In what was barely a game from the start, the Cavaliers took a 2-0 series lead over the Detroit Pistons, hanging on for a 94-82 win. For the 6th straight time the Cleveland Cavaliers beat the Detroit Pistons in the playoffs, leading by as many as 29. LeBron James, Mo Williams and Delonte West combined to score 70 points and the Cavaliers shot 43 free throws.
The story of the game will be, at least in the eyes of the media that want to bring interest to the rest of the country, how the Cavaliers floundered a 27 point lead to start the 4th quarter, with the Pistons cutting it to 7 before Cleveland closed the door. That could be a story. Let me be the one to tell you. It is a non-story. The Cavaliers toyed with Detroit. Every time the Cavs focused as a unit, they stretched their lead. What has happened now, instead of a 'fat' Cavaliers team heading to Detroit, it is a mad Wine and Gold unit heading to Motown.
Behind a stifling defense, the Cavaliers held the Pistons to 50 points through 3 quarters. That's when it became a battle of the bench guys, a battle that Detroit started to win. There is little doubt that Cleveland lost focus, which is unacceptable, but this is the NBA Playoffs, and any team in the tourney should have enough pride to not take a 30 point embarrassment lying down.
The Cavaliers now have three days to fester on their 4th quarter performance, to hear that somehow a 12-point defeat, in a game the Pistons never had a shot to win, during a series the Pistons can't win, was a confidence builder for Detroit. That should lead to a motivated group on Friday Night.
All that matters during the Playoffs is the final score. The Cavaliers lead the Pistons 2-0 and have won both games by double-digits. Just as wel hoped.
GO CAVS!
0 recs | 3 comments
Kevin Harlan was going bonkers
over the Cavs still having an 11 point lead. I don’t know if he thought there was an 11-point shot the Pistons could make or not but the game was never in doubt after halftime.
Hardcore Legend - April 21, 2009
Well, the Lakers felt the same dissatisfaction
Utah managed to get within three in a game the Lakers led by as many as 20
WaveOcean - April 22, 2009
Detroit is so cooked.
They don’t have the talent to match the Cavs. They clearly don’t have the intensity to match Cleveland either. You could see the starters lost the will to compete before the half! While some may say that the 4 th quarter gave them some “hope”, I say hope of what? That Mike Brown will play the mop up unit that started the 4th quarter for an entire game?
Having said that, Curry would be a fool not to start Bynum in Detroit and try to shake things up a bit. If he truely had any nuts, he would start the second unit in Motown and send a message to his starters.
Juannieboy - April 22, 2009
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