The Pistons have won the Central Division regularly since the Pacers' demise but they're probably not going to catch Cleveland this season.
Not only have the Cavs won all their home games, they have built an 8-game lead over the Pistons. How big is the gap? Milwaukee and Chicago are closer to the Pistons in the race for second place than the Pistons are to Cleveland.
Statistically, the Cavs are doing the job at both ends of the court. They have the second-highest field-goal percentage in the league. Defensively, they're No. 1 in both points allowed and field-goal percentage.
Surprisingly, the only major area in which they've been subpar is 3-point shooting. They're 19th in the league in that category but with Daniel Gibson, Wally Szczerbiak and Mo Williams in the rotation, I don't think it will be a major problem going forward.
I don't see how the Pistons can catch the Cavs, unless LeBron gets injured for a long stretch. Even if the Pistons won three-quarters of their games the rest of the way, Cleveland would have to lose 20 games in order for the Pistons to reel them in. LeBron and his teammates look too focused to let that happen.
On a side note, why won't The Palace finally concede defeat and officially end the sellout streak? The upper level hasn't been close to full in most games this season. On Tuesday against Charlotte, I'd estimate the upper level was 25- to 30-percent capacity. And they couldn't use the weather as an excuse because it didn't snow. Please end the charade.