| 2009/2010 NBA Regular Season | ||
|---|---|---|
 | VS |  |
| 5-9 | 10-4 | |
| November 25, 2009 | ||
| Palace at Auburn Hills | ||
| 8:00 PM et | ||
| Radio - WTAM 1100 / TV - FSOhio HD | ||
| Probable starters: | ||
| Rodney Stuckey | PG | Mo Williams |
| Ben Gordon | SG | Anthony Parker |
| Jonas Jerebko | SF | LeBron James |
| Charlie Villanueva | PF | J.J. Hickson |
| Ben Wallace | C | Zydrunas Ilgauskas |
Several sub-plots here - Old friend Ben Wallace is back in Detroit, Ben Gordon, who spent many years killing the Cavaliers as a Bull is now in the Motor City and Charlie Villanueva was thought to be a target of the Cavaliers this summer until quickly signing a fat contract with the Pistons. Oh yea, these two teams have quite the history as well..
If you haven't already, FOLLOW ME on Twitter and become a fan of FTS on FACEBOOK!
Cavaliers vs Pistons coverage; Cavaliers vs Pistons preview; Motown String Music
Some more Game Notes after the Jump -- >
- On Saturday, the Cavaliers finished 3-1 through a stretch of four games in five nights, the second such stretch in the season so far.The team, winners of 10 of their last 12 games, will now go on the road for the next two games (at Detroit Wednesday and at Charlotte Friday) and at 5-2, .714 on the road this season, is tied for 2nd best in the NBA.
- Last season, Cleveland won seven of eight meetings (seven straight) with the Detroit last season, including a first round sweep inthe playoffs. In the season series last year, the Cavaliers outscored the Pistons 91.4-79.9 ppg while out-shooting Detroit .446-.410from the field and .355-.277 from behind the arc. The seven-game win streak (regular season and postseason) over Detroit isone shy of Cleveland's longest ever (won eight in a row between October 16, 1979 - December 6, 1980). (STATS, Inc.)
- For the second consecutive game, the Cavaliers fourth quarter defense has suffocated its opponent. Against Philadelphia, the teamoutscored the Sixers 22-10 in the final frame, while holding them to just 4-23 (.174) shooting from the field. The 10 pointsscored was a Cavs' opponent low for points in a quarter this season and it's the first time in franchise history that theyallowed 10 or less points in the last quarter, after permitting at least 80 points through the first three quarters. The nightbefore, Cleveland held Indiana to 4-18 (.222) shooting and just 13 points in the fourth quarter. Over the last two fourth quarters, theCavs have outscored their opponent 25.0-11.5 while out-shooting teams 17-34 (.500) to 8-41 (.195) from the field. (Elias)
- On Saturday, Zydrunas Ilgauskas played in his 721st career game (672 starts) as a Cavalier, surpassing Bingo Smith (720 games)for second all-time in games played in franchise history. He is just two games away from tying Cavaliers General Manager DannyFerry (723 games) for the team's all-time leader in games played. Ilgauskas finished the game with 13 points on 6-10 (.600)shooting, eight rebounds, four assists and two blocks in 34 minutes. In his last five games, he is averaging 10.2 points and 7.6rebounds and has led or tied for the team lead in rebounds in four of the last five games.
- LeBron James had another strong performance with a game-high 32 points on 13-20 (.650) shooting, including 2-4 (.500) frombehind the three-point line, nine assists and seven rebounds in 39 minutes. Over the last eight games, James is averaging 32.6 pointson .553 shooting, 8.3 assists, 6.1 rebounds and 1.5 steals and has scored at least 31 points in seven of the eight contests. Evenmore, James has been a tour de force on the road in November, topping 30 points in all five of the Cavs' road games. He hasaveraged 35.4 points on .552 shooting and .476 from behind the arc, 6.2 rebounds and 7.2 assists. (STATS, Inc.)
- J.J. Hickson posted 14 points on 6-10 shooting (.600), five rebounds and a season-high two blocks in 32 minutes. Over the last sixgames, Hickson is averaging 15.7 points on .704 shooting and 5.2 rebounds.
- Mo Williams finished with 18 points, a season-high tying eight rebounds, five assists and three steals in 41 minutes. On the season,Williams is averaging 17.3 points on .446 shooting, 3.1 rebounds and 4.6 assists. He ranks 8th at 30-62 (.484) in three-pointshooting and ranks 5th in free throw shooting at 40-43 (.930).
- The Cavs outscored the Sixers 36-23 in the first quarter and have scored at least 32 points in the first quarter in each of their lastnine games and at 30.6 ppg in the opening period are the league's highest scoring teams in the first quarter while shooting.580 from the field, which also ranks 1st. The team has won 11 out of 14 and eight out of the last nine first quarters this seasonwith an average margin of +4.9, which is a league best.