Lebron records triple-double as Cavs beat Pistons

Make no mistake about it – Lebron James is the King of this Palace.

James has been a thorn in the Detroit Pistons' side ever since he led the Cleveland Cavaliers to victory in a dramatic Eastern Conference Finals series against the Pistons back in 2007. The Pistons simply couldn't find an answer for James, whose all-around play had him averaging 27 points, 7 rebounds, and 6 assists for the series.

Some things never change. James simply dominated the short-handed Pistons, 113-101, Tuesday night at the Palace of Auburn Hills. The league's reigning MVP recorded a triple-double, scoring 29 points to go along with 12 rebounds and 12 assists. Mo Williams was played capably in a supporting role with 20 points, 4 rebounds, and 5 assists, as did Antawn Jamison, who tallied 15 points and 10 rebounds. Anderson Varejao came off the bench to play a key role in defense, recording 6 rebounds, 4 steals, and a block to go with his 9 points.

Detroit played valiantly in the loss, getting solid nights out of its players. Rip Hamilton led all Pistons scorers with 24 points, hitting 4 out of 5 attempts from downtown. Tayshaun Prince bounced back from a troubling injury from Detroit's last game, putting up totals of 15 points, 7 rebounds, and 8 assists. Jason Maxiell, who inadvertently injured Prince in the previous game, continued his role as the team's de facto Ben Wallace, pulling down 15 rebounds despite being grossly undersized for the center position. The sporadic Charlie Villanueva had one of his better performances off the bench, hitting all three of his 3-point attempts on the way to a 16-point total for the night.

The Cavaliers, who currently hold the league's best record at 53-15, had their hands full with the 23-45 Pistons all throughout the game. The Pistons kept things close early on, ending the first quarter on an improbable tie with the Cavs. The game would carry on accordingly, as the fans were treated to an exciting back-and-forth between the Eastern Conference rivals. The lead was exchanged a grand total of 10 times, while the teams saw their scores in a deadlock on 21 occasions. The Cavaliers simply couldn't pull away from the Pistons, who forced another tie with a little less than 5 minutes left in the game.

It certainly didn't help that James was uncharacteristically ineffective through the game's first three quarters, going 5-for-15 on his shot attempts. He turned it on when it mattered, however, going off on a 5-of-7 shooting spree in the final period while dishing out 4 assists and grabbing 3 rebounds. James' virtuoso performance was largely responsible for a 19-7 Cleveland run late in the game, resulting in the lopsided final score despite majority of the game being a nailbiter.

The Cavaliers continue to rule the league, and appear poised to make another serious run at the NBA Championship. With Jamison slowly fitting into his role in Cleveland, the Eastern Conference's top-seeded team pose a serious threat to the teams that face them in the Playoffs.

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