5-on-5: What matters most in the Cavs-Pistons series, and who wins?

— -- Detroit beat Cleveland twice this season. Does that mean we have an upset in the making? Or will the Cavaliers begin another march to the NBA Finals?

1. What is the most important thing to watch in this series?

Amin Elhassan, ESPN Insider:  Whether the Cavs can overcome a lackluster end to their regular season and get on track against a Pistons team that defeated them three of four times this season. Specifically, we should watch the matchup in the frontcourt between Drummond-Harris-Morris and Thompson-Love-James. LeBron has been stellar, but the Cavs struggle with forwards who can exploit Love's defensive shortcomings.

Brian Windhorst, ESPN.com: LeBron. You could give other thoughtful answers but this is what matters. James has owned the East. He was the conference's player of the month for the past three months. He is the East and his list of great playoff performances demands attention.

David Thorpe, ESPN Insider: I will focus on LeBron's perimeter shooting. He makes things so much easier for himself and his team when he is balanced and focused on his 3-ball. He made eight of his last 11 from the 3-point line after a dreadful season from there. Of course, going into Game 1, the Pistons probably hope he chucks a bunch of long shots up. But ...

Ben Alamar, ESPN Analytics: Can the combination of Timofey Mozgov and Tristan Thompson handle Andre Drummond? The Pistons' best shot is for Drummond to be able to dominate inside -- if Thompson can contain him, then the Cavs will dominate the series.

Kevin Pelton, ESPN Insider: Cleveland's defensive glass. Thanks to Andre Drummond, the Pistons have been outstanding at coming up with second chances, and if those opportunities are lacking against a Cavaliers team that is stout at defensive rebounding, Detroit may struggle to score.

2. After LeBron, who will be the best player in this series?

Elhassan:  While I'm tempted to say Reggie Jackson, I expect Kyrie Irving to bounce back with a performance similar to the one he put up last postseason, where he really found his stride shooting the ball from deep and playmaking before going down to injury.