Written by Sam Amico

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CLEVELAND -- Random thoughts from the Cavaliers’ 99-92 win over the Detroit Pistons:

* It was a bizarre, scary night that featured the Cavs trailing by 21 points in the second quarter and Pistons guard Rodney Stuckey suffering what was believed to be a seizure late in the third. As you likely know by now, Stuckey was removed from Quicken Loans Arena on a stretcher and taken to the Cleveland Clinic. At last report, his vital signs were good and he’s in stable condition.

* After the game, everyone in the media room was talking about how Stuckey’s collapse on the bench (with the Pistons leading 67-61 and 2:30 remaining), happened one day after the 20-year anniversary of Hank Gathers’ on-court death.

* Gathers was a star at Loyola-Marymount University at the time, and died from a heart arrhythmia during a conference championship game in 1990. It shocked the basketball world, as Gathers was one of the few players to lead the nation in both scoring and rebounding. He was 6-foot-9 and looked like he had been chiseled from the side of a mountain, and no one would have ever guessed Gathers would die the way he did. Stuckey’s episode on the Pistons’ bench looked eerily similar.

* Even LeBron James admitted Gathers was the first person he thought of when Stuckey was being taken off the floor. James said the Cavs watched the Gathers videos replayed on ESPN the day before at practice.

* It was obvious the Stuckey situation affected both teams when play started back up. The Pistons were understandably very flat and the Cavs took a little time to get going (which actually seemed to be a problem most of the night, but more on that later). Said Cavs forward Antawn Jamison: “We play this game and we compete against each other, but we’re all friends. He has a family and he’s a good guy. I just pray that he has a speedy recovery and that it’s nothing serious.”

* Meanwhile, Pistons coach John Kuester said he has been in similar situations and that “it’s not pleasant to talk about.” Kuester then paused and looked down. “All that matters is he’s OK.”

* As for the actual game, the Cavs played perhaps their worst first half of the season. They definitely didn’t look anything like the team that’s blown through the competition in the past four or five games. Heck, LeBron James even shot an air ball. So did Mo Williams. Not to be outdone, Jamison had a few shots that made the rim cringe with fear himself.

* Of course, the Cavs’ defense was their biggest problem in the first two quarters. The Pistons probably could have put the water cooler at the end of their bench in the game and it would have scored six points. That’s because the Cavs were doing a lot of standing around on the perimeter and playing soft underneath the basket.

* As spectacular as James (40 points, 13 rebounds) was, Jamison was magnificent and saved the day early in the fourth quarter. That is when he scored seven consecutive points to lift the Cavs to a 75-71 advantage with LeBron on the bench. Jamison received a standing ovation and the Cavs never trailed again.

* Mostly, though, the Cavs’ turned it up several notches on defense early after halftime, playing physical and putting their hands up to challenge shots. Jamison summed it up beautifully when he said, “It wasn’t pretty, but fortunately we found a way to get it done.” In other words, a win is a win is a win. And all anyone really cares about is the fact the Cavs are a league-best 49-14.

* Of course, the best line of the night belonged to James, who joked that he didn’t particularly care for the team’s promotional giveaway of Snuggie blankets. “No more Snuggie nights,” James said with a smile. “We looked like we were ready for bed. Maybe we should have Boot Night so we can act like we’re getting ready for combat.”

* Not to be lost in all the madness was the play of Anderson Varejao. As Cavs coach Mike Brown often implies, Varejao remains one of the league’s most underrated players. All he did on this night was come off the bench to supply his usual dose of energy, making 8 of 10 shots for 16 points. He also pulled down 10 boards.

* The Cavs have another toughie tonight in Milwaukee. Hard to believe we’re saying that about the Bucks, but the truth is, they are 8-1 since making the trade (with Chicago) for small forward John Salmons. The Bucks’ lone loss during that stretch came at Atlanta in overtime.

Sam Amico covers the Cavaliers and NBA for NBA.com, and is a regular contributor to SportsTime Ohio and The Cleveland Fan.