At Chicago March 29th, 8:00 PM
TV - TNT

The season series is deadlocked at a game apiece between these Central Division rivals, they meet in the third of four games this year tonight in Chicago. There is sure to be a playoff atmosphere between these teams tonight and could be a second round playoff series if the seedings would end as it stands the date of this post.

The Bulls are averaging just under 100 points in the two games played this year. Billups didn`t play in the Bull`s victory and Nocioni didn`t suit up in the Pistons win.

I figured the Bulls would not improve on last year's record. Ben Wallace was gonna need some time to adjust to his new digs..........

Looks like the Bulls playoff position is not decided yet. They can move up to second, drop down to 6th or remain in their current position, the 5th seed.

Remaining in the 5th spot will put them in a position to meet the Pistons in the second round, assuming both teams take care of business with their first round opponent.

Let`s assume this happens, and Detroit meets the Bulls in the second round and perhaps, the Heat in the EC Finals.

Would they advance to the Finals??

Looks like the Bulls playoff position is not decided yet. They can move up to second, drop dThe Buééo 6th or remain in their current position, the 5th seed.

Remaining in the 5th spot will put them in a position to meet the Pistons in the second round, assuming both teams take care of business with their first round opponent.

Let`s assume this happens, and Detroit meets the Bulls in the second round and perhaps, the Heat in the EC Finals.

Would they advance to the Finals??The Bulls????!!!! You're kidding.
I think that the Bulls are...I mean look. Ben is one of the best defensive players...He was, actually. The Bulls didn't have the spot for such a great player. Detroit got out everything of Ben...We were the champions. The Bulls couldn't take out anything compared to the Pistons from Ben...They will fail in the first round. It's for sure.

The Bulls????!!!! You're kidding.
I think that the Bulls are...I mean look. Ben is one of the best defensive players...He was, actually. The Bulls didn't have the spot for such a great player. Detroit got out everything of Ben...We were the champions. The Bulls couldn't take out anything compared to the Pistons from Ben...They will fail in the first round. It's for sure.
Im asking would the Pistons advance to the Finals!

Not the Bulls

Im asking would the Pistons advance to the Finals!

Not the BullsSorry, bro.K, then let's get serious. I think we have a great chance...And we will. But with teams from the West like the On fire Suns or the rolling Mavs..to the fast Spurs.Well, this Title will be hard to reach. But I think we advance to the Finals.

I would wager than no one of you would believe I would ever say this but what if the Pistons put JMax on Ben for a while. The way Max has been playing, I bet he could give Ben a lot of trouble.

Anyone else agree?

I would wager than no one of you would believe I would ever say this but what if the Pistons put JMax on Ben for a while. The way Max has been playing, I bet he could give Ben a lot of trouble.

Anyone else agree?

Either him or Dale Davis.

Flip should tell JMax that if he out-rebounds Ben, he will get to start the next game.


This makes me think of something else that I forgot to mention...
Why does Flip Saunders bother taking Maxiell out of the game when he gets 5 fouls? It's not like he puts him back in later, so why not just let him foul out? It seems like a convention that coaches mindlessly follow.

It would be interesting lazy because Max is a little foul prone, yet Ben isn't very aggressive offensively.

And I think Ben can guard Max because he gets a friendly whistle and would probably be able to draw charges on the Brahma Bull.

That was always Ben's best asset. His speed and that he almost never bails a shooter out with a foul.

I would wager than no one of you would believe I would ever say this but what if the Pistons put JMax on Ben for a while. The way Max has been playing, I bet he could give Ben a lot of trouble.

Anyone else agree?

It would be interesting to see if Max could keep Ben off the boards - a good test. Blocking out seems to be something he's doing a lot better than last year (or even earlier this year), but he still seems to me to have a long way to go. At his size, if he can't create space to pull down boards, he probably doesn't have a long NBA future.

Certainly can handle Ben's offense.

It occurred to me that JMax is so busy and about the same height and wingspan that he could keep Ben busy enough to keep him off the boards and from helping out defensively.

I would like to see it.

With both Rip and Cwebb staying home tonight again with the flubug, this will come down to if da bulls are hitting their outside shots or not. With Tay, Sheed and CB all nursing minor injuries, the Pistons must get excellent production from our main goon squad of JMAX, Dice, Delfino, and Flip Jr.

Lets hope that Sheed can stay out of foul trouble and CB can play smart ball with this motley crue and Flip sr remembers not to play Hunter and Jr at the same time.

RJC predicts 1st-quarter 'Detroit Sucks' chants that will be followed by a slow, grind-it-out ten point game that the Stones eventually cut in the fourth-quarter, winning by eight. Maxey goes for 15 and 10. Rasheed rips his headband off and throws it at B-bb-bben Wallace at the final buzzer's sound. Ooah!

Our primary strategy should be to pass on this flu virus to the Bulls.

There should be a lot of sneezing on the ball. Put Rip and Webber in for 1 nasty possession and let them get their germs on.

Our primary strategy should be to pass on this flu virus to the Bulls.

There should be a lot of sneezing on the ball. Put Rip and Webber in for 1 nasty possession and let them get their germs on.

I don't think they traveled to Chitown, so Arnie would had to have harnessed those germs or took a throat culture from them before he left and then exposed it into the Bulls locker room. :sssh: OK I am going to extreme here in making sure that the short handed Pistons win. :MusicBigGrin:

Win or lose, this is another blessing in disguise as the bench gets more PT and preparedness vs a playoff team.

TS, are you going to the game tonight?? You know it a guaranteed road victory when a PForum member in is the house.:eyebrows:

TS, are you going to the game tonight?? You know it a guaranteed road victory when a PForum member in is the house.:eyebrows:

I wish. My ticket source fell through.

I'm not willing to pay $100 for a regular season game with 40% of our starters out. Tix are expensive here lately.

i thought that "sold out" is not real for most of the games. how come tix are so expensive?

I wish. My ticket source fell through.

I'm not willing to pay $100 for a regular season game with 40% of our starters out. Tix are expensive here lately.

Chat is open!!

http://www.pistonsforum.com/misc.php?do=flashchat

Hopefully they heal up quick so they can get a rhythm going into the playoffs.

Flip Murray continues to improve.

Well, he outplayed Chauncey Billups, who let yet another defensive guard get in his head, Carlos Delfino, who continues to choke, and Lindsey Hunter, who played his usual ½-dimensional brand of basketball, at least.

Good game from Tayshaun.

McDyess and Wallace should be ashamed of themselves for being outplayed by Stromile Swift Jr., but not nearly so much as our incredibly weak-minded MVP.

I'm not a happy man.

Frustrating game. Terrible officiating, lots of ugly ball, but the Pistons went on a big run at the end and had a chance to steal it. And then Delfino commits ANOTHER bonehead foul in the dying seconds, biting on the pump fake like a total chump...game over. No excuses this time, people.

The Pistons were just smoked on the boards tonight and I don't blame Delfino for the loss. This game was lost because the Pistons didn't win the rebound game and add in the 3 techs. The Bulls were kept to a low shooting percentage but they ran wild in the paint on the offensive end with so many second chance opportunities. So give Carlos some slack, I would have liked for him to take the last shot of the game and it would have had a better chance of going in than that weak sister shot Tay threw up. The Pistons miss Rip and CWebb and still almost won this game. It's the long view people, the playoffs so don't get too hyped up about the loss. Flip is still playing Tay and Chauncey way too many minutes and I'm worried that Tay is going to get hurt from playing so fatigued.

A game that we should have been the underdog going in with 2 STARters missing. But we hung in there and almost pulled it out. Second loss this year that a Delfino foul in the last 3 seconds has resulted in a loss being decided when the opposing team hit the winning FT's. Note to Flip, have Delfino on the bench when game is tied with less than 20 seconds. Tay was the right man to take the last shot as he was the most consistent Piston tonight.

We got killed in the paint by 14 and destroyed on the boards by 14. offnsive was 22-11 ouch! Ben was a monster that we could used in a Piston uniform tonight with his 19 boards. Three technical fouls that they converted to 3 pts could have made the difference in this 2 pt loss but those things happen.......

Rip and Cwebbs replacements Jr and Brahma did little with 5 points between them. Max did get 3 blocks including 2 on Ben, but was rendered ineffective in the second half as was Flip jr who even let Hunter outscore him. :stirthepot:

20 three point attempts was not needed to win this game.. Our inside was so MIA that Dice and Sheed took no FTA. Max bricked his 3.:brick:

Oh well, we should be healthy next week when we get them at home and hopefully we return the favor and beat them.

Flip S. I thought he did a good job today.

Flip M. Not enough in the tank. 2 out of 5 mangoes.

Rasheed Wallace. Looking old, but the effort was there.

Antonio McDyess. I swear he must have fooled around with a ref's wife once.

Jason Maxiell. Not ready for primetime.

Chauncey Billups. Forget max deal, he's no longer a second half of the season player.

Tayshaun Prince. Not capable of being "the man" but slowly rounding into "a man".

Carlos Delfino. You just cost yourself the opportunity to close out any meaningful games. Very few players can make that mistake 3 times in a career coming off the bench and stay in the league. Comprende?

Lindsey Hunter. Exactly what you expected.

Good job by the Bulls. They didn't play really well, but they scrapped out a home court win against a division rival in an ugly game. Made plays when it counted and owned the boards.

Chauncey better wakeup. He's killing us with his substandard offensive play. I can't remember any meaningful defense from him, and it hurt because he should be covering Gordon, not Delfino.

Delfino was the goat at the end. Bad play, as he got caught up in the air, and fouled Hinrich taking a three pointer. But we lost this one from a bad decision by the coach. Delfino should have started this game. Our defense was a whole lot better with him in the game. Our movement on defense was a lot better with Delfino in the game. Delfino was the goat, but he also hit two shots late to get the game tied after we were down 12 with around 4 minutes to go in the game. Why did Flip Murray start over Delfino? Flip Murray, who for a long time was out of the rotation, no way leap frogs a player in the rotation, unless a coach is playing favorites. Which I hate.

Anybody watch Flip Murray in this game? What does he do on offense. He tippy toes around, moving about maybe one or two feet every few seconds. No clue what to do without the ball. A starting guard in the NBA he is most certainly not.

Prince had it going in this game, both inside and out. Probably should have even been more aggressive, but I won't fault him. The guards are the guys who are suppose to make the decisions about who is taking the shots. Billups had a horrid shooting night, and did not get Tay as involved as he should have. The other two guards we used for the most part, Hunter and Flip, they have no clue so are blameless in this situation. Its not their fault the coach thinks they are point guards.

Jason Maxiell was not doing a very good job clearing the defensive glass, but neither were any of our bigs. No Jason Maxiell in the 4th quarter meant us getting behind in that quarter. He plays pretty darn good D when in the game. The trick Mr. Saunders, is to put him in the game.

We drew several techs, and that certainly did not help in a tight game. Still we had a chance to win it at the end so maybe all that emotion helped.

Another goat. Sheed got a perfect pass from Delfino and blew that layup. But Sheed scored plenty too.

To those who think I am silly harping about the rookies not playing. A rookie did us in for this game. Thomas for them was pretty darn good. Not that Amir Johnson is a rookie anymore, but he might as well be. We certainly could have used this fine young player in this game, as our bigs we did play were a step slow to rebounds all game long.

Dyess hit some shots in the first half, but for the game, he was no factor inside.

This game saw one of the wierdest shots of all time. Ben Wallace hit the top of the backboard on a shot, and it bounced in.

Did I mentioned the team could not get a defensive rebound to save their lives? We held Chicago to 4-22 shooting in the 2nd quarter, yet only walked off with a 3 point lead for the half. Still some good D by the likes of Delfino, Maxiell, Tay, etc.

Webber and Rip missed the game due to the flu. Dale Davis played a minute to end the 2nd quarter despite having the flu. They mentioned Duhon had the flu for Chicago so its going around on other teams too.

The five guys out there as we almost came back late were Billups, Delfino, Tay, Dyess, Sheed.

Hunter managed one good play, a steal with a layup made off the steal. And nothing else. Why in the world did Flip not go to Delfino when Murray got into foul trouble in the 3rd quarter? Just flat out disrespect to Delfino. We could have started our comeback right there, the moment Flip came out of the game. Yes, Delino was the goat in the end, but the game should not have been close. Next time, Flip will do the same, play his favorites rather than his best, but hey, I will be here to point it out.

Flip S. I thought he did a good job today.

Flip M. Not enough in the tank. 2 out of 5 mangoes.

Rasheed Wallace. Looking old, but the effort was there.

Antonio McDyess. I swear he must have fooled around with a ref's wife once.

Jason Maxiell. Not ready for primetime.

Chauncey Billups. Forget max deal, he's no longer a second half of the season player.

Tayshaun Prince. Not capable of being "the man" but slowly rounding into "a man".

Carlos Delfino. You just cost yourself the opportunity to close out any meaningful games. Very few players can make that mistake 3 times in a career coming off the bench and stay in the league. Comprende?

Lindsey Hunter. Exactly what you expected.

Good job by the Bulls. They didn't play really well, but they scrapped out a home court win against a division rival in an ugly game. Made plays when it counted and owned the boards.

Chauncey better wakeup. He's killing us with his substandard offensive play. I can't remember any meaningful defense from him, and it hurt because he should be covering Gordon, not Delfino.

There would have been no close game for Delfino to be in at the end if he did not help lead a tremendous defensive effort in the 2nd quarter to give us a lead, not to mention he was a big part of the comeback in the last three minutes to tie it. Kudos for Flip Saunders leaving Delfino in the game. You can only learn by experience. As for JMAX, again, note, he was in there for much of that 2nd quarter. Mistakes are no reason to take a young player out. Mistakes must be made. Its part of the process of getting better.

Lee, I'm ok with Delfino making mistakes to learn. But he's made the same stupid goof twice. This isn't rocket science, it's basketball 101.

1. Never foul a jump shooter

2. Never foul a 3 point shooter in a tie game during the last possession.

As I mentioned recently, he's a fraction slow challenging the shot, and doesn't really impact shooters anyway. His best defense is played by keeping his man from penetrating.

I don't care that he was a goat. I do care that this is a simple mistake that will scare me anytime he is in during a late game situation. We're so close to the playoffs, and we need this guy. Focused and aware.

Delfino's reckless style of defense works well throughout the course of the game, but in crunch time, when players get more patient and deliberate, he shouldn't be out there. It's a shame he did it again, because he has actually become quite a clutch shooter.

The real story of this game was Chauncey and rebounding though. Hopefully Flip S. doesn't overlook the bigger issues while pointing the finger at Delfino.

^

The rebounding was laughable, but so was last games so i doubt anything will be done about it.

Chauncey; I don't know if it was KH's defense, or his injury. But he doesn't look 100%. By the time Rip comes back, Chauncey will be dead. We can't win lately (literally and figuratively)

Just hope Flip doesn't reduce Fino's minutes tomorrow night. If anything I hope he gives him a chance to finish tomorrow night too. He is getting more aggressive on offense the last few games and is starting to learn he doesn't need to force the issue. Let him run 25-30 minutes a night these last dozen games and he will be a lot more prepared for the play-off run we are about to make.

Just hope Flip doesn't reduce Fino's minutes tomorrow night. If anything I hope he gives him a chance to finish tomorrow night too. He is getting more aggressive on offense the last few games and is starting to learn he doesn't need to force the issue. Let him run 25-30 minutes a night these last dozen games and he will be a lot more prepared for the play-off run we are about to make.

Just imagine if his teammates actually passed him the ball, or if Flip was fired and the new coach actually ran plays for Delfino. (Cause you know Saunders never will.) PS, Billups is by far the worst offender in not passing Delfino the ball when open.

Just imagine if his teammates actually passed him the ball, or if Flip was fired and the new coach actually ran plays for Delfino. (Cause you know Saunders never will.) PS, Billups is by far the worst offender in not passing Delfino the ball when open.


LOL Ive noticed that Billups NEVER passes Delfino the ball either.. perhaps hes worried Delfino will make him look bad running the offense :P

^

The rebounding was laughable, but so was last games so i doubt anything will be done about it.

Chauncey; I don't know if it was KH's defense, or his injury. But he doesn't look 100%. By the time Rip comes back, Chauncey will be dead. We can't win lately (literally and figuratively)


CB was an atrocious 3-16 shooting as he forced 5 more shots than he needed to trying get Heinrich in deeper foul trouble. I wish our bigs would play like that and try to get Ben, Shaq, Zo and Yao in trouble. Those are the guys you want to get out of the game, because they are the ones that affect our inside game.

Experience is built on mistakes. The effort was there from Delfino, so I'm not going to blame him. He's not in that situation very often and was doing a pretty good job before that.

Dyess was really playing hard... again. He's looking more and more dangerous every game. X-factor in the post season.

Maxiell- he can really jump, but in the trenches a lot or rebounds need to be grabbed so fast that only height can get them. His style works better for offensive rebounding and not so well for holding off the Ben Wallace's of the World.

Flip Murray looked a little lost after his J didn't fall.

All in all, we put a good scare into Chicago on their court with only 50% of our starters (counting CB as 1/2).

The positives-
our defense held them to a very low shooting %.
We only turned it over 12 times against a very aggressive Bulls D with bench players out there the whole game.
We almost won despite a horrible shooting night from CB, no Rip, and no CWebb.
Dyess continued do everything right... except get calls. cursed?
And Tay looking like our best player again when playing a good team.
Negatives... I won't even bother.


One other comment- Tyrus Thomas has really come on as he has received more PT in the past month. He really adds something to the team and I think they would be smart to utilize that in the Playoffs.

I actually am not tearing my hair out after this loss and the Pistons really are never out of any game even being 10-12 points behind with less than 5 minutes to play. There are positives to take away from this game and in a New York minute I would let Delfino play in the last seconds of a close game win, lose or tie. He preserved a win for us this year late in a game (against Seattle) by tipping the ball away from the Seattle player on an inbounds play so he's getting battle tested. Chauncey has had his share of late game miscues but I still want the ball in his hands at the end because he is cool under fire. Something tells me that Flip Sr. won't put Carlos in the doghouse after tonight because the effort and heart was there and that's all you can ask.

I wonder if Big Ben will go out with Sheed and the boys after the game and talk about old times. Tonight's game felt like a playoff game and I say bring on Da Bulls at some point in the playoffs!

My only worry is Billips. He really seems to have lost much of his game. Going back to last year's playoffs, he has not given us consistent production. He is hesitant when he shoots.

Of our key guys, he is the player I worry about as the playoffs loom. We absolutely need offense from Billips.

He consistently misses layups of all things. Once our best 3 point shooter, he is at about 34%.

He needs to get his offense back...I can't blame injuries. His production has been suspect for awhile. It is as if his game has become too much of an assist game. And now, when he goes to the shot, it is not there and his edge is gone.

The difference in seeing the Bulls at the first match and now is telling. Come playoffs, they can be easily rattled. There is absolutely no floor leader to settle things down. Skiles had absolutely no impact (calling any type of offensive or defensive sets) on the game. Flip can and will easily out-coach him.

Flip Sr. Some excellent called plays and his trap zone absolutely destroyed the Bulls rhythm. More playing time for the bench with the regular crew and you has to know it killed him to start JMax instead of Dyess. Still, things have to become known, not only for the final run, but also who is dealt out after the season. Liked his call at the end of the game: everyone thought Sheed and yet Tay definitely would be the only one who would be consistently open from that side of the court. Just didn’t work out.

Flip Murray: Lousy game and never got into any flow. Next to Hunter, has the quickest hands and feet on the team. I am still a fan of his. What a steal!

CB: Worst game I have seen him play this year. Blown layups, and showed no leadership. I hope that injuries (like the broadcasters constantly told us) are the problem. For a contract year, he is making a S/T a distinct reality. Anyone notice how a 36 year old Hunter (not to mention overdrive Flip) showed twice the speed we have seen of CB this year? Not a good sign.

Prince: Outstanding game and picked up his defense. Not a slasher, slows down ball movement and still cannot make anything happen when facing the basket. The key for him is how he starts out. I actually saw him dribble with his right hand...honest!

JMax: Let us not forget, it takes these kids at least three years to perform at a pro level. He needs a lot of off season work, but he can jump and his gravy train is around the basket. If Ben can get 60 million in his thirties, then JMax has a chance to be a productive player. The final results don’t show up at times, but the Bulls knew that couldn’t dunk (or move confidently at the rim) with him in the game. Each time he gets on the court, he learns a little-bit more. I still like him.

Delfino: Up and down, up and down. Loves to run around. Blows layups and then hits pressure 3 points and has no fear of taking them. I just don’t think he will ever be a consistent player…good or bad. He is excellent at fronting and keeps up with his man as long as he doesn’t have to go lateral, but loses concentration in any type of busy switches. Some people might call this a type of low basketball IQ.

Sheed: Surprisingly under control for such an emotional game. Damn, that guy can clean up around the basket when he has a mind to go after it. Looks pretty shooting thirty footers than most guys do making layups. He is a 200,000 mile BMW and at 12 million, continues to have enough talent who can still get you to work on time. I now have come to an understanding with myself that I will always have a love-hate relationship toward this guy.

Dyess: Sweet turn-around and a deadly 12 foot shot when facing the basket. If I was an opposing coach, this is the guy I would concentrate on in order to beat the pistons over a seven game series. At 6-10 and with Sheed hanging around the perimeter, this guy can get you 15-20 in a 25 minute game. Of all the Pistons, this guy plays solid and well within himself. He will never hurt you. Wish he was 25.

I only have a problem with Chauncey. He needs to start making some shots again. Yesterday was not the only bad game. There was nothing else that was really bad, I was expecting a loss because this game was more important to the Bulls and 2 of our best players were out.

"Ben Wallace also made the shot of the game. He threw up a wild shot early in the fourth that bounced high off the rim, hit off the top of the backboard and fell through".Chris McCosky

As I recall, the ball didn't bounce off the rim first. The shot went up above the backboard , came down and bounced off the top of the backboard and then into the basket.

"Ben Wallace also made the shot of the game. He threw up a wild shot early in the fourth that bounced high off the rim, hit off the top of the backboard and fell through".Chris McCosky

As I recall, the ball didn't bounce off the rim first. The shot went up above the backboard , came down and bounced off the top of the backboard and then into the basket.

That's right, dunes. It bounced off the top of the backboard and then fell straight in.

Delfino's reckless style of defense works well throughout the course of the game, but in crunch time, when players get more patient and deliberate, he shouldn't be out there. It's a shame he did it again, because he has actually become quite a clutch shooter.

The real story of this game was Chauncey and rebounding though. Hopefully Flip S. doesn't overlook the bigger issues while pointing the finger at Delfino.

Which is why you have defensive substitutions. Delfino should not have been covering Heinrich at that moment in the game. Sr. has to know Heinrich is going to have a good chance at drawing a foul from him.

As for the players:
CB looks like he has the flu

Sheed hit some clutch threes, but I'd rather have him make some clutch dunks. Shooting more threes than fts. Not good.

JMax, other than a few nice blocks, did not look good. Teams are learning his style, and he's not able to draw fouls like he used to, he's getting blocked, and he's not getting boards.

Jr. reverted to bad Flip. Zero effort on D. Stands around without the ball.

Tay looked like the guy we've all been waiting for him to be.

Delfino, 2nd best player last night, until the boneheaded foul.

Sr: I know we were shorthanded, but Tay played too much, and if Delfino at the 2 brought us back in the 2nd, why did he switch to Hunter at the 2, in the 3rd? I do not understand his player rotations.

BTW, how bout that Phoenix game, 45-33 after the 1st?

Chauncey is in trouble with ESPN's Daily Dime (http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/dailydime?page=dailydime-070330).

http://img484.imageshack.us/img484/7782/dimebg4.jpg

If I recall correctly, Delfino fouled Hinrich on help defense. Hinrich wasn't his man.

Yeah, Fino came over to trap Hinrich and got taken by the pump fake. CB was guarding Hinrich.

Jr. reverted to bad Flip. Zero effort on D. Stands around without the ball.
I totally disagree. Murray may not have been very effective, but he has totally been focused and hustling on D. He gets an A for effort last night, even if it is a C for results.

Hey, if nobody fell for pump fakes anymore, nobody would still be pump faking.

Yeah, Fino came over to trap Hinrich and got taken by the pump fake. CB was guarding Hinrich.

Maybe my memory is off, but I thought I saw Fino got picked, and then jumped off the screen to try and block the shot. I don't recall seeing CB anywhere in the picture.

Billups better be askin for Lindsey Hunter kind of money in his new deal. He played like he had the flu last nite. We shoudda beat down those streaky Bulls.:stirthepot:

I don't recall seeing CB anywhere in the picture.
Well, Chauncey was playing defense. What did you expect? :pound:

Billups better be askin for Lindsey Hunter kind of money in his new deal. He played like he had the flu last nite. We shoudda beat down those streaky Bulls.:stirthepot:
I think Billups stock is definitely on a slide. He's valuable to any team, but his individual worth is highly questionable since he has started to struggle. That's the kind of stuff Joe D taps in to when he plays hardball ala Ben Wallace.

Besides the loss, I think that was one of the most helpful game the team has played the entire season. I learned a lot about the team that makes me think we have a legitimate chance at a finals. First, most of the team has the flu. It is obvious. They are lackluster and a step slow. Nevertheless, they showed me a few things:

1. Prince has instilled confidence in me that he may finally "get it." With Hamilton / Webber out, there are many more shots open and Prince has taken them. Not only is his jumper falling, but he is back to scoring off his man. This is pivotal as he maybe are best mismatch come playoff time.

2. The defense is becoming just sick. During the two runs (2nd qtr / 4th qtr) the defense played awesome. Finally, I saw the team defend the pick and roll with some precision. This maybe because Maxiel was in instead of webber, but most of the time it is the guards fault for recovering to late and forcing the switch. As bad as they played today, I thought all the perimeter players did a good job at that.

Second, the trap defense employed by Flip was awesome, maybe better than when we ran it with LB. The trap forced a lot of bad decisions, but didn't (as many traps do) lead to uncontested layups by the Bulls, because the help side D was there.

Basically, the reason that I am so optimistic is because the sudden loss of all these players is forcing or allowing Flip to try a bunch of stuff. Were as most teams run a single type of offense (p & r, motion) the Pistons have the versatility to run a bunch of types. Hopefully, Flip is smart enough to use them all. Also, the multiple defensive looks that the Stones can now run will make it really hard for opposing offesnes to cue up on one particular weakness. This diversity of skills the team has I think is what will separate them from the rest. Especially in the playoffs were the ability to adapt is what makes the win. This is were we are different from last year where we had to rely on Hamilton / Billups creating and the LB ere man on man defense.

I totally disagree. Murray may not have been very effective, but he has totally been focused and hustling on D. He gets an A for effort last night, even if it is a C for results.

Micro, I am sure you are disagreeing about the zero D part. The part about him just standing around on offense when he does not have the ball is 100% true.

Micro, I am sure you are disagreeing about the zero D part. The part about him just standing around on offense when he does not have the ball is 100% true.

This is why I think he's more of a point guard than a 2. He does better when he has the ball and is a threat to drive. Not better than Chaunce, but better than he does as CB's wingman.

Hey, if nobody fell for pump fakes anymore, nobody would still be pump faking.

true, but you shouldn't be leaving your feet with the game tied and only a few seconds left on the clock. especially here, where hinrich was behind the 3-point line and going to have to take a tough shot ... just get a hand in his face and take your chances that he misses, especially since hinrich is a terrible shooter.

Boy that game made me mad. The one positive was that Chicago looks like the Indiana teams of the last couple years - tough, grinding clubs that ultimately had a pretty low ceiling. We played like crap for three quarters of the game, without two starters, on their court, and it was still a two-point game that included the luckiest basket you're ever likely to see. But would somebody rebound the damn ball already?

Micro, I am sure you are disagreeing about the zero D part. The part about him just standing around on offense when he does not have the ball is 100% true.
That's no different than Billups. Or Webber. Or at times, Tayshaun. Or Lindsey.

"Ben Wallace also made the shot of the game. He threw up a wild shot early in the fourth that bounced high off the rim, hit off the top of the backboard and fell through".Chris McCosky

As I recall, the ball didn't bounce off the rim first. The shot went up above the backboard , came down and bounced off the top of the backboard and then into the basket.


As improbable shot as any, that in essence could have been categorized as the winning shot or the difference in the game :hoops:

One good thing, Bulls fans will decieve themselves into thinking they are just as good until the playoffs come and we smoke 'em.