PISTONS/CAVS - THE BATTLE FOR THE EAST

With the destruction of the Chicago Bulls, it’s now time for our Pistons to make their 5th straight trip to the NBA Eastern Conference Finals. Talk about domination (even though the East is considered weak) over the years! This season has been no exception other then the slight worry the series with Chicago gave some fans. I for one wasn’t worried. If you sit back and realize what this team is and what they’re about, it was obvious that the Bulls were going to get beat and were just prolonging the inevitable. But now, a new challenge faces the Motor City. King James (LeBron James to be precise) comes to town and don’t expect a red carpet out to welcome him. Instead, expect Detroit to do everything they can to make his Eastern Conference experience a miserable one. I can’t wait. Let’s get it on. Here is my Eastern Conference Championship preview…

As mentioned, it’s Detroit’s 5th straight trip to the East Finals (despite only making the NBA finals twice in that time span…and winning once) and this series will give Detroit a chance to return to the big dance once more. Perhaps Game 1 is the biggest tell all stat of any. Detroit is 14-1 in any 7 game series by which they’ve won game 1 at home and the Cavs have an all time record of 0-11 in Game 1’s on the road. Coming into this one, the loud, obnoxious Palace crowd certainly won’t help the Cavs win their first Game 1 playoff road game ever. We all saw what happened to Chicago in Game 1 in Detroit last series. If Detroit plays the same way in Game 1… GOODNIGHT! This isn’t the same Cleveland team from a season ago when they took a tired Pistons team to the limit in the Eastern Conference semi-finals (despite having basically the same personnel). For one, the Cavs defense has certainly improved since then. In fact, the Cavs set a record in their previous series with New Jersey in that they held the Nets to an average of just 15.7 points per game in the 4th quarter – a new NBA playoffs record. Can they do the same to the Pistons…NOT BLOODY LIKELY!

MATCHUPS
CENTER: Chris Webber vs. Zydrunas Ilgauskas
It all depends on which Chris Webber you see. Webber is a very interesting match-up here because he can do so much. In the early goings of the series vs. Chicago, Webber really played well with an effective low post and passing game but as the series went on, Webber’s big games didn’t. He seemed to fall apart from an offensive standpoint. It really might just come down to the Pistons needing to give Webber the ball more often. Being as he’s a lot faster then Ilgauskas, they might just do that. Another key is Webber’s rebounding against a bigger (yet slower) Cavs team. A happy Webber is an involved Webber and if he is rebounding, passing and scoring he can’t always be stopped.
Big Z (as Cleveland refers to him but not to be confused with BIG D) could give Webber and Detroit some trouble due to his 7 foot 2 size, his rebounding due to that size and his mid-range jump shooting ability. That’s exactly why Webber has to make the big guy move around a lot and try to get him to play more of a perimeter style game and quite frankly, wear him down. Webber can certainly do that but Big Z has to be a concern for the Pistons, especially if he gets in a bit of a shooting rhythm. EDGE: Detroit (in a close one due to Webber inconsistency)

POWER FORWARD: Rasheed Wallace vs. Drew Gooden
“SHEED” is one of the biggest loose cannons I’ve ever seen in basketball history. Not only does he explode at officials but his game often explodes right along with it. There can be games where Wallace carries the Pistons and there can be others where he’s virtually non-existent. That really shouldn’t happen with a man of his 6 ft. 11 size, shooting, passing and rebounding ability but it does. That being said, Rasheed plays with a lot of intensity and can be downright intimidating from a down low defensive standpoint. His ability to hit the 3-pointer as big as he is presents a mismatch to almost all teams. If he’s hitting from outside, the Pistons are winning. The problem is he can fall in love with that shot and as a result, can take away Piston rebounding. Being as the Cavs are a bigger team, it is a must that Rasheed hits many 3’s in this series or else doesn’t even shoot them at all, thereby helping Webber and Prince with offensive rebounding that they’ll lack if he’s missing from deep. What Rasheed will we see? Hmmm. You really can’t predict it, so I’m not even going to try. This match-up could be considered a mismatch if Wallace is on his game though. No doubt about it.
If there’s one wild card in this series, Drew Gooden might just be it, if for no other reason that his aggressive nature always seems to give the Pistons problems. If Gooden is at his best he’s hustling up and down the floor, snagging offensive rebounds and hitting the odd jump shot. Although Gooden being that consistent is wishful thinking for Cleveland, he could be a definite force in this series due to the intensity that he can bring. EDGE: Detroit.

SMALL FORWARD: Tayshaun Prince vs. LeBron James
If there is one small forward you don’t mind defending James (even though James can’t really be stopped in the first place), it’s Tayshaun Prince because of his long wing span, speed and ability to frustrate players. This match-up could be the most important of the series and Prince knows it. It’s not like this is the first time that Prince has been pitted up against a teams’ #1 superstar and it certainly won’t be the last. Offensively, Prince is another Piston juggernaut. Some nights he can get 25 and others…8. He is a horribly inconsistent jump shooter but his inside post up presence can be effective with his turn around hook shots. Make no mistake about it, Prince will be looked at in other areas in this series. His assignment - Control LeBron. Obviously that’s easier said then done.
What can you say about LeBron? He’s one of the absolute best. He has the ability to take games over and he is the Cleveland Cavaliers. I find him to be so unique with his combination of both speed and power. He can hit the outside jumper or take it the hoop hard, although that can be easier said then done against the Pistons. James’ passing ability is also very strong and he is Cleveland’s offensive catalyst. Expect Prince to see a ton of zone defense from Detroit. In the past, the Pistons have attacked the Cavs with the attitude that James may beat them but as a team, Cleveland won’t. Expect more of that same outlook but with all the different match-ups and looks Detroit can give James with their zone, they certainly won’t make it easy for him. Can the Pistons wear down James? Can he actually get tired? We’ll see but for all the talent James has, Cleveland can’t expect to win this series if it’s LeBron vs. Detroit. The Pistons will try and wear James down with the belief that he alone can’t beat them. EDGE: Cleveland

SHOOTING GUARD: Richard Hamilton vs. Sasha Pavlovic
Sasha Pavlovic did a nice job defending Vince Carter last series but now he faces Richard Hamilton. Rip is exactly what a shooting guard should be…minus consistency. Rip is most effective when moving around, bumping into players, getting open off screens and picks and hitting his patented mid-range jumpers. If Rip gets hot, he can be unstoppable but again, this doesn’t always happen. Rip certainly has the ability to dominate this match-up and I certainly don’t see why he wouldn’t.
As good as Carter is, Hamilton is completely different because of all of his moving around the court at high speeds. With Pavlovic defending Hamilton, the Cavs certainly have their work cut out for them. Pavlovic is a lot like Gooden in that he feeds off intensity and defense and he can go on some offensive shooting streaks due to that but defending Hamilton is really too tall an order for the Cavs because they just don’t have the personnel to do so. This area is completely one sided. EDGE: Detroit

POINT GUARD: Chauncey Billups vs. Larry Hughes
This match-up could depend more on Hamilton’s domination of Pavlovic. The Cavs may end up rotating their guards on various Pistons due to the match-up problems they can give the Cavs. Detroit could pick on Pavlovic no matter who he defends and this could work in the Pistons favor either way. Hughes can be a bit of a problem for Billups in that Chauncey is a very aggressive defender and could get into foul trouble. Hughes is the kind of stocky, physical offensive guard who could force this. Expect the Cavs to try and attack Billups to the basket to do just that…to get him in foul trouble and take their chances with Piston backups. As demonstrated last series, Detroit is a much different team with Billups on the bench so that could be Cleveland’s best option. If Billups doesn’t get into foul trouble he’s very important because of his passing and deep shooting ability. Although smaller then Hughes, Billups is built like a rock.
I like Larry Hughes but his consistency is in question. He can get hot and he’s not a bad 2nd option to LeBron because he can attack the net like LeBron and when they are both on their game they can both feed from each other by drawing fouls and making strong passes. The problem is, Hughes is often overlooked in this LeBron first offense and you seldom see back to back strong games from him. This could be a good match-up for the Cavs if they use Hughes correctly. Billups and Hamilton are way too smart for the Cav’s twosome. EDGE: Detroit

BENCHES: Antonio McDyess provides Detroit with instant offense off the bench and is a formidable replacement for either Wallace, Webber or Prince when they need a breather (even though Prince’s breathers will be determined by LeBron’s). McDyess could start on poorer teams and does a bit of everything when he’s on his game. Lindsey Hunter, Dale Davis and Nazr Muhammed (word is he might see time this series) will check in at different times based on different match-ups and personnel, particularly Hunter who is a defensive pest when he comes in for Hamilton and/or Billups. Power Forward, Jason Maxiel has really stepped up his level of play and certainly can give quality minutes as a big man off the bench now. Carlos Delfino will also get time as either a back-up guard or small forward for Prince. If this talented but inconsistent swingman performs, its unlikely Detroit will lose with all the weapons they could have.
Eric Snow, Donyell Marshall, Daniel Gibson and Damon Jones see off the bench duty for the Cavs. Jones can be dangerous because he can get hot from 2-point land. One player Detroit must be aware of at all times is Anderson Varejao (Mr. funky dew himself). His kind of physical play can get under your skin and is the Cavs physical answer to Rasheed Wallace of the Pistons. These benches are pretty much even for the most part with perhaps the slight edge going to Cleveland however, it all depends on what Piston bench (or entire Piston team for that matter) shows up in the first place. EDGE: Even

PREDICTION: The Pistons had a 3-0 lead on the Bulls before they fell asleep and almost let Chicago come back on them before a convincing Game 6 victory that shut people up, but still made them wonder. Why can this Detroit team look bored, become nonchalant and almost act like they don’t care when these games are so important? It can be frustrating as a fan, but I guess if they eventually get the job done, it’s all good. The thing is, you really have to wonder when they’ll pay for it. Will Cleveland make them indeed pay should they get that way in this series? I still don’t think so. To me, Detroit beats Detroit. They are too talented to be beaten straight up by anyone in the East if they are on their game. The problem is that doesn’t always happen. LeBron and the Cavs should give Detroit fits at times but the overall depth, experience and ability of Detroit is still far superior to this Cavs team (basically the same team Detroit beat last year). Cleveland will take 1 or 2 (maybe even 3 if the Pistons screw around) but in the end the better team will win. Sorry King James…that’s still Detroit! BIG D’S PREDICTION: Detroit in 6.

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