lots of good points concerning the game yesterday. it certainly was for me the most aggravating loss of the season. but i think it aggravated me most of all in that i anticipated the post-game analysis (both here and in the national media) along the lines of "oh, i guess the pistons weren't so good."

i wanted to make a couple of points concerning the recent "slide" (including yesterday's 4th quarter fold):

I think it's important to recognize that for some time now the Pistons are getting every other team's best game, even more than in the year following the championship. The press has so hyped this year's team, chauncey's mvp talk,, flips coach of the month awards, the new offense, the all-stars that I'd imagine every team facing the pistons wants nothing more than to take them down. In that sense, it seems to me that some sort of "slide" was almost inevitable at some point during the year.

Now, that's not an excuse for losing, just a partial explanation for why some of the things that have been working through the first 42 games haven't been working so well over the past 8. And given that explanation, I'd sum up all of their particular problems under the heading of over-confidence. But a particular manifestation of over-confidence: namely, both the coach and the players have over the past eight games showed a blindness to the particulars of each game as it unfolds and consequently an inability to make the adjustments necessary to respond to what the opponents are doing well (or keeping the pIstons from doing well, especially if it's something they've been doing well and easily throughout the first half of the campaign). As if they were saying, "hey, we're the pistons, 36-5, we don't need to adjust. sooner or later the 3 ball will fall, sooner or later Wade will miss." It's true, sooner or later both those things will happen. But by simple adjustments, the Pistons could have made kept control of the game and made those things either a) unnecessary or b) happen sooner.

Thus for example: I don't in principle have a problem with Chauncey or Sheed taking 3s near the end of games to try to put the game away because they had success with that more often than not. But yesterday, for example, they seemed to me not to recognize that Miami had stepped up its perimeter pressure on defense significantly over the course of the second half. Chauncey hit a couple of very difficult jumpers in the face of that pressure. But a better strategy would have been to adjust to that pressure by either looking to Sheed in the post, or taking their man to the hoop and finishing or getting to the line. LIkewise, Wade was incredible in the early part of the 3rd quarter, so that after he hits a few in the fourth (as many have said) Flip needs to recognize that an adjustment was necessary. If he didn't want to go with Delfino (which probably would hvae been the best choice based on the facts of yesterday's game), then he should have just gone to Rip or even Chauncey. If nothing else, they should have put Wade on his ass about a half dozen more times to make him beat you at the line and to keep the crowd from going nuts.

Anyway, I think that throughout the first half of the season, they showed a much greater attentiveness to what each game situation was calling for and a willingness and ability to make the changes necessary (i.e. grinding games out when necessary, posting sheed up five times in a row when necessary, taking their man to the hoop when necessary). For whatever reasons, they've seemed to me blind or stubborn of alte. That's the only way I can explain how they let Miami beat them by 15 points over the final twelve minute stretch despite my still unwavering belief that they are a much better team than Miami (home or away).

Lastly, I still can't get on board with LB nostalgia. Sure, defensive lockdown intensity from all 5 players on the floor was missing yesterday and has at other moments during the season. But as aggravating as defensive lapses can be, I gotta believe I'm not the only one who went nuts in the past couple of years when the offense would go into deep freeze. My point isn't that Flip is an improvement over Larry, just that it's a wash. And truth be told, I believe our overall chances have improved with Flip if only because no matter how hard they tried, the PIstons under Larry were never going to pressure other teams offensively: the system just wouldn't allow it. Meanwhile, this year's Pistons CAN pressure them defensively. Granted, they need to find the will to do it and Flip must assume some responsibility for that, as must the veterans who know by now that you've got to do it on both ends.

All in all, going back three years I've felt that this squad's achilles heel was one of collective psychology (rather than problems of personnel, for example). Their emotional intensity and focus is simply too contingent on external circumstances (i.e. this is a big game, or nobody respects us, or we're the %%%%). This makes them an easy team to get behind, but also at times a maddeningly inconsistent team. I don't really see how that would change or what would make it change, but I think it's the sort of thing that would keep this team from ever making it easy over the long haul (on themselves, or for us fans).

If there's one bright spot about this...at least it's happening now instead of a month from now. There's still time to sort out the problems before the playoffs...hopefully Flip is aware of what they are after yesterday.

I still don't see how we're worse off for the next "two years". They're already at the 61 Million mark (the luxury tax limit is 61.7 this year), and next year they'll still be at 57 (well over the cap), despite virtually their entire bench expiring (7 players including Zo and Payton). Plus Posey has a player option that he is very likely to pass up. Once they sign a new bench or re-sign their current players they will be looking at being over the luxury limit already. Then throw in Wade's 12 million first year, and they're in the 75 million dollar range with Wade and a bunch of old guys. Trust me, they need to win NOW more than we do. Our best players will still be good in a few years.

I disagree. A piece of the sky did fall yesterday. There is nothing new about loosing big leads, or superstars going off saving the day. Not even against good teams like ours. Specially not on national TV.

Reversing the order of your points, Flip has not really had to do much game coaching considering our offensive output and winning margin. Yesterday it again looked a lot like he would not have to. The sky began to fracture when D. Wade went off. Peices of it fell as Flip lived up to the claims of his hiring day critics. Can't get past the 1st round.

Yesterday had all of the trappings of a playoff game, including the part where coachs engage in a chess game. Flip never completed a move. To steal Harwells line "He stood there like the house by the side of the road".

It didn't all come down, but there are some small, light blue peices littering American Airlines Arena.

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Bye Ben...................sigh ................HELLO MAX !!!!!

LMAO. You do realize the Pistons blew a VERY similar lead against the Heat at HOME last year, don't you? You know, when Miami outscored us 22-9 in the fourth quarter, and Wade had another spectacular game (Triple Double). Games like these aren't limited to Flip Saunders coached teams. They happend plenty under Larry Brown. The whole "chess match" thing is completely overrated. Wade hit everything, the Pistons got lazy. You think it was Pat Riley's plan for them to get down 13, then rely on Wade going 7-7 in the final 5 minutes of the game? No, Riley's plan didn't work for %%%%. His player went on an individual tear and squeeked out a game for them. The Pistons are still in the drivers seat of this matchup. It took WAY too many things to line up perfectly for them to win by 2 at home.

BTW, here's some trivia... When was the last time Wade had zero turnovers in a game like he did last night? I'll give you a hint... It wasn't this year! In fact, he averages more turnovers by himself than the entire Heat team had last night. THAT is how perfect the planets had to align.

"It's just another game," said Chauncey Billups, who had 29 points and 10 assists. "They might look at it as something more than it really is. They had struggled against the good teams, and now they beat the best team in the league. So I am sure they are proud. They should be."

I'm not sure Chauncey and Co. are taking this loss as seriously as they should be. Maybe this is just their media persona.

Chauncey always says something like that after a loss, which is another thing that bugs me.

Lemme throw another bouquet on the pile for Carlos Delfino: Yesterday he was the only guy who actually fouled Shaq hard enough to stop him inside. Bravo, Carlos! If the zebras are going to call it, make it a good one.

You missed my point. It isn't THAT we lost. It IS that our leader did NOTHING to prevent it. I didn't suggest any of several options available to Flip would have saved the day, only that he didn't attempt any.

Chess match thing is overated?
Substitution patterns, intentional fouling, two 4 one possessions, matchup recognition, full or 20 second time outs, switching defenses, ....
This was a one possession game that came down to making the most of 2.8 seconds. Oh yeah, how you manipulate what is in your control does matter.

Wade is great but we set him up by giving him way too much room. Of course he got hot. I have seen other teams guard him better. We were into this game for showtime. That said, we need better defensive strategies on Wade going back to last year. He is good but not that good. not sure about Shaq. He kills us early but still did not do much late when we can guard him. We can't guard him early because we don't want our bigs to get into foul trouble. But Shaq does not pass as much as he used to and maybe we can cheat a little. We can step up the tempo on this team and they will not have an answer. Coaches should study the Sun's strategy against the Heat. We should be able to contain Shaq and Wade when it counts. They cannot contain our speed. Look at their lineup, most of their guys are slow of foot.

Motown’s 10 Point Run

(Special Game Edition)

I went to Miami for this?

That’s all I could think about during my 4 hour drive back home to the Tampa area after witnessing what can only be described as a mental collapse by our beloved Pistons. Having had great visions of capturing some premium close-ups of our team in action for PF.COM, you can imagine my disappointment when I discovered that my digital camera was malfunctioning. Unfortunately, that was not the only malfunction that took place in American Airlines Arena. In our most meaningful Eastern Conference game of the season thus far, we came up short in the final seconds. There was no camera, but there was plenty of FLASH (D. Wade). Here is my picture of the events as a devoted fan sitting from behind the Pistons bench.

What you didn’t see on TV:

1. Player Communication ~ As one might expect, during road games it becomes imperative for the road team to perform as a collective unit. Bench guys should provide emotional support to starters and vice-versa. The second quarter of the game was a classic example. During Carlos’s run in the 2nd quarter, Chauncey was constantly in Los’s ear sharing his off/on court observations during every timeout. This was just one in a series of conversations that incluced Mo Evans, Dice, Delfino and the starters. The result was a calm, poised team for 3 quarters sporting a comfortable lead. Mysteriously this level of communication appeared to have all but vanished midway in the 4th quarter. Coincidence? Perhaps this was a time where more coaching was necessary on a team that typically performs well on autopilot, but was obviously struggling.
2. Playoff Atmosphere ~ Once the Miami Heat got the game to within 6 points, the stadium began to rock. The noise level increased 12 octaves queuing the Miami Heat’s official DJ to start playing some thunderous BASS inflicted music to get the crowd inspired. The Miami Heat Jr Dancers and the All-Star weekend elected Miami Heat Cheerleaders (not bad on the eyes) jumped unto the court and performed a well choreographed dance routine. The shortest member of the bunch, a young white kid sporting a fashionable red Kangol (hat) wows the crowd with moves not seen on the dance floor by such a young talent since Michael Jackson. The Scoreboard/Jumbletron positioned in the middle of the court flashes to an older man who appears to be in his 70’s gettin’ his boogie on in the crowd. You felt a huge change in momentum sweep the building. And in the midst of all of that activity… C-Note hits two clutch threes and brings the arena to a hush. UNBELIEVABLE! You would have to be there to recognize how amazing that feat was.
3. Wade is the King of Miami ~ The media heads love Shaq, but the fans in the arena are IN LOVE with Dwayne Wade. During the last 2 minutes where it became the Chauncey vs Wade show, the crowd was calling for Wade to take all of the shots. He obliged by making every shot he threw up. Often times this would be with a degree of difficulty unimaginable by any other player on the court. Wade was without a doubt the most talented player to lace up Sunday afternoon. And if not for my eagerness to make it to my car, I think every Heat fan in the joint would have attempted to ram that point down my throat. J
4. Snow Birds in Full Effect ~ Perhaps the most surprising element of the game for me was the amount of Detroit Pistons fans that existed in the crowd. During the first three quarters there was a pronounced vocal presence whenever the Pistons would score. This persisted throughout the entire game. On my way out of the arena, approximately 1 out of every 7 jerseys worn by the exiting fans was a Pistons jersey. Not bad considering that the Heat is easily our strongest competition in the East.
5. Where is the Intensity? ~ The intense defense that was the staple of the Going to Work Championship team appeared to have been absent in this one. The overall feeling of the game was that of a scrimmage until the last 7-6 minutes in the fourth quarter. Although the Pistons had a sound lead throughout the entire game it was one sans a sense of urgency. The game appeared very slow paced and the players were extremely lethargic in the huddle. Our dominance appeared to be more of a product of Miami’s inability to cut down unforced turnovers rather than our defensive presence. You did not get the feeling based on the players’ body language that this was a game that we needed to win. I believe my girlfriend said it best when after three quarters she said, “Baby, this is boring.”

What you did see on TV:

1. Air Chauncey! ~ Never thought I’d see the day when Chauncey would put one down…Two Handed! Things were truly going well for the first couple of quarters. Unfortunately we were not able to maintain that intensity in the 4th quarter.
2. Poor Decision Making ~ C-Note made some clutch shots for us in the stretch but it was his decision to limit the ball movement in the final minutes that made it easier for Riley to devise a counter strategy for our MVP candidate.
3. Vanishing Act ~ Tayshaun, after putting together a string of strong games, seemingly vanished in this big matchup. If Prince makes that three, we continue to talk about how impregnable we are to Miami’s attacks. With a miss, questions on Tayshaun’s defensive presence and assertiveness are now again raised to the forefront.
4. The “D” in Delfino stands for Defense ~ With Lindsey still not playing any stable minutes, Delfino has slowly become one of the best on-ball defenders on our team. His brand of defense is more similar to Hunter than Prince, as Prince relies on his athletic ability, positioning and length, while Delfino has excellent foot work and quickness.
5. Adjustments, The mark of a good playoff coach? ~ Flip’s coaching abilities are beginning to come under fire as the season continues and the 70 win plateau slowly becomes a distant memory. All of the victories we’ve collected under the guidance of Flip thus far have been predicated on out executing the opposition. (Sounds very RC'ish) Rarely have we seen Flip make an in game adjustment that changes the outcome of the game on defense. He’s shown a lack of creativity and confidence in his bench. His game time substitution patterns often seem conservative, inconsistent and untimely. This could ultimately come down to Flip’s system vs. Flip’s inability to deviate from what he knows has worked in the past.

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"I'm a diamond, you're a cubic zir-con-ia" - Nice and Smooth via The Low