NOTEBOOK \ Cavs vs. Pistons

Doing it with D: As well as the Cavaliers played offensively down the stretch Saturday, it was their defense that keyed the victory. Cleveland held the Pistons to .394 shooting from the field (28 of 71), which was the lowest by a Cavs' playoff opponent this season and Detroit's lowest in the playoffs this season. "That's what jumps out on the stat sheet," said Cavs forward LeBron James. "That more than anything else was the reason we won tonight. We got defensive stops against one of the best offensive teams in the league." Detroit entered the game averaging 106.6 points per game in the postseason and 105.0 in two games against Cleveland. "If you want to win in the playoffs, you have to get stops," said Cavs coach Mike Brown. "Tonight I thought we did a solid job defensively. That's why we gave ourselves a chance to win. We gave that effort for 48 minutes." The Cavs shot 50 percent from the field on 34 of 68 shooting.
LeBron-athon: James recorded his second playoff triple double, becoming the first NBA player to record two in the playoffs since Tim Duncan did it for San Antonio in 2003. In the playoffs, James is averaging 31.9 points, 8.1 rebounds, 6.1 assists and 1.3 steals. "He's a great player," said Pistons guard Chauncey Billups, who had 20 points in the loss. "He's a phenomenal athlete. He does things that most guys can't do. He did. He put his team on his back and willed himself to some great plays." His first triple-double came in the first game of the Wizards series. With his 21 points, James moved into sixth place on the Cavs' all-time playoff scoring list with 287 points in nine games, moving past Campy Russell (285 points in 18 games). Mark Price is the career leader with 818 points in 47 games.
Still seeking a sweep: Even though Detroit has been to the last two NBA Finals -- winning it all in 2004 -- the Pistons haven't swept a playoff opponent over that span. When asked how tough it is to sweep a team, Billups said, "I don't know. We've never swept nobody. So you gotta ask someone else that. We can't get it done, so it must be tough if we can't do it."
Strong support: Billups started his press conference by acknowledging Cavs guard Larry Hughes, who is in St. Louis attending to family matters following the death of his brother, Justin. "First of all, I just want to send my condolences for the Hughes family," Billups said. "I hope he gets back safe and healthy. God bless that family." The Cavs had a moment of silence before the game for Justin Hughes. Larry Hughes is expected to miss Monday's game. "We're not expecting him back," said Cavs guard Eric Snow. "We want him to focus on his family and not worry about us."
Joe Scalzo