Cavaliers, LeBron Thump Pistons in Game 1

By Guest Blogger Jesse Lamovsky

There really shouldn’t be too much drama involved in a first-round series between a team with 66 wins and a team with 39, and Cleveland’s 102-84 Game 1 thumping of the Pistons on Saturday was about as drama-free as it gets this time of year. Despite a rather lax defensive effort early, the Cavaliers were never really challenged, methodically building a 12-point halftime lead and keeping Detroit at arm’s length the rest of the way. The Pistons never got closer than eight points in the second half.

The kid will stick in this league: Saddled with early trouble, sidekick Mo Williams was a non-factor early, scoring two points, and Anderson Varejao never really got into the flow, taking only three shots the entire game. Aside from Big Z and Joe Smith, Cleveland’s support cast was sporadic at best before halftime. LeBron had to step up early- and he did. Draining his first four attempts from the field, the wunderkind scored 22 first-half points on 6-of-8 shooting with six rebounds and four assists, including a highlight-reel left-handed dime to a streaking Joe Smith early in the second quarter. He ended his marvelous half by banking in a 41-foot runner at the buzzer, putting the Cavaliers up 57-45. I would have been a little surprised to see him miss that shot. He’s that good.

Image: Newscom

Usually a little demure about getting down in the post, LeBron was aggressive in establishing deep position and either using his superior quickness to get around defenders or just turning and shooting right over them. A lot has been made over the state of LeBron’s perimeter shot over the years, but his future is in the low block. The man is the same size as Karl Malone and is too fast for pretty much every power forward in the league. If he continues to refine his arsenal of post moves- the Magic-style running hook, the MJ fade-away, the Tim Duncan banker- he can be as streaky as he wants from outside, because he’ll be unstoppable near the basket.

As for Detroit: Not much you can say about the Pistons. They shot 65% through the first four minutes of the second period, but all it took was one cold spell late in the first half to put them in a hole they were incapable of climbing out. Rodney Stuckey (20 points, 7-of-21 shooting) abused Mo Williams early by bulling right by him to the basket, but inexplicably hung around the perimeter lobbing errant jumpers for most of the game’s remainder. Rasheed Wallace scored eight points in the first half but was waylaid by foul trouble in the second. Tayshaun Prince (four points) was a spectator. Rip Hamilton scored 15 but spent most of the night being chased around screens by Delonte West. For the fourth consecutive game against Cleveland, the Pistons scored fewer than 90 points. Not coincidentally, they’ve lost all four games.

If you want to beat Cleveland, you need to be able to any or all of the following things: play up-tempo, shoot well from long range, or score consistently in the low post. Detroit does none of these things. And they have absolutely no answer for LeBron James. Short of conjuring up a young Dennis Rodman, they still won’t have an answer when Game 2 tips off at 8:00 pm ET Tuesday night.

Jesse Lamovsky is lifelong Cleveland sports fan and a sometimes sports writer. Learn more about Jesse and his writing at swerbsblurbs.com.