The Cavaliers and fans are tired of talking about LeBron James’ decision to pass to Donyell Marshall instead of taking a shot in the final seconds of the series opener. Game two is in few hours, so what do you expect to see?
I want to see us win and take home court advantage. We were suppose to win game 1, but that was history.
Marshall was in the same spot on the floor with 2 seconds on the shot clock during Wednesday’s practice. He made the shot and his teammates rushed onto the court.
Our team is loose and like to have fun, “That’s how we stay loose. We take something negative into a positive. We’re going to use that for motivation in Game 2.” Marshall said.
With both teams off for two days between games, Cleveland coach Mike Brown expects the playoff-tested Pistons to play much differently in the second game of the series.
“They’re going to make adjustments because they’re a great team,” Brown said. “They’re going to get to a point where they’re going to get comfortable and they’re going to be able to pick us apart.”
If Cleveland does trap Billups, Detroit coach Flip Saunders wants him to learn from his mistakes.
“He held onto the ball maybe one dribble too long,” Saunders said. “Chauncey just needs to make quicker decisions, which he did in the third quarter, and then when other guys started making plays.”
Billups intends to help his teammates bounce back. “I think a lot of that is going to be on me, trying to get them going on pick-and-rolls and stuff like that,” he said.
James was scoreless in the first quarter as he looked to set up his teammates rather than shoot. He finished with a playoff-low 10 points on 5-of-15 shooting and didn’t attempt a free throw.
“He’s going to be very aggressive,” Billups said. “They’re talking about having him shoot free throws and all of that. I’m sure he’ll find a way to get on that free throw line the next game.”
James said he likes the Cavs’ mind-set entering a pivotal game.
“We just believe we can win — on the road, at home, slowdown game, high-volume game — we just have a lot of confidence,” he said. “Winning in the playoffs helps that.”