Cleveland at Detroit

Detroit was lucky to escape with game one as Cleveland had a chance to win it at the end. Something just doesn't seem right with this Detroit team. They used to dominate at home come the playoffs as they went 26-10, before recently sliding to 4-7. Cleveland has grown up a lot in the last year and it shows most by how a team performs on the road. They have now risen to a 10-1 ATS record in their last 11 games on the road against playoff teams and 15-2 ATS since January 20. They have even managed to win the bulk of those games straight up - going 10-7. They had more offensive rebounds, more total rebounds, nine less turnovers than Detroit and still lost. There is one reason and that is they were 1-10 from 3-point range - good for a pathetic 10%, and LeBron James was 5-15 and finished with 10 points for his lowest playoff output ever. If Cleveland can hang without James and missing virtually every three pointer they took, then they are going to be in this game or even win it with a modest improvement. They have played Detroit three times this year in Detroit and won by 4, lost by 5 and 3 points. They have shot a combined 5-34 from 3, and have hung tough in every game. They have out rebounded them in every game, average 3.5 more offensive rebounds, 3 less turnovers, and have shot FT'S below their season average in every game. The bottom line is, they are a lot closer to Detroit than most think, and an average night from 3, and an average night at the line, and this team is winning, or at least very close. We can't say it is the Detroit defense, because overall they have shot 43.5% in the 3 games, and their season average is 44.7%. They hit 35.2% from beyond the arc, but 14% in the 3 games at Detroit. We also expect James to rebound offensively, and this game could be won if they shoot reasonably well, but they have proven they can hang, even when the shots aren't dropping.