Sound the Bell...

Get ready for Round 2 of the Cavs and Pistons, with two more to follow...and then perhaps they will meet again in May. There is no love lost here on either side for obvious reasons. It will be intriguing to see how the Ben Wallace factor plays in. Ben, better than anyone, knows what makes the Pistons tick, and vice versa. Ben has only lost once in the regular season to the team loaded with his closest friends. He says these games will always be special because of the battles they went through together.

Z had an interesting take on the rivalry, saying there is "a lot of BS" that goes back and forth and as a player if you get caught up in the grudges, it will take you out of your game.

The Pistons have their best bench in years, certainly since the championship year of '04 when Corliss Williamson, Mehmet Okur, Mike James and Lindsey Hunter provided 29 points a game and defensive energy. This group is even more youthful.

The most amazing aspect of the Pistons current run is their durability. Think about this...in the 4 and a half years since Rasheed Wallace, Tayshaun Prince, Rip Hamilton and Chauncey Billups have been together, the team has played in 420 regular season and playoff games. Combined, that quartet has played in 96 percent of those games, a rarity for four starters.

That kind of number speaks volumes about LeBron, Ben and Z's durability as well. Over that same period, King James and big Ben have also played in 96 percent of their games and Z, 95 percent. It's the difference between good teams becoming great, just ask the resilient San Antonio Spurs about that.

Complementing Each Other Well...

Even if it is for only 21 hours, its nice to catch some sun in Orlando. LeBron looked out the window today during brunch and asked..."What is that orange thing in the sky?"

A nice turn of events was a real night's sleep here which is a far cry from the last trip in. Back on February 11th we had to fly in the day of the game and yet came up with one of the most impressive wins of the season. This game will decide the season series and tie breaker. The Magic lead the Cavs in the loss columm by 5 games with 14to play.

The Cavs 118-111 win was punctuated by the brief benching of Dwight Howard in the 4th quarter with the Cavs up 7, when Stan Van Gundy was not happy with something Howard said on the floor. He then took his star to task after the game saying the big man is thinking too much about his offense and gets too frustrated. Van Gundy added he needs the NBA's rebounding leader to concentrate on getting defensive boards and worry about offense 2nd. Since that game, Howard is averaging 14 and a half boards a game, and got 24 the very next game against Denver. this will be the Cavs first look at the Magic since the big trade.

Big Z and Ben Wallace with play their 5th game together tonight. Ben is averaging 10 rebounds with Zydrunas along side. Likewise for Z, with 10 a game on the glass in those four, but tonigh is a tough cover with Howard and Turkoglu playing so well.

See you on St. Patty’s Day coverage on FSN...