PF.com-HVC Pistons vs. Magic Playoff Preview - Detroit Pistons Fan Community

roscoe36 · #1 (**permalink**) 04-21-2007, 02:26 PM

This matchup has the hallmarks of a classic kung fu movie. The prodigal son returns a mere shadow of his former self to exact some sort of revenge in the twilight of his career. His sidekick is the newly expelled ‘superstar in waiting.’ Meanwhile, the Pistons look to pull some sense of motivation out of their *what, what?*

Point Guard

Dba
Nelson is having the worst shooting year of his career and if you combine that with a rank of 77 of 103 players listed as point guards in assist to turnover ratio you can see why the Magic stumble. And why this team doesn’t run it’s offense through the point. And why the lack of Darko is even more important. If Chauncey isn’t outscoring Nelson by ten to fifteen, tripling his assists, and turning it over twice for every three from Jameer, then something is way wrong.

Roscoe36
Mr. Big Shot vs. Mr. No Neck. On pure unattractiveness, Jameer Nelson has this matchup won hand down. Too bad they are playing basketball and not “Who has more bad tattoos”. If Billups plays any defense, this series will be over in a hurry.

Lazyberbs
Jameer will be owned by Chauncey; his only option would be to try to outscore CB and that, as a PG is exactly what he should NOT do;

Lurker
Chauncey is ninth in the league in assists and second in assist/turnover ratio. He is way more experienced, bigger, and stronger than Nelson. Except for being tied in rebounds, Mr. Big Shot beats Nelson in every statistical category. Advantage: Pistons

Slippy
The big issue is Jameer’s speed against Billups. Other than that, its all Detroit. Even Flip Murray has picked up his play. In fact, I’d really like to see him take on Carlos Arroyo.

roscoe36 · #2 (**permalink**) 04-21-2007, 02:27 PM

Shooting Guard

Dba
Hill will have a chip on his shoulder in this series and will play hard and well. If he averages 25+ the series will get really interesting. Of course he has yet to do that this year. He’s big and strong and Rip will have to concentrate on not getting into foul trouble to be effective. Rip can own him on the offensive end but may need some help on defense. If Turkoglu stays outside you may see a Prince / Hamilton defensive switch.

Roscoe36
Rip City vs. the Piano Man. While Rip runs off of screens and extends his range to the land of the trey, Hill will struggle to keep up with his surgically rebuilt body. It’s the Man in the Mask against Mr. Roboto. We like Horror films more than Scifi B-movies. If this matchup could be decided by Mitch Albom, Hill would win. And Mitch would file the article before tip-off.

Lazyberbs
Hill would not be able to keep up with Rip for very long. He has played very well recently but has not had to guard anyone like Rip. The Magic will need all the scoring that Grant can provide but he will tire from chasing Rip around

Lurker
In his prime, Grant Hill was a better player than Rip, but the Magic have never had that guy. Rip is quick, relentless, with one of the best midrange games in the league, and like most of his teammates, has tons of playoff experience.Before Hill got hurt he was first team All-NBA alongside Jordan and Olajuwon. But the superstar who was supposed to lead the Magic to a title will be playing in his first playoff series since he wore the teal for Detroit. Advantage: Pistons

Slippy
Expect Rip and Tay to take turns guarding Hill. Making Hill chase Rip off 100 screens every quarter looks like the way to go.

roscoe36 · #3 (**permalink**) 04-21-2007, 02:27 PM

Small Forward

Dba
Shouldn’t be a contest if Prince chooses to stay up on Turkoglu and not give him open threes. Should also give Prince an opportunity to leak out on the break and get some easy hoops. An aggressive Prince makes this a short series.

Roscoe36
The Palace Prince vs. Memo’s Dad. Tayshaun has a decided advantage in this series. He shutdown T-Mac in 2003. Turkoglu is no McGrady. His inability to stay healthy or play consistently makes him more like guano. The kind they use for fertilizer, not gunpowder.

Lazyberbs
I think the closest matchup will be between Tayshaun and Turk. They should provide good offense and defense against each other

Lurker
The last time the Pistons and the Magic met in the playoffs, in the first round in 2003, the rookie Tay caused huge problems for Tracy McGrady, and he has been a starter ever since. Hedo Turkoglu, you’re no Tracy McGrady.
Advantage: Pistons

Slippy
This is where you want to attack. Only, can we not do that iso for Tay where he backs into a triple team? Yeah, that doesn’t really work. Hedo is not known for his defense. Delfino would do well against him but he’ll probably face off against Ariza and make chat participants rue the day we drafted him over Josh Howard. Strike that, we don’t need Ariza for that.

roscoe36 · #4 (**permalink**) 04-21-2007, 02:28 PM

Power Forward

Dba
The Magic turn the ball over more than any other team except the Knicks and Howard has more himself than any other player in the league. If Howard turned the ball over at the average rate for a starting power forward the Magic would rank 19th in turnovers instead of 2nd. Despite that he accounts for 25% of the Magic’s Sprocket Points (no Piston has a share higher than 15%) so given the strong penalty built into that computation for turning the ball over, he’s doing something right. If Sheed stays out of foul trouble and is on his game he can take Howard out of the action. If Sheed gets two fouls in the first six minutes look for a long night – DD can slow Howard down, but he can’t stop him.

Roscoe36
Roscoe 36 vs. D-Ho. First of all, Roscoe is a better name than D-Ho. In fact all of Rasheed’s nicknames are better. Elevatorman, Roscoe, and Sheed. I mean, if someone says “You are the Sheed”, that’s a clever way of saying you are THE MAN. But if someone says “You Da Ho”, one should be prepared to defend their manhood.

Lazyberbs
I would guess Howard will face Sheed and they will be hard put to guard each other. Howard is so strong that Sheed will need help. Sheed would draw Howard out too far when he hangs deep. So, the Pistons will probably foul Dwight a lot by tryinig to shove him around and keep him from the lobs and keep his rebounding down;

Lurker
Sheed’s biggest battle will be with the refs, and with own his tendency to float on the perimeter. When he’s at his best he’s like Tim Duncan, but with even goofier faces and an accurate 60-foot jumper.
Advantage: Pistons

Slippy
The Man Child brings it against some crafty old guys with a penchant for technical fouls. Can Howard shoot the 3? Advantage Detroit. Just kidding. Expect Flip to employ some sneaky zone things to deny Howard the ball but this is Orlando’s battering ram on the gates of Detroit. I hear ya knockin’ but you can’t come in!

roscoe36 · #5 (**permalink**) 04-21-2007, 02:28 PM

Center

Dba
Do the Magic have a center? Webber ought to dominate in this series as long as Sheed can mind Howard. No Darko, no Magic wins.

Roscoe36
C-Webb vs. Tony and the Human Victory Cigar. The two centers for the Magic sound like the title of a book written in an East Village coffee shop. Tony is Nazr Mohammed without the pedigree and the Original Serbian Gangster is a poor man’s Zydrunas Ilgauskas with a full head of hair. Mind you, Webber looks like a wounded animal running the court but that shouldn’t stop him from tearing up two guys who wouldn’t be in this league if not for their size.

Lazyberbs
Battie on Chris Webber. I think Tony will do OK against CWeb but won’t stop his passing.

Lurker
Okay, so this is one head-to-head matchup the Pistons won’t win. Howard is the third-best rebounder in the league with 12.3, and shoots 60% from the floor and 58% from the line. Apparently when the shot clock is running and lots of defenders are trying to disrupt what you are doing it improves the accuracy of your shot by about 2%. Chris Webber in his prime was a better player, but if he were still that guy the 76ers would never have bought out his enormous contract so he could sign with the Pistons for a 1989 Bill Laimbeer throwback and a case of Vernors.

Slippy
Darko out?? Say it ain’t so! This guy is CURSED!!! Hopefully he can make it back by game 4 so we can see him as we sweep his team out and take their draft pick. What becomes interesting here is how Nazr gets used. Or Davis. Lets set a precedent for an inside presence!

roscoe36 · #6 (**permalink**) 04-21-2007, 02:28 PM

Bench

Dba
The Magic have no answer for McDyess off the bench. The only real question of interest is how many shots he will hit before missing – smart money is on at least seven. Battie and Ariza can hurt if the Pistons get lackadaisical. If the Pistons block out and play defense neither will have much of an impact. Arroyo is turning the ball over more with fewer assists than in Detroit.

Roscoe36
The Alternatorz vs. the Mouseketeers. You gotta watch out for Trevor Ariza because he chases the ball like a narcotics canine sniffing a crotch full of angel dust. While Delfino will be overmatched by the energy and explosiveness of Orlando’s pitbull, Jason Maxiell will eat Ariza, Arroyo and still have room for Pat Garrity. The Magii have no answer for Antonio McDyess, Flip Murray or Lindsey Hunter. It would be cruelty if the Pistons let Amir Johnson play. He’s better than anyone on the Orlando bench.

Lazyberbs
The best matchups as I see them would be Bogans/Billups; Ariza/Hamilton; Hill/Prince; Dwight/Sheed; Turk/Webber, but of course that will never happen. The bench play would be close, I think, if Orlando used this linup. They would have Jameer against Flip, Jr, Darko against Dyce, JJ against Delfino, Arroyo and Deyon, and like that. I know that Darko has been playing very soft against the Pistons and I can’t figure why. But now, he is further hampered by the foot. I don’t think he will be much of a factor unless he snaps out of his funk against his old mates.

Lurker
The former Pistons HVC has an ouchie in his foot and may not play much for the Magic. As a group, the Pistons bench has been increasingly effective lately, as long as they’re not dodging Tazer darts, live ammo, or sneaking a pill from the wife’s purse. The biggest contributor continues to be Antonio McDyess, who lately has been showing up just long enough to shoot 5 for 6 and grab 10 boards.
Advantage: Pistons

Slippy
We’re bringing in a stronger bench this year. Orlando’s bench is comparable to ours. Bo Outlaw tangles up with McDyess. Arroyo and Flip Murray. Then you have Ariza bringing athleticism and Maxiell with some brahma power. But then we can pull out the Naz, the Taz and the wonderkid-AJ. Advantage Detroit.

roscoe36 · #7 (**permalink**) 04-21-2007, 02:29 PM

Coaching

Dba
Neither one is heading for the hall, but I’ll take Flip any day over Hill.

Roscoe36
Flip vs. the Midget. If Hill can keep from screwing his face up like a small child about to cry the Magic might have a chance. Ok, just kidding. Saunders is no strategist, but Hill got fired so the Grizzlies could hire Sidney “Hallway Coach” Lowe, Flip Saunders’ apprentice. The Midget is the master of doing less with more. Advantage Flip Saunders (probably the only time this playoffs I will say that).

Lazyberbs
I think the huge disparity at PG is the main stumbling block for Orlando, one that they will not be able to get over. With the starting lineup they always use has no chance. I wish they could provide more of a test to keep the Pistons in shape, but I don’t look for it. Brian Hill has been just too damned stubborn.

Slippy
If you follow both teams, both coaches suck. Who sucks more? Both are stubborn, veteran-centric and unpopular. I think Flips most important job is to get them playing. If he can get them to stop jacking up outside shots or going one on one, we’ll win easy.

roscoe36 · #8 (**permalink**) 04-21-2007, 02:29 PM

Impressions

Lurker
In a surprisingly candid move by a pro sports franchise, the Magic have adopted Code Blue as their motto for the playoffs this year. You may be familiar with this term, as Code Blue is used in hospitals to alert medical personnel when a patient has stopped breathing and has no heartbeat.
Prediction: Pistons in 4.

Lazyberbs
With all the firepower the Pistons are most likely to throw against Dwight, they need someone else to step up and score but the have not prepared anyone else for that job, except Grant and Turk. If Turk is on, he can light it up, but Tay will probably keep that from happening.I look for the Pistons to sweep, or to lose only one game, if that. I was hoping for more development for JJ and for Darko to have more of a grievance against the Pistons, but I think he likes the players too much. No meanness and that is a killer in the NBA. Gotta have the mean streak.

Slippy · #9 (**permalink**) 04-21-2007, 04:31 PM

Lee356 had a great post about this in the Ploayoff thread.

For those that missed it.

TheeTFD · #10 (**permalink**) 04-22-2007, 03:11 PM

Gees Rosc, your posts are so edgy, I almost feel violated. My O My.

LinkBacks (?) LinkBack to this Thread: http://www.pistonsforum.com/detroit-pistons-general-discussion/6408-pf-com-hvc-pistons-vs-magic-playoff-preview.html
Posted By	For	Type	Date
Pistons vs. Magic Preview	This thread	Trackback	04-21-2007 02:32 PM

Similar Threads
Thread	Thread Starter	Forum	Replies	Last Post
PF.com Pistons/Bulls Preview Series - Pistons Bench vs. Bulls Bench	roscoe36	Detroit Pistons General Discussion	23	05-08-2007 05:52 PM
At Orlando December 8th, 7:00 PM	TheeTFD	December 2006	130	12-12-2006 08:16 AM
February Pistons articles Updated Daily	Zoso	Pistons Archive	74	02-28-2006 08:11 AM
January 2005 Pistons articles	Zoso	Pistons Archive	69	01-31-2006 08:04 AM
December 2005 Pistons Articles	Zoso	Pistons Archive	73	12-31-2005 11:40 AM