It was obvious that the changing of the guard – at least in the Central Division – was complete when pockets of fans at The Palace in Auburn Hills began serenading LeBron James with chants of “MVP! MVP!” as he toed the free throw line late in the fourth quarter of Cleveland’s 79-68 win over the Pistons to take a commanding 3-0 lead in their First Round matchup.
James had posted better games against his postseason nemesis, but he still managed to lead everyone with 25 points, going 9-for-19 from the field, going 7-of-11 from the stripe to go with game-highs in boards (11) and assists (9). Stuffing the stat sheet as always, LeBron also led everyone with three steals and added a pair of blocked shots.
“They challenged us and we challenge them every night; try not to take a possession off and put everything on the line,” said James. “There’s no such thing as ‘easy’ when the playoffs start.”
After cruising through the first two games of their quarterfinal series at The Q, the Wine and Gold knew they’d be in for a dogfight in Detroit. And that’s exactly what they got.
In an intense, seesaw affair, the Pistons gave the Cavaliers all they could handle – tying the game at 53-apiece after three contentious quarters of play. But the Cavaliers smelled blood in the final period, holding Detroit to just 29 percent shooting down the stretch.
Joe Smith was 6-of-8 from the floor and 6-of-7 from the line, doubling-up with 10 rebounds in just 19 action-packed minutes of play. The only other Cavalier to crack double-figures was Zydrunas Ilgauskas, who notched 10 of his 13 points in the first half.
The Wine and Gold would go on to blow out Detroit by three touchdowns at The Palace two days later, sweeping the Pistons in the first round. The Cavs would proceed to knock Atlanta out in four games, not losing their next game until May 20, on a difficult one-point loss to Orlando in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals.