ECF Finals game 5 8PM Thursday May 31st.

tv: TNT

Series swings back to the Palace. Can Gibson continue this on the road? Can the Pistons play better at home? Billups said after game 2 that he did not mind going to Cleveland because they play better on the road. Problem was the Cavs played better also.

Are we going to see a repeat of last year when Clev won game 5 in front of a stunned Palace crowd? No disrespect to the Hughes family but there are no emotional lifts this year. Just a team improving with each win, will it be enough? Can the Pistons stave off this latest threat to their path to the Finals?

We will see. Not going to call it a must win but its going to be a lot harder comming back from 2-3 down this season. Ist real "gotta have" game for the Pistons without their former leader Ben Wallace.

Ultimately if you want to win championships and stuff then you gotta win some games. These kind of games.

First must-win game of the season for the Pistons IMO. We cannot go into Cleveland for a 2nd year in a row, down 2-3. We squeaked one out last year in that situation, but this isn't last year. The Cavs have another year of experience under their belts, and they aren't going to fold like last year.

Win this one convincingly. A message needs to be sent. We can't be outplayed 5 games in a row.

A 7-10 point halftime lead and another great 3rd quarter by the Pistons should squash any 4th qtr La Bron heroics. Let's get the Pistons marketing department to hand those rally t shirts out at the gate and get this party started.

Now that's more like it guys!

We need the Guaran-sheed.
We need to win this game. I still believe Pistons in 6
and definitely we need more of dice - max combination on the floor

i think i might be selling this game. if i do, then i might not get back to the palace this year ... but the way the series is going i'm guessing it goes 7. hrmm.

Thursday we get to see what the Pistons are made of. This will be before all of your off-season moves. Judge them after Thursday's game. I guarantee you'll like what you see.............

Thursday we get to see what the Pistons are made of. This will be before all of your off-season moves. Judge them after Thursday's game. I guarantee you'll like what you see.............

With what?

This game is one that will make or break Flip for the future in my opinion. Do you think Joe Dumars is happy about the latest developments of the Pistons playing 4 games in a row that weren't their best. The Pistons are due for a breakout game where they can get back their swagger. Today's Freep was even calling for CWebb to be nailed to the bench, how fast the worm turns. I'm all for that since Chauncey seems to have lost his confidence in Webber and you can only have one big dog on the court at the same time. Let Maxiell start and Dice come off the bench where he feels the most comfortable. Tay should not be playing over 36-38 minutes and let Fino get his minutes guarding Lebron. Whenever Daniel Gibson gets in the game I would substitute Lindsey Hunter and let Rip or Chauncey get a rest. One thing about Lindsey he's not going to let Daniel Gibson rain down those 3s on his head. Dale Davis needs a few minutes to come in and knock heads and the Pistons will be just fine winning Game 3 with a beat down.

This game is one that will make or break Flip for the future in my opinion. Do you think Joe Dumars is happy about the latest developments of the Pistons playing 4 games in a row that weren't their best. The Pistons are due for a breakout game where they can get back their swagger. Today's Freep was even calling for CWebb to be nailed to the bench, how fast the worm turns. I'm all for that since Chauncey seems to have lost his confidence in Webber and you can only have one big dog on the court at the same time. Let Maxiell start and Dice come off the bench where he feels the most comfortable. Tay should not be playing over 36-38 minutes and let Fino get his minutes guarding Lebron. Whenever Daniel Gibson gets in the game I would substitute Lindsey Hunter and let Rip or Chauncey get a rest. One thing about Lindsey he's not going to let Daniel Gibson rain down those 3s on his head. Dale Davis needs a few minutes to come in and knock heads and the Pistons will be just fine winning Game 3 with a beat down.

Game 5????

Good call, the game did swing when Rip came in for Lindsey in the mid 4th around 5 mins to go.

With what?

I'll leave this forum, never to return, if they lose !!!!!!!!!!

I'll leave this forum, never to return, if they lose !!!!!!!!!!

What would that do???


I almost posted in the second quarter that I would leave for a month or longer if the pistons won game 4, they were winning at the time.

It was just one of those you knew they were going to find a way to lose.

What would that do???


I almost posted in the second quarter that I would leave for a month or longer if the pistons won game 4, they were winning at the time.

It was just one of those you knew they were going to find a way to lose.


Let's put it this way.......I don't plan on going anywhere............:)

Let's put it this way. In no manner is PF.com responsible for or endorse 4th quarter meltdowns, poor coaching, bone head mistakes, stupid techs or any other ills with the team.

So stick around. ;)

When we match the intensity of the Cleveland Cavaliers, then you'll see all the bonehead plays melt away............well, most of them..........

This series has come down to this...If Lebron can deliver in the 4th, they win, if he can't they lose. Game 1&2, LBJ didn't deliver, he fell a hair short. Games 3&4, he flat out got it done and they won. We can't allow this to be a close game, that doesn't mean we need to blow them out to win, but we need to try and keep a 3 possesion lead (6-9 pts) from start to finish.

Dissapointng Game 4 because the Pistons didn't give it their all. You can't be dissapointed in 100% of effort even if you lose, but we know that was not the case yesterday. First must win game this season, we will see how the Pistons do. Whoever goes to the game cheer hard!

This series has come down to this...If Lebron can deliver in the 4th, they win, if he can't they lose. Game 1&2, LBJ didn't deliver, he fell a hair short. Games 3&4, he flat out got it done and they won. We can't allow this to be a close game, that doesn't mean we need to blow them out to win, but we need to try and keep a 3 possession lead (6-9 pts) from start to finish.

I only watched the games once, so I could be remembering it wrong, but...

The zone the Pistons have been successful at most of the year often ran with Prince at the top. He chased, held out his arms and generally blocked the other team's view of the hoop.

In the fourth quarter of at least the last two games the Pistons went to the zone a lot, but it had Rip at the top. He ended up in many possessions watching LBJ bounce the ball until he took a step or two and then shot over Rip.

Having Prince at the top of the zone was one of the things that made it really effective. Not sure why the zone seems to have changed now, but is has not changed for the better.

I only watched the games once, so I could be remembering it wrong, but...

The zone the Pistons have been successful at most of the year often ran with Prince at the top. He chased, held out his arms and generally blocked the other team's view of the hoop.

In the fourth quarter of at least the last two games the Pistons went to the zone a lot, but it had Rip at the top. He ended up in many possessions watching LBJ bounce the ball until he took a step or two and then shot over Rip.

Having Prince at the top of the zone was one of the things that made it really effective. Not sure why the zone seems to have changed now, but is has not changed for the better.

I think it is so LBJ will drive into Tay or Sheed if he gets past Rip and not vice versa.


And (I'm not a big fan of the zone) if you can't rebound out of it (see games 3 & 4) it isn't worth much anyways....

This series has come down to this...If Lebron can deliver in the 4th, they win, if he can't they lose. Game 1&2, LBJ didn't deliver, he fell a hair short. Games 3&4, he flat out got it done and they won. We can't allow this to be a close game, that doesn't mean we need to blow them out to win, but we need to try and keep a 3 possesion lead (6-9 pts) from start to finish.

Good points KG
Believe it or not we have not had a 3 posession lead since the series began with our largest lead being 5 points in game 1. In the series Labron has scored a total 5 points in the 3rd quarters and 32 in the 4th quarters. (including 25 in games 3 & 4). The problem is we have not taken advantage of his third quarters woes. Yes we have got back into games, but have never been able to extend a lead out beyond 2 possessions in that 3rd or 4th. Therefore we continue play into LaBron time with a close nailbiter instead of a 10 pt lead that I think we can maintain and hold onto the victory with.

This goes back to our own 2nd qtr woes. If we can go in the third qtr with a 3-4 possession lead instead of fighting to catch up, we can as I indicate have the Cavs play the desperation game in the 4th & we can win going away. (are you reading this Flip and Chauncey?)

Good points KG
Believe it or not we have not had a 3 posession lead since the series began with our largest lead being 5 points in game 1. In the series Labron has scored a total 5 points in the 3rd quarters and 32 in the 4th quarters. (including 25 in games 3 & 4). The problem is we have not taken advantage of his third quarters woes. Yes we have got back into games, but have never been able to extend a lead out beyond 2 possessions in that 3rd or 4th. Therefore we continue play into LaBron time with a close nailbiter instead of a 10 pt lead that I think we can maintain and hold onto the victory with.

This goes back to our own 2nd qtr woes. If we can go in the third qtr with a 3-4 possession lead instead fighting to catch up, we can as I indicate have the Cavs play the desperation game in the 4th & we can win going away. (are you reading this Flip and Chauncey?)

Cavs are better in the 2nd and 4th and we are better in the 1st and 3rd...

1. Guess Flips good at pregame/halftime adjustments but bad at the ingame variety...
2. I wish it was the opposite.

well, decided not to sell my tix and i will be attending! yay.

well, decided not to sell my tix and i will be attending! yay.


Is it possible you can get there early and slip a transcript of PF game 3 and game 4 threads to the assistant coaches to go over at halftime with the players????:)

unfortunately no, i have softball until 6 PM and will get to the palace closer to 7, joining my friend's tailgate already in progress. maybe one of them can do it for us! ;D

Cavs are better in the 2nd and 4th and we are better in the 1st and 3rd...

1. Guess Flips good at pregame/halftime adjustments but bad at the ingame variety...
2. I wish it was the opposite.
Actually the 3rd qtr is the only qtr we're winning. They've had close leads after 1, better leads at the half and we catch up in the 3rd, only to lose in the 4th. The question is....what should the 1st half rotations look like in order to get that halftime lead??
Should we sub Delfino and lindsey in earlier?? so that the starters can do a better job of closing out the half.

Actually the 3rd qtr is the only qtr we're winning. They've had close leads after 1, better leads at the half and we catch up in the 3rd, only to lose in the 4th. The question is....what should the 1st half rotations look like in order to get that halftime lead??
Should we sub Delfino and lindsey in earlier?? so that the starters can do a better job of closing out the half.

If we are still even at the 8 min mark, maybe bring in Hunter, Delfino and Max before the Cavs bring in Sideshow and Gibson. That way we insert some energy early and then close out the half on high note. Its sounds good in print, but sometimes it's our starters who start looking for the locker room early and lose focus prior to halftime.

We definitely need a 3 possession lead at the half to assure a W IMO

SAN ANTONIO 42, UTAH 19........10 MIN LEFT IN 2ND QTR!!!!!


NUFF SAID!!!

Actually the 3rd qtr is the only qtr we're winning. They've had close leads after 1, better leads at the half and we catch up in the 3rd, only to lose in the 4th. The question is....what should the 1st half rotations look like in order to get that halftime lead??
Should we sub Delfino and lindsey in earlier?? so that the starters can do a better job of closing out the half.

My thoughts. Detroit is a slow starter. Takes the guys awhile to warm up. Starting the 3rd, we're warmed up and rested, so we come out strong, but because of Flip's refusal to make have any kind of player rotation, we fade.

Flip has to make adjustments, but more important, he has to play Prince less, not a lot less, but not 45 minutes a game. Or at least more intelligent rotations. Why does Flip hate to sub in the 1st? Why does JMax have a career night and then an almost DNP the next game? Why does Delfino not get a chance at the 2, when Flip is stinking it up?

Enough of this stay the course crap, just keep playing the same way, and we'll win. Sometimes you have to adjust.

SAN ANTONIO 42, UTAH 19........10 MIN LEFT IN 2ND QTR!!!!!


NUFF SAID!!!

Spurs are playing out of this world right now but no one knows how they are gonna play in the Finals. We can only speculate and make predictions based on present succcess. No one knows what is gonna happen in the Finals, if they did the better go to Vegas and cash in.

There you go talking about the Finals again. I'm talking about why 'arent WE playing out of this world'?? Because , Sheed aint got the heart and soul of Tim Duncan...Chauncey dont have the fire of a Tony Parker...Rip aint got the sadoism of Mano Ginobli...Tay dont have marine corp spirit of a Bruce Bowen..and webber just aint got it. This is the Spurs ..The Only team that has my total respect in the last 10 seasons. The Spurs aint playin or waitin on Utah 'to play well." This Piston team is not what they OR we think they are. If they are..PROVE ME WRONG. But if i have to, I will go down with the 'ship...but if the Cavs sink this ship, Im taking somebody WITH ME!!...blbubhbbblbpbbllubh..

Spurs are playing out of this world right now but no one knows how they are gonna play in the Finals. We can only speculate and make predictions based on present succcess. No one knows what is gonna happen in the Finals, if they did the better go to Vegas and cash in.

Pistons have mathed up very well against the Spurs for the past 2 seasons. That is a very winable series for the Pistons. Problem is its going to be the same situation as in 05. Spurs rest for a week while the Pistons play on. No homecourt either which is what 06 was supposed to be about. Kind of a vicious circle here but at least we have the frontcourt depth now that we did not have back then.

It is time for a reality check. The four games have not confirmed that the Pistons are better than the Cavs. I believe that they are better and I still think that the Pistons will step up but not based on the facts of the four games. Another side of me sees a younger Cavs team with a few penetrators outplaying my team that looks somewhat slow, somewhat confused.

Will the offense come back. I am dubious. The same team stopped us up last year. We have had three games to make adjustments without much happening. Do we play faster? They lock into us at the pace we are now playing.

We have been trailing in EVERY game so far. The Cavs are still basically a jump shooting team. They move the ball a bit off of Le Bron and that gives them some decent looks.

We can't build leads because we cannot sustain an offense even with stops or they get points by getting to the line to break our runs.

If we still have it, we have to unleash the defense full throttle. That seems to me the only adjustment. We have to hold them under 84 points.

Maybe this Piston team has been playing complacent. I hope that is all there is to it but that kind of explanation can't hold up much longer without performance on the court. Complacency does not explain our lack of a penetrator and lack of youth (except a not completely ready Maxiel).

I can't help but watch the Spurs win the way the Pistons should be winning. At this point, I will take any two Piston wins.

Flip has to pull a bunny out of his butt to change the complexion of this series and get the starters motivated. (and save his job)

I wanna see AJ at SF, Jmax at PF, DD in the middle, Tay & Delfino sharing guard duties.

Goon Squad + Chaos


We gotta change things up, cuz what we've done hasn't worked for 4 straight games. Pretty amazing the run Brown got outta Gibson in gm 4...would Flip dare try that with AJ? Nawww.....:flypig:

85
80
Pistons

I don't agree that this is a must win game. The only must win games for the pistons are when are backs to the wall. We don't have that yet. If we lose game 5, then game 6 and 7 are must win games. I still trust our Pistons

Dissapointng Game 4 because the Pistons didn't give it their all. You can't be dissapointed in 100% of effort even if you lose, but we know that was not the case yesterday. First must win game this season, we will see how the Pistons do. Whoever goes to the game cheer hard!

I am so lucky that i got a channel playing every single game of the playoffs. This includes the pistons. I wake up for every game at 3 am to watch the games. I only miss the chat on the forum. I will make sure next year i will submit enough posts.

I STILL BELIEVE IN PISTONS
GOOOO PISTONS

ALL related to match ups.

Spurs are playing out of this world right now but no one knows how they are gonna play in the Finals. We can only speculate and make predictions based on present succcess. No one knows what is gonna happen in the Finals, if they did the better go to Vegas and cash in.

Pistons have mathed up very well against the Spurs for the past 2 seasons. That is a very winable series for the Pistons. Problem is its going to be the same situation as in 05. Spurs rest for a week while the Pistons play on. No homecourt either which is what 06 was supposed to be about. Kind of a vicious circle here but at least we have the frontcourt depth now that we did not have back then.

Time to finish this in 6 becuase than the Pistons would still have 5 days of rest. If it stretches to a Game 7 win than I am afraid you are right. And hopefully the Pistons don't end up losing this series.

Last year in the ECF I waited for Chauncey to stop sucking, he never did though. Hopefully that doesn't happen or the Pistons could easily lose this series.

I don't agree that this is a must win game. The only must win games for the pistons are when are backs to the wall. We don't have that yet. If we lose game 5, then game 6 and 7 are must win games. I still trust our Pistons


It surely is a "must win" game. It's not an elimination game but we lose this and we are out. Last year I guaranteed everyone we would win the series after going down 2-3. This year, I am almost equally as sure we will lose it going down 3-2.

I trust the Pistons too. I do think we win tonight. But if not...

Should be the best game of the year. If we don't show up for this one and play our best tonight...

I don't agree that this is a must win game. The only must win games for the pistons are when are backs to the wall. We don't have that yet. If we lose game 5, then game 6 and 7 are must win games. I still trust our Pistons

I still think that Cavs series last year was a big key in the downfall of this team. One play can change a game and one game can change a series. Although the Pistons still won the series that Game 5 loss changed everything.

I know it is not a MUST win, but it is close to one.

The pivotal Game 5.

That`s what we all will be hearing today as game time nears. This may very well be "The Defining game" for this current team. It also could be the last time this team as we know it, plays at the Palace, whether we want to admit it or not.

Will Billups break out of his funk? Can Sheed keep up his spectacular play and hold his emotions in check? Will C-Webb do anything in a consistent manner to help his team? Will Rip shake Pavlovich or whoever to get free coming off those aptented curls/screens for some easy mid-range jumpers? Who off the bench can come in provide energy, defense and scoring to jumpstart the offense and or defense when needed?

Finally, and perhaps most important - will Prince step up and be the leader that this team needs? He doesn`t have to have a monster game to be that leader. He must get into someone`s face if the situation merits. Call for the ball in the post or, tell someone (SHEED) to get in the post, put the team on his back for a few minutes,
show some emotion, make that crucial stop!!


I know you can do it Tay, we are counting on you. Or, maybe you can start your leadership duties next year, with a totally different supporting cast and absolutely no chance at a championship.

Gooooooooooood Morning Piston Fans! It’s Game Day! :cheerleader:

The first game of the “Best of Three” to settle the Eastern Conference Finals. This is not the time to give up on your Pistons. Keep the faith and support these guys we have loved for a long time.

I'm feeling it...........
Pistons win by a score of 92-73

It surely is a "must win" game. It's not an elimination game but we lose this and we are out. Last year I guaranteed everyone we would win the series after going down 2-3. This year, I am almost equally as sure we will lose it going down 3-2.

I trust the Pistons too. I do think we win tonight. But if not...

Should be the best game of the year. If we don't show up for this one and play our best tonight...

Wow, you're actually "bringing me down" which ain't easy to do as my spirits reside somewhere in the sub-basement.

I agree we have about a 10% chance of winning game 6. Gotta get it done tonight.

Pistons need to be humble and go in with a quiet confidence and intent to kick %%%%%. Let LBJ get his, shut down the supporting cast. They also need to play uptempo and not play a grind it out style. Choke the life out them by half time.

DetNews Article:

Chauncey Billups walked into the Pistons' practice facility Wednesday and saw more than a few of his teammates wearing hang-dog expressions. He wasn't having any of that.
"I told the guys, I said, 'Let's rock-and-roll, man. It's 2-2. It's a three-game series, and two of the games are at our place,' " Billups said.
You wonder sometimes if he's whistling a happy tune or whistling in the graveyard.

I hope the attitude is much more loose and upbeat today.

DetNews Article:

Chauncey Billups walked into the Pistons' practice facility Wednesday and saw more than a few of his teammates wearing hang-dog expressions. He wasn't having any of that.
"I told the guys, I said, 'Let's rock-and-roll, man. It's 2-2. It's a three-game series, and two of the games are at our place,' " Billups said.
You wonder sometimes if he's whistling a happy tune or whistling in the graveyard.

I hope the attitude is much more loose and upbeat today.

Right now things are not as bad as they seem, but if they lose tonight they are/will be done.


and that's a big if.

Right now things are not as bad as they seem, but if they lose tonight they are/will be done.


and that's a big if.

IF we do win tonight, you should put a really huge thick black or florescent "X" through the number "11" at the top of the forum to emphasize and highlight what a humongous long awaited victory it was. :yo:

A nice solid going away win by the Pistons tonight instead of a close nailbiter will deflate the Cavs momentum and have them in desperation mode on Saturday where the experienced team will win out. No need to take this seven.

IMO our backs are against the wall now based on the Pistons sputtering play and the Cavs momentum...no need to punctuate it by going down 3-2.

We already know that the nation wants to see if King James Cavs and Eva Longoria's Spurs...we just got disrupt that TV show with some Tommy Hearns sightings:)

A nice solid going away win by the Pistons tonight instead of a close nailbiter will deflate the Cavs momentum and have them in desperation mode on Saturday where the experienced team will win out. No need to take this seven.

IMO our backs are against the wall now based on the Pistons sputtering play and the Cavs momentum...no need to punctuate it by going down 3-2.



Word. :rockon::nod:

leavin for softball soon, the headin to the palace to tailgate and cheerin on the pistons!! my buddy took some pictures / video with his brand new camera last time, but getting him to upload is harder than getting me to actually take a camera to the game, so we'll see how long it takes to get those online.

...No one knows what is gonna happen in the Finals, if they did the better go to Vegas and cash in.

2 to 1 the Spurs play excellent ball after having a week long vacation courtesy of Deeeetroit Halfassbaaaaall!

I am sick and tired of hearing Mike Brown and the Cav`s saying, they have been here before (losing first two then winning three in a row)during a series with this team (Pistons) and how much better they are than last year.

We have really gave this team much confidence. I have never heard a team so confident, having to win 4 out of 5 games to win a series, in my life.

Well, like Dre said, a win tonight, IMO, will crush that confidence. The more convincing of a win, the more devastating the blow to the growing ego and confidence!

I will be working legs out tonight (squats ect) and be thinking about the game the whole time.....

I can't wait. Ratings might be down on the NBA, but this sports fan will be watching.

DETROIT BASKETBALL

I have faith

2 to 1 the Spurs play excellent ball after having a week long vacation courtesy of Deeeetroit Halfassbaaaaall!

C'mon low was that avatar really necessary at this stage? Funny, in a non-funny kinda way.

C'mon low was that avatar really necessary at this stage? Funny, in a non-funny kinda way.

Just wait 'till they choke it away and I find the one the Xs on the eyes.

At least this avatar still has the chance of getting the object out of his throat.

Just wait 'till they choke it away and I find the one the Xs on the eyes.

At least this avatar still has the chance of getting the object out of his throat.

:laugh:

C'mon people, have some faith in your team. I'd prefer looking like an optimistic ass supporting them and being devasted if they blow it rather than predicting a choke job and finding myself surprisingly thrilled by their great comeback play. Show some strength of character and support our Pistons to win this one in 7!!!
GO PISTONS!!!:hoops:

Well, at least I have bowling league and don't have to worry about concentrating on the game and throwing stuff at my TV.:ballchain

C'mon people, have some faith in your team. I'd prefer looking like an optimistic ass supporting them and being devasted if they blow it rather than predicting a choke job and finding myself surprisingly thrilled by their great comeback play. Show some strength of character and support our Pistons to win this one in 7!!!
GO PISTONS!!!:hoops:


Your Avatar is telling..............."Four Champions" on the sign when we currently have 3, and Billups the one holding the sign. The vibes are calling for Billups to score 20 with 10 assists and only 3 turnovers...
Do I smell a big victory !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!:)

Your Avatar is telling..............."Four Champions" on the sign when we currently have 3, and Billups the one holding the sign.

They changed it from Three to Four Championship Drive after the Shock won the WNBA title.

Whoops, it's 5 Championship Drive, the Shock have two titles...CBill holding the Four sign was after the Pistons won in '04.

2 to 1 the Spurs play excellent ball after having a week long vacation courtesy of Deeeetroit Halfassbaaaaall!

The Spurs Game 5 win over the Jazz was a clinic in execution. They dominated from the get go and made the Jazz look like a JV team. Amazing performance.

They changed it from Three to Four Championship Drive after the Shock won the WNBA title.

But the Shock have won the title twice..........So it should currently be "Five Championship Drive", but her Avatar says "4".....................
I'm seeing the smell, and hearing the taste of victory at the Palace.

Right, Nemo. See my other post that I put up before your latest.

Right, Nemo. See my other post that I put up before your latest.


One minute apart. Wow............

The Spurs Game 5 win over the Jazz was a clinic in execution. They dominated from the get go and made the Jazz look like a JV team. Amazing performance.

I am a new poster to the board, but read it religiously as lurker. I agree Anakin. I was just talking with my wife about this on the way home. It kind of drives home the analogy of studying. If the two teams could be compared to students, the Spurs are the A+ students. They study hard, and prepare ahead of time. They don't screw around. The Pistons, who are like me are procrastinators, I wait till the last minute, cause I feel I can turn it on and hopefully ace the paper or exam. I know its not good for me and perhaps I will get burned one day for it, but I do it cause I don't see the sense in doing the assignment ahead of time cause its boring, takes discipline, and its more exciting to do it at the last minute, you get this rush of snatching victory from defeat. Regardless, I really do hope we get game 5 tonight, cause we need it in the worst way.

I am a new poster to the board, but read it religiously as lurker..
I kinda see the Low as the Patron Saint of Dis-believers.

I am a new poster to the board, but read it religiously as lurker. I agree Anakin. I was just talking with my wife about this on the way home. It kind of drives home the analogy of studying. If the two teams could be compared to students, the Spurs are the A+ students. They study hard, and prepare ahead of time. They don't screw around. The Pistons, who are like me are procrastinators, I wait till the last minute, cause I feel I can turn it on and hopefully ace the paper or exam. I know its not good for me and perhaps I will get burned one day for it, but I do it cause I don't see the sense in doing the assignment ahead of time cause its boring, takes discipline, and its more exciting to do it at the last minute, you get this rush of snatching victory from defeat. Regardless, I really do hope we get game 5 tonight, cause we need it in the worst way.


Please post often Vincy.

Good anology. Well, right now the Pistons are at the brink of flunking this class, or recieving an incomplete.

Tonight will tell us what grade they deserve.

Thanks Dlev. I will see if I can join you all in chat tonight, that is if I am not going crazy jumping back and forth between the computer and the TV.

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

Whoops, it's 5 Championship Drive, the Shock have two titles...CBill holding the Four sign was after the Pistons won in '04.

Here's hoping that it goes to 6 Championship drive by the end of June and 7 Championship drive at the end of August:)

Pistons.:first: :first: :first: 2007 = :first:??


Shock:winner_first_h4h: :winner_first_h4h: 2007= :winner_first_h4h:??

Looking forward to a great game from the Pistons. We need to show some more urgency on the defensive end to set up some easy baskets on the offence. Stick in Dice and Jmax for some energy and let the starters rest a little more. Playing them for the whole first quarter doesnt seem to be working. Lets give them our best shot and we shoud be able to win this game easily. Lets play some basketball.......

With McDyess ejected looks like some other bigs may be called upon before the night is over. Dale Davis perhaps?

Thoughts as we go into halftime. I am glad we have a one point lead going into the half. We need it psychologically. I don't like the feel/flow of this game. Even when we were up 7-8 points I never felt secure. I don't feel like the Pistons are establishing any type of separation with the Cavs. The best I can describe it is that we were treading water, instead of really punching it to the floor.

Maxiell is getting a lot of burn tonight because of McDyess. As expected Dale Davis is getting some burn as well. Nice to see the goon squad reunited for brief periods. Even though Webber has 11 points, I don't feel as if the points alone are contributing enough to our cause.

Daniel Gibson is for real. The kid plays smart and keeps attacking the rim and knocks down the free throws. He is really being baptized under fire. I hope we get more separation in the 2nd half. Stay Tuned....

With McDyess ejected looks like some other bigs may be called upon before the night is over. Dale Davis perhaps?

The Dice ejection was a biggie with flagrant 2. If the Pistons lose this one it will loom large, but if the Pistons win, the league may suspend Dice for game 6 just assure that this one goes seven.

The other significant thing in the first half is that the Pistons had an 8 point lead and Mike Brown rolled the dice and kept Labron on the bench for 4.5 minutes and we gave up the lead instead of extending it out to double digits.

Hi Dre. Good point, I didn't think of that. I hope the league doesn't suspend McDyess from a game 6 but you never know.....

Deflated after this loss. Don't know what to say. Pistons gave away a winnable game. Series over.:hanged2:

A LAYUP

A FREAKING LAY UP????

Credit to LeBron for hitting some insane shots. No credit to the Pistons for getting beat by a one-man team. Call me a bandwagon-a#$ cat if you will, but I'm not sure I even want to watch Game 6 now...and I'm definitely not going to watch my usual ESPN shows, since they'll all be proclaiming LeBron as the arrival of the Messiah. I'm at least 90% sure that the season is over now. They can restore my faith with a win in Game 6, but I'm not counting on it.

story of the Game...Labron ...who scored all of the 2-OT points and the last what seems like the last 50 for the game. :hail:

Joe needs to take a hard look at this team. Scoring droughts, no-low post scoring, PG who can't dish the ball and no SPEED!! They can't make defenses collapse around them.

The most embarrasing performance in Piston palyoff history.

We were never in charge.

We never imposed are will.


And we just stood back ...and took it.


Thats why Ive only been sadder one time...


the Bird steal off Isaih.....

Went too long with the "core' guys without significant re-tooling, atleast the bench.

Wow, Lebron James has arrived. That was an insane performance.

Lebron James scored every point for both OTs and half of the 4th quarter. So what do you do for the last possession of the game? You put the 6'3" Billups on the 6'8" James, play his straight up and then give him a LAYUP?!?!?!?!

Um... ok.

The layup was a brain cramp by Maxiell. It's why it's scary to play young guys in crunch time.

Max couldn't decide what play he should make, and half heartedly slapped Lebrons arm. If he had gone hard to contest the shot, he could have taken his chances with LBJ at the line.

Shouldn't have ever gotten to that point though.

Wow, Lebron James has arrived. That was an insane performance.

Lebron James scored every point for both OTs and half of the 4th quarter. So what do you do for the last possession of the game? You put the 6'3" Billups on the 6'8" James, play his straight up and then give him a LAYUP?!?!?!?!

Um... ok.

Only good thing that will come out of this is that hopefully CB and Flip will be gone.

Tay wasn't doing a damn thing on that last play either.

And let's not forget the two dunks they gave LeBron to let it get to OT in the first place.

Wow, Lebron James has arrived. That was an insane performance.

Lebron James scored every point for both OTs and half of the 4th quarter. So what do you do for the last possession of the game? You put the 6'3" Billups on the 6'8" James, play his straight up and then give him a LAYUP?!?!?!?!

Um... ok.I told yall that THERE WAS NO WAY Flip would win this game for us. its over.......and Im mad because we let this goof coach the alst 2 years 4 us..

Tay is charmin soft and gets caught flat footed too often. He is so passive in his offense it's irritating. Yes, he has come up big but he will never be an aggressive on court presence.

We were in the same boat last year. How about a little bit of faith, just a tiny bit?

:sssh::sssh::sssh:

LeBron wasn't scoring 30 points in a row for them last year.

NaH, why bother

and I'll be damned if I let anyone say we made out better with Webber over BEN!!!!!!Dumars had his worst year ever. Ben may have been a year older, But give up @ dunks and a layup to James!!!??? and Kenny is right!! I would have took one for the team and broke his JAW!!!!!! It didnt hurt Rob Horry and the Spurs did it?

F*** this team.

You guys have fun being positive, believing in this team, having faith, trusting their experience, giving flip the benefit of the doubt.

CLE got no less than 12 pts (maybe more) during the course of this game via the Pistons parting the lane like the Red Sea and choosing to become "witnesses" when this A-hole drives the lane.


I'm done with this team until it's broken up. Done.

Guys,

This was really tough to watch. I am exhausted, deflated, and going to bed mad.http://www.pistonsforum.com/images/icons/icon8.gif

I really don't feel good about game 6 this Saturday...Not giving up, but is Sheed the only one on the team who is PO'd?

I don't want to hear anymore canned responses from Chauncy about how they aren't worried or I am not scared and I been there and done that...

Right now I can't post a single solitary thought I'm having on this board.

Please create a venting forum.

PLEASE.

Barkley made the excellent point that the Pistons should not have been playing a zone defense on the Lebron layup that tied the game in regulation, and that they should have used double teams up high to get the ball out of Lebron's hands. Lebron was otherwordly, but I think that Flip deserves some of the blame for not finding a way to defend what essentially was a one on five game for the last eighteen minutes. If Cleveland does go on to win the series, you will not see him taking over a game this way against San Antonio.

I'm done with this team until it's broken up. Done.
You're still doing Summer Camp because if I am here (and I'm pretty emotional tonight) then you are here. You big lovable baby. :)

and I'll be damned if I let anyone say we made out better with Webber over BEN!!!!!!Dumars had his worst year ever. Ben may have been a year older, But give up @ dunks and a layup to James!!!??? and Kenny is right!! I would have took one for the team and broke his JAW!!!!!! It didnt hurt Rob Horry and the Spurs did it?

IN OT who cares if you get kicked out.

And if you win, who cares if you are missing a guy or two for game 6 on the road.

What Would Rick Mahorn do?

This game was like pulling teeth. The Pistons never seemed in any kind of control. They were not consistent. They turned the ball over at the crucial times, again, and their D just fell apart when it mattered most. Also, after playing all the minutes they probably won't have enough gas for the game 6. Maybe Flip should try younger guys, but he just won't. Why not bring in AJ for some burn. Tay came off the bench in the playoffs and won a starting role on the team. This is sad.

F*** this team.

You guys have fun being positive, believing in this team, having faith, trusting their experience, giving flip the benefit of the doubt.

CLE got no less than 12 pts (maybe more) during the course of this game via the Pistons parting the lane like the Red Sea and choosing to become "witnesses" when this A-hole drives the lane.


I'm done with this team until it's broken up. Done.

Low I have oficially crossed over to the dark side with you. Can't watch this crap anymore.

You're still doing Summer Camp because if I am here (and I'm pretty emotional tonight) then you are here. You big lovable baby. :)

I'll still do VSL, but only because I don't have to look at any of these assfaces during that time.

and wtf is tnt talking baseball with tony gwynn? im really startin 2 lose it now.........................................

Low I have oficially crossed over to the dark side with you. Can't watch this crap anymore.

Misery typically loves company, but not this time. These guys win one stinkin title and it's been nothing but BS, smirks, and excuses ever since. You know what....let Billups go to Denver. Let half of the rest of these idiots retire just admit we have no desire to seriuosly win. We just want a lockerroom of "good guys" that are loyal and toe the company line. Let's toss Acker, Blalock, Johnson, and Maxiell with a little Delfino in there and call it good until 2012 when we might be able to resurface with real players.

What Would Rick Mahorn do?

Probably eat Lebron.

King James Crab anyone?

The real shame is that Dice probably played his last game this season and won't get a chance to even contribute.

I would fire Flip now and make TP coach the remaining game(s)

Three 8 point leads and we never extended in to double digits.

At least three questionable calls in the end especially when Born bumped Cb and then he gets the fanthom call

At least three layups by Labron in OT and crunch time...none by the Pistons...and nobody tried stand there to take a charge..

29 out of the last 30 pts for labron..

and finally all we got out of that Labron draft was Darko and then a expiring Cato contract:frusty:

and wtf is tnt talking baseball with tony gwynn? im really startin 2 lose it now.........................................
Tony Gwynn's face is as big as Bonds :sssh:

I actually saw Tayshaun wince and get out of the way on a James drive. I officially hate this team like the rest of the country.

and wtf is tnt talking baseball with tony gwynn? im really startin 2 lose it now.........................................
Tony Gwynn's fathead is as big as Bonds:sssh:

Tony Gwynn's face is as big as Bonds :sssh:

Steroids are a myth. It was just pain cream. :pound:

Dice better not get suspended for that Flagrant 2. Not after Gooden got away with mugging Sheed in game 4, and Lebron got away with Kobe contact earlier.

Right now, I'm just really disappointed. If they suspend McDyess, I will be livid.

I'm pissed....now my gf is pissed at me for being pissed. I'm out until VSL

Catch you guys then.

I actually saw Tayshaun wince and get out of the way on a James drive. I officially hate this team like the rest of the country.
They all got out of the way Low. The guy is quick, but someone needs to learn how to step in a take a charge.

Time for dumars to offer 4 players to LA for Kobe as we need a superstar too.

They all got out of the way Low. The guy is quick, but someone needs to learn how to step in a take a charge.

Time for dumars to offer 4 players to LA for Kobe as we need a superstar too.

He is quick but not someone who should be able to beat off the dribble. Lebron is a big man and I just find it suprising that no one can stay in front of him. Wade is quick.

The only problem is that the refs treat Kobe like a red-headed step child. If he got away with what LeBron and Wade do, he would be absolutely unstoppable.

I'm pissed....now my gf is pissed at me for being pissed. I'm out until VSL

Catch you guys then.

Welcome to the club, man. My wife is also pissed at me for being pissed about Pistons.

:yellowprison:

The only problem is that the refs treat Kobe like a red-headed step child. If he got away with what LeBron and Wade do, he would be absolutely unstoppable.

Roscoe, you know that refs do not decide the outcome of the series. They'll give some "stars" calls, but if you shoot jump shots you won't get to shoot throws. Who on the Pistons team would get the ball and go to the hole? Right, no one. Even CM, who is by no means a superstar, gets plenty of calls because he takes the ball and drives hard.

I will start this off saluting James. He made the shots. With that said, the next thing I will mention is our coaching. How in the heck do you leave Maxiell out of most of the OT's. Webber scored 20 in this game, but his lack of movement on D gave up a lot more than that. I don't have time to read everyone's comments tonight. My daughter graduated tonight, kind of took up some of my time.

Rip seemed invisible for much of the first half, but in the 2nd half, he hit shot after shot plus made a ton of free throws. CB scored plenty, including what could have been his biggest shot just about ever, if we had won the game. Back to that great game by James. And Webber. That huge 3 he took, with Webber running after him, well, it should have been Maxiell running after him, and he should not have been able to get the shot off.

Stupidest coaching of the year award has to go to Flip for not telling his team to wait until 4 seconds on the shot clock to shoot the ball. We shot with 7 seconds still on the shot clock, 11 seconds to go in the game. An eternity. Considering we continually failed to stop Bron late, how in the world do you fail to use the clock to your advantage in that situation. Cleveland would have been going into the 3rd overtime with virtually no players left.

Its not over. Just like last season, Cleveland got up 3-2. We prevailed. We can prevail again, but Flip has to recognized that Maxiell must start. And Dale Davis should be coming off the bench, not Webber. No way Webber can score enough to make up for his statue routine whenever Cleveland drives in.

A quick comment on Dyess. Questionable. But it was a pretty hard foul to the area of the head and neck of Verajao. Did it hurt us any? I don't think so. If anything, it made Flip play better defenders.

Its late. I got lots more to say but I got to be at work all too soon. Keep the faith. GO PISTONS!!!!!

I'm gunna go out on a limb here, but that McDyess foul was basically the turning point. It shortened our rotation, it put Maxiell in for the final minutes, and it changed the way the refs called the game, because they seemed to call every ticky tack foul in the 2nd Q, which basically robbed us of any chance at momentum.

Not saying Dice was right or wrong. Just that after the foul, the pace of the game changed dramatically.

The '04 and '05 Pistons (and probably the '03 Pistons too) would not have allowed one player to singlehandedly beat them this way. This team has really never been the same as a playoff team since Larry Brown's departure.

The '04 and '05 Pistons (and probably the '03 Pistons too) would not have allowed one player to singlehandedly beat them this way. This team has really never been the same as a playoff team since Larry Brown's departure.

I'd say it is not just Larry Brown. The rules of the game changed, and Pistons are not allowed to do what they used to do to defend. They can't bump anyone, they can't be physical. That is why you see players going to the stripe 50 times a game.

m73, I would tend to agree, but you don't see that issue with the Spurs.

That's why Ben's greatest talent might not be the blocks and rebounds, but his ability to play 40 minutes of tough defense and only accumulate 3 fouls.

You need to have someone who can defend that P&R by showing hard and recovering. Maybe it will be AJ.

I'd say it is not just Larry Brown. The rules of the game changed, and Pistons are not allowed to do what they used to do to defend. They can't bump anyone, they can't be physical. That is why you see players going to the stripe 50 times a game.

Can you please go back to a Lebowski theme?

The Stones were rolling until that change...

I'm gunna go out on a limb here, but that McDyess foul was basically the turning point. It shortened our rotation, it put Maxiell in for the final minutes, and it changed the way the refs called the game, because they seemed to call every ticky tack foul in the 2nd Q, which basically robbed us of any chance at momentum.

Not saying Dice was right or wrong. Just that after the foul, the pace of the game changed dramatically.


Agree roscoe..we were up 5 or 6 at the time, but just knew that losing Dice would change the game. Sideshow Bob contributed to this just by being there adding his flop to the fall.

Expect Stern to call Stu and tell him to exercise his demons. In otherwords let bury the Pistons now and get the Labron - Longoria series started.

Agree roscoe..we were up 5 or 6 at the time, but just knew that losing Dice would change the game. Sideshow Bob contributed to this just by being there adding his flop to the fall.

Expect Stern to call Stu and tell him to exercise his demons. In otherwords let bury the Pistons now and get the Labron - Longoria series started.

Stop it, Dre, just reading about this potential "series" makes me nausious.

First, the team did play gutsy. I guess that is all I can ask. We won the game a bunch of times and lost it.

The problem is that the Cavs are beating us. The Le Bron factor and the rules are going against us.

We don't have penetrators and we don't have youth (Maxiel is not quite ready) and the rules play to those factors.

Le Bron was unreal but the few calls he got driving the ball set up his jumper show.

Yes, the Dysss thing hurt. But how many shots has Varejao hit really? You don't put him on the line anyway. Not a smart play. But Dyss is not the quick inside guy that would really help. The team has been run too low with lack of additions for too long.

We went down but we went down hard at least. The layups bother me but I think that the guys were just tired.

Finally, our coach is average but we needed better than average.

I hope that we play with fire if we have anything left and play loose next game. No, it doesn't look good.

m73, I would tend to agree, but you don't see that issue with the Spurs.

That's why Ben's greatest talent might not be the blocks and rebounds, but his ability to play 40 minutes of tough defense and only accumulate 3 fouls.

You need to have someone who can defend that P&R by showing hard and recovering. Maybe it will be AJ.

Insightful comment.

Can you please go back to a Lebowski theme?

The Stones were rolling until that change...

Done.
:MusicBigGrin:

m73, I would tend to agree, but you don't see that issue with the Spurs.

That's why Ben's greatest talent might not be the blocks and rebounds, but his ability to play 40 minutes of tough defense and only accumulate 3 fouls.

You need to have someone who can defend that P&R by showing hard and recovering. Maybe it will be AJ.

The difference with Spurs is that they can actually score. Duncan can post, Parker can drive, and Ginobili, well, he is Ginobili... If we average over 90 points in this series, the series is not in question.

hogcap later, too tired and p'ed off to type one up. but anyway, does anyone have the TNT postgame on their Tivo or anything? if you watched, during the TNT postgame they panned to 2 guys in the stands, sitting with their legs over the chairs in the row below and probably disgusted looks on their face, and one was playing with his gum. well that was me and my buddy...i was on the right.

i was wondering if anyone could screencap that and post it or send it to me? i'd appreciate it!

I will start this off saluting James. He made the shots.


The problem is that the Cavs are beating us. The Le Bron factor and the rules are going against us.


Yep.

Tough evening. Tough night. Tough morning. Pretty clear why James is a max salary player and CB isn't. He scored, the Pistons couldn't score more, end of story. Maybe he is better than Vince Carter. At least in game 5.

The Pistons only won three more games than the Cavs all season. This isn't supposed to be easy. These are evenly matched teams.

Blah, blah, blah. I guess the good news is that the Cavs made mistakes in games one and two and the series isn't over.

Anyway, I'll be back on the couch on Saturday night. Saturday night is all about heart. We'll see who the real tin men are.

I'm pissed....now my gf is pissed at me for being pissed. I'm out until VSL

Catch you guys then.
u too?...i wanted to go 'el kabong' on my girl and 'she was asleep'!...'ka-bonnnng!...sending me to the couch, did ya?.....ah, here's to quix draw and baba-looie..:beer: whatever happened to the days when a horse could be a superhero too?....


.....also, i cant watch any sports news for two days. i refuse to be 'made' a witness by a 22 yr old unless its christina milan......

...did u know that the little girl who used to be on Family Matters(Urkel's house) is dabbing in adult entertainment?.....so is Screetch, though,....ehhh!

...im in need of therapy . when the team is in this state , i tend to dabble on about nothing......:nerd2:


...i think sandy duncan was an excellent guest on the scooby doo shows.......

hogcap later, too tired and p'ed off to type one up. but anyway, does anyone have the TNT postgame on their Tivo or anything? if you watched, during the TNT postgame they panned to 2 guys in the stands, sitting with their legs over the chairs in the row below and probably disgusted looks on their face, and one was playing with his gum. well that was me and my buddy...i was on the right.

i was wondering if anyone could screencap that and post it or send it to me? i'd appreciate it!
i saw that!!!!!!! I have it on DVR and I'll review tonite, Ol friend!that actually makes my day...

a little...

There you go talking about the Finals again. I'm talking about why 'arent WE playing out of this world'?? Because , Sheed aint got the heart and soul of Tim Duncan...Chauncey dont have the fire of a Tony Parker...Rip aint got the sadoism of Mano Ginobli...Tay dont have marine corp spirit of a Bruce Bowen..and webber just aint got it. This is the Spurs ..The Only team that has my total respect in the last 10 seasons. The Spurs aint playin or waitin on Utah 'to play well." This Piston team is not what they OR we think they are. If they are..PROVE ME WRONG. But if i have to, I will go down with the 'ship...but if the Cavs sink this ship, Im taking somebody WITH ME!!...blbubhbbblbpbbllubh..
wanted to repost my quote from two days ago...after watching the last qtr and the ot's, does any disagree now?

Still can't get over the layup drill exhibition. Isn't it fundamental for the defense to fould hard and not allow free passage to the net? CB is off his game, even though he scored points the ball movement is not there and the offense is stagnant. Cavs are much more athletic and agressive in their help defense. Pistons look sluggish. Why the heck was CB on Lebron? Why the heck didn't the Pistons drive to the hole with 4 odd minutes remaining in the 4th and an 8 pt lead in place? Why didn't CB drive to the hole on the last possession of regulation? Way too much respect for LBJ on the defensive end, can anyone drive at him and make him foul?

Lebron was magnificent but the team still made those little mistakes that left the door open for a team with heart and determination to exploit. Unfortunately, we are not that team.
I spent the whole season watching this 'off-switch' basketball just for this moment when the team would execute down the stretch. Right now, I'm tired of wondering how this team will blow it once they've managed some degree of success.

I can't believe the Pistons played a weak zone with Chauncey guarding LeBron for that last posession. All of the Cavs other shooters had fouled out, and there was absolutely no question that LeBrizzle would take the last shot. Pistons should have triple teamed him at half court.

Of course, probably shouldn't have come down to 2 OT when James was the only one shooting.

Piss poor strategical game from Flip...nothing new.

With Lebron sitting on a tech for a good part of the game, the Pistons shoulda stepped in and given him a couple hard fouls. Instead, they actually BACKED AWAY on many of his drives.

Too bad Dice got the F2 for clothes-lining mopflop...I think he was the only Piston in the arena last night with the DNA. Even with Dice out, we had the big man depth to step into James Lane and give him second thoughts on his next drive...and maybe give him a shot at tech 2. Did the Pistons draw any charges last night?

Mahorn, Laimbeer, Daly, Rodman and Salley had to be shaking their heads last night...just like the rest of us.

I miss Ben & LB...again, nothing new.


hog...that camera shot said it all for every Piston fan...I bet it gets replayed in the pre-game tomorrow

Piss poor strategical game from Flip...nothing new.

With Lebron sitting on a tech for a good part of the game, the Pistons shoulda stepped in and given him a couple hard fouls. Instead, they actually BACKED AWAY on many of his drives.

Too bad Dice got the F2 for clothes-lining mopflop...I think he was the only Piston in the arena last night with the DNA. Even with Dice out, we had the big man depth to step into James Lane and give him second thoughts on his next drive...and maybe give him a shot at tech 2. Did the Pistons draw any charges last night?

Mahorn, Laimbeer, Daly, Rodman and Salley had to be shaking their heads last night...just like the rest of us.



I miss Ben & LB...again, nothing new.


hog...that camera shot said it all for every Piston fan...I bet it gets replayed in the pre-game tomorrow


Well said detteam

I tossed and turned all night with nightmares seeing Labron drive for dunks while our guys hi-fived him on the way to the bucket. Why we failed to step in the lane and stop him is beyond me. It was evident that no one else was going to take a shot in crunch time. Even Hunter would have fouled him above the three before he got into the paint. All of the great defensive rep we established over the years fell to the wayside as the King methodically picked our defense apart. Even Ben Wallace was yelling at his former mates to stop LBJ from where ever he was. Hasek was in the house, and I don't think he would have been as passive as our guys were the 2 OT's. I mean how can you let one man beat you when the other guys were just out there to run screens??

One of the things I don't understand is when Tay was heating up in the 3rd quarter, when he kept picking gibson or whoever and got the switch, why did they stop going to that?

I also don't understand how it is possible that when Lebron was on the bench we didn't pull away? Instead either the Cavs made it closer or we kind of just traded baskets.

This team is perplexing. This team could be truly great if they decided to be, but it's like they don't want to play the whole game. They just assume they can swoop in and finish the game and leave.

I agree on the last few "layup" dunks that James should have been fouled and fouled HARD before he could even get close to the rim.

Nothing we can do now. Now it's up to us to go back to the "Q" and get our home court back.

The fat ain't singing yet, but she's warming up.

Let's GO PISTONS!!!! Play like you MEAN it for once!!!

The problem is that the Cavs can play with us. Why? They can hold our offense. We don't have penetrators that can take advantage of the rules. We don't pass the ball to burn their doubles. We play one on one basically.

Le Bron puts a lot of pressure on our defense. He got the key calls on drives last night. That set up the jumper show. During the game, the Cavs run plays off of Le Bron. Their guys get enough looks to keep a lead or stay close. They also drive and take advantage of the rules. So they get to the line. That is how they erase any of our leads.

Le Bron shouldn't have been allowed to go off like that. There I wonder about the coaching adjustments.

The Pistons played with a lot of guts. But we are playing at a disadvantage. Now it looks like we can not put out the defensive stops. Things are not looking good.

. We don't have penetrators that can take advantage of the rules. We don't pass the ball to burn their doubles. We play one on one basically.

.

Yes there was a defensive collapse last night, but in a nutshell your comments state what the real problem is: not enough movement without the ball and everytime somene tries to post up or back their defender to the hoop, there is never any help out on the weak side. The Pistons players are so use to it they don't even look for the help and either force a shot or lose it on a TO.

I feel my cynical side rising. If one wanted to throw a game wouldn't it be easy to not drive to the hole in the final seconds and take a crazy jump/flip shot instead? Wouldn't it be easy to let the super-star just waltz right in to the hoop for the winning shot without knocking him on his butt and forcing him to make some free throws? Wouldn't it be easy for the refs to conveniently miss a few calls at one end and call touches at the other end? There is something about this series that is just fishy. I know better, but I'm just sayin.:frusty:

Ugh, what a day. First our team loses in softball, then I lose my sunglasses, the Pistons lose, and I lose my voice. I slept in and took half a day off work, and I'm still having trouble talking...throat is dying.

Got to the Palace a little early, tailgated with a few friends and had some delicious Tubby's subs, and headed inside. I knew I was going to be annoyed with the two people next to us, because they didn't blow up their thundersticks, sat down during the intros, and generally were there for the atmosphere and not the game. She was really hot though, so that was okay. Apparently her friend was the one who made the $50,000 half-court shot last game, and she said he was rich and didn't need the money. Figures. My buddy explained to me that those corporations don't lose $ on that anyway, since they take out insurance with the bank, and the bank pays about 90% of it if they actually make the shot. Anyway, the crazy old lady who sits in our row - we told her we saw her on the jumbotron last game (we had diff seats), and she mentioned she was worried because she didn't want to be on TV ... apparently she was with a 'friend' and he wasn't her husband. :sssh:

The atmosphere was a little different this time. Walking around, there were fewer Cleveland fans, and a LOT more fans actually wearing Pistons gear. I saw people bust out Dumars teal jerseys, Mahorn Bad Boys jerseys, anything. It's like the real fans showed up and realized we needed this game. It was hot as hell, especially in the 2nd level, and especially for our two friends who were in the 2nd-to-last row. But if you're looking for bad omens, during the intros the loud BOOM that goes off with the flames didn't sound. Also I was disappointed when Cleveland made the first shot of the game after winning the tip. It's like the games we dominate by 20, the other team needs to miss their first shot and then we're comfortable and play our game. Also what the heck was Larry Hughes doing actually making a couple 3s? We shoulda been up by 10-15 early.

I thought we were going to roll over the Cavs - no turnovers in the 1st, playing hard, winning all of the stat categories. But Flip made the absolute dumbest coaching decision of the entire playoffs, and I have no clue why. Sheed had 8 points early and was dominating, and with only 7 minutes played he took him out of the game for Dice. WTF?!?!?! The guy who 'we go as he goes' is dominating, drawing fouls, and you TAKE HIM OUT OF THE GAME!?!?

Anyway, the Dice foul is what really changed the game, and it wasn't because we no longer had his services (which was total bs - if Lebron doesn't charge after Dice like he had just punched Varejao in the throat, he doesn't get ejected). The problem is the whistles stopped going our way, and they started blowing NONSTOP. We suck when the game is called tight and the refs take over, and take over they did.

I don't want to blame the refs for the loss, but if this against Orlando or Chicago without a superstar to get calls, this is a game we get a blowout victory. In the 2nd quarter, we had 18 points in the paint, 9 second-chance points, and 4 fast break points, only shooting one 3-pointer. Cleveland had shot seven 3-pointers, and had ZERO points in the paint, ZERO second-chance points, and ZERO fast break points. Basically we were attacking and they were settling for long jumpers. We were the aggressor, and they were passive.

Yet they had 24 free throws to our 22. That p*sses me off more than any single aspect of the game, that the Cavs should've had 10 fewer free throws by half-time, and we should've been cruising into halftime with a 15 point lead. I still cannot get over this, and words cannot describe it.

Again I don't know why some people (like Natalie on need4sheed.com) or Terry Foster said the crowd was quiet at times. To me it felt like a community of people all pulling together. After the Dice foul, "Let's Go Pistons" chants started out of nowhere and were thunderously loud. The crowd was back. And the f'ing refs ruined it by calling everything the rest of the game.

I sincerely thought the game was over when we went up 87-81 in the 4th. I sincerely do not understand how you let Lebron tie the game twice in regulation with dunks, playing man defense, and no one guarding the paint. Do you want a potential And-1? Of course not. But foul him before it happens and put the pressure on HIM, especially when your offense isn't triggering. I think Maxiell would've done it, but he got faked out of his shoes by Lebron. I actually don't mind putting Max on Lebron in that situation (like when we put Ben on Lebron and he could actually body him up), as Max had been playing great D on Lebron all series. He just screwed up on that play which was at the worst time.

As for the end of the game, since when is the best option a Chauncey 3-ball when you only need 2 points, leaving Cleveland enough time for a decent shot themselves? Seriously??? Double-screen for Rip like the 2nd game of the 05-06 season against Boston where we won at the buzzer, and let your best shooter decide the game with an open look, when he was making every free throw in the 4th and in a rhythm. SERIOUSLY. WHY ARE YOU BOMBING A CONTESTED THREE-POINTER WHEN YOU HAD A WHOLE TIMEOUT TO SET UP A PLAY THAT WOULD GENERATE A QUALITY SHOT????

The overtimes continued some of the worst coaching ever. Not only does the coaching staff not realize that Lebron is the only one scoring, they also don't realize that Gibson and Hughes aren't in the game and you don't care if they're getting open shots or not. Just stop Lebron!! They'd do fine getting the ball out of his hands with a double team, but the Cleveland players would pass it right back and the Pistons wouldn't bring the double team back. I don't understand. I don't understand switching to a man defense in overtime ... at least zone it so you have help down low in case Lebron drives ... and why is Chauncey guarding Lebron in the 1st place? Larry Brown had plenty of coaching blunders, but there's no way the Cavs get more than a game if it's Larry Brown vs. Mike Brown.

After the game the crazy lady and her friend walked past, said 'see you Monday', and I nodded but you could tell we both believed it would take a near miracle. My buddy and I sat in our chairs and didn't say a word to each other for about 10-15 minutes. We just stared ahead in shock, disgust, anger, disappointment, and disbelief. Apparently TNT captured this on camera, and again if anyone has this Tivo'd, please find a way to send a picture, I'd at least like to see myself on national TV! :P We went back to the parking lot to meet our friends, eat some more food, and wait for the cars to clear. Apparently a lot of people were angry and upset, because our friends witnessed a couple scrums break out in the parking lot. I'm guessing it was Cleveland fans gloating, as they were pretty sore winners and stupidly taunting any Pistons fan within earshot. After awhile we left, I stopped at the bar to meet some friends and have a much-needed beer, and headed home.

On a sidenote, those of you who weren't there or haven't been to a playoff game like this, I really wish you could be there for that experience, so much so that I'll write this in 2nd person. It's different being in the building, watching live, and being free to yell as loud as you can, clap thundersticks, jump up and down, stand up for great plays, and do it with 22,000 others. You share an experience with so many other people, doing your best to affect the outcome of the game with just your voice, screaming until your voice is gone and then finding a different set of vocal chords that are still functioning and screaming with those. You know you can't stop a Tayshaun turnover, or make a Rip basket go in, or increase Flip's coaching ability, or make Lebron miss a freaking basket, but you yell with every ounce you can anyway, just in case. You experience every emotion imaginable, from elation to relief to anger to despair to hope to apathy to acceptance. You wear the same clothes to every game because they win when you wear them. You see a girl coming back to her seat after hitting the concession stand, yet the Pistons went on an 10-0 run while she was gone, so her friends literally force her to go back down the steps and not come back to her seat. No joke. The hot girl next to you who couldn't have cared less about the game before it started, by the end of the game you see her standing up and yelling as loud as you are, as into the game as you are, wanting the Pistons to win just as much as you do, even if she can't name anyone past the top 7 guys. The fans who normally don't stand unless there's less than 30 seconds to go in the game, you see them stand for the last 3 minutes of regulation and all 10 minutes of both overtimes, including the timeouts. There's truly nothing like it, and you can't experience it watching on TV.

I was there for Horry's Game 5, I was there for Miami when we lost Game 5 that same year before beating them in 7, and I was there for this Game 5 ... and while all 3 were extremely dejecting losses, I'm still glad I was there to experience them.

(on second thought, maybe I should stop attending Game 5s...)

Incredible effort on the re-cap, Hog. Next time you do one (maybe not till next season...:doh:), you've earned the right to drop some THIRD person on us!

Warthog that was just PHENOMENAL.......Now a lil perspective on the game. A few things are obvious, yeah I'm pissed we made no attempt to find out if any Cav not named Lebron could make a shot in the last 16 mins of the game, but guess what... while the Pistons didn't try to find out, neither did the Cavs especially Lebron.

I mean I know everyone's pissed but don't take for granted just how great of a performance we saw. I saw a kid grow up. I saw the best player make a decision that he was not going to lose. Guys, our team played great ball last night. All we asked was for them to leave it on the court and they did. Webber played EXCELLENT D down the stretch (remember we shut the other TEAM down sans one) it was just a situation where James was not going to lose and it's at that point there was nothing anybody - short of God Almighty - could do about it.

I love this team and they made me proud last night, yes there were a few things that they should have done differently but that's true for every team after every game, there is no perfect basketball game. After game 4 Billups', "I'm only human dog" response was total BS, but after this game it's right on cue.

If it takes a player scoring 29 of the last 30 pts, their final 25, to beat my team in double OT by 2 pts, than that says alot about the Pistons.......It literally took a Superman type game to beat us, and as long as my team walked into that lockerroom last night saying that he'll have to do that 2 more times to go to the Finals and begin his era than I say BRING IT!!!!! BRING IT!!!!!!!!!!!!

How will LeBron respond in Game 6? Because it is very unlikely that the Pistons will allow him to what he did in Game 5 again. Will the role players make shots? What I saw in Game 5 was a supporting cast that finally didn't play like they were all stars. Gibson and Sasha were bricking shots. Sheed drew fouls on all of the Cavs bigs, LeBron just carried his team. Will he be able to do it again? Or will the Cavs role players play great again?

Sheed MUST play well. Pistons just can't win the game without him. I will be very disappointed if Sheed plays bad or has foul trouble.

My take:

The Pistons have been losing playoff games the past two years because they are missing their only Hall of Fame person - LARRY BROWN!!!!

You may hate him, but he's the only one of the current team who will ever make the HOF.

We're never going to play at a high enough level under Flip to make it through the play-offs. He gives the team no intensity. Larry did that.

We have no HOF players so we've got to play at a very high level. Flip ain't that guy, Larry was.

My take:

The Pistons have been losing playoff games the past two years because they are missing their only Hall of Fame person - LARRY BROWN!!!!

You may hate him, but he's the only one of the current team who will ever make the HOF.

We're never going to play at a high enough level under Flip to make it through the play-offs. He gives the team no intensity. Larry did that.

We have no HOF players so we've got to play at a very high level. Flip ain't that guy, Larry was.

I agree. A lot of folks dumped on LB because he didn't win the Championship both years. But to be fair to Flip if the Pistons win this series he probably will consider it to be a successful season...let's not assume we are out of it. If only Flip had payed Blalock at backup point....!

Blalock at back up point is NOT the answer. I don't think he's our HOF answer.

More intensity, better plays out of time-outs, more timely use of the bench (and the right substitutions, too), and a host of other little things that make the difference between an average coach, and a HOF coach.

Forget Blalock, and Amir. They are for next year (Blalock probably never).

Well...he did hit that three pointer.

My take:

The Pistons have been losing playoff games the past two years because they are missing their only Hall of Fame person - LARRY BROWN!!!!

You may hate him, but he's the only one of the current team who will ever make the HOF.

We're never going to play at a high enough level under Flip to make it through the play-offs. He gives the team no intensity. Larry did that.

We have no HOF players so we've got to play at a very high level. Flip ain't that guy, Larry was.

I agree but there has to be someone out there who can coach the big games without destroying the team in the process. For 6-10min/year we should be able to find someone who can lead the team with the best plays possible and not scape goat players. Its not a lot to ask.

Well over 150 posts and not that many that actually indicate that the Pistons played decent last night. CB hit some clutch shots, webber had his best game offensively. They even had a couple of three possession leads that many of us thought was needed to win the game.

Mike Browns time outs stop those runs and they always had an answer.. The three straight turnovers with under 3 mins when we were up 88-81 was one of the defining sequences that has not been discussed. If one of those possessions had been converted into a bucket, I think we would have won the game.

In Hog's blog, (which was excellent as usual) he stated that Flip's decision to put in Dice early that led to the flagrant foul was a turning point too. Agree with that, but I heard McCosky say that Sheed asked for a blow, so that is why he went out. However it did affect the officiating from then on.

Bottomline we played well enough to win the game...but La bron was in a zone and everyone stood by and watched including the fans, Piston players and Cavs. The way those jumpers were falling, he could have beaten anyteam last night whether it was the Showtimers, Bad Boys, Russells Celtics or Jordan Bulls. Some would have challenged the layups, but once we gave him the opening with those 3 turnovers in regulation, he was not going to be stopped.

Lets assume that the zone is closed on Saturday and he comes back to earth. I expect another close game with our experience winning out.:pray:

The layup was a brain cramp by Maxiell. It's why it's scary to play young guys in crunch time.

Max couldn't decide what play he should make, and half heartedly slapped Lebrons arm. If he had gone hard to contest the shot, he could have taken his chances with LBJ at the line.

Shouldn't have ever gotten to that point though.

I will take an occasional brain fart over a guy who just is totally unable to move. Webber continually was just standing around watching while Cleveland drove in. All the experience in the world does not help shot legs. Further, why in the heck doesn't Maxiell have the experience. He came to us as a 4 year college player, physically ready, and he got no time as a rookie-and far too little time this year. It all goes to having a bad coach.

PS, we have a couple of more young inexperienced players who would be doing much better than certain vets that get to play. You don't play the most experienced player, you play the best player. (And if you are worth a darn as a coach, you identify your best players and play them, making sure they are ready to contribute in the playoffs.-Flip has 4 guys on the roster not playing in the playoffs who could be helping considerably.)

Sounds like you were a witness Warts.
The radio talk sure took off with it. Jordanesk...phenomenal at least they admitted the Detroit D was superior.

well they have the entire TNT postgame up on nba.com, so i got a screen capture. i'm on the right in the shorts. the other guy is my buddy who has the season tix w/me. needless to say, we weren't happy ... but at least we got on TV :P

http://beta.whgl.net/images/warthog_game5_2007_ecf.jpg

I would've perferred to see the hotties.
Tell your buddy not to pick his nose in public.
You're making us all look bad.

heh, yeah on video it looks like he's biting his fingernails a la lebron but he's just playin w/his gum.

all the hotties were gone :o

You're a big star now.
At least at PF.com
Almost as big as Dre