Preview vs Cavs

[Loj ( Zoo Crew)]

  Can Pistons finally solve the Cavs?
                                      Chris McCosky / The Detroit News

There are no statement games in an 82-game regular season. You can make
statements, declarations and proclamations, but they'll be lost in the din
once the playoffs start.

Did the Pistons make a statement to the Cavaliers last season when they beat
them three out of four times and held them to less than 80 points? Did they
make a statement winning the first two games of the Eastern Conference
finals?

Apparently not.

The Pistons won't look to make any statements tonight when they host the
Cavaliers. But they should be looking to answer some nagging questions, like
why do they have so much trouble beating a team that's only eight games over
.500?

Actually, the answer to that question is obvious: They can't score against
the Cavaliers.

So, next question. Why can't they score against the Cavaliers?

Typically, the Pistons score better against the Cavaliers at The Palace. They
scored 109 in a victory this season, although LeBron James got hurt and
missed about half the game. But overall, the Pistons have averaged 87.5
points the last eight games, counting the playoffs, against the Cavaliers.

"They are a lot like us," Chauncey Billups said after Detroit lost in
Cleveland 10 days ago. "If you walk it up and allow their defense to get set,
they will cause you a lot of problems. They are long, athletic and they can
rebound. They can really cause you problems if you play at a slow pace. 

"I think we need to pick the tempo up and attack the basket." 

  Pistons must attack quickly 

Billups must be the instigator. He's struggled against the Cavaliers
recently, shooting just over 40 percent the last eight games with a
substandard assist-to-turnover ratio (30-27).

The Cavaliers trap pick-and-rolls as hard and well as any team. They will
take away the Pistons' first and, sometimes, second option most plays.

There are two fairly common ways to break that type of pressure:

‧ Have your point guard slip through traps off the dribble. Hornets guard
Chris Paul did that masterfully Wednesday against the Cavaliers and had 20
assists. The Pistons, obviously, don't have a point guard who can slip a
double-team like that. 

‧ Attack the defense quicker, don't hold the ball on one side of the floor
and make quicker decisions. Had the Pistons done that 10 days ago, they'd
have found Antonio McDyess mostly unguarded the entire night.

On the other side of the ball, the Pistons played the Cavaliers straight-up,
man-to-man 10 days ago, limiting them to 89 points and 44 percent shooting.
James wasn't in much of an attack mode but still scored 30 points. The
Pistons lived with that a lot easier than Zydrunas Ilgauskas' 20 points or
the Cavaliers' 16 second-chance points.

But if James is in a mood to attack tonight, the Pistons will test some of
their defensive tactics. They have successfully quieted him in the past (at
least at The Palace) by throwing a series of different defensive looks. Might
as well try them all and see what works best.

 Cavs also have questions 

The Cavaliers don't look to make any statements, either. They mostly are
worried about establishing their rotation in the wake of a trade that brought
them former Pistons center Ben Wallace, Joe Smith, Delonte West and Wally
Szczerbiak.

"I like the trade," coach Mike Brown told Cleveland reporters Thursday. "I
like the team we have. We just wish we can see everyone play together, so
there's some cohesiveness and some other things going on that you don't know
about. There are some unanswered questions and that makes it tough."

The Cavaliers are 9-8 since the trade.

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