Pistons (73) Cavaliers (89)
[Box score] The Pistons played pretty well in the first quarter scoring 25, but it was uninspired from that point out as they never got to 20 points in any of the 3 subsequent quarters.
Two totally different types of games but 17 assists compared to 42 the night before?
LeBron James (30 pts) seemed unstoppable when he wanted to score he got solid contributions from the guys around him, namely Zydrunas Ilgauskas (20 pts, 8 rbs).
The Cavaliers played sound defense on our guys. Good rotations by Cleveland turned us into a jump shooting team, and you can’t win if you’re the Pistons shooting 40% from the field. You know you’re team isn’t playing aggressively when they only attempt 7 free throws.
The clanking jumpers gave the Cavs a 46-39 rebounding edge, 14 of which were on the offensive and that points to a lack of effort and concentration on the Pistons end. I guess if you want to make excuses you could point to the 3 games in 4 nights but I still expected more effort.
The usually sure handed Pistons turned the ball over 11 times. That isn’t a very staggering number except when the other team gets 15 points off those 11 turnovers. That stings a little. The Cavs on the other hand took relatively good care of the ball only committing 7 turnovers.
I expected a little more out of Rasheed in this game. He usually plays bigger on the road in hostile environments. His 16 points came off 6/17 shooting, and was 2/8 free beyond the arc. It seemed our old buddy Ben was pretty familiar with what Rasheed wanted to do and for the most part neutralized him defensively. Down on the other end Big Z easily got the better of that matchup.
Going into this game we had won 7 of the last 8 regular season meeting with the Cavs. I guess the guys just feel sorry for Ben? This game combined with the 3 games against Ben this year as a Bull and he’s 4-0 against us.
In closing I thought I was sure I disliked the Celtics more than the Cavs but I’ve come to realize it’s which ever of the two that has beat us last is who I hate the most. That “Detroit sucks” chant is really getting under my skin, but I also like it that way because it adds to the rivalry.
March 21st, 2008 at 12:23 pm
The thing I hate about CLE is they beat us. But the thing is, I always felt they were a joke, just a one man team. If they had more talent, I’d respect them much more. One man team makes me think of them as not a “whole”. They are still that now–a one man team. If they had more than one guy that was superb, I’d probably respect them more. I don’t hate BOS and don’t think I’d be terribly upset or embarrassed if they beat us this year cause they are just darn good. The other thing I don’t like about CLE is Lebron seems to get all the calls to go his way from the refs. He charges into people and rarely gets called for an offensive foul. I also can’t stand Varejo, damn flopper. I have to admit, the game the other night, it wasn’t just LBJ, Ben Wallace, and Wally stepped up along with the Big Z. Let me tell you this: I’d rather beat CLE and lose to Boston then beat BOS and lose to CLE. Period!
March 21st, 2008 at 12:26 pm
It’s obviously upsetting when you see a team of lesser talent beat you. I’d almost guarantee that if DET doesn’t beat BOS in the playoffs, they will not be scratching their heads so much. In my opinion, I think BOS may be tougher than the Western opponent in the finals (likely Spurs) You see the intensity the C’s play with? They really get in your face and guard you. They don’t just do it at the end but the whole game.