By Paul Levine May 22, 2006, 1:53 GMT
Los Angeles - Tayshaun Prince was the only starter on the Detroit Pistons not to go to the All-Star Game. On Sunday, Prince was the main reason the Pistons are going to the Eastern Conference finals.
Prince scored 20 points and was part of a fantastic second-half defensive effort against superstar LeBron James as the Pistons smothered the Cavaliers, 79-61, in game seven of the conference semifinals.
Richard Hamilton scored 15 points for top-seeded Detroit, which matched a playoff record for fewest points allowed in a second half and set the mark for fewest surrendered in a game seven.
Detroit gave up just 23 points after halftime, tying the record established by Chicago vs. Utah in game three of the 1998 NBA Finals.
The previous game seven low was 69 points, also by the Pistons in the 2004 conference semifinals against New Jersey.
In the conference finals for the fourth straight year, the Pistons will host the second-seeded Miami Heat on Wednesday, a rematch of last year's series won by Detroit in - of course - seven games.
Prince made 7-of-16 shots and added seven rebounds, three assists and a block. He helped Detroit open an early 13-point lead and contributed to a surge in the second half that allowed the Pistons to pull away after the Cavaliers had closed within a point.
Snubbed as an all-star but a member of the all-defensive second team, Prince did all he could to contain James, the 21-year-old phenom who carried the Cavaliers within one win of their first trip to the conference finals in 14 years.
James was spectacular in averaging nearly 31 points in the postseason but was stymied in the second half of his first game seven.
After scoring 21 points in the first half to help Cleveland rally within 40-38 at halftime, James scored just one point in the pivotal third quarter and was just 1-of-9 from the field in the second half.
Facing a steady diet of double-teams comprised of different defenders, James could not find the openings he had earlier in the series. He finished with 27 points on 11-of-24 shooting, adding eight rebounds.
James didn't get much help, either. The only other Cavalier in double figures was Larry Hughes, who scored 10 points after missing the previous four games due to the death of his younger brother. Besides James, Cleveland made just 9-of-41 shots.
Rasheed Wallace had 13 points and eight rebounds, and Chauncey Billups added 13 and eight assists for the Pistons, who improved to 7-1 in elimination games over the last three postseasons.
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