Pistons versus Cavaliers: LeBron not enough
by Shawn Sillinger
BetUS.com
One of these years, LeBron James is going to be a playoff hero.
If it happens this year, James will be compared more to Superman than to Magic Johnson. His Cleveland Cavaliers, having escaped the first round with a 4-2 series win over the Washington Wizards (taking the last two games in overtime), are big underdogs against the powerful Detroit Pistons. Detroit has already claimed Game 1, a 113-86 clinic as a fat 10 ?-point home chalk. The line is 11 points for Tuesday?s Game 2 at the Palace.
Detroit was also favored by double-digits (+12, +11, +11 ?) in its home games versus the Milwaukee Bucks, winning all three and going 2-0-1 against the spread. Cleveland finished the regular season at 50-32 straight up (43-36-3 ATS) compared to Milwaukee?s 40-42 SU, 40-41-1 ATS record. Do the Cavs not deserve a little more respect at the pay window than the sub-.500 Bucks?
Not if the Pistons can repeat their performance from Game 1 ? which would be a heroic feat in and of itself. Detroit sank a ridiculous 15 of 22 three-point attempts on Sunday. Six Pistons scored in double figures. Defensively, they triple-teamed James and limited him to 22 points (all in the first half). The rest of the Cavs shot just 39 percent from the field; Detroit also registered nine blocks on the day.
It?s hard to imagine the Pistons keeping up that torrid pace from beyond the arc. They were the third-most accurate team from long range during the regular season, canning 38.4 percent of their trey attempts. But they also made 17.7 attempts per game, 10th in the NBA and well behind more noted bombers like Phoenix and Golden State. Cleveland, meanwhile, is one of the better perimeter defenders in the NBA, holding opponents to a 35.6 percent success rate on 15.7 3-point attempts per game.
How, then, was Detroit able to extend its offense in Game 1? Cavaliers shooting guard Larry Hughes appears to be in over his head. He did not perform well against Washington, allowing Gilbert Arenas to match LeBron shot for shot. Now Hughes, who has yet to jell with his Cavaliers teammates after missing more than half the regular season to injury, has the unenviable task of guarding Richard Hamilton. On Sunday, Hamilton racked up 20 points on 9-for-18 shooting in just 34 minutes.
Cleveland does have some other options at the 2-guard. According to data compiled by the folks at 82games, the most efficient lineups the Cavs used this year were those that featured either Flip Murray or Damon Jones at shooting guard. Unfortunately for Cleveland, neither is very good defensively, and they combined to shoot 0-for-9 in Game 1. That leaves Ira Newble, a solid defender with no offensive handle to speak of. His role on the Cavs has shrunk dramatically since starting 69 games last season.
If the Cavaliers are already down to their last resort, they could always ?go big? and put James in the shooting guard spot, with Donyell Marshall and/or Anderson Varejao joining Drew Gooden and Zydrunas Ilgauskas on the frontline. But James hasn?t strayed from his shooting guard position in two years since playing mostly in the backcourt as a rookie. Perhaps it?s time to revisit the comparison between LeBron and Magic.
For odds on the NBA playoffs, click here .
by Shawn Sillinger
BetUS.com
One of these years, LeBron James is going to be a playoff hero.
If it happens this year, James will be compared more to Superman than to Magic Johnson. His Cleveland Cavaliers, having escaped the first round with a 4-2 series win over the Washington Wizards (taking the last two games in overtime), are big underdogs against the powerful Detroit Pistons. Detroit has already claimed Game 1, a 113-86 clinic as a fat 10 ?-point home chalk. The line is 11 points for Tuesday?s Game 2 at the Palace.
Detroit was also favored by double-digits (+12, +11, +11 ?) in its home games versus the Milwaukee Bucks, winning all three and going 2-0-1 against the spread. Cleveland finished the regular season at 50-32 straight up (43-36-3 ATS) compared to Milwaukee?s 40-42 SU, 40-41-1 ATS record. Do the Cavs not deserve a little more respect at the pay window than the sub-.500 Bucks?
Not if the Pistons can repeat their performance from Game 1 ? which would be a heroic feat in and of itself. Detroit sank a ridiculous 15 of 22 three-point attempts on Sunday. Six Pistons scored in double figures. Defensively, they triple-teamed James and limited him to 22 points (all in the first half). The rest of the Cavs shot just 39 percent from the field; Detroit also registered nine blocks on the day.
It?s hard to imagine the Pistons keeping up that torrid pace from beyond the arc. They were the third-most accurate team from long range during the regular season, canning 38.4 percent of their trey attempts. But they also made 17.7 attempts per game, 10th in the NBA and well behind more noted bombers like Phoenix and Golden State. Cleveland, meanwhile, is one of the better perimeter defenders in the NBA, holding opponents to a 35.6 percent success rate on 15.7 3-point attempts per game.
How, then, was Detroit able to extend its offense in Game 1? Cavaliers shooting guard Larry Hughes appears to be in over his head. He did not perform well against Washington, allowing Gilbert Arenas to match LeBron shot for shot. Now Hughes, who has yet to jell with his Cavaliers teammates after missing more than half the regular season to injury, has the unenviable task of guarding Richard Hamilton. On Sunday, Hamilton racked up 20 points on 9-for-18 shooting in just 34 minutes.
Cleveland does have some other options at the 2-guard. According to data compiled by the folks at 82games, the most efficient lineups the Cavs used this year were those that featured either Flip Murray or Damon Jones at shooting guard. Unfortunately for Cleveland, neither is very good defensively, and they combined to shoot 0-for-9 in Game 1. That leaves Ira Newble, a solid defender with no offensive handle to speak of. His role on the Cavs has shrunk dramatically since starting 69 games last season.
If the Cavaliers are already down to their last resort, they could always ?go big? and put James in the shooting guard spot, with Donyell Marshall and/or Anderson Varejao joining Drew Gooden and Zydrunas Ilgauskas on the frontline. But James hasn?t strayed from his shooting guard position in two years since playing mostly in the backcourt as a rookie. Perhaps it?s time to revisit the comparison between LeBron and Magic.
For odds on the NBA playoffs, click here .
