Recap: Cavs 113, Pistons 101 (Or, The time they chanted MVP in the palace)

Overview: After getting outscored for the first three quarters, the Cavaliers outscored the Detroit Pistons 38-25 in the final quarter to secure a 113-101 victory. LeBron James recorded a triple-double for the Cavaliers, and Rip Hamilton managed to get 24 points on 15 shots for the Pistons.

Cavs-Related Bullets:

-Another slow start for the Cavs, as they failed to establish their defensive identity early and were passive on offense to start the game. In the third, they started to pick up the energy and defend the Pistons a bit, as well as get out in the open floor, but couldn’t buy a jumper; the Cavs only hit three shots from outside of the paint in the entire third quarter.

-In the fourth, the Cavs started playing hard and executing at the same time, and that was when they took the game. With five minutes to play and the Cavs up three points, the Cavs ran off 10 points in two minutes, and every one of their baskets during that stretch was assisted.

-It was one of those stretches where the Cavs were rolling on cylinders, running an offense while keeping the ball in LeBron’s hands, and had Mo Williams and Anderson Varejao stepping up.

-First, the Cavs hit Mo in the right corner on their corner dive play twice in a row for six quick points. After that, LeBron pushed the ball and had Anderson Varejao trailing him on the break for an easy dunk. After a Detroit time-out, the Cavs ran their decoy pick-and-roll to get LeBron a layup. The next time down, they gave the ball to Andy in the high post, ran their scissor cut play to free Mo up using a LeBron screen, and Mo splashed in his third three in just over two minutes. Cavs up six, three minutes to play.

-After that, the LeBron show was enough to seal the win. LeBron got a chase-down block on Will Bynum (it should have been a goaltend, but it counts), hit a 19-footer, and finally hit a “NO DON’T EVEN THINK ABOUT IT OKAY THAT WAS AWESOME!” three for the dagger. There really isn’t any way to describe the simultaneous misery and pleasure Cavs fans experience when LeBron hits those.

Other notes:

-Not many guys can start a game that slowly and finish with a 29 point triple-double. And with the 54% True Shooting and 4 turnovers, I still don’t think it was all that good of a game by LeBron standards. I’m spoiled.

-Everything changes when Mo Williams is confident and on his game, especially late in the game when he’s making those huge threes. And he did try to take the ball strong to the rack at least once tonight. Still a few too many unforced errors from Mo for my liking, but he’s getting his swagger back.

-Strong play from Jawad Williams tonight, who was able to give the Cavs a boost by getting some ISO baskets over a guy who looks exactly like Ben Gordon.

-JJ Hickson: two midrange jumpers, zero free throws. Not good. Although he has become a beast on the offensive glass, and has become so much better at getting garbage buckets.

-Jamison had a very solid game. 10 quiet rebounds, 15 points on 14 shots, didn’t force too many jumpers. He tried to pull a Varejao reverse early in the game, flashing on the near side and getting a reverse layup on the board, but couldn’t quite get it to go.

-It is apparently impossible to not foul Leon Powe. The best part is that since Powe is a winner and such a good guy, nobody ever gets mad about him drawing so many fouls. I know they play different positions, but Powe is like Corey Maggette’s good twin.

-Hey, Boobie came back! We’ll see how he fits in the rotation when both Mo and Delonte are active.

-Who saw that over-the-shoulder pass from Varejao to Jamison? Also, Varejao contributed four offensive rebounds and four steals.

Bullets of Randomness:

-Rip Hamilton brought his A-Game. He was hitting every three he looked at, and looked automatic on his signature mid-range jumpers off pin-down screens. It’s like he’s trying to prove that the Cavs trading for Rip at the deadline wouldn’t have been a terrible idea. You don’t fool me, Rip. I know what your shooting percentages are.

-For the “Mike Brown doesn’t coach the Cavs” folks, Brian Windhorst has some tweets for you.

-Alright, that’s all for me tonight. It’s the Pacers at home tomorrow, so get excited.