2nd Round Game 3 - At Chicago May 10 9PM

tv: ESPN

Series moves to Chicago.

Positives coming into this game ( for Detroit):

1) Rasheed should definitely be motivated to put a hurting on the Bulls after being limited to 18 minutes because of foul trouble in game 2.

2) I have a feeling Skiles and the Bulls tried to spring their biggest adjustments on the Pistons in game 2 in an effort to get the split in Detroit. Now the Pistons have 3 days to deal with what they saw and be better prepared for it.

3) The Bulls did some pretty good things in game 2 offensively and defensively, yet they still lost by 20 points. If you were to tell me that the Pistons turned the ball over 9 more times than Chicago, made 21 less free throws, and Rasheed would foul out in 18 minutes while Webber, Mcdyess and Maxiell would have 5 a piece in 26, 25, and 15 minutes of play....
I'd ask you how much the Pistons lost by.

Yet they win by 20? That kind of dominance is only obtained when you are simply dealing with a far better team.


If the Pistons come out with the same intensity and focus for game 3 that they displayed in games 1 & 2, which I have no reason to believe they won't, the final pages of this game thread should be discussing a Piston team that has a 3-0 series lead.

Reading the Bulls blog comments it seems like the fans have already given up on the series.


The bulls are are just overmatched by Detroit when Detroit plays like they did the first two games. I mean look at freaking Chris Webber. Youd think he got some sort of steroid injection/hip replacement/lower body replacement or something the way he is playing.




Its nice to think that they can rally and win their home games and make a series out of it, but what positives can you even take home to build on? The Bulls just got EMBARRASSED twice in a row. Embarrassed. Schooled. Humiliated. I'll keep rooting for Bulls in six. But it sure feels like Pistons in four.
(blogabull.com)


So this game 3 is like the often mentioned by Doug Collins game 3 against the Cavs last year. I would guess that a lot of us aren't completely comfortable with the Piston's dominance....Game 3 is the decisive game.

Game 3 is the decisive game.

Game 3 is the game where teams who are blown out in the first two come out to play for pride. It's their best shot at winning a game and at least making it appear they are back in the series. Expect the Bulls best effort in this one. IF we bring ours they don't stand a chance. Based on what I've seen so far, the Pistons get the benefit of the doubt that they will bring it.

Oh yeah, gotta give Flip Sr. his props. If they were playing like zombies most of us would call for his head, but he is pushing the right buttons and the guys are motivated so I think he deserves some credit here.

That's right Darth....all of us Flip doubters are going to have to jump to the other side of the fence.

The Bulls only hope is to take back the rebounding edge which the Pistons are dominating right now. If Rip is outrebounding Ben, no way the Bulls are winning a game. Skiles used just about every conventional tool in his arsenal, but he's the type of coach who will go off the wall, and not worry about hurting his starters' feelings. I wouldn't be surprised if Sefelosha and Thomas start or play big minutes in Game 3.

And I'll leave the Flip Doubter side of the fence when he wins this series, but I'm still sitting on it until we go to the finals.

The Bulls only hope is to take back the rebounding edge which the Pistons are dominating right now. If Rip is outrebounding Ben, no way the Bulls are winning a game. Skiles used just about every conventional tool in his arsenal, but he's the type of coach who will go off the wall, and not worry about hurting his starters' feelings. I wouldn't be surprised if Sefelosha and Thomas start or play big minutes in Game 3.

And I'll leave the Flip Doubter side of the fence when he wins this series, but I'm still sitting on it until we go to the finals.

For sure...it's tacos for everyone if Flip sweeps this series. But if they falter and stumble like they did against the Cav's and just barely win...it's still no tacos as far as I'm concerned.

For sure...it's tacos for everyone if Flip sweeps this series. But if they falter and stumble like they did against the Cav's and just barely win...it's still no tacos as far as I'm concerned.

I agree. I'm definitely still on the fence, but I was leaning toward the "fire him" side earlier this season. Now, I'm leaning back the way I was when we first got him. Call me fickle, I guess.

Show me!

I agree. I'm definitely still on the fence, but I was leaning toward the "fire him" side earlier this season. Now, I'm leaning back the way I was when we first got him. Call me fickle, I guess.

Show me!

Dont feel bad Darth I had it in for Flip also, you aren't the only one wafflling a bit. I think we all are right now, lmao.

Dont feel bad Darth I had it in for Flip also, you aren't the only one wafflling a bit. I think we all are right now, lmao.
We all want whats best for the team. Flip was not my ideal choice but he has been doing a great job all season and a superb job so far in the post-season.

This is the pivital game. Is it a series or not?

2004 2nd round NJ series. Pistons had just blown out NJ twice at home and were heading to NJ with all the talk of a sweep. Series over, Nets cannot compete, Nets cannot win 4 out of 5. Three games later saw the 04 Pistons fighting for survial in a must win game 6 in NJ to force a game 7.

Lets hope that part of history does not repeat itself. Thank god there is no Darvin Ham at least to blow a game in OT ( if it ever comes to that ).

Pistons can pull this one out. This years core is the best Pistons road team we have seen. As long as the zebras don't sattle Sheed or Billups or anyone with early foul trouble then this should be more of the same with the Pistons getting the win.

This game goes to OT, and the Pistons pull it out.......and go up


3-0..........

Score of the game.........93-84 Pistons.............

Foul totals: Pistons 26 - Bulls 16.......

Chauncey leads Pistons with 21 points.................


Go Pistons !!!!!!!!

Oh yeah, gotta give Flip Sr. his props. If they were playing like zombies most of us would call for his head, but he is pushing the right buttons and the guys are motivated so I think he deserves some credit here.
You're right. As much as I hate to admit it, Flip deserves some of the credit for the way the team has come out guns-a-blazing in the playoffs.

So this game 3 is like the often mentioned by Doug Collins game 3 against the Cavs last year. I would guess that a lot of us aren't completely comfortable with the Piston's dominance....Game 3 is the decisive game.

I agree 100%. This will be the biggest test and the most important game of the playoffs to date for the Pistons. You've got to think that Chicago will come out attacking like a cornered animal. They know that they can't come back from a 3-0 hole. It's do or die time for them and they'll feed off the energy of the crowd. It'll be crucial for the Pistons to weather the initial storm and take the crowd completely out of it (and ideally, start to turn on the Bulls).

That's right Darth....all of us Flip doubters are going to have to jump to the other side of the fence.
Not so fast my good man. My butt isn't going anywhere just yet. At this point, this team could get this far without any coach. Two games into the 2nd round isn't a big enough sample for me to make a decision. I'm not saying the Pistons have to win it all for me to say Flip did his job, but there's still a lot of playoffs left.

Skiles used just about every conventional tool in his arsenal, but he's the type of coach who will go off the wall, and not worry about hurting his starters' feelings. I wouldn't be surprised if Sefelosha and Thomas start or play big minutes in Game 3.

And I'll leave the Flip Doubter side of the fence when he wins this series, but I'm still sitting on it until we go to the finals.

I agree with everything here. I look for Skiles to play a lot more zone D to allow Big Ben to guard the basket rather than our perimeter shooting big men.

We all want whats best for the team. Flip was not my ideal choice but he has been doing a great job all season and a superb job so far in the post-season.

This is the pivital game. Is it a series or not?


Alright, I'll admit it. Flip has been doing a good job ok. What more do you people want from me! :MusicBigGrin:

And you're absolutely right, this is a pivotal game.

I've got a new theme for this series...............................

"Beating the Bulls, So Easy A Caveman can do it"

:stooges: :laugh:

Does that mean the Heat are further down the evolutionary chart than cavemen? I've always thought Shaq looked like a gorilla... And D-Wade? He looks more like a fish than anything.

As I posted over at Need4Sheed (http://need4sheed.com), I read an article about how the Bulls looked at film from Game 2 and saw some positives because they felt they were getting open shots. I'm not the most observant person when I watch a Pistons game 'cause I'm usually bouncing off the walls (especially the last 2 games 'cause I had about 50 Laffy Taffys before tipoff) and going crazy and stuff and not paying too much attention to what the other team is doing so I can't really remember if the Bulls were getting a whole bunch of open looks. Were they?

I do think they missed some good looks, mostly in the second half, as I recall. But I don't think they got behind by 16 after the first quarter because they missed open shots. Even if they knock more of them down in Chicago (which is a pretty good bet), they're still going to need to get some stops, which they haven't shown much sign of being able to do.

I've got a new theme for this series...............................

"Beating the Bulls, So Easy A Caveman can do it"

:stooges: :laugh:

By the way, I looked up the song that is on the Geico caveman commercial...

Röyksopp- Remind Me

Off the "Melody A.M." album.


Good song.

If the Pistons can weather the initial storm and get to within six at halftime, the series is over.

If the Pistons can weather the initial storm and get to within six at halftime, the series is over.

I agree with that. We know how this team can come out sluggish and let games get away from them...


hold on...My mother’s calling, I’ll put her on speaker....

I thought the Bulls zone was fairly effective in the late 3rd and 4th quarters in Game 2. In the 3rd we were lucky enough to hit a number of 3's, but if that shot isn't going down it could be trouble as there were points where we just passed it around the perimeter until the shot clock wound down to zero.

thats why if the Bulls do use their zone more it will be vital for Webber and Sheed to get down low and help neutralise it. Webber was huge in the 4th quarter when the Bulls got the lead down to 13. He hit 2 jump hooks in a row and got an 'and 1'.

Sheed missed out due to foul trouble but he is going to need to establish himself down there in Game 3.

That's right Darth....all of us Flip doubters are going to have to jump to the other side of the fence.

Not just yet. But I'd be lying if I didn't say that I am thinking about climbing to the top of that fence and sitting on it through this and the next series. I still think this guy can get outcoached at the elite level. But that doesn't mean we can't win. If we win, I'll forgive him for running Ben off in the interest of his "add offense to the Pistons game plan" strategy.

I think Chicago will have some nice moments and shine a little in this 3rd game. But I don't think they can take a game from us unless we have a real regression in our focus. Now we don't have a great record with Game 3s, but I still think this team won't beat us. I like the Bulls. I watched a ton of their games this year. But I don't see us melting down enough for it to happen. They're young, they'll get over it and go back to work.

One thing I don't get. "Ben Gordon can't guard anyone" from Skiles? (paraphrase of course, but you know what I mean) Really? I thought the Bulls were defense focused across the board. Is he just a shooter then? Kind of a 4 on 5 situation defensively? Is Ben Gordon really a defensive liability or just against Chauncey and Rip? So is Ben Gordon like a Ray Allen type player then? Anyone got an idea about this or Skiles just trying to motivate him? Thanks.

One thing I don't get. "Ben Gordon can't guard anyone" from Skiles? (paraphrase of course, but you know what I mean) Really? I thought the Bulls were defense focused across the board. Is he just a shooter then? Kind of a 4 on 5 situation defensively? Is Ben Gordon really a defensive liability or just against Chauncey and Rip? So is Ben Gordon like a Ray Allen type player then? Anyone got an idea about this or Skiles just trying to motivate him? Thanks.

Certainly Skiles was trying to motivate, but my POV after watching Gordon on and off the past two years is that Skiles is right - there are only a handful of NBA guards he can really handle on the defensive end. He is the odd player who plays smaller than he really is.

I still can't understand why, if the deal was real, the Bulls wouldn't have jumped on the chance to move Gordon and Nocioni for Gasol. One reason could have been that Duhon has been in a shooting slump the whole year, but still...

Expecting a completely different game from the Bulls... young teams tend to raise their game at home...
It did look like they had several good looks and simply missed them... Gordon and Hinrich will do a better job of sticking those shots.
They will also get inside more.
Expecting some dirty play from their frustration (Thomas)
Pick Bulls this game... Pistons next two.

I thought the Bulls zone was fairly effective in the late 3rd and 4th quarters in Game 2. In the 3rd we were lucky enough to hit a number of 3's, but if that shot isn't going down it could be trouble as there were points where we just passed it around the perimeter until the shot clock wound down to zero.

thats why if the Bulls do use their zone more it will be vital for Webber and Sheed to get down low and help neutralise it. Webber was huge in the 4th quarter when the Bulls got the lead down to 13. He hit 2 jump hooks in a row and got an 'and 1'.

Sheed missed out due to foul trouble but he is going to need to establish himself down there in Game 3.

Yes but when it was working for them I do not believe that Webber and Sheed were in at the time. When Sheed briefly came back in before fouling out he was able to get in there quit easily.

I am not sure they can play zone with Sheed in there. Although they may back off a bit on their near paranoi trying to front him.

Main way that the Pistons can lose this game is early cheap fouls on Sheed, Webber and co. Lets hope that does not happen.

One thing I don't get. "Ben Gordon can't guard anyone" from Skiles? (paraphrase of course, but you know what I mean) Really? I thought the Bulls were defense focused across the board. Is he just a shooter then? Kind of a 4 on 5 situation defensively? Is Ben Gordon really a defensive liability or just against Chauncey and Rip? So is Ben Gordon like a Ray Allen type player then? Anyone got an idea about this or Skiles just trying to motivate him? Thanks.


I don't know. He is pretty short for a guard. Pistons height advantage in the backcourt could be what he is referring to. Gordan has been a defensive liability mainly because they can shoot right over him.

By Chris McCosky:

Ben's back pain, and other stuff

Joanne Gerstner was at Bulls practice today and she reports that Ben Wallace sat out with back spasms. She said he was walking real slowly, clearly uncomfortable. They will determine his status at game time, but Ben not being able to play might not be great news for the Pistons. They have been able to put heavy pressure on the Bulls' perimeter players, largely because they don't feel they have to worry much about Ben or PJ Brown down low. If Ben doesn't play, Scott Skiles would deploy a small lineup, with five scorers -- the kind of lineup that has given the Pistons problems at times this season.

By Chris McCosky:


Yeah, like the last game we played against the Bulls in the regular season. I was getting all giddy about Ben being out of the Bull's lineup when Bill Laimbeer burst my bubble.

He made an ominous prediction that the Bull's would play quite well without Ben...I scoffed at him...but he was right.

The best home team in the East against the best away team in the East (the league???). If we win this game, there's no way we can lose the series, just no way.

If we stay away from getting T up (knowing there will be a lot of whistles against us), we should win this game. So, stay away from the refs esp Sheed and Rip.

Leaving in a few hours for the game tonight.. Hopefully I won't bring bad luck to the 'stones by being there. Last time I was there a few months ago, they got blown out by the Bulls... :sssh:

Leaving in a few hours for the game tonight.. Hopefully I won't bring bad luck to the 'stones by being there. Last time I was there a few months ago, they got blown out by the Bulls... :sssh:

Quick, somebody let the air out of this guys tires.:yellowprison:

Just heard on NBA TV that one of the adjustments the Bulls will make tonight - they will go to the basket rather than settle for jumpers. The Pistons must play disciplined defense and perhaps, draw some offensive fouls.

So, look for a more agressive Bull team off the dribble!

Chat is open...

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

Big Ben just went all Chad Curtis on Jim Gray, before the game. Apparently Ben was late to the arena, and when Gray asked him why, he said "traffic." Then Gray asked if he expected to be fined and if he still expected to start tonight, and Ben said, "that's on them, they take care of their stuff, and I take care of mine." Then when Gray tried to ask him another question, Ben cut him off and said, "I gotta go warm up" and totally left him standing there! Pretty amusing.

Well, I bailed on the 3rd quarter like a bandwagon a#$ cat and missed the entire comeback. I was so ashamed by that nightmare of a 2nd quarter that I couldn't bear to watch anymore, but they made the comeback and sealed the deal. Ugly finish, with both teams taking bad shots and missing open ones, but the Pistons had enough of a cushion to finish it off. I guess one negative is that the Pistons might assume that they can take entire quarters off now, but you can't complain too much with a 3-0 series lead. The Bulls season is definitely :rip:...time to finish this off in a :sweep:!

Pistons were outrebounded 60-43..........Is that a misprint???

Unbelievable the way the Bulls folded in the second half. I still can't believe it. Really poor basketball by the Chicagoans and great defensive pressure by our guys.

Game ball goes to Sheed. REally spirited effort. C-Web gets the big turd award. Gotta bring it every game, bud. I expect some bad games but you can't throw a friggin' goose egg up there in the scoring column. Unacceptable.

Man, the guys didn't give up. Makes me proud to be a Pistons fan seeing the shell-shock on Skiles' face.

Carlisle's analysis on ESPN: Flip's zone was the difference.

Time to but the Baby Bulls out of their misery. The Pistons definitely schooled them and boy I was so depressed after the first half but oh my what a game! Tay was magnificent and he played almost the whole game which would worry me but since they don't play again until Sunday it worked out great. The bench sure was a no show today but they didn't get very many minutes. Dice needs to get out of his shooting slump but he's still working the boards so his sweet jumper will be there next game.

Man I wouldn't want to be in the Bulls locker room right now. Skiles just has run out of moves and who would have thought that Flipper is an all world coach right now.

Well, I bailed on the 3rd quarter like a bandwagon a#$ cat and missed the entire comeback. I was so ashamed by that nightmare of a 2nd quarter that I couldn't bear to watch anymore, but they made the comeback and sealed the deal. Ugly finish, with both teams taking bad shots and missing open ones, but the Pistons had enough of a cushion to finish it off. I guess one negative is that the Pistons might assume that they can take entire quarters off now, but you can't complain too much with a 3-0 series lead. The Bulls season is definitely :rip:...time to finish this off in a :sweep:!At least I DIDNT LEAVE..LOL...I just didnt post after the 2-0 lead because I wanted to focus on my drinking! By the 3rd, I was ready to take on the whole UC crowd. We should give our boys A LOT OF CREDIT, cuz that was the most OLD SKOOL like performance Ive seen from this team since 04. Im very proud to be a Detroiter 2nite!!

You gotta give skiles credit. His team struggled and he went with Thomas early. He tried Sefalosha. His team came out geeked in the opening minutes.
They just couldn't sustain it. Too bad for them.

Just rewound on my DVR to watch the comeback in the 3rd quarter. The last minute of this quarter was the key to the whole thing. Bulls had scored a couple of times in a row to go back up 9, which looked like it might be enough to weather the storm. But the Pistons went on an 8-0 run in the last minute, with a three from CB, a layup for Dice from CB, and then the last five seconds with Sheed's huge block on Deng and his 3-point dagger on the other end. That set them up for the kill in the 4th quarter, after Tay and CB had led the initial comeback earlier in the 3rd.

Can't believe what I just saw. After the 1st half I was depressed. The zone defense and ball movement in the 2nd really had the Bulls stunned. The Pistons just ripped their heart out with this unexpected, gutsy win. The Bulls know that can't compete with this team when they decide to turn it on and ball.

You gotta give skiles credit. His team struggled and he went with Thomas early. He tried Sefalosha. His team came out geeked in the opening minutes.
They just couldn't sustain it. Too bad for them.#@$% THEM!!!:pound: Skiles said Duhon out was DNP-CD!...He's lost it! We took It!!

#@$% THEM!!!:pound: Skiles said Duhon out was DNP-CD!...He's lost it! We took It!!
:pound: :pound: :pound: :pound:

Someone just asked Skiles if Ben being late to the game affected them...WTF? Did that reporter even bother to watch the first half of the game?

WOW, what a tale of 2 halves. Twenty eight points in the first half?? Are you freaking kidding me?!?!?!

The Pistons completely turned it around in the 2nd and Chicago completely folded.

I love the aggressive Tay. Can we keep him? The play of the game for me was the head fake of Nocioni on the wing and then hard drive to the basket for the slam and 1.

I wonder how many playoff games have been won by the team that scored 28 points in the first half?

Bulls came out focused and aggressive, and definitely took the Pistons out of the game. The jump shots weren't falling, so faced with an intimidating Bulls defense the Pistons... took more jumpshots. I think the comeback really started when Tayshaun started to go inside. I give my gameball to Mr. Prince.

Excellent effort all around, the Bulls played very well, but in the end just couldn't overcome their youth and inexperience.

:pound: :pound: :pound: :pound:I got that quote from an Eddie Murphy line in Trading Places when his party friends trashed his house. The butler asked "what about your friends?".....BTW, 670thescore.com outta Chitown will be priceless web radio the next 48 hrs!:pound: :pound: :pound:

Like I always tell my wife "NOBODY HAS EVERRR," come back from a 3-0 deficit in the NBA playoffs. :MusicBigGrin: I just told her again and she finished my sentence:)

Pistons only scored 28 points in the first half and darn near held the Bulls to 27 in the second half before the Bulls get a consolation and 1 to finish with 30 in the second half.

The question was what was said in the halftime lockeroom and can they bottle the words for the rest of the post season!!! Not sure if it is time to get the brooms out, but if the Pistons are within 5 points of the lead at halftime Sunday, then the Pistons need to pull out the brooms, mops, vacuum, Mr Clean or whatever. Either way, we win game 5 at soon to be Six Championship Drive

Prince led the charge in the 3rd qtr to get the Pistons back in after Hunter's 2nd qrtr led offense stalled and provided the Bulls with a "we feel good cause we got the lead kinda feelin"

Still only 5 points off the bench, but Dice grabbed 9 boards and Max got 2 points and 2 BLOCKS in 2 mins. Cwebb???oh well.. 10-11 shooting in game 2, 0-5 in game 3 ????

FT shooting?? Still gettin rooked there, but overcoming it. The got 60 boards, but a lot of offensive ones due to the misses.

Tyrus Thomas came out with a slam 10 seconds after he came in to provide some spark, but not enough for Skiles to put him in there in the second half.

We hit some timely threes, but 21 was to many to attempt. The main thing is, the Pistons didn't give up when some of our Chat folks did:sssh: The Bulls probably thought that the Pistons would fold the tent, but Sheeds three at the end of the third qtr was the the dagger that was about to happen. We almost ran out of gas at the end, but so did the Bulls:cold:

OK Pistons, win Sundays game for the Mothers and lets get ready for the Cavs!!!!

Excellent effort all around, the Bulls played very well, but in the end just couldn't overcome their youth and inexperience.

They were solid in the first half, but the second...yeesh. They were -15 in the 3rd quarter and -8 in the 4th. That was a case of them being mediocre in the 3rd while the Pistons were great, but the Bulls were so bad in the 4th I could hardly believe it.

The main thing is, the Pistons didn't give up when some or Chat folks did:sssh:

But how do you know that the positive mojo from my bandwagon bailout wasn't the key to the victory? :lie:

... the Bulls were so bad in the 4th I could hardly believe it.

That's the part I'm going to call inexperience. There was one Bulls possession where they took (and missed) about 7 bad shots in a row. They were desperate, rattled, and playing horrible street ball. I don't think they will do that next year.


HQ: Thanks for the radio link. Good stuff man.

Flip's halftime speech, "Pull this one out, and its free Flip Avatars for everybody". :pound: :pound: :pound:

That's the part I'm going to call inexperience. There was one Bulls possession where they took (and missed) about 7 bad shots in a row. They were desperate, rattled, and playing horrible street ball. I don't think they will do that next year.


HQ: Thanks for the radio link. Good stuff man.wELCOME..WOOD if u get a chance , listen to Mike North morning show. He's gonna pound the Bulls. The afternoon guys are funny too....I wish I was on the west coast, cuz I am SOOO wide awake! Is Star Wars on?

wELCOME..WOOD if u get a chance , listen to Mike North morning show. He's gonna pound the Bulls. The afternoon guys are funny too....I wish I was on the west coast, cuz I am SOOO wide awake! Is Star Wars on?

They switched over to syndicated radio a few minutes back, but the Bulls fans were brutal! It was pretty funny!

....I wish I was on the west coast, cuz I am SOOO wide awake! Is Star Wars on?
No but Phat Girlz is on Cinemax:pound:

No but Phat Girlz is on Cinemax:pound:

Now I wish I had Cinemax.
:)

We have a very good team.

Hail to the Switch :hail: http://img512.imageshack.us/img512/191/switchgq0.jpg:sweeping:

Well, the fat lady ain't sang yet, but she's warming up, and you can definitely hear a tune forming. No team has ever come back from down 3-0. Technically, not over. Realistically though, just a little matter of some mop up action on a Sunday afternoon.

Biggest improvement this year over last? Absolutely Tay's outside shooting. It is gone to the outstanding level at the end of this season and into the playoffs. Tay was content to let others take their shots, until we really needed him to step up. He responded with a 13 point 3rd while CB chipped in 10 that quarter, and the Pistons erased 15 points of the 16 point Chicago halftime lead. Tay scored outside, and when played for that, he came inside well. Tay just has it going on on offense. Did I mention he is one heck of a defensive player too? Deng scored on a very difficult shot over Tay early in this game, but you knew if Chicago had to rely on shots like that, they were going to lose. Chicago shot just under 34% in this game, and are at 33. something for the series. Detroit just simply wins all the matchups.

Sheed was stead as rain from around about 10 to 15 feet out. Not quite in the paint scoring, but it was in close scoring. Just shooting over everybody. Awesome. Gave me goose bumps every time another one went in. And he hit that 3 to end the 3rd to cap off the comeback. Wow, and what D Sheed played.

Webber did not do much at all in this one. It was pretty clear he needed to come out of the game. With him gettting virtually no inside scoring for us (he did get inside a couple of times) and not even hitting his outside shots, his sub par defense was hurting us. Dyess came on and played some pretty good D, although the refs were loving ot pick on him, and some good rebounding.

Maxiell barely played, but he did get in for a couple of key minutes in the 4th quarter. That little burst of energy he provided helped, as did his dunk to give us the lead.

Flip Murray got in just for a few minutes to start the 4th quarter, just enough time to give Rip a slight breather, and not enough time for Chicago to exploit him being lost on defensive rotations.

Hunter pretty much killed our 2nd quarter. His total lack of point guard play disrupted our offense so bad, we could not recover even after he left. The result was a ten point quarter. We do not have a backup point. Fortunately, Billups got into no foul trouble and was able to play the entire 2nd half. Not having a backup point is bad. It won't matter in the next series, but it might hurt us in the NBA finals a couple of weeks down the road. The time is now to do something about it. Continuing to run Hunter and Murray out there is not good.

Delfino did very little. He can't guard Deng. He missed his only shot, only playing for 8 minutes in the first half.

Chicago pretty much choked in the 2nd half. Hinrich had enough guts to take a shot or two at least, but he was shaking in his shoes none the less.

Chicago took Ben Wallace out of the game to start the 4th, desperate to find some offense. But did I mention we overmatch Chicago at all positions? There was no offense to be found.

Its so easy to forget Rip's contributions. His stead shot was the only thing going in for us at times in the first half. Good job Rip, surely an unsung hero in this one.

Great floor game by CB in the 2nd half. Just one turnover for the team in the 2nd half. And between him running things so well, and Sheed thankfully not settling for threes, Billups brought us all the way back and then some. We had a 29 point swing at one point in the 2nd half.

I hate to have to harp on this so much, but we have no bench. We have bench players, but no functional bench. People ask me how Flip is doing. He is doing some things well, but he has not developed a bench regardless of the hype to the contrary. Still time to take care of this. GO PISTONS!!!!!

Hail to the Switch :hail: http://img512.imageshack.us/img512/191/switchgq0.jpg:sweeping:

The best post in years, possibly in the history of the Internet.

Another hype team put away by the real quality. Talk about a team that is overmatched. Where do the Bulls have an edge in any category?

Our big four were monstrous again. Not worried about Webber. Dyss is putting to much pressure on himself--he wants that ring so bad--he is missing easy looks.

Not happy with the Hunter minutes. Give Murray a try.

Lets see more Maxiel.


Our team is ready for the finals. Lets hope Stern understands the situation--and not unlesh the refs to aid Le Bron. Glad Stern was at the game. This team is looking more and more like a championship team.

Only the Pistons can give Stern a good finals.

I don't know it it was Chic folding or the Pistons D. Combination of both.

Pistons win. Pistons came back from the dead to take this game on the road. Be happy with it. I am ecstatic.

Getting to the point where if its a close game going into crunch time - you know the Pistons are going to win.

s.

Hunter pretty much killed our 2nd quarter. His total lack of point guard play disrupted our offense so bad, we could not recover even after he left. The result was a ten point quarter. We do not have a backup point. Fortunately, Billups got into no foul trouble and was able to play the entire 2nd half. Not having a backup point is bad. It won't matter in the next series, but it might hurt us in the NBA finals a couple of weeks down the road. The time is now to do something about it. Continuing to run Hunter and Murray out there is not good.

!!!!!


Well said Lee...we debated this in the chat room tonight. There was a good, bad, ugly about this. We already know what the ugly was ...the whole second qtr for the Pistons. The Bad was that Hunter stayed in too long (5.5 minutes) and it darn near led to a certain loss. The Good, Flip did not let Hunter see the court anymore and we were able to steal this victory back from the Bulls. Yey!!:)

I agree about playing Murray instead. can't hurt.

Deng is the Bulls best scorer. Tayshaun is the leading scorer for the series though. All the Bulls get is an occasional Ben outplaying Webber, but Ben has not had a great game this series though. When Ben outplays Webber, Webber has a bad game.

I agree about playing Murray instead. can't hurt.

No. Flip Murray has not played point guard since high school. He is not the answer. There are three choices. Blalock, Delfino, or Prince. Flip had better pick one and go with it. My choice would be Blalock, with Delfino at shooting guard, Amir Johnson at small forward. (Which allows you to use Dale Davis and Jason Maxiell together for the 4th and 5th guys. Dyess should be taking most of Webber's minutes with the starters in this last game vs. Chicago.)

Good recap lee. Thank you.

Flip Murray played PG for us this year. He's not terrible at it in short minutes. In fact, Murray played a lot more PG for us than Blalock did in the NBDL.

IN all honesty someone forgot to turn on the lights until the 3rd quarter so we can't put it all on Hunter.

No one was complaining when Hunter had those 4 steals the game before.

i think everyone's done a good job of covering this game so far... a couple of points that struck me:

1. starter minutes were high, for possibly obvious reasons. i know it's just one game and it was a key one to get, but does anybody think that was a problem? or will be a problem?

2.pistons -- i think -- had zero turnovers in the 2nd half (8 for the game). it was good to see the pistons going back to taking care of the ball (perhaps related to my impression that individuals were hanging onto the ball less in the second half, and quicker to move it around, something i believe i heard flip mention to the team at half time, so credit him in part).

3.the zone...i'm not sure why we didn't use it more in the first half. i was thinking it might be that we go to it after made baskets and we didn't have many of those in the 1st half. but still, it seemed to obvious to me that they were easily breaking down our man to man and that the zone was more effective and i wasn't sure why we didn't use it more in the first half.

I confess. I didn't watch a single minute of the Bulls/Heat series. So after these last 3 games I'm asking myself "Self...how did the Bulls take 4 straight from Miami?"

LOL The bandwagon azz cats bailed from chat at halftime and I told those remaining that they'd all come swarming back when we go it to 6...a prophecy fulfilled! :pound:

LOL The bandwagon azz cats bailed from chat at halftime and I told those remaining that they'd all come swarming back when we go it to 6...a prophecy fulfilled! :pound:

I think your prophesy was not fulfilled, at least not in my case, because...I didn't come back until they got it down to 4. :laugh:

IN all honesty someone forgot to turn on the lights until the 3rd quarter so we can't put it all on Hunter.

No one was complaining when Hunter had those 4 steals the game before.

I agree. Plus, Hunter wasn't the only guy missing all his jumpshots in the first half. The team scored 28 freaking points, and Hunter only played for 5 minutes out of 24. I'm not saying he played well, but I think you could put a little more blame on Chicago's focus and excellent D.

I ran a mile last night, and did some ab work. When I got home we were down 19, and by the time I had my protein shake and got a shower, we were down by 4..... Great to see how well we picked up in the second half!

I ran a mile last night, and did some ab work. When I got home we were down 19, and by the time I had my protein shake and got a shower, we were down by 4..... Great to see how well we picked up in the second half!

The comeback was a beautiful thing to watch. It all started with the Stones clamping down on defense, and Tayshaun taking it inside.

Good to hear your keeping yourself in shape.

i think everyone's done a good job of covering this game so far... a couple of points that struck me:

1. starter minutes were high, for possibly obvious reasons. i know it's just one game and it was a key one to get, but does anybody think that was a problem? or will be a problem?

3.the zone...i'm not sure why we didn't use it more in the first half. i was thinking it might be that we go to it after made baskets and we didn't have many of those in the 1st half. but still, it seemed to obvious to me that they were easily breaking down our man to man and that the zone was more effective and i wasn't sure why we didn't use it more in the first half.
I really don't think minutes are an issue anymore. when we gripe about minutes, its over the 82 game grind. What is more important than 44 minutes a game is letting this series slide to 7 games. They have ample time to rest.
Development time is over. This is what we are bringing to the table. While the bench wasn't spectacular, they proved their worth in game 2 when sheed and webber got into foul trouble.

I really don't think minutes are an issue anymore. when we gripe about minutes, its over the 82 game grind. What is more important than 44 minutes a game is letting this series slide to 7 games. They have ample time to rest.
Development time is over. This is what we are bringing to the table. While the bench wasn't spectacular, they proved their worth in game 2 when sheed and webber got into foul trouble.

Good point Slippy. Took you long enough though.

I really don't think minutes are an issue anymore. when we gripe about minutes, its over the 82 game grind. What is more important than 44 minutes a game is letting this series slide to 7 games. They have ample time to rest.
Development time is over. This is what we are bringing to the table. While the bench wasn't spectacular, they proved their worth in game 2 when sheed and webber got into foul trouble.

yup. i totally agree. and figured that was probably flip's thinking as well: that pullling out game 3 and going up 3-0 would go a disproportionately long way toward shortening this series.

Good point Slippy. Took you long enough though.
Implementing "Darth-Out":gun1: :pound:

The Bulls' execution in Q4 nearly got Skile a heart stroke while I had nearly got one by the way Pistons play at 1 st half. Did Pistons brrow the strategy from Russia of years 1812 ? :)

I just want to point out how incredibly well our starters have been shooting the ball and how most of our bench has been horrendous so far in that department-

eFG% leaders in the post season-

THE ELITE
1) JMax- .667
2) CWebb- .640
3) Mr. BS- .587
T3) Sheed- .587
5) Fresh Prince- .559

THE AVERAGE
6) Delfino- .457
7) Rip- .451

THE CLUNKERS
8) Antonio McBrick- .289
9) Bricksey Hunter- .188
10) Ronald "brick" Murray- .143


We have played 2 pretty good defensive teams in ORL and CHI and we are basically shooting lights out. Maxiell has 50% of his points in the paints, Webber has 72%, and Tay has 32%. CB and Sheed are just killing em from the 3-point line.

Obviously, the biggest dissapointment so far on offense is McDyess. His shots were affected in the first series by the Magic, but now that he has open J's against the Bulls, his shot is just off. Mostly short. Lindsey and Murray are just cold. Luckily, they aren't getting a lot of PT.

I just want to point out how incredibly well our starters have been shooting the ball and how most of our bench has been horrendous so far in that department-

eFG% leaders in the post season-

THE ELITE
1) JMax- .667
2) CWebb- .640
3) Mr. BS- .587
T3) Sheed- .587
5) Fresh Prince- .559

THE AVERAGE
6) Delfino- .457
7) Rip- .451

THE CLUNKERS
8) Antonio McBrick- .289
9) Bricksey Hunter- .188
10) Ronald "brick" Murray- .143


We have played 2 pretty good defensive teams in ORL and CHI and we are basically shooting lights out. Maxiell has 50% of his points in the paints, Webber has 72%, and Tay has 32%. CB and Sheed are just killing em from the 3-point line.

Obviously, the biggest dissapointment so far on offense is McDyess. His shots were affected in the first series by the Magic, but now that he has open J's against the Bulls, his shot is just off. Mostly short. Lindsey and Murray are just cold. Luckily, they aren't getting a lot of PT.

Yes Dyess was so hot in the last weeks of reg season. At least he is rebounding though.

Yes Dyess was so hot in the last weeks of reg season. At least he is rebounding though.

Dice is definitely helping out on the boards, he just needs to space himself differently on the floor to be closer to the hoop when he receives the pass. He shoots from wherever he receives it. If the CB is directing trafic, then he needs to tell him where to station himself. (within his comfort range)

When Hunter is out there he needs to do the same if he can stop dribbling long enough to do so..:)

If we keep playing like this, and Dyess returns to his regular season self, then we will be truly unbeatable for anyone, even the Spurs.

I hope he's not nervous.

that Chicago radio link is hilarious

Good recap lee. Thank you.

Flip Murray played PG for us this year. He's not terrible at it in short minutes. In fact, Murray played a lot more PG for us than Blalock did in the NBDL.

Thanks for the props on the recap. On Murray, playing the position and doing any good are two different things. Remember the verdict during Billups injury about our backup point guard play? Murray was not cutting it. Indeed, Murray got pulled 100% from the rotation. Blalock got some of the blame, but in my opinion, unfairly. The only time this season Murray functioned ok as our backup point was that West coast trip where we won five straight. Hunter was suspended and Blalock was out of the rotation. Unfortunately, even though any five games won on a West coast trip is impressive, the fact is the teams we played on that trip were not that great for the most part. For the vast majority of the time this season, Murry has been unable to run the offense, a liability on defense, a poor shot selector. The fact remains that this effort to make a point guard out of Murray is a unique time in his career, college or pro. He is just not a point guard.

I had a feeling that the Pistons could come back and would come back because the Bulls were not hot in the first half. The Pistons were ice cold. I think it is much easier for the Pistons to comeback from that situation.

I thought that the Pistons would be so concerned about their offense going into halftime (28 points) that they would not be ready defensively and the Bulls would win the game through offense. Good job by the coaches to not allow that.

I thik Mcdyess is really affected by his personal stuff. He's so sensitive, i wouldn't be suprised if it carries over into his game. That being said he's played well even though he's not scoring.

Webber scares me. He dissappears when someone gets physical w/ him, and when he has a bad game, he has a BAD game. Luckily we have Dyess.

Webber scares me. He dissappears when someone gets physical w/ him, and when he has a bad game, he has a BAD game. Luckily we have Dyess.

Good thing is it's not about him anymore. He does not have the pressure of being a great player anymore. When he struggles his teammates can carry the load, and he can carry the load when other Pistons struggle.

Webber is still good. He was once a top 5 player. That doesn't just go away.

Did anyone see Skiles post game interview? He was asked, was Detroit`s zone a problem?

He got a little salty, and replied, "is that what the rumors are now? That their zone is stopping us.......is that what`s being said?" Then there was a few seconds of awkward silence.......Finally Skiles answered and said, " I don`t buy their zone is shutting us down. We got open looks we just didn`t knock them down. It`s not like we aren`t getting open shots or something".


Ok, Scotty, but what about the 10 blocks and 7 steals?? You think that may have something to do with the zone???

Poor Scotty, the guy is in denial, he isn`t giving the Pistons any credit whatsoever. Doesn`t that sound familiar??

he can't admit it.

Sounds to me more like one of those external / internal motivation things. He's got to find a way to get his team's heads back in the game and he's chosen to make it about them just missing shots (which they've done before, and will do again) rather than being about them facing some Kobayashi Maru defense that no man has beaten before.

Now I wish I had Cinemax.
:)
Star Wars marathon Saturday. All 6 episodes again. So i'm watchinnnn????:obiwan: :darthvader: :deathstar1: :starwars: :laser: :yo: BTW, Great day planned for Sunday...

I confess. I didn't watch a single minute of the Bulls/Heat series. So after these last 3 games I'm asking myself "Self...how did the Bulls take 4 straight from Miami?"

LOL The bandwagon azz cats bailed from chat at halftime and I told those remaining that they'd all come swarming back when we go it to 6...a prophecy fulfilled! :pound:


True Det but I do believe I was the first to make tha prediction, I think Ros needs to pull up the chat to verify. Although I do remember you adding your support to the prediction. Really it doesnt matter we got the victory and Detroit showed their dominance. As Carlilse once said "Detroit displays a different level of force."