By Mike Slane

May 24, 2007: SCOREBOARD | IN FOCUS GALLERY | AROUND THE ASSOCIATION ARCHIVE

PHOTO OF THE NIGHT
Chauncey Billups and Richard Hamilton scored 13 apiece in Detroit's Game 2 win over the Cavaliers.
D. Lippitt/Einstein/NBAE/Getty Images
QUOTE OF THE NIGHT
"That was definitely an Eastern Conference grind-it-out game, where both teams were hitting each other and battling. I thought it was like Groundhog Day. I thought it was almost the same game as before and the scoring ends up the same."
-- Pistons coach Flip Saunders, after Detroit took a 2-0 Eastern Conference Finals series lead over the Cavs with a 79-76 win.
THE DAY'S TOP VIDEO
Thursday's top play: LeBron James throws down a reverse jam.
  • Haier Play of the Day
  • Dunk of the Night
  • Block of the Night
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  • BlackBerry Assist of the Night
  • Steal of the Night
  • NBA TV Top 10
    • NBA.COM'S FANTASY TAKE
    Friday's an off day in the NBA, so your next opportunity to play Drive to the Finals will be for Saturday's Spurs-Jazz Game 3. With Utah only two losses away from elimination, make sure you use Carlos Boozer and Deron Williams before it's too late. If you already picked those two players, choose Andrei Kirilenko or Mehmet Okur. Save the Spurs for the Finals.
    SHOOTING STUDS
    Rasheed Wallace, Pistons
    79-76 win vs. Cavaliers
    16 pts, 7-10 FG, 1-2 FT

    Sasha Pavlovic, Cavaliers
    79-76 loss at Pistons
    14 pts, 7-10 FG

    Jason Maxiell, Pistons
    79-76 win vs. Cavaliers
    15 pts, 7-9 FG

    STAT SHEET STUFFER
    With Rasheed Wallace in foul trouble and Antonio McDyess sidelined with a bloody mouth, Jason Maxiell was forced into action early in the first quarter and made the best of his extended minutes while bringing much-needed energy to the floor. Maxiell blocked a shot and threw down two dunks within one minute of play en route to a seven-point, four-rebound first quarter. He finished with 15 points, six rebounds, two blocks and two steals in 22 minutes.
    SHOOTING DUDS
    Tayshaun Prince, Pistons
    79-76 win vs. Cavaliers
    0-8 FG, 1 pts

    LeBron James, Cavaliers
    79-76 loss at Pistons
    7-19 FG, 0-1 3-pt FG, 19 pts

    Chris Webber, Pistons
    79-76 win vs. Cavaliers
    4-13 FG, 9 pts

    RASHEED STEPS UP IN THE FOURTH
    He was pretty much non-existent for the first three quarters, but Detroit's Rasheed Wallace will be remembered as the hero of Thursday's Game 2 victory at home over the Cavaliers. After sitting much of the first quarter with two personal fouls, Wallace scored just six points in the first half and went scoreless in the third quarter before becoming the key offensive player in Detroit's final run. Wallace poured in 10 points in the final period, including the go-ahead basket on a fadeaway jumper over LeBron James with 24 seconds remaining in regulation, as the Pistons held off the Cavaliers, 79-76. "Down the stretch, he wanted the ball in a lot of situations,'' Pistons coach Flip Saunders said. "He made some big plays in the fourth quarter.''
  • Watch Sheed's big fourth quarter
    • LEBRON TAKES AND MISSES THE GO-AHEAD BUCKET
    After being criticized by the media for not being aggressive enough on offense and passing up the big shot down the stretch in Game 1, LeBron James played like he had something to prove in Game 2 on Thursday. LeBron exploded out of the gate with 14 first-half points, including a pair of monster dunks, before being held scoreless on one field goal attempt in the third quarter. However, despite scoring just five points in the second half, LeBron didn't pass up Cleveland's most criticial shot this time around. Down by one with 24 seconds remaining, LeBron took the smaller Richard Hamilton to the basket on an isolation play, but missed a spinning hook shot with 7.9 left and the Cavaliers came up short in a 79-76 Game 2 loss in Detroit. Cleveland trails the series 2-0.
  • LeBron talks about the final play