Cavaliers-Pistons: Not Quite What It Used to Be

Any fan of the NBA in recent years has recognized that the Cleveland Cavaliers and Detroit Pistons had a very fierce rivalry in the past three seasons.

This season, not so much, as the Cavs come into the playoffs as the best overall team in the NBA, and the Pistons as the eighth seed in the Eastern Conference.

Three years ago, these teams put on a show in the Conference Semis. The year after Lebron James lit up the Pistons in that memorable Game 5 in the Palace.

What happened to this great rivalry? Age and the experience gap.

The Pistons have aged rapidly especially in recent years, while Cleveland has had a good supply of young talent.

Not to mention the bust that has been the A.I. trade which sent Chauncey Billups to Denver, and subsequently turned them into a great Western Conference team.

Now A.I. is out for the playoffs, and thus delivered a huge blow to the Pistons' depth.

Breaking down the match-ups: it's pretty obvious that Cleveland has the advantage in almost all areas:

PG: Rodney Stuckey vs Mo Williams

Edge: Williams

Mo Williams has broken out and become a legitimate sidekick to James, not to mention his uncanny ability to drive into the lane and hit clutch shots.

Stuckey showed tremendous ability during the Pistons' playoff run last season, but he has not broken out and been a catalyst for this squad like many had predicted.

Stuckey will have his hands full guarding the speedy and crafty Williams all over the court.

SG: Rip Hamilton vs Delonte West

Edge: Hamilton

West showed that he can play against the best, having a good series against the Celtics last year and being the only player to give James help in that Game 7 loss.

Hamilton is still the best mid-range shooter in the game, and despite injury and age, still plays hard every night.

West either has a strong game or a quiet one, while Hamilton is more consistent, not to mention his size advantage.

SF: Tayshaun Prince vs Lebron James

Edge: James

Obviously, James is an elite player and probably the best, and Prince is not as great a defender as he used to be.

Lebron's improved defense could also give Prince problems despite his length and versatility.

PF: Antonio McDyess vs Anderson Varejao

Edge: Varejao

Ironically, a few months ago, McDyess had a chance to go to Cleveland after the A.I. trade. McDyess has shown he can still play, averaging just under a double-double and having some consistency in the lineup.

Varejao has filled in for the injured Ben Wallace strongly and become a surprising offensive weapon in the lineup.

Not only has he shot a career high 53.6% from the field, but he has added a mid-range shot to his play in the paint.

C: Rasheed Wallace vs Zydrunas Ilgauskas

Edge: Push

Both of these guys are great rebounders, and both can hit shots from two and three-point range.

Wallace, however, has been well-known for being a powder-keg of emotion that has negative effects on his team.

Ilgauskas' conditioning is the only concern with the 7'3'' Lithuanian, which means he has to establish paint position on the defensive end to be most effective.

Coach: Michael Curry vs Mike Brown

Edge: Brown

Obviously, Curry has been a coaching disappointment as the Pistons still have not found an identity under their new head man.

Brown has turned the Cavaliers into a defensive powerhouse and is renowned for making big in-series adjustments and has been considered a playoff coach.

Bench Edge: Cavaliers

Joe Smith and Wally Szczerbiak have been huge off the bench for Cleveland, not to mention that Daniel Gibson has had playoff success, and Sasha Pavlovic started for the Cavs in the 2007 NBA Finals.

Detroit's bench is very thin and does not have much proven playoff talent.

Prediction: Cavaliers in 5

Cleveland is nearly unbeatable at home, but the Pistons should steal one in the Palace. In the end, Lebron and the Cavs are too strong for the Motown bunch. Back to the drawing board for the Pistons.