Pistons trying to find way to halt Cavaliers

The series is tied and Game 5 is tonight in Detroit.
AUBURN HILL, Mich. (AP) -- Flip Saunders insists his Minnesota Timberwolves were knocked out in the first round of the playoffs seven times in eight years because the other teams were simply better.
If the first-year Detroit coach can't help the Pistons stunt Cleveland's momentum in their second-round series, it will be difficult to explain the early exit the same way.
Other than LeBron James, the Pistons seem to have more talent and experience at every position.
It just didn't look that way the past two games in Cleveland. The Cavs beat Detroit 74-72 and 86-77 to even the series after being routed in Game 1 and rallying to lose Game 2 by six points. Game 5 is tonight in suburban Detroit.
Momentum shifted
The series shifted in the third quarter of Game 3 when rookie coach Mike Brown changed the momentum with an adjustment.
The Cavs started to switch on pick-and-roll plays, leaving bigger players defending guards and smaller players guarding post players. The Pistons and their coaches haven't countered aggressively, leading to a lackluster offense that set NBA playoff lows with 33.3 percent shooting and 72 points Monday night.
Just as he said in an easy first-round series against Milwaukee, Saunders says the Pistons are playing more against themselves than Cleveland.
"The Cavs are doing things, but we're still beating ourselves in a lot of areas," Saunders said Tuesday.
Brown said the biggest adjustment didn't involve Xs and Os as the Cavs suddenly evened a series that some thought was essentially over.
"Even though it's corny, we played hard for close to 48 minutes," Brown said.
Attended Hughes' funeral
After beating the Pistons in a second straight game, the Cavs flew to St. Louis to attend the funeral of Justin Hughes, the 20-year-old brother of teammate Larry Hughes.
Brown said Tuesday afternoon that there was no timetable for Hughes' return, and bristled at the notion that the Cavs are better off without him after he missed much of the season with a finger injury.
"We are not a better team without Larry Hughes, let's get that straight," Brown said. "But we played a lot of games without him, and we figured out ways to win."
Will focus on game
Cleveland guard Damon Jones is confident the Cavs will find a way to focus on a game after the sad experience they went through together.
"We put basketball in perspective for one day," Jones said. "We were there to help out one of our family members go through a tough time. We're also professional enough to understand we have a task at hand tomorrow."
Rasheed Wallace's guarantee that the Cavs were playing their last home game backfired, but Detroit's boisterous forward hasn't backed off his cocky rhetoric.
"We'll definitely clean them up here at home," said Wallace, who expects to play after turning his ankle Monday night. "They're playing good ball, but I still don't think they have enough to beat us in the series."
Finished on bench
Rasheed Wallace and key reserve Antonio McDyess were on the bench late in Game 4, a decision Saunders defended and Wallace didn't have a problem with a day later.
"I'm not doubting or going against what he's doing as the coach, because he is the coach," Wallace said. "I'm still rolling with it.
"It's 2-2. We're not down. And, I know we're going to win it."
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