There's not a single team in the NBA that can claim they know how to stop LeBron James, but the one thing the Pistons could hang their hat on was the fact that they've traditionally done the best job at slowing him down: In 23 career meetings in the regular season, he's averaged "just" 23.7 points against the Pistons, his fewest against any team in the league, on 41.5% shooting.Unfortunately for Detroit, trends don't win playoff games, players do. LeBron exploded for 38 points on ultra efficient shooting: 13-20 from the field and 11-14 from the line. With him leading the charge and a balanced supporting cast chipping in (none of his teammates topped 13 but four players finished with at least 12), the Pistons never had a chance as the Cavaliers won every quarter.
Rodney Stuckey led the way for the Pistons with 20 points but had problems shooting the ball (7-21 from the field) and finding open teammates (four assists). Tayshaun Prince, as he's prone to do when matched up against a dynamic scorer, disappeared on the offensive end with just four points, one rebound and two assists. That's poor production for a single half, and yet he played a full 37 minutes. If he can't find a way to contribute on at least one side of the floor, there's little hope of the Pistons winning even a single game.
Also notable for the Cavaliers was the return of Ben Wallace, who was considered doubtful as recent as two days ago due to a strained knee. He didn't score and he grabbed just a single rebound in 11 minutes, but the fact that he's even available allows Zydrunas Ilgauskas, who chipped in a double-double, to get more rest.
Latest NBA Playoff Photos
CLEVELAND - APRIL 18: LeBron James #23 of the Cleveland Cavaliers shoots against the Detroit Pistons during Game One of the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals during the 2009 NBA Playoffs at Quicken Loans Arena on April 18, 2009 in Cleveland, Ohio. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Matt Sullivan/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** LeBron James
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CLEVELAND - APRIL 18: Joe Smith #32 and Anderson Varejao #17 of the Cleveland Cavaliers fight for a rebound with Will Bynum #12 of the Detroit Pistons during Game One of the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals during the 2009 NBA Playoffs at Quicken Loans Arena on April 18, 2009 in Cleveland, Ohio. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Matt Sullivan/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Will Bynum;Joe Smith
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CLEVELAND - APRIL 18: Rodney Stuckey #3 of the Detroit Pistons shoots over Mo Williams #2 and Anderson Varejao #17 of the Cleveland Cavaliers during Game One of the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals during the 2009 NBA Playoffs at Quicken Loans Arena on April 18, 2009 in Cleveland, Ohio. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Matt Sullivan/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Anderson Varejao;Mo Williams;Rodney Stuckey
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CLEVELAND - APRIL 18: Zydrunas Ilgauskas #11 of the Cleveland Cavaliers grabs a rebound over Tayshaun Prince #22 of the Detroit Pistons during Game One of the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals during the 2009 NBA Playoffs at Quicken Loans Arena on April 18, 2009 in Cleveland, Ohio. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Matt Sullivan/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Tayshaun Prince;Zydrunas Ilgauskas
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CLEVELAND - APRIL 18: Mike Brown head coach of the Cleveland Cavaliers directs his team against the Detroit Pistons during Game One of the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals during the 2009 NBA Playoffs at Quicken Loans Arena on April 18, 2009 in Cleveland, Ohio. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Matt Sullivan/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Mike Brown
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CLEVELAND - APRIL 18: Daniel Gibson #1 of the Cleveland Cavaliers reacts to a shot against the Detroit Pistons during Game One of the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals during the 2009 NBA Playoffs at Quicken Loans Arena on April 18, 2009 in Cleveland, Ohio. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Matt Sullivan/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Daniel Gibson
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CLEVELAND - APRIL 18: Michael Curry head coach of the Detroit Pistons scratches his head against the Cleveland Cavaliers during Game One of the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals during the 2009 NBA Playoffs at Quicken Loans Arena on April 18, 2009 in Cleveland, Ohio. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Matt Sullivan/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Michael Curry
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CLEVELAND - APRIL 18: Joe Smith #38 of the Cleveland Cavaliers shoots over Kwame Brown #38 of the Detroit Pistons during Game One of the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals during the 2009 NBA Playoffs at Quicken Loans Arena on April 18, 2009 in Cleveland, Ohio. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Matt Sullivan/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Kwame Brown;Joe Smith
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CLEVELAND - APRIL 18: LeBron James #23 of the Cleveland Cavaliers shoots over Will Bynum #12 and Antonio McDyess #24 of the Detroit Pistons during Game One of the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals during the 2009 NBA Playoffs at Quicken Loans Arena on April 18, 2009 in Cleveland, Ohio. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Matt Sullivan/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Antonio McDyess;Will Bynum;LeBron James
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CLEVELAND - APRIL 18: Anderson Varejao #17 of the Cleveland Cavaliers guards Rasheed Wallace (L) #30 of the Detroit Pistons during Game One of the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals during the 2009 NBA Playoffs at Quicken Loans Arena on April 18, 2009 in Cleveland, Ohio. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Matt Sullivan/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Rasheed Wallace;Anderson Varejao
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
4-18-2009 @ 8:40PM
the cooker said...
LeBron has proven nothing yet. He has yet to make it through the playoffs without laying eggs to the tune of 4-6 point games where he is really bad when it counts. We all know he is fantastic at the beginning of the playoffs but a MJ he is not at least yet.
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4-19-2009 @ 8:59AM
rjw6683 said...
cooker I guess you now forget the Cavs teams Lebron took to the playoffs in the 5-8 spots. You know when Detroit was on top of the East and Lebron gave them all they could handle. I want to say he dropped in the area of 52 pts a game on them while also going to the hole and dropping in the game winner from the baseline as time ran out. You people complain constantly about the amount of fouls he draws, but never point out he is the ONLY player in the league that gets tackled every time in trasition when there are less then 4 people to stop him. It's just sick to see he is so good that he can still make the shot after a hack across the arms and with a 180lb guard hanging on his waist.
4-18-2009 @ 9:14PM
steve said...
haha cooker thats hilarious
lebron has never scored only 4-6 points in a game.
he was swept by spurs but everyone knew it already outside of cleveland. It was 1 on 5 and even then he still never scored less than 20.
and he has yet to be "really bad when it counts" in anyone one of his games in his entire 6 year career.
"really bad when it counts" is zach randolph almost dribbling a game's last possession off his foot only to recover and jack up an airball 3 pointer
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4-18-2009 @ 9:14PM
meghan16 said...
LeBron for MVP! Umm, I think he has proven himself enough during his career... especially with that buzzer-beater shot at the end of the first half. Go Cavs!
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4-19-2009 @ 9:29AM
michelle1124 said...
Hmmm, just wondering ... HOW many games did James' Cavs win against the Lakers this year? Ane he averaged what ... ? Yup, that's what I thought. Seems the "beasts" of the east can only roar in the east.
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4-19-2009 @ 10:38PM
sauce1977 said...
LeBron is a special player. Most teams can't stop LeBron because they lack a 6'10, 240 lb. guy who runs like a gazelle.
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5-29-2009 @ 2:59PM
Josh said...
Check out this cool debate about the Cavs and Magic. They're debating who will win it all. http://thesportsdebates.wordpress.com/2009/05/29/the-nba-championship-debate-–-hallelujah-the-cleveland-strife-is-o’er/
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