Kevin->Write(thoughts, browser, time)

As of tonight, the Nets have taken down the Raptors in six games, which is mild upset that is bad for the Cavs, as they owned the Raptors this year, and Jersey tends to give them problems. The Cavs easily handled the Wizards in four games, and have been resting since Monday. Game 1 will be in Cleveland on Sunday. Let's break it down!

Point Guard: Larry Hughes vs. Jason Kidd. Hughes had a solid first round series, but he'll need to step up his game in this round. Kidd is still the second best point guard in the game and averaged a triple double in the Raptors series. Kidd has a balky knee and is not as quick as he used to be. Kidd is a decent shooter when he gets his feet set, but shaky on the move; when he puts the ball on the floor he'll look to distribute or get all the way to the rim. He is an excellent rebounding guard, and runs half-court offense as well as any guard in basketball. He will also look to post up smaller defenders. Backcourt defensive matchups will be interesting and crucial in this series. Hughes will probably guard Carter; Sasha Pavlovic has the size to defend Kidd in the post, but will need to avoid foul trouble. Kidd will not make mistakes, but Pavlovic will need to apply serious pressure to force Kidd into low-percentage situations as often as possible--if the Cavs allow Kidd space to operate, they will be in trouble in this series. Eric Snow matches up well with Kidd defensively; look for more playing time for him in this series. When the Cavs are on offense, Hughes will need to work hard off the ball and drive to the basket often to exploit his quickness advantage over Kidd, but he will need to make enough open jump shots to keep Kidd honest. The Nets will look to run at every opportunity, with Kidd pulling the strings; transition defense has been better for the Cavs this year, and will need to be consistently good in this series. Edge: Nets

Shooting Guard: Sasha Pavlovic vs. Vince Carter. Pavlovic had an up-and-down series against Washington. He'll need to kick it into a higher gear. Vince Carter has long been the league's most mercurial superstar. He is capable of taking over an entire game, and capable of disappearing for games at a time. He was much better at home than on the road in the Raptor series. When Carter decides to get into the lane and to the rim and to the line, he can be unstoppable. When he settles for too many jump shots, he struggles. When the Nets have the ball, Hughes will likely match up with Carter. He has the size and quickness to defend Carter, and will receive help from the Cleveland big men. Carter has the reputation of being "soft"; the Cavs should be physical with him at all times, force him into bad shots, and try to frustrate him. On the Cleveland offense, Carter will guard Pavlovic. Carter has the tools to be an excellent defender, but has never applied them consistently. He may not respect Pavlovic, which the Cavs could use to their advantage. Pavlovic needs to take advantage of the opportunities created by LeBron: making open jump shots and going strong the basket when possible. If Carter focuses defensively, he is capable of making Sasha into a nonfactor. Edge: Nets

Small Forward: LeBron James vs. Richard Jefferson. LeBron had a very good opening round series. He shot the ball extremely well from the field and from the line, got any shot that he wanted at any time, and constantly created opportunities for his teammates. Jefferson is a borderline All-Star, but had an injury-riddled season; he still has some health questions. Jefferson is one of the league's better finishers and is a solid defender. When he shoots the ball well from the three point line, he can be very dangerous. When New Jersey has the ball, they should make LeBron work on defense as much as possible. Jefferson is not quick enough to consistently beat LeBron one on one, nor is he strong enough to succeed against him in the post, so his opportunities will be set up by the offense and the creativity of Kidd and Carter. LeBron will need to track him through off-ball screens to deny open shots, and not distract himself with Kidd and Carter to the extent that Jefferson gets easy baskets. On Cleveland's offense, there is not a player in the league capable of guarding LeBron one-on-one. He will be double and triple teamed at every touch, and the Nets will force other Cavaliers to beat them. This is nothing new for LeBron or the Cavs, as this is the defensive strategy that every team in the league takes save Detroit and San Antonio; LeBron will need to make smart decisions with the ball and set up his teammates with easy opportunities, while taking advantage of the occasionally lax NJ defense to get his points. I think James is primed for a monster series, and the Cavs will need it. Edge: Cavs

Power Forward: Drew Gooden vs. Miki Moore. Gooden played very well against Washington, though Jamison put up nice stats, I still thought that Drew played solid defense. Miki Moore is a journeyman who has been a nice surprise for the Nets after Nenad Krstic's season ending injury. He has defended well, finished opportunities gained for him by Kidd and Carter, and played with confidence and fire. On New Jersey's offense, Moore is not capable of creating any offense against Gooden. He does not have a decent jump shot, and is limited in the post. He will have to be active on the offensive glass, throw some elbows, and try to collect some garbage points. Unfortunately, he is matched against some of the league's best garbage men in Gooden and Varejao. On Cleveland's offense, Gooden is definitely capable of scoring points one on one against Moore, especially if he is hitting his midrange jumpers. Mike Brown would do well to call some plays for Gooden early in Game 1 to try to distract attention from LeBron. Edge: Cavs

Center: Zydrunas Ilgauskas vs. Jason Collins. Ilgauskas had some nice games in the first round, which was great to see after a lackluster season. Collins is just a big body. On New Jersey's possessions, Collins may not attempt to post up Ilgauskas once in the entire series: Z is bigger, quicker, and stronger. Collins will try for garbage; but again, the Cavs have the best hustling garbarge big men in basketball. On Cleveland's offense, Z can be effective: Collins is not the defender that either Washington big man was in the first round. Again, Brown would do well to pound the ball inside to Z early and see what happens. Attention paid to LeBron will allow single coverage in the post at all times for Z; he needs to exploit it. Edge: Cavs

Bench: Anderson Varejao, Eric Snow, Daniel Gibson, Donyell Marshall vs. Bostjan Nachbar, Marcus Williams, Josh Boone, Antoine Wright. Varejao would be the best big man on the Nets. Snow has a lot of value in this series because so much of New Jersey's scoring comes from tall backcourt players, the defense of which is Snow's specialty. Gibson has gotten sporadic minutes with little impact thus far in the playoffs. Marshall has barely played, but he's another big man who could start for the Nets. Nachbar is underrated: he'll hit open shots with three point range and can defend wing players adequately. Williams is a standard issue NBA backup point guard; he's just a rookie and will get better, but not this year. Boone is a stiff. Antoine Wright is a younger Ira Newble. Foul trouble for the Nets' big guys will spell doom for them. Edge: Cavs

Coach: Mike Brown vs. Lawrence Frank. The Cavs were relaxed, focused, and took care of business in the first round, and you have to give Coach Brown credit for that. He'll need to exploit frontcourt matchups very delicately in this series. Lawrence Frank is a rising star; as the youngest coach in the NBA, he's proven to be excellent at finding ways to get his wing players into scoring situations. The Nets don't defend with as much focus as they should; Frank should take blame for that. Edge: Even

Pick: When we've seen these teams play in the last few years, home court has been crucial: Cavs blowouts in Cleveland and Nets wins in Jersey. The Cavs have home court advantage in this series, and it will therefore be even more important than usual to set the tone with two wins at home. A lot of experts will pick the Cavs to win in seven. I don't think it will go that far. The Nets have a great backcourt, but a very limited front court. Teams with that combination struggle in the playoffs--especially against a team as strong in the frontcourt as Cleveland. It's hard to imagine this Nets team winning in Cleveland, and I say the Cavs steal either Game 3 or Game 4 in Jersey. Cavs Win in Five Games.