I still believe we are going to win this series, but I am now officially concerned at the lack of effort that we are giving. We hear all of the lip service coming from Billups and company. "We need to come out agreessive"... "We need to play Piston basketball". Well, when is that going to happen?

I saw Billups be more agressive in the second half. Why wasn't he (as well as the Pistons) more agressive from the start?

The whole "we can turn it on" when we need to crap needs to end now. Turn it on NOW, and leave it ON until you win the championship. Enough of this underestimating your competition. It's going to bite you in the %%%%% just like we did it to the Lakers 2 years ago.


How is it that Flip can be out-coached by a rookie HC? I don't get? Why are we playing small ball? With Ben (or McDyss), Mo Evans, Rip, Tay and Chauncey (or Lindsey)? That's not are style. We have Cato and Davis for a reason. PLAY THEM!!!!

I will give credit to the Cavs, they are hungrier, they are out playing, out hustling us. Brown is out coaching Flip.

I still believe we can win this series, but we need to stop the talking, and do the walking. Shut up and PLAY!!!

We play small ball because we are one of the best offensive teams in the East. Small ball requires that you have 5 shooter/scorers on the floor however. You can't throw in a defensive specialist (Hunter/Ben) and expect to get the results you want with small ball.

I don't have a problem going small in this series (if the right personnel is used) because the only way the Pistons can win is to run, run, run. They have to force the tempo and take the game to the Cavs, not wait for stops and hope to generate enough in the halfcourt.

Chauncey Billups in particular is very susceptible to pressure. It just doesn't happen often, but Snow, Bowen, JKidd are all players that can force Chauncey out of his comfort zone, and sadly, he doesn't have the ability off of the dribble to create/score like Nash or Parker.

The Cavs have this figured out. Don't forget that Cleveland GM Danny Ferry was with San Antonio last playoffs. If you pressure Billups with physical play, and make him think by removing the first option of this one pass offense, he simply shuts down and forces the action.

__________________
Competition is merely the absence of oppression.
- Frédéric Bastiat

Micro, any chance of getting the Flip interview that was supposedly on at 4:30PM on 1130AM?

I'll see what I can do. No promises.

Thanks.Got it. Closed door practice and team meeting. Would have loved to have been a fly on the wall for that one. Seemed Lindsey was saying that the team was playing scared on the sidelines in Game 5. Wonder if he could be the next Avery Johnson?