Recap: Cavs 109, Pistons 97 (or, That Was, Like, Fun…*)

Like most of us… LeBron is just itching to start the playoffs.

[*Alternate title courtesy of C:tB commenter Joey B]

The Cavs got one step closer to the second season with a win in game number 81 over the lottery-bound Pistons. This contest was like a welcome breath of fresh air after the pungent stink of the Boston sandwich from this past weekend. All five starters began the game on the floor, and played like the well-oiled machine that shredded the league for the last three months. The only real negative takeaway from this one was the tightening up of Kyrie’s hip, which caused him to leave the game at halftime (he would not return due to precautionary measures), and was a bucket of cold water on an otherwise positive night at the Q.

In anticipation of another tough watch after the back-to-back Boston massacres, I thought we might as well have some fun with metaphors and similes on the Live Thread.

Some of them will help punctuate this recap like a throw down dunk from your favorite Russian, and keep things moving like LeBron did with his sublime second triple double of the year.

Here’s how it all went down…

First Quarter:

After the Cavs started out sloppier than a toddler eating barbeque in the first few minutes, they dialed the intensity level up to a playoff setting for the rest of the quarter. The game was essentially decided halfway through the period, as the Cavs took all of the drama out of things (like a Roman Emperor giving the dreaded thumbs down at the Coliseum) by showing the Pistons no mercy. Using a 20-2 run, six threes (of 17 for the game) and some ferocious interior defense, they blitzed their way to a 36-14 lead.

“Kevin Love defended on that play like someone who is good at defense.” — Nate Smith

Oh yeah… and also, this happened…

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xoSxqkci-MQ

“That LeBron steal and behind the back dish to Mozgov was the Mona Lisa of the Q.” — Lemy

Second Quarter:

The Cavs continued to pour things on, pushing the lead as high as 26 before Detroit finally tried to make things semi-respectable. Greg Monroe (recently back from injury) put the Pistons on his back and led a 12-0 run to cut the deficit to 14 before the Cavs turned up the defense and held them to just a single bucket in the final three minutes of the quarter. Meanwhile, JR got hotter than two rats fighting in a wool sock, nailing three triples in a row to close out the first half and push the lead back to 25. Cavs 62-37.

“J.R. shoots like there is a four-point line.” — Joey B

“I’m not even watching the game but I can tell from the comments that the Cavs are playing like that guy who didn’t pay his taxes on the first season of survivor.” — TheOtherJason

Richard Hatch doesn’t care… He just wanted to win.

JR was hotter than the surface of the Sun…

Third Quarter:

Not a lot of defense (perimeter or otherwise) was played by either team this quarter, which essentially featured a three-point contest between Tough Juice (Caron Butler), JR Swish and the King. The three combined to shoot 11-15 from beyond the arc for the period (although JR and LBJ teamed up for 7-9 vs. 4-6 for Caron). The Pistons did manage to outscore the Cavs overall 36-31, but still trailed by 20. Cavs 93-73.

“Cavs are like a sports car ‘just idling along’ and then they SHIFT IT INTO HIGH GEAR – WOW — how much longer do we play the regulars?” — NOMAD

Fourth Quarter:

When Mike Miller subbed in for LeBron with just under eight minutes left (to finish LBJ’s night), the Cavs still held a comfortable 16 point lead. Five minutes later, they were still up by 15 and Coach Blatt took out Kevin and Moz to turn things over to the bench. Though they allowed the Pistons to cut the lead down to 11, unlike the two previous games against the Celtics, the bench closed things out with a JFJ triple (off an assist from Perk) and two slo-mo hoops from Angry Smurf himself. Final score: Cavs win 109-97.

“Perk rolls to the hoop like a barrel going downhill!” — Phil Hubbard

“Angry smurf passes like he’s trying to take Gargamel’s head off.” — Nate Smith

Don’t make me like Angry Smurf…

The Evil:

Kyrie’s hip. While Coach Blatt declared after the game that taking Kyrie out after the first half was just precautionary, there has to be at least a bit of concern regarding the health of his hip due to the nagging stiffness over the last few games. Hopefully, it’s either really not that serious, or he’s at least got the rest of the week to rest and heal up before the playoffs begin. It does make you wonder though why he was even allowed to play the first half tonight in a relatively meaningless game.

Defensive lull. The Cavs held the Pistons to a mere 37 points in the first half (just 14 in the first quarter), but they got fairly lax in second half which led to 60 points for Detroit. They didn’t seem all that concerned about closing out on Tough Juice in the third either and ultimately allowed the Pistons to shoot 46% for the game.

Sloppy second team. Though an improvement versus the extended play of the last two games, the ball-handling of the bench bunch still left something to be desired. Shump continued his turnover binge with a team high three in 24 minutes, and Perk added another two. The passing did pick up a bit though (especially with LBJ playing into the fourth) with the reserves kicking in 13 assists (including five from Delly). While the bench mob allowed the Pistons to cut into the lead, they were able to stop the bleeding on their own without any of the starters having to return to help.

“Clear path fouls.” “Refs checking for clear path fouls is like waiting in line at the DMV…” It seems like there’s at least one (if not several) of these per game where the officials spend five minutes deliberating whether or not a foul was of the clear path variety. Very rarely is this the case. There must be a way to expedite this going forward.

The Genius:

Cavs came to play. In what was likely their final tune up before the playoffs start (doubtful the starters play much, if at all in the finale against the Wiz), the Cavs played like a championship contender for much of this one (okay, at least for the first half…). The Pistons had little answer for the assault the Cavs perpetrated on them in the first quarter.

LBJ triple-doubles. LeBron was ubiquitous with his play, resulting in his second triple-double of the season. He deservedly received a standing ovation like the MVP candidate that he is when he checked out for good early in the fourth.

Kyrie’s shovel was sharp. Even if his will was only outstanding for a half last night, in his limited minutes, Kyrie was a sharp-shooter: hitting 5-7 (2-3 from deep), with three dimes and no turnovers.

Moz was a beast. With 16 points, 13 boards and three blocks in just 24 minutes, the Russian was a terror on both ends of the floor against the twin towers of Drummond and Monroe. He threw down dunks with authority like a madman and even had an athletic reverse layup.

Moz imagines crushing an effigy sandwich on every throw down…

JR was en fuego. Games like these are starting to become habit for Earl. Chalk him up for 10-15 (8-13 from the District of JR) for an uber-efficient 28 points in 31 minutes of play. It’s JR’s world… we just live in it and gaze in awe…

In Defense of KLove. It’s been well documented (especially on this site by stat maven Tom Pestak) just how much Kevin means to the offensive efficiency of this team. And, even though it’s also been touched upon previously, it’s hard not to revisit just how far ol’ Wes has come with his defensive presence. He may never be in the running for DPOY… but the guy deserves credit for stepping up this aspect of his game and taking on some of the premier big men.

The bench bent but didn’t break. Despite fumbling the ball a few times, the bench bunch didn’t fold and looked sharper than the two previous games. JFJ and (amazingly) Perk handled the scoring to close out the game after the Pistons got to within shouting distance.

“Perkins busting out like he’s only 29 1/2!” — Phil Hubbard

The Hedgehog Effect. Stan Van Gundy has some of the best expressions of any coach ever to walk the sidelines. Though the Pistons faded down the stretch this season, here’s hoping they showed enough fight to owner Tom Gores to spare SVG his coaching job for a few more years.

Final Thought:

Penultimate game. There’s only one more meaningless game now remaining for the Cavs until the real action starts. The playoffs literally can’t get here soon enough. The identity of the team the Cavs will face in round one is still up for grabs, although there’s still a better than average chance that it’s the same Boston team they so graciously decided to help get into the playoffs over the long weekend.

So, for one final time in the regular season… GO CAVS!