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The Cavs head into a very busy March as they head to Detroit to play their 4th game in six days. The Pistons are 9-49 overall and 4-24 at home, so on paper this looks like an easy win.
That will probably not be the case, however, as the Pistons have definitely not quit on the season. Three nights ago they beat the Bulls on the road 105-95, the day before the Bulls beat the Cavs. The game before that the Pistons lost by 2 points to the Knicks in New York on an egregious non-call. And the game before that they lost by 3 points to Orlando. The Pistons have been very competitive against good teams in the last week. They are not packing it in by any means.
The Cavs are 3-0 this year against the Pistons, winning by 8, 9, and 7 points. The Pistons have not been an easy out and I’m sure they don’t want to go 0-4 against Cleveland any more than the Bulls did. With two days of rest and playing at home I expect the Pistons to come out with fire. After watching the Bulls get 25 offensive rebounds against the Cavs I expect the Pistons to try the same physical approach.
The Cavs need to be mentally ready for a dog fight. Detroit beat Sacramento by 13 and OKC by 16 in recent weeks, so they are capable of beating playoff teams on any given night if their opponents are not ready for a scrap.
On Jan. 31 in Cleveland the Cavs prevailed 128-121. Detroit shot 56% overall and 52% on 3’s. Their bench scored 58 points. The Cavs were bailed out by Donovan Mitchell’s 45 points and 8 assists. The Cavs were +22 with Mitchell on the floor and -15 in the 13 minutes he was on the bench. Donovan is listed as questionable tonight with a sore knee.
Danilo Gallinari had 20 points off the bench in 23 minutes that night and was a +13. Fortunately for the Cavs, he has been traded. Bojan Bogdanovic had 17 points and he also has been traded. Kevin Knox had 12 points in 20 minutes and he is out of the league. Monte Morris and Alec Burks combined for 19 points that night and they’ve both been traded.
Adding it up, 74 of the Pistons’ 121 points the last time these teams played were scored by players who are no longer on the team.
But they still have Cade Cunningham who averages 22.5 points and 7.4 assists. Simone Fontecchio, a 6’7” Italian import, is scoring 15.1 ppg on 49% from the field and 42% on 3’s in his seven games since arriving from Utah. He’s a 28-year-old forward in his second year.
SG Jaden Ivey, the 5th pick in the 2022 draft, averages 15.1 points on 45% and 36%. C Jalen Duren, who was the 13th pick in the same draft, averages 14 points and 12 rebounds on 63%. He’s 6’10”, 250 pounds. PF Isaiah Stewart averages 11 points and 7 rebounds and SF Ausar Thompson averages 8.7 points and 6.4 rebounds.
The Pistons are a talented young team building around Cunningham, Ivey, and Duren. Duren is 20, Thompson is 21, Cunningham, Ivey, and Stewart are 22, and Quentin Grimes is 23. The Pistons will get another high lottery pick this year. Their future is bright.
The Pistons rank 22nd in scoring. They attempt fewer 3’s than any team but one and rank 11th in points in the paint, so they much prefer to attack the rim. Now that Gallinari, Burks, and Bogdanovic have been traded they are even less likely to pop from outside - all of them were over 40% from deep.
The Pistons biggest issue offensively is turnovers as they are second worse at turnovers per possession. They’re below average in effective field goal percentage, partly because they don’t shoot 3’s. But they are 12th in offensive rebound percentage and the Knicks showed in the playoffs last year that the way to beat the Cavs is on the offensive glass and the Bulls put an exclamation point on it two nights ago. I expect the Pistons, who are below average in shooting percentage, to crash the offensive glass relentlessly.
On the other end of the floor the Pistons rank 27th in scoring defense, alllowing 121 ppg. They are last in steals per possession and 28th in forcing turnovers. They also foul like crazy, ranking last in opponents’ free throw attempts per possession. Opponents are making over 21 free throws per game - most in the league.
They’re 26th in points allowed in the paint. Opponents shoot fewer 3’s against the Pistons than any team but one; obviously they think it’s easier to score in the paint. The one area the Pistons excel at defensively is rebound percentage, where they rank 6th. Better make the first shot; you probably won't get another.
In the first two games against Cleveland the Pistons scored 100 and 101 points. In the most recent game they scored 121, but 61% of the scoring from that game is no longer on the roster. In fact, 12 of the 16 three-point shots the Pistons made that night were by players they no longer have.
The Cavs scored 128 the last time these teams met, shooting 53% from the field. Mitchell scored 45 and five other Cavs were in double figures. They could have scored more but the players not named Mitchell were just 6-for-22 on 3’s.
The Cavs are obviously the better team but the Pistons are at home, had two days off, and just beat the Bulls while the Cavs lost to them. The Pistons have some young talent and have been scrappy and competitive the last three games. They would have upset the Knicks in New York if not for a inexcusable non-call in the final seconds.
I think this one will be another close one. The Cavs have not been playing well against bad teams lately and have lost 3 of 5 since the break. They need to approach this game like it’s a playoff game, clamp down defensively on a bad offensive team, and above all get on the defensive glass. That means everybody - you, too, Isaac.
If Mitchell is held out all bets are off.
That will probably not be the case, however, as the Pistons have definitely not quit on the season. Three nights ago they beat the Bulls on the road 105-95, the day before the Bulls beat the Cavs. The game before that the Pistons lost by 2 points to the Knicks in New York on an egregious non-call. And the game before that they lost by 3 points to Orlando. The Pistons have been very competitive against good teams in the last week. They are not packing it in by any means.
The Cavs are 3-0 this year against the Pistons, winning by 8, 9, and 7 points. The Pistons have not been an easy out and I’m sure they don’t want to go 0-4 against Cleveland any more than the Bulls did. With two days of rest and playing at home I expect the Pistons to come out with fire. After watching the Bulls get 25 offensive rebounds against the Cavs I expect the Pistons to try the same physical approach.
The Cavs need to be mentally ready for a dog fight. Detroit beat Sacramento by 13 and OKC by 16 in recent weeks, so they are capable of beating playoff teams on any given night if their opponents are not ready for a scrap.
On Jan. 31 in Cleveland the Cavs prevailed 128-121. Detroit shot 56% overall and 52% on 3’s. Their bench scored 58 points. The Cavs were bailed out by Donovan Mitchell’s 45 points and 8 assists. The Cavs were +22 with Mitchell on the floor and -15 in the 13 minutes he was on the bench. Donovan is listed as questionable tonight with a sore knee.
Danilo Gallinari had 20 points off the bench in 23 minutes that night and was a +13. Fortunately for the Cavs, he has been traded. Bojan Bogdanovic had 17 points and he also has been traded. Kevin Knox had 12 points in 20 minutes and he is out of the league. Monte Morris and Alec Burks combined for 19 points that night and they’ve both been traded.
Adding it up, 74 of the Pistons’ 121 points the last time these teams played were scored by players who are no longer on the team.
But they still have Cade Cunningham who averages 22.5 points and 7.4 assists. Simone Fontecchio, a 6’7” Italian import, is scoring 15.1 ppg on 49% from the field and 42% on 3’s in his seven games since arriving from Utah. He’s a 28-year-old forward in his second year.
SG Jaden Ivey, the 5th pick in the 2022 draft, averages 15.1 points on 45% and 36%. C Jalen Duren, who was the 13th pick in the same draft, averages 14 points and 12 rebounds on 63%. He’s 6’10”, 250 pounds. PF Isaiah Stewart averages 11 points and 7 rebounds and SF Ausar Thompson averages 8.7 points and 6.4 rebounds.
The Pistons are a talented young team building around Cunningham, Ivey, and Duren. Duren is 20, Thompson is 21, Cunningham, Ivey, and Stewart are 22, and Quentin Grimes is 23. The Pistons will get another high lottery pick this year. Their future is bright.
The Pistons rank 22nd in scoring. They attempt fewer 3’s than any team but one and rank 11th in points in the paint, so they much prefer to attack the rim. Now that Gallinari, Burks, and Bogdanovic have been traded they are even less likely to pop from outside - all of them were over 40% from deep.
The Pistons biggest issue offensively is turnovers as they are second worse at turnovers per possession. They’re below average in effective field goal percentage, partly because they don’t shoot 3’s. But they are 12th in offensive rebound percentage and the Knicks showed in the playoffs last year that the way to beat the Cavs is on the offensive glass and the Bulls put an exclamation point on it two nights ago. I expect the Pistons, who are below average in shooting percentage, to crash the offensive glass relentlessly.
On the other end of the floor the Pistons rank 27th in scoring defense, alllowing 121 ppg. They are last in steals per possession and 28th in forcing turnovers. They also foul like crazy, ranking last in opponents’ free throw attempts per possession. Opponents are making over 21 free throws per game - most in the league.
They’re 26th in points allowed in the paint. Opponents shoot fewer 3’s against the Pistons than any team but one; obviously they think it’s easier to score in the paint. The one area the Pistons excel at defensively is rebound percentage, where they rank 6th. Better make the first shot; you probably won't get another.
In the first two games against Cleveland the Pistons scored 100 and 101 points. In the most recent game they scored 121, but 61% of the scoring from that game is no longer on the roster. In fact, 12 of the 16 three-point shots the Pistons made that night were by players they no longer have.
The Cavs scored 128 the last time these teams met, shooting 53% from the field. Mitchell scored 45 and five other Cavs were in double figures. They could have scored more but the players not named Mitchell were just 6-for-22 on 3’s.
The Cavs are obviously the better team but the Pistons are at home, had two days off, and just beat the Bulls while the Cavs lost to them. The Pistons have some young talent and have been scrappy and competitive the last three games. They would have upset the Knicks in New York if not for a inexcusable non-call in the final seconds.
I think this one will be another close one. The Cavs have not been playing well against bad teams lately and have lost 3 of 5 since the break. They need to approach this game like it’s a playoff game, clamp down defensively on a bad offensive team, and above all get on the defensive glass. That means everybody - you, too, Isaac.
If Mitchell is held out all bets are off.
