Pistons' starters (or backups) can't keep up with Cavs' best

CLEVELAND -- For about 38 1/2 minutes of game action on Tuesday, the Cavs were looking like a team that was going to sweep its way into the conference semifinals.

Sure, this was just Game 2. And sure, the Cavs were doing nothing but holding serve on their home floor.

But as promised, the Pistons had made defensive adjustments, keeping LeBron James out of the paint and forcing him to give up the ball more often, looking more like the Pistons of old.

And they were still getting their butts kicked.

The Cavs, still the superior defensive team, held Detroit to just 50 points on 36 percent shooting through the first three quarters, led by as many as 29, and were up 25 with just over nine minutes to go in the game. Game 2 was more of what we expected from this series, with the Cavs winning ugly and, not coincidentally, winning big.

Then the Pistons, with five reserves on the floor, finally showed some life.

Led by their backup backcourt of Will Bynum and Arron Afflalo, Detroit went on an 18-1 run over the course of five minutes to cut the Cavs' lead to just eight points. They did it with defensive energy, forcing the Cavs into turnovers and tough shots that led to easy buckets on the other end.

"It was a good example for our entire team to understand the attention to detail and defense that we have to have in order to compete, especially on the road," Afflalo said. "We didn't have to work for shots too much. We were getting run outs and layups and you need a few of those."

Along the way, Cavs coach Mike Brown was forced to put starters James, Mo Williams and Anderson Varejao back in the game. The Pistons eventually cut the lead down to seven before the Cavs' 8-0 run helped secure a 94-82 win.

It was a six-minute blip on what has been a near-perfect two games for the Cavs.

The Pistons' starters have been beaten badly in this series. Through two games, Richard Hamilton is a minus-49 on the floor, Tayshaun Prince is a minus-37 and Rodney Stuckey is a minus-35.

The Detroit vets have looked slow and out of sync. They committed seven mostly unforced turnovers in the first quarter. And even when they had open looks at the basket, they had trouble converting.

"In the first half, offensively, we just rushed every single thing that we were trying to do," Curry said. "We missed six layups in the first half. You can't miss six layups in a playoff game and expect to win."

Meanwhile, James is a plus-43. Despite the extra attention in Game 2, he still finished with 29 points, 13 rebounds and six assists. And after a less-than-stellar Game 1, Williams scored 21 points on 8-for-13 shooting and dished out seven assists.

When it comes to the guys that play most of the minutes, the Cavs have totally outclassed the Pistons.

Detroit's second unit is younger, quicker and more athletic than their starters. "I expect them to cover more ground and be more active," Curry said.

After what he saw on Tuesday, Curry doesn't plan on making any lineup changes, but said he could come with quicker substitutions in Game 3 on Friday (7 p.m. ET, ESPN).

As they return home, the Pistons are in a state of desperation. Despite their adjustments in Game 2, they still finished on the wrong side of a 12-point deficit. Curry's second unit could cause a little more mayhem on Friday and help the Palace crowd become a factor.

"I think that we will see a little bit more of their bench in Game 3," Williams said. "I guarantee that."

But the problem is that unless Game 3 is another blowout, the Detroit reserves aren't going to be on the floor with the same Cavs that they matched up with on Tuesday.

In Brown's normal rotation, his reserves would never be on the floor without James or Williams out there with them. Although Brown was disappointed with how his bench played in the fourth quarter, he's not worried.

"I'm not concerned about our second unit," he said simply.

In general, Brown is happy with what has transpired through the first two games. The Pistons threw a zone defense and a huge lineup of Hamilton, Prince, Antonio McDyess, Rasheed Wallace and Kwame Brown at the Cavs Tuesday ... and his team responded well.

For 90 of the 96 minutes so far, this series has been entirely one-sided.

"We're not going to let tonight's fourth quarter take away from what we've done so far," James said.

NBA.com's John Schuhmann will be covering the first round series between the Cavs and Pistons. If you have a question or comment for him, send him an e-mail. You can also follow him on twitter.