Cleveland Cavaliers vs. Detroit Pistons Statistical Showdown

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December 3, 2012; Auburn Hills, MI, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers small forward C.J. Miles (0) is defended by Detroit Pistons center Andre Drummond (1) in the second quarter at The Palace. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports

Fresh off of acquiring point guard Jose Calderon in a three-team trade that sent Tayshaun Prince and Austin Daye to the Memphis Grizzlies, the Detroit Pistons are now in a playoff mindset. With news of Jared Sullinger and Rajon Rondo being out for the season reaching the Boston Celtics this week, the Pistons (17-29) will do their best to make a push for the eighth seed in the Eastern Conference. It is still unknown whether or not Calderon will suit up Friday night to take on the Cavaliers, but Detroit head coach Lawrence Frank made a statement that Calderon would be a starter for the Pistons once he is cleared to play. If that means putting both Brandon Knight and Calderon in the starting lineup, then that will create a matchup nightmare for opposing teams – especially the Cavaliers:

Statistics

	Points	Points Allowed	Assists	Assists Allowed	Rebounds	Rebounds Allowed
Cavaliers	95.5 (18^th)	100.7 (24^th)	19.7 (29^th)	23.7 (28^th)	41.3 (21^st)	42.3 (17^th)
Pistons	94.5 (23^rd)	96.7 (11^th)	20.1 (25^th)	21.2 (8^th)	43.5 (9^th)	42.4 (19^th)

Advanced Statistics

	Offensive Efficiency	Defensive Efficiency
Cavaliers	99.3 (27^th)	106.6 (28^th)
Pistons	100.7 (18^th)	103.6 (18^th)

Four Factors

	eFG%	Free Throw Rate	Turnover Rate	Offensive Rebound Rate
Cavaliers	46.6 (26^th)	.198 (20^th)	13.5 (9^th)	29.1 (9^th)
Pistons	48.2 (20^th)	.203 (17^th)	14.3 (25^th)	29.5 (7^th)

Players to Watch:

Cavaliers – Marreese Speights

1. 13 points per game since joining Cavs

2. 16.9 PER

3. 22 minutes per game since joining Cavs

Pistons – Greg Monroe

1. 15.7 points per game

2. 9.1 points per game

3. 3.2 assists per game

Key Matchup: Tyler Zeller vs. Greg Monroe

This could end up being another massacre for Zeller. At the same time, the rookie center has seen his fair share of elite centers in his short time as a starting member of the Cavs. According to 82games.com, the Cavalier offense has stalled with Zeller on the floor, scoring 4.1 points per 100 possessions less when he is playing. On the other hand, the defense is a tad bit better – and that’s saying a lot for a team that ranks at or near the bottom in almost every defensive statistic since losing Anderson Varejao for the season. As of late, the defense has really clamped down when the reserves have come in the game to aid the starters. That is due to the fact that Zeller has been paired up with the bench for height and matchup purposes. The reserves are a big reason why the Zeller-led defense is thriving as of late, but the big man from North Carolina is starting to make the necessary adaptations to the NBA. That helps a ton. Monroe will be a tough matchup for Zeller for years to come, but he hasn’t been able to dominate the Cavaliers this season from an offensive standpoint.