Game #3 Pistons @ Cavaliers

[ChicagoCavFan]

vs

Cleveland Cavaliers (0) vs Detroit Pistons (2)

Saturday, May 13, 2006
Time: 5:00
TV: ESPN
Radio: WTAM 1100
Location: Quicken Loans Arena

Head Coaches

Mike Brown / Flip Saunders

Probable Staters

Eric Snow / Chauncey Billups

Flip Murray / Richard Hamilton

LeBron James / Tayshaun Prince

Drew Gooden / Rasheed Wallace

Zydrunas Ilgauskas / Ben Wallace

Cleveland Cavaliers Bench

Damon Jones/Ira Newble/Sasha Pavlovic/Donyell Marshall/Anderson Varejao
Detroit Pistons

Lindsey Hunter/Maurice Evans/Carlos Delfino/Antonio McDyess/Dale Davis

2005-06 SERIES: Pistons: 3-1

Keys to the Game:

WIN or FACE ELIMINATION

Game Notes:

The Cavs rallied from a huge first-half deficit in Game 2, thanks to the 14 points LeBron James scored in the fourth quarter.

James' spurt brought the Cavs within five with less than two minutes left. The Pistons held on to win, but a change in attack got the Cavs back in it.

"All we did was play pick-and-roll and attack," said Cavs coach Mike Brown. "It's obvious that Detroit is double-teaming LeBron's pick and roll. So, if we get a solid screen set, LeBron's able to turn the corner because he's got one-on-one coverage. But if the screen is not that solid, they're able to double-team the ball. When LeBron baited the double team, he'd make the simple pass and someone else drove it and kicked it and we got wide-open looks."

Fear factor:

Many wondered whether the Cavs are intimidated by playing the Pistons, who dominated the Cavs during the regular season by beating them in three out of four games. On Feb. 26, in a game at Detroit, Rasheed Wallace drew blood following his elbow to Zydrunas Ilgauskas' head.

Brown said his team did not go into this series intimidated.

"What I do know is that our guys are learning at what level it takes to play in order to get past the second round," Brown said. "We have to play like we did in the second half [in Game 2] for the entire 48 minutes. That's the level we have to play on."

Injury updates

Saunders said the Pistons would ``wait and see'' with the knee injury reserve forward Antonio McDyess sustained. James and McDyess banged knees in the first half Tuesday. McDyess played 10-plus minutes in the third quarter.

Time, network change

Game 3 has been changed from an 8 p.m. start on ABC to a 5 p.m. tipoff on ESPN. The San-Antonio-Dallas series, tied at 1-1, will get the prime-time slot. ``I guess our games have been too boring,'' Billups said.

Hack-a-Ben

Saunders and Billups both said they were mildly surprised the Cavs didn't intentionally foul Ben Wallace in the fourth quarter after they got back in the game. The Cavs had used the strategy twice in the first half, with Wallace converting 2-of-4 free throws.​

 

[KingJamesMVP]

It's like Andrew Bogut said after the Bucks lost game 2 to the Pistons...."We're not gonna come back from 3 down and win this thing. There aren't gonna be any fairy tales. We have to get game 3." Which they did...(they did lose the series, but that's beside the point)..

It's the same story for the Cavs....Gotta get it done at home..

 

[PIP]

 

[Karma]

You cannot emphasize a strong start anymore. We need to get the crowd into and our energy levels should soar. We have some type of momentum after a strong finish, but the Pistons are a veteran team who will bounce back.

The most important 48 minutes of basketball in Cleveland in a long long time!

 

[hughes1988]

Z played alot better in game #2. but he will be alot better today...

 

[crazedcav333]

Wow, I like the game-day post. Nice work. I'm usually the one saying "We can get down in a series, all we have to do is play it one game at a time" But if we lose, it's over. And if we win this series I'll be esctatic. Obviously.

 

[Blind_Sniper]

If we lose I see us falling ,this is a huge game... We can not afford to go downby 20 ponts at half-time.. We need to gain a lead early and hold it for the rest of the game such as we did in game 1 of the Washington series... If the Pisstons do what they have the last 2 and built leads and held them we are like a deer in headlights...

 

[tarkington_landrep.]

we cant let vets like tony delk and lindsey hunter relive their glory days, the bench has been killin' us...

 

[Nicky]

Let's just hope Flip doesn't let the pressure get to him, which it shouldn't... but this is a very important game for us... Although the Suns came back 3-1... thats something I don't want the Cavs to have to replicate.

 

[Whitley]

No Larry Hughes, so Cleveland's 3 point defense and defense overall falls a couple of notches. Flip is going to have a tough time running after Rip. There is no answer for Rasheed..this has all the makings of another rout.

 

[Karma]

Hughes' status unclear as Cavaliers prep for Pistons

By TOM WITHERS, AP Sports Writer
May 12, 2006

CLEVELAND (AP) -- Saddened by an unexpected death in their family, the Cavaliers prepared to play their biggest game in years not knowing if starting guard Larry Hughes will be back for Game 3.

Hughes left the team on Thursday after his 20-year-old brother, Justin, died after battling complications from a 1997 heart transplant. He was born with a heart defect and endured a lifetime of health issues.

Hughes, who helped raise Justin and honored him by having "I Am My Brother's Keeper" tattooed on his neck, was with his family in St. Louis. Justin's funeral is scheduled for Tuesday.

LeBron James said after Friday's practice that he didn't anticipate Hughes returning for Saturday's playoff game against the Detroit Pistons, who hold a 2-0 lead in the best-of-seven series.

"Honestly, no," James said. "I don't expect him to come back. It would be a big surprise if he did."

Cavaliers coach Mike Brown had not spoken to Hughes since before he left town and has no plans to contact him.

"The only thing that I'm concerned about is Larry Hughes being with his family, and on top of that, we'll just figure it out as we go along," Brown said. "If I need to get in touch with him, I'll reach out to him. But right now, he needs time to be with his family.

"I have not attempted to call him, and I'm not going to attempt to call him right now. He was extremely close to his brother, he's got a lot going on."

Being without Hughes is nothing new for the Cavaliers. He missed 45 games during the regular season after undergoing two surgeries on his right middle finger. Hughes is not completely healed and his finger has bothered him during the postseason.

Cleveland went 26-19 while Hughes was sidelined, but if their best defender isn't available for Games 3 or 4, the Cavaliers' chances of coming back against the powerful Pistons will be even more remote.

Flip Murray, who averaged 13.7 points in 25 starts since coming to Cleveland in a Feb. 26 trade with Seattle, will likely start if Hughes is not back.

"The only good thing about it is that we played 40-some games without him so we kind of know how to play without him," James said. "You hate to lose a defender, great scorer and team leader like that, but we know how to play without him."

Playing with a pad on his finger, Hughes has scored just 16 points on 8-of-24 shooting against the Pistons. With Detroit's defensive focus on James, the Pistons are giving some of the other Cavaliers a chance to step up their scoring. So far, none has.

Murray could provide a spark. The Cavs were 18-7 with him in the starting lineup.

"If it comes down to me starting and Larry not here, I just have to be ready to come and play," Murray said.

Justin Hughes' passing has affected the Cavaliers as well as the Pistons, who offered their condolences.

"That's tough," Detroit guard Chauncey Billups said. "I know Larry, and I've met his brother. They are a great family, and I really feel bad for them. It's been obvious that Larry hasn't been Larry in this series, and I know he's been coming back from the injury and trying to get into a rhythm, but this has to have made things even worse.

"You can't expect that something like that isn't going to affect you."

The odds of the Cavaliers coming back on the Pistons are long, but not impossible.

Since 1969, 10 teams have rallied from an 0-2 hole to win a best-of-seven playoff series. Last season, both Dallas and Washington did it to advance past the first round.

There's also a chance that the Cavs, who are in second round for the first time since 1993, may only have two games left. Detroit has lost nine of its last 10 road playoff Game 3s, but James knows there's a possibility of a sweep.

"You hate to think about that, but it is a reality that it might happen," James said. "But it's also possible we can come back from 0-2. There a lot of different scenarios. If that (sweep) may happen, which I don't intend it to, it doesn't take anything away from this season.

"We're confident. No one's head is down about this series."

Link

 

[Blind_Sniper]

McDYESS IMPROVING: Coach Flip Saunders said the left knee injury Antonio McDyess appeared to suffer during Game 2 was actually a blow to his right shin. McDyess and LeBron James banged knees Tuesday, but Saunders said Thursday that McDyess had a shin injury.


per realgm....



It looks like McDyess may play, but I would not be surprised if they rest him being up 2 games to none....

 

[Cleveland56]

I'll be there rooting the guys on. Hopefully we see what we saw in the fourth quarter of the last game. Smart aggressive play. Go Cavaliers!

 

[Flippin #2]

I know we havent looked so hot these last 2 games but actually, im expecting us to win by a 10 + point margin...we are gonna come out fired up playing for our team pride.

 

[Whitley]

McDyess will play.