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Series 2-0 Detroit
Saturday May 13th, 2006
5:00 PM

Da "Q", Quicken Loans Arena, Cleveland, Ohio
Built 1994, Capacity 20,562

TV: ABC
Radio: WDFN 1130 AM

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~~

I expect the Cleveland fans to be into this game. 13 years since they made some noise in the post season is a long time.

Look for Lebron to be very agressive in this game, thus putting pressure on the refs in the "Q". I don`t want to keep harping on this conspiracy thing but the NBA and TV networks would prefer a 6-7 game series as opposed to a sweep or 5 game series.

So don`t be suprised if we see some freaky calls in this one to assure at least a 5 game series! I picked Detroit in 5 games and i am sticking to my prediction. I see the classic Piston let down in this one.

Ben yawning on the sidelines, Sheed staring into space, and Rip committing 5 or more TO, CB launching up 3`s like he is at All Star Weekend, and Tay playing matador defense on the so-called King.

This will be the Pistons MO throughout the playoffs - take the first 2 then have a minor let down, before regaining their focus.

We may even see Delfino play in this one, and have a good game!!!!!

By and large I follow the rule that if you say something that seems to be turning out not to be true, you just pretend that you didn't say it in the first place and move on. But here I sit, trying to figure out if I've been maligning Flip wrongly.

He had a short honeymoon with me. It was sweetness and light for about a month and then I wanted more - more in game adjustments, more chewing players out when they looked lazy, more offense, more defense, more, more, more. (As if the largest average margin of victory in the league and a pace that, kept up, would have won more games than anyone ever had wasn't enough.)

But now things look a little different. The offense is clicking like never before, averaging 107 in seven playoff games - plus ten over the regular season - and looks fresh and new. (The Suns are averaging 109.)

And the defense - only giving up 95 a game (90 if you don't count the blowout in game 3 of round one). One might even see the one man zone being played against LBJ as an inspired use of the new illegal defense rules.

Thank goodness the forum archives only go back a couple of months so no one can dig out all those earlier posts. Who me? Saying something bad about Flip? Nah, you must have me confused with someone else.

Thank goodness the forum archives only go back a couple of months so no one can dig out all those earlier posts. Who me? Saying something bad about Flip? Nah, you must have me confused with someone else.
That was an error. I have corrected it. You are naked now. All of your posts are available. LOL.

Actually, the search was capped at 105 results. I moved it to 500. Someone could always search for the term "flip" by author "dba" and found them by filtering your posts to the 105 relevant to flip.

Sorry. You'll have to post more to bury those. :P

Ok, forget this. I just realized there are a bunch of posts by micro that should never be dug up again. You're covered dba.

I think they gave us too much time between road games. Finally and unusual.
Ps 115
Brons 105
I doubt our Saturday record comes into play.

I doubt our Saturday record comes into play.

Oh sure, bring that up too. Geez.

:deadhorse

That was an OK thread.

Hughes might not (http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/playoffs2006/news/story?id=2441841) be playing for Cleveland on Saturday, since his younger brother just died from a heart defect that he'd had since birth.

Pistons by 5

Pistons 94
Cavs 89

Hughes might not (http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/playoffs2006/news/story?id=2441841) be playing for Cleveland on Saturday, since his younger brother just died from a heart defect that he'd had since birth.

Really, that`s sad. I remember seeing a piece about Hughes` brother when he was with the Wiz.

I don`t think he will be playing, he seemed very close to his brother.

Holding them to <90 will be tough MoPi. We might need more than 95 to win in Cadaver City. However I do think we can score over 100 on the "Zombie Defense" they employ.
...We'll have had plenty o rest.

I just don't see us shooting at such a high pct. two games in a row. We will struggle but we will lock it down in the fourth. Cleveland will be ripe for a sweep.

How did we play in Cleve this year?

It's hard being Pistons fan here, local tv sport channel forecasted live game 3 then canceled and WC game instead. Sigh . . . so d*** hard . . .

Go Pistons.

It's hard being Pistons fan here, local tv sport channel forecasted live game 3 then canceled and WC game instead. Sigh . . . so d*** hard . . .

Go Pistons.

Where are you?

Oh sure, bring that up too. Geez.

:deadhorse Oh that's funny.

@brofmfa - same problem when I lived in NZ. But the coverage was even worse.

@Motown - the Pistons did not shoot well last game. Doesn't matter. Just gotta keep the Wallace Buddha Train going at the arc. As Sheed goes, so will the Pistons.

As Sheed goes, so will the Pistons.

You got that right. Sheed is this team's MVP right now. Tay is a distant second. C-Note keeps finding Sheed open behind the arc. That's one thing I'll definitely give Flip over Brown: Knowing better what a valuable tool Sheed is. I think Brown knew it but definitely did not exploit it to its maximum potential.

That's one thing I'll definitely give Flip over Brown: Knowing better what a valuable tool Sheed is. I think Brown knew it but definitely did not exploit it to its maximum potential.
The difference is that Flip sees possibilities and takes risks. He's not afraid to do something different than the more trad coaches. It's bound to backfire at some point, but he doesn't strike me as a stupid man. He's a lifer coach.

We're so funny as fans (not specifically you ggazoo), in that we all want Sheed in the post when he misses treys, or banging that tramp when he's on.

It's most noticeable in the game chats. If Sheed misses 2 or 3 treys, everyone wants him to stop shooting and start posting up. We're never really happy unless he plays perfect. Sometimes our standards are too high in my opinion.

Sometimes our standards are too high in my opinion.

Most of the time our standards are way too high. I don't expect the Pistons to sweep through the playoffs but I do expect them to play hard every night, especially when there are typically a few days off between games. I'm still fuming over that Bucks' loss in Game 3. I didn't care that they lost but to get blown out like that is ridiculous. There are certain nights you're gonna suck and there isn't a thing you can do about it but I don't count that as one of those nights.

As far as Sheed goes, the guy has really won me over. He came into the season motivated and in shape. He has come into these playoff games and set the tone early on. I never faulted the guy for leaving Horry open last year either. Not a smart play but the guy played hard. The Pistons had a good chance to win in Game 7 anyway. And I love how he deals with the media; he gives them nothing, which is what you have to do.

Sheed does a great job of mixing up the post-up game and shooting 3s.

Where are you?

Pardon me for late response, I'm at Kaohsiung, Taiwan.

Nice to meet you Delv59.

Is China going to invade?

the Pistons did not shoot well last game. Doesn't matter. Just gotta keep the Wallace Buddha Train going at the arc. As Sheed goes, so will the Pistons.

Just looked at the stats and you were right. I think the cold hand came near the close of the 3rd quarter though. I do find it funny that whenever I seem to think one player is the key to the success to this teeam, the next game always proves me wrong. I used to think it was B. Wallace's defensive intensity, then I thought it was C-Note's court leadership and big play ability, then I thought it was Rip's Consistency and man-to-man D, then I thought it was Tay's X-Factor.....

All I know is that when we have at least 3 of 5 of those things going we normally win. 4 or 5 out of 5 and we win BIG!

I think Rip needs to shoot more 3s in the 4th Q. His jumper seems to fail him often. I'd like to see him do 4 3s in the 4th, if his midrange is cold.

The series is OVER. From the standpoint of which team will prevail, it is over and done. Cleveland will not win 4 games out of the next 5.

The question which remains is can Cleveland make it "interesting"? In other words, can Cleveland (or will they)win two (2) games? They won't win three (3).

I hope they don't win two (and I think they won't). Extra games mean an increased risk of injury and fatigue.

But if Cleveland does win a couple, prepare yourselves for the following from the usual suspects:

(1) Fire Flip!!

(2) We need a bench.

(3) Trade Sheed!

(4) What's wrong with Ben?

(5) Tay needs to wake up (or he needs help guarding LBJ).

(6) Chauncy needs to quit being complacent and stop taking dumb shots.

(7) Rip's ankle must be bothering him

(8) This team is blowing it.

(9) If Darko was here...

(10) Hunter should have retired

etc. etc. etc.(or should I say excederin headache #2458)?

This season, perhaps more than any other, we expect to bring home the trophy. IMO it's a very reasonable and realistic expectation based on the way the year has unfolded.

The Pistons WILL win the championship. (Disclaimer: barring injury...then it becomes iffy). After this series, the competition gets tougher. Detroit is going to need to work hard to earn the title. Other teams would like to win it too. Don't panic when there are some :bump: s in the road.

OK, I'm done. :lalala:
I really have no idea why I posted this.:confused::laugh:

I do find it funny that whenever I seem to think one player is the key to the success to this teeam, the next game always proves me wrong. I used to think it was B. Wallace's defensive intensity, then I thought it was C-Note's court leadership and big play ability, then I thought it was Rip's Consistency and man-to-man D, then I thought it was Tay's X-Factor.....

All I know is that when we have at least 3 of 5 of those things going we normally win. 4 or 5 out of 5 and we win BIG!

I agree with this observation. And I think it could be broken down still further.

I think of the key, characteristic elements that each of the players brings as lights that can be on or off. Some of the players very obviously contribute more than one "light" (e.g. Chauncey as court leader/passer and Chauncey as big play scorer; Sheed as triple threat and Sheed as low post force and Sheed as defensive presence; Dyess as scorer and Dyess as rebounder, etc.). When I think of it that way, there are probably a total of about 10 of these "lights" that could come "on" at any given moment in a game (and be on for a second or for 48 minutes, depending on the night). (I'm sort of imagining an array of christmas tree light bulb, right?)

I know it's kind of a clumsy metaphor, but it gets at the fact that even with a single game, various Pistons step up for a few minutes at a time, then kind of step back while someone else steps up and does his thing, etc... all depending not only how each of them is feeling that night, but also on what the poor opponent is trying to take away. So, Rip didn't shoot the ball frequently or well from the floor on Tuesday night, but he never stopped moving and the number of fouls he took indicates not only his aggressiveness but how much attention Cleveland was paying to him. That gives more room for the Tayshaun as scorer light to come on, not to mention teh Sheed lights to come on.

But wait, there's more: here comes the beauty and refinement of this "lights" metaphor. Let's say that there are 10 of these "lights" -- it would be interesting for Stat Sprocket Man to figure out for us just exactly how many there should be -- and 48 minutes per game, there are a total of 480 possible "light-minutes" in a Piston game. Each Pistons game could now be rated on a scale of 0 (no piston player brings any of their characteristic, key contributions for even a single minute) to 480 (each Piston player brings all of their characteristic key contributions for every minute they are on the floor).

Within that scale, and plugging my extensive statistical mapping of the team into my Cray Mainframe, I've determined that we win most games so long as we hit 240 on the "light-minute" scale. :eyebrows:

(i just woke up from a nap, so you can chalk this whole light vision up to the collective unconscious, or a visit by my animal familiar or some such thing... i don't want personally to take credit for it, you know)

Not to mention the headlights on the Automotion.

i just woke up from a nap...

1:06 PM

Nice life...

1:06 PM

Nice life...

thanks!! :) I like it. :laugh:

but seriously SpRocket Man: aren't you gonna do the real numbers for me on the light thing? I was sure that would inspire a column, think of the complexity; the permutations; the calculations; the prestidigitations!!!

("I think it's gonna be a long, long time"...)

:laugh: 1:06 PM

Nice life...

LMAO!!!!!

Check out the shirts me and my friend are wearing to the game.

I bet this will get the Q stirred up...lol
http://files.tagworld.com/53dd5024c2f786fc41fc81b847c537906c87.jpeg

roscoe36: don't advertise here

Check out the shirts me and my friend are wearing to the game.

I bet this will get the Q stirred up...lol
http://files.tagworld.com/53dd5024c2f786fc41fc81b847c537906c87.jpeg


Pure genius.That's funny and I hope you make it back to your car after the game.

The difference is that Flip sees possibilities and takes risks. He's not afraid to do something different than the more trad coaches. It's bound to backfire at some point, but he doesn't strike me as a stupid man. He's a lifer coach.

We're so funny as fans (not specifically you ggazoo), in that we all want Sheed in the post when he misses treys, or banging that tramp when he's on.

It's most noticeable in the game chats. If Sheed misses 2 or 3 treys, everyone wants him to stop shooting and start posting up. We're never really happy unless he plays perfect. Sometimes our standards are too high in my opinion.

A lot of imes when I see Sheed post up he scores. The 3's are definantly fine because it will force their bigs out of the paint, but if he consistantly does both it would make whoever's gaurding Sheed work very hard. If we face san Antonio I probably wouldn't mind Sheed being out on the perimeter so that he can force Tim Duncan out of the paint. If they switch up Nazr, Horry, or Rasho wouldn't stand a chance in gaurding Sheed in the post. This year if our forwards are agressive (Sheed, Tay, and Dice) we'll be much better.

I'll try to be brave...But I can't wait to see their faces.

As road warriors our most significant weakness has been a tendancy to become very perimeter oriented. We usually don't shake that urge until the score nececitates otherwise.

Our high shooting % has helped diminish the Cavs full court thrusts to the basket. Being on the road has also helped reduce the Cavs bench contribution. Lastly, being home has gotten us more friendly whistle toots.

Lambs Lemonpens Lowdown:
1- control the boards, to slow the Cav transition game
2- execute well on O, making the Cavs take the ball out of the hoop.
3- avoid foul trouble. Labron will be more aggressive at home

Check out the shirts me and my friend are wearing to the game.

I bet this will get the Q stirred up...lol
http://files.tagworld.com/53dd5024c2f786fc41fc81b847c537906c87.jpeg

roscoe36: don't advertise here

:laugh: I love the shirt!!!

WOW!!! If I'm not wrong, this is the 1st time there is 4 pages of posts before a game in this forum. Just to show how long this break in between games is. Everyone here can't wait for Game 3.

Even though I predicted the Pistons to win the series 4-2 before the playoffs starts, I do hope we sweep them. Look for Rip to have a good game this evening.

The Cavs will definitely have some favorables calls from the ref, so hopefully the starters will take these calls without whinning too much else, look for Sheed getting tech No. 3. In order for the Pistons to win this game, we must win the war of boards.

DETROIT BASKETBALL!!!

I wish the games were closer because then we could have a longer break between the next round if we get past this round.

I suspect a clost game but it may help how Clev came back at the end of game 2. Perhaps that was the letdown the team needed to bury the Cavs. Still expect more calls for James and for someone else like Ilgauskas or Hughes to get hot.

Pistons 94 Cavs 91

Himat I disagree, if we win it will be because we had ample time between games. If we lose it will be because we couldn't play our D. Unkind iron is no excuse because we should have the energy to play down low. Guesting of course.

WOW!!! If I'm not wrong, this is the 1st time there is 4 pages of posts before a game in this forum.

if you have any semblance of a decent connection you should change your settings to show more posts per page. mine shoes 40 per page and that way i don't have to flip between pages so much.

Yeah, I think the sympathy factor will be in effect for the Cavs this game... the foul calls will flip flop in their favor.
Also think the 3 point shooting efficiency will drop significantly on the road.
Look for the Brons (er Cavs) to go inside much more... that's what got them back in the game last time.
If the Pistons are serious about winning at the Q they need to post Sheed and Chauncey often... and take advantage of the defensive drop off from Hughes not playing.

As road warriors our most significant weakness has been a tendancy to become very perimeter oriented. We usually don't shake that urge until the score nececitates otherwise.

Our high shooting % has helped diminish the Cavs full court thrusts to the basket. Being on the road has also helped reduce the Cavs bench contribution. Lastly, being home has gotten us more friendly whistle toots.

Lambs Lemonpens Lowdown:
1- control the boards, to slow the Cav transition game
2- execute well on O, making the Cavs take the ball out of the hoop.
3- avoid foul trouble. Labron will be more aggressive at home
Good work LP. I think #2 is the most important. The best way to shut down a transition offense oriented team is to make hoops (execute), limit turns, and use the clock to allow the bigs offensive rebounding position.

Foul trouble will probably be inevitable, the Pistons have to stay aggressive and not get too far behind, because the refs don't help teams that are far behind and doing nothing to help themselves. Particularly since they are playing "THE KING".

The coaches hinted at some new scheming on defense after Game 2. I will be watching to see what they roll out.

#2...well of course.
How are you going to do that? They got the refs in their pocket and the 12th man screaming in our ear! Strange iron. Strange glass?
Just bring the energy and we'll be fine.

Chat is open. Come one, come all.

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

Ho-hum. More Game 3 absenteeism by the boys. Awful tough to win when you get 9 bench points. Mo Evans was so horrible that he should be dismissed from the team immediately. Awful tough to win when you play one-quarter of the game. Two things I'm amazed by: LeBron is allowed to drive down the lane without any harm. No way the '88-'90 teams would have allowed this. Those teams were prideful and 'ol LeBron would have ended up on his azz more than once. I'm also amazed by the fourth-quarter collapse. Isn't that when experience takes over? :confused:

Well, the league'll love this. LeBron for at least two more games.

Didn't watch the game, but it looks like Chauncey started ballhogging, Sheed didn't show up, and Tayshaun was in "Princess" mode. Delk and Hunter were invisible, Dice picked up more fouls instead of playing defense, and Ben's BPG average for the playoffs has dipped to 1.2.

And how about that game from Mo Evans? As I said, I didn't watch the game - but unless I'm wrong, and I don't think I am, he made his usual, reliable, consistent contribution and Flip still managed to find time to play him in the 4th quarter.

On the bright side, Rip shot a respectable percentage, so hopefully his ankle's doing better.

Either way, this team is like clockwork. They should win Game 4 by 10-15, and close out the series in 5 now.

Tough loss. We were so close. Lebron James will get all the credit for this win but if it wasn't for his teammates showing up the first 3 and a 1/2 quarters he never would have had the chance to win this game.

It is just one loss. We will rebound. Chauncey started off really slow. He needs to start better.

Ho-hum. More Game 3 absenteeism by the boys. Awful tough to win when you get 9 bench points. Mo Evans was so horrible that he should be dismissed from the team immediately. Awful tough to win when you play one-quarter of the game. Two things I'm amazed by: LeBron is allowed to drive down the lane without any harm. No way the '88-'90 teams would have allowed this. Those teams were prideful and 'ol LeBron would have ended up on his azz more than once. I'm also amazed by the fourth-quarter collapse. Isn't that when experience takes over? :confused:

Well, the league'll love this. LeBron for at least two more games.

You said it.Letting LeBron's non-scoring stats and his crew keep the game close and then he explodes in the end,you could see it coming the way we played.Awful offensively on our part and some crap fouls by the refs didn't help either.Oh well looks like we will witness a game 5 after all.Refocus and drop em in 5 just like the Bucks.

I expect the Cleveland fans to be into this game. 13 years since they made some noise in the post season is a long time.

Look for Lebron to be very agressive in this game, thus putting pressure on the refs in the "Q". I don`t want to keep harping on this conspiracy thing but the NBA and TV networks would prefer a 6-7 game series as opposed to a sweep or 5 game series.

So don`t be suprised if we see some freaky calls in this one to assure at least a 5 game series! I picked Detroit in 5 games and i am sticking to my prediction. I see the classic Piston let down in this one.

Ben yawning on the sidelines, Sheed staring into space, and Rip committing 5 or more TO, CB launching up 3`s like he is at All Star Weekend, and Tay playing matador defense on the so-called King.



This will be the Pistons MO throughout the playoffs - take the first 2 then have a minor let down, before regaining their focus.

We may even see Delfino play in this one, and have a good game!!!!!

Ok, I am going to watch the game now, didn`t see it live. How close was I to my prediction? I know the Pistons loss, but did they seem as disinterested as I said?

I will soon see for myself.......

Ok, I am going to watch the game now, didn`t see it live. How close was I to my prediction? I know the Pistons loss, but did they seem as disinterested as I said?

I will soon see for myself.......
Ineffective is the word that comes to mind.

Another crap game. Everyone will run around pointing fingers, Sheed, Mo, Flip whatever.

Bottom line, the Pistons as a whole did not bring a great effort, the only exception is perhaps Rip and that cost them down the stretch when they got nailed on a lot of BS calls. If they were up by 10 to start the 4th, they may have weathered it. Instead, they kept handing Cleveland an opportunity to win the game from the get go, and finally, the Cavs figured out that the game was there for the taking.

The bench has totally disappeared. Unleash the hounds. They need a man hunt for Hunter, Delk and Evans.

And how about that game from Mo Evans? As I said, I didn't watch the game - but unless I'm wrong, and I don't think I am, he made his usual, reliable, consistent contribution and Flip still managed to find time to play him in the 4th quarter.

Sarcasm right? Even if you look at the box score he was 0-2, with 1 TO, and a foul. If you watched the game, he had one of the most embarrassing sequences I've seen from a Piston in a long time. He gets the ball in his favorite spot, goes to shoot the 3, but Lebron closes in on him. Evans then looks to pass, can't find anyone, puts the ball on the floor, loses his dribble, manages to get it back, shot clock winding down, shoots, and is flat out rejected.

And then things get worse. Evans (and Flip for even putting him on Lebron) single handedly let Cleveland back in the game. Worst coaching job, ever.

I mean serious what was Flip's thought process. I need somebody to guard Lebron while Tay rests, Delfino has proven he can guard Lebron, but Evans can hit that wide open jumper when no one covers him. That's it, Evans.

Wake up Flip, this is the playoffs, not counting garbage time, Evans aint getting anymore wide open jumpers.

Delk played 4 minutes. He is hardly at fault. The thing with Delk is when he is on he can't be stopped but when he is off you might as well not play him at all.

Delk played 4 minutes. He is hardly at fault. The thing with Delk is when he is on he can't be stopped but when he is off you might as well not play him at all.
Well, you do make my point. He was off, and hence, he only had 4 minutes to give. I'd call that grounds for an APB.

I need somebody to guard Lebron while Tay rests, Delfino has proven he can guard Lebron, but Evans can hit that wide open jumper when no one covers him. No, he hasn't. He might be able to, but I don't remember Delfino having any good defensive sequence on James yet.

Tayshaun Prince is going to have to suck it up, stop playing so soft, and play 45+ minutes a night. And when he isn't guarding James, Rip Hamilton or Lindsey Hunter should be.

And I was only being partially sarcastic. This was not an unusual performance from Evans.

Well, you do make my point. He was off, and hence, he only had 4 minutes to give. I'd call that grounds for an APB.

If he only played 4 minutes then he gets no blame for this loss. Are big guys didn't step up til it was too late.

Its over. I expect us to win game 4. We don't want to let the Cavs back into this series.

Lebron played every minute and seemed quite spry at the end. So any "tired" excuses should be ignored by the Pistons players.

If he only played 4 minutes then he gets no blame for this loss. Are big guys didn't step up til it was too late. My point is that the bench is missing. If they were effective in Game 2, they might have got more run in game 3. Flip is gunna pull the plug on the bench if they dont come in and produce.

Lebron played every minute and seemed quite spry at the end. So any "tired" excuses should be ignored by the Pistons players. No doubt. I get so sick of everyone complaining about minutes when Iverson, LeBron, Arenas, Marion and Kobe play mondo minutes regularly.

If anyone is tired after a 4 day layoff, they have mononucleosis.

My point is that the bench is missing. If they were effective in Game 2, they might have got more run in game 3. Flip is gunna pull the plug on the bench if they dont come in and produce.

Well, Flip can either pull the plug outright or try some different substitution patterns/combinations. I hate to compliment Arroyo, but occasionally he brought some fire to this team with his energy in last year's playoffs. Nobody like that on the current team has emerged. This team is so business-like out there that sometimes it needs a fire lit under its azz. I feel bad for Delfino. I think the guy made some strides this year and he gets buried under a whole lotta horse-MO-nure.

Sounds like a GuaranSheed to me:

"They did what they were supposed to do. We are still going to win this series. We're not going to let one game discourage us."

Sounds like a GuaranSheed to me:

"They did what they were supposed to do. We are still going to win this series. We're not going to let one game discourage us."
Sheed said in the locker room interview on WDFN that the Cavs will be playing their last home game of the season on Monday.

Delk never got a chance with 4 minutes. Usually he is on when he is on but you never know in situations like this. He could have been a spark but 4 minutes isn't enough.

Sheed said in the locker room interview on WDFN that the Cavs will be playing their last home game of the season on Monday.

Sheed needs to shut up. One of these times he is going to say that to the wrong team and fire them up.

I see a whole lot of finger pointing over a game that really was to our liking most of the way through. We handled the boardwork ok, made good use of our fouls, and played stretches of outstanding D. Our only glaring weakness was turnovers. Starters as well as the bench committed them. It wasn't what the Cavs did with the extra possessions as much as what it prevented us from doing, particularly when compounded by our poor shooting. Two-thirds of our bench played like bench players do when in the other guys gym. It wasn't the first time.

The backbreaker:
With a 8 or 9 point lead in the second half we were one score from forcing Brown into a timeout, and one 8-2 run from taking total control. We uncharacteristicly rushed several consecutive possessions, comming up empty, stalled out and Clev walked us down.

Ok, I am going to watch the game now, didn`t see it live. How close was I to my prediction? I know the Pistons loss, but did they seem as disinterested as I said?

I will soon see for myself.......

Normally, when the Pistons lose, they are disinterested/they don't show up. But this was different, at least in the 2nd half. The Pistons were actually playing and trying to win this one. It just didn't happen. They all seem to be struggling. So, the Piston didn't lose this game, Cleveland won it.

Just watched the game cuz i decided to work OT today. We lost cuz:

1. The 3 minute Mo Evans disaster. There was also the play where he fell back on his butt guarding Bron who passed to Sideshow Bob. Bob hit the layup as Mo (less tonite) tried to whack his ankles.
2. there was a stretch in the 4th around the 6:00 mark when the Cavs started flying to the hoop(including Bron's underhand layup) and Flip (flop) did not get Ben back in til the 4 minute mark. He still hasnt learned taht in this town we win with defensive stops!
3. +30 points in the 4th for the 2nd stright game. Bron avg 16 pts in 4th. I'd go to a 2-3 zone and make Marshall and sissy Boy beat us from the 3.
4. The Scalabrine Factor. Every 2nd round we let some goofball come off the bench in a game to save his team. This time it was Sideshow Bob.
5. Sheed was all mouth and the best way to keep him quiet is get him the ball early and force him to take it inside.
6. Rip got over anxious in the 3rd. he had 40 written all over the place, but he settled to much off the jumper. Only 71 shots attempted, 18 were 3's. When Rip gets out on the break , we're lethal.

GAME 4...PISTONS 99-88.

I think that tonight the pistons completely had left outside ..in game 4 we will know if it has been only an episode or......series. The pistons seem to arrive tired in the quarter in which the match is decided. Flip giving little space to the bench finds again player then outside rhythm and little effective ...at last Evans and Delfino i have seen years in Italy between the 2 delf from the greater guarantees...Evans to them is only a good jumper here and to sure levels cannot play


ps sorry for my english.. has used google

I know it is all over the press, but this is typical Pistons Game 3 (10 straight losses in playoff Game 3 roadies). And after most Sheed makes a guarantee. Therefore, I say things aren't bad but going as planned.

I'm going to let this one go as the typical game 3 letdown. Not too worried overall.

However, without pointing fingers, (here comes the finger pointing) why didn't Flip call a timeout with about 2 minutes left? The game was still winable, and the Pistons seemed to be desperately winging it. Great time to regroup and focus.

Chauncey set the tone int he 1st quarter with 4 possessions in a small amount of time where NOBODY else touched the ball. That single handedly set the tone on offense: no movement. Thanks, Micro, as you said--The Detroit TEAM lost the game--what is with all the talk about the bench. Right again , Micro, only Rip showed up. We were not serious. We made no adjustments to Le Bron's passing as well. I did not have this series as a sweep--not with the Le Bron show. But please, let's not prolong this series. Cleveland should have won this game by 20 and couldn't hit a shot. They run such poor sets.

Well, most people over here are keeping the loss in perspective.:) It's just one game. Our boys just didn't play as hard as necessary.

They'll get it right and move on to the next round. In fact, mark a loss for the Pistons the first time they go for their third win in the Eastern Conference finals as well as in the NBA Championship finals.

No worries. Just the usual bad feeling that comes with a loss. On the bright side, we are in the second round of the playoffs and have only experienced this bad feeling 20 times. We experienced the good feeling of winning 70 times. :nod: I like those numbers.

like i said, we played as bad as we did against milwaukee in game 3, except they blew us out. luckily cleveland cannot shoot and it keeps us in games. the refs screwed us at the end but we had our chance to put the game away up 9. chauncey had some good stretches but he had 4 or 5 extremely uncharacteristic turnovers...almost like he was waiting for the foul call he usually gets.

i don't have a problem with mo because he's done well in the playoffs, and he even had one extremely impressive defensive stop against lebron in this game, and has played decent defense against him this series.

as a whole the team played awful, time to regain focus, win game 4, then close it out in 5. darn pistons making me pay to attend an extra game :(

4. The Scalabrine Factor. Every 2nd round we let some goofball come off the bench in a game to save his team. This time it was Sideshow Bob.

"goofball." I love that. LOL. :laugh:

Didn't watch the game, but it looks like Chauncey started ballhogging, Sheed didn't show up, and Tayshaun was in "Princess" mode. Delk and Hunter were invisible, Dice picked up more fouls instead of playing defense, and Ben's BPG average for the playoffs has dipped to 1.2.

And how about that game from Mo Evans? As I said, I didn't watch the game - but unless I'm wrong, and I don't think I am, he made his usual, reliable, consistent contribution and Flip still managed to find time to play him in the 4th quarter.

On the bright side, Rip shot a respectable percentage, so hopefully his ankle's doing better.

Either way, this team is like clockwork. They should win Game 4 by 10-15, and close out the series in 5 now.

Chauncey wasn't ballhogging.

Chauncey wasn't ballhogging.

yer right, he gave the ball to cleveland plenty of times!! :eyebrows: heheh

I know it is all over the press, but this is typical Pistons Game 3 (10 straight losses in playoff Game 3 roadies). And after most Sheed makes a guarantee. Therefore, I say things aren't bad but going as planned.

Yep, typical Piston basketball. They lose a game on the road so they can come home and close out the series before their home crowd. That's how I look at it. No need to get worried yet.

As many noted, the TEAM lost the game. But, we should give some credit to the Cavs. They played good ball down the stretch. They wanted (or needed) this game more than the Pistons, and they did what they had to do to win it.

Noone saw the game being played like that. But I think we're setting The Brons up for some Detroit BBall.
Warming up the D is always a good thing.

I'm not worried at all, although I still don't like the fact that this team is incapable of sweeping a freaking series!! :frusty: :frusty: :frusty:

I think we might just have to accept that this team likes to toy with their opponents a bit too much and tends to take some time off.

This just means we close out the series on home court in game 5.

Sheed needs to shut up. One of these times he is going to say that to the wrong team and fire them up.
Whatever it takes to motivate himself. In this case, he picked the right team. Now Miami or San Antonio? I would be very surprised to see this kind of bravado.

A large part of being a dominating team is never letting them see you sweat. And intimidation.

Hey guys i usually don't post because i really don't sweat our pistons when we lose which is the only time i have the urge to post. However, in saying all that i feel that we are in trouble in losing a second game to these Cavs. We are not playing to win most games except for games we are playing at home so far in these playoffs. If this trend continues i surely believe that we will not win the title until we make a concerted effort to win and play hard in every single game. There are going to games where you struggle offensively or defensively. But if you play hard you give yourself a chance every single game. I want to say that I expect us to win but in this game I don't know if i can make such a risky proposition. Dont get me wrong Cleveland will not beat us in this series but why force yourself to play more games when you don't have to. We need to conserve our energy for a team in my eyes is much hungries then we are, the miami heat. We better get our act together.

Pistons have proven all season long that they can win on the road. No worries.

Pistons have proven all season long that they can win on the road. No worries.
1-2 so far. I'm moving to Missouri. The Show Me State.

1-2 so far. I'm moving to Missouri. The Show Me State.

our record in Saturday games this year is 6-8 btw.

1-2 so far. I'm moving to Missouri. The Show Me State.

not so good in the playoffs..but we ruled during the regular season.

we'll be okay.

Our record on the road after a GauranSheed win ...2-0.
He usually makes these bold predictions after a bad personal performance... now if he could gaurantee a good game by himself that would be newsworthy.

Well after 24 hours, I have finally calmed down. In the meantime, glad that the Mavs and Clips won, but wished the Nets hadn't folded down the stretch like the Pistons did Saturday night.

No time to panic yet, but I hope after hugging their moms and their baby mamas, the Pistons sat down and reviewed the tapes, and saw what the real problem was. Passive defense and lack of inside presence on the offensive end.

The cardinal rule is that you don't rely on the three ball on the road!! if it falls Ok, but establish the inside game first and then try the outside. The Cavs beat us in the paint 44-26 with most of that damage coming from James and Varejeo who with 16 pts, outscored our entire bench. All of his points of course were in the paint and when James brought them back in 4th, there were the drives right to the basket. Flip fell to respond here and left Ben on the bench too long and as LBJ waltzed right by the first line of defense in Prince and second line in Dice or Sheed. He scored three stroaight buckets during this stretch.

The 16 TO's really hurt..especially in the first half where the Pistons should been up 12-14 at the hakf instead of 6. Although the lead was stretched to 10 midway through the third, you could tell with only scoring 14 pts in the third, this was going to be tough ending.

Tay and Sheed's 7-21 shooting didn't help matters so both need to more aggressive around the hoop on Monday. The starters need to give the bench a cushion to work with before Hunter comes out there and starts throwing up bricks and not allowing anyone else to shoot. If I were Flip, I would bring in Dice, Delk and then Hunter and then Mo only if Tay is off.

To much writing here from me..I am starting to sound like nature boys drivvile.:focus:....Pistons...Just Win Baby!!!:fingerscr

The Cavs beat us in the paint 44-26 with most of that damage coming from James and Varejeo who with 16 pts, outscored our entire bench. All of his points of course were in the paint and when James brought them back in 4th, there were the drives right to the basket. Flip fell to respond here and left Ben on the bench too long and as LBJ waltzed right by the first line of defense in Prince and second line in Dice or Sheed. He scored three stroaight buckets during this stretch.

The 16 TO's really hurt..especially in the first half where the Pistons should been up 12-14 at the half instead of 6.


LaDre I was trying to decide what I wanted to post about this game and these two points you made really stood out for me. I am a fairly new basketball fan on a steep learning curve, so sometimes it takes me a while to figure out when something is really amiss with our Pistons.

I watched the Pistons all season and didn't notice this, but when one of the commentators said that we were 30th in the league in points in the paint all the alarm systems went off for me. I think this is a real problem. I realize that alot of our shots are just outside the paint in the mid-range but I still think being a "perimeter jump shooting team" is only going to work if we have outstanding defense too. I think it might be a little late in the season to turn into an "attack the rim" team. Maybe next year. It looks to me like we are going to live and die by the jumpshot.

Like you, it took me about 36 hours to recover from that loss. All day when I was gardening and fixing my car I had the image of LeBron waltzing down the lane and right to the basket. And most of all the unnecessary and sloppy turnovers. I actually hope that the inability to defend in the lane was because some decision was made by Flip or team that they didn't want to give up all kind of King LeBron free throw points. But regardless, it was embarrassing and they certainly did not look like a team that is going to win a title in a month or less. But of course they are!!!:fingerscr

All of that said, I still adore them. :nod: They just did not look like the Pistons in that 4th quarter. I am really not into conspiracy theories and this idea of throwing a game to win at home, or for tv time, or whatever. However, they did not look like they were trying to win late in the 3rd or in the 4th qaurter. Lack of effort and lack of focus.

What an emotional rollercoaster it is to love this team.:frusty: :)

So IMHO they need to take care of the ball, defend the paint, and stop playing only to the level of opponents. Didn't they get beat by the Knicks and Orlando doing that stuff?

Oh they need to do a few "send a message" hard fouls there on the King. As an apology to their fans, who had to watch him in replay after replay for the last day and a half. Jeez, I have to avoid SportsCenter.

GO PISTONS!!! DEE-TROIT BASKETBALL!

Aurora, you are right it is too late in the season to start attacking the rim as a norm, but if all they got back there is Z & V, at least try it. if the long ball is not falling drive stop and pop or just drive and get somebody in fouil trouble.

Lay off the double team on King James unless it is absolutely necessary, reduce TO's and this a win, but probably a "Labron nailbiter" to the end!! See you in Chat