Not Quite Ready Yet

THE NAMES have changed, but the dynamic of the Eastern Conference finals is every bit as intriguing as it was nearly two decades ago when another prodigious number 23 was trying to take down the Detroit Pistons, then in the midst of a run that included three straight trips to the Finals and back-to-back championships. It took Michael Jordan four straight postseason meetings before he learned how to beat Detroit; the question today is whether LeBron James can acquire that knowledge in half the time.

Make no mistake about James's importance to the Cleveland Cavaliers as they face the Pistons: His playoff debut last year ended in the conference semifinals when Detroit held him to one field goal in the second half of Game 7, and in four games between the clubs this season the Cavs' only win came when James exploded for a season-high 41 on March 7. Like the young Jordan, Air's heir must find a way to dominate the series individually while elevating his teammates' play to overcome the Pistons' wealth of talent, court balance and, not least, experience. While Detroit is aiming to convert its fifth straight conference finals appearance into a second championship in that span, only three Cavaliers have played this deep into the postseason.

The Pistons, who lost to the Heat in the conference finals a year ago, are less vulnerable to an upset this season because of their more sophisticated approach to defense. As a strict man-to-man team last year, Detroit counted on Ben Wallace to defend the rim and offset its deficiencies elsewhere. Since Wallace's departure to Chicago, however, the Pistons have been refining a variety of zones, traps and rotations that returned the team to the top six in the league defensively and now threatens to make life more complicated for James. In Game 1 on Monday night the Cleveland star was held to 10 points (on 5-of-15 shooting) and did not make a single trip to the foul line, resulting in a 79--76 win for top-seeded Detroit. The good news for the Cavaliers, however, was that they had chances to steal home court advantage because James (nine assists) established his teammates in the offense.

Indeed, the main lesson from the Jordan era is that one man can't do it alone. So James must continue to lean on his team's overpowering front line of center Zydrunas Ilgauskas, power forward Drew Gooden and sixth man Anderson Varej�o, who led the league in charges taken with 78. That trio has to attack the offensive boards, like guards and tackles exploding off the line, against Detroit's inside rotation of center Chris Webber, power forward Rasheed Wallace and sixth man Antonio McDyess.

Cleveland also must improve its sluggish ball movement to create open jumpers that will spread the floor, and scoring point guard Larry Hughes has to have a big series as James's second in command. "We need to attack first and slow things down later," says Hughes, emphasizing the need to exploit as many easy-basket chances as possible. Otherwise the Pistons will dictate the outcome with an equal-opportunity offense that provides scoring from all five positions. Detroit can draw upon the perimeter mismatches created by Wallace, the high-post passing and low-post presence of midseason acquisition Webber and the big-shot versatility of Tayshaun Prince, Richard Hamilton and Chauncey Billups, whose unflustered leadership in the final minutes of close games is second to none.

More of a businesslike approach will be needed from the Pistons, who should remember that Cleveland helped unravel their postseason last year by recovering from an 0--2 deficit to reach a seventh game, signaling their demise in the next round. If Detroit is serious about beating San Antonio or Utah in the NBA Finals, it must continue to improve on the level of play it showed in dismantling the Bulls 4--2 in the second round.

The .500 Nets succeeded in limiting James to 24.7 points per game and 42.3% shooting in the conference semis--and the Pistons are superior to New Jersey at both ends of the floor. Expect Detroit to win this series in six games. And for James and his Cavs to receive another Jordanesque lesson on how to win a championship.