Love and Irving are back healthy now following a pair of grueling rehabs. That’s exactly what they did for most of the game – but they couldn’t sustain their hot early shooting down the stretch, dropping Game 1 of the Eastern Conference quarterfinals 106-101 to the Cleveland Cavaliers at Quicken Loans Arena.
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The NBA has fined Detroit Pistons head coach Stan Van Gundy $25,000 for his comments regarding the officiating during his team’s Game 1 loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers over the weekend.
Irving top scored with 31 points, six assists and five rebounds, Love had 28 points and 13 rebounds while James had 22 points, 11 assists and six rebounds.
James said after practice Tuesday that he wasn’t aware of Van Gundy’s comments. Cleveland knows what it can get from James and Irving, while Love has always been the wild card.
But it wasn’t easy.
Kentavious Caldwell-Pope scored 21 points and Marcus Morris had 20 – but just one after halftime – and Reggie Jackson added 17 for the Pistons, making their first playoff appearance since 2009.
Not from Pistons Stan Van Gundy and not from Pistons rookie forward Stanley Johnson.
“We don’t care who you put in front of us”, said Jackson, slapped with a technical with 3:24 left. “I think I’m very well prepared”.
And they lead by four when LBJ finds Matthew Dellavedova, who drives in for a floater that cuts the gap to a deuce. As a team, the Cavs shot just 44.3 percent from the field compared to the Pistons’ 50.7 percent, but they made up for that by earning more possessions by grabbing 12 offensive rebounds and committing a total of just four turnovers. They slowly took control the rest of the way behind their stars. It starts with our mindset. The game was physical, and the refs let both sides get away with somethings. “But as far as the stats, those things will take care of themselves”. Defensively, the Cavs yield 98.3 points against the opposing teams. However, Detroit made 10 in the first half Sunday and sent the Cavaliers defenders scrambling unsuccessfully to the perimeter.
One way or another, Van Gundy’s logic wins out. Love also added 13 rebounds.
By publicly voicing his frustration over the officials, there’s a chance that the National Basketball Association sends down a message to pay extra attention to what’s going on throughout the course of the game, particularly plays involving James. “I don’t get caught up in no shenanigans”, he said. They are favored to win the Eastern Conference again but got all they could handle from the fearless Pistons. I felt it was blatantly obvious.
Wednesday’s Game 2 should be a treat if it features more Johnson vs. James. Cleveland is the No. 1 seed for the third time in franchise history but has never advanced to the finals from that spot. Cleveland improved to 85-84 all time in postseason games….
After 179 playoff games, which is tied with Michael Jordan for 17th for most all-time, James has little use for back-and-forths in the media. Every minute, every quarter, every game helps.
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Get breaking news and SI’s biggest stories instantly. But if he beats the Pistons, those are two less Stans he’s gotta worry about going into the second round of the playoffs.
