When: 2:30 p.m.

Where: Palace of Auburn Hills (Mich.).

TV/radio: WEWS Ch. 5; WTAM AM/1100.

The Cavaliers and Pistons have created quite a rivalry over the past three seasons or so, but this Super Bowl Sunday meeting has quite a different feel.

The Cavs don't visit the Palace of Auburn Hills today as an underdog, which is their traditional role. In fact, they come in with a commanding 11-game lead in the Central Division against the four-time defending division champs. The Pistons have won six of the past seven division titles and haven't been this far out of first since the 2000-01 season.

"It's different record-wise, but it's not different the way the atmosphere will be," LeBron James said. "We have a history with those guys no matter the record or the player-personnel moves."

If the Cavs pull out a victory today, the Pistons might indeed be finished in the division race. The final two meetings are in Cleveland and the Pistons don't exactly have an easy schedule the rest of the way, including a road trip later this month that might qualify as the most difficult of any team's in the NBA this season. In a span of nine days, the Pistons will play in Cleveland, Miami, New Orleans, Orlando and Boston and stick it in between home games with San Antonio and Denver.

Looking at it on a smaller scale, the Cavs could certainly use a good road win near home. Though the victories in Portland and Salt Lake at the end of their West Coast trip were impressive, they have yet to win a big road game in the East this season.

The Cavs are 0-5 against the other top seeds in the Eastern Conference with losses in Boston, Orlando, Miami, Atlanta and Detroit. The loss Nov. 19 at The Palace saw the Cavs blow a large second-half lead. The Pistons have not fared all that well at the Palace since, after losing to the Celtics on Friday they are just 13-10 at home.

"We feel like we let one slip away the first time we were there so it's a redemption game for us," Mo Williams said. "We feel like we need to go in there and take care of business."

Under rookie head coach Michael Curry, the Pistons have struggled adapting to the trade that sent Chauncey Billups to Denver for Allen Iverson. Curry has altered the lineup back-and-forth trying to make everyone fit and recently moved Richard Hamilton out of the starting lineup but they've lost eight of their past 11 games.

"It's always fun and it is always competitive and we know it will be physical," James said. "We're looking forward to it."

Dribbles: The Cavs went 10-4 in January and have won 10 games in three consecutive months for the second time in team history (1988-89). . . . The 22-game home winning streak ties that 1988-89 team for the franchise record. . . . The Cavs are 16-2 against the Western Conference after beating the Clippers. . . . Friday they had three players score 20 points (James, Williams and Zydrunas Ilgauskas) in a game for just the second time this season. . . . The 14 3-pointers made against the Clippers were a season high.

To reach this Plain Dealer reporter: bwindhorst@plaind.com, 216-999-5166

Cavs at Detroit Pistons

Tipoff: 2:30 p.m., Palace of Auburn Hills (Mich.).

TV/radio: WEWS Channel 5; WTAM AM/1100.

Notable: The Cavs are just 5-6 on the road against Eastern Conference teams. . . . The Pistons have lost five of their past six home games. . . . Mo Williams has scored in double figures in his past 19 games. . . . The Pistons' Rasheed Wallace is averaging 19.7 points over his past three games.