The Cleveland Cavaliers may have been blown out at the hands of the Pistons in Detroit, but they did manage to secure a playoff spot in the process, the Associated Press is reporting.

Detroit took the game 85-71, leaving LeBron James concerned about the team's injury situation with only nine games left in the season.

"It's been really frustrating," James said. "Our team is based on consistency and trying to get momentum, and it's hard to do that when you have guys coming in and coming out."

"We know it's part of the game, but it's happening to us at the wrong part of the season."

The Detroit Pistons beat the Miami Heat on Thursday night to clinch their fourth-straight Central Division title. The Pistons have quietly posted the NBA?s second-best record, behind the Celtics, this season. Read about Detroit?s accomplishment and more in the RealGM Daily Rundown for March 27th?s games!

- DET 85, MIA 69

The Detroit Pistons used a strong second half to knock off the Miami Heat on Thursday night, winning their fourth-straight Central Division title in the process. Chauncey Billups had 13 points and 11 assists, and Jason Maxiell added 15 points and 7 rebounds off the bench for the Pistons, who shot 47% from the field and outrebounded Miami by three. Chris Quinn posted 11 points, 7 assists, and 5 rebounds, and Blake Ahearn added 15 points and 4 boards for the Heat, who turned the ball over fourteen times and went 2-for-15 from behind the three-point line. The Pistons (51-21) are still 5.5 games behind the Celtics for the best record in the Eastern Conference.

Game FIC Scores
Jason Maxiell, DET ? 13.6
Arron Afflalo, DET ? 13.5
Rasheed Wallace, DET ? 12.1
Chris Quinn, MIA ? 10.5

- DEN 118, DAL 105

The Denver Nuggets used a 58-35 second half advantage to down the Dallas Mavericks last night. Carmelo Anthony tallied 32 points, 10 rebounds, and 8 assists, and Allen Iverson added 31 points for the Nuggets, who hit 48% of their shots and scored 23 points off Dallas turnovers. Josh Howard led the Mavericks with 30 points and 5 rebounds while Jason Kidd added 19 points and 15 assists in the loss. The victory pulled the Nuggets to within a game of Dallas for the seventh seed in the Western Conference, while the loss shrunk the Mavericks? lead over the Warriors for the eighth seed to just a half-game.

Game FIC Scores
Jason Kidd, DAL ? 25.4
Carmelo Anthony, DEN ? 25.0
Allen Iverson, DEN ? 18.8
Jerry Stackhouse, DAL ? 15.4

- GSW 111, POR 95

The Golden State Warriors outscored the Portland Trail Blazers by twenty points in the third quarter on Thursday night en route to a huge win at ORACLE Arena. Stephen Jackson had 24 points and 5 rebounds, and Monta Ellis added 18 points, 10 boards, and 5 assists for the Warriors, who hit 46% of their shots and outrebounded Portland by five. Steve Blake posted 22 points and 6 assists, and LaMarcus Aldridge tallied 17 points, 6 dimes, and 5 rebounds for the Blazers, who turned the ball over fifteen times and have now fallen seven games behind the Warriors for the final playoff spot in the Western Conference.

Game FIC Scores
Monta Ellis, GSW ? 19.8
Baron Davis, GSW ? 16.5
Steve Blake, POR ? 15.0
Martell Webster, POR ? 10.0

? RealGM calculates the Floor Impact Counter using the following formula: (Points + .75 Defensive Rebounds + Offensive Rebounds + Steals + Assists + Blocks - .75 Field Goal Attempts - .375 Free Throw Attempts - Turnovers - .5 Personal Fouls)

( )'s indicate a negative FIC score.

It is also used to rank players and to determine their `Reina Value.'
Click here to view the player rankings with the Reina Value for the current season

The Detroit Pistons clinched the Central Division title with a 85-69 win over the Miami Heat on Thursday night, the Associated Press is reporting.

It was Detroit's fourth straight division title and sixth in the last seven years.

"It means a lot," Billups said. "Every year, we're picked to finish second, third, maybe even fourth, but at the end, we're in first. That feels good."

Pistons' center Theo Ratliff was planning on retiring after this season, the Detroit News is reporting, but the Pistons want the big man to come back again next year.

According to the report, both Ratliff and Pistons' GM Joe Dumars have spoken about him coming back next season as the Pistons' fifth big man.

"It's going to come down to family and how I feel," said Ratliff. "I have six kids, and they are growing up fast."

"We'll talk after the season and see how everything works out," he said.

David West did not play for the Hornets when they took on the Pistons in Detroit on Sunday.

He missed the game with an ankle sprain, and New Orleans struggled mightily in Motown. The Pistons won 105-84, thanks to 29 points off the bench from Jarvis Hayes.

Chris Paul, who was questionable heading into the battle, posted 14 points and 14 assists in the loss.

David West might not play for the Hornets when they take on the Pistons on Sunday afternoon, according to the Times-Picayune.

West suffered a sprained right ankle in the team's win against the Lakers on Friday night, with Pau Gasol of Los Angeles suffering the same fate.

He had missed three games with a sprained left ankle recently.

"Being that it's the other ankle, I really don't know what to think. (Team trainer) Terry Kofler really thought it would be a game-time decision," Byron Scott said. "I'm going to talk to David to see how he feels, and we'll go from there. It's just one of those things, and it has been a rough couple of weeks for him."

Bruce Bowen of the San Antonio Spurs has been suspended  one  game without pay for striking Chris Paul of the New Orleans Hornets with his leg, it was announced today by Stu Jackson, NBA Executive Vice-President, Basketball Operations.

The  incident occurred following a foul call on Paul with 5:15 remaining in the  third  period  of  the Spurs? 100-75 loss to the Hornets on Wednesday, March 12 at New Orleans Arena.

Bowen  will  serve  his suspension tonight when the Spurs visit the Detroit Pistons at The Palace of Auburn Hills.

Rasheed Wallace has missed the Pistons' last two games and is questionable on Wednesday night against the Sixers because of a sore left ankle, according to the Detroit News.

"It's so-so," Wallace said. "It'll be a game-timer (as to whether he plays). Who knows?"

"He just did some shooting today, nothing else," Coach Flip Saunders said. "We are just going to wait and see how he feels."

The Pistons earned themselves a playoff berth with a win over the Bulls on Sunday night, according to NBA.com.

Detroit also prevented a sweep of the season series with Chicago, something the Bulls hadn't accomplished since 1996.

The Celtics clinched a playoff berth early last week, so two of the eight slots of the weak Eastern Conference have been determined.

If the Knicks and Stephon Marbury decide to end their relationship through a buy-out, the Pistons might come calling, according to the New York Post.

Flip Saunders and Marbury have a great relationship, and they spent several minutes together on Friday night at Madison Square Garden when Detroit came to town.