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Pistons vs Bucks
Sunday April 23rd, 2006
7:00pm

The Palace of Auburn Hills, Auburn Hills, MI
TV: FSN Detroit / TNT / TSN
Radio: WDFN 1130 AM

BillLaimbeer (http://www.pistonsforum.com/members/143.html)'s Look at this series:

The Milwaukee Bucks will be the Pistons 1st round opponent this year. At 40-42, the Bucks will be the only team in the 2006 NBA playoffs with a losing record.

The Bucks started out the season pretty strong (17-11), but have had losing records in each of the last four months:

November 7-6
December 9-5
January 7-10
February 6-7
March 7-8
April 4-6

Milwaukee depends on Michael Redd (25.4 ppg) for over a quarter of their offense. On any given night, Redd can go off for 40+ points. In the 3 games Redd scored 40+ this year, however, the Bucks are 1-2. The shooting guard is the only position that Milwaukee holds the advantage over the Pistons (Rip Hamilton).

The Bucks have some youth at most key positions and that should prove to be the difference in this series. Point guard T.J. Ford is playing in his first full season. Ford averages 12.2 ppg and 6.6 assists per game (14th in the NBA). Edge: Detroit (Chauncey Billups)

At the small forward, Bobby Simmons is really in his 2nd full season as a starter. His numbers and experience are somewhat similar to Tayshuan Prince, but I'll give a slight edge to Detroit with Tay's all-around game.

The Pistons also have an advantage inside with the Wallace's matching up against rookie Andrew Bogut (good rebounding and FG% numbers) and Jamaal Magloire (3rd season as a starter in the NBA, 9.5 rebounds per game).

The bench production differs a little bit, as far as scoring goes. The Bucks have 8 guys scoring 8+ ppg. The Pistons have 7 guys scoring 7+ ppg. Detroit most likely will use an 8-man rotation with McDyess, Delk, and Hunter coming off the bench.

Defense: The Pistons rank 3rd in the NBA for points allowed (90.1). The Bucks rank 20th, giving up 99.8 ppg.

The Bucks have beaten just about every team in the NBA, including Detroit, Miami, New Jersey, San Antonio, Dallas and Phoenix. With a 40-42 record, the Bucks have lost to just about every team in the NBA, as well.

Season series:
Nov 26: Det 85, @Mil 76
Jan 25: @Det 106, Mil 102 (OT)
Mar 31: @Det 112, Mil 105
Apr 17: @Mil 113, Det 93

Detroit won the season series 3-1, although the Bucks win came in a game when Detroit was resting its starters (Sheed and Rip didn't even dress). The 3 Piston wins were all close games.

For a #1 vs. #8 matchup, these games will be more competitive than most people predict. My guess is the Pistons win the series 4-1. The difference will be Detroit's experience.

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~~

Will be watching this one from Honolulu.......:nod:

Let`s see game time is 7pm EST, that`s 1pm there, have to remember that.

Ok, I`m looking for blowout city in this one. Pistons will come out firing on all cylinders as they say. Tay will lead the team in scoring with 27.

CB will have 12-10, while the Wallace and Wallace defense team holds it down. "If the Bucks don`t hustle and just trot, your weak shots we will swat"

Oh yeah, is that Rip D ing up on Redd...........

Deeeeeetroit Baaaaasketball:eyebrows:

Sundays are our bad day right? Still
Ps 99
Redds 80
all 4 games.

Pistons by 30 points.:D Seriously.

Bucks is team dangerous in one game ....in the series best of seven i think ...no problem for Detroit


draft 2006 Bargnani center of benetton Treviso is unbeliveble player

Bucks is team dangerous in one game ....in the series best of seven i think ...no problem for Detroit


draft 2006 Bargnani center of benetton Treviso is unbeliveble player

I agree - Bucks will have that game where they shoot an unbelievable % and take one of the them. Besides the current Pistons have never swept a series.

Would be nice to open it up with a laugher from tip-off, but I get the feeling this will be a close game. Remember how the Pistons came out of the gate against Philly last year? I know I was sweating a bit. Didn't we get down about 16 points in the 1st quarter? Let's not have a repeat of that.

Remember how the Pistons came out of the gate against Philly last year?

I remember we were a tad sluggish coming out of the gate Prince, however, that was last year.

What a difference a year makes! The Pistons will drop a couple of games but their mindset will be totally focused on the task at hand.

Last year the focus and desire wasn`t quite as strong........

It will come down to the SF's. If Tay outduels Simmons it will be an easy win, but if simmons gets the better of the matchup the bucks will have a chance. i'm thinking Tay will be the best player this series. Lets look closesly on the jumpshots, and see if Sheed will start controling the post.

You know, I am mad as hell that we don't start until Sunday. How can I repent for my game time actions after I go to church??

You know, I am mad as hell that we don't start until Sunday. How can I repent for my game time actions after I go to church??

Yeah I think our games are the most spread out. Game 1 is on sunday, and then Game 2 isn't until Wednesday.:ohwell:

Yeah I think our games are the most spread out. Game 1 is on sunday, and then Game 2 isn't until Wednesday.:ohwell:

Having two off days between games helps out teams with older players and shorter benches. This is definitely an advantage for the Pistons in this series.

You know, I am mad as hell that we don't start until Sunday. How can I repent for my game time actions after I go to church??

you gotta take out a loan. Forgive me father for I will sin. i'm sure the big fella will understand that 2nd quarter tirade over a bad call.

EEVRYBODY CAN GET THEIR GROOVE ON AT wdfn.COM ESPECIALLY 3-6 EST with stoney and Wojo, the best columnist in the city. (I still love Jerry Green and Albom is a close third). Good way to pass the time away.

Having two off days between games helps out teams with older players and shorter benches. This is definitely an advantage for the Pistons in this series.

Everyone shortens the bench in the playoffs. For the Pistons its going to be a long run so this rest helps.

It would be great if a lot of people would come and join the Chat at gametime, a good way to start the playoffs. I think that if we switch Tayshaun on Redd, then we definitely have the upper hand. The bench play will be huge as well.

Oh yea by the way, Wings are up 1-0 on Edmonton:thumb:


Keep it up, 2006: the year of Detroit:nod: :nod:

Everyone shortens the bench in the playoffs.

I realize this. The Pistons have used a short bench all season (much to the dismay of some posters). My point is that the Pistons won't need to rely on guys that are question marks (Evans, Delfino, Davis, etc.) now that we've reached the playoffs and have multiple days to recover from extended minutes.

I am stuck in this hell hole, ft. McCoy, Wisconsin. The place looks like world war II redux. Ft. McCoy is 9 miles outside of Sparta & Tomah Wisconsin. I cannot get a signal on my Cingular wireless phone unless I drive 9 miles into Tomah, I don't have a personal p.c. here, I am at the mercy of going across base to the community center in order to chat with you guys on game day. What a way to start off the pistons playoffs. I will be out of this hole on 28 April, not a minute too soon.

The Pisotns will have a field day with the Bucks. They are hungrier and have been waiting for this moment all season. Matter of fact I feel sorry for anyone who have to play the pistons in these playoffs.

I am just waiting to see the new plays that will be implemented. I read a few months back that we have not seen the best of the pistons plays.

Peace guys.

I realize this. The Pistons have used a short bench all season (much to the dismay of some posters). My point is that the Pistons won't need to rely on guys that are question marks (Evans, Delfino, Davis, etc.) now that we've reached the playoffs and have multiple days to recover from extended minutes.

Its not as short as many think. This has been one of the largest misnomers of the season. Reason being we have 5 valid starters. Most teams do not have a clear winner at each starting spot so they platoon out a position. Similiar to the way we used to play Curry/Corliss. Curry started but only played 20 mins/game. Corliss came off the bench and inflated the bench stats even winning 6th man in 01/02.

Is it beneficial to still do than now? Would it help the Pistons to only play Tay 20 mins and Evans 24?

Pistons have adequate backups at each position but due to the quality of the starters they are just that backups. The bench has shown that they are ready to play. Finding 5 quality starters is the goal of every team. Have you ever heard someone say "In 5 years we should be able to find 3 guys to share the SF spot"

I see the Pistons taking this in 4 games. 5 games tops. The Pistons are just plain "hungrier" this year. They will want to come out firing on all cylinders this year and take care of things more easily than last year. NO MORE MESSING AROUND with inferior teams, I think that the Pistons are dead serious this year.

In less than 24 hours, we shall see.

I predicted Pistons in 5 but on second thought this could be a sweep. Pistons will be comming out at full force. Be interesting to see if Flips Pistons have that same post-season poise. Same players so I am not worried.

Previous 2 post-seasons the team was putting themselfs behind the 8-ball a bit too much. Last year there was trouble in each round except for the 1st. Have to jump on these teams right at the start instead of waiting until game 4 or 5.

Milwaukee doesn't have a prayer.

I would be suprised if the Pistons did not win every game by double digits. Expect to see Delfino, Davis, and Evans to finish the game with 6 mins left in the 4th.

Watch Charlie Bell in this series! He could be an X-factor for the Bucks and provide one of the games with a little more suspense.

I predict that I'm not going to make any more predictions except this one: It'll be a lot tougher than anyone thinks for the Pistons to win it all. Even though everyone is talking about LeBron and Kobe, the Spurs are flying conspiciously under the radar, and everyone is predicting Detroit as the team to beat. They should get past the Bucks fairly easily, but after that, it will be a battle as it ALWAYS in the EC. The Pistons, with the exception of a three-game sweep in Portland in '90 and a three-game sweep against LA, have made it traditionally hard on themselves. I will never again breathe easy watching a Pistons playoff series after they nearly lost to Orlando a few years back.

I am stuck in this hell hole, ft. McCoy, Wisconsin. The place looks like world war II redux. Ft. McCoy is 9 miles outside of Sparta & Tomah Wisconsin. I cannot get a signal on my Cingular wireless phone unless I drive 9 miles into Tomah, I don't have a personal p.c. here, I am at the mercy of going across base to the community center in order to chat with you guys on game day. What a way to start off the pistons playoffs. I will be out of this hole on 28 April, not a minute too soon.

The Pisotns will have a field day with the Bucks. They are hungrier and have been waiting for this moment all season. Matter of fact I feel sorry for anyone who have to play the pistons in these playoffs.

I am just waiting to see the new plays that will be implemented. I read a few months back that we have not seen the best of the pistons plays.

Peace guys.

I went to school in La Crosse, for undergrad (UW-L). I used to run into Fort McCoy cats all the time around there!

I'm going to game 3! (considering buying tix for game 4). I don't know if I should hope for good games--or for blowouts :) Ah well...just as long as we win.

My predictions :)
- Sheed is going to take it inside- he has to, because, as Detnews reported, he gets bored in the season- that's why he takes jumpers. But comes playoff time, he has to play up his full potential. And he is one of the best inside since his fade away jumper off the post is unstoppable. Also, you can't rely on jumpers only in the playoffs and Milwaukee has a lack of good inside players.
- Chauncey is not going to be much better than in the regular season. I expect him to score less and even dish more.
- RIP's going to be huge- he always improves in the playoffs and after this good season he'll be even better- I expect him to score about 24ppg on a good shooting %.
- Ben has to own the boards. And he will.

I hope Milwaukee is gone after 5 games. Then we play against the winner of Wizards- Pacer (?) while the Heat battle the Nets. The Heat are going to be very, very tough to beat. We should not forget how many problems this team had with them last year and that we probably wouldn't have advanced to the Finals if Wade hadn't been injured.

I predict that I'm not going to make any more predictions except this one: It'll be a lot tougher than anyone thinks for the Pistons to win it all. Even though everyone is talking about LeBron and Kobe, the Spurs are flying conspiciously under the radar, and everyone is predicting Detroit as the team to beat. They should get past the Bucks fairly easily, but after that, it will be a battle as it ALWAYS in the EC. The Pistons, with the exception of a three-game sweep in Portland in '90 and a three-game sweep against LA, have made it traditionally hard on themselves. I will never again breathe easy watching a Pistons playoff series after they nearly lost to Orlando a few years back.

Although the Spurs are flying under the radar (NBATV analyst), Detorit has beaten them twice during the regular season. Anyone and beat anyone starting from 0-0, but I do count on the mental edge going into games.

Well my fellow forumites, LET THE PISTONS PLAYOFFS BEGIN!!! We have been waiting for this since that game 7 loss to the Spurs last year. The whole roster is healthy. Got enough rest since everyone has been averaging 20 to 25 minutes only the past week.

Hopefully, the starters don't get overly too excited or carried away esp. since the game is at the Palace and start shooting bricks. That's where experiences count and that's also where our starters have. Wish we can jump on the Bucks early like how the Spurs did against the Kings.

Well, my prediction in this series, Pistons 4-1. We will not lose at home.

Game Day! t-7 hrs to go and I am totally amped. Great time to be a Detroit sports fan with Pistons, Wings and even the Tigers showing some positive things. :rockon:

see you guys at the palace!!!! :D :D

Needless to say, Chat is open all day courtesy of THE LOW.

More information here (http://www.pistonsforum.com/news/853-pistonsforum-com-game-chat-debut.html).

Well, Buck Hunting Season opens today, but they put a limit on the # of available tags. Seems we can only bag FOUR Buck skins before we have to move on to the next animal in season.

http://www.pistonsforum.com/images/picdump/bambi-hunt042306.gif

"Cry 'Havoc' and Let Slip the Dogs of War." - William Shakespeare, Julius Caesar

I knew you could control your evil twin for only sooooo long.

Jeff Van Gundy and some stiff announcing on TNT.

That beats McLeod.

Jeff Van Gundy and some stiff announcing on TNT.

That beats McLeod.Sure did!!!!!!McLeod *&^%!!

Sure did!!!!!!McLeod *&^%!!Actually the TNT guy was very good. Very Nuetral. I wish we had the Toronto guys though....Nothing else very interesting bout this game. My top 5:

1. Dice needs to be twice as aggresive. His 20 minutes should be all about him.
2. If Chauncey thinks thats an MVP performance, he's trippin!
3. It was funny how BUX cut it to 68-64 and were outscored 24-6 (JoeS' shot at buzzer and that Gadzuric dunk dont count )
4. Redd is not a 7-game series player at all. He'll have 'one' good game, thats it.
5. Bux front line is so soft, you could get a good night sleep on it.

Game 2 will be worse, but we will play better on the road.My bruddahs!

Well, Buck Hunting Season opens today, but they put a limit on the # of available tags. Seems we can only bag FOUR Buck skins before we have to move on to the next animal in season.

http://www.pistonsforum.com/images/picdump/bambi-hunt042306.gif


:pound: thats great micro.

:pound: thats great micro.
Yeah brother Sauce, bambi does look a lot like TJ Ford. LMAO.

Well, that's one buckskin down. I think we should tan that hide and put it on the Piston band bass drum. wooohooo! Meaningful games are here again!!!

:horn: :popcorn: :hungry: :couch2: :fencing: :faint: :thumb: :first:

Recap (http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/recap?gid=2006042308)

Box Score (http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/boxscore?gid=2006042308)

Gameflow (http://www.popcornmachine.net/cgi-bin/gameflow.cgi?date=20060423&game=MILDET) (won't be available until the following day)

Video Highlights
(http://boss.streamos.com/wmedia/nba/nbacom/recaps/recap_p101_mildet.asx)

Ahh ya that felt so good to finally have the Pistons back where they belong.Not a perfect outing,but put em away when they thought they were back in it and held Redd down.Now Arnie needs to sleep over at Rip's house for constant ankle massage and icings.:crutch:

Deetroit defense is still pretty formidable. Sheed is going to be the man in these playoffs--have a feeling. Tay is going to board for us. We need to get Ben involved a bit. They locked down on Hunter and our second team was stagnant--a bit of a concern. When Rip was hurt, I was stunned. But I guess he will be ok. We will get better as the playoffs progress. Right, one down, 15 to go.

IMO, I'd like to see a little more Delk at the PG spot and less Lindsey. Lindsey is either a nice asset or a horrible weakness. Just way to inconsistant. And he doesn't seem to be stopping Ford/Williams any, so I don't see much of the point of playing him a lot. Might as well give Delk some extra minutes to get it going.

FP, I saw Lindsey play a lot on Redd. I thought he took a lot of fouls, but keeping Redd from finding his rhythm from the field is an ok tradeoff when you keep giving him sideouts.

Lindsey was the only rotation player with a minus rating, but that's not really a surprise to me. He was + in the first half, and was unfortunately on the floor for the Milwaukee comeback. But he was playing with Dice and Ben, not exactly the best scoring combo you can have out there.

I'd like to see Flip open up the defense a little and pressure Ford up court. Even Bell and Williams. We know Bell can spot up and play in the half court, it's how well he handles "phone booth" defense that remains an unknown.

Was I the only person surprised to see Mo Evans completely out of the rotation? I figured he would get at least 5~8 quality minutes in the opener.

The most impressive thing about the victory was when the Defense stepped up with about 3-4 mins left in the half and shut the Bucs down for the rest of the period and literally until the 4-5 minute mark of the 3d period.

When the Bucs got to within 4 early in the 4th, an Excellent time out by Flip produced a q quick 9-0 run that sealed the deal. Once again the defense stepped up to take contol of the game along with that 3 pointer from the corner by Sheed and the quick pop by Rip. The Bucs didn't know what hit them after that.

2 full days rest by Rip hould have him back in game shape by Wednesday. However if it is still swollen, the dress him and bring him in only if needed.

I thinks the Bucks played well but were so undermatched. Redd was shutdown and when you do that Milw does not have many other options.

Rip twisted his ankel by stepping on a cameraman. The idiot had his legs spread out instead of sitting normally like a camaraman should under the basket. Lets hope he is ok. Good thing its the 1st round. Rip could probably sit this one out and we still win. if he misses a game then he will be back on Sat.

Nicely done. As usual we begin our playoff run all jacked up, moving too fast, unable to control our excitement. Again as usual, we slowly regained our composure and things began to click smoothly.

The starters played a little loose after running up a big lead. So what. I’m more concerned that Lindsey can’t seem to get the ball to whatever scorers he is on the floor with. Hunter should not be forced into taking the shot on consecutive possessions with the likes of Tay, Rip and Dice on the floor.

I really hope the officiating consistently allows this level of physical play. Once used to it we were really able to push the Milk Walkies out of their comfort zone into major bouts of irritation.

Rip says his ankle hurts, is swollen and will know more about his status today. With game 3 not scheduled until Sat would any of you sit him as a precautionary measure and start Delfino for game 2. Maybe allow Rip to play bench minutes. After Saturday the series will assume the normal grind of games played every other day.

Rip says his ankle hurts, is swollen and will know more about his status today. With game 3 not scheduled until Sat would any of you sit him as a precautionary measure and start Delfino for game 2. Maybe allow Rip to play bench minutes. After Saturday the series will assume the normal grind of games played every other day.

Obviously, it will depend on how serious it really is, but if there was ever a time to rest anyone, this would be it. If there is a reasonable chance he would make it worse by playing on it, sit him or play him very sparingly.

It would be interesting to see if Delfino got the benefit of the loose way last night's refs were calling the game. You don't want a Redd parade to the line and Carlos doesn't seem to have the respect of the officials.

actually, i think he first twisted by stepping on idiot andrew bogut's foot when the idiot was trying to set a screen on rip. idiot! jeez!

then he retwisted stepping on the idiot cameraman (same idiot cameraman, by the way, who was following rip around on the court with the camera pointed at his ankle right after he'd first twisted it on idiot andrew bogut's foot.

anyway, i'm with dba: sit him (but i'll be shocked if it happens).

I'd sit Rip if necessary. But it's a Catch 22.

Finish the series quickly, pray the injury doesn't worsen and rest Rip (assuming the Wiz can put up any sort of defensive effort vs. LeBron).

Play Rip now, reduce his minutes, work Evans and Delfino into the lineup.

I would err on the side of caution. This team can beat the Bucks without Rip.

But these guys are warriors. If you can stand, loaded with painkillers, you play.

I'd like to see Flip open up the defense a little and pressure Ford up court. Even Bell and Williams. We know Bell can spot up and play in the half court, it's how well he handles "phone booth" defense that remains an unknown.

Was I the only person surprised to see Mo Evans completely out of the rotation? I figured he would get at least 5~8 quality minutes in the opener.

Defensive pressure on Ford upcourt is a good idea, but will Flip think of this? Not unless he's reading the forum. :nod: I was surprised to see that Evans didn't get much burn. I think if Rip's ankle is troubling him, Delfino should be in there. Delfino wants to play. The guy hustles and plays much better D than he did a year ago. Delfino gets into the flow of the offense much better than Evans IMO. Evans is a great leaper and rebounder, but I want to see what Carlos can do. Actually, I'd like to morph these guys into a creature named DELFIMO so that we can be done with this whole discussion. See DELFIMO, kiddies, he hustles, he rebounds, he hits the 3, he does EVERYTHING that two average players do and MORE!

The problem with playing Delfino a lot is that if he played Redd as physical as Rip did he would have fouled out in the first quarter.

After Rip first sprained his ankle Greg Kelser said something like "it's important to get Rip back into the game to keep his ankle loose" and then he tweaked the ankle again.

It seems like it would have been better to get some ice on it and rest it since the game was pretty much in hand. For as much running and cutting as Rip does I wouldn't want him playing next game unless it's feeling real good. If you sprain it once it's a lot more likely to roll again.

rip will play - like he said in the postgame interview - it's the playoffs...plus the fact that he was running around on it, and we've got kander on the scene, leads me to believe he'll be okay to play.

was @ the game ... can't beat that playoff atmosphere!! the fans weren't as completely into it for 1st round (did the wave from boredom when up by 19), but hey it's all good. we killed them while playing poorly and rip going 5/18 and not running our offense and taking too many chances. redd will probably get more points next game but we should still kill them. bogut has a LOT to learn.

with rip's shooting woes i would have liked to see delk get more minutes (only took 3 shots, made 2 of them), and even if rip was shooting well i would have extended the bench minutes a little bit more for him (dice was fine playing 30 minutes and looking amazing).

overall though, a good win. redd/stotts/ford...you could tell in the postgame interviews they're practically conceding the series already - they had no answers.

Was I the only person surprised to see Mo Evans completely out of the rotation? I figured he would get at least 5~8 quality minutes in the opener.

I wasn't, it's clear that the only minutes Evans would get would be as the backup sf. IMO, Delfino has played better at the 3, but Flip doesn't like him. But Flip isn't an idiot, and knows that Evans can't play the backup 3 in the playoffs, which means Rip is now Tay's backup and Delk will get even more time playing the 2, when Rip switches to the 3.

Considering how small most of the sf's are in the playoffs (except for Jefferson) I wouldn't be suprised to see Flip use this rotation for most of the playoffs.

redd/stotts/ford...you could tell in the postgame interviews they're practically conceding the series already - they had no answers.

Indeed. And who could blame them? This isn't the namby pamby NCAAs, that punishes top teams for having their eye on the final title, where some mediocre team with a hot hand and annoying fans can stake everything on one game and pull off an opening round upset (and even there the 1st seed hasn't ever lost in the first round since they opened the door to the riff raff).

No. This is the Association. The Bucks would have to take 4 of the next 6 games against the pistons, with 3 of those games (including the 7th) in Detroit. I know they have to play the games and blah blah blah, but the bucks have about as much of winning the series as i have of dunking...over ben. if redd/stotts/ford really did think they have a chance of winning, then they need to start dealing whatever under the table psychotropics they're consuming.

In the Association excellence prevails over emotion and luck. As it should. Amen.

Good post professor. It would be a tremendous accomplishment if the Bucks could win a game. If they somehow managed to win two games it would be a great success and they would be optimistic about next season especially if someone like Charlie Bell turned into a hero.

On the other hand during the 2002-2003 playoffs, we won the division with a 50-32 record and faced the lowly 42-40 Orlando Magic. Of course they got up on us 3-1 (and T-Mac was crowing about how good it felt to be going to the second round) before we shook off our complacency and won the series.

So the conclusion may be foregone but it's still great to watch.

...but the bucks have about as much of winning the series as i have of dunking...over ben.

Not to mention the 7 foot Inflatable Defender.

Anyone with a sharp pin can dunk over the Inflatable Defender.

Only allowed 74 points. Let's enjoy the return to defense.

The next lowest point total in the playoffs this year has been 86.


On the season, Redd was shooting 74% from 3-point land against us. Last night, 0 for 1.

If Rip would have been hitting his normal percentage, this would have been blowout similar to the SA/SAC game.

Sitting here in this internet cafe in Waikiki reading the posts from game 1 is verey interesting. I was not able to check out the game as my wife and I were enjoying Hawaii.

The game seemed to be just as I thought, a blowout, however, it was close for about a hot second from what I saw on ESPN.

Lokks like Evans nor Delfino will be in the playoff rotation. Or is it to early to tell?

Anyway, I`m off to the beach....:nod: Will check the game on Wednesday, will have to check youi guys after the game, I didn`t bring my laptop to join you guys in game chat. I know you guys are live! It`s the playoffs!!!!

Peace..........

Good post professor. It would be a tremendous accomplishment if the Bucks could win a game. If they somehow managed to win two games it would be a great success and they would be optimistic about next season especially if someone like Charlie Bell turned into a hero.

On the other hand during the 2002-2003 playoffs, we won the division with a 50-32 record and faced the lowly 42-40 Orlando Magic. Of course they got up on us 3-1 (and T-Mac was crowing about how good it felt to be going to the second round) before we shook off our complacency and won the series.

So the conclusion may be foregone but it's still great to watch.

Thanks bills. I agree with your final words and I certainly didn't intend to suggest otherwise. I do think, however, that the comparison with the 2002-3 orlando series is somewhat misleading. We were only 8 games better than that magic team (as opposed to 24 games better than the bucks). Plus, we had no sheed and, for the first four games of the series, virtually not tayshaun. Indeed, many credited Carlisle's adjustment (playing Tayshaun on McGrady and using him as a low-post scorer) with the turnaround. Of course, our intensity went way up too, but I'm not so sure it was just -- or even mainly -- complacency that got us in that hole against orlando. And I think Milwaukee is far more overmatched against this year's Pistons than Orlando was in that series.

But whatever, this series -- like all of them -- will definitely be fun to watch no matter what.

I keep hearing that on talk radio that the commish should allow the Bucks to conceed. Why? They are getting a ton of cash for this. Cash to spend on FA's this summer and some valuable playoff experience for their players.

I just hope Rips ankle does not turn into one of those limiting injuries that will not go away this post-season. That could seriously threaten the Pistons chances.

That was a different crew in 02/03 who went on to get swept by NJ.

Exactly what I have expected from the Stones, starting off getting too hyped out and carried away. Fortunately, with the past 2 years of experience in the playoffs together, they manage to settled down before the 1st quarter end with a run.

Other than our guards not shooting the ball too well (CB, Rip and Hunter), our bigs (Ben, Sheed, Tay & Dice) came up big offensively. Big Ben with 17 rebounds, huge. Sheed with 22 pts, 2 blocks & 2 steals, although only 4 rebounds he made it up with 3 steals & 2 blocks. Tay had a big game too with 15 pts & 8 rebounds. Dice as usual, solid 6th man numbers with almost a double-double (9 pts & 10 rebounds). If our bigs can consistently put up these numbers, we will win our 16 games playing less than 20 games.

Rip although not shooting well, he still managed to get 21 pts, thanks largely to his frequent visit at the FT line. Defensively, he did a great job covering Redd. Hope the injury is nothing much serious.

We manage to beat the Bucks in all department (assists, rebounds, blocks, steals) except turnovers where we had 11 to the Buck's 10. 4 of those TO's were early in the 1st where we were plain sloppy.

DETROIT BASKETBALL!