Analyzing the matchups in the Pistons-Cavs series

	RELATED • BURNS: Breaking down the Eastern final

Ian Thomsen talked to an NBA advance scout to break down the Eastern conference finals:

"This is an ugly series. I don't know why it's so slanted between the conferences, but I don't find the basketball in the East very appealing.

"The one player that's been disappointing to watch has been LeBron James, with the bad shots he's been taking and the way he plays. I'm sure it's because so much is expected of him and he has so much talent. He's a guy who could be the next Magic Johnson -- 18 points, 11 assists, 12 rebounds, that kind of line. And LeBron often does play like that. But he also takes too many bad shots, too many ill-conceived step-backs or turnarounds or weird jumpers.

"If you think about Cleveland's approach to offense, you have to consider the coaches who have influenced Mike Brown. He worked for Bernie Bickerstaff, who likes to call a lot of plays; Gregg Popovich, who might have the biggest playbook of them all, and Rick Carlisle, who calls a play almost every time down the floor. Not one of those guys is like Mike D'Antoni saying, 'I'm going to let the players figure it out for themselves.' That's one of the reasons why Cleveland is hard to watch.

"Now you'll see them against Flip Saunders, who has one of the two or three largest playbooks in the league. That's why these games are going to wind up in the 80s.

"I can't even fathom a way Cleveland wins unless something crazy happens, like Rasheed Wallace gets tossed and Chauncey Billups gets hurt. I just think Detroit has too many weapons, and they're not necessarily offensive weapons. They're smart, clever, they score in different ways whether it's posting up or spreading the floor. They're the smarter, more together team.

"The Pistons aren't going to self-destruct. This is not a volatile group, and Rasheed's behavior on the floor is usually the most drama they have to face. Those guys take care of stuff on the floor themselves.

"Defensively they'll put Tayshaun Prince and his length on LeBron, who will try to muscle him. But what you'll see is great team attention to LeBron. I don't think you can ask a single guy to guard the great scorers. What you'll see is the Pistons shading off the lesser scorers, slanting off the ball, playing the elbows and boxes. You'll see some stuff where they go early at LeBron and try to take the ball out of his hands when he catches it.

"LeBron will be at his most dangerous if he rebounds and busts out on the dribble, because the defense isn't geared at that point -- the Pistons will be trying to get back and each of them will be picking up his man, so they'll be vulnerable then.

"But when they aren't in transition, you can expect slow methodical play from the Cavaliers. They set up a lot of action to get to a postup or a pick and roll, and LeBron made it clear earlier this season that he doesn't like the offense so much. But at this point a team can't change what it's been doing all year.

"The Pistons are going to be better at focusing their defense on LeBron than New Jersey was. You saw the problems LeBron had in that series, and Detroit is going to do it a lot better than New Jersey. I just don't see how he can go for 40 against them unless he's taking every shot and taking his team out of everything they do.

"Zydrunas Ilgauskas is one of those guys that you expect will get his double-figures in points every night. But you also know he's only going to take it so far. He might get his 18 or 21, but you don't fear him going for 30. I don't know if it's because of his lack of mobility, that he just doesn't get the opportunities or that when he does he slows down the game too much, because going through him is a slow, methodical way to get your points. It might also be that he gets exhausted, because it takes a lot for a big guy like that to lumber up and down the floor. But I don't see his teammates saying they need to get him going in order to ride him the whole game.

"If you had to pick out a wild card who could make a difference for Cleveland, it would have to be Larry Hughes. I don't see Sasha Pavlovic doing anything special, and I don't see Drew Gooden doing more than he's done in the playoffs so far. Hughes is going to have to give them at least 20 points a game for them to have a shot.

"Anderson Varejao could be a wild card from an energy standpoint. He's a powerful guy, and he might make an impact because Detroit isn't a power team so much anymore. They're more of a finesse team now.

"There isn't really anything new to say from Detroit's point of view. If I'm Rasheed, I'm either going to that spot from 10 of 15 feet on the baseline, or I'm sitting out there at the three-point line and spreading the offense. That will give room for Chauncey Billups to get it into the paint: He'll be able to beat their point guards off the dribble, and he'll knock down the threes. They'll spread the floor for Richard Hamilton to run and for Webber to find him with his passing.

"What I love about teams like San Antonio and Detroit is that you have to shut down three or four guys to beat them. They don't just have the one star that you need to focus everything on. The Pistons have too many like-minded players who get it. They're totally into their team and doing whatever it takes to win. I don't see too many other groups that are still sold on the concept of the team like they are.''

Scout's pick: ``At their best the Cavaliers might win two games. Detroit can totally dictate what happens. If the Pistons want to make a statement and gear themselves up for the NBA Finals, then they can take this round seriously and finish Cleveland quickly. But if the Pistons are going to do what it takes to get by, then Cleveland could squeak out a couple of wins.''