(My Sportsbook) - The Detroit Pistons face an uphill battle Saturday when they kick off their Eastern Conference quarterfinal series with the top- seeded Cleveland Cavaliers.

The eighth-seeded Pistons, who are the only team in the playoffs that didn't record a .500 or better record, will have to devise a way to stop or even slow down MVP candidate LeBron James and the cruising Cavs, especially since Cleveland captured homecourt advantage throughout the entire postseason with an NBA-best 66-16 record. The Cavaliers were also a remarkable 39-2 at Quicken Loans Arena in the regular season and reached the playoffs for a fourth consecutive season.

Cleveland defeated Washington in six games in the first round of the playoffs last year before bowing out to Boston in seven games during the Eastern Conference semifinals. The Cavs carried that momentum and experience into the 2008-09 campaign and won a consistent basis behind the great play of superstar James and new point guard Mo Williams.

Head coach Mike Brown was fortunate enough not to have any serious injuries to his players this season, but also had the luxury of coaching one of the top scorers in the league. James, the NBA's darling and top commodity, averaged 28.4 points per game this season and led his team to their first Central Division title since the 1975-76 season.

Williams had a career season, averaging 17.8 points and 4.1 assists per contest and made general manager Danny Ferry look like a genius. Williams was acquired in a three-team deal last August and gelled with his new teammates immediately. The former Alabama star could be the deciding ingredient to Cleveland's championship formula.

Despite a tumultuous season, Detroit qualified for the postseason for an eighth straight year, and will be hoping to reach the conference finals for a seventh consecutive time.

First-year head coach Michael Curry had his fair share of injuries to deal with and the departure of fan favorite Chauncey Billups, who was shipped to Denver with two other players in exchange for guard Allen Iverson.

The Iverson experiment didn't work out and he will not be available for the playoffs because of a lingering back problem. The disgruntled guard spoke vehemently about his playing time and that coming off the bench wasn't for him. Iverson, a future Hall of Famer, didn't do much to help Detroit on its path to the postseason.

Tayshaun Prince and Richard Hamilton were the usual scoring suspects for the Pistons, while Prince led the club in points (14.2), rebounds (5.8) and field- goal percentage (45.0). Hamilton shook off groin and hip injuries this season and his numbers declined after Billups left the scene for Denver.

While Billups has helped the Nuggets to the Northwest Division title and the No. 2 seed in the West, Hamilton helped will the Pistons back into the playoffs but their four-year streak of winning the Central Division came to an end.

Detroit's run of six straight Eastern Conference finals appearances is in jeopardy too. Cleveland went 3-1 against Detroit this season, but the Pistons have won 10 of the last 15 meetings between the teams. Detroit beat Cleveland in the 2006 conference semifinals before the Cavs bounced the Pistons from the East finals the next year.

The Cavs and Pistons will be meeting in the NBA Playoffs for the third time in franchise history, all in the last four seasons. The Cavaliers lead the all- time playoff series 7-6 and have won five of the six home games against Detroit in the playoffs. Cleveland has won four straight playoff games against the Pistons.