NBA playoff scores 2016: Pistons aren’t afraid, but that’s not enough against Cavaliers

The Detroit Pistons knew they weren't scared headed into a series against the Cleveland Cavaliers. They're a young, feisty team that has fought all season, despite mid-season change and natural growing pains that any youth-led roster encounters. After Game 1, despite the 106-101 loss, the rest of the world knows that about Detroit, too.

That's the prevailing feeling about the Pistons, who pushed the Eastern Conference's top team into a 48-minute fight on Sunday by refusing to budge an inch. Many or most playoff series between No. 1 vs. No. 8 seeds play out like the one on Saturday, where the Warriors obliterated Houston by nearly 30 points in a nearly unwatchable blowout. But the Pistons? Not only did they play Cleveland tight, but the Pistons' game on Sunday has a strong case to be the most entertaining one all weekend.

Cleveland's had a weird season of good basketball mixed with petty drama. For 48 minutes against Detroit, all we saw was the good basketball. Detroit's young team didn't look youthful or nervous, mixing it up with the Cavaliers as if they were the ones who had been in 179 playoff games. Stanley Johnson was particularly impressive guarding LeBron James, who was slowed to just two points in the third quarter.

Stanley Johnson checking LeBron is marvelous. pic.twitter.com/6CYCPGeCGU

— Aaron Johnson (@AJohnsonSports) April 17, 2016

For most of the fourth quarter, Cleveland put Kevin Love at center, something Detroit didn't have a good answer for. Andre Drummond couldn't stretch out far enough to guard him, leading to a couple huge corner threes from Love that gave Cleveland breathing room. Drummond made one shot out of the post, but it wasn't enough to scare the Cavaliers away from the strategy, not with the exemplary results on the other end.

Still, even as the Cavaliers landed these body blows in the fourth quarter, Detroit never slipped away. Reggie Jackson spun out of control a little too far in the final few minutes, but his huge made three that he nailed pulling up with 20 seconds on the shot clock summed up the Pistons' evening. It was right after Love had hit one, and Jackson's immediate, brash answer back exemplifies what we now know about Detroit: they aren't scared.

Chris Paul has the Clippers playoff-ready

The Los Angeles Clippers-Portland Trail Blazers series was supposed to be close, but the Clippers overpowered the Blazers in Game 1. They coasted to an easy 115-95 win behind 28 points and 11 assists from Chris Paul, who was his usual brilliant self. It's nice to have Blake Griffin playing and dunking like he was never injured, but Paul was the driving force behind the Clippers -- just like he always is. The Blazers had no answer for Paul, who is still one of the best point guards in the NBA. On Sunday, he showed Lillard just how good he was. If he continues to do so, the Clippers-Blazers series is going to be shorter than anyone thought.

The Miami Heat are peaking

The Heat ran the Charlotte Hornets out of the gym in the first game of their first-round series, running to a 123-91 win. Luol Deng led the Heat with 31 points as Miami rolled over a shaky Hornets defense. The Heat shot 57.6 percent from the field and 50 percent from deep and they dominated the glass, outrebounding the Hornets 42-28. Hassan Whiteside added 21 points and 11 rebounds and Goran Dragic had nine points and 10 assists. The Heat looked every bit ready to challenge anyone in the Eastern Conference -- especially a day after the No. 2 seed Toronto Raptors faltered in their playoff opener. If the Heat keep playing like this, every team in the East should be afraid -- even James and the Cavaliers.

The poor Memphis Grizzlies don't stand a chance

It's not really their fault -- they're missing Marc Gasol and Mike Conley, after all -- but the depleted Grizzlies' roster probably shouldn't be in the playoffs, much less facing off against the 67-win San Antonio Spurs. The Grizzlies kept it kind of close through the first two quarters, trailing by only 11 at the half, but the second half was a different story. The Spurs broke the game wide open and led by 30 at the end of three. Lance Stephenson trying to get the ball with Kawhi Leonard guarding him was a microcosm of the game:

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