That player could be Arron Afflalo, whose play in the fourth quarter Wednesday helped Detroit stay within striking distance before the Pistons suffered another late-game meltdown in their 102-96 overtime loss at Miami.

"If they need me to defend, or knock down shots, whatever it may be," Afflalo said. "Whatever is asked of me."

Afflalo had 13 points in a career-high 49 minutes against Miami, and scored five consecutive points as part of a 7-0 Pistons run that helped Detroit take an 80-74 lead in the fourth quarter.

While Afflalo has come through most of the time when called upon, the second-year guard has been in and out of the lineup all season.

It's no secret that he would like to see more playing time than the 16.7 minutes per game he's getting, which is about three more than he averaged as a rookie last season.

"I don't know what he thought his minutes would be as a backup," Pistons coach Michael Curry said. "I think his minutes have been pretty good. As I said, I wouldn't want you on the team if you didn't want more (playing time)."

Said Afflalo: "That's part of the process. We got some older guys who are still capable of playing."

There's no telling how much Afflalo will play in the Cleveland series, but his chances are better after he has played better recently.