Border War: Cavaliers – Pistons Playoff Preview

The 2015-16 Cleveland Cavaliers frustrated local fans all season long. The team’s inconsistent play, unusual coaching moves (including changing out the head coach), and general attitude seemed to just rub Northeast Ohio the wrong way. All that regular season angst can now be stored under the bed. The Cavaliers clinched the top seed in the East, won 57 games, and boast a fully healthy roster. They are ready to hit the postseason firing on all cylinders. The first roadblock on their playoff road is a combination of old foes – Stan Van Gundy and the Detroit Pistons.

Playoff History

The Cavaliers and Pistons have some playoff history. The upcoming series marks the fourth time Cleveland and Detroit have met in the postseason. The Cavaliers lead the all-time series 2-1.

2005-06: Detroit def. Cleveland 4-3, Eastern Conference Semi-Finals

The Cavs and Pistons first squared off in the postseason nine years ago. The top-seeded Pistons came out swinging against the fourth-seeded Cavs, taking the first two games in MoTown. Cleveland rallied to win Games 3 and 4; the latter of which came after Rasheed Wallace guaranteed a victory. In a pivotal Game 5, then-21-year-old LeBron James led a Palace coup and claimed a 3-2 series lead. With the chance to close-out in Quicken Loans Arena, the Cavs trailed 83-81 with 1:04 left. Rasheed Wallace missed a three…but Detroit got an offensive rebound. Wallace missed a 14-footer…but Detroit got an offensive rebound. Wallace was fouled on the second shot and missed both free throws…but Detroit got an offensive rebound. Eventually, Chauncey Billups was fouled and made a free throw before Cleveland got the ball back with 8.8 seconds left. Cleveland’s inability to clean the boards cost them the game, and, two days later, the series. Detroit won Game 7 79-61 and advanced to the conference finals. While the wine and gold could not defeat their next door neighbors, the loss lit a fire under them that would burn through the following season.

2006-07: Cleveland def. Detroit 4-2, Eastern Conference Finals

A year later the Cavaliers and Pistons reconvened with a conference championship on the line. Detroit managed to win the first two games in Auburn Hills as LeBron twice passed up on a potential game winning or tying shot.¹ Following a familiar pattern, the wine and gold won their next two games at home to level the series at 2-2. In Game 5, James turned in a transcendent playoff performance. The King scored 48 points and led the Cavs to a double-overtime victory in the Palace. By the time overtime arrived, everyone in the building knew number 23 would be taking the visitors’ next shot, and there was nothing Detroit could do to stop him. He scored the last 25 straight points for the Cavs and 29 of the club’s last 30. Sporting a 3-2 series lead the spotlight returned to Cleveland where the upstart Cavaliers would not be denied. Daniel “Boobie” Gibson turned in the best game of his life as he lit up the Q from deep. He ripped 12-of-15 field goals including 5-of-5 threes for 31 total points. The Cavaliers emerged victorious 98-82 and claimed their first Eastern Conference Championship.

2008-09: Cleveland def. Detroit 4-0, Eastern Conference Quarterfinals

The Pistons most recent playoff appearance came against these same Cavaliers. During this encounter it was the one-seeded Cavaliers who entered as heavy favorites against the aging and undermanned eight-seed Pistons. The Cavs made quick work of their Michigan neighbors, dispatching Detroit in four succinct games. Cleveland won by 18, 12, 11, and 21 points.

Pistons of Note

Andre Drummond

The Pistons’ big man poses matchup problems for the Cavaliers. The 6’11” 279 lb center makes his hay in the paint where he bangs with the best of them. Drummond scored the majority of his points from the key and earned a 52.1% field goal percentage. In the three games he played against Cleveland, Drummond did work averaging 20.3 points, 13.7 rebounds, and 1.7 blocks per game. The logical height matchup for Drummond would be center Timofey Mozgov (7’1” 275 lb). However, Timo has seen increasingly limited minutes over the second half of the season and has more often than not come in off the bench. If Cavs head coach Tyronn Lue follows through on his desire to start Tristan Thompson during the playoffs then it will likely be number 13 who is forced to match up with the taller Piston. Thompson will have his hands full and will require his superior technique to outrebound the longer Drummond.

Drummond’s Achilles heel is his performance from the charity stripe. Drummond is bafflingly deficient from the free throw line with a ghastly 35.5% shooting percentage. That’s bad if you’re playing YMCA basketball. At the professional level it’s practically unforgivable. Opposing coaches often exploit this hole in his game by deliberately fouling him in the second half invoking Hack-a-Shaq (or its modern iteration Hack-a-DeAndre). The Cavaliers utilized that approach when playing the Clippers, and it stands to reason that if Lue feels it would favor the club he would instruct Sasha Kaun to jump in and start handing out hugs. Fans are divided on the strategy as some feel it undercuts the spirit of the game and makes for a less entertaining product. While I will not advise Lue either way on the decision, I would say to Drummond, Jordan, and anyone else with mediocre free throw numbers: Start making your free throws and we will stop fouling you on purpose.

Stan Van Gundy

While he won’t check into the game at any point, Van Gundy knows the Cavaliers well. It was his² Orlando Magic that scored an unexpected Conference Finals upset over the top seeded Cavs in 2009. Van Gundy shows no fear of the Q, and will not be intimidated by Cleveland’s pedigree. Whether in Orlando or Detroit Van Gundy understands matchups and capably balances length with shooting to give his teams a chance to win. Since joining the Pistons organization in 2014 he has increased the club’s win total from 32 to 44 in his first two seasons. Van Gundy understand his players, and has previously defeated LeBron and the Cavs in a playoff series. For a Detroit team full of players making their playoff debuts, his steady hand will work to keep a calm locker room.

The Stakes

Obviously, the easy answer here is “win or go home,” but it’s always a little different with Detroit. A scant 199 miles separate Quicken Loans Arena and The Palace at Auburn Hills. Doubtless scores of fans will travel to road games and pick up tickets on the secondary market. Already tickets to Game 1 in Cleveland are going for $43 compared to $46 for Game 3 in the Motor City. There has always been a spirited rivalry between Cleveland and Detroit. The cities’ basketball and baseball clubs both reside in their respective Central Divisions. The football teams play for the prestigious Great Lakes Cup for the Barge trophy.³ Familiarity has bred contempt over the past few seasons of both sports. Indians’ fans famously chanted “Detroit’s bankrupt” to counter pro-Tigers messages at a Tribe game in 2013. The notion of sporting “bragging rights” carries as much tangible weight as “moral victory,” but for the Great Lakes region where fans of both clubs live in opposing cities the next week or two will affect office ribbing and money exchanged at the water cooler.

Prediction

Predictions are silly. Last year no one would have predicted Kevin Love and Kyrie Irving would both suffer season-ending injuries during the playoffs. Even then, no one would have predicted the Cavs would hold a 2-1 Finals lead without both players. Still, it is natural to look ahead and wonder what will happen. Cleveland holds the obvious edge in terms of individual performance and talent as a team. Detroit won three of four regular season matchups, but it hardly seems fair to count the fourth since neither club played their starters.

Vegas favors the Cavs by 10.5 points in Game 1 for what it’s worth. Overall, Westgate SuperBook pegged Detroit at 200/1 odds to win the title, which is a far gap from Cleveland’s 3/1 odds. While the Pistons have plenty of upside and could bang the “no one believes in us drum” for a win at home, it seems that Cleveland should handily dispatch the Pistons in five games. No one (not even Golden State) can win a championship in April. The Cavaliers can, however, win Game 1 on Sunday. All season long, frustrated fans believed the club would turn it on in the playoffs. Let’s see if they do.

1. Donyell Marshall is still open in the corner as Detroit never bothered to cover him. He is no Robert Horry. [↩]
2. PED-fed [↩]
3. Note: there is no actual prestige. [↩]