FAST BREAKDOWN
Three quick observations from Monday night’s 113-102 win over the Cleveland Cavaliers at Little Caesars Arena
OVER EARLY – Dwane Casey’s concerns about slow starts – the Pistons ranked just 22nd in the NBA in first-quarter scoring differential – probably were magnified by the fact the Pistons were coming off of a rare four-day break. Even more rare, though, was the fact that so was their opponent, Cleveland – as in the 2-12 Cavs. Did you hear that LeBron James doesn’t play there any longer? It took a while to get going – the Pistons led by just a point midway through the first quarter – but Cleveland’s league-worst defense revealed itself, the Pistons rattled off 38 first-quarter points and took a 20-point halftime lead and went up by 30 late in the third quarter before an 18-2 Cleveland run – in which Stanley Johnson, Jose Calderon and Reggie Jackson all picked up technical fouls – sliced the lead to 14 with eight minutes left.