Originally Posted by LanierFan

After losses like this (these), everyone unpacks the pet complaint they've been nursing for months and eagerly airs it out as the cause of all the hurt.

Sorry, no. It's not Darko. Not Arroyo. Not the refs, or Delfino and the bench, or some issue of disrespect. Or even Flip.

This team has become a polite version of the 2004 Lakers. Arrogant, complacent, feeling entitled to things it shouldn't have to work for. And pitifully unable to cope when an opponent dares to hit back.

It's been a long time coming. Way before Flip came here, fans had noted the barking at refs, the over-reliance on stealing games at the end, the spotty internal motivation when they had a team down. But it all crystallized for me at the end of Game 5 ... when Prince served up that weak runner that got spiked like a volleyball, and Hamilton decided he'd rather try to engineer a foul than get off a shot.

Weak. Very weak.

Maybe the team proves me wrong and shows there's enough in the tank to turn this thing around. Maybe they just need to feel that cold wall pressing against their backs again, after living it up as NBA fatcats.

But we're starting to see diminishing returns here, and you can only get yourself out of trouble so many times before the bill comes due. Now it seems like a bunch of bills are coming due at once, and I find myself wondering what Joe is thinking.

We know Joe's history when guys can't get it done in the playoffs - Stack gone, Cliffy gone. What's ahead when the starters on a 64-win team can't get it done? Blame Flip all you want, but these guys think they win regardless of coaching and have said as much on many occasions. That's an attitude they've been allowed to have, so I'm not leading any Flip lynch mobs ... just wondering where that Detroit team I used to like so much has gone off to. Because I don't like these guys very much, even when they win.