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The two go hand in hand.

That's what Quin Snyder and Gordon Hayward said about LeBron James and defending the Cleveland Cavaliers.

When the Jazz and the Cavs match up tonight at Quicken Loans Arena, the Jazz know James presents unique challenges that prove difficult for every team in the NBA to address.

If you play James straight up defensively, he could give the Jazz 40 points without blinking an eye. If you double him and force the ball out of his hands, James has as deep a stable of 3-point shooters as any superstar in the league. And since he's one of the best passers in the NBA, there's a good bet that he will find them open and roaming on the perimeter.

"He's the best player in the league," Hayward said on Tuesday morning at shootaround. "He can control the game in a number of ways, and that's what makes him so difficult to defend."

With tonight's game still hours away, it remains to be seen what the Jazz do to combat James, his scoring and his playmaking abilities. In past seasons, James has been a notorious slow starter. But through the first few weeks, LeBron is averaging 24 points, six rebounds and six assists a night, with his numbers steadily rising over his past few outings.

As such, the Jazz want to make it difficult for James when they play defense - by playing good offense.

Utah sees this as a critical component. If the Jazz shoot the ball well tonight, limit turnovers, slow the pace, keep the crowd relatively silent, they feel like they will have a better shot at defending. Because by doing all of those things, they will have a better chance at keeping the Cavaliers out of transition, away from fast breaks, and the opportunity to limit crowd pleasing lay-ups and dunks will be greater.

"Absolutely," Hayward said. "That will be a key for us. We have to take care of the ball, and play well when we have the ball. We have to try to make Cleveland play in the halfcourt."

The Cavaliers are 6-1 on the season, riding a six game winning streak after an opening night loss to the Chicago Bulls and on top of the Eastern Conference standings with Atlanta's loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves on Monday night. The Jazz were a loose bunch at shootaround, a team that looks ready for their shot at one of the best teams in the league and one of the best players the league has seen in the last decade.

Utah's now on its second Eastern Conference road trip. By the time the Jazz get back to Salt Lake City on Monday morning, they will have played eight of their first 10 games away from Vivint Smart Home Arena.

Tony Jones —