The Beginning and The End – Detroit Pistons vs. Cleveland Cavaliers

Detroit Is On The Verge Of The End; Face LeBron In Round 1

#8 Detroit Pistons vs. #1 Cleveland Cavaliers

Saturday, April 18th — Quicken Loans Arena, Cleveland — 3:00pm EST

NBA Betting Line: Cleveland -12 (175.5)

Things have been impossibly difficult for the Detroit Pistons. Much of that is their own undoing, especially in light that they gave away Chauncey Billups for virtually nothing. Allen Iverson, as great as he has been in the past, has been veritably useless for the second-half of the season. A back injury has forced A.I. to the IR, and now the Pistons are getting a first round opponent that has haunted them in the post-season before.

LeBron is the MVP of the league, and it’s beyond absurd to think that anyone rivals him. To make matters worse for the Eastern Conference, the Cavs are seriously deep. They have Delonte West, a defensive sharp-shooter and Mo Williams running the point. And Big Z is an instant double-double for Varejeo a force of nature.

Why else do you think all the pro pickers are taking the Cavs in four or five?

NBA Betting Trends

-Detroit is 1-4 ATS in their last 5 games

-Detroit is 3-6 SU in their last 9 games

-Detroit is 1-4 ATS in their last 5 games on the road

-Detroit is 5-11 ATS in their last 16 against Cleveland

-Cleveland is 5-1 ATS in their last 6 games

-Cleveland is 18-3 SU in their last 21 games

-Cleveland is 5-2 ATS in their last 7 games at home

-the total has gone UNDER in 15 of 17 when Cleveland plays at home against Detroit

The question now concerns prop betting. Can Detroit pull up its socks? The trends don’t suggest it, but the playoffs bring out a different animal from the inside. And that’s why Rasheed Wallace is the most critical element in this game. His leadership is an unsung factor of Detroit, and his volatile nature is both a pro and con.

Rasheed has been quiet to close the season, averaging just 9.8 points and 6.4 rebounds in the final five of the season. And that makes me worried. It’s like the calm before the storm. Rasheed is a torrential downpour waiting to happen and while I remain confident that the Cavs will win the series, if Sheed can emerge as a force to be reckoned with, he’ll push this series in to six games by himself.

The Pistons are outmatched at every position. Mo and Delonte are much better than Stuckey and Rip. Tayshuan has probably been having nightmares about containing LeBron. Big Z’s experience and solid play will outshine the young Maxiell or the aging McDyess. The only advantage Detroit has is at power-forward.

I’m a big fan of Rasheed, and getting walloped in the first half of Game 1 will ignite a fire in Rasheed that will give Detroit at least a fighting chance. I’m banking on it, and so should you.

Furious Free Pick: Detroit +12 (OVER)