Written by Nick Allburn

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The game in 300 words or less

There's nothing to see here. Please disperse!

Well, that was definitely the worst loss of the season. The Cavs were down 100-50 at the end of the third and wound up losing to a 22-win Detroit Pistons team by 37 points. Not good.

With Anderson Varejao, Kyrie Irving, and Alonzo Gee all out of action, it wasn’t a shock that the Cavs lost, but you never expect to get run out of the gym by a team like the Pistons regardless of the personnel. Then again, when you take the three best players off of a team like the Cavs – already mediocre at best – then things like this tend to happen.

Brandon Knight was the biggest culprit, dropping 28 on the Cavs and missing just one shot all night. Five other Pistons cracked double-digits. The Pistons shot 60% from the field while the Cavs could only muster 34.8%; stats like that usually lead to lopsided scores.

The Cavs could have given away free season tickets to anyone who was still watching in the fourth quarter of this baby, as you could probably count those fans one hand.

The defense was offensive

There just weren’t many scorers on the floor for the Cavs, so putting up such lousy scoring numbers can be understood, if not forgiven. The thing that Byron Scott won’t forgive is such lousy effort on defense.

Now I know that only half of this team has seen regular time all season, but that is no excuse for letting the lowly Pistons get to the rim with such ease. The Cavs didn’t get blown away in this one because they were totally outclassed; they were blown out because they consistently settled for long jumpers while letting the Pistons score in the paint.

Antawn Jamison, layer of bricks

I have consistently praised Antawn Jamison in this space all season long. Even though Jamison is clearly not the player that he was several years ago with the Wizards, he can still score, and he’s the consummate professional to provide a solid example for the younger guys.

That said, c’mon Antawn! Three points on 0-for-10 shooting, with a team-low -47 plus/minus. MINUS FORTY SEVEN. When Antawn Jamison was on the floor, the Cavaliers were outscored by 47 points. Just take a moment to let that information sink in.

Brandon Knight is a long-term piece 

I gave Brandon Knight some love when the Cavs beat the Pistons in late February, and for once Knight might be making me look good. It still isn’t clear if Knight is a one or a smallish two guard, but the guy can clearly play. The 28 he put up on the Cavs tonight gives him 20-plus points in 3 of the last 4 games.

Detroit isn’t exactly loaded with long-term pieces, so they should be pretty pleased that they were able to land Knight with the eighth pick in last year’s draft. I think Knight’s floor is a sixth or seventh man who can come off the bench and get to the rim.

The Palace of Auburn Hills, population 73

Wow, was that place ever deserted tonight. Usually camera men can make it look like a building is more packed than it actually is with a few select camera angles, but there was no hiding the Palace’s vacancy tonight. Well, either that or Detroit fans like dressing up like empty seats.

I actually think I saw Will Smith going hunting with his German shepherd in the upper deck. Stay out of the darkness, Will.

The losing edge

As much as I’ve been a proponent for winning and disregarding where the Cavs finish, even I can admit that there isn’t anything to be gained by winning any of these last six games.

As it stands now, the Cavs have the fourth-worst record in the league at 20-40. It is pretty unlikely that the Cavs will pass the Nets, Raptors, or Warriors. However, the Kings are 20-41 and the Hornets are 19-42, so it’s possible that the Cavs could end up with the second-worst record if a few things break right – err, wrong.

We will see what happens over the next week and a half, but it’s unlikely that the Cavs will be drafting outside of the top five, which means they’re going to have an excellent chance of grabbing another impact player to share the load with Kyrie Irving and Anderson Varejao.

 

Up next: Wednesday, 4/18, vs. Philadelphia 76ers, 7:00, FSN Ohio