Con Finals game #2 May 24th 8PM

tv: TNT

Last game before the teams heads over to Cleveland to continue the series. Each series has a life of its own. We should have a better idea after this one.

I just got tickets, so I'll be going to this game!! Woo Hoo!! :whoo:

I'm taking my Dad as a retirement gift. :gift: This will be the first NBA game that either of us have been to. We were almost able to get court side tickets, but that fell through at the last minute. Oh well, I'm still pumped!

Here's hoping for a Pistons blowout:pray::fingerscr, because my father is really religious and I won't be able to swear :swear2:if things go bad. :sssh:

Jammer, we need pics and a sideline report.

Congrats. My first game was during the NBA Finals. I'm sure you will have a blast!

I hope it's a blowout too, jammertime. I'm not gonna lie. That's not just for your sake, but mine as well. I nearly crapped my pants on that last play of Game 1. I didn't think this series would be easy but I wasn't expecting it to come down to a last second shot. Here's to playing....well, better in Game 2! CHEERS! :cheers:

P.S. Way to utilize those smilies...

I'm taking my Dad as a retirement gift. :gift: This will be the first NBA game that either of us have been to. We were almost able to get court side tickets, but that fell through at the last minute. Oh well, I'm still pumped!

Here's hoping for a Pistons blowout:pray::fingerscr, because my father is really religious and I won't be able to swear :swear2:if things go bad. :sssh:
That sounds like an excellent retirement gift. Tell your pop he might want he cover his ears if Sheed :swear2: starts getting into it with the refs.

I just got tickets, so I'll be going to this game!! Woo Hoo!! :whoo:

I'm taking my Dad as a retirement gift. :gift: This will be the first NBA game that either of us have been to. We were almost able to get court side tickets, but that fell through at the last minute. Oh well, I'm still pumped!

Here's hoping for a Pistons blowout:pray::fingerscr, because my father is really religious and I won't be able to swear :swear2:if things go bad. :sssh:


Good to see a visitor from :canada: coming over to the :usa: for a little :hoops: action. Be sure to have some :popcorn: and a tall, cold :beer: . Hopefully, you won't get a game like the first...............

Thanks for the love folks.

I have a Pistons jersey, but it's a Ben Wallace one. Do I wear it or leave it at home?

You set it on fire, stomp it out and then set it on fire again...lol just kidding. That's a good question. I say, if you're still a fan of Big Ben, wear it. Or you could always tape a "6" to it and pretend it's a Rasheed jersey.

Thanks for the love folks.

I have a Pistons jersey, but it's a Ben Wallace one. Do I wear it or leave it at home?



Wear the jersey......Leave the fro at home..........

IMO, almost a must win for the Pistons. Going to Cleveland with the series tied wouldn`t be a good thing.

More on game 2 strategies:

ESPN.com: TrueHoop (http://myespn.go.com/blogs/truehoop/0-24-108/Don-t-Forget-the-Conference-Finals.html)

Is TNT for sure? MSNBC lists TNT in one version of the schedule and ESPN in another.

Is TNT for sure? MSNBC lists TNT in one version of the schedule and ESPN in another.

nba.com still has it listed on TNT.

I like the taped on 6 idea! That'd be good for a number of laughs from people in a celebratory mood while we clean LBJ's clock tonight :nod:

Might even get you a camera shot and a colorful comment from Barkley :D

Play our game and we SHOULD win by 18 points...........Pistons win by a score of 88-82..........

please quote me on this. Rip and CB will combine over 45 points. We will win by double digits. Go Pistons

please quote me on this. Rip and CB will combine over 45 points. We will win by double digits. Go Pistons

You're welcome.

I would like to see the Pistons play more uptempo on offense. The Cavs don't have the scoring talent to keep up with them. Their tactic is to grind things out.

Chat is like, open, and stuff....

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

How can they be playing like this against an inferior team? The 2nd qtr was embarrassing. Hope for a strong 2nd half. Playing down to the level of competition will bite them in arse sooner than later.

Looks like our starters decided to mail it in after they hit their first three shots. The bench actually outscored the starters 20-18. With the exception of Hunter, they played well enough on the offenseive end, but gave up those 3-three balls to Damon Jones and Daniel Gibson. We have shut down Z, but once again we are letting Sideshowbob=Verajo dominate in the paint with points, boards and flops. LBJ is trying to silence his critics and doing a good job at it

Meanwhile other than Sheed, the four starters are 4-18 shooting and have 7 of the 8 turnovers.

Hopefully the Flips halftime speech is a wake up call for Rip and Tay. CB can't wait for the 4th qtr baby...Go Pistons!!

This team seems to enjoy treading water in the first half before getting serious in the second half. I don't like it and not because it's irritating as a fan. This kind of mentality spells defeat in a 7-game Finals series. And it could spell defeat in an ECF.

I did my superstitious part in closing my streams and chat and look they make a comeback. I cross my fingers and look for the recaps!

No reason for these games to be this close. Pistons are playing down to their competition. LeBron will get PLENTY of calls in Cleveland. Completely ridiculous to keep the Cavs in this game. This game was a total, steaming turd turned in by Detroit.

No reason for these games to be this close. Pistons are playing down to their competition. LeBron will get PLENTY of calls in Cleveland.

You better believe he will.

Let`s just get a split in Cleveland and end this thing in 5!

Maxiell getting more love from the announcers than LeBron...

The refs not bailing out LBJ in crunch time...

Sheed coming up huge...

Priceless.

Except for JASON....MAXIELLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL

nice energy. loved those dunks early on

Sheed just lost it on the podium talking about Varejao. Watch for the pressers to be posted later ....

Not sure how the Pistons pulled this one out...a catastrophic 2nd quarter was followed by a terrific 3rd, but they were choking like dogs in the last few minutes with multiple horrible turnovers. After getting EVERY call all night long, the Cavs finally got some karma coming back at them as the Pistons got some breaks in the last minute. Though I did think Rip's D on LeBron on the last possession was solid...and then Rasheed DROPPED THE REBOUND to give Hughes a wide-open 8 footer that would have won the game. Fortunately for us, he gagged, and Sideshow Bob's follow didn't go either.

Sheed was big in the 4th quarter, but CB had another lousy game, in spite of hitting a couple of big shots during the second half comeback. Rip had a pretty bad game, and where the heck has Tay gone? He was literally invisible for almost the entire game...1 point, 4 boards, and 4 assists in 41 minutes?!?!

JMax was an absolute hero tonight, especially in the first half when he came in early after Sheed got 2 fouls and Dice was bleeding from getting hit in the mouth. The Brahma bricks from the FT line were rough, only 1-6, but he attacked the rim with such ferocity that it barely mattered. Pretty nice contribution from Delfino as well, hitting a couple of threes and making some nice hustle plays. He outproduced Tay in only 11 minutes.

Wow, what a mess. Don't cry for the Cavs, refers had given them all they need to win the game. We didn't win but they lost.
Anyway, a win is a win. Gotta love Maxiel lots lots and lots the way this guy attack the rim always make me nod and nod and nod.

Pistons did not 'deserve' to get BOTH of these 2 games, they should feel very fortunate.

Gotta get Tay more rest so he can put some of his energy onto the offensive end.

Great win, don't get me wrong, but the Stones are playing with fire right now.

Great win,
Have to love Flip letting the bench HELP the team. Great games by JMax, Delfino, and Dice.

Detroit is like the energizer bunny. It's scary, teams are up, but Detroit thinks they are going to win, and the other team is worried they are going to lose, and in the end, Detroit wins.

Wow, what a mess. Don't cry for the Cavs, refers had given them all they need to win the game. We didn't win but they lost.
Anyway, a win is a win. Gotta love Maxiel lots lots and lots the way this guy attack the rim always make me nod and nod and nod.
:thumb:

One encouraging stat from tonight is that the rebounding was better. Only 39-37 Cleveland, with 11 offensive boards for each team.

But the Pistons had 18 turnovers! :swear2:

Rasheed Wallace postgame presser in MP3 audio...

.

NBA - Cleveland Cavaliers/Detroit Pistons Box Score Thursday May 24, 2007 - Yahoo! Sports (http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/boxscore;_ylt=A0WTeTWAU1ZGvV0AQAk5nYcB?gid=2007052 408)

OLDCAP:

- WIERD BOXSCORE

- Tay 0-8 FG's. 1-19 in series. who DOES he think he is ? Placido Polanco? Webb must establish a high/low with him next game.

- Varajeo 23 pts and 22 rebounds , Gooden 10 pts and 6 rebounds . Pick ur poison. Id rather have Gooden on the bench. his head is gonna be diluted for Game 3. becuase Coach Mike has shown he cant count on him.

- Z cant go from 22 points to 3!!!!???? Mike will be replaced when they lose this series. Watch! I see Carlisle or Hubie...LB? hmmmm

- Delfino was big. In conrol. Missed a dipsy do layup. but if he gains 10 lbs next year, we can cut 12 minutes off tay and Rip's game.

_ Chaunce better wake the hell up. He needs to facilitate the O by conceeding to Webber early at the Ft line.

- Cavs outscored us 34-18 in the 2nd. Other than that, it WAS all us.

- Bronstone aint ready. And any franchise who sets their fortune on a 22 yr old should be damned! Dont worry, James will not finish his carreer in Cleveland. Would u?

- Damon Jones is still a sisssy punk!

- Miller lite is awesome!!
6 TO GOOO!

One encouraging stat from tonight is that the rebounding was better. Only 39-37 Cleveland, with 11 offensive boards for each team.

But the Pistons had 18 turnovers! :swear2:

One thing I don't think we'll do much better on and one thing I wouldn't be surprised if we cut in half.

Sheed was a beast. :)

NBA - Cleveland Cavaliers/Detroit Pistons Box Score Thursday May 24, 2007 - Yahoo! Sports (http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/boxscore;_ylt=A0WTeTWAU1ZGvV0AQAk5nYcB?gid=2007052 408)

OLDCAP:

- WIERD BOXSCORE

- Tay 0-8 FG's. 1-19 in series. who is he think he is ? Placido Polanco? Webb must establish a high/low with him next game.

- Varajeo 23 pts and 22 rebounds , Gooden 10 pts and 6 rebounds . Pick ur poison. Id rather have Gooden on the bench. his head is gonna be diluted for Game 3. becuase Coach Mike has shown he cant count on him.

- Z cant go from 22 points to 3!!!!???? Mike will be replaced when they lose this series. Watch! I see Carlisle or Hubie...LB? hmmmm

- Delfino was big. In conrol. Missed a dipsy do layup. but if he gains 10 lbs next year, we can cut 12 minutes off tay and Rip's game.

_ Chaunce better wake the hell up. He needs to facilitate the O by conceeding to Webber early at the Ft line.

- Cavs outscored us 34-18 in the 2nd. Other than that, it WAS all us.

- Bronstone aint ready. And any franchise who sets their fortune on a 2 yr old should be damned! Dont worry, James will not finish his carreer in Cleveland. Would u?

- Damon Jones is still a sisssy punk!

- Miller lite is awesome!!
6 TO GOOO!

Hit 2 huge 3's.

Another ground out game that should not be this close based on Pistons DNA, another 79-76 win for the "lucky" pistons, another 3 days of media questioning if Labron waited to long to drive, did he get fouled, and maybe a small mention that Hughes missed a wide open 5 pointer with 5 seconds left. We dodged another bullet when Sideshow (Verajo) missed a tip in with 3.5 seconds left.

The Cavs and their fans must be livid... Mike Brown was at the end of the game, but was calm at the post game podium.

Thank you Sheed stepping up in the 4th. These games wouldn't be this close if we could get 10-15 points from Tay.....but alas, at least he is slowing down LBJ a little. The brahma came up huge, but that 1-6 free throw shooting could have come back to haunt us.:sssh: And lets not mention Billups 5 TO's and Webbers 9 point blank misses around the hoop..

Should we even play the games is Cleveland?? If we had 16 fouls called on us in this game, there will be 32 in games 3 & 4, especially with the controversy of the last non call. Garb one in Cleveland and I think they wake up and blow them out in game 5.

My biggest worry is now going to Cleveland, will it be enough of an edge for them to pull out both wins?

Tight games at home are one thing against the Spurs, but not Cleveland.

The fact of the matter is we relax at home and we will play harder on the road, and I can almost guransheed a win out of the 2 games in Cleveland. Predictable Pistons will come home and game 5 will be a toss-up. We all know this team is mega-talented when are they gonna realize it themselves and attain their rightful spot as the greatest team in the past 5 years. That's the only reason I get so down on this team at times because I can see our potential as a truly dominant team when we want to be. Like I stated in chat 2-0 is 2-0, whether down to the wire or by blowout. 10-2 in the playoffs looking for win 11. Lets get r done.

Pistons looked like a Volkswagon doing 80 MPH downhill, through a foot of snow. Gotta feel sorry for Lebron..........or NOT:pound:

Sheed is a great interview. I think the pistons will be more focused. maybe the pistons believed that homecourt game them an edge until they realized the fans can't hit shot for them.

I thought Delf did a decent job on lebron. He got picked 1 time for a lebron oop but he came away with some sweet o-rebs.

The fact of the matter is we relax at home and we will play harder on the road, and I can almost guransheed a win out of the 2 games in Cleveland. Predictable Pistons will come home and game 5 will be a toss-up. We all know this team is mega-talented when are they gonna realize it themselves and attain their rightful spot as the greatest team in the past 5 years. That's the only reason I get so down on this team at times because I can see our potential as a truly dominant team when we want to be. Like I stated in chat 2-0 is 2-0, whether down to the wire or by blowout. 10-2 in the playoffs looking for win 11. Lets get r done.

Great post.

I couldn't agree more.

A real nail-biter, even moreso than the first game.

Sheed's bucket at the end was a real classic. If we go on to win it all, this shot will get a lot of airtime. Sheed's indominatable will to win almost seems to be having supernatural effects on the outcome of the game.

Rip defended the last drive by Lebron to perfection. There was some contact, but it was not the kind or amount of contact that will usually result in a foul call in that situation.

Charles and Magic were very hard on Coach Brown for playing for the last shot in that final possession, when they were down by one with something like 30 seconds to go, instead of going for a very quick score. I think what may have happened is that Coach Brown, through inexperience, was still thinking too much about the play at the end of the first game, where Lebron drew a lot of criticism for passing to an open three rather than driving for a bucket and/or a foul. It was almost as if Brown (and Lebron) were fixated on redeeming themselves for that play in this game, and forgot that the end-of-the game situations were really very different between the two games. There was more time on the clock when Cleveland began its last possession in tonight's game, and the Cavs were only down by one, not two, at the start of that possesion. Charles and Magic were right: the Cavs should have gone for a very quick bucket tonight. If they did not make it, they could foul the Pistons immediately, and be assured of at least one more possession to go for the win.

James is 12-34 shooting in the series so far.............:pound: :pound: :pound:
Gotta Love the Defense................:) :) :) :)

A real nail-biter, even moreso than the first game.

Sheed's bucket at the end was a real classic. If we go on to win it all, this shot will get a lot of airtime. Sheed's indominatable will to win almost seems to be having supernatural effects on the outcome of the game.

Rip defended the last drive by Lebron to perfection. There was some contact, but it was not the kind or amount of contact that will usually result in a foul call in that situation.

Charles and Magic were very hard on Coach Brown for playing for the last shot in that final possession, when they were down by one with something like 30 seconds to go, instead of going for a very quick score. I think what may have happened is that Coach Brown, through inexperience, was still thinking too much about the play at the end of the first game, where Lebron drew a lot of criticism for passing to an open three rather than driving for a bucket and/or a foul. It was almost as if Brown (and Lebron) were fixated on redeeming themselves for that play in this game, and forgot that the end-of-the game situations were really very different between the two games. There was more time on the clock when Cleveland began its last possession in tonight's game, and the Cavs were only down by one, not two, at the start of that possesion. Charles and Magic were right: the Cavs should have gone for a very quick bucket tonight. If they did not make it, they could foul the Pistons immediately, and be assured of at least one more possession to go for the win.

I agree. Also its been a custom to not let a close game be decided by a call that could go either way. Any other player in that situation would not have gotten the whistle.

And then Brown gets a tech to seal his teams fate, plus they have no timeouts left due to bad in-game management.

I also agree with explositivity. Pistons could be a lot better than they are. No excuse to take the 2nd quarter off. I could barely watch that display.

Prince, Dyess, and others are bound to start hitting some shots. Cavs defense is not this good. Pistons and the Nets are making them look like one of the greatest defensive teams of all time here.

Up 2-0 and that better than being 1-1 or 0-2.

James is 12-34 shooting in the series so far.............:pound: :pound: :pound:
Gotta Love the Defense................:) :) :) :)


yeah but Tay is 1-19:mad: :brick: if he goes 8 for 19, these are 7 point vicitories instead of last minute nailbiters

What a game for those that love the drama. Sure it's not the high flying Western conference style but defense is a thing of beauty. I was biting my nails more than Lebron and I wasn't confident at all that the boys would pull this one out. If we could bottle Sheed's energy and will and resell it that would be the next million dollar product. His shot that put the Pistons ahead for good was so unbelievable, almost Jordanesque and nothing was going to stop that ball from going in. Meanwhile on the other end of the court the Cavaliers were just cursed at the end missing 3 shots that all could have gone in. Poor Lebron he says the right things at the press conference but inside it must be eating him up to see his teammates just not come through for him. Maxiell is making a case for more minutes as well as Delfino. Positive young energy is worth its weight in gold during the playoffs. Flipper needs to start limiting Lindsey Hunter's minutes unless he's needed as a defensive stopper. As soon as Lindsey comes in the offense comes to a screeching halt. Last comment on the game, it's obvious to me that Tay is just expending too much energy on Lebron to get his game untracked so he needs to get some rest as well as letting other players (Rip, Delfino and even the Brahma) take their turns guarding LBJ.

Just wanted to add I thought it was really a sweet moment seeing Chauncey at the after game press conference holding his little daughter. He seems so at ease in his role as team leader, all around great player and doting Daddy in one nice package. I was waiting for a reporter to lob a question his way about his daughter but none were forthcoming.

Quick notes:

Jame's reputation is getting tarnished
Varejao can thank the pistons for making him better than he is
Cavs guards can't run an offense
Cavs will never win with Brown and some in this forum have the nerve to knock Flip's coaching abilities...what a cosmic joke
Another lousy game from CB
Tay needs to gain his confidence back and quick
Cavs still will not have an answer for Flip Murray
Sheed and Maxiell to the rescue
CWEBB came out with some great energy...thank you
To win it all, you need the right bounces and some luck...pistons are on a streak of plus two

Who was the +/- leader? Tayshaun Prince.

He's spending the energy where the team needs it most. He's missing layups, floaters, jumpers, you name it... and he is still the most important player out there for us. Even though it is tough to shoot when you are tired, there is a bit of a slump mixed in. He'll pull out of it.

But the job he is doing on D is a thing of beauty. 5 points and 4 turnovers in the 2nd half for LBJ!

These first two grind-it-out defensive games remind me of several of the games in the 2004 ECF series between Indiana and Detroit, won, of course, by the Pistons on their way to a championship. The roles are reversed in this series, however. Indiana hosted the first two games of the 2004 series, and was the favorite (albeit a slight favorite) to win the series. Detroit has home court in this year's ECF, and seems to be a clear favorite to beat Cleveland. The outcome of the first two games was also different: Detroit earned a split of the two games in Indiana three years ago, while the Cavs lost both of their games here.

For comparison purposes -- and to dredge up a little nostalgia -- here are the results of the six games in that series of three years ago:

Game 1 on Saturday, May 22: Detroit loses at Indiana, 78-74
Game 2 on Monday, May 24: Detroit wins at Indiana, 72-67
Game 3 on Wednesday, May 26: Indiana loses at Detroit, 85-78
Game 4 on Friday, May 28: Indiana wins at Detroit, 83-68
Game 5 on Sunday, May 30: Detroit wins at Indiana, 83-65
Game 6 on Tuesday, Jun 1: Indiana loses at Detroit, 69-65

please quote me on this. Rip and CB will combine over 45 points. We will win by double digits. Go Pistons

You got it.

I can't say I'm too unhappy with Tayshaun's play. He isn't scoring, but he is busting C'mon! James' ass on D. It's a thing of beauty. He looked like he was going to cry at the end of this game.

Sheed's best quote (imho): "they did everything else to give me technical fouls; they need to make that flopping a technical foul"

Classic. I couldn't agree more. No need to flop around like a fish when you're matched up against a guy your own size.

I couldn't watch the game, so it's difficult to judge energy and what not just from the radio guys, but big props to JMax for bringing it in the first quarter. I thought that he was the key, and that CWebb playing solid (other than the shooting) when the other two bigs were out was helpful as well.

Don't know what happened in the second quarter, but as has been the case for the past three games, when the Pistons are down at half, they just seem to come out in the 3rd quarter with much better focus. The offense came to life, CWebb got on the boards, and Pistons basically chopped the Cavs big lead down to 3. Plenty manageable as far as Sheed was concerned.

I'm waiting for video of the last play to load on nba.com before passing any judgment, but thank goodness Hughes felt the pressure, and Varejao as well. Love seeing Sheed in post-up position on the go ahead shot.

Don't know what happened in the second quarter, but as has been the case for the past three games,

Two things, Anderson Vereajo and Lindsey Hunter entered the game. Their energy went up with Vereajo and ours flatlined with Hunter running the point. This turned into a 7-0 run for the Cavs and we couldn't recover despites CB return.

I had a great time at the Palace watching a very exciting game. We started out with 2 hrs down on the floor watching the Pistons shoot. Tay seems to be in quite a slump, even while practicing. After the game, my buddy got his picture taken with Magic. We met Alan Anderson while eating during halftime. The only player at the game tonight I shook hands with was Damon Jones. Still a big fan of his.

The game featured a lot of inside play from the Pistons, while Bron tried option number 2, being the whole offense for Cleveland-with the result being his team basically stood around and watched. Back to the drawing board.

Webber did a whole lot of that inside play. We did not always score, but we had Cleveland totally pinned under the glass and never in position for fast breaking. I see Cleveland remains quite patriotic, stuck on 76 points again. And the Pistons likewise scored the same as last game. It has been noted that Cleveland, as a franchise, has never come back in a series after losing the first two games. But just like us winning the first 3 against Chicago, history just gives us history. The Pistons still got to win 2 more. I bet they come out focused in these next two and get the job done.

Bron kept trying to read our defense, and kept reading it all wrong. Or were we just always a step ahead. Just when he would decide what to do, we would counter-like we were reading their minds. Some good coaching, and some smart playing, is happening.

The 2nd quarter was a bit of a disaster. It started out with Hunter playing point, which he has no clue how to do. Then even worse, they brought out Flip Murray. With Hunter, we could not score. With Murray, if anyone bothered to notice, our defensive rotations broke down every single time down.

Now Jason Maxiell came on like gang busters in that 2nd quarter, and righted the ship, but then inexplicably, we went in another direction. No Maxiell, soon a Cleveland lead.

Dyess was giving it his all tonight, but he had not much to give. Why we played him so much, and never went to Dale Davis at all is very questionable. But we won none the less.

Nice to see Carlos hit a couple of shots. But did anyone notice the start of the 4th quarter? Delfino at guard. Billups, Delfino, Tay, JMAX, and Sheed. Pretty much exactly like it should be (except I would be resting Tay and playing Amir here.) Our team kept organized. Five good solid NBA ball players who really know how to play the game. The starters took over after the first four minutes and finished the job. Except Dyess was in for Webber. I think Webber had given everything he could muster by the 3rd quarter. Good game for him in all.

Rip was pretty good as usual. Sheed was the hero for his inside play, clutch 3 late, and that tough closer in shot. (Tough for most, routine for Sheed.) I did not like that risky pass in the last minute with us down a point, but other than that I thought he played just about flawless.

Billups was not playing within himself. We still have not solved them trapping Billups, but I think a lot of it is on Billups. He just has to calm down and make better decisions, including not to make a pass very likely to get picked off. By now he should realized that Cleveland is playing the passing lanes-duh, you think?

Ok, time to get some more sleep. I managed a couple hrs before going to the game. 2-0 Lead. I got to scream my bloody fool head off all game long. Could not have had a better night. GO PISTONS!!!!!

Good recap, Lee. We'll see you when you wake up.

No need to go over ground covered by so many others. Not a good game for us, except as a win. The second was a bad quarter, but I thought Flip was smart to keep bringing Maxiell in to match Varejao. Hate to sound like a fanboy, but Amir could be a decent activation choice for the next game. It's so hard for Webber and Dice to keep up with the Brazilian, and our age is showing on the loose balls.

Delfino not only hit a couple of big shots (that second 3 was badly needed to counter the Cleveland longball barrage), but he did something Chauncey couldn't or wouldn't do -- snag the rebound and push the ball upcourt before Cleveland could set its defense. He looked loose and confident, even at crunchtime.

This game is Exhibit A why the "trade Sheed" types don't get it. He's not consistent and he won't always hustle, but his talent/skill level stands out in a game like this. He can beat even a fierce, well-coached defense, which Cleveland certainly has.

Delfino not only hit a couple of big shots (that second 3 was badly needed to counter the Cleveland longball barrage), but he did something Chauncey couldn't or wouldn't do -- snag the rebound and push the ball upcourt before Cleveland could set its defense. He looked loose and confident, even at crunchtime.


I wish Flip would realize this and let Delfino play the point in the 2nd quarter. His playmaking skills will improve the offense ALOT. Hunter/Murray just don't cut it. Prince can even run the offense better.

Delfino (like most of the ARG players) seems like the type you have to just let play, live w/ his mistakes, and know that eventually his positives will outweigh the negatives.

I wish Flip would realize this and let Delfino play the point in the 2nd quarter. His playmaking skills will improve the offense ALOT. Hunter/Murray just don't cut it. Prince can even run the offense better.

Delfino (like most of the ARG players) seems like the type you have to just let play, live w/ his mistakes, and know that eventually his positives will outweigh the negatives.

Since I haven't seen the Cavs play too much this year, I'm not certain who their second string PG is after Hughes. Is it Daniel Gibson? If so, the I guess the only potential problem I could see with Delfino at the point is if he is expected to chase around a smaller guy on defense (unless the thought it to have Hunter in the game, but not to handle to PG responsibilities on offense, in which case the defensive side of the equation isn't a concern).

But something has got to change in these second quarters. We've seen the Spurs basically win games 1 and 2 of the WCF with huge second quarters on the offensive side of the ball, so in the event the Pistons advance, I don't think they will have the luxury of having these bad second quarters in the NBA Finals.

Sheed was coasting the first 3 qtrs but was a complete stud in the 4th. He really has the cojones to elevate his game in the crunch. CB, Dice and Webber need to step it up. No reason why the Pistons can't put this team away. Score anything north of 85 pts and the Cavs are done. Credit the Cavs "D" for slowing down the tempo. The slowing down CB has worked so far. Pistons have to keep things more upbeat and not play the slow it down to a grind style. Tay has been doing an excellent job on LJ, but would like to see him pick it up a notch on the offensive end. Can they stop the TO's? Maxiell was a beast, way to step it up when it counts. He is really good at reading the P&R.

O.k., I'm a heretic, but 79-76 isn't exactly the beautiful game. In '89 the Bad Boys averaged 95 against the Bulls and 109 against the Lakers in the finals. Oh well, look for the competition committee to be very active again.

It does make for some intensity though. While the Cavs may have the most unimaginative offense in the league, Brown can figure out some defensive schemes.

- CB has yet to figure out why he isn't getting shots nor why he throws the ball to the Cavs nearly as often as to a teammate.
- Rip was the hero of game one but the Cavs took him out of game two, and without losing track of anyone else. That's impressive.
- Tay, yes is expending a lot of energy on LBJ, but is also getting doubled and tripled for maybe the first time in his career. Think how many of his points come off clearouts that only get doubled after about his seventh dribble. The Cavs are coming fast and hard and he's not sure what to do. This could be his crucible.
- Still no answer for Sheed. Second best PF in the game today?
- Good effort from CWebb, but still missing shots he usually makes.
- Dice - still don't understand why they don't put him in the post once or twice when he comes in and try to get a layup to go down.

A great game from JMax and the only reason the Pistons were close enough to be able to hold strong down the stretch and get the win. They could have easily been down by ten. I should probably post this in the other thread, but a -8 +/- for Max??? "Meaning of the plus/minus"? Meaningless.

Finally, Lee is right - not about Blalock, but even with CB floundering, when he goes out things do downhill fast. Flip has been getting him out with about a minute to go in the first and third to take advantage of the long quarter break, but it's still when the wheels come off. No solution for that now except to grit it out. As for the Cavs guards, maybe they are as bad as Lee says running the offense, probably so - but they sure don't have much of an offense to run either.

This game is Exhibit A why the "trade Sheed" types don't get it. He's not consistent and he won't always hustle, but his talent/skill level stands out in a game like this. He can beat even a fierce, well-coached defense, which Cleveland certainly has.
Success x Expectations = A constant state of disappointment. At least that's my theory.

Sheed was coasting the first 3 qtrs but was a complete stud in the 4th.
Sheed was in foul trouble early, but I honestly can't think of any time this playoffs he has coasted.

Yeah, these games aren't pretty. Yeah, the Pistons get overwhelmed at times. Yeah, they make mistakes. Yes, it is going to be a struggle.

The absolute beauty for me, has been our 3rd and 4th quarter play. Our ability to wipe out leads, and then slowly choke the life out of the Cavs. In neither of the last two games did I feel at any point that we would lose. We're simply too deep, too confident, too stubborn and too committed.

Yeah, we'll drop games. We're probably not good enough to beat the Spurs in a best of 7.

But the Cavs?

C'MON MAN.

They're playing on heart and that's not enough to win an ECF. You need skill, experience and a mission as well.

Success x Expectations = A constant state of disappointment. At least that's my theory.


Sheed was in foul trouble early, but I honestly can't think of any time this playoffs he has coasted.

We're simply too deep, too confident, too stubborn and too committed.

Yeah, we'll drop games. We're probably not good enough to beat the Spurs in a best of 7.



Maybe coasting is too harsh a criticism, inconsistency maybe a better description. Sheed in the overall analysis has been brilliant in these playoffs. He just frustrates me with his play as we all know what is capable of when he puts his mind to it. Why should a player with A+ ability play at a B/C level? Most guys would kill to have his talent.

Cavs on whole don't scare me, but I can't for the life of me figure why the Pistons are struggling so much against an inferior team. Granted the Cavs have stepped up their defense but Pistons are better than these nailbiters seem to indicate.

SA scares me, especially with the offensive struggles.

From MLive: What a great attitude on JMax's part:

"Pistons coach Flip Saunders said if Maxiell would have shot better from the line, he might have been on the floor late in the game.
"I don't blame coach (Saunders)," Maxiell said. " I wouldn't have put me out there late in the game the way I was shooting from the line, either. But hey, we got the win and that's all you really want in the playoffs."

Against Cleveland, we can still win with poor shooting. Our defense will pull us through. What makes it close is Chauncey having more turnovers than assists. Shooting must improve if we are to have any chance against the Spurs. Also, inconsistent play will have to change to more focus.

Two thoughts:

Maybe the Cavs are a little better than we give them credit for. They have done a nice job on the glass, contained Chauncey and Rip, and made many of the effort plays. We'll still beat them in five, but give them a little credit.

Maybe the Spurs aren't as unbeatable as they appear. Both the Suns and the Jazz are smaller teams that rely on an uptempo game to win... witch the Spurs are excellent at shutting down. The Pistons match up much better with the Spurs than any of their Western Conference foes. I think that, provided the Pistons make the Finals, they have a very good chance of beating Timmyobli.

Cavs on whole don't scare me, but I can't for the life of me figure why the Pistons are struggling so much against an inferior team.

Pistons only ratchet it up when they feel they are being threatened. It takes a 12-point deficit for them to feel threatened.

I think that, provided the Pistons make the Finals, they have a very good chance of beating Timmyobli.

You mean beating them four games? Possibly. The Pistons tend to "play down" to inferior competition and "get up" for better teams (except the Jazz in the regular season).

Pistons only ratchet it up when they feel they are being threatened. It takes a 12-point deficit for them to feel threatened.
Because they don't respect the Cavs and rightfully so. This is our series to lose, and the Cavs are going to need to take it from us.

The Pistons have shown that even when playing poorly, they're still the class of the East.

I dunno. Folks get upset with how they play, but haven't we been watching this for 3 years? And haven't we witnessed clucth performance after clutch performance?

With Miami last year, the Pistons were being beaten badly by Wade. LeBron's supporting cast and play is nowhere near that level.

LeBron doesn't have Wade's quickness and slashing ability. That gives the Pistons fits. LBJ is built more like a TE.

I dunno. Folks get upset with how they play, but haven't we been watching this for 3 years? And haven't we witnessed clucth performance after clutch performance?

Sure, we have been watching it for three years. But why let it come down to the final possession so often? This team allows it to happen time and time again and yeah, they win in the clutch a lot. I just don't think they can do this in the Finals and get away with it. To me, beating Cleveland is a foregone conclusion. I'm already thinking about the Finals for Detroit. I'm not down with the moral victory of simply "getting there" and neither is Sheed, based on what he says. This team talks about "getting rings" all the time (notice how none of the Spurs' players do that; they just go about their business) and how bad they want "the ring" for McDyess and Weber, but then they take a whole half off in Game 2 of the ECF. Boggles my mind. I get all worked up in lather about this crap every season (and I'm grateful to root for a team that allows me to do this because they go deep so often in the postseason), but I just think this team is better than what it shows. I dunno. Maybe I'm completely wrong. I guess the proof is in the results. Two three-point wins. Maybe Cleveland is better than I think. Either way, I'm probably taking it too seriously.

We're in their heads more than they are in ours.

I loved seeing Lebron lose it with the refs and have a heated exchange (no tech for King Sweetheart) and then in the postgame presser try to play it down.

And Mike Brown jumping and flopping all over the sideline was great too. What a dolt taking a tech in a one possession game.

We're so in their heads now. Gotta steal Game 3 and make them truly miserable... :)

Sure, we have been watching it for three years. But why let it come down to the final possession so often? This team allows it to happen time and time again and yeah, they win in the clutch a lot. I just don't think they can do this in the Finals and get away with it. To me, beating Cleveland is a foregone conclusion. I'm already thinking about the Finals for Detroit. I'm not down with the moral victory of simply "getting there" and neither is Sheed, based on what he says. This team talks about "getting rings" and how bad they want "the ring" for McDyess and Weber, but then they take a whole half off in Game 2 of the ECF. Boggles my mind.



Good post here...........but............
I wouldn't let these guys cook my bar-be-que, cause some of the meat would come off the grill unfinished........got to finish these guys in 4....

Sure, we have been watching it for three years. But why let it come down to the final possession so often?
I can't explain it, I just like that we come up on the right end more often than not.

I'm not down with the moral victory of simply "getting there" and neither is Sheed, based on what he says. This team talks about "getting rings" and how bad they want "the ring" for McDyess and Weber, but then they take a whole half off in Game 2 of the ECF. Boggles my mind.
We actually won the first Q. In fact, I think when it was all said and done, we won 3 quarters of the game.

You see, for me there are moral victories. Without soft play early, Max would have never been able to steal LBJ's spotlight for a few minutes. Without it being a close game, we would never have witnessed Sheed's clutch performance.

We're 6 wins away from a title. It's all gravy for me.

I can't explain it, I just like that we come up on the right end more often than not.


We actually won the first Q. In fact, I think when it was all said and done, we won 3 quarters of the game.

You see, for me there are moral victories. Without soft play early, Max would have never been able to steal LBJ's spotlight for a few minutes. Without it being a close game, we would never have witnessed Sheed's clutch performance.

We're 6 wins away from a title. It's all gravy for me.

16 points 1st Q
13 points 3rd Q
13 points 4th Q

for the Cavs, beyond pathetic.

McCosky says here that Dice got his nose broken last night. Anybody heard about this?

"Rasheed Wallace had two fouls in the first 3 1/2 minutes and Antonio McDyess left the game with a broken nose."

Billups credits defense (http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070525/SPORTS0102/705250421/1127)

It's all gravy for me.

I like gravy.

I like gravy.
Yeah, me too. I like it a little too much and sometimes I get some on my shirt. :(

McCosky says here that Dice got his nose broken last night. Anybody heard about this?

"Rasheed Wallace had two fouls in the first 3 1/2 minutes and Antonio McDyess left the game with a broken nose."

Billups credits defense (http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070525/SPORTS0102/705250421/1127)

I wonder if he will still play. Maybe Arnie is making him a mask right now.

play maxiell and davis. there.

I am so happy for our depth in the bigs. Fantastic.

I noticed that in Sheed's press conference, he didn't forget to mention Nazr when he talked about the depth at his position. He said something like 'I don't mind going out of the game when I get in foul trouble because we have guys like Dale, Dyess, Maxiell, and Nazr who can come in and bring what I bring.'

That was a classy thing to say, cause Nazr is definitly not being used and doesn't bring what Sheed brings anyway.

I noticed that in Sheed's press conference, he didn't forget to mention Nazr when he talked about the depth at his position. He said something like 'I don't mind going out of the game when I get in foul trouble because we have guys like Dale, Dyess, Maxiell, and Nazr who can come in and bring what I bring.'

That was a classy thing to say, cause Nazr is definitly not being used and doesn't bring what Sheed brings anyway.

Sheed's a team guy. Always been a hothead, but I think his legacy will be kind to him.

Cleveland is not that good but better than people give them credit for. One thing, their coach knows our offense and what to do to jam it up. Agree with DBA that Billips (or Saunders) hasn't figured out how to counter them. We still haven't countered their assault on our offense. We just are not scoring at key points or worse, making turnovers

The wins are big, a bit lucky, very gutsy, very skillful (like that Sheed shot) but lucky too. A championship run always has that luck factor going one way or another. 2-0 is not over and done but we are near to tasting our initial goal.

Yes, we are a better team yet they have outplayed us for huge patches of games. They compete with us quite well. A puzzle.

Right DBA, they slowed down Rip without losing much. Amazing.

Our defense is still our calling card but we really need to have a more functioning offense.

Maxiel is that type of speed/change of pace type player that Larry was calling for way back when. I wish he were more experienced but I will take what he brings right now: plus or minus.

We are living on the edge here with these close victories. We have to give the Cavs more credit than we have and the Pistons need to respect them a little more so that they are not in this position. Like Magic Johnson said, we are winning these because we have more weapons than the Cavs, but our intensity has to be for 40-48 minutes and not for 12-20. Eventually they will win one of these games so we have to cut the turnovers and exploit their so called weekeness....but do we know what they are??

Although we won the second half 41-26, we had 8 turnoevers in the 4th qtr and and only one Fg in the last 5 minutes of the game....We got to stop slacking off, protect the ball and get both CB and Tay more involved in the offense. Scoring in the 70's does not bode well for the Pistons and it will be a nailbiter. Lets get this in the high 80's with another combined 15 pts from CB and Tay.

I'm not so upset by game 2. We seem to have taken care of the game 1 rebounding woes. Took care of Big Z and Gooden while continuing to keep Hughes down. Sure, we were hurt more often by the 3pt shot and LBJ had a little more fun early on. The mix changed a bit but all in all our defense was just as effective.

I'm pleased that we found Webber better shots. FlipS recognizes no value in playing Hunter and is exploring other options like Tay and Los at PG.

In a series one should witness continuous improvement. Of course that dosen't mean the Cavs won't pull a Chigaco in game three hitting everything launched.

Our defense is still our calling card but we really need to have a more functioning offense.

Isn't that Flip's calling card? Wasn't he brought in to shore up the offense? 79 points both games. I guess he doesn't have the guys to run his offense.

Gazoo,

Offense was Flip's calling card. Don't know who to blame: the players (including Billips), the coach or Cleveland defense. Our main offensive problem in this series is not that we don't have a back up although that is a glaring deficiency. For two games, even the first team has been turnover city.

LA Dre, it is too close for comfort.

Lemonpen, the defense has been very good but can we continue to expect that level of defense? I think we have to score some to lock away this series. Otherwise, it is a struggle.

I felt that they would go after Rip in game two. So, what were our adjustments?

What we showed in the third quarter was comforting. We showed that we could locked them down and score some. But just when we get in a good position the offense stalls.

Two wins to none is still huge any which way. We need to get the team operating on all cylinders to finish this series the way we want it.

I felt that they would go after Rip in game two. So, what were our adjustments?

Two wins to none is still huge any which way. We need to get the team operating on all cylinders to finish this series the way we want it.

I thought one of the adjustments was to get CWebb more involved in the offense early (which may have also been in part to get Big Z to expend some energy on that end of the floor so he couldn't do as much damage on the offensive side), but CWebb couldn't finish his shots in the paint --- if he had, the Pistons would've had a 6 to 10 point lead at the end of the first quarter.

Agreed about the other point of yours (quoted). Pistons held serve, which is good, but nothing to be too proud of at this point.

http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a372/ddot313/wall2wall.jpg

thank you for the poster material maxiell.:sssh::)

Hey folks, just wanted to mention that there is some extra stuff at the end of the Sheed interview you can hear on the audio file here

http://www.pistonsforum.com/90804-post35.html

I won't ruin it, but he cracks a joke that isn't in the transcripts and then the NBATV guys, Frank Isola and Rick Kamla beef on him playfully for his comments on the refs. Sheed got a ton of love on NBATV last night.

Hey folks, just wanted to mention that there is some extra stuff at the end of the Sheed interview you can hear on the audio file here

http://www.pistonsforum.com/90804-post35.html

I won't ruin it, but he cracks a joke that isn't in the transcripts and then the NBATV guys, Frank Isola and Rick Kamla beef on him playfully for his comments on the refs. Sheed got a ton of love on NBATV last night.Sheed's a cool dude...comically honest no matter the circumstance...nice balance of swagger & humility. The kids can learn a lot from a guy like him...I hope he retires a Piston. :sssh:

hey guys. sorry no hog blog yet, and probably by the time i post it no one will care anyway...but i PROMISE i have some fun stuff to share. but! i've been busy, and i'm off to the airport in a few minutes, so i'll try to give my report when i get to (hopefully) sunny FL sometime during the day.

woops. sorry, just got on a computer now...seems kind of late to post a report...but this game was awesome. it was really loud at the end, the crowd was pretty into it for much of the game, and yeah. other random notes - alan anderson was at the game, the little girl next to me made the loudest thunderstick noises ever, and after the game i was walking in the parking lot and saw a couple making out in a truck, and as he went to kiss her neck she looked at me and we started laughing.

that is all!

woops. sorry, just got on a computer now...seems kind of late to post a report...but this game was awesome.

Yeah, I'm in the same boat as you. This was the first game I've ever been to and I was planning on doing a write-up on it when I got home, but I got back pretty late and was too tired to do one and I've been pretty busy ever since.

Needless to say, my dad and I both had an awesome time. Our seats weren't the greatest, but that didn't matter.

I bought my 2 year old daughter a Rip Hamilton jersey and a Pistons hat from the gift shop and had a lot of fun this week dressing her up and posing her next to her basketball net for pictures! :MusicBigGrin:

sweet jammer! lemme know if you're going again and wanna meet up.