It wasn’t much of a game first time around in the Cavaliers Pistons series, as the Cavs crushed the Pistons 102-84 on their home court. The fact that the Cavs won should be no surprise to anyone, as the Cavs were easily the best team at home during the regular season. LeBron James poured in 38 points, 8 rebounds and 7 assists on the Pistons, and it doesn’t look like they will have any luck at all stopping him in this series. James wasn’t the only one scoring on the Pistons, as four other players finished up in double figures. Delonte West, Mo Williams, and Zydrunas Illgauskas all finished with 12 points and the veteran Joe Smith came off the bench to score 13. For the Pistons Rodney Stuckey led the way with 20 points, and the Pistons have to be worrying about what is wrong with Tayshaun Prince, who just 4 points on 2-7 shooting. Game two is once again in Cleveland, and everyone is expecting the Cavs to roll over the Piston in this one. Here is a look at what I think each team needs to do to win, and my pick on who I think comes out on top against the spread.
What the Pistons have to do to win: First off this team has to find some way to control James in this one, or they might as well get on the plane and get ready to be down 0-2 going into game 3 in Detroit. What the Pistons have to remember is they only have to steal one game on the road to get home court in their favor, so they need to play this one like its game 7 and try and get some momentum heading to Detroit. The Piston will need Prince to find a way to score the basketball, as they can’t win against the Cavs with this guy scoring less than 10 points a game, not with Allen Iverson sitting on the bench with an injury. I also think the Pistons need to try and find more shots for Rasheed Wallace and Richard Hamilton. They combined to score 28 points while shooting 12 of 24 from the floor, not bad considering Stuckey scored his 20 points on 7-21 shooting. A lot has to go right for the Piston to win this game, and you have to think this team is in for a sweep if they don’t at least keep this one close. Bet Pistons +11 to win at Sportsbook.com.
What the Cavaliers have to do to win: Really all this team has to do is remember its in the playoffs and that every game is important regardless of how much better you are than the other team. The last thing the Cavs want to do is come out flat against the Piston on Tuesday and give them any hope at all to win the game. James looks unguardable to the Pistons defenders, and he can demand control of the game anytime he wants. I wouldn’t be surprised to see James have a few less points in this one, but I look for him to really try and get his teammates involved. I expect both West and Williams to have big games, and all three could end up with 20+ points in this one. I’m sure the Cavs wouldn’t mind seeing Wally Szczerbiak and Daniel Gibson score a little more, but thats being really picky. I expect the Cavs to play very well on their home floor in game 2. Bet Cavaliers -11 to win at Sportsbook.com.
Prediction: Cavaliers -11 at Sportsbook.com. I am actually a bit surprised that the Cavs aren’t favored by more in this one, after cruising to a 18 point win in game 1. James and company know what is at stake this season, and I don’t see them letting up at all this postseason. While the Pistons could sneak inside 11 points, I think that its pretty safe to say it’s a smart bet to take the Cavs in this one.
For those of you looking for a little NBA Betting advice on the games this week, be sure to check out our expert NBA picks and the latest NBA odds at Betfirms.
No comments:
Post a Comment