For the Cavs:
--Find a way to slow down Parker. This has to be their number one goal. If Parker is getting to the basket like he was in Game 1, it's almost impossible to beat the Spurs. Their best options looks to be LeBron James. Larry Hughes didn't look like he could do it. Perhaps Boobie Gibson has a chance, but not for long stretches. It'll have to be up to LeBron.
--Play with Boobie. The kid is on fire. Whatever he's shooting is going in right now. On top of that, he's playing pretty good defense. He's confident and is in a groove. I expect 35 minutes from him in Game 2, whether he's starting or coming off the bench.
--Get Big Z going. The Cavs are going to try to force it into Big Z and let him operate down low. It makes sense to go to him no matter who the Spurs have on him. Oberto and Elson aren't great matchups for him and if Duncan is guarding him, Big Z can try to get Duncan in foul trouble.
--Get LeBron the ball deeper. In Game 1, LeBron almost always got the ball on the perimeter. In Game 2, expect him to catch the ball closer to the foul line as often as possible. Either way, LeBron will have a bounce back game and should have good numbers.
--Rebound better. The Cavs are a very good rebounding team. Expect them to come out with more of a purpose on the boards in Game 2.
For the Spurs:
--Don't leave Boobie uncovered. He's on fire right now and is knocking down all his jumpers. In the fourth, the Spurs didn't do a very good job of staying with him at all times. As it stands, he's a guy you simply can't double team off of.
--Expose Boobie. If he's going to play more minutes, the Spurs have to expose him defensively. If he's guarding Parker, Parker needs to drive the lane. If he's guarding Manu, Manu needs to drive the lane. The Spurs have stronger guards and need to use that to their advantage.
--Get Manu a bit more involved. If he has a mismatch, I wouldn't mind a few more isolations called for him. Manu has to do his part and drive the ball to the basket. The Cavs are physical and will send you to the line if you attack.
--Up the tempo. The Cavs are a very good halfcourt defensive team. Probably the best the Spurs have faced in the playoffs. It's hard to score on them in that setting. To combat that, the Spurs need to get out on the break. Transition points in this series are going to be huge. Parker and Manu meed to push the ball and the bigs need to run.
--Concentrate. While the whole world is waiting to crown the Spurs, it's way too premature to be thinking of a championship. In Game 2, the Spurs need to come out and concentrate on winning the game. It's easy to lose focus and start looking at the big picture instead of the next step. The Cavs are a good team. Their two best players played as bad as they can play and they still only lost by nine points. Game 1 was far from their best punch. Expect them to play better and be prepared to up your game to match their intensity.
