3 reasons the Pistons should be optimistic after Game 1

Moral victories are for minor-league coaches, especially in the playoffs, but the Detroit Pistons should feel good about themselves after Game 1.

The Cleveland Cavaliers walked away with the win on their home court as everyone expected, but they needed 81 points out of their stars, and still only won by five points.

Stan Van Gundy's heavy underdogs lasted 12 rounds, trading punch for punch with the reigning Eastern Conference champions, and should hold their heads high despite getting knocked out.

Here's thee reasons why the Pistons should be happy with their showing in Game 1.

Spread them thin

The Pistons probably won't shoot 51.7 percent from deep again, but they should still take it as a positive that they managed to fire off 29 threes.

Matched up against a heavy favorite, launching from long range is a high-variance play that could swing the outcome of the game. But the Pistons weren't just chucking abjectly - most of their looks came as a result of going small and spreading the Cavaliers thin.

Taking nearly 30 threes was a sign that their offense was working.

Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Stanley Johnson, and Marcus Morris made a combined 10 3-pointers as the beneficiaries of the Cavaliers sending help defenders toward Andre Drummond and Reggie Jackson's pick-and-rolls.

The spacing that a four-wing, one-big lineup provides is going to be a problem for the Cavaliers to deal with going forward.

Rookie and the vet

Questions lingered over whether 19-year-old rookie Johnson would be playable in an intense playoff series. Would he be able to handle the pressure that comes with the impossible task of guarding LeBron James?

James tried to push the rookie around, but Johnson refused to get punked. He guarded James better than anyone else on the team, and also canned all three of his 3-point tries on the afternoon.

If Johnson's inconsistent jumper continues to fall, he could prove to be a pivotal piece for the Pistons. His ability to defend positions 1 through 4 - while also matching James' physicality in the post - should allow the Pistons to match up when Cleveland goes back to their smallball lineups.

Van Gundy ultimately elected to have Johnson watch from the bench as the Cavaliers pulled away, but it was a decision he regrets.

"I just wish I had done some things differently and maybe we come out ahead," Van Gundy said.

Poise under pressure

It's not a stretch to suggest the magnitude of the moment overwhelmed the Pistons.

Compare the calmness of the battle-tested Cavaliers to the frantic pitter-patter of the Pistons down the stretch. With James handling the offense, the Cavaliers simply stuck to their sets. Conversely, Jackson broke the offense time and time again to run isolations, and picked up a crucial technical.

Jackson, who was otherwise excellent, isn't solely to blame. The Pistons can't act like they've been there before, because they haven't. For core fixtures Johnson, Morris, Harris, and Drummond, this was their maiden voyage into the postseason.

But having experienced a typical pressure-packed finish to a playoff game, the Pistons should do better going forward. If they're going to wrestle the series away from the Cavaliers, they'll need to keep their cool.