Written by Zach Harper | 16 April 2009

Ben York is one of the leading members of Deep Purple, a Phoenix Suns Online Community, and a contributor to Talkhoops.net




Somehow, this series doesn't have the same intense feeling one would expect.

How the Cavaliers Got Here
The Cavs (66-16) demonstrated how good of a team they are on a consistent basis throughout the entire season.  Coach Mike Brown also solidified how good of a coach he is leading a team of athletic young players into a disciplined defensive scheme that stymied almost all opponents.  Their defense held opposing teams to an average of 91.4 points a game which led the entire league.  Though, they've been somewhat overshadowed for their defensive prowess due to the amazing season that LeBron James had; 28 ppg, 7rpg, and 7apg.  Mo Williams has been a catalyst both on the defensive and offensive end helping take the sole scoring/creating load off of LeBron.  What is perhaps most special about this Cavs team is they have multiple ways of beating you; if it's not a solid offensive night, they'll shut you down on the defensive end.  For that reason, it makes them the scariest team in the NBA.

How the Pistons Got Here
The Pistons (39-43), however, remind me of a veteran team that will never give up but deep in their hearts knows it's over.  Trading away their leader and floor general in Chauncey Billups will free up cap space in the off-season, but it will also give them more time to look at trades/personnel moves since this series will be over in a mere couple of weeks.  The Pistons, simply put, are just not what they used to be.  Sure, they'll play hard and things will get intense from time to time, but there has never been a time this season where they've really gotten things together to inspire confidence.  Still, they can be a dangerous team with Rasheed Wallace and Rip Hamilton able to go for 30+ on any given night, but the Cavs defense can take much (if not all) of the Pistons weapons away for a large portion of the game and series.

Match-Up History
06/07: Pistons 3-1 in regular season, Cavs 4-2 in Conference Finals (Pistons coached by Flip Saunders)
07/08: Pistons 3-1 in regular season (Pistons coached by Flip Saunders)
08/09:  Cleveland 3-1 in regular season (Pistons coached by Michael Curry)

Match-Ups By Position
Point Guard --  Mo Williams vs. Rodney Stuckey
Stuckey is a rising star and a solid fill-in for Billups, but Mo Williams is quick and will out-finesse Stuckey.  Look for Mo's hot shooting to continue while Stuckey will have problems getting the ball in the basket against Cleveland's defense. 
Edge: Cleveland.

Shooting Guard --  Delonte West vs. Richard Hamilton
Hamilton is still a consistent performer and he'll need to come up big for Detroit to have any shot.  West is somewhat streaky and will be overwhelmed with Hamilton's cuts to the basket and screens. 
Edge: Detroit.

Small Forward --  LeBron James vs. Tayshaun Prince
Nothing against Prince, but this one is self-explanatory. 
Edge: Cleveland.

Power Forward --  Anderson Varejao vs. Antonio McDyess
Surprisingly, I think this match-up is better for Cleveland with Varejao's ability to get under players skin and frustrate them.  Look for Varejao to be incredibly active on the boards and to overwhelm McDyess. 
Edge: Cleveland.

Center --  Zydrunas Ilgauskas vs. Rasheed Wallace
Rasheed is still a beast and, when sane, can explode on the offensive end at any time.  Detroit will need a huge series from Wallace in order to win anything. 
Edge: Detroit.

Bench --  Gibson/Szczerbiak/Smith/Pavlovich vs. Bynum/Maxiell/Aflalo/Brown

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