Cleveland Cavaliers (1) vs. Detroit Pistons (8)

Eastern Conference First Round Playoffs

The Cleveland Cavaliers take the best record into the first round of the Playoffs on Saturday against a Detroit team searching to find their identity. Detroit fans still have nightmares of LeBron James’ brilliant performance in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference Finals 2 seasons ago when he single handedly beat the Pistons. King James now has a better supporting cast while the Pistons have lost key members in their championship runs.

Regular Season: Cavs won 3-1
Nov 19: at Pistons 96, Cavaliers 89
Feb 1: Cavaliers 90 at Pistons 80
Feb. 22: at Cavaliers 99, Pistons 78
Mar 31: at Cavaliers 79, Pistons 73

Starting 5

Point Guard (Mo Williams v Rodney Stuckey)

Mo Williams was the much-needed second scorer that LeBron James had been looking for. His ability to get in the lane, push the tempo, shoot the ball from the perimeter and distribute have helped the Cavs go from a top Playoff team to legit championship contenders. The Pistons went from Chauncy Billups to Allen Iverson to Rodney Stuckey. He brings toughness and the ability to score but has had shaky, inconsistent play. Both Stuckey and Williams have not been tested in this lead role with a Playoff atmosphere but Williams should have the greater impact to his team.

Edge: Cavs

Shooting Guard (Delonte West v Richard Hamilton)

With Delonte West in the starting lineup, it gives the Cavs another ball handler that can shoot outside and hand out some assists. Where it hurts is on the defensive end where West would typically have to guard a taller player. With Iverson out, the scoring load falls in the hands of Richard Hamilton. West should get quite a workout following Hamilton running around screens. Hamilton should be able to get his average of 18 points a game, but as the #1 option on the team, will need to score much more for any chance of a Piston victory.

Edge: Pistons

Small Forward (LeBron James v Tayshaun Prince)

The heavy favorite for MVP, LeBron James is a triple double waiting to happen in the playoffs. Prince is a great defender but he’ll need all the help he can get. LeBron is simply too strong for him. Prince will need to force LeBron to take jump shots and use his length to his advantage. LeBron needs to drive to the basket and kick it out to the open parameter players if the Pistons help out. He should be able to draw a lot of fouls and will need to hit a fare percentage of his free throws.

Edge: Cavs

Power Forward (Anderson Varejao v Rasheed Wallace)

If Anderson got a manhood elbow shot for pissing off Ray Allen, I’d hate to see what happens if he gets Rasheed mad. Anderson needs to do what he does best – rebound, energy, and the occasional flop Wallace will need to establish a low post presence to open up his outside game. He’ll need to help Hamilton carry some of the scoring load and not let any of the refs dictate his play. Here’s hoping for another “both teams played hard” press conference.

Edge: Pistons

Center (Zydrunas Ilgauskas v Antonio McDyess)

Zydrunas Ilgauskas get his points and rebounds pretty efficiently. At 7’2, he can use his height to his advantage. Antonio McDyess has been a rebounding machine to finish the season. McDyess will need to run the floor any chance he gets while Big Z will need to keep McDyess off the glass. It should be a good battle between two smart, veteran big men.

Edge: Even

The Bench

With no Allen Iverson because of a “back injury,” the Pistons bench will rely on… Kwame Brown? That about says it all. The Cavs bench of Daniel Gibson, Wally Szczerbiak, Joe Smith, and the possible return of former Piston Ben Wallace should give them a distinct advantage.

Edge: Cavs

Intangibles

The Cavs have had very good team chemistry throughout the season and home court advantage throughout the Playoffs doesn’t hurt either. Meanwhile, the Pistons have a lot of players with playoff experience but two of their most important decision makers, their point guard and coach, don’t have nearly as much.

Edge: Cavs

3 Questions

1) Will the Cavs have new pre-game introduction antics?
2) How will the Pistons guard LeBron James?
3) Are we all witnesses?

Prediction

The Pistons will try and send a message by playing a physical grind it out game but in the end, they won’t have enough fire power to stop LeBron James and his supporting cast.

Cavaliers win 4-0