The Cleveland Cavaliers and Detroit Pistons took care of business, showed some pride, and defended their homecourt in their respective Game 7s on Sunday. Now, they'll square off in the following round.
There are more than enough reasons to feel confident about this matchup if you're Kenny Atkinson. However, the Cavs also had their fair share of struggles in a first-round series that should've never gone the distance.
Jarrett Allen stepped up with the best playoff performance of his career, dropping 22 points and grabbing 19 rebounds in the series-clinching matchup. Now, he'll be in for a tougher task when he meets Jalen Duren in the Eastern Conference Semifinals.
Jalen Duren may want to send a message against Jarrett Allen
Duren has been a problem for the Cavs this season. He scored 33 and 24 points with 16 and 14 rebounds, respectively, in their last two meetings. Also, he's coming off a terrible first-round series, and with a contract extension looming large, he might try to compensate and make a statement against Allen.
The Pistons' big man averaged 10.6 points, 9.4 rebounds, 2.1 assists, 2.7 turnovers, and 4 fouls on 52.8 percent from the floor against the Orlando Magic. That's a significant regression from his season averages of 19.5 points, 2.7 rebounds, and 1.8 turnovers while shooting 65.0 percent from the floor.
Allen went hot and cold throughout the course of the series, and he's not necessarily known for being a playoff riser. If anything, it was fairly surprising -- and encouraging -- to watch him take matters into his own hands in the second half vs. the Raptors. Now, he's going to have to keep his foot on the gas against Duren.
To be fair, Allen also did well against the Pistons this season. He averaged 17.7 points, 6.3 rebounds and 2.0 assists per game on 64.7 percent shooting, though he fouled out during Duren's 33-point,16-rebound performance.
Duren is one of the most-improved players in the league this season, and he wants to establish himself among the highest-paid big men with a lucrative contract extension that could pocket him $200 million over the next five years. Making a statement against a big man who's developed a reputation for struggling in the postseason is the clearer path to doing so.
Allen has to show some teeth and withstand Duren's physicality on both ends of the glass. He's proven that he can be a reliable two-way big man when he's locked in and engaged, and attacking Duren early and often should also help keep him in check.
James Harden and Allen have unmatched chemistry in the pick-and-roll, and coach Atkinson must make sure to get him going with some scripted touches early. Allen will be back in the spotlight in this series, and being bumped out of the court by a more physical big man would pretty much doom his chances of returning next season.
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