Cleveland Cavaliers – 100
Detroit Pistons – 98
Box Score
Cavs win series 4-0
Hating the State of Michigan with every fiber of your being is as much a birthright for those born in Northeast Ohio as rooting for doomed sports teams and liking Michael Stanley. The ire for Michigan burns especially bright for the Detroit era, as Ohioans are willing to forego some of their animosity for places such as Kalamazoo and the Upper Peninsula (which is basically Canada Jr.), as those people are harmless and generally affable (plus they’re outnumbered by beavers by a factor of 10 in the U.P.). The contempt and distaste for the Rust Belt’s biggest punchline was sardonically memorialized in Mike Polk Jr.’s Youtube sensation, “Hastily Made Cleveland Tourism Video.” After lovingly (I think) mocking Cleveland with jabs such as “the Flats look like a Scooby-Doo ghost town” and “our main export is crippling depression,” the video concludes, “It could be worse though, at least we’re not … Detroit. … We’re not Detroit!!!”
You would think that Clevelanders and Detroitkins (probably not the actual term for denizens of the city) would share a certain kinship given both cities are part of the underappreciated Midwest United States, share like values, suffer similar gray weather, and are together the two most prominent poster children of the decline of post-war industry in the country and the systemic issues associated with it. But you would be wrong. Screw Detroit!
While it’s always great to not be Detroit, this weekend was especially great to not be Detroit. More on that later. On Sunday, the Cavs survived a squeaker against the Pistons in Detroit that lasted into the wee hours of the night. Let’s take a tour behind the box score and see how.
31 – Kyrie Irving scored 31 points on Sunday night, tying the career playoff high that he set earlier in the series. I thought Irving’s Game 3 performance (26 points on 11-of-20 shooting, four assists) was one of his best game’s of the year. In that game, Irving drove a dagger through the heart of the Pistons with a fourth quarter three from the corner just as the shot clock expired, and he and LeBron James shared a cute midcourt moment of mutual appreciation. It was also a deliberate, measured game in which he let the flow of the game dictate his actions.
Irving brought the scoring chops with him again on Sunday, finding his shot in the first half and picking his spots accordingly. Then Irving exploded in the third quarter, with 10 early points before concluding the frame with a half-court buzzer beater in a tied game that doubled as another Piston dagger, this one right between the eyes. Irving’s half-courter gave the Cavaliers a three-point lead heading into the fourth quarter, and summed up the entire series in one poignant moment: The Pistons could play their rears off, put themselves into a position to win the game, and even do most of the right things, but when when the clock struck all zeros, they always had fewer points on the scoreboard.
Though Me-Against-The-World Irving showed up in the fourth quarter (and for the second half of the third quarter, as well), he still led the Cavs in scoring in the clinching quarter with seven points (despite shooting only 2-of-8 from the field), and defended Pistons guard Reggie Jackson on his desperation heave as time expired. Irving had an overall excellent series, leading the Cavs in scoring in three of the series’ four games, and even defending Jackson satisfactorily when asked to. He probably has two of the four best clutch shots of the playoffs so far, between his Game 3 corner dagger and the Game 4 half-court dagger.1
22/11/6 – LeBron James finished with an underwhelming 22 points, 11 rebounds, and six assists, inasmuch as a 22/11/6 game can be underwhelming. It was almost jarring to see Playoff LeBron’s alter-ego in Games 3 and 4 against the Pistons, after Playoff LeBron had spent the preceding month decimating teams, demoralizing coaches, leaping buildings in a single bound, and saving cats from burning buildings every night in a 48-minutes span. Mild-mannered LeBron James is still pretty good, lest you get any big ideas. He still finished with the highest plus/minus on the team Sunday (tied with Richard Jefferson) with a +5, controlled the entire offense, was terrifying on the break, and managed to shoot nearly 50 percent despite getting no favors from the officials (only three free throws on Sunday) and continuing to feebly attempt threes. James was destructive in the restricted area in the Pistons series (26-of-35, 74.3 percent), but the rest of his shot chart was redder than a Westeros wedding.2
I expect to see Playoff LeBron in world-saving form after a few days off and a long rest in his cryo-Krypto chamber, or whatever the hell he does to recharge his super powers.
17 – LeBron James has now won an astounding 17 straight games in the first round of the NBA playoffs, dating back to May 2012. So what if Cavs fans were rooting against his team for nine of those playoff games? James is now an impossible 44-7 (.863) in his career in the first round of the NBA Playoffs. By next year, no one in pre-K will have been alive since LeBron James last lost a first round game.
13 – Kevin Love finished with 13 rebounds and 11 points, giving him a double-double for every game in the series (one of only three players to do so thus far). Love’s shot was tragically askew on Sunday, as he only shot 3-of-15 from the field (eek!). But give Love a hurrah! for snagging 13 rebounds, including four offensive boards. It would have been nice to see him shoot better on Sunday, but he had a tremendous series overall. For a guy often viewed as soft, Love battled for every … single … loose ball on Sunday, diving on the ground and fending off multiple Pistons all night, and then feeding teammates like Kyrie Irving the ball when he knew he wouldn’t get it back. The Cavs easily could have taken a night off on Friday or Sunday, content to beat the less talented Pistons in five or six games. But credit to LeBron James and Kevin Love first and foremost for exerting maximum effort, and setting a tone which the rest of the team followed. After Sunday’s game, I’m convinced Kevin Love would bowl over his mom for a loose ball if it would help the Cavaliers win.
5 – J.R. Smith made another five three-point field goals on Sunday, tying Stephen Curry’s record for the most threes in the first four games of the playoffs, with 20 made three-pointers. His fadeaway jumper with the shot clock expiring in the fourth quarter was essentially the shot that ended the series, and was reminiscent of his corner three in the Game 3. J.R.’s shh to the Detroit crowd in Games 3 and 4 are the series’ most iconic photos. Though the Pistons fought like hell to stay up past their bedtime, it was J.R. Smith who tucked them in, laid their head on the pillow, and quieted them down until dreams of J.R. jumpers filled their heads.
Favorite photo of the series. Or like ever! #ALLin216 #Cavs #Indians pic.twitter.com/JbS1EAzjlW
— JEN ANTHONY (@jellybean1398) April 25, 2016
0 – Another DNP for Mozzy Bear. We miss you, Mozzy! No, not enough to play you when you look lost on the court. But enough to notice you haven’t played and write this paragraph.
11 – Matthew Dellavedova had 11 points off the bench in only 14 minutes, closing what was a quietly great series for Cleveland’s Saucy Aussie. He’s truly transformed into a reliable backup point guard.
13 – Reggie Jackson scored only 13 points in the series finale, giving him 57 points in the entire series (14.3 average). The Cavs’ game plan was to stop the Jackson pick-and-roll (particularly with Andre Drummond) by showing hard and attacking every set, forcing Jackson to get rid of the ball. Though Jackson only had 10 turnovers in the whole series, and a few other Pistons benefited as the Cavs scrambled to recover (Marcus Morris and Tobias Harris had 24 and 23 points, respectively, on Sunday), the Cavs made the Pistons work for every shot by disrupting Jackson on the pick-and-roll.
Why is it especially important for fans to note how the Cavs defended the pick-and-roll against Jackson and the Pistons? Because that “hard show”/blitz/trap approach is exactly how they’ll defend the pick-and-roll against Stephen Curry, should both teams be fortunate enough to make the NBA Finals.3
243 – The number of times Stan Van Gundy reacted in disbelief on the sidelines when one of the Pistons committed a stupid foul, someone didn’t close out on a shooter, someone fouled LeBron in the lane without wrapping him up, Kyrie Irving hit a buzzer-beating shot, or J.R. Smith made an impossible three. Review the Vines above to see some of the better ones. Most of Stan’s reactions were of the following varieties: the “well, what the heck are you gonna do?” shoulder shrug, the “I can’t believe this is happening” bend over and knee grab, or the “get the eff out of here” hand waive. Cavs fans won’t miss your annoying team, Stan, but they will miss your candor, your mustache, and your hilarious courtside reactions.
5-0 – Between the Indians and the Cavaliers, the Ohio went 5-0 against Detroit this weekend. The only way it could have been any better is if the Buckeyes and Wolverines had an impromptu exhibition football game on Sunday night … and the Buckeyes won by 100.
0 – The most important stat of all: The Cavaliers escaped the first round of the 2016 playoffs without any major injuries (does Mozgov’s bruised psyche count?), something they couldn’t say last year. I nearly had a panic attack every time a limb twitched, a face grimaced, or a rear lingered on ground. (Like when James tweaked his ankle after he stepped on Marcus Morris’ foot? Or when Marcus Morris yanked on Love’s arm in the post eerily similar to when Kelly Olynyk de-socketed him last season? Or when Love tripped over Anthony Tolliver at the end of the first quarter?) But the Cavs escaped with no major injuries.
Barring a freak accident, the Cavaliers will have a healthy LeBron James, Kyrie Irving, and Kevin Love entering round two. That’s a victory worthy of a glass of Champagne. And over Detroit, no less.
The other two being Houston Rocket James Harden’s stepback game-winner in Game 3 against the Golden State Warriors, and a shot from a Cavalier TBA later in this recap.
Game of Thrones is back, high five!
That’s also what the Cavs did against Curry in last season’s Finals. The Warriors’ secondary players, such as Andre Iguodala, Shaun Livingston, and Draymond Green, made enough shots to beat an under-manned Cavs team.