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Series 1-0 Detroit
Tuesday May 9th, 2006
7:00 PM

The Palace of Auburn Hills, Auburn Hills, MI
TV: TNT
Radio: WDFN 1130 AM

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~~

Ambush? Do I smell ambush?

The Cavs speak of the Pistons with nothing but reverance. Detroit just pummeled them two days ago. The basketball world believes the Pistons are the team to beat.

Pistons must be feeling pretty good about themselves.

Home game tonight. What could go wrong?

Is it fat & lazy time? Defense?...we dun need no stinkin' defense.

Look out Detroit!!!!

No matter what, the Pistons take the series. But...a loss tonight would give us all a big headache until Saturday. A headache we can all do without.

This game is a big one, IMO.

Prediction: Pistons win a close one tonight.

sorry guys i won't be at the palace tonight, so hopefully they can win without me!!

Game 2. Hope we don't get hangover on the win on Sunday. The game score start at 0-0. Whole new ball game. This time the Cavs are better prepared. We just got to play the way we play and that is DETROIT BASKETBALL. Coincidentally, it's DEFENSE!!!

It's not everyday that we can shoot 90% from the 3 point line. Hope we don't shoot too many, 15 to 18 should be fair. Got to go in the post more. Sheed should be the star offensively tonite.

GO D, GO PISTONS!!!

Ambush? Do I smell ambush?

The Cavs speak of the Pistons with nothing but reverance. Detroit just pummeled them two days ago. The basketball world believes the Pistons are the team to beat.

Pistons must be feeling pretty good about themselves.

Home game tonight. What could go wrong?

Is it fat & lazy time? Defense?...we dun need no stinkin' defense.

Look out Detroit!!!!

No matter what, the Pistons take the series. But...a loss tonight would give us all a big headache until Saturday. A headache we can all do without.

This game is a big one, IMO.

Prediction: Pistons win a close one tonight.

Not a chance of a let down - not in the Palace.

I would not be suprised if it`s another beat down, maybe not as bad as Sunday, but a beat down.

Look for a let down but it will be on the road, perhaps in game 3.

Not a chance of a let down - not in the Palace.

I would not be suprised if it`s another beat down, maybe not as bad as Sunday, but a beat down.

Look for a let down but it will be on the road, perhaps in game 3.

Yeah, they do seem to have a history of losing the first time they go for their third win of any given series.

I think Detroit comes out fast tonight and then complacency sets in. I'm afraid Detroit will allow Cleveland to make it close before the Pistons prevail. Another blowout would be welcome though.

I'm with Dlev. Beat down!

Another blowout would be welcome though.

No doubt about it, DT! :nod:

I'll take a repeat performance of game one in a heartbeat. But, I think it'll be a little bit closer this time around. With the combination of our fresher legs, combined with their mental, not to mention physical, fatigue coming off the tough series with Washington, we sort of ambushed them.

I still say we win by double digits, though. 101-89. :eyebrows:

With cleveland paper defense the pistons will get 100=, but to win we have to play our game which is defense, if we do that it's a win. 103-94.

No way this is a blowout.

Pistons 100
Cavs 94

First to 100 points wins this one.

Ben will set the tone after he hoists the hardware for the fans.Maybe not a blowout, 98-87 Pistons.

Chat is open.

Got 20 on them already in the 2nd qtr. With 7min left------they ain't got game enuff.

If the Cavs keep playing this badly they won't win a game in this series.

Maybe the close ending will teach the players to stay focused and be humble. Don't want to see a game 3 let down, especially with a couple of days off.

Looks like our guys lost their concentration and focus and made it interesting in the end. The Pistons were stuck on 92 for over 3.5 minutes, allowing the Cavs to chip away at the lead. If the scubs had been in there we may have lost that whole lead. Then again, maybe they would have played inspired instead of lackdaisical like the starters.

The only person going inside was Sheed and then he started missing like everyone else. CB failed to take over in the end by driving against the defense and picking up the occassional And 1's. We could have kept that lead at 11-15 if he had done that as he would have made his FT's...Rip had 17 pts, 15 from the free throw line..

Both teams will have three days off now to review their mistakes and hopefully the Pistons don't think this one is over and sit back on their laurals. I guarantee the Cavs will look at the 4th quarter comeback as a moral victory even though they came up short. Expect a tough game for the Pistons on Saturday unless they stay focused for 4 qts.

Good production tonight from the starting frontcourt. Not that much from the bench at all with 2 pts each from Delk, Evans, and McDyess.:doh:

Game 2. Hope we don't get hangover on the win on Sunday. The game score start at 0-0. Whole new ball game. This time the Cavs are better prepared. We just got to play the way we play and that is DETROIT BASKETBALL. Coincidentally, it's DEFENSE!!!

It's not everyday that we can shoot 90% from the 3 point line. Hope we don't shoot too many, 15 to 18 should be fair. Got to go in the post more. Sheed should be the star offensively tonite.

GO D, GO PISTONS!!!

As you predicted, Sheed was big offensively tonight with 29 points. Defensively, the Pistons showed up. They scored more than we would have liked, but when it mattered, the defensive stepped up and made plays.
Actually think the Pistons got bored with this game and almost let the Cavs back in the game.

FELONIOUS whistles tonight.

'Nuff said.

Jumpshot jumpshot jumpshot jumpshot jumpshot ...turnover... jumpshot.

Hopefully this will convince the starters to execute and put their feet on the Cavs' necks when they have a chance to put it away on Saturday (Saturday?!). I say the starters because the fourth quarter was mostly their fault, although the contributions from Mc_yess, Hunter, Delk, and Evans were insufficient to say the least.

Credit is due to Flip for the Rip and-1 play call in the final minutes, although it would be nice if he could have inspired the players not to choke the lead away in the first place.

Anyway - Pistons up 2-0. So long as the Pistons didn't awaken some sleeping monster by giving the Cavs hope, that's all that matters.

Looks like our guys lost their concentration and focus and made it interesting in the end. The Pistons were stuck on 92 for over 3.5 minutes, allowing the Cavs to chip away at the lead. If the scubs had been in there we may have lost that whole lead. Then again, maybe they would have played inspired instead of lackdaisical like the starters.

Good post, Dre. I pointed out in Chat that the Pistons let up on the Cavs late in the second quarter and got the usual "homer" response. The team clearly lost focus in the 4th. No reason for this to happen. Sometimes the pressure is on the better team to perform at their superior capabilities. Despite the Cavs being down 2-0, the pressure is on the Pistons to avoid a Game 3 collapse like they did against the Bucks. This team looked absolutely lost in the final quarter. And why is James allowed to tiptoe into the paint, receive a light foul and then get an FT? Foul the guy hard! Just go for the ball. He's going to get every call anyway. Geez, at least try to prevent the hoop.

I thought Lebron got a few ticky tack fouls called his way once the score got close, but I'll give him credit for turning it up with 2 minutes left in the 3rd and bringing his team back to life.

Anyhow, what about the Hack-a-Ben?



"Cavs coach Mike Brown was so desperate late in the first half that he resorted to a hack-a-Ben strategy, having his players intentionally foul Ben Wallace late in the first half. The tactic backfired,:attention perhaps because Brown might've sent his players a message that they couldn't slow the Pistons down any other way".

http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/recap;_ylt=AvUr8Hws1jeVhgT20kfKMMg5nYcB?gid=200605 0908

Good post, Dre. I pointed out in Chat that the Pistons let up on the Cavs late in the second quarter and got the usual "homer" response.
Yep, it's bad to be a fan with some confidence. Chalk up homerism to folks who don't know what they are watching, but please exclude me from that group.

It's been 2 years of big head ball. These guys give up leads. Heck, they made it an art form during the season. It's what they do.

On the other hand, most folks would have seen this series going 6 games at the start. That implies a Pistons letdown or some stellar performances from the Cavs.

The way I/roscoe/we saw it was a cold shooting night (as probable as the Game 1 lights out performance) and a series of "even up" calls by the refs that stalled out the game and gave the Cavs a chance. Not to mention that the bench players were completely ineffective and forced Flip to overplay the starters.

Pistons won, held serve, played good D in the last 2 minutes and closed out. The Cavs have to win 4 out of 5 to get this series. Does anyone think that is possible?

Gazoo. My brother. Please enjoy this season. It's really going well. There is no shame in winning by only 6.

Good news; Hallway Coach said that next game the Pistons are rolling out new looks on O and D. Flip was already scheming improvements for the next game while this one was on. Some folks probably won't give him credit for that, but I will.

One adjutment hopefully will be to man the boards a little better. Other than that it was a nice game. Pistons were really taking it inside drawing a lot of fouls. I thought for a while there Prince would out-score Lebran again.

Cavs are definetly showing their inexperience. I called this one in 5 but it could be a sweep. Comparing the Bucks to the Cavs I believe the Bucks would have beaten them.

Something has to be done about Verajio on the offensive glass. Pistons sometimes have trouble against these 7' hacks with nothing better to do than camp out under the baskett looking for the board. Have to box him out. Bears a striking resemblence to the problems we used to have with Foster in the Indy series.

So the Cavs came back. Did it help their confidence going into game 3? The long wait should help the Pistons.

Well, I don't know if it was a rout or a close game. :confused:

At any rate, I think the extra days off will be a good thing for the Pistons. They'll win at least one in Cleveland and should end this in no more than 5.

10 more to go folks. :first: Enjoy and appreciate it everyone! What a year.

Disappointing that the bad 4th quarter allowed the Cavs to avoid the beat down that I had expected, and that they were experiencing for most of the first 3 quarters, but I'm not exactly concerned about it. The Cavs were totally lost on offense until late in the game, so we'll see if they can put it together once they get back home.

pistons got bored, we won, sheed is fantastic and tay started off great. they got some nice whistles late to keep it closer but we got our share of decent calls. they had a few key calls though that really kept them in the game which was upsetting.

bleh either way we'll either take both in cleveland or take 1 and come back home for game 5 and end the series while NJ and Miami are beating each other up.

Yep, it's bad to be a fan with some confidence. Chalk up homerism to folks who don't know what they are watching, but please exclude me from that group.

I exclude you from the group. Hate the "sweep" talk though. Gotta respect your opponent. If you do, you won't let your guard down. The Pistons are only head and shoulders above their opponents when they "feel like" playing. I put that on the players this time, not the coach. I liken Flip to Sparky Anderson. They both got outta the way and let the guys play. That might be Flip's best asset.

One other thing: I hate all this hugging crap before the tipoff. Puullleeeze. I'm all for good sportsmanship, but you gotta loathe your opponent just a little.

I exclude you from the group. Hate the "sweep" talk though. Gotta respect your opponent. If you do, you won't let your guard down. The Pistons are only head and shoulders above their opponents when they "feel like" playing. I put that on the players this time, not the coach. I liken Flip to Sparky Anderson. They both got outta the way and let the guys play. That might be Flip's best asset.

One other thing: I hate all this hugging crap before the tipoff. Puullleeeze. I'm all for good sportsmanship, but you gotta loathe your opponent just a little.
I agree with all of this.

Postgame interviews.

Fragments of Sheed's interview
Chauncey Billups
LeBron James
Coach Flip Saunders
Coach Mike Brown

It's a big MP3. I didn't feel like splitting it up.

I agree with all of this.

What can I say Micro? I just recently graduated from The Low's School of Playing the Devil's Advocate. Not a Catholic school, either. :laugh: I know that this team is "special" and when things don't go right, I get pissed. I guess you're right. I need to enjoy it a little more. If I wasn't such a nervous wreck, I probably would. 'Cause if they don't win it this season, I'm gonna be pissed beyond belief. I wasn't even that mad last season when the Spurs got 'em. Despite being the defending champs, I didn't see them winning it all. This season is different. So when I see them slacking off, I get the red azz real quick.

Thanks for the postgame stuff. Much appreciated for us out-of-towners.

Thanks for the postgame stuff. Much appreciated for us out-of-towners.
You are welcome amigo.

MoPi, good call on the score.
Didn't see the game. But if they are huggin', I'm calling the religous right to bring attention to this Gay BS! I'm sure there are some TV Evangellist
that would just love to call these black men latent gays. Back to the hard fouls please. Who was huggin' ? I want names.
----------------------------------------------------
We have the long rest before travel should be plus this team needs.
I say we take game 3. But not in OT. Let the bench run some and get in the flow. We need more Toaster Oven.

You are welcome amigo.

careful micro that "amigo" thing sounds suspiciously like spanish, and you know how i feel about spaniards!!

careful micro that "amigo" thing sounds suspiciously like spanish, and you know how i feel about spaniards!!
LMAO. No problemo hombre.

(inside chat joke, the prof has spanish ancestry)

Thanks TheeFD. I was due I guess.

It's a strategy he's used all season when double-teamed - he finds the open man. Nine times out of 10, James will find the weakness in the defense.
However, in this best-of-seven series, the Cavaliers find themselves down, 2-0, because those players he's finding - Zydrunas Ilgauskas and Larry Hughes, among others - are not getting the job done.
In order for the Cavaliers to have any chance to win - and even then it might be iffy - James must attack the basket with a vengeance. Finally, in the last eight minutes of Game 2, James decided to go to the hole.
"I'm not going to force the action," James said. "When the double team comes, I'm going to give it up."
The Cavaliers had the Pistons on their heels in the fourth quarter - for the first time in the series - but ran out of time.

http://www.news-herald.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=16619290&BRD=1698&PAG=461&dept_id=21848&rfi=6

Thanks TheeFD. I was due I guess.

That was a pretty spot on prediction. Whatcha callin' for G3?


I'm hoping the kids take a lesson from the first round game 3 and take it right to the Cavs. The first quarter will be key. If the Cavs continue their run from the fourth of game two, it will be a long night and maybe a loss. IF the Pistons jump on them early I think they wilt.

That was a pretty spot on prediction. Whatcha callin' for G3?

Well, looks like I'm going with...

Pistons by 5

Pistons 94
Cavs 89

Another close one. Detroit will be down most of the game but have a heroic 4th quarter. Lebron will have his best game of the series.