Can LeBron James & Cleveland Cavaliers Beat Detroit Pistons & Boston Celtics in Playoffs?

January 06 08

The AM Take: When you assume you make an ass of yourself. NBA fans have assumed the Boston Celtics and Detroit Pistons will meet in the Eastern Conference Finals.

It’s an easy assumption to make. The Celtics and Pistons have the league’s best records. Their rosters possess the enviable mix of superstars and useful veterans.

But millions of fans could look foolish come May. A Boston-Detroit eastern showdown isn’t automatic, especially after Cleveland’s LeBron James torched Toronto for 24 fourth quarter points in a 93-80 win on Sunday.

For those that missed it: James went off, single-handedly destroying the Raptor defense. The last time he looked this good was in game five of the 2006-07 Eastern Conference Finals against …

Detroit. That’s right. James had an epic 48 points in a playoff game against the same Piston squad analysts believe are destined for an eastern finale with the Celtics. For the record, Cleveland won the series and advanced to the NBA Finals.

I’m not knocking Boston or Detroit. Honest. Both squads play tremendous defense and are deserving of praise.

But yesterday’s game should be disconcerting. James once again showed he can beat teams by himself. No defensive scheme or player(s) can stop him.

A Boston-Detroit Eastern Conference Finals is still likely, but not a lock. So don’t assume. James will make you look like an ass.

Can James and Cleveland beat Boston and/or Detroit in the playoffs? Get at us in the comment box below with your thoughts or hit us up in our fan forum.

The AM Take is Oly’s morning thoughts on the NBA. All errors can be attributed to the time and his need for another cup of coffee. Click here to get his AM Take each morning and subscribe to his blog.

23 Comments: Can LeBron James & Cleveland Cavaliers Beat Detroit Pistons (...)

Posted by
the man123456789
on 05.4.2008

watch...one man cannot defeat a team. be a fool! it only shows your ignorance. Even Jordan could not defeat a team by himself and he is the un-disputed best to play the game so far. Pistons play as a team and just like battles won in history...you need a group to play as a team...its ok, far one who talks out of his arse. I use to do the same. you will learn... .

Posted by
VSUBALLER
on 01.24.2008

Have you guys seen the way the Cavs are playing?...All you need is LB23 and the rest will fall into place...LB does what a true allstar does...he knows he needs his team to win so he allows them to get there groove...He knows what he is doing...We signed Verajo and Pavlovic...Damon Jones is getting quality time...Z is doing the thing...and Boobie will be ready...Just wait and see all you Cavs haters... .

Posted by
Rade
on 01.15.2008

NO WAY,CLEVELANT WON`T GO TO THE PLAYOFFSWITH THOSE KIDS .

Posted by
that one guy
on 01.11.2008

first of all u should watch what u say" it’s disgusting watching those foreign players play bball. When i say garbage minutes i mean why in the hell is lebron james in the game with 6 minutes to go down by 20. They are not gonna coem back. Or if they’re up by 20 with 6 minutes why is he in the game. The east is obciously a bit tougher but i don’t know if u checked the stats comparing when lebron plays against east and west teams u should check that out. When the east played like s---lebron won 50 games. All of a sudden it toughens up a bit and they’re at .500? u gotta be kidding me. Lebron play against the west is s---compared to when he plays against the east. He shoots 5% less when he plays against the west. THAT BAD WHEN IT COMES TO THE NBA. I like lebron. But honestly he gets to much credit for what he does. They point out his positives but never his negatives. that’s why everybody thinks lebron is so great nobody ever hears anything bad about him. When his team loses by 20 and he shoots 8 for 20 Then dont’ talk about the fact that lebron didn’t shoot good. they say how is teammates let him down. All lebron has to do is sit and smile to get all-star votes mvp votes and everything else. That’s why players like Jason kidd and kobe bryant will never win a mvp award. They always look for ways to say sometin negative about players like them. When they shoot poorly they always point that out. When lebron’s shoots poorly they dont’ say s---about it. When J-kidd gets a triple double they’ll a lot of credit goes to his teammates for showing up tonight. When kobe has a monster scoring game, they bring up how bynum is developing. When lebron plays bad and larry or big z has a big game they say how he looked for his teammates and not say how larry or big z played great. It pathetic how the media wants to feed charisma to lebron. Lebron is great. However i really don’t wanna use the word overrated cuz that makes a player look bad. But he does get to much credit for what he does. Think of all the players in the west who have to deal with great defences and teams in the east who have to play the pistons or celtics 3 or 4 times a season. I dont’ care what anyone says about me being a lebron hater. But facts are facts. And everyone here has just responded to me by stating an opinion and calling me a lebron hater without giving me any facts to prove me wrong. .

Posted by
Cyss
on 01.10.2008

well those garbage down 20 he plays bc they can still come back they was down 20 in toronto came back n won and was down 20 to the hawks got it to 5 is the reason he plays down 20 he doesnt play to much up except to waiste a few min to for sure the win because with boobie and larry really the only other scorers they can blow a lead espically like with sasha and varejo prolly 2 of the biggest bums to be in the nba and its digusting watching those foreign ppl that dont know how to play ball play...and obvisouly lbj is bad at fts hes bad at those no matter who hes playing and the only time hes hitting js is when hes feelin it...and the east aint as bad as use to be with detroit,orlando,boston so there is some teams that can play...and bout the lakers as of this yr there players r better bynum is developing real nice and fish is playing solid and the other players like odom,walton,famar,rad aint doing so bad so when it comes playoff time we will just have 2 wait n c what happens .

Posted by
that one guy
on 01.10.2008

lebron got to the finals and got monkey raped by the spurs. oh yea also about lebrons so called miracolous playoff performance. He shot 41% overall in the playoffs. Wow tha’ts amazing isn’t it he’s the best. The only reason he got there is cuz his teammates bailed him out gibson had 31 point 5-5 3pt against the pistons in one game so everyone needs to stop saying lebron carried them his teammates bailed his a-------out .

Posted by
that one guy
on 01.10.2008

wtf does 5 assists have to do with any of this. And basically what u said about garbage minutes is the exact same thing i said? if lebron doesn’t wanna get injured why the f-is he out on the floor while there down by 20? or up the 20? Why would u bring in how many assists he has? Makin ur teammates better doesn’t mean ur gonna avaraged a lot of assists. Kidd is te best pg defender does he avaraged a lot of steals? no! ever since lebron beat the pistons in the finals he’s been all hype. If lebrons’ supporting cast is so bad why did they get 50 wins the last 2 seasons? While kobe’s got 45 and 42. ill tell u why. 1. The cavs play in the d-league(east) 2. b/c they had a superstar like lebron james score 40 a game against s---teams. Take a look at lebron’s stats against the west. go on nba.com or sometin. Here ill just tell u.26.8 ppg 45% FG 29% 3P 67% FT He can’t even shoot dam free throws against the west. Look at how much better he plays against the s---teams in the east.31.2 ppg 50% FG 27% 3P 74% FT. Look how much better lebron performs in the d league. Look i dont’ HATE lebron. I just wanna get it across to people that he recieves to much hype for the things he does. Im a kobe fan ok? everybody knows that. And when kobe’s done with the nba my fav. player will pralby be lebron. But rite everyone is saying he’s the mvp, best player in the league. He’s not as good as advertised. They lost to the hawks last night. That’s pathetic. "lebron took his team to the finals" f-that s---lebron didn’t take his team there. He is lucky enough to play in a s---conference full of joke teams. .

Posted by
Cyss
on 01.10.2008

well your the one that brought how weak the teams are in the east a i was just verifying the top 2 teams rec wise in the east...so what if he sat out 6 games he doesnt want to have the chance of re injury and make it longer its better to be safe than f u c k e d...well obvisouly the players around kobe are better than lbjs bc lbj has to have to ball for them to have any chance to win thats why there record was 17-65 before they drafted him...and there pt gurad isnt that bad knowing hughes starts a pg and he may not be as good as he was with the wiz but he still is a good player and boobie of the bench is good 22 consec gms with at least a 3 showing he does get his shots...and there aint no garbage min unless your team is getting blown out and you clear your bench who the other team has on the floor is up to the other teams coach lbj cant help that he just does what he do...just admit it your the biggest lbj hater there is thats sad you dont even think hes good...and if lbj doesnt make his team better dont try saying kobe does with his 5 ast a gm bc most the players on his team create there own shot like fish,odom and bynum down low .

Posted by
that one guy
on 01.9.2008

huh huh huh huh. You sound liek a f-----12 year old. Cavs were playing like s---before lebron went and why the f-would he sit out 6 f-----games for a sprained finger. Lebron doesn’t make his f-----teammates better. He has the ball every time up the f-----court of course he’s gonns fill the stat sheet. He plays garbage minutes also. what do teh best teams have to do with any of this?. Take a look at the east playoff standing as of rite now. Only 3 of those f-----teams are one game above .500 and they’re in the playoffs?!!? That what lebron faces? lebron is a sf and takes the f-----ball up the court. they’re point gaurd doesn’t do shit. He just prays to get the bal and run a play and hope mike brown stops trying to kiss lebrons’ a-------and have him fill up the stat sheet. He’s gettin boards assists and scoring and they can’t win in the f-----east. Lebron sits out 6 games cuz of a f-----finger so he doesnt hurt his stats. While kobe goest out plays on some f-----strained nuts and still gets his team to win. You know what else? he doens’t it without having the ball in his hands 48 minutes a f-----game .

Posted by
agag
on 01.9.2008

HMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM NO! .

Posted by
Cyss
on 01.9.2008

that one guy ur obvisouly the biggest lbj hater there is and it dont matter who he plays night in and night out bc the fact is there in the nba and if the east is so bad how come the 2 best records come from teams in the east huh huh huh huh huh?? yea give some stupid lame excuse and talk out your a-------some more. there only 1 gm above bc when he sat out those 6 or so gms they couldnt win w/o just shows how important he is to the team...come on saying bucks bulls, the west got griz, sonics,tims,clips,kings so dont act like the west dont play any below average teams. Also thats why nobody gets more than like 10 pts a game when lbj doesnt play..yup lbj dont make his team better your the true bball god..that one knows lbj inside out please just stfu you dont see nothing but highlights for the cavs...I hate kobe and think hes a fag but i dont go make the stupid a-------remarks like you make bc i no there not true you got a lot to learn son .

Posted by
that one guy
on 01.8.2008

lebron a leader? If he was a leader hesd have his team winning more then just 1 game above .500 only reason is cuz they’re last 7 games have been against s---teams. If he made his teammates better liek everyone says he does his teammates wouldnt’ suck liek u stated. And they’d be winning more games. Lebron also gets a bunch of garbage stats. When his team is losing by 20 or winning by 20 his f-----coach keeps him in anyway so lebron can fill up the stat sheet every night. Mike will learn his lesson when lebron goes down with a big injury. If lebron was a leader he wouldn’t sit out 5 games cuz he spwained his wittle finger. He’d get in there. While kobe is out in the west playing on Strained nuts for aobut 6 games. All im pointing out is everyone is starting to think lebron is the best for some reason he plays in the east and plays teams like the bobcats, bucks bulls, heat on a daily basis. .

Posted by
KOBE FAN FOR LIFE
on 01.8.2008

I THINK LEBRON and Cleveland Can Make It To The Finals Again......THE EAST IS VERY OPEN....IT’S JUST DEPENDS ON WHICH TEAM HAS THE BEST MOMENTUM GOING INTO THE PLAYOFFS. .

Posted by

on 01.8.2008

I have a few points to make.One, the Pistons and the Celtics have the best records, this is true. However, Detroit is infamous for letting certain teams, namely the Bulls and the Caveliers, get into thier heads and beat them mentally. Detroit will have to overcome this if they want to make it through the Eastern Conference playoffs.Two: Where did Kobe Bryant come into this conversation? Kobe Bryant has not carried L.A. anywhere by himself unless you want to talk about a first round loss in last years playoffs. 60 points a game... congratulations. He needs to learn how to be a leader. That means making the players around him better not trying to compensate for them by making more baskets. .

Posted by
Jacob (from Australia)
on 01.7.2008

oi that one guy get ur facts straight buddy. im a lebron james fan but im not ignorant as i dont beleev he has proved himself just yet but comparing his playing to kobes 60 points plus games is stupid. kobe shot every second shot for all 4 quarters in those 2 games and did he also dish out 8 assists while doing it? lebron cannot be called a ballhog because there are many stretches in the game where he does not take many shots and how in gods name does a ""ballhog"" dish out 7 and half asissts per game! ur lucky to find a PG with those numbers - especially since hes still scoring almost 30ppg. i think the ""ignorant"" fans are the lebron james haters... and stop sayin its lebrons fault for having a one man team. gooden, varejao and big Z all do their bit but lebron cant make trades for larry hughes and bring in other players can he? i wish he could though... .

Posted by
Gm for Hire
on 01.7.2008

No Way... Yall almost made me cuss and shit!!Clevelands a pg a shooting guard a real power ford they have center with Z but he is way to slow he will never keep up with lebron and company.. The cavs need to make some major moves if they wanna compete this year. Maybe trade Hughes to the frizz for stoudamire, warrick and lowery??? Then they can move Z to the Kings for brad milller and Mikki moore or something.. Im just saying no way they compete without a trade to refresh the team.. .

Posted by
that one guy
on 01.7.2008

lol listen to all these crazy lebron fans thinking they’re play the celitcs in the easter finals lol. Im think they only hve a 50% chance of gettin to the playoffs are u crazy? Everybody is freakin out cuz lebron took over to beat the raptors. Wtf does that mean. That he can play like s---in the first half in the playoffs against every team and come back in the 4th. That won’t work buddy. all lebron james fans are ignorant faggots. When lebron scores 39 against a sucky raptors team(they’re definitely not as good this year) everybody praises him.When kobe scores 81 points on that toronto team and win by 20 after being down 20 he’s called a ballhog. When he scores 62 against mavs in 3 quarters to beat them by 30 he’s a ballhog. Lebron fans are the only people who don’t like kobe i dont ’know one lebron fan who likes kobe and its’ mostly because they want him to be better then kobe. .

Posted by

on 01.7.2008

Cleveland with james can go far .

Posted by
Pistons over the Spurs
on 01.7.2008

"...James once again showed he can beat teams by himself. No defensive scheme or player(s) can stop him."UH, the Spurs swept the Cavs in the Finals. They could have cancelled the 4th game as non-competitive as the Cavs were. I believe the author now looks like an ass. .

Posted by
KING MIKE
on 01.7.2008

YES THEY CAN......AS LONG AS THE TEAM SUPPORT LEBRON THE WAY THEY SHOULD AND PLAY SOME SOLID DEFENSE...THEY CAN BEAT ANY TEAM IN THE LEAGUE. .

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	About Oly Sandor
Daily take on NBA Oly Sandor is an NBA analyst and sports journalist based out of Vancouver, Canada.After years of the free-lance game, Oly Sandor is bringing his unique brand of NBA analysis exclusively to (...) More

Can LeBron James & Cleveland Cavaliers Beat Detroit Pistons & Boston Celtics in Playoffs?

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