Over the last month it's pretty apparent the Pistons interior D hasn't been hitting on all cylinders. Too many ez drives are ending up as Opps bunnys and dunks. Not too mention (okay I did) the resulting glass work in putbacks.

Whats the rub here? Is Flip too flip with our interior discipline? Are the starters playing too many minutes? Are we too ready to release on D to get back on the O? Are we getting a little arrogant cause of the wins and simply not coming to the court with our lunchboxes? Is it a little of all of that and more? Am I missing something?

Somebody say something too soothe the soul here, puhleeeze...

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"Be nice to people on your way up because you meet them on your way down"...Jimmy Durante

I think its a combo of those things.

- Starters playing too many minutes

- Flip is too hands off (in my opinion). Not a technical coach the way LB was. He would break down every little play until it was perfect. Flip just lets em go out and play.

- The team is focusing more on Offense, especially fast break

- Teams are gunning for the Pistons, we get their best games every night. Teams want to show that they can play physical with us. They want to show that they can get to the rim against our Bigs.

- Teams have been able to go on more runs against us this season. Getting hot and getting the crowd into it. LB would call a timeout after 2 consecutive baskets. He'd never let a team get a run going. Carlisle is the same way (remember the game he ran out of timeouts against us?)

- We're getting too spoiled as Pistons fans. We're starting to overanalyze things. I'm just as guilty as anyone else.
Last year we wanted more offensive flow, this year we get it and now want our old D back. Unfortunately one has to suffer a bit to get the other going - hopefully not forever though. IMO we're more balanced this year than in any other year under Rick or LB.

Now we just have to get our freaking bench some minutes!!!!!!!!

Now is the time to see what they can do. To get them into a rythem. To get them confidence. NOT in the playoffs. NOT in game 7 of the Finals. If we don't start using them now, they won't even be options for the playoffs.

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I think it's a combination of all of the above, G-man.

What Flip needs to start doing is stop being so lackadaisical in his coaching on both ends of the floor. He needs to start cracking the whip on these guys.

We're giving up too much dribble penetration, offensive rebounds, and we're shooting far too many threes. How many times this year have we been close to dropping a game only to get bailed out by Rasheed or Chauncey nailing a timely three? The problem is, as we saw in the New Jersey game, when those long balls aren't falling we're in trouble.

They better get this stuff figured out before the playoffs get here. Because this working outside-in style of play that we're doing isn't going to fly in the playoffs. One thing that it accomplishes is having a lot of our players out of position to try and get an offensive board.

If Saunders would just start getting our guys some rest by simply playing the bench, that would go a long way to fixing what's ailing us on the defensive end.

Sometimes I think Saunders is a little too soft on our guys. He needs to start letting them know that if they want to keep jacking up all these threes, they're going to have to earn that privilege by playing better 'D' and having them get their hands dirty by working out of the post more.

Especially Rasheed.

Too many times now, he seems to want to take games off by hanging out at the three-point line, as opposed to going down low and calling for the ball.

There's been more games than not that he's had a clear advantage over an opposing player, and instead of taking it right to them, he lets them off the hook.

And don't get me started on Tayshaun. He seems to have reverted back to his floating days as well. I don't know if it's a case of them not calling plays for him, him just not being assertive, or a combination of both.

Whatever the case, we need to start getting him involved in the game. We would be a much stronger team by doing so.

I realize that I got a little off-topic with this post, but it's just some things I needed to vent on.

Dribble Penetration. Defensive rebound (Rasheed and Tayshaun in particular). Otherwise, I think the D has been fine. They take a possession or two off now and then, but overall it's not bad. It was certainly worse about a month ago or so.

Its been an issue from the get go. That SA game seemed to be the turning point. Well I guess we reach another bend in the river and its back to the same complaint.

Its terrible to say but maybe this team needs an injury. It would give bench guys a shot and it would give a guy time to rest.

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I think it's NONE of the above...er, below. Indy exposed a weakness that we've had all season; and is sure to expose it AGAIN in the post season. The real problem is personnel. What we need is a wood layin, space eatin, ill tempered, ox-strong big man who ain't afraid of shuttin down that expressway to the hole.

I ain't mad at Flip for "not playin the bench." After all, the object is to WIN. Indy has a MUCH BETTER bench than we do.

And what the hell is Prince's problem offensively? He thinkin that basket is gonna bite?

This is one that has been bothering me for awhile, too. I went to the bucks game a few weeks ago, and I think I finally have it figured out.

I agree with the inside out theory. Hard to grab a lot of offensive boards when your big guys are standing at the three point line. But this doesn't explain defensive boards.

Watching the Pistons play the Bucks, I think the biggest problem is effort. The Pistons played decent defense all through the game, and when the Bucks made the run at the end of the fourth, the Pistons turned on the D. Seeing the intensity in the last 2 minutes was incredible. Just like the old days. A couple more minutes of this kind of effort in overtime and the game was over. Bucks lose by 10.

I think the D is still there. When Wallace and company get serious, they have the same crushing ability as always. I just don't see the effort on D this season. I couldn't figure it out for a while, because it seemed like they were still doing everything "the right way" but without the stellar results.

Effort. Pure and Simple.

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"Eastern Conference regular-season champs, baby," said Chauncey Billups. "This is what we set out for when we started the season in training camp. We did it and we're happy." (2003)

I think the Bucks have that guy in Jamaal Magloire.

Let someone get within 1/2 game of our home court and you will see more physicality. Don't sweat it G, even the 96 Bulls put up some stinkers. By the way who were those 12 teams?

You know, now that I thought about it more, I think it's just simply a case of them not playing with the same intensity on the defensive end throughout the entire game as they do in the latter parts of the 4th quarter's of games when they shut teams down.

If they would just play with the same level of intensity throughout the game as they do in those 4th quarters, it would make things a lot easier on themselves. As they would be up by 20-25 points in the last quarter of each game, and they can let the bench finish the games out.

Now, some could argue that by playing with that level of intensity throughout the games that they would dispense so much energy they could wind up with little left in the tank to finish the game out. But as I've said, if they would just dig in and shut teams down early on, they wouldn't need to hold anything back for the end, as they would build up comfortable enough leads that the bench brigade will be in there to put teams away.

So rest easy, G-man. I think they still have the same capable defense as they've always had, it's just a simple case of them not applying it.