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**remy23** · 02-26-2006, 11:45 AM

Game 57

Detroit Pistons (45-9) @ Cleveland Cavaliers (32-24)

Monday, February 27, 2006
Time: 4:00pm PT, 7:00pm ET
TV: FSOhio, NBALP
Radio: WTAM 1100
Location: Quicken Loans Arena, Cleveland, Ohio

HEAD COACHES

PROBABLE STARTERS

DETROIT PISTONS’ BENCH

CLEVELAND CAVALIERS' BENCH

DETROIT PISTONS’ NOTES

• Have another dominating physical game. Continue to break up Cleveland’s passes with deflections and keep gambling in the passing lane. Repeat the performance from the other game.

• Continue to drop of Eric Snow in anticipation of his passes and clog the driving lanes against LeBron and Flip (the only other Cavs player who actually drove).

CLEVELAND CAVALIERS' NOTES

• Better substitution patterns and combinations need to be employed. A very responsive and flexible approach is mandatory. LeBron cannot play all night but if he's resting in stretches where the Pistons are back to blowing the game open, he has to return pronto.

• Finish strong at the rim. Those floaters and lay ups that get blocked or clank off iron should be spiked. Either that or get fouled trying to finish strong. Against the Pistons, finesse moves should be used sparingly.

OVERVIEW

Cleveland can end their losing streak in a big way to getting revenge against the Pistons in the second night of this back-to-back match up. Despite coming out flat, the Cavs were in striking distance for much of the game and should look to seal the deal this time. If the starters score better this time around, along with a better effort at the foul line, things could be different.

CHKNWANG321 · 02-26-2006, 11:58 AM

I didnt think we had a chance in today's game, but tomorrow's game, i expect to be close and possibly win.

next games are:
sacremento
chicago
chicago
toronto
toronto

Larry Hughes for Retirement · 02-26-2006, 02:52 PM

Well i missed most of the game today. But i caught the post game on the radio. And alot and i mean alot of the callers that called in prob 10-12 guys... had two of the samethings to say. The Cavaliers are soft as a team, because after Zydrunas got drilled no one came to his rescue, not even getting into Wallace's face, nothing at all. They just took it. Also they said even in the context of the game they didn not go down their and foul Rasheed hard or nothing, they looked weak and backed down is what i got from most of the callers.

2. They were all saying that Flip should be are starting point guard, he is too small too play Shooting Guard with DJ/Snow b/c its just the obvious. But ever caller was *****ing about Snow/DJ saying we need to start Flip.
I will agree Flip brings alittle Larry back to our lineup, but I still like Snow and i like what he brings, that though i cannot say about Damon. I dont like what he brings to the table.

**Pioneer10** · 02-26-2006, 04:07 PM

Snow was terrible out there LBJ: he made no decisive decisions with the basketball, whoever was guarding Snow simply sagged off him which led to passing lanes being clogged, and he also threw a couple of passes on fastbreaks which led to TO's instead of easy baskets.

That being said I think the biggest thing i would like to see is that pleasae no more D. Jones at SG. Rip Hamilton just killed him. Play Flip and Sasha at the 2 and have him rotate at the 1.

**Benedict_Boozer** · 02-26-2006, 04:14 PM

Flip will be starting soon, possibly even tomorrow. We are just playing alot better with him out there right now.

And we did basically get punked by the Pistons from the opening tip when Z got busted up - somebody needed to step up there, either Lebron or Snow should have got in his grill. The refs let them play physical the rest of the night and we backed down.

**remy23** · 02-27-2006, 11:27 AM

**remy23** · 02-27-2006, 11:34 AM

Quote:

Pistons make it rough on Cavs
Losing streak hits three after thorough beating

By Brian Windhorst
Beacon Journal sportswriter

AUBURN HILLS, MICH. - There were flying elbows, technical fouls and Cavalier blood spilled on the court. And that was all before the game was two minutes old.

When you visit the Detroit Pistons in their pulsating environment and taste their no-nonsense will, it promises to be an unpleasant experience whether it's a warm June evening or a chilly sunny Sunday afternoon in February. The Cavs took it like men, falling 90-78.

The Pistons (46-9) made everything uncomfortable, as is their style, not allowing so much as a pass, forget a shot, to go uncontested. It did more than fluster the Cavs (32-24), who have now lost three in a row; it discombobulated them.

For much of the game, the Cavs' offense was a mess, not unlike the top of Zydrunas Ilgauskas' head. After hitting the always volatile Rasheed Wallace with an elbow fighting for position in the game's early going, Wallace slammed Ilgauskas on the head as he tried to get to the basket.

Ilgauskas appeared to catch the edge of some tape on Wallace's arm as it swiped by, ripping two gashes in his head and opening a river of crimson down his forehead and cheek. The officials called a flagrant foul and Ilgauskas headed off for five stitches as ballboys mopped up the carnage.

Consider it a metaphor for what followed.

With Rasheed obviously meaning business and Ben Wallace patrolling the basket with the ferocity of a wet and hungry junkyard dog, the Cavs were not exactly inclined to swarm around the hoop. The result was some sloppy play and sometimes mindless and defensive-looking jumpers. It took the Cavs 15 minutes of court time just to score their first 20 points.

Had the two sides not cleared the benches to be ready for tonight's rematch in Cleveland, the Cavs might not have cracked the 70-point barrier.

"They did a nice job of taking us out of our offense,'' Cavs coach Mike Brown said. "We're going to have to do a better job of execution in the halfcourt and taking care of the basketball.''

The details are devilish if you're a Cavs fan. The Pistons forced 20 turnovers about 10 different ways. Sometimes it came by trapping an unsuspecting Cavs guard when he crossed halfcourt. Sometimes it was theft of a loose bounce pass. Sometimes it was just pure highlights and hustle.

Ben Wallace was always involved, blocking five shots to go with four steals, 19 rebounds and 11 points.

"He's quick, he's athletic, he's strong, he's tenacious,'' Brown said of Big Ben. "When you have that type of athlete with that type of killer instinct, it's tough. You're afraid to drive the basketball because he's in there.''

Guards Lindsey Hunter, Richard Hamilton and Chauncey Billups combined for five steals with starters Billups and Hamilton combining for 41 points as well.

However, Tayshaun Prince owned the memorable defensive play, bursting from behind to swat the ball away from Eric Snow as he thought he was harmlessly going for an uncontested fast-break layup.

Prince also inadvertently kicked LeBron James in the right shin in the third quarter, briefly knocking him from the game. James had 22 points, nine rebounds and seven assists but he got little help from his teammates.

The Cavs couldn't get Ilgauskas into the game until too late, with nine of his 15 points coming in the fourth quarter. The rest of the starters combined for just 14 points. Flip Murray had 17 points off the bench, but it was far from enough to save the day.

It also didn't help that the Cavs had a second consecutive dreadful game at the foul line, making just 13-of-23 tries.

Quote:

Notebook
Cavaliers crying foul on Pistons' Wallace
Brown believes his hack on Z should get stiffer penalty

By Brian Windhorst
Beacon Journal sportswriter

AUBURN HILLS, Mich. - The Cavaliers think that Detroit Pistons forward Rasheed Wallace's rough foul on center Zydrunas Ilgauskas on Sunday was an injustice.

Wallace raked Ilgauskas on top of the head as he drove to the basket with 10:13 left in the first quarter and opened two cuts on his scalp that required five stitches to close.

Wallace was called for a flagrant-1 foul, which gave the Cavs two shots and the ball. Cavs coach Mike Brown thought that it should've been classified as a flagrant-2 because Wallace wasn't going after the ball, which would've meant an ejection and potential suspension for the game against the Pistons game tonight in Cleveland.

"It was the wrong call. I thought Rasheed got upset and hit him on purpose,'' Brown said. "It didn't look from my vantage point that he went for the ball.''

Brown said the Cavs will contact the league, but considering it was a nationally televised game on ABC, the footage has likely already been seen in New York. The NBA reserves the right to upgrade flagrant fouls and dole out additional penalties after reviewing film.

Wallace became upset when Ilgauskas elbowed him in the chest fighting for position before the ball arrived. After Ilgauskas got the ball and made a move to the hoop, Wallace bashed him in the head on purpose and admitted as such afterward, which might not help his cause with the league.

"Why would I crack that cat in the skull to start the game if I wasn't elbowed first,'' Wallace said.

Ilgauskas was more angry than in pain as he twice glared Wallace's way. Neither he nor any of his teammates attempted to exact revenge with anything such as a hard foul on the other end.

"I can't afford to get suspended or anything so I made my free throws, got my stitches and let the referees handle it,'' Ilgauskas said. "I got him first with an elbow, but mine was unintentional.''

Starting lineup switch?

No one on the Cavs earned a gold star Sunday, but new addition Flip Murray put together a solid performance with 17 points in 35 minutes on the floor. Starting shooting guard Sasha Pavlovic went 1-of-6 shooting and is just 2-of-14 in his past 14 games after scoring a career-high 21 points a week ago.

Dribbles

The Pistons are now 26-2 at home this season.... Brown was called for his fourth technical of the season Sunday after arguing a foul call.... There are indications that forward Ira Newble could be activated for tonight's game against the Pistons. He has been out a month with a facial infection.... The Cavs are shooting just 107-of-171 (63 percent) from the foul line the past six games.... Since guard Larry Hughes left with an injured finger, the Cavs are 14-14.

**STUCKEY!** · 02-27-2006, 11:35 AM

I expect a better showing from the cavs in this one. I expect it to be close till the end untill one team pulls apart.

**remy23** · 02-27-2006, 11:45 AM

Quote:

Cavs center Zydrunas Ilgauskas got the worst of it after an exchange of elbows with Detroit's Rasheed Wallace in the first quarter.

Bowed and bloodied
Pistons put hurt on Cavs

Monday, February 27, 2006

Branson Wright
Plain Dealer Reporter

Auburn Hills, Mich. -- The Detroit Pistons established the climate when forward Rasheed Wallace gashed the top of Zydrunas Ilgauskas' head with an elbow during the first quarter.

That same intimidating, tough and aggressive play would dominate the rest of the first half.

"We just locked down and shut down the things they were trying to do," said Pistons guard Chauncey Billups. "This is a little series we have going with them [Sunday] and [today]. We wanted to definitely do what we had to do and set the tone for [today]."

The Cavaliers regrouped briefly from a subpar first half but it wasn't enough as they fell, 90-78, to the Pistons on Sunday at The Palace of Auburn Hills.

The biggest blow for the Cavs came just 1:47 into the first quarter. Ilgauskas caught the ball in the paint, whirled, and as he went up for the layup, Wallace came down on top of Ilgauskas' head. Wallace received a flagrant foul 1; he would have been tossed with a flagrant foul 2.

Cavs coach Mike Brown disagreed with the call.

"Rasheed got a little upset and hit him on purpose," said Brown, whose Cavs have lost three straight. "It didn't look from my vantage point that [Wallace] went for the ball."

Ilgauskas maintained his calm after receiving the blow, which needed five stitches.

"I got him first with an elbow, but it was unintentional," Ilgauskas said. "I made my free throws and came out of the game [to get stitches] because I can't afford getting suspended or thrown out [for retaliating]."

Ilgauskas returned late in the first quarter with the Cavs trailing by three.

Wallace leads the league with 14 technical fouls, but this was his first flagrant. He said the play on Ilgauskas was in retaliation.

"I'm not going to start cracking a guy in the skull if I didn't get elbowed first," Wallace said.

The NBA plans to review the incident and if it's determined it was intentional, Wallace could face a suspension.

The Pistons avenged a 97-84 loss to Cleveland at The Q on Dec. 31. It was a game dominated by the Cavs from beginning to end. They did not produce the same effort this time.

"[The Pistons] did a good job of taking us out of our offense," Brown said. "We struggled in our half-court offense. There was a period in the second half where they got three or four consecutive stops and they were able to push the lead to 12, 13, even 16 at one point."

Twenty Cavs turnovers led to 20 Pistons points. Detroit also dominated with nine blocked shots, including five by center Ben Wallace. Forward Tayshaun Prince had the most spectacular block when he chased an unsuspecting Eric Snow on a fast break. When Snow went up for the layup, Prince swatted the ball out of bounds. It was similar to Prince's block of Reggie Miller's layup in the Eastern Conference finals two years ago.

The Pistons led, 44-33, at the half and stretched their lead to 19 in the third. Ben Wallace's defense was instrumental in the Pistons' surge. The center had his way with the Cavs behind 11 points and 19 rebounds.

The Cavs cut the Pistons' lead to 12 in the fourth, but Detroit continued to pick up its defense and pad its lead. Maurice Evans' short jumper with 2:49 left extended the Pistons' lead to 19.

LeBron James was kicked in the shin and slapped on the wrist during the second half. He said it was not enough to keep him out of action tonight. James led the team with 22 points.

Quote:

Cavs must respond tonight

Monday, February 27, 2006

Bud Shaw
Plain Dealer Reporter

There are things the Pistons do for which the Cavaliers have no answer. A flagrant foul shouldn't be one of them.

Answering a cheap shot requires nothing more than an attitude.

But the Cavaliers didn't show that or much of anything Sunday after Rasheed Wallace opened a gash on Zydrunas Ilgauskas' head. Rasheed The Innocent, of course, claimed to referees he was swiping at the ball - probably on his way to helping an elderly lady to her seat.

As Hubie Brown so accurately stated from courtside for ABC, don't listen to the words. Look at the video.

The calendar and the schedule conspire to remind the Cavaliers that the playoffs are a whole different kind of dance. There is no place for the ol' soft shoe.

All that hugging and chest bumping at the opening tipoff ceases to be a mutual admiration society when the playoffs begin. The good feelings should have ended abruptly Sunday on Wallace's cue.

Now you know why it's so important for this Cavaliers team to get playoff experience this year, why the collapse of last season was so detrimental to their growth. They have no idea what playoff basketball is all about.

Playoffs? . . . as Jim Mora once screeched. Granted, nobody remembers what the postseason looks and feels like around here. It has been eight seasons without it.

Think of Sunday in Detroit and today at The Q as a preview. Back-to-back games against a talented, hardened team as February comes to an end offers a quick study guide for what the playoffs are.

At halftime Sunday, Detroit coach Flip Saunders lamented that his team sometimes gets a little bored. He was referring to the mini-run the Cavs made, if it can be called that. That's not exactly how a coach talks about a team he's concerned about.

The Cavaliers insist they expect to make the postseason even without Larry Hughes. They should. But don't listen to the words. Watch how they play tonight to measure their commitment.

There's no day off to watch film, to dissect how the Pistons guards turned every corner on just about every screen. Playing the screen doesn't require a Ph.D. anyway.

There is only time to answer with something resembling determination not to get pushed around again. The time frame limits the response to willpower.

Sunday was the Pistons' answer to the Cavaliers' celebration after the New Year's Eve win in Cleveland. What they were saying, basically, was "Pffft. December? You celebrate in December? How funny."

Not many teams beat the Pistons on their home court, or elsewhere. Only two have bettered them in Auburn Hills. But they made this particular game look like a varsity-JV scrimmage at times. Twelve steals for Detroit to go with nine blocked shots is having it your way.

Detroit's Sunday statement stands until the Cavs answer it. They are not in collapse mode. The main factors that caused last year's nosedive - the coaching situation, the late toughening of the schedule - aren't in play this time.

But they're not close to understanding what winning in the playoffs requires. Even Washington, a defensive weakling compared to Detroit, didn't let LeBron James drive to the basket and finish Friday night.

Teams earn playoff wins at the line - a scary thought for this Gang That Can't Shoot Straight. It's doubly scary because the Cavs hardly exact a toll for layups at their own end.

Or for cheap shots, apparently.

Quote:

Palace has become a House of Blues

Monday, February 27, 2006

Since the 1988-89 season, the Detroit Pistons home - The Palace of Auburn Hills - has been unkind to most NBA teams, especially the Cavaliers. Including Sunday's 90-78 loss, the Cavaliers stand 9-28 at The Palace (1-4 in the LeBron James era).

In his five games at The Palace, LeBron is averaging 17.6 points, 7.0 rebounds, and 6.6 assists. However, his field- goal percentage of 31.1 (32-of-103) is well below his career average of 45.6.

Enjoying great success at home against the LeBron-led Cavaliers is Pistons center Ben Wallace, averaging 16.2 rebounds. Good news for Cavaliers fans is that today's game against the Pistons is at The Q - where LeBron & Co. have won four of five.

Quote:

Slump leads to Jones holding back

Monday, February 27, 2006

Branson Wright
Plain Dealer Reporter

Auburn Hills, Mich. -- Cavaliers guard Damon Jones has gone from a shooting slump to barely shooting at all. Jones has nine attempts in his past 102 minutes played. He's averaging 1.5 points during that span.

"If the shot isn't there, I'm not going to force any shots," Jones said. "For whatever reason, the shots haven't been there. I'm thinking the same thing everyone else is thinking; I want to shoot because I feel I can put the basketball into the hole."

Jones said he's been more concerned about playing with the flow of the game. If that means passing the ball to an open teammate, he'll skip the 3-pointer.

"I don't want to put up bad shots," Jones said. "It's frustrating that I haven't had many opportunities for open shots. If you don't shoot shots, you can't make shots, but I'm not going to take bad shots.

Hot shot:

A day after scoring 26 against the Cavaliers, Washington guard Gilbert Arenas had 46 points in 30 minutes on Saturday against the New York Knicks. Arenas was 13-of-16 from the field, including 7-of-10 on 3-pointers, and that's without playing in the fourth quarter. He also made 13 of 14 free-throws.

"He's unbelievable," Cavs coach Mike Brown said of Arenas. "He's a talent like LeBron [James], Allen Iverson and Kobe [Bryant]. He can put up numbers quickly. He's athletic, quick, can shoot the 3 and post up and get to the free-throw line. We needed to do a better job on Washington's other players because you can't stop Arenas."

Short shots:

Detroit's past 34 victories at home all have come in regulation. Their last loss in regulation at home was on March 28 against Dallas, 95-88.

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