This is a good point, Dre. There are well over 1,000 games played over an NBA season and very few of those games involve a team getting blown out from start to finish. There are very good players on all 30 NBA teams. I'm surprised how many people complain that the Pistons should just win every game by 30 points without allowing the opponent to make a run the entire game. It's not going to happen.

The Pistons do have a relatively low point differential when compared to the other elite teams.

1) San Antonio +9.1
2) Dallas +7.7
3) Phoenix +7.3
4) Houston +5.0
5) Chicago +4.7
6) Detroit +4.3

Especially when you consider how good our recored is. That tells me that we are not as ruthless when we have the lead as these other teams. Chicago has 5 more losses than us and still beats us in the spread.

The one thing the Pistons have struggled with this year is consistency. Even now, we seem to be slinking into the playoffs, and have 3 meaningless games left to play against teams fighting for playoff positioning.

If we can develop a rhythm in the first round, we should be ok. But then again, if we demolish our early matchup, there will probably be a layoff waiting for our next opponent.

Wheels within wheels.

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To all of my friends, comrades and companions at PF.com

Thank you for another great season!

well, my buddy and i got to the game early and chilled for a bit. webber stopped during shoot around and went to sign autographs for the fans. we were at the palace tuesday since season ticket holders could go and get autographs and do a bunch of other things, and webber was great. he let fans stop and take pictures, he looked at you after signing and responded when you talked to him, and he looked genuinely happy to be there. he is really digging detroit.

anyway, not much to say about this game except orlando poses no threat to us and the refs let them back in the 2nd half. now yes, we did foul howard early (and smartly so), but some of the fouls being called in the 2nd half were just plain ridiculous. either way, we match up at every single position and have at least 3-4 mismatches at all times. if we play them in the 1st round they might make noise for a game or two (and possibly even steal one, although doubtful), but they absolutely cannot out-execute us down the stretch and have 0 chance of winning a 7-game series.

Darko was getting backed up by bo outlaw and the likes. battie is backed up by darko so there goes your difference in success rates.

b. hill should have left darko starting it helped d. howard shoot about 70% from the field during that stretch. b. hill is sucking the life out of that team and i hope he is fired.

jameer should not be starting.
arroyo should not be getting dnpcd's
jj should be running off screens from the huge big man the magic have.
darko should be starting and the offense should be ran through him.
darko should be averaging 30 minutes a game and 10 shot attempts.

Nice profile pic, bballjay.

Looks like I was closest to Darko's statline.

Don't forget that Pat Garrity was getting a lot of minutes in the backup center role. Pat was a threat from the 3-point land at one point in his career, but this year he plays like a blindfolded Chris Webber after Thanksgiving dinner.

If Battie was truly a starter, then they would play him at the end. What they are doing is either playing Darko in cruch time, or they go small and neither plays.

Orlando was on the 1 yard line with the Milicic contract extension before they pulled out of it. They gambled this year and wanted to see what they had... but they didn't want it to bite them in the butt. Why wouldn't you massage the minutes and stats to keep other teams away? Starters get more attention as free agents... especially young starting big men.

You're naive if you don't think the Pistons are doing the same thing with AJ right now. And if it works, we'll probably be praising that strategic move for the next 4 years.

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"I’ll just say this: We’re not talking to teams about their second- or third-best players." Joe Dumars talking about his plan to get other teams' 4th best players.

That is an interesting stat. It does always seem that even if we jump out to the lead we will let the other team back. How much of this can be attributed to coaching? Leaving the starters in too long? Not having a solid bench unit to build leads?

Or having an older squad with less athleticism than some of the other contenders.

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To all of my friends, comrades and companions at PF.com

Thank you for another great season!

I saw that.
Grant was out some to during that time.