a struggle.  Hopefully the excitement of the moment and the chance to really assert themselves as a prime contender in the East will be enough to get the Cavaliers through the inevitable energy low tonight.  At least the Pistons are playing their first game off of a long West Coast road trip, and there is often a let-down in that first home game after the trip. 

2.  Will Allen Iverson continue to haunt the Cavaliers?  In his career against Cleveland, Iverson has averaged 28.3 points and 7.1 assists per game in 36 contests.  There was a time, not too long ago, when Iverson received the same kind of treatment in Cleveland that LeBron received in New Jersey last night, with as many fans rooting for him as were rooting against him.  And like LeBron last night, Iverson was often willing to oblige.  Iverson notched his first 50-point game in his rookie season at what was then Gund Arena, and has complemented that night with games of 37, 37, 54, 40, 41 and 38 points in Cleveland during his career.   And those are just the games where he scored more than 35.  Last night the Cavaliers were able to keep Vince Carter in check (though I would argue that Carter was pouting about the reception given to LeBron), and Delonte West and Daniel Gibson will again have their hands full with Iverson tonight.

3.  Will the Cavalier guards be able to give the team the same boost they did last night in New Jersey?  Against the Nets, the combination of Mo Williams, Delonte West, and Daniel Gibson managed to score a combined 39 points on 14-of-25 shooting and 9-of-11 from beyond the arc.  That kind of consistent production from the guard spots put a lot of pressure on any defense that is already leaning hard to defend LeBron James.  I don’t expect the guards to be quite so proficient from 3-point range, but if they can make some hay against Iverson, Rip Hamilton and second-year guard Rodney Stuckey, the Cavs will be in a good position to steal one in Detroit.

Just a few extra notes:

In a postgame interview last night, LeBron talked about the Cavaliers limiting themselves to 1 turnover in the second half.  But the most interest part was LeBron talking about how cutting down the turnovers allows the team to set up on the defensive end, where the team has been fantastic in the half-court defense.  Two weeks ago, the Cavs’ transition defense was exposed as the Bulls and the Pacers pushed at every opportunity, and the team looked relatively sloppy at times.  It’s good to see LeBron and the rest of the team recognizing how good decisions on the offensive end lead to an easier time on the defensive end.  That’s the Mike Brown philosophy getting through to the team.  I’m seriously impressed.

The Hawks, who are missing Josh Smith with an ankle injury, have now lost 4 in a row after starting the season with 6 straight wins.

Anthony Morrow, the kid who dropped 37 in his first start on Sunday, followed it up with 25 last night on 8-of-12 (75%) shooting as the Golden State Warriors beat the up-and-coming Portland Trailblazers.  I’m still skeptical, but stories like that are fun to watch.

Finally, Chris Bosh continued his fantastic season last night with 40 points and 18 rebounds.  Unfortunately, those stats are having a Kevin Garnett-in-Minnesota quality, as the Raptors lost by 13 in Orlando.

Go Cavs.

What to watch for tonight as the Cavs head into the swamps of New Jersey to take on the Nets:

1.  Will the Cavs be able to contain Devin Harris?  I know I’ve been preaching doom and gloom every time the Cavaliers match up against a quality point guard, but I’m sticking to my guns here.  Harris has scored 30 points or more in each of his last 3 games (38, 30, 33), and he is exactly the type of quick guard who can take advantage of the lack of lateral quickness from the Cavalier guards. 

2.  What happens if (when) Vince Carter starts abusing smaller guards like Delonte West and Daniel Gibson?  When the Cavaliers matched up with the Nuggets last week, Mike Brown let Boobie Gibson try to guard J.R. Smith at the end of the first quarter.  That experiment lasted all of four minutes, as Smith lit Gibson up for six points and drew three fouls without even trying.  Brown pulled Gibson and inserted Sasha Pavlovic, who held Smith scoreless for the rest of half.  Even at this stage of his career, Vince Carter is a better player than J.R. Smith, and could abuse the smaller guards if he feels like it (a big if where Carter is concerned).  It will be interesting to see how long Brown sticks with West and Gibson to try to contain Carter, who is averaging 23.1 points per game this season.

3.  Will Ryan Anderson or Chris Douglas-Roberts, two players the Cavs passed on the Draft, have an impact on the game?  Anderson was selected 21st overall and is off to a solid start, scoring 9.1 points a game for the Nets.  Douglas-Roberts is still trying to fight his way onto the court, and has scored only 4 points overall in the young season.  I was disappointed that the Cavaliers did not buy a late first round - early second round pick to take a flyer on one of the players that dropped, from Douglas-Roberts to Mario Chalmers to Darrell Arthur.  Danny Ferry opted instead to save those roster spots for Lorenzen Wright and Tarence Kinsey, which was probably the right decision given the Cavaliers’ championship expectations.  

Go Cavs.  Win tonight and make tomorrow’s game both more and less meaningful.