What Happened
A valiant effort to make a game out of a horror show. The Cavs got off to a ridiculous start from the floor, and carried that to victory. We also saw an injury to our best player and quite a bit of fouling by Croonch.
The Good
The Pistons demonstrated that they have the tenacity and athleticism to lock down on defense... When they feel like it. The Pistons offered yet another late hour effort, closing to within five with two minutes to play. Rodney Stuckey led the charge, scoring 25 points overall and continually exploiting mismatches.
The Bad
Will Bynum was horrendous, shooting 1-13 from the floor. This on a night when the Pistons could have used a solid effort. Ben Gordon sprained his ankle, which is bad. The Cavs were allowed to score at will in the first half before Detroit clamped down.
The MVP
Stuckey, although he managed zero assists to go with his 25 points. That said, to whom should he have passed the ball? Outside of Stuckey, the team shot an anemic 23-63 from the field, and 13-23 from the free throw line.
The Candied Yams Unsung Hero
Jason Maxiell. He seems to be pulling out of his slump, and registered 10 points to go with four rebounds in just 16 minutes. Not sure why we didn't lean on him a bit more, but I am never sure why we don't lean on him more.
The Takeaway
Like many young teams, Detroit is prone to caring only when it "matters". By that point, they have buried themselves in an insurmountable hole.
Elsewhere in the NBA
Monta Ellis dropped 42, but the Warriors fell to the Spurs. The Nuggets continue to stake their place in the "best team in the NBA" discussion, beating the hapless Timberwolves on the road. A last minute Beasley putback dunk lifted the Miami Heat over the Orlando Magic, further scuttling the Eastern Conference leaderboard.
Oh, and Allen Iverson retired. He will be missed, I guess.