Game #1 of the East Conf finals features the Cleveland Cavaliers at the Palace

time: 8PM
tv: TNT
radio: WDFN - Blaha is taking over for Mark Champion from here on out.

Pistons tie a franchise record 5 straight trips to the Finals and are the 1st team to get here 5 straight times since the Bulls 1990-94

This is the Cavs 1st trip to the Conf Finals since 1992 when they lost to the Bulls 4-2. They have never been to the Finals.

Injuries: none

Five straight trips to the conference finals. That is really something. But the team and the fans want that 'ship for sure. I don't think Cleveland matches up well with Detroit at all and I like the Pistons in Game 1 and the series. This LeBron-led team is about as good as the Jordan-led teams that the Pistons beat up on in the mid 80s in my view. I worry a little about Cleveland's rebounding as Gooden and Z are averaging nearly 10 a game each. Ultimately, I don't think the Cavs' offense is potent at all. They got a much easier route to the ECF. I hope the Pistons give them their comeuppance.

In the regular season, we only achieved 3 more victories than the Cavs. And we all know how important the regular season is..........
Still, I expect this series to go 6-7 games, with the Cav's showing emphasis on defense and rebounding. The Pistons will continue to frustrate and be inconsistent. My hope is that we take the first two at home. I think that the Cavs see us as vulnerable in game 1........

Go Pistons !!!!!!!!

We have to make Le Bron go left. We need to have guys coming from different angles to stifle the drive. We may want to trap him to give up the ball. We should run at him a bit aggressively so that he can't dribble, dribble, dribble and do that quick pull up jumper.

Their second option is Isgauskis. We gave him too much P.J. Brown room in the regular season. His jumper can be contained. The other guys you have to just pay attention too. Pavlovik is agressive but will get out of control under pressure. But their shooters need space and are not like Gordon.

They will try and beat us with defense and Le Bron at the line. If we use Tay from a variety of spots, they will have a hard time locking into our offense. Sheed should take more looks from the free throw line (like in game 6 Chicago) area and not just the three. They want to lock into our defense so we have to stay ahead of the curve and not be predictable.

We should keep Webber and Dyss on the move to take advantage of Isguaskis slowness of foot. I would like to see the ball come back to Chauncey or out to Prince as they pack it in. They should be wide open.

I had a nice get together this afternoon with some friends who said that the Pistons were done after the loss to the Heat last year.

What a nice time I had today. I don`t know how many folk delivered the eulogy for the Pistons after last years dissapointing post season and Ben`s departure.

Of course my friends didn`t have too much to say, offering the injury excuse, and the "they still will not win it all" reply. I just laughed it off and reminded them, if anyone was done it was the Miami Heat.

There were several Heat fans at this gathering.

Game 1 here is huge, dont give the Cavs any thought of winning this series. Hopefully the Pistons will be mindful of the fact Bron Bron will get his share of calls from the refs, they must play through it and not lose their heads and focus.

Let's hope 'Sheed doesn't cop the giggles and get called for his 5th tech. I love all the talk about the "LeBron plan" amongst the players and coaches. Some fans might not think too much of this series but I think it's going to be the best yet. Here's to our Prince trumping their King and Dee-troit Domination from tipoff to final buzzer! CHEERS!:cheers:

5 straight ECF is impressive, but it's still 1 shy of the Detroit Lions' current 6 season losing record streak, AKA "The Millen Era".

Do we let Bron get 30+ pts (below 50) and shut down the rest of his teammates or we shut down Bron and let the others try to beat us? What is the game plan?

Don't think we can shut both Bron and his teammates down the entire game. But if they do, the Pistons will win the series 4-1.

Do we let Bron get 30+ pts (below 50) and shut down the rest of his teammates or we shut down Bron and let the others try to beat us? What is the game plan?

Don't think we can shut both Bron and his teammates down the entire game. But if they do, the Pistons will win the series 4-1.

Best to shut down the rebounding games of Gooden and Ilgauskas.

Best to shut down the rebounding games of Gooden and Ilgauskas.

I completely agree. Limit their second chance opportunities, and deny Lebrina a clear walk to the basket, and the Pistons should be able to take care of the Cavs.

Do we let Bron get 30+ pts (below 50) and shut down the rest of his teammates or we shut down Bron and let the others try to beat us? What is the game plan?

Don't think we can shut both Bron and his teammates down the entire game. But if they do, the Pistons will win the series 4-1.
That's pretty much it in a nutshell JZ.

This is just an idea, make LeBron work on defense, and hit him hard when he goes to the hoop, but otherwise, don't let Larry Hughes, Pavlovich, etc. go off.

i think several of these things (lebron, teammates, and rebs, esp off rebs) go together and that the lynch pin is not letting lebron into the paint. he gets past his guy into the paint and several things can happen (all bad): uncontested easy baskets that fire him up; help rotation by our players resulting in, at best, a kick out to an open teammate of his, or, at worst, a foul and one for lbj; our bigs leave their bigs to help out and their bigs are freed up for put backs and easy off rebs.

i'm personally in favor of lbj's man sagging off and making him beat us from the perimeter (i.e. give him anything from 17-18 feet on out). seems to me from past games (and from the cleve. nj series) that lbj sort of succumbs to the ease of that fadeaway jumper and the belief that he's a better perimeter shooter than he is. i'm not saying he can't make it, but cleveland doesn't have a chance to win the series (sure, maybe a game) if most of his shots are coming from there. keep him on the perimeter and lbj's role players aren't a factor and we win the boards.

the other thing, on the other end, is movement without the ball and of the ball, good screens and intelligent easy passes...don't let them get confidence by having hughes and lbj get steals and fast break points

We have to rebound--that is for sure. I think we have to do a little of both, slow down or channel Le Bron where we want him to go and control the other guys. I would take away Isgauskis. They need someone else to go to once in a while and it is usually him.

We have to avoid stagnation and predictability on offense.

i think several of these things (lebron, teammates, and rebs, esp off rebs) go together and that the lynch pin is not letting lebron into the paint. he gets past his guy into the paint and several things can happen (all bad): uncontested easy baskets that fire him up; help rotation by our players resulting in, at best, a kick out to an open teammate of his, or, at worst, a foul and one for lbj; our bigs leave their bigs to help out and their bigs are freed up for put backs and easy off rebs.

i'm personally in favor of lbj's man sagging off and making him beat us from the perimeter (i.e. give him anything from 17-18 feet on out). seems to me from past games (and from the cleve. nj series) that lbj sort of succumbs to the ease of that fadeaway jumper and the belief that he's a better perimeter shooter than he is. i'm not saying he can't make it, but cleveland doesn't have a chance to win the series (sure, maybe a game) if most of his shots are coming from there. keep him on the perimeter and lbj's role players aren't a factor and we win the boards.

the other thing, on the other end, is movement without the ball and of the ball, good screens and intelligent easy passes...don't let them get confidence by having hughes and lbj get steals and fast break points

I don't think I could agree with this any more if I tried, esp the part in bold.

What burned us last year was when Gooden and Verajao started hitting the boards. Rebounding will be a key.

Those guys' offensive rebounding was a problem in last year's series, but the Pistons also turned the tables late in Game 6, on that crucial last minute possession where the Pistons got something like 4 offensive boards.

Those guys' offensive rebounding was a problem in last year's series, but the Pistons also turned the tables late in Game 6, on that crucial last minute possession where the Pistons got something like 4 offensive boards.

Most of it was effort. Last year the Piston front-line thought that all they had to do was show up and they would automatically win all matchups. That let themselfs open to the Verajao's of the league.

This year we have not had the same problems against tall athletic ( sometimes otherwise scrub ) players. Maybe Maxiel will be the matchup from hell for the Cavs this year.

Cavs are 0-11 for on the road game 1.................

:) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :)

i'll be there again (although probably selling game 2). i have a feeling it's going to be a good crowd.

i'll be there again (although probably selling game 2). i have a feeling it's going to be a good crowd.


I`m sure it will be a good crowd. I hope it`s a

LOUD CROWD!!!!!!!!!!!

Varejo was a surprise last year. We should know how to play him this time.

They will have to get into our offense to win. We have to stay a step ahead of the curve on offense. If we score consistently enough, we should prevail. Creative use of Webber and Prince and some bench scoring will go far as last year we really bogged down on offense. Hopefully we learned from that.

Just play hard, get after the boards like Sheed did in most of the Chicago series, keep LBJ out of the paint and we should be alright. This is probably going to be on the lower scoring side and rebounding is going to be very important as well as ball movement since most of the scoring will have to come in a half-court set.

Goooooooooooooood Morning Pistons Fans! It’s game day! :cheerleader:

It’s the Conference Finals and time to get really cranked! All the riffraff have been tossed to side (including a couple of the elite) and the B-World is down to the final 4.

Is King James going to “pull a Jourden” and dethrone the Pistons? Or will he get a few more lessons from the savvy pros from Deeeeetroit and be forced to wait another year? :confused:

This is the first game of the second half of the second season and the real beginning of the championship drive. Can Pistons take care of business and move on to a chance at the big prize? :pray:

Time to prepare the new sign.................................

SIX CHAMPIONSHIP DRIVE.................

Goooooooooooooood Morning Pistons Fans! It’s game day! :cheerleader:

That's the post I have been waiting for!

Good Morning Sanddunes. :)

Quick word of caution. Pistons are going to win this game but prepare to be frusterated because Lebran James is going to get every call. He will travel, use his off-arm to push Pistons out of his way. Probably both push off and travel. Get ready for it. If you don't hate James already then there is a good chance that you will after this series.

Pistons have to realize this going in and not let it get to them. Barring a melt down or some Cav role players having a career game this will be a Pistons win.

Quick word of caution. Pistons are going to win this game but prepare to be frusterated because Lebran James is going to get every call. He will travel, use his off-arm to push Pistons out of his way. Probably both push off and travel. Get ready for it. If you don't hate James already then there is a good chance that you will after this series.

SHEED WILL HAVE TO realize this going in and not let it get to them. Barring a melt down or some Cav role players having a career game this will be a Pistons win.

edit for giggles.

Quick word of caution. Pistons are going to win this game but prepare to be frusterated because Lebran James is going to get every call. He will travel, use his off-arm to push Pistons out of his way. Probably both push off and travel. Get ready for it. If you don't hate James already then there is a good chance that you will after this series.

I wonder if he'll get the benefit of the calls as much at the Palace or back at home? Either way, I can't wait for this one to start tonight. I can barely concentrate on any work today.

I wonder if he'll get the benefit of the calls as much at the Palace or back at home? Either way, I can't wait for this one to start tonight. I can barely concentrate on any work today.

Orlando and Chicago both got amazingly favorable whistles in Detroit, and I thought for the most part the Pistons got a fair whistle on the road.

Orlando and Chicago both got amazingly favorable whistles in Detroit, and I thought for the most part the Pistons got a fair whistle on the road.
We got people for their players, but they aint got playas for some of our players. Rebounds...and Pistons in 6.

leavin for the palace now. GO PISTONS!!!!

Quick word of caution. Pistons are going to win this game but prepare to be frusterated because Lebran James is going to get every call. He will travel, use his off-arm to push Pistons out of his way. Probably both push off and travel. Get ready for it. If you don't hate James already then there is a good chance that you will after this series.




The key is, the Pistons must play through the bad calls. My prediction is, they will if the game is going their way, however, if the Pistons are trailing and/or a call is made to swing the momentum in the Cav`s favor we might see Mt Sheed, or Rip go off.

I hope not..........

Chat's open.

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

See you guys at tip off.

leavin for the palace now. GO PISTONS!!!!


To bad we didn't supply Wart a wireless laptop to provide a live "Hog blog"...:MusicBigGrin:

Huhhuhhahhahhuhha ..."Dre say HOG BLOG!!!"..huuuhhhuhhhuuhhuuhhuuhhhaahhauuhhhhuuha:nerd2:

Gut it out victory. Wonderful. The Cavs played well, and we played bad, and they still can't beat us.

Nice win for the Pistons in Game 1. LeBron with only 10 points. His previous career playoff low was 19. Give the Detroit coaching staff credit for a game plan to shut down Sir James.

Time for some adjustments, Flip.

At least it`s a win.

16 total TO`s, 7 by CB...........

Unlike the Pistons, game two will be a blowout...............

Well, that was a narrow escape. I can't believe Sheed left Donyell on that last play...uh, why exactly was he in for Z? To take that shot! Tay 1-11 from the floor, CB 7 turnovers...ugly. Thank goodness for Rip. And JMax, playing some great D in the 4th and getting a big offensive board to set up CB for a crucial 3. Sheed came up pretty big in the 4th as well.

Gotta hit the frickin' boards next game. Surprisingly, LeBron didn't get to the line a single time all night. Pistons had a few calls go against them, but as long LeBron isn't getting bailed out on every drive, the officiating shouldn't be much of a problem for us.

Gut it out victory. Wonderful. The Cavs played well, and we played bad, and they still can't beat us.

That's kind of how I saw it, too. Pistons got lucky, though, as the Cavs had two good looks at the end there and didn't convert on either. I give the Cavs credit for their D (especially on Tay) but it almost seems as if the Pistons took their best punch and still got up.

Where is this super-charged offense that Flip was supposed to bring in as coach?

Glad Delfino did not come back in. He was a boy among men out there. Nice recovery by CWeb in the second half.

Antonio, wakey, wakey.

My favorite moment of the night: When Urkle Sr. screamed at Pavolvic for leaving CNote open on that 3. Seven turnovers for Billups tonight. What?

Pistons really dodged a bullet tonight. Game ball goes to Sheed. 15 points, 12 boards and 7 blocks. The guy is locked in.

If I had nine lives, I lost one tonight.

Nice post-game by Sheed on TNT...the mouth piece of the Pistons

Magic is the worst interviewer ever. Howd he get a TV show?????Anyway, James ' stat line was wierd. 10, 10 and 9 great! No FtA's and no 3's? Hope the league wasnt watching!:pound:

That's kind of how I saw it, too. Pistons got lucky, though, as the Cavs had two good looks at the end there and didn't convert on either. I give the Cavs credit for their D (especially on Tay) but it almost seems as if the Pistons took their best punch and still got up.

Where is this super-charged offense that Flip was supposed to bring in as coach?

Glad Delfino did not come back in. He was a boy among men out there. Nice recovery by CWeb in the second half.

Antonio, wakey, wakey.

My favorite moment of the night: When Urkle Sr. screamed at Pavolvic for leaving CNote open on that 3. Seven turnovers for Billups tonight. What?

Pistons really dodged a bullet tonight. Game ball goes to Sheed. 15 points, 12 boards and 7 blocks. The guy is locked in.

If I had nine lives, I lost one tonight.

Good post Gazoo. LOL @ "Urkle Sr."

I kinda think people are taking the Cavs a bit lightly though. Yes, we are better, but they aren't in the conference finals by pure chance. I think this was a great reality check for the players & fans. I hope so anyhow.

I'd give the game ball to Rip. Sheed was terrific on D all night, until that last play where he almost cost the Pistons the game.

God what an annoying team I love. Absolutely irritating in their inconsistent efforts. They're like the boyfriend you know you should leave, but just when you are about to tell him he seems to have a sixth sense and does something real sweet...like Games 1 and 2 against the Bulls. Then it's back to business as usual. More Neglect. Sigh.

Congratulations Pistons on this win in your erratic march toward...a championship. :hoops:
I'm with you all the way. Got my chalk x's on the sidewalk, the whole apartment decorated in Pistons red, white and blue. Basketball cards danging from the ceiling, red white and blue M and M's. The works.

Now give me a decent show. Try to live up to my faith in you and let's not do this caliber of game again. Your disinterest pains me, and is why you have very quiet fans in your own home.

Thanks you very much, Your Loyal Fan Kimberly.

P.S. Thank God for Rip Hamilton.

I kinda think people are taking the Cavs a bit lightly though. Yes, we are better, but they aren't in the conference finals by pure chance. I think this was a great reality check for the players & fans. I hope so anyhow.

Count me as one of those people.

I was really surprised by the Cav`s defense on the Pistons pick n roll early. It really confused CB, and their rotations was on the money.

I hope Flip recognizes, and adjusts accordingly.

Charles is soooo right about Lebron. I saw Charles dribble the clock out against David robinson and hit a 3 in his face. Magic would have shot. Larry. Air, Zeke, Vinnie. All the great ones SHOOT! Like me. I would have shot.

I was really surprised by the Cav`s defense on the Pistons pick n roll early. It really confused CB, and their rotations was on the money.

I hope Flip recognizes, and adjusts accordingly.

They recognized and adjusted right at the start of the 3rd quarter, with that 9-0 run in the first 90 seconds. But CB never really got it going.

Mike Brown and the Cleveland reporters really working the LBJ didn't shoot FTs angle.

We're gunna get murdered by the refs next game.

Mike Brown and the Cleveland reporters really working the LBJ didn't shoot FTs angle.

We're gunna get murdered by the refs next game.

If not the next game in Cleveland for sure!!

That`s why we can`t lose game 2..........

Watching NBATV too RC. Playing the foul calls for 3 days will be hard on us. Let Bron have his 30 IF we can get a better game from tay and dice.

All the great ones SHOOT! Like me. I would have shot.

Only because you kicked it out to me in the game before...and I choked. :nerd2: :pound:

Mike Brown and the Cleveland reporters really working the LBJ didn't shoot FTs angle.

We're gunna get murdered by the refs next game.

I hope it won't be too bad...but some of the no-calls in this game certainly could have gone his way. There was that one fastbreak where Rip was grabbing and clutching to try to give the foul, and the refs didn't call it!

If I had some spray paint, I'd put a big X over that #9 right now...

Ok we played just as Charles indicated a haltime. Go through the motions, only respecting La bron, but no one else and like he said, we won.

it was not easy though. tay played very good defense on james, but was only 1-11 from the field. He has got to move to the paint if that outside Ji s not fallin. Did like his 8 assists though

Sheed and Cb didn't show up until the 4th qtr, but thank goodness they did. Webber got a lot of flack in the chat room, but he did contribute in the 3rd qtr. Rip held us in there in the first half.

I would like to give credit to the refs for letting the players decide that game. If Marshall would have hit that 3 and the Cavs somehow overcame in OT then so be it. I can deal with a clean loss.

But he missed and the Pistons got it done down the stretch. Gutsy call by Flip sticking with Maxiel. Got the job done.

I agree with you guys. Pistons played bad, Cavs played ok - great in the 1st half. Pistons still won. Not all games are going to be this slow paced and then again LBJ will get some of those calls.

Nice gut it out win.

If big Z continues to outplay LeBron, does he get a deal with Pepsi?

LeBron at the podium now...I'll give him some credit for not complaining about the calls in response to the first question he got.

Lebron on the podium getting defensive about not going to the FT line...................

I just think he was scarrrred!!!!!!!!!1:pound:

I'd let Jmax at least touch the game ball...a significant difference when the Pistons were going through the motions.

Who's that dancing in the aisles behind Charles? Is that...Warthog?! :laugh:

Charles is soooo right about Lebron. I saw Charles dribble the clock out against David robinson and hit a 3 in his face. Magic would have shot. Larry. Air, Zeke, Vinnie. All the great ones SHOOT!

Seriously. They were running a why-the-hell-not play, so why not have the guy you've been working so hard to stop all game hit the dagger shot? He really should have been the guy, but going for it is definitely what I would've done in their shoes. We lucked out.

James is such aLOOSER. Satisfied with" a loss"???IN THE ECFINALS!!!!This is why I am more scared of Tony parker than any team with James on it! Wow. Your leader at this level CANT be a 22yr old. Unless his name is magic Johnson and he had Kareem and Bird had Robert Parish.:pound:

James is such aLOOSER. Satisfied with" a loss"???IN THE ECFINALS!!!!

Yeah...that was lame. Obviously they missed a great opportunity to steal one on the road.

If we play like we did tonight for the series, they will win their home games and we have to hope that we get all of the home cookin available to win this one in seven. If they had shot better tonight or if Labron had got some friendly superstar calls, we'd be down one just like last years ECF.

I think that last shot was planned. Go for the win with the low % three. Vet teams take the layup and win it in overtime. (multimillionaire) Kids go for the win.

I kinda think people are taking the Cavs a bit lightly though. Yes, we are better, but they aren't in the conference finals by pure chance. I think this was a great reality check for the players & fans. I hope so anyhow.Agreed. We're clearly a better team than the Cavs, but that doesn't mean we can mail this series in.

I'd give the game ball to Rip. Sheed was terrific on D all night, until that last play where he almost cost the Pistons the game.
Sheed has been playing like a man possessed lately, especially on D. SEVEN blocks tonight!

Gutsy call by Flip sticking with Maxiel. Got the job done.Absolutely. We give it to him when he wimps out, but we've got to hand it to him when he mans up as well.

James is such aLOOSER. Satisfied with" a loss"???IN THE ECFINALS!!!!This is why I am more scared of Tony parker than any team with James on it! Wow. Your leader at this level CANT be a 22yr old.I think you nailed it. He's 22 years old and disgustingly talented. He's playing like a kid who thinks his career is just starting and that he'll have plenty of other opportunities to get his rings. But we know that doesn't always happen. I think its a combination of nievity, arrogance and an under developed killer instinct.

Did anyone catch exactly what happened when JMax tore down that rebound and got it out to Chauncey? I think he hypnotized the whole Cavs team into thinking the play was over!

"Watch it again and you'll see there's really no other explanation."

See Mike Brown shouting at Pavlovich: "You weak minded fool! He's using an old Jedi mind trick!" :sssh:

One of the biggest plays of the game was by JMax, a guy who didn't have a single shot attempt all night, with his tip out of Donyell's miss. Until we controlled that posession the game was still up for grabs. It's great to see the young guy show that kind of composure in some of the most important minutes of his NBA career to date.

I think that last shot was planned. Go for the win with the low % three. Vet teams take the layup and win it in overtime. (multimillionaire) Kids go for the win.

It was a good play. I don't care what Barkley says. Marshall was wide open and it was a great pass. The odds on that shot were probably around 75%.

See Mike Brown shouting at Pavlovich: "You weak minded fool! He's using an old Jedi mind trick!" :sssh:
:pound: :pound: :pound:

It was a good play. I don't care what Barkley says. Marshall was wide open and it was a great pass. The odds on that shot were probably around 75%.

I agree. If you're the Cavs, that's a darn solid play. When you're the underdog you try to get in and out as quickly as possible. You don't go in there and stand toe to toe with the champ.

Your best 3pt shooter wide open in the corner for a potential game winning shot to steal game 1 on the road. He just missed. That single shot had the power to swing the entire complexion of this series.

We dodged a huge bullet on that one.

I agree. If you're the Cavs, that's a darn solid play. When you're the underdog you try to get in and out as quickly as possible. You don't go in there and stand toe to toe with the champ.

Your best 3pt shooter wide open in the corner for a potential game winning shot to steal game 1 on the road. He just missed. That single shot had the power to swing the entire complexion of this series.

We dodged a huge bullet on that one.

I know. Catch that post-game bit with Rip? He said that leaving Marshall wide open is exactly what they did not want to do. I had a relapse of game 5 against the Spurs while that shot went up. Like LB said, something like - never leave a shooter wide open in that situation.

We got lucky. Sometimes you need luck, we got some tonight.

"I go for the winning play," James said. "The winning play when two guys come at you and a teammate is open is to give it up. It's as simple as that."



NBA - Cleveland Cavaliers/Detroit Pistons Recap Monday May 21, 2007 - Yahoo! Sports (http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/recap;_ylt=AshNP6xeivLGHgd.kx.SVWc5nYcB?gid=200705 2108&prov=ap)

7.

That was a very exciting game. Neither team got all that far ahead, and I think the Pistons never got more than about 6 up on Cleveland. The game had my heart pounding something fierce toward the end. I absolutely loved seeing Jason Maxiell play most of the 4th quarter, right along with Rasheed Wallace. A great combination up front for us.

I loved watching this game, and I really enjoyed reading many of your comments before writing this game up. Lots of good stuff. Lots of stories. I will start with the refs. Not really any hint of James getting any special treatment, and James had a very ordinary game. I mean ordinary for an average NBA player. Some say Tay did bad. Some say Delfino did little. Did anyone notice that these two guarded James into a nothing game? And Tay managed 8 first half assists. Bad game for him? Hardly. James had to score to give Cleveland any chance, and he did not. It was a bit comical (for lack of a better word that is not too vulgar) how the announcer proclaimed that James would be the leading scorer before the end of the game. I think the guy needs to retake tea leaves 101.

Now for the real scoring hero for the game, Rip Hamilton. His steady shooting, from all over the court, kept us in this one in the first half when nobody else could hit a shot. He had a turn or two by the way, but considering all the times he handled the ball, he did very well indeed as far as that goes.

Which leads the the guy who could not get an assist, and could not quit turning the ball over in the first half. Not to mention he scored close to zero (or was it zero?) in the first half of the game. Billups looks totally out of it. Yeah, they say that Cleveland was keying on Billups, but hey, he was just throwing the ball away. Which is a good thing in a way. We still won. Billups can, if we need it, get aggressive on scoring in the first hafl. If we need it. Ok, too long.

Webber did not match up too well with Big Z, yet Webber was bringing it inside some. Sheed was too, and in all I can't complain about our inside presence. A bit about Big Z. He made some clutch shots, and some clutch free throws, when his team needed it. He boarded well. Darn good game for the guy. Could they go to him more next game. Catch 22 there. If they go to him more, then how about Hughes, Gooden, James, etc, who all need shots too. No equation turns out too good for Cleveland.

Dale Davis put in some good minutes. Got inside 3 times, converting the 2nd two times. Got some boards, played some good D. And gave us, get this, a five man big man rotation. Two more than last year.

Sorry, don't read the following if you don't want to hear about Blalock. Just skip to the next paragraph. Some say Blalock can't play because of his poor outside shooting. Gee, Hunter is shooting horribly, but yet he plays. Whats worse, he is being used for both our backup to Billups and Rip. He looked dog tired out there, and this is just game one. He does know his defensive rotations though, so tired or not, he is still a better option than Murray. Of course, we have better options to use as a backup guard. Tay, Delfino, or Blalock. Amir Johnson could be activated to play some backup small forward, or we could go big and use Jason Maxiell some at small forward. I do love seeing JMAX get his big chance tonight to play in the spotlight. I want more. Good job Saunders for sure, but I want more young, energetic players in the mix.

Billups hit a big three late, got that 3 point play, played some steady ball for about 5 minutes at the end of the game. Not enough to make up for that horrible first half really, but enough that we are talking about a W.

Rip had his usual midrange game going off the curl, but was also knocking down spot up threes, and juking his defender this way and that and nailing jumpers off it. Cooled off in the 2nd half though.

Sheed was solid as can be defending inside, alertly getting over and blocking a lot of shots. A huge three, some inside, right to the basket scoring along with some midrangers. Bad first half on shooting along with most of the rest though.

Dyess was pretty awful. But an energetic awful. Could not shoot at all. And when he does not hit his shots, he kills us. His shots are mostly fades. He is not going to get us any rebounds like that. Again, his game really hurts us, as when he comes in we go even more toward outside shooting. I have seen Dyess go inside more earlier in the season, where is that? Kind of like Corliss. I hated when he tried to shoot outside shots. Dyess can score inside, and he should or sit it out.

I do dearly enjoy being able to talk about so many Pistons after one game. The bench got used pretty extensively tonight. Could it improve, absolutely, but I will take it, be happy, and only complain ever so mildly.

More on the announcers. They sure loved it when Cleveland was up. Perfect game. Got to love that they had a lead. None of that kind of the thing when the Pistons were ahead. Oh well, when the Pistons are up 3-0, and its quite obvious who is going to win this series, I suppose they will slither over to our side of the fence.

Verajou (sp) showed some talent. Very active on the boards, and he can hit some hook shots around the basket these days. Hughes managed a jumper over someone here and there, but nothing steady. They start a guy whose name I can't usually remember, maybe its Pavlovic but don't hold me to it, who shows some talent, but nothing consistent. The announcers were oohing and awing about him whenever they could get a chance. Well, anyway, you know, the guy who left CB open for that huge triple he made. His coach got awful mad at him. That was a Jason Maxiell offensive rebound and an assist for JMAX too, thats what I liked so much about that play.

Ok, so Jason swatted a shot of Bron's that was clearly not going in. And thats about the only mistake he made. I won't count knocking James off his feet on that hard show a mistake by the way. Besides, was it a mistake? What if Bron had made that shot. Jason emphatically slapped it away just to send a message maybe.

Verajou is a young, strong, full of energy type player. Jason Maxiell matched him 100% in these things. And we all know Jason Maxiell can score too. He hardly shot, or maybe never shot, in this game. I personally think Jason should be starting for us, and should be a big part of our offense. Can't wait for the next game. GO PISTONS!!!!!

I know. Catch that post-game bit with Rip? Yeah, I just finished reading Roscoe's posting of the post game interviews.

I had a relapse of game 5 against the Spurs while that shot went up. Like LB said, something like - never leave a shooter wide open in that situation.

We got lucky. Sometimes you need luck, we got some tonight.
I was thinking the exact same thing! Especially on the replay, watching Sheed running out there to try and close ground.

We got lucky. Sometimes you need luck, we got some tonight.
Absolutely.

7.



What did you mean by the 7.?

What did you mean by the 7.?

You are joking, right?

I agree. If you're the Cavs, that's a darn solid play. When you're the underdog you try to get in and out as quickly as possible. You don't go in there and stand toe to toe with the champ.

Your best 3pt shooter wide open in the corner for a potential game winning shot to steal game 1 on the road. He just missed. That single shot had the power to swing the entire complexion of this series.

We dodged a huge bullet on that one.

If marshall had made that shot and the Pistons had failed to convert with the six seconds left, that would have been the biggest made basket of the series.....until we won games 2 and 3. But no win in games 3 or 4 would have been as devasting as the Horry shot in game five of the 04-05 finals and another defensive flub by Sheed.

The real issue is that we should have never been in that position. To many turnovers as well as getting out hustled to open the game as once again it appears that the opposing team is prepared and we just showed up to play a pick-up game. I hope this was a wake up call for our guys and not a wake up call for Stern to call on the refs to get Labron to the FT line. if this goes to seven and the ratings increase with each game, you can darn well know that the THE NBA will want Labron in the finals and only are poor shooting will get them there. .

At least 6 of our TO's were due to the Cavs double teaming CB and Tay and the failure of our guys to help out. Got two days to study the tape and secure a home victory on Thursday. Go Pistons. We got to make buckets to reduce their rebounding edge. We stopped Labron...now stop Z and V and this one can be won in six.

Time for some adjustments, Flip.

Put some glue on the player's hands to hold on to the ball.
:pound:

Nice gut it out win.

If big Z continues to outplay LeBron, does he get a deal with Pepsi?

:pound::pound::pound:

We were lucky to win. We were gutsy to be there but will have to play a lot better. They outscouted and outplayed us for a big part.

They took the ball out of Chauncey's hands with pressure early. Smart. We were off balance as a result. Rip kept us going. Sheed was an absolute monster inside on defense. Without him with the 7 blocks, we are out of this game.

We did not scout them well. I mentioned that Isgauskis is there second option and you have to stay in front of him. We worried about Varejo when he pumped faked and even fouled him. We just have to guard him two feet from the basket.

Agree with Lee, even though his offense was poor, Tay was expending a lot to guard James.

The problem is that we need some energy--we lack a quick guy off the bench. While playing Maxiel being so inexperienced is a risk, he is the guy who might give us that lift.

I would have played Murray over Hunter. We desperately needed scoring in that second quarter and someone who would take the ball to the hoop.

I agree. If you're the Cavs, that's a darn solid play. When you're the underdog you try to get in and out as quickly as possible. You don't go in there and stand toe to toe with the champ.

Your best 3pt shooter wide open in the corner for a potential game winning shot to steal game 1 on the road. He just missed. That single shot had the power to swing the entire complexion of this series.

We dodged a huge bullet on that one.

When Marshall pulled up for that shot, I saw flashes of Cheap Shot Horry's 3-pointer flashing through my mind thinking "not again, Sheed".

What did you mean by the 7.?

I was wondering the same thing. I guess it's the number of games we still need to win to get the ship.

We were lucky to win. We were gutsy to be there but will have to play a lot better. They outscouted and outplayed us for a big part.

They took the ball out of Chauncey's hands with pressure early. Smart. We were off balance as a result. Rip kept us going. Sheed was an absolute monster inside on defense. Without him with the 7 blocks, we are out of this game.

We did not scout them well. I mentioned that Isgauskis is there second option and you have to stay in front of him. We worried about Varejo when he pumped faked and even fouled him. We just have to guard him two feet from the basket.

Agree with Lee, even though his offense was poor, Tay was expending a lot to guard James.

The problem is that we need some energy--we lack a quick guy off the bench. While playing Maxiel being so inexperienced is a risk, he is the guy who might give us that lift.

I would have played Murray over Hunter. We desperately needed scoring in that second quarter and someone who would take the ball to the hoop.

I don't think either should play, but I will take Hunter over Murray. I study game film after game film. Very seldom does Flip Murray score as much as he gives up by not getting a defensive rotation right. Further, would you get the scoring Flip Murray that night, or the guy who never heard the term "shot selection." I know its easy to miss just how bad Murray is on defensive rotations. Most people are not so crazy as to watch games a 2nd time, much of it in super slow mo, just to see who is doing what-exactly. Its my hobby. Call me a stuck record if you wish, but no way I would want to see Murray play over Hunter.

Some quick thoughts:

The worst I have seen CB and Tay play during the playoffs
No aggressiveness on the boards (except for Maxiell)
Rip and Sheed saved this game
Did anyone notice the huge speed discrepancy when old-man Hunter jets out beyond his team mates
Cavs have no answer for Flip Murray
Bad coaching from both sides
LBJ played timid
Dyess has to step up
To win it all, one must have some luck...Pistons just got lucky

Mejia's Reflections - CBS SportsLine.com (http://cbs.sportsline.com/columns/weblogs/entry/10163365)

"I understand the pressure involved and all, but how does a professional miss an open look like Donyell Marshall had on Cleveland's final possession?
I bet it winds up costing the Cavs the series"

Pass, I agree that one has to be lucky as well as good to go far.

Lee, I don't have illusions about Murray but when we are not scoring, not driving, etc. and I see Hunter on the floor, I get worried. Even a bad drive or two by Murray might open things up a bit.

Why we have trouble at all is the lack of speed coming in off the bench.

Don't know what to think of Dyss. Not hitting shots and a bit undersized against the Cavs?

Maxiel makes mistakes like that goal tend and they rebounded over him in the 2nd quarter but he got that huge board late and a block.

Davis should get his share of minutes and we need to get Webber to move around more with Z on him.

Maybe you guys already covered this and I only read the last few pages of posts, but why did the Pistons not get free throws when the Cavs fouled Chauncey on the break away?

If he had possession, it was a clear path foul.
If he didn't have possession, then the Shaq rule comes into play, right?

Is there something I'm missing? Do loose ball fouls not count toward the Shaq rule? It was obviously intentional though. I'm confused.

I'll take an ugly win over a pretty loss any day of the week. The Pistons just didn't come out breathing fire in this game. What does it take to motivate these guys? I wonder what was going on with Chauncey, his ball handling tonight was so sloppy and he wasn't looking for his shot until the 4th quarter? Thankfully Rip was having a really great game and the Detroit defense was there when it counted the most. Is Lebron ready to have the pressure of having to carry the whole team on his back and take them to the promised land? I know what Larry Bird would say about taking the last shot of the game -- absolutely! Now if that shot had gone in and the Cavaliers had won there would have been no second guessing but fortunately it didn't go in. Tay is just worn out from having to play Lebron full on for 40 minutes and it annoys me no end that Delfino doesn't get more playing time. You can't even evaluate his contribution when he only gets 4 friggin' minutes! Flip just keeps going to the well with the oldsters (Dice, Davis and Hunter) and begrudgingly plays the young-uns.

I'm all for the Pistons putting the Cavaliers out of their misery and winning this as fast as they can. Cleveland is just not mentally ready to take the next step, I read a quote from one of the Cleveland players that just was hilarious, he was actually happy they only lost by 3 since last year they lost game 1 by 20. That's a loser's mentality and that's not going to get you to the championship.

Maybe you guys already covered this and I only read the last few pages of posts, but why did the Pistons not get free throws when the Cavs fouled Chauncey on the break away?

i'll have my hog blog later in the morning, but to quickly answer your question, it was not a clear path foul, and the pistons were not in the bonus yet.

But if not clear path (because Chauncey didn't have the ball) I have to think it should have been called an intentional foul. At the time I was pretty ticked off about the refs not taking a stand on that one.


Oh well, Tomato Tomahto. We won the game. :)

The Cavs probably feel good about the next game, figuring that at least now the Pistons have to key in on Ilgauskas which will open up things a bit for LeBron.

Hopefully the Pistons players and staff realize that all they need to do to limit Big Z's production is to do a better job on the defensive glass.

What a MONSTER game from Sheed last night....WOW.

didn't see the first quarter.
i know we dodged a bullet on marshall's missed 3.
i agree that we should never have been in that position.
we played badly and still won.
we gutted it out.
that makes me happy.
i'm not sure sheed did the wrong thing (if he doesn't come toward lbj, then lbj goes to the rack with a half step on tayshaun and maybe finishes and gets a free throw; or if lbj misses and there's no call the weak side board is cleveland's.).
if marshall shoots that three 1000 times, i'd say he makes 351 of them. oh, wait, it's the playoffs. 381 of them. okay, maybe sheed shoulda stayed home.
i don't know.
brahma. should play more. whenever v is in.
z alone will not beat us (2nd half).
z + v can make it close (1st half).
i really despise V. everything he does looks like an accident. including running.
i say bring in dale just to break V's knees. i'll feel less irritated.
sheed (post-game): so articulate and intelligent. i think he reads a lot. i mean it.
lebron is a sissy. and i hate him too.
i hate that the announcers couldn't stop talking about him. most egregious instance: rip hits his 24th point of the game on a jumper (or maybe his 20th) and they are talking about how lbj will probably still wind up the leading scorer. no mention of rip's j.
good d.
cwebb has heart (spirit is willing, but flesh is weak).
sheed: a beast.
rip: sweet shooting.
cbill: a liability til the end, then he got it together.
hunter: ehhhh.
don't stop moving the ball.
for the umpteenth time: we're better than these guys. but not if we don't show up for 48 minutes.

didn't see the first quarter.
i know we dodged a bullet on marshall's missed 3.
i agree that we should never have been in that position.
we played badly and still won.
we gutted it out.
that makes me happy.
i'm not sure sheed did the wrong thing (if he doesn't come toward lbj, then lbj goes to the rack with a half step on tayshaun and maybe finishes and gets a free throw; or if lbj misses and there's no call the weak side board is cleveland's.).
if marshall shoots that three 1000 times, i'd say he makes 351 of them. oh, wait, it's the playoffs. 381 of them. okay, maybe sheed shoulda stayed home.
i don't know.
brahma. should play more. whenever v is in.
z alone will not beat us (2nd half).
z + v can make it close (1st half).
i really despise V. everything he does looks like an accident. including running.
i say bring in dale just to break V's knees. i'll feel less irritated.
sheed (post-game): so articulate and intelligent. i think he reads a lot. i mean it.
lebron is a sissy. and i hate him too.
i hate that the announcers couldn't stop talking about him. most egregious instance: rip hits his 24th point of the game on a jumper (or maybe his 20th) and they are talking about how lbj will probably still wind up the leading scorer. no mention of rip's j.
good d.
cwebb has heart (spirit is willing, but flesh is weak).
sheed: a beast.
rip: sweet shooting.
cbill: a liability til the end, then he got it together.
hunter: ehhhh.
don't stop moving the ball.
for the umpteenth time: we're better than these guys. but not if we don't show up for 48 minutes.


Lots of thoughts there. I am pretty sure I'm in agreement with you on all of them.
:)

Game 2 adjustments and intensity will be everything.

You have to credit the Cavs for pressuring Billups, a player who has benefitted from the depth of talent on this team by almost never seeing a double team or hard trap. It's a well known secret that Billups has the ball in his hands a lot and he can be rattled.

Expect the Pistons to put the ball more in Tayshaun's hands and let Billups play off the ball, expect us to have less turnovers but most importantly, expect LBJ to be much more aggressive next game.

After the post game comments, we can expect a return from James to his barrelling to the hoop style, trying to initiate contact. We can't count on Sheed blocking that many shots again. The Cavs are going to try to ugly it up and get even more physical.

At what point does the CWebb experiment come to an end? It's not easy winning when one of your 5 is really bad, and we've been doing it, but I don't expect it to continue. I'm just not seeing any heart from this guy and it's disturbing. He wanted redemption in Michigan, and a championship would assure that, but he's in fact gone completely in the opposite direction and become a boat anchor.

Even if Flip switches Webber onto Gooden, it will be the same result. He doesn't have the athleticism to extend his defense and everyone knows he can be exposed in the pick and roll.

If McDyess wakes up, we'll be good. At this point, I'm almost wondering if Maxiell provides more than Antonio can.

I'm tremendously happy with this win. A lot of folks in chat were out of their minds with anxiety during the last 3 minutes, but I knew they would get it done. This team rarely loses the battles of inches. When they blow it, they like to blow it big. :)

Let's get'em again and increase the pressure on LBJ to answer his critics. Boy would it be nice to extinguish his flame in the Eastern Conference.

Nothing much to say after reading all the prior comments. Bad game for the Stone's, pretty decent game for the Cav's. I expect the Pistons to play much better next time. I think it was perfect game for the Pistons to play, grinding out the victory and eeking out a close one will hopefully keep the boys focused and not get big headed. I didn't want a blow out, just a more comfortable margin.

7.


I'll guess this wasn't a popular game for the general NBA fan but I'll take it. I think LeBron would have been praised as a great team player who has finally grown into a facilatator etc.etc.etc. if Marshall would have knocked down that wide open three. But he missed it so LeBron should have shot it.

Dyess was missing shots that were automatic the second half of the season...that's troubling.

It's a well known secret that Billups has the ball in his hands a lot and he can be rattled.


Agreed.

I'm not so sure, however, that something can be both well known as well as a secret.:sssh:

:pound::pound::pound::pound::pound::pound:

The game was much too close. I thought we were going to have a "Premature Evacuation" of this series. Ilgauskas really played hard out there. Going with rebounding and defense really works for the Cavs. Glad they didn't score much. Glad to see that Flip used his bench. JMax was certainly a good option.

didn't see the first quarter.
i know we dodged a bullet on marshall's missed 3.
i agree that we should never have been in that position.
we played badly and still won.
we gutted it out.
that makes me happy.
i'm not sure sheed did the wrong thing (if he doesn't come toward lbj, then lbj goes to the rack with a half step on tayshaun and maybe finishes and gets a free throw; or if lbj misses and there's no call the weak side board is cleveland's.).
if marshall shoots that three 1000 times, i'd say he makes 351 of them. oh, wait, it's the playoffs. 381 of them. okay, maybe sheed shoulda stayed home.
i don't know.
brahma. should play more. whenever v is in.
z alone will not beat us (2nd half).
z + v can make it close (1st half).
i really despise V. everything he does looks like an accident. including running.
i say bring in dale just to break V's knees. i'll feel less irritated.
sheed (post-game): so articulate and intelligent. i think he reads a lot. i mean it.
lebron is a sissy. and i hate him too.
i hate that the announcers couldn't stop talking about him. most egregious instance: rip hits his 24th point of the game on a jumper (or maybe his 20th) and they are talking about how lbj will probably still wind up the leading scorer. no mention of rip's j.
good d.
cwebb has heart (spirit is willing, but flesh is weak).
sheed: a beast.
rip: sweet shooting.
cbill: a liability til the end, then he got it together.
hunter: ehhhh.
don't stop moving the ball.
for the umpteenth time: we're better than these guys. but not if we don't show up for 48 minutes.

Wha...Wha...Wha...What?

I'm looking for it.
:sherlock:



Nice to see Max step way up, is Dyess healthy? He seems way out of whack with his confidence/flow/everything right now.

Re: Sheed on Marshall, that was not a good sign with Expletiv'ing Robert Expletive Horry the Expletive likely awaiting the Stones.

The Cavs probably feel good about the next game, figuring that at least now the Pistons have to key in on Ilgauskas which will open up things a bit for LeBron.

Hopefully the Pistons players and staff realize that all they need to do to limit Big Z's production is to do a better job on the defensive glass.

What a MONSTER game from Sheed last night....WOW.

I agree, Sheed needed 2 wheelbarrows for his huevos grandes.

He was the only guy "fully competing" for some long stretches in both halves.

Let's put 'the switch' to rest for him at least.

http://pistons.realgm.com/articles/174/20070521/off_and_on_and_now_theyre_on/
Rasheed Wallace is a bit of a head-case, but Tayshaun Prince, Chauncey Billups, Richard Hamilton and Chris Webber are smart guys. They know the price they will inevitably pay.


Whats with the arbitrary Sheed dig?

7.

Stone's MVP in the 1st half - RIP. Without his scoring to keep us within distance we would have lost the game

Stone's MVP in the 2nd half - Sheed and CB. Strong 3rd quarter from CWebb and Rip.

Tay only 1-11 from the field. Hey, I'll take this stat line the entire series if he can keep Bron with the 5-15 stat line and no FT attempts. Tay has 9 asst which is a minimum 18 pts in the bag.

DD and JMax is the unsung heroes. Dice need to start making shots. At least 45% will help a lot. Did Dice peak too soon (was like 60% from the field towards end of season).

Need to draw more fouls on Big Z and Sideshow Bob the next game.

i'll have my hog blog later in the morning, but to quickly answer your question, it was not a clear path foul, and the pistons were not in the bonus yet.

I know what the call was, I'm just wondering if they screwed it up.

Why was it not a clear path foul? Because he didn't have possession, right?

So why were they able to foul a player without possession with < 2 minutes to go in the game?

Javie.

7.


I'll guess this wasn't a popular game for the general NBA fan but I'll take it. I think LeBron would have been praised as a great team player who has finally grown into a facilatator etc.etc.etc. if Marshall would have knocked down that wide open three. But he missed it so LeBron should have shot it.

Dyess was missing shots that were automatic the second half of the season...that's troubling.

I can't believe I am defending LBJ here. If Marshall made that shot then the Cavs would have won and LBJ would have gotten a triple-double 10-10-10.

TaShawn - The only explanation I can think of was that the Cavs were not in the penalty yet.

Roscoe - Agree about Webber. Maybe he has hit the wall? Did not play much before comming here and he was thrown in for a lot of minutes.

I know what the call was, I'm just wondering if they screwed it up.

Why was it not a clear path foul? Because he didn't have possession, right?

So why were they able to foul a player without possession with < 2 minutes to go in the game?

Javie.

Loose ball foul?

Doesn't one team have to have clear possession for the anti Hack a Shaq/Ben rule to kick in?

I can't believe I am defending LBJ here. If Marshall made that shot then the Cavs would have won and LBJ would have gotten a triple-double 10-10-10.

TaShawn - The only explanation I can think of was that the Cavs were not in the penalty yet.

Roscoe - Agree about Webber. Maybe he has hit the wall? Did not play much before comming here and he was thrown in for a lot of minutes.

Not so fast...

Detroit could have advanced the ball with nearly 3 seconds left.

TaShawn - The only explanation I can think of was that the Cavs were not in the penalty yet.


I concede that they were not in the bonus. But you can't foul Shaq off the ball with < 2 minutes and not give the other team free throws... even if you still have a foul to give.

I'm just going to assume they botched the call.

However, the 0 free throws for LeBron + the sweep of the Heat + the suspensions of the Suns players is making me reconsider all the conspiracy theory stuff. Maybe they are taking a break from the rigging. It must be exhausting trying to control everything.

I concede that they were not in the bonus. But you can't foul Shaq off the ball with < 2 minutes and not give the other team free throws... even if you still have a foul to give.

I'm just going to assume they botched the call.

However, the 0 free throws for LeBron + the sweep of the Heat + the suspensions of the Suns players is making me reconsider all the conspiracy theory stuff. Maybe they are taking a break from the rigging. It must be exhausting trying to control everything.

Like Simmons said last year though (something to the effect of)

Commissioner Stern all you had to do was let the Mavs and your nemesis Cuban win the title, nobody will ever accuse you of fixing anything ever again.

And his other Gem, "With the 29th pick in the NBA draft the Mavs select Maurice Ager from Michigan State, Stern shakes his hand and notifies Ager he has just been called for a foul on Dwanye Wade."

Right,

we are getting very little from Webber and Dyss. No reason why Webber can't manuever against the Cavs.

I was disappointed in that the Pistons seemed to be unaware of the strengths and weaknesses of the Cavs other than James. You don't let Z go up and under twice. Stay in front. They will post him from time to time. Varejo can't hit a jumper but they will sneek him in for the quick layup, etc. Pavlovik is agressive but stay with him and he will look wild...

They stopped our offense last year. We should have been ready for the assault on Billips. We hit some big shots under pressure but the offense was not in sinc at all.

Hard to draw conclusions from the game. Both teams had positives. The Cavs controlled the game and we won. We have to come out the next game with wreckless abandon.

However, the 0 free throws for LeBron + the sweep of the Heat + the suspensions of the Suns players is making me reconsider all the conspiracy theory stuff. Maybe they are taking a break from the rigging. It must be exhausting trying to control everything.
You are a great man. :thumb:

Hard to draw conclusions from the game. Both teams had positives. The Cavs controlled the game and we won. We have to come out the next game with wreckless abandon.
lapiston, I disagree. We need to come out with a lot of focus and control. The Cavs are going to come out very aggressive and we need to absorb their blows, push back and topple them.

Practice this week should focus on the art of taking charges.

Maxiell looked like he took that charge on Z nicely. It's not like Z was hanging in the air and Maxiell got to his spot after takeoff.

Maxiell looked like he took that charge on Z nicely. It's not like Z was hanging in the air and Maxiell got to his spot after takeoff.
I can see Z hanging in the air...

:pound: :pound: :pound: :pound: :pound:
:pound: :pound: :pound: :pound: :pound:

Wha...Wha...Wha...What?

I'm looking for it.
:sherlock:



re: cwebb's heart, or lack thereof. i don't know, it's admittedly a very subjective impression. but when i watch him, esp in the low post, i feel like he's working hard and not giving up despite the fact that at least some of his misses in the last few games could easily have been makes. of course, working hard isn't the same as working smart. i'll keep watching him to see. i might have also been influence by sheed's post-game comment on webb as having the heart of a fierce competitor (or something like that).

another piece by Kerr on Yahoo sports
Giving Cavs their best shot - NBA Experts Blog - NBA - Yahoo! Sports (http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/blog/nba_experts/post/Giving-Cavs-their-best-shot?urn=nba,33578)


Cleveland is good enough to make this a very interesting series, but it will have to learn to win close games. Make stops, rebound and score in the final two minutes -- that's it. The first two, the Cavs have down. But can they put the ball in the hoop when it counts? It doesn't matter whether LeBron passes the ball or shoots it; it's all about establishing a late-game presence like Detroit has.

re: cwebb's heart, or lack thereof. i don't know, it's admittedly a very subjective impression. but when i watch him, esp in the low post, i feel like he's working hard and not giving up despite the fact that at least some of his misses in the last few games could easily have been makes. of course, working hard isn't the same as working smart. i'll keep watching him to see. i might have also been influence by sheed's post-game comment on webb as having the heart of a fierce competitor (or something like that).

It's not so much the misses and makes as

1. Blocking out
2. Hitting the offensive glass
3. Establishing and not reliquishing position

That Sheed comment bothered me (not very much, this defines nitpicking) because I wish Sheed would have mentioned Dyess when they threw him the softie of asking if he wanted to win a ring for Webber.

I think Chris has a lot of desire, and 'want to' but he just seems to psyche himself out in the big moments/games.

I guess I don't really question his heart it's more his mental toughness and fortitude, what John Thompson used to call 'shrinkage' late in games.

But if not clear path (because Chauncey didn't have the ball) I have to think it should have been called an intentional foul. At the time I was pretty ticked off about the refs not taking a stand on that one.


Oh well, Tomato Tomahto. We won the game. :)

Actually, its a rule. If you foul anyone without the ball in the last two minutes, the other team gets a technical free throw and the ball. Billups did not have the ball.

Right,

we are getting very little from Webber and Dyss. No reason why Webber can't manuever against the Cavs.

I was disappointed in that the Pistons seemed to be unaware of the strengths and weaknesses of the Cavs other than James. You don't let Z go up and under twice. Stay in front. They will post him from time to time. Varejo can't hit a jumper but they will sneek him in for the quick layup, etc. Pavlovik is agressive but stay with him and he will look wild...

They stopped our offense last year. We should have been ready for the assault on Billips. We hit some big shots under pressure but the offense was not in sinc at all.

Hard to draw conclusions from the game. Both teams had positives. The Cavs controlled the game and we won. We have to come out the next game with wreckless abandon.

Nothing from Webber or Dyess, and Mohammed is still dressing to waste space. We do have a kid named Amir Johnson who the future of this franchise. I say the future is now. Its great that JMAX played in this last game. I love it. But Amir is just as good, if not better, than JMAX and should be playing for us, now.

Nothing from Webber or Dyess, and Mohammed is still dressing to waste space. We do have a kid named Amir Johnson who the future of this franchise. I say the future is now. Its great that JMAX played in this last game. I love it. But Amir is just as good, if not better, than JMAX and should be playing for us, now.

If the plan was to hide Amir, now is not the time to play him... although I think we'd all like to see what would happen.

Game 2 adjustments and intensity will be everything.

I'm tremendously happy with this win. A lot of folks in chat were out of their minds with anxiety during the last 3 minutes, but I knew they would get it done. This team rarely loses the battles of inches. When they blow it, they like to blow it big. :)

.
Roscoe you did continue to mention in "chat" during the last five minutes "we will be all right" even though we fail behind a couple of times. You were correct my man. Its the Pistons fault though. There we were last Thursday calm and excited in the last 7 minutes of the Bulls game 6 where it could have been do or die situation if they won and carried the monetum into game 7, but here it was just the first game of this series and some us (me too) were in panic mode even though there were six more opportunites to get it done.

Actually, its a rule. If you foul anyone without the ball in the last two minutes, the other team gets a technical free throw and the ball. Billups did not have the ball.

Actually you're all wrong. As I said before it was a loose ball foul not the 'anti Hack a Shaq foul"

NBA.com RULE NO. 12-FOULS AND PENALTIES (http://www.nba.com/analysis/rules_12.html?nav=ArticleList)


Section X--Away-From-The-Play Foul

a. During the last two minutes of the fourth period or overtime period(s) with the offensive team in possession of the ball, all personal fouls which are assessed against the defensive team prior to the ball being released on a throw-in and/or away-from-the-play, shall be administered as follows:
(1) A personal foul and team foul shall be assessed and one free throw attempt shall be awarded. The free throw may be attempted by any play-er in the game at the time the personal foul was committed.
(2) If the foul occurs when the ball is inbounds, the offended team shall be awarded the ball at the nearest point where play was interrupted but no nearer to the baseline than the free throw line extended.
(3) If the foul occurs prior to the release on a throw-in, the offended team shall be awarded the ball at the original throw-in spot, with all privileges, if any, remaining.

"a. During the last two minutes of the fourth period or overtime period(s) with the offensive team in possession of the ball, all personal fouls which are assessed against the defensive team prior to the ball being released on a throw-in and/or away-from-the-play, shall be administered as follows: "


We were the defensive team right? So the Cavs were the offensive team. So it would seem that this rule does not apply.

Maybe the correct interpretation is that an offensive foul does not result in free throws... just loss of possession?

Amir is the type of player we sorely lack. I see now that we should have used him some this year to have him ready. I really had counted on more from Dyss. Webber was giving us much more in the regular season.

"a. During the last two minutes of the fourth period or overtime period(s) with the offensive team in possession of the ball, all personal fouls which are assessed against the defensive team prior to the ball being released on a throw-in and/or away-from-the-play, shall be administered as follows: "


We were the defensive team right? So the Cavs were the offensive team. So it would seem that this rule does not apply.

Maybe the correct interpretation is that an offensive foul does not result in free throws... just loss of possession?

It was a loose ball, neither team had possession, if anything Cleveland was still in possession, as they had possession last and Detroit had not established it...

loose ball foul, Cleveland wasn't in the bonus so it was a side out.

Dyess could break out of his batting slump at any time. He's getting the same looks, he's just not knocking them down.

He should try to compensate by getting some more hustle baskets, dunks, and low post production. That could give him a little more space on his FT line J's.

We would be unstoppable right now if he and Webb were just giving us average games offensively.

Dyess could break out of his batting slump at any time. He's getting the same looks, he's just not knocking them down.

He should try to compensate by getting some more hustle baskets, dunks, and low post production. That could give him a little more space on his FT line J's.

We would be unstoppable right now if he and Webb were just giving us average games offensively.

I think he's kinda in 'Webberland' where he wants it too much and is 'thinking' instead of flowing.


think about it, Dyess, Webb, Tay, Hunter, Chauncey all played below (some WAY below) their normal offensive output and Det still won.

OK, I got my one optimistic post out of the way for the year...

It was a loose ball, neither team had possession, if anything Cleveland was still in possession, as they had possession last and Detroit had not established it...

loose ball foul, Cleveland wasn't in the bonus so it was a side out.

So, if Cleveland had possession or neither team had possession, the rule that you copied does not apply... because it specifically states that it applies when the offensive team has possession and a foul is committed by the defensive team.

In our case, the foul was either committed by the offensive team or during a loose ball.

You must be right about the loose ball foul call. In that case, the Shaq rule does not apply, because it would provide no benefit for the fouling team.

Now, what discretion do referees have in calling an "intentional foul"? This foul was obviously intentional and it benefitted Cleveland. Is there no rule that allows for Chauncey to have practicle possession even though he hadn't officially established it yet?


This makes me realize that refs have a lot to think about.

So, if Cleveland had possession or neither team had possession, the rule that you copied does not apply... because it specifically states that it applies when the offensive team has possession and a foul is committed by the defensive team.

In our case, the foul was either committed by the offensive team or during a loose ball.

You must be right about the loose ball foul call. In that case, the Shaq rule does not apply, because it would provide no benefit for the fouling team.

Now, what discretion do referees have in calling an "intentional foul"? This foul was obviously intentional and it benefitted Cleveland. Is there no rule that allows for Chauncey to have practicle possession even though he hadn't officially established it yet?


This makes me realize that refs have a lot to think about.

It was intentional but that would have been an uber weak "intentional foul".

Yes, and they do a good job most of the time, but boy do things sure look phishy every once in a while.

Nothing from Webber or Dyess, and Mohammed is still dressing to waste space. We do have a kid named Amir Johnson who the future of this franchise. I say the future is now. Its great that JMAX played in this last game. I love it. But Amir is just as good, if not better, than JMAX and should be playing for us, now.

It' s still early in the series. I would be willing to dress him for game 3 if we go to Cleveland up 2. Bring him and see what energy level he can provide. Anything to take the pressure and heat off of Webber and Dyess.

I am not as down on Webber as others have been. He played the post last night and got 10 points and 7 or 8 boards while Dyess' outside shots continued to clank and clang. Cwebb helped key the 3rd qtr comeback, but alas his defense has been less than desired. I think in the end if and when the Pistons capture the Ship, some credit will go to Cwebb...despite his shortcomings

Section VIII--Loose Ball Fouls
a. A personal foul, which is neither a punching, flagrant or an elbow foul, com-mitted while there is no team control shall be administered in the following man-ner:
(1) Offending team is charged with a team foul
(2) Offending player is charged with a personal foul
(3) Offended team will be awarded possession at the sideline, nearest the spot where play was interrupted but no nearer the baseline than the foul line extended, if no penalty exists
(4) Offended player is awarded one free throw attempt plus a penalty free throw attempt if the offending team is in a penalty situation [since no penalty situation, no free throws for Billups.]
...

My favorite moment of the night: When Urkle Sr. screamed at Pavolvic for leaving CNote open on that 3.

Or how about Snow screaming at LBJ after the five second inbounds call when Lebron just hung out at halfcourt and watched his teammates run around. Snow was yelling "MOVE!!". Just more evidence for my theory that Lebron is the second coming of Vince Carter.

Anyway, just got the power back on after some dummy ran into a neighborhood power pole around two this morning, and am still trying to catch up.

Watching Varajeouw complain about the charging foul was good too. It wasn't even a borderline play.

Yeah that Verijohw call was sweet. There's something wrong when a guy can specialize at jumping in front of someone who is ablout to leap to the basket and slide underneath him.

I wouldn't mind Virajeuox sliding under guys if he played for the pistons.

so as usual, my buddy and i meet up and get to the palace about an hour before game time. it was warm enough and the vette was freshly washed so we cruised in with the top down. i was feeling good, so we went inside and i faced my first important decision of the day - tasty sandwich on a pretzel roll, or boneless wings? i just had boneless wings the previous time, but i had a taste for it again, and WOW what a good decision. thank you Fraser High School Band Boosters, because I was supposed to get around 8 wings and they gave me SEVENTEEN!! this was fantastic. so i eat that and then my buddy and i play Super Mario Bros. DS against each other until game time. somehow between the national anthem and the player intros, the missing 1/3 of the crowd manages to fill in and get to their seats...it's like magic.

there was a very cute girl in the row below, but then i realized she was a CAVS FAN. boooo! in fact, 75% of the 3 rows in front of us were cavs fans too! what the @#$&!!!! we ended up bantering with them back and forth throughout the game and chatting at halftime and they were cool, although a bunch of them left with like 10 mins to go in the game, which was weird (why drive all that way and not stay?!). then the guy behind us cheered for the pistons AND lebron because that was his favorite player. odd. and on a sidenote, cavs attire is some of the ugliest i've ever seen ... like old Houston Astros stuff.

so the intros were pretty loud and the crowd stayed on its feet until the game started which usually doesn't happen, but we definitely weren't as loud as the start of the 1st two chicago games. it's like we were waiting to see the pistons jump out early and they never did, and it's like the pistons were waiting for the same thing. the turnovers were frustrating and the cavs got plenty of calls early, but dale davis was a man and snagged two possible and-1s. the depth of our bigs is great.

once we went on the run in the 3rd quarter the fans got pretty into it, and it was really tight. webber disappeared most of the game but he got us going in the 3rd so give him credit there, and then give flip credit for letting maxiell play in the 4th. he really helped seal the game. when he got his goaltend on lebron, one of the cavs fans yelled 'you can't block lebron!!' and then max goes ahead and does it a couple possessions later. then he gets an insane offensive board and passes to chauncey for the open 3, and plays solid defense the next time down the court. he was an animal. dice, though, needs to stop being so timid and find his comfort zone, and chauncey needs to feed him the ball in the proper spots, and delfino gets zero respect from the refs, which pretty much negates any kind of 1 on 1 defense he could play on lebron.

one of the fun exchanges with the cavs fans was when we were up by about 5 and they were yappin' and the guy next to me is yelling 'SCOREBOARD', and of course a few mins later we're down by 1 and hear 'SCOREBOARD' back heh. anyway, the last play of the game was scary. a bunch of us were doing the 'oooooooo' chant like they do at MSU, everyone was on their feet, and then the pass got kicked out to marshall and the crowd went 'NOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!' the same as Game 5 against the Spurs when Horry tied the game. i was for sure that shot was going in, and it seemed like it hung in the air forever. when it clanked and we got the rebound and chauncey was fouled, the place went NUTS. i mean it was as loud as i've ever heard it in the palace, and louder in that instant than during any moment in the Chicago series. it's a good warmup for my vocals, which were a little hoarse today.

other random tidbits - automotion danced to 'Right Now' and everyone groaned...i said i thought we went to the games to get away from that song. after the game a few of us stayed in the section, including this really obnoxious guy who was yelling at nothing. a cute girl laughed at him, he asked why, she made a random comment and was hoping he'd go away...but then he came down toward her and she shot me a look with her eyes like 'AHHHH!' and did this several more times until he went away. maybe i shoulda went and talked to her ;D but i did not. woops.

on the way out i saw an identical vette and we drove next to each other, except he had rims that were at least $4000 and they looked beautiful. we tried to get on the TNT parking lot came but they never showed us. and then 'The Low' was on the radio with Matt Dery - but was that our forum Low? were you at the game? apologies if you like, live out of state and i don't remember. :)

Warthog, my hero.

When in doubt, always talk to the girl.

All hail the almighty Wart-cap!

after the game a few of us stayed in the section, including this really obnoxious guy who was yelling at nothing. a cute girl laughed at him, he asked why, she made a random comment and was hoping he'd go away...but then he came down toward her and she shot me a look with her eyes like 'AHHHH!' and did this several more times until he went away. maybe i shoulda went and talked to her ;D but i did not. woops.

I'm not sure I understand exactly what sort of look she was giving you, or why, but that anecdote was still awesome. :pound:

I needed a little time to cool off after that ugly ugly game but a win is a win right? Here a few things I would hope the team considers doing.

Dyess please consider taking anything other than the 15-18 foot jump shots you have been bricking for the last 2 weeks 30.7 fg% sucks and I hope Cowens and Harper are giving you an earful at practice.

Cwebb please consider showing up by helping your team win. The disappearing act that you have pulled this week should be 1 of the David Blaine spots for the playoffs, How to be invisible just look at Chris now you see him now you don’t. I thought you wanted to redeem yourself in Michigan and exercise those demons not make new ones.

Mr. Bigshot please consider not turning the ball over. I usually cringe when Hunter brings the ball up but not you. You want to be Chauncey Big Bucks Billups well play like it. I am not calling last nights game your worst but I cant remember the last time you had 7 turnovers I hope it was a fluke.

Tay keep doin what your doin, holding King Nike to 5-15 is fine with me. You could go 1-11 every night as long as you keep getting 9 assists a game. Keep it up

Rip Keep doin what your doin. You almost single handedly kept your teams head above water the whole game. Way to man up when the team needed you.

Sheed way to keep your cool, last nights game was so ugly you could have easily gone off the deep end. If you play the way you did last night 15 points 12 rebounds 7 BLOCKS we will win this in 4.

I am not going to complain that Sheed cheated off Marshall because that would be like saying it would have been Sheeds fault for how the game ended if we lost. I just did not see the focus that this team has been preaching since the playoffs began.

Thanks for the hogblog. That three point shot did take forever to miss it's target. The noise level did appear loud at that time, but there was one fan who seem to be louder than Mason and in second half I continued to hear him say "give it to them pistons or show em who's boss Pistons"! Was that you or Bill Davison:)

Also when a hottie smiles at you a sporting event and you are not one of the actual players, then be a playa and strike up a conversation because if you are thinking about her the next day then you are regretting that you missed out on something that could have been special. I am happily married now for 21 years,:inlove: but I still remember back in college the missed ops because I was to shy to say somethin...:doh:

but I still remember back in college the missed ops because I was to shy to say somethin...:doh:You ain't alone! :pound: :(

Or how about Snow screaming at LBJ after the five second inbounds call when Lebron just hung out at halfcourt and watched his teammates run around. Snow was yelling "MOVE!!". Just more evidence for my theory that Lebron is the second coming of Vince Carter.


Thats an interesting take.

In reality though he would have had 15-20 assists if his team could make some shots.

lol thanks for the pep talk guys haha...i'm not shy but i just stood there and watched for whatever reason. my bad :D

It' s still early in the series. I would be willing to dress him for game 3 if we go to Cleveland up 2. Bring him and see what energy level he can provide. Anything to take the pressure and heat off of Webber and Dyess.

I am not as down on Webber as others have been. He played the post last night and got 10 points and 7 or 8 boards while Dyess' outside shots continued to clank and clang. Cwebb helped key the 3rd qtr comeback, but alas his defense has been less than desired. I think in the end if and when the Pistons capture the Ship, some credit will go to Cwebb...despite his shortcomings

I am not that down on Webber's play either. I just know we have a better player on the bench, who is not playing just to keep the money down we need to resign this restricted free agent. Good strategy if you win it all. If you don't, its one giant money loser.