BillLaimbeer's Look at this series:

The Milwaukee Bucks will be the Pistons 1st round opponent this year. At 40-42, the Bucks will be the only team in the 2006 NBA playoffs with a losing record.

The Bucks started out the season pretty strong (17-11), but have had losing records in each of the last four months:

November 7-6
December 9-5
January 7-10
February 6-7
March 7-8
April 4-6

Milwaukee depends on Michael Redd (25.4 ppg) for over a quarter of their offense. On any given night, Redd can go off for 40+ points. In the 3 games Redd scored 40+ this year, however, the Bucks are 1-2. The shooting guard is the only position that Milwaukee holds the advantage over the Pistons (Rip Hamilton).

The Bucks have some youth at most key positions and that should prove to be the difference in this series. Point guard T.J. Ford is playing in his first full season. Ford averages 12.2 ppg and 6.6 assists per game (14th in the NBA). Edge: Detroit (Chauncey Billups)

At the small forward, Bobby Simmons is really in his 2nd full season as a starter. His numbers and experience are somewhat similar to Tayshuan Prince, but I'll give a slight edge to Detroit with Tay's all-around game.

The Pistons also have an advantage inside with the Wallace's matching up against rookie Andrew Bogut (good rebounding and FG% numbers) and Jamaal Magloire (3rd season as a starter in the NBA, 9.5 rebounds per game).

The bench production differs a little bit, as far as scoring goes. The Bucks have 8 guys scoring 8+ ppg. The Pistons have 7 guys scoring 7+ ppg. Detroit most likely will use an 8-man rotation with McDyess, Delk, and Hunter coming off the bench.
Defense: The Pistons rank 3rd in the NBA for points allowed (90.1). The Bucks rank 20th, giving up 99.8 ppg.

The Bucks have beaten just about every team in the NBA, including Detroit, Miami, New Jersey, San Antonio, Dallas and Phoenix. With a 40-42 record, the Bucks have lost to just about every team in the NBA, as well.

Season series:
Nov 26: Det 85, @Mil 76
Jan 25: @Det 106, Mil 102 (OT)
Mar 31: @Det 112, Mil 105
Apr 17: @Mil 113, Det 93

Detroit won the season series 3-1, although the Bucks win came in a game when Detroit was resting its starters (Sheed and Rip didn't even dress). The 3 Piston wins were all close games.

For a #1 vs. #8 matchup, these games will be more competitive than most people predict. My guess is the Pistons win the series 4-1. The difference will be Detroit's experience.

Time for the third big X. Bucks start hard but still end up down by five at the end of the first. Then the wheels fall off. I see the biggest margin of any game so far. 108-88 Pistons.

Only scary scenario - Kukoc returns and gets hot, and Stotts finally looks down the bench and finds Gadzuric who rebounds everything Kukoc misses.

Nah...this will be a close one.

Expect Redd to have his best game of the series.

It will still end up in a loss though and completely take out whatever life is left in this team.

Pistons 93 Bucks 88

pistons dominate again.

tHE FAB 5 HAS AN AMAZING STAT. They have an +/- of 476 went they are on the floor. Thats why they need to avg 40 MPG...I love em!

I say Pistons will still sweep this series and Redd will not be a factor. If the Bucks happen to win one game it will be someone other than Redd that is the difference.

Looking ahead to the 2nd round, I heard on a local sports talk station here in DC that a Piston scout voiced that Detroit would rather face the Cav`s instead of the Wiz, not that Detroit would lose to the Wiz but they would produce matchup problems.

Now the perception is around here that the Wiz would upset Detroit in the 2nd round, and Detroit is scared to face the Wiz.

Forget my playoff bracket (I picked the Cav`s over the Wiz) I want the Wiz now.

__________________
"I`m shocked" The Low, on the Pistons game 2 win in the ECF at Boston.

from jsonline. - Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

A four-game sweep by the intimidating Detroit Pistons is inevitable, the pundits say. Why even play Games 3 and 4 on Saturday and Monday at the Bradley Center?
"We don't want any part of that," Bucks guard Charlie Bell said Thursday after practice at the Cousins Center. "Nobody's really giving us a shot, and it's a slap in our face.
"We know we have a really good team and deserve to be here in the playoffs. We've got to go out there and prove it, and make this team work a little bit. We need to show everybody this is not going to be as easy as they think it's going to be."

http://www.jsonline.com/story/index.aspx?id=419338

Prediction: Pistons 98 Bucks 79

It's knuckle down time.
Ps 93
Redds 80
the line is 6

Doesn't matter to me, Dlev. If the Cavs win and you actually run across some idiot who says, "We would have beaten the Pistons...if only we had gotten past the Cavs!", then the only appropriate response is to laugh at his sorry a#$!