Pistons and Cavs Square Off
By J.M. Poulard
Essentials
- Teams: Cleveland Cavaliers (35-22) at Detroit Pistons (23-33)
- Date: February 24
- Time: 7:30 p.m.
- Television: FSD
Get in the Game
Fresh off back-to-back wins, the Detroit Pistons will host a surging Cleveland Cavaliers squad tonight in a matchup presenting tons of intrigue.
Detroit is riding a small winning streak, and one can’t help but notice that every time the Pistons make a transaction, the team appears to adjust well after the fact. The first move involved waiving Josh Smith, and the team responded by winning seven straight contests.
One of those wins was a 103-80 blowout in Cleveland, where Detroit made 17-of-31 treys. The Cavs extracted a bit of vengeance on January 27 at the Palace of Auburn Hills by recording a 12-point victory against the Pistons.
Where do both teams stand now?
The Cavs are rising in the Eastern Conference standings, and the Pistons are positioning themselves for a prospective playoff berth while keeping an eye on the future.
Detroit is accomplishing this feat thanks to its most recent transaction. Management shipped away D.J. Augustin and Kyle Singler to the Oklahoma City Thunder for soon-to-be restricted free agent Reggie Jackson.
The fourth-year guard has been dying to showcase his talent, something that wasn’t always possible alongside Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook, and he will get that opportunity with the Pistons.
Detroit is undefeated – it’s only two games, but undefeated is undefeated – since executing the move, and tonight’s contest against Cleveland is a doozy.
The tilt will feature the game’s premier player (LeBron James), and that will surely draw some attention for obvious reasons. James tends to move the needle, and he’s been so good since returning from a two-week hiatus to rest ailments that few have noticed Kevin Love’s impressive February.
So far this month, Love is averaging 14.6 points and 10 rebounds on 45.5 percent field-goal shooting and 43.3 percent from downtown. During that stretch, Cleveland is outscoring teams by 31.8 points per 100 possessions with Love, according to Basketball-Reference.com.
And yet, both James and Love might play second fiddle tonight in the #CleVsDet battle. Don’t get me wrong, they will produce, but the show will belong to the point guards.
Jackson and Kyrie Irving will give the fans a treat tonight.
Jackson has spent the entirety of his career subjugating his game to fit in with Durant and Westbrook; but that is no longer the case.
Jackson now sits at the head of the table and gets to eat first, second and last if he so chooses to. Consequently, expect he and Irving to trade baskets especially when LeBron is resting.
Irving will take command of the offense with James on the bench, and Jackson will be quick to respond.
It’s worth noting, the head-to-head matchup will determine the winner of the contest, but not in the way that most might think. Their respective scoring numbers will influence the game, but the winner will be the one who manages to create consistent opportunities for each and every teammate. Fair or not, that gives an edge to the Cavs who possess one of the best playmakers in the sport in James.
The Pistons do not yet have a secondary creator – Greg Monroe operates as such but he’s hardly great at it – but they mitigate that weakness with the best offensive rebounding figure in the league (12.9). Interestingly enough, Cleveland isn’t too far behind in this facet, which will slightly nullify Detroit’s advantage.
Still, expect a competitive matchup; and in a perfect world, Jackson and Irving will turn Cavs and Pistons into a rivalry once more.
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