CAVS DRIVE PISTONS OUT

 

(Image taken from NBA.com)

In the East, the Cavs vs Pistons series certainly looked like a tasty matchup, both sides had real playoff pedigree. And then we found out why the Pistons were the only team to qualify for the 2009 NBA playoffs with a losing record. The series started in Cleveland, but while even with Allen Iversen, the Pistons are still not exactly the classist side in the NBA, they can still be relied upon to be stubborn. Well they didn't look competitive in Games 1 and 2. The series then shifted to Detroit for Game 3 and though the Pistons certainly started well, they still fell apart at a point when they needed to turn this series around. And now with Iversen injured they had to win Game 4 to stop themselves from becoming the only team to be swept in the first round.

Like in Game 3, the Pistons started the first quarter well, smothering the Cavs for well over a minute. Once the number one side got going though, it wasn't long before they managed to turn the game round, and after that it looked to be the Pistons who'd be chasing them. The home side did make it back to tie the game on multiple occasions but the Cavs were always able to reply and built up a solid lead going into the last few minutes of the opening quarter. The Cavs led 24-16 with just under two and a half minutes on the clock but then the Pistons surged and just before the buzzer, Antonio McDyess hit two three throws to turn the game round, he had 10 points in total at the buzzer. Pistons lead 27-26.

The two sides duelled for the lead early on in the 2nd quarter and the Pistons led 31-30 at one point. That moment proved to be brief though, the Cavs going on a surge with the attitude of "the sooner we get rid of these guys, the more rest we get" and by the midpoint of the quarter, they certainly held a healthy lead. That lead hit double digits with just under five minutes left in the half and as time went on, it looked like the Pistons were yet again, in deep trouble. The home side did come up with some damage limitation late on, but still, the Cavs led 51-42 at the half with LeBron leading the way on 17 points. The Pistons needed a serious comeback to save their season.

Well the Pistons certainly went the right way about turning the game round. They may not have done much offensively themselves but they certainly held the Cavs scoreless for the first four minutes of the quarter and cut the gap down to three points on multiple occasions. That was as good as it got though. The Cavs then held the Pistons scoreless for well over two minutes and on the other end, went on a 9-0 run. The Pistons kept the gap to single figures for a while but even that battle turned out to be fruitless. The home team were just treading water till the buzzer went. The Cavs led 73-60 with James leading the way on 25 points, backed up by Delonte West on 12 points.

Well the Pistons held the Cavs scoreless for over a minute at the start of the fourth but were only able to cut the deficit down to eleven in the meantime. The Cavs then stepped up a gear to effectively beat the Pistons at their own game, holding them scoreless for over three minutes while going on a 7-0 run. After that, the PIstons looked to be back to treading water though at this point treading water looked more like flondering. Cue 20 point gap with less than four minutes on the clock. Eventually the Cavs won 99-78, LeBron led the way with 36 points backed up by Mo Williams on 24. The Cavs won the series 4-0 with the Pistons suffering their worst postseason performance for ages.

Elsewhere, the Bulls beat the Celtics 121-118(2OT)in Chicago to level the series at 2-2, turning it intro a three-gamer. The Magic beat the Sixers 84-81 in Philadelphia to level the series 2-2, taking back homecourt advantage in what is now a three-gamer. The Hawks beat the Heat 81-71 in Miami to do likewise in that series. Out West, the Lakers beat the Jazz 108-84 in Utah. They led the series 3-1 after four games, leaving the Jazz in real trouble. The Nuggets destroyed the Hornets 121-63 in New Orleans, they lead that series 3-1 and the Hornets took like getting squashed. The Rockets beat the Blazers 89-88 in Houston to lead that series 3-1 and push their inexperienced opponents to the brink.

And now we switch locations again.

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