I just thought of this. Won't the Pacers not only lose a great offensive player in Reggie Miller, but also a good defender on Rip since Rip does use Reggies moves, and even if they put Artest on Rip the Pacers will have to deal with Tay who's a lot better than he was when we won the championship.

Steven Jackson. He can defend Tay if the Prince plays wallflower and isn't aggressive.

Now J-Max? I would love to see that kid bang on Artest and Jackson. Mark my words, J-Max is a beast and he will steal someone's minutes this year.

You have a point there himat but I think we could be in for a batlle if Indy stays healthy this year. Jermaine O'Neal's shoulder is healed, Tinsley's foot is better even Bender and Harrison weren't healthy last year. Then they are adding Danny Granger and that hotshot guard from Europe....and that crazy dude who ran into the stands last year...I think they can get by without the old man.

I read in the other forum of a condition called "fatigued leg syndrome" that was caused by Larry Brown and infected some of our players including Ben Wallace. Now that Larry is gone and this disease can be cured I think the Pistons will be much better too. So it all evens out.

Ya read my mind on that one Micro... I'd like to see them send Jmax out there just to antagonize the hell out of ASStest... see if he responds... worse case we lose is a rookie

But I am very concerned about the bulk difference at SF and SG... If the Pacers are smart they send Artest and Jackson to the paint... I think Rip and Prince will have a hard time holding em back.

I can see some early substitutions for the Pacers

I expect Indy to be fierce this year. When Tinsley is healthy he is an excellent guard, but the dude seems a bit fragile to me. We all know what a beast Ron can be. I haven't forgotten his 30 point games while playing lockdown D. JO is a force when healthy, and he seems to be in pretty good shape.

On the other hand, S Jax seems like an idiot, and you can't count on those guys all season. They also seem to be lacking at the center position. So far, I haven't been impressed by Foster, Crosere or Pollard. I think they will play possessed for awhile, maybe best record again, but once again will come up short in the playoffs.

Amen! I just watched the summer league video of that kid, and I am really excited to see him play. The guy is an animal and it looks like he can jump about 5 feet in the air! His (defensive shot blocking) timing looks supernatural.

I watched the NCAA tourney last year and followed Michigan State and University of Kentucky. I can't remember who played Cincinnatti, but I remember Maxiel being the whole team. Blocking shots, scored 25 or 30 points, rebounds, etc. A monster.

Maybe this should go in a new JMax thread... just starting to figure this stuff out.

By the way, very nice forum Microwave. I haven't quite fiqured it out, and I do miss the "live" feel of Pistonstalk, but I will suffer these minor inconvieniences to avoid the endless, futile, Darko debate. Cheers to you!

Foster IMO works very well into the Pacers game plan. It's the same as the Spurs: the 4 is the focus and the 5 is the clean up guy. Foster has a GREAT nose for the ball and grabs a ton of offensive rebounds. However, a taller or heavier play often gives him the fits.

Matchup? If the Pistons play an uptempo game, we win. We're quicker at the 1 the 2 and 3 and this puts a strain on the Pacers defence. Went they play an uptempo speed Billups does Tinsley something dirty (locks him up or causes turnovers) and the Pacers fall apart. The Pacers X factor(s) will be Bender and the back up point from Europe. But, my money is on the Pistons to win.

__________________
Struggle...Strive...Survive.

Did you see how bad Big Ben made Duncan look in the Finals (horibble FG%) if he can do that to a former MVP than I think he can do that to a MVP candidate.

That was Sheed, not Ben.

Thank-You