Their offense doesn't bog down as much as in the past when forward LeBron James was standing at the top of the key, pounding the basketball, as the shot clock expired.

Cavs coach Mike Brown, whose team beat the Pistons on Saturday in Game 1, 102-84, said that was by design.

"That's what I asked him to do," he said. "When I first got here, I thought in order to win on the road and in the playoffs, you have to have a defensive mindset and a defensive identity. I sacrificed on the offensive side of the ball because of his abilities. It worked out at times. We got to the Finals. It was all because of our defense and knowing we had a guy like LeBron."

They'll likely need every point they can generate in this series against the Pistons. There could be a few 79-73 games in the first-round matchup.

The Cavs have soared to 13th in the NBA in points per game this year (100.3), sixth in field-goal percentage (46.8 percent) and second in 3-point percentage (39.3).

"Mo is a big factor, but every year I've tried to get better," Cavs coach Mike Brown said. "I've grown a lot since my first year. Mo has made it run a lot smoother."

TNT analyst Reggie Miller said Williams made a big difference.

"Obviously, Mo is a big reason why," he said. "He's another guy to stretch floor with LeBron. You can't say it's all Mo Williams, though. Delonte West is diamond in the rough for Mike Brown. The Cavs have always been a great defensive team. They've shifted a little to offense."

Brown said he believes the Cavs offense is more efficient now.

"We're more balanced offensively than we were three years ago," he said. "Now I'm not asking or demanding as much of LeBron."

CAVS 102, PISTONS 84: LeBron James often will let the game come to him.

That wasn't the case on Saturday in Game 1 of the Cavaliers' best-of-seven series against the Detroit Pistons.

James pushed the action right from the opening tip. He exploited his playoff foe for a game-high 38 points in the Cavs' destruction of the Pistons in front of a raucous crowd at Quicken Loans Arena.

"We allowed him to get to the basket on the first four possessions," Pistons coach Michael Curry said.

It all went downhill from there for the upset-minded Pistons.

Under ideal conditions, the Pistons want to force the ball out of James' hands a bit more.

Pistons forward Tayshaun Prince drew the task of guarding the 6-foot-8, 260-pounder.

"The game is over if you give (James) an opportunity to go downhill and get in the middle of your defense," he said.

James pulled down eight rebounds and dished out a game-high seven assists. He made 13 of 20 shots from the field, one of four from behind the arc.

But that one 3-point shot was a confidence-builder for the Cavs. He connected on a 41-foot, 3-point bomb off the glass at the first-half buzzer.

It was demoralizing for the Pistons, who trailed at halftime 57-45.

"The 3 helped momentum," James said. "It brings the house down. The crowd will go crazy. My range is unlimited."

He was asked if he called glass on the play.

"Yes, after I hit it," he joked.