Pistons/Sixers 1st Round Game 5, April 29th, 7:00 PM

TV - NBA TV

Some thought this series would be over in four games. Some thought this game would be the last as the Pistons moved on. Well, it is now a three game series as game five comes to the Palace with the series tied at two games each.

Has the Pistons finally figured out the athletic 76`ers? Can Mo Cheeks make yet another adjustment to go up 3-2 against the favored Pistons.

I think the Pistons may have broken the 6ers in the second half of Game 4.

agreed roscoe..... except they were still fighting till the last min...

IF we come out and play the first 5 mins like we played the 3rd quarter though.... we could kill there spirit. But I think they'll come out strong again in game 6. That is who there coach is.... they just play hard all the time. There young and just dont know anybetter.

I think the Pistons may have broken the 6ers in the second half of Game 4.


I dunno.

Dre Miller doesn't fear Billups at all.

I am beginning to think Green feels he is at least just as good as Rip.

Dalembert knows he is intimidating.

Evans is too crazy to care about anything that makes sense. Like the fact that he shouldn't be shooting out there.

All depends on where the switch is pointing I reckon.

I think the Pistons may have broken the 6ers in the second half of Game 4.

I think one of the Sixers' attributes that make them a tough matchup for us is that they don't break - they keep coming. I hope the Piston players aren't thinking that they've broken their opponent because I'm pretty darn sure that Philly isn't done competing.

Stuck - three offensive boards, second highest on the team.

Rip & CB - eleven boards between them.

When guards rebound, teams win.

I think one of the Sixers' attributes that make them a tough matchup for us is that they don't break - they keep coming. I hope the Piston players aren't thinking that they've broken their opponent because I'm pretty darn sure that Philly isn't done competing.
What I meant is, for the first time in the series, I saw dejection and frustration on the 6ers faces.

I think their loose, cinderella-like confidence has passed. They got close enough to think they can win, and now they are putting pressure on themselves.

What I meant is, for the first time in the series, I saw dejection and frustration on the 6ers faces.

I think their loose, cinderella-like confidence has passed. They got close enough to think they can win, and now they are putting pressure on themselves.

Yes, under most circumstances and with most teams you would certainly think so. And perhaps they did break their spirit.

But remember, the Pistons giveth and the Pistons taketh away...and giveth again.

It's just as probable that game 5 will go like game one. Pistons come out smoking and then start screwing around...Sixers get new life.

I simply cannot gauge this team. Can you? Can anyone??

What I meant is, for the first time in the series, I saw dejection and frustration on the 6ers faces.

I think their loose, cinderella-like confidence has passed. They got close enough to think they can win, and now they are putting pressure on themselves.

Yes I saw it too. The Sixers gave the Pistons their best shot and got totally smoked. They had to know that this game was the series for them.

I can't go to the game but I hope all those going to the game cheer loudly and support the team.

I didn't see any of the game last night, but it makes sense to point out the difference between it and Game 2. Both were basically must-wins for the Pistons--you can't go down 0-2 if you started the series with home court, and you can't go down 3-1 no matter what--but Game 4 mattered a lot more to Philly than Game 2 did. In Game 2, they had already stolen Game 1, and since coming back home with a split was all they could have realistically been shooting before at the beginning of the series, they had already done what they set out to do. But having a 2-1 lead with Game 4 at home is much bigger for the lower-seeded team: you're really in the driver's seat if you win, but if you lose, you have no more overall advantage and no momentum.

i will be there and the fans will be ready. yelling 'EAT IT' a lot after good plays seemed to work well last time.

game 2 wasn't dejecting for the 76ers, but i think last night was. they saw the perfect opportunity to go up 3-1 and blew it, despite playing hard. i think they're starting to see the writing on the wall, but again they never quit and the pistons can't let up now.

Their spirits may have sunk when they realized they gave back HCA, but Mo Cheeks is going to spend all day today drilling into them the fact that if they can steal another game at the Palace, they have a chance to win this series on their home floor in Game 6. I expect them to come out with LOTs of energy.

I was impressed with the Philly crowd in that first half. Seemed like they booed the Pistons on nearly every offensive possession in the 1st quarter.

With Lb4Lb now saying he wants to coach again, will that subvert the 6ers at all?
9.0 DR, these cats beat Boston 3 times.

With Lb4Lb now saying he wants to coach again, will that subvert the 6ers at all?
9.0 DR, these cats beat Boston 3 times.

na he wouldn't have resigned his place with them if he wanted to coach there again.

He's not looking to unseat Cheeks [no pun intended]. I think he's looking at college.
But looking at him you might think he has only a couple years left.

not much to say. Pistons in 6.
Advantages: our guys will not rust waiting for other series to finish.
Disadvantages: Zoo Crew is a big lie.

Those who know me are aware that I'm neither hater nor troll. But where have you all been the last couple years?

What makes anyone so sure the Pistons will show up? Does anyone remember the Cleveland series last year?

Same coach. Same core players. A stronger bench. Philly is hungry. Yeah, they looked bothered when they lost. Maybe it's because it means a lot to them.

This series ain't over. I expect a very tight game five. If it's a blow out it will not go our way.

I have a challenge for everyone. Lets try and think of ways that they can win rather than ways that they can't. Not just for this game but for the playoffs as a whole.

Here are 2

1) Sixers are 18-23 on the road and are probably feeling kind of deflated right now. Comming back and dominating the 2nd half probably did more damage to their psyche than if the Pistons had lead the whole way.

2) Rip is finally back. Someone commented in another thread how Rip was on fire in the 4th. Thats just him getting back to his usual self, thats what he does and he is a far surperior guard than Willie Green.

I'll concur with Darth.

This series by no means is over, and by no means will be easy. We already gave the Sixers's confidence. Can't take it back now unless you completely demoralize them in Game 5, even then it would be hard to kill their spirit.

Philly thinks they let the game get away. They don't think DET won it

Flip keeps saying we are going to use our younger, more athletic players . . .

edited to add;

Max i wrote this post before your request for positive posts just so you know LOL

So i'll add something positive, We will relax at home, and in both games we have gotten big leads.

So i'll add something positive, We will relax at home, and in both games we have gotten big leads.
You must make 10 positive posts. In a row!!!!

You must make 10 positive posts. In a row!!!!

Anyone can come in here and dump on the team. Thats takes no special talent.

You have to think with this. How can the Pistons win?

Those who know me are aware that I'm neither hater nor troll.
You're a Philly Phanatiq. You have been compromised. :gun1: :yellowprison:

This series ain't over. I expect a very tight game five. If it's a blow out it will not go our way.
I predict a Pistons rout. They are going to beat the 6ers so badly, the Phillies will go on an 8 game losing streak.

You're a Philly Phanatiq. You have been compromised. :gun1: :yellowprison:


I predict a Pistons rout. They are going to beat the 6ers so badly, the Phillies will go on an 8 game losing streak.

:pound:

Ok let's see if i can actually say ten postive things about the upcoming game (10 positive posts are out of the question. Are you trying ot give me a heart attack?) :gun1:

I already said 2 positive things so i'll start at 3. :)

3. Maybe the bench will get some time in a friendly enviroment
4. When it comes down to it, we are a much better team than the Sixers
5. Chauncey plays better at home
6. Mason's announcing might give us good karma
7. After seeing Joe D's "mad" face last game, it scared me, so i assume it scared the players as well
8. Our fans like us and will cheer; that might help
9. Also Philly is young and according to Lebron DET is scary to play in
10. Sheed has played well in both of our home games

HA!

Anyone can come in here and dump on the team. Thats takes no special talent.

You have to think with this. How can the Pistons win?

It sounds like you are advocating viewpoint restriction in this thread. Yes, anyone can dump on them. Likewise anyone can blindly think everything they do is great. That they will win no matter what.


There is already a thread for "positives". I thought this thread was for people to express what they really think about game 5 either way. I think honesty is the best policy. Always have and always will.

Seems to me lots of people are all gung ho over the Pistons after the last win. They are predicting a blowout and two straight victories. I can respect that and maybe they are correct. I don't feel so strongly about it. Yes, the Pistons can win. But unfortunately it is certainly within the realm of possibility that they can lose.

I like to know what others think. Thinking of reasons why they can lose actually takes more thinking than thinking of reasons they can win. Remember, they are the favored team.

My second opportunity to see them play in person. Brother got us tickets to this game. Not sure where they are but I'll have my face in the place again. It was a blow out last game so maybe we'll get the same results.

It sounds like you are advocating viewpoint restriction in this thread.
No, but I am. No Loving of Brotherly Cities. That's not cool!

I think honesty is the best policy. Always have and always will.
I wish you felt this way about deodorant!

I have a challenge for everyone. Lets try and think of ways that they can win rather than ways that they can't. Not just for this game but for the playoffs as a whole.

Here are 2

1) Sixers are 18-23 on the road and are probably feeling kind of deflated right now. Comming back and dominating the 2nd half probably did more damage to their psyche than if the Pistons had lead the whole way.

2) Rip is finally back. Someone commented in another thread how Rip was on fire in the 4th. Thats just him getting back to his usual self, thats what he does and he is a far surperior guard than Willie Green.

3) The Sixers are the worst free throw shooting team in the league. So far, they have looked like one of the best; even Reggie Evans hit most of his FTs. No way this holds up.

4) See above but with 3 pointers. The Sixers have made some unbelievable shots in this series. I expect them to cool down considerably.

5) Rip is back, and hopefully Chauncey is right behind him. So far, we are tied up with some of the worst backcourt play I have ever seen from this Pistons team. I expect that to change.

I wish you felt this way about deodorant!

Fine. Next time we go out on a date, you wear underwear and I'll wear deodorant!

3) The Sixers are the worst free throw shooting team in the league. So far, they have looked like one of the best; even Reggie Evans hit most of his FTs. No way this holds up.

4) See above but with 3 pointers. The Sixers have made some unbelievable shots in this series. I expect them to cool down considerably.

5) Rip is back, and hopefully Chauncey is right behind him. So far, we are tied up with some of the worst backcourt play I have ever seen from this Pistons team. I expect that to change.

Agree with the above except Chauncey also looked like he was getting back to his old self.

I am going to choose to believe that they were just rusty until proven otherwise. I really do expect at least a 10 point win this game.

:pound:

Ok let's see if i can actually say ten postive things about the upcoming game (10 positive posts are out of the question. Are you trying ot give me a heart attack?) :gun1:

I already said 2 positive things so i'll start at 3. :)

3. Maybe the bench will get some time in a friendly enviroment
4. When it comes down to it, we are a much better team than the Sixers
5. Chauncey plays better at home
6. Mason's announcing might give us good karma
7. After seeing Joe D's "mad" face last game, it scared me, so i assume it scared the players as well
8. Our fans like us and will cheer; that might help
9. Also Philly is young and according to Lebron DET is scary to play in
10. Sheed has played well in both of our home games

HA!

The bench will get plenty of time because it will be over with by the 4th quarter.

Yes Sheed does play a lot better at home. And he will get some calls.

The bench will get plenty of time because it will be over with by the 4th quarter.

Yes Sheed does play a lot better at home. And he will get some calls.

I don't have the numbers handy, but I recall it being said at least a half dozen times during the season by Kelser and Turico etc, that Sheed actually plays better on the road than at home. Something to do with inciting the road crowd??

I'll concur with Darth.



Hush. You've worked hard to gain credibility around here. Don't just throw it all out the window.

Never ever ever ever agree with me in public. Jammer and Slippy used to do that and now everybody thinks they are buffoons. Well, I mean, they are buffoons...but you see my point. ;)

IMO the playoffs start tomorrow and it is the old best of three series with the Pistons having the HCA. First team to win on the other teams court has the advantage here and should win this series. With that being said, the Pistons have to throw everything out of the window...That means forget that this team has been beaten you already, but remember their weaknesses and remember your strengths and win the next two games.

These are the obvious things that need to happen:

Play smart > no dumb threes when not needed.
No techs or yelling at the refs, but play agressive
Take care of the ball...keep TO's to a minimum
Don't play scared and don't play like "we got this"
Stop penetration of Young. Miller and Green. Continue to shut down AI 2

On the offense, penetrate when open, take the 3 when you are wide open but make ure your rebounders are in place. if the jumpers aren't falling, adjust and penetrate.

Don't force layups trying to be the hero, look for the open man and pass to him. don't pass to much though...if you got the shot take it.

If Tay is sill hot, find him...

you are at home...make sure you take advantage of the FT line.

Guarantee the victory by scoring 55 pts in the first half, 101 points total and dish out more than 25 assists.

blowout. pistons up 3-2

Fine. Next time we go out on a date, you wear underwear and I'll wear deodorant!
lmao, you killed me with this line.



















I'LL NEVER WEAR UNDERWEAR AGAIN!

Ok, here we go, this game will go back and forth, forth and back.............then............OT!!!!!!!


In the OT none other than.....................Jarvis Hayes will catch fire and the Pistons win by 8.

Don`t ask me how Hayes got in the game, oh, and somebody is going to get ejected...........let`s hope it`s Flip..........

Ok, here we go, this game will go back and forth, forth and back.............then............OT!!!!!!!


In the OT none other than.....................Jarvis Hayes will catch fire and the Pistons win by 8.

Don`t ask me how Hayes got in the game, oh, and somebody is going to get ejected...........let`s hope it`s Flip..........

I am hoping that Arvis is deactivated for Dixon and that AA gets all those minutes!!!

They should let some bench players at least touch the ball. They've been such good towel wavers/cheerers thus far.

I am hoping that Arvis is deactivated for Dixon and that AA gets all those minutes!!!

Me too...at least deactivate Hunter and dress Dixon. After all the Sixers have not seen him yet, he might be able to beat someone off the dribble:)

Does the Palce need to hand out ralley t shirts? After all it help the Wiz get one game and it helped the Raptors get one game at their crib....Tonight the Magic had half their fans in white shirts and half in blue shirts for series clincher.

Roscoe, to late now, but just in case we have to go to game 7, how may how many PF http://www.pistonsforum.com/images/pfv2/misc/pistonsforumcom_logo.gif t-shrts can we get to the Palace to hand out. :)

i think its up to 3 so get each others cell numbers and look for that skinny white kid.

The Pistons got this!!

We are not as bad as we looked this series.

The Pistons will NOT lose at home to these guys.

No more surprises this series. This means the better team will win - our team.

GO PISTONS!!!

Some bad news: Ken Mauer is on the officiating crew. Sheed will have to keep himself in check; he doesn't need any more techs in this series.

Delaney and Tony Brothers are the others.

We'll win at home tonight. The win will just seem like it took Longer...to earn than we would have liked. Expect a close game which frustrates all of us. Pistons take it at the end.

Some bad news: Ken Mauer is on the officiating crew. Sheed will have to keep himself in check; he doesn't need any more techs in this series.

Delaney and Tony Brothers are the others.
How did you get this info? Tim Donaghy?

The Pistons have certainly earned some negativity from us with the way they've stunk it up in about half the quarters of this series. But I agree with max about how things were getting (and may still get) way over the top with people actively rooting for the Pistons to lose. The Boston-Atlanta series should make all of us a little more humble about what we do or don't know about how things are going to play out.

Everyone's entitled to their opinion, and believe me, I get as frustrated and angry as anyone when the Pistons go out there and suck. There really isn't any excuse for that in the playoffs. But the next time you find yourself wanting a negative result to happen in the playoffs just to hasten the demise of this core group of players and head coach, take a deep breath and get over yourself.

How did you get this info? Tim Donaghy?
David Stern. (http://www.nba.com/news/referee.html)

I hope their shots are falling tonight, because if they're not.........ZZZZZZZZZZZZ!!!!!

I'm just hoping NBA TV gets opened up to non subscribers for playoff games or else I'm going to be really annoyed at Mr Stern.

Chat is open!!!

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If you are not a forum member, please register here
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Chatters who are not registered on the forum will be removed from chat!

Big win tonight, as the Pistons dominated pretty much from the beginning. CB finally got it going with his shot and filled it up early, and the other 3 of the top 4 starters also produced with better than 50% shooting. The first and third quarters were +22 for the Pistons, so it was all about the starters dominating.

The news off the bench was AA backing up Tay at the 3 in the first half and doing a nice job on both ends. Maybe that can be a new look for them going forward?

The news off the bench was AA backing up Tay at the 3 in the first half and doing a nice job on both ends. Maybe that can be a new look for them going forward?

Don`t act like you don`t know D4E, that`s why the Pistons won, and why we will not be eliminated in the first round!!!!!!!!:thumb:

That was a great game by the Pistons from top to bottom pretty much. I feel like they finally played playoff basketball for 4 whole quarters.

but worrisome is how Dice plays now.Sixers were not able to exploit undersized pistons under basket. What is bad that pistons turns ball over too much, it is actually uncharacteristic for them. But in spite of negativities they routed opponent and that is remarkable.

Get ready for red wings game

Dawn of a new era.

Tayshuan Prince's Pistons.

I like.

PS No one benefits more than Chauncey.

That was a great game by the Pistons from top to bottom pretty much. I feel like they finally played playoff basketball for 4 whole quarters.

They did that in Game 2 as well, but I guess we all wrote that off after they sucked for all of Game 3 and half of Game 4.

Most excellent. Mercury summed it up best. Just about everything you could ask for. Well, you know me though. Always something. Amir still has not joined the rotation.

Billups had it going from the beginning nailing some threes in the 1st quarter amongst many points scored. He ended up with about 20 points. Rip scored 20. Sheed scored inside and out and scored about 20 himself. Tay was quiet on the scoring front, until the 4th quarter where he heated up and ended up getting near 20 himself. Thats 3 games in a row where Tay shot a high percentage. (They mentioned that the last two games Tay had set a record for shooting percentage over the course of two consecutive playoff games.)

Maxiell started again, and it worked out great. Young Mr. Yound could not do much against JMAX, and then Dyess came off the bench to match up with Evans, keeping him from having any kind of a game really. I think JMAX ended up with game high in minutes, but nobody got to 40 in this one.

Afflalo played about the last 7 minutes of the 2nd quarter, at backup small forward. How did he do? He knocked down a shot from the lane. He knocked down a shot from just inside the line. Iggy went after him a couple of times and could do nothing against him. In contrast to having a field day with Hayes, against Afflalo Iggy got nothing and his coach just sat him down for some rest. Result: Tay got plenty of rest in the first half.

In the 4th quarter, Afflalo played backup shooting guard, giving Rip the 4th quarter off. He was not so spectacular as a defensive shooting guard, as Williams did score on him some. (But Afflalo was contesting the shots quite well.) Of course, I think Williams is actually their backup point guard, and it was really a compliment to Afflalo to let him guard the guy.
Stuckey was not great on D. He did get to the hoop with a couple of nice drives (one on the "fairly" spectacular side.) and had some assists with alert passes.

Maxiell led us in boards with 11 and had some spectacular blocks.
I did not catch who they named player of the game, but it had to have been Sheed. Sheeds utter dominance of Philly inside on both offense and defense (a record tying 7 blocks) was pretty incredible.

I am sure many of you flipped over to the N.O. game, and maybe caught a glimpse of greatness in the making. Way to go Paul. A monster triple double. Me, I did not start flipping over until the Pistons were up about 27 late in the 3rd quarter.

The Pistons pretty much coasted in the 4th, but Tay's many buckets there were needed to keep that nice comfy lead. (Which got just a bit less comfy as the 3rd ended as Carney nailed a triple on us.)
To review, here is our rotation now: Billups, with Stuckey backing him up. Rip, with Stuckey backing him up - but Afflalo did so for the 4th quarter. Tay, with Afflalo backing him up. JMAX, with Dyess backing him up. Sheed, with Dyess backing him up.

This rotation did slaughter Philly tonight, and I imagine will do so again next game. But I would feel more comfortable watching us operate with a 9 man rotation, which would be more immune to foul trouble or a minor injury. Further, if Afflalo played backup to Rip, it would allow Stuckey to concentrate more on his defensive assignments as a point guard. Playing Amir as a backup to Tay would allow this, and Amir could also play some at power forward.

A bit more on the game flow. We were up about 14 when Afflalo came in. Its not like we were miles ahead and Afflalo played as an afterthought. Flip planned this. Good plan. We came out in the 2nd half and traded baskets for a moment but then started padding on the lead with Rip getting hot and Sheed adding some more scoring. For the game as a whole, we were outstanding on D as far as defending the middle, particularly with Sheed and Maxiell paired up in the 1st and 3rd quarters. Our perimeter D was not great. Tay did his usual excellent work on D, but Iggy managed to hit some tough shots on him. Miller was held in check ok. Green and Williams did enough scoring to make it not quite a laugher from end to end. (Though, it was a laugher mid to late 3rd on.)

GO PISTONS!!!!!

Nice win. Not going to repeat what I said after game 4. As long as we keep the offense opened up, Philly is in trouble. They were trying to come out on our shooters some later. We may need to counter this. Mainly, we have to keep Rip and Billips head on that they are not D. Wade but great shooters (and players) in their own right. I still cringed every time they go into the lane. Once in a while ok. But those Billips bombs and that Rip jumper are nice. I liked Sheed's variety today. And can he defend down low.

Yes, this has been Tay's Pistons. He has looked like the leader to me. What do others think?

On rotations, I liked Afflalo's minutes. Still waiting for Stuckey to figure it out. We are going to need Theo in the next series to help with Howard. I wouldn't mind seeing Amir with a few minutes on Lewis to jam up his shot. Our bigs will be tested next series.

Sounds like they have the Sixers figured out and all they need is to keep it up one more time.

Just looked outside my window to see the Pigs Flying. This rotation with Max starting, Hayes -out- AA- In...........is a LeeDuJour rotation if I ever seen one. For years I've been calling 356, my CrazyUncle, but....but.......LEE IS(was) RIGHT.....100%......ABSOLUTELY...RIGHT!!!!!! Ai Dios Mios!!!!!! Man cut on the heat......:cold:......it's freezing down here....:cold:......."Luci....cut on the HEAT man!!!!!"

Well, you know me though. Always something.
No waaayyyyyy!

:MusicBigGrin:

That was a great game by the Pistons from top to bottom pretty much. I feel like they finally played playoff basketball for 4 whole quarters.

Yup, and it only took 5 games to do it. Not bad. Seems like the insertion of Maxiell has ratcheted up the intensity. If McDyess hadn't had his nose busted, Maxiell would still be coming off the bench. Seems like a lot of forumites called for Dyess' benching a while ago. With Arvis tossing up bricks, Dyess can be THE MAN again coming off the bench. Although the bench was lackluster on the scoring front tonight.

Favorite stat: Pistons had 12 blocked shots.

Tay will do whatever the team needs without complaining or drawing attention to himself. Although he has a different physique, he is in many ways the Joe Dumars of this team. Quiet, but respected. Humble, hard working, and most importantly, smart. Usually guards the other team's best player. Can handle the ball. He can play inside or out depending on the matchup. Oh yeah, he also inherited an incredible work ethic and sense of pride from his father. Just remember these games when he happens to have a few off nights here and there where his shot isn't falling.

Other than complimenting TP, not sure I have a lot to say that hasn't been said. Flip seems to be fearing having Jarvis on the floor... and Lindsey... and pretty much every single bench players except Stuckey, Dyess, and maybe Afflalo. If it were up to me, Dixon and Herrmann would replace Lindsey and Hayes next series and we'd go deep into the depth chart to wear teams down with our energy.

Just one quick thought on the game tonight. We out shot them. Rebounds were even. Turnovers were even. They shot twice as many free throws as we did. That was canceled out by us blocking more shots than they blocked of ours. The shot attempts were very close.

We outshot them for 2 reasons. 1) we were on fire, and 2) we defended the fast break well despite our high number of turnovers.

If #1 doesn't happen, then #2 becomes a lot more difficult. What I'm trying to say is that next game can easily be a loss if we shoot poorly, which I'm ashamed to admit is pretty similar to what Flip Saunders has been saying.

When is someone going to give us that red "X" over the number "3"?

When is someone going to give us that red "X" over the number "3"?
Yeah, this service is outrageous!

What I'm trying to say is that next game can easily be a loss if we shoot poorly, which I'm ashamed to admit is pretty similar to what Flip Saunders has been saying.

Now that is funny.

When is someone going to give us that red "X" over the number "3"?

Like I said in the other thread, I think we should be counting down from 16 to 1 intead of 1 to 16

16,15, and14 would be crossed off as it appears at the Palace so that we know how many games left for the ring!

Yes you can't take anything for granted which I don't think the Pistons are going to do that in game 6. They came into this series after not having played a serious game in a few weeks and were challenged by a very scrappy team. Probably the best thing that could have happened to them. Now everyone is starting to gell again and get on the same page. Getting back to playing Pistons basketball.

Billups and Rip are back, big time. Prince continues his phenominal play. And the 2 energy players Dyess and Maxiel are spurring the team on. When Dyess came back from that broken nose and would not let the team quit in game 4 I really think that was the turning point in this series and in their playoff run.

21 points and 11 assists by Billups. Its hard to say who the player of the game was but I will give this one to him.

You gotta love the way Sheed, Dyess and Maxiel have been protecting the hoop. Making Dalembert look like a clown, not that he needs any help with the new dew. As Kelser said on the local broadcast - Maxiel was getting better as the game went on. When the Sixer forwards were sucking wind, he was getting better. Showing them how its supposed to be done. Some of you may not know this but Maxiel has the same wing span as a 7'er.

Meaningless series stats

Rasheed Wallace has 20 Blocks in this series thru 5 games including six tonight!! He didn' get any in thec game 4 win and still has 20. If he can continue to average 4 blocks a game and more than 15 pts a game, then look out Sammy, Dhoward and KG!!

Prince has been the most consistent scorer shooting over 77% the last three games

As Lee predicted we needed AA to win and it was good that Flip switched traded some inconsistence offense of hayes for the defensive presence of Alf!

Starting Max has been good too...I would stick with it Flip!!

Only real negative in this series besides the two losses are the TO's and we need to get back down to our season average of under 12.

All smiles tonight on the Detroit local sports shows tonight as Pistons, Tigers and Red Wings all win!!

Fantastic game from some focused Pistons!

In this game it was Chauncey who had the hot hand early, and he could have easily scored 30+ if he looked for his own the entire game like Miller and Iggy did for the Sixers. But he still looked to get others involved and the result was a balanced Pistons attack versus what looked like a one-dimensional Sixers offense. AI2 had his best game of the series but it looked like he was their only option out there.

I loved this game's rotation and sub pattern. IF we are going to get Amir involved later in the playoffs then it seems like he better get some serious minutes in Game 6 to wipe off that rust. He almost hurt himself biting on a Jason Smith shot fake.

When is someone going to give us that red "X" over the number "3"?


I kinda miss the "faces" concept. :)

This team is maddeningly frustrating w/ its Jekyll and Hyde personality. 14 qtrs of garbage followed by 6 qtrs of high quality bball. When the Pistons are on its hard to imagine anyone beating them. When they are off they completely mail it in and look terrible, not just average. It's almost like all the starters (Tay excluded in this series, Sheed to an extent) agree to bomb at the same time or perform at the same time. Why can't they play like Game 5 every night?

This team is maddeningly frustrating w/ its Jekyll and Hyde personality. 14 qtrs of garbage followed by 6 qtrs of high quality bball. When the Pistons are on its hard to imagine anyone beating them. When they are off they completely mail it in and look terrible, not just average. It's almost like all the starters (Tay excluded in this series, Sheed to an extent) agree to bomb at the same time or perform at the same time. Why can't they play like Game 5 every night?

If it ain't rough...:sssh:

I'm not sure why people keep forgetting that the Pistons did, in fact, play 4 very good quarters in Game 2. They were clicking from start to finish in that game. It doesn't change the overall point, which I think we all agree on--their inconsistency is still dangerous and frustrating--but let's at least get our facts straight.

I'm not sure why people keep forgetting that the Pistons did, in fact, play 4 very good quarters in Game 2. They were clicking from start to finish in that game. It doesn't change the overall point, which I think we all agree on--their inconsistency is still dangerous and frustrating--but let's at least get our facts straight.


My mistake. The bad performances i.e. Game 1. Game 3 and Game 4.5 (1st half) have been really bad and sub-consciously left a deeper mark in my mind.

My mistake. The bad performances i.e. Game 1. Game 3 and Game 4.5 (1st half) have been really bad and sub-consciously left a deeper mark in my mind.

Yea, "14 quarters of garbage" is quite the inaccuracy. Actually, in Game 1, the Pistons played great in the first half, leading 51-38 at the intermission. It was a long time ago (a week), though, so I can see how you could forget....:pound:

Yea, "14 quarters of garbage" is quite the inaccuracy. Actually, in Game 1, the Pistons played great in the first half, leading 51-38 at the intermission. It was a long time ago (a week), though, so I can see how you could forget....:pound:

Quit bustin my chops Bill.:)

Brilliant move by Flip bring AA in to the game. If you were watching closely you'd have noticed Mo Cheeks, too distracted to coach, constantly looking over to the Pistons' bench to see if Amir was also coming in. (If you missed this you'll probably catch it today in your slo-mo film review.)

What team out there doesn't need to hit shots to win? Flip's problem is he goes no deeper than this.

I think DET should have been awarded 3 points when Young tipped the ball into the Pistons' basket. Sheed let go of the ball from outside the line and Young was in the air when he touched it. That, my friends, is a 3 pointer. Another Davis Stern conspiracy if you ask me.

How many players can hit 4 3's in a quarter one game (Even if he shouldn't have taken them.) and then block 6 and 7 shots in another?

Dyess has been working out off the bench, but I think I'd switch it back next series presuming there is one............

I think DET should have been awarded 3 points when Young tipped the ball into the Pistons' basket. Sheed let go of the ball from outside the line and Young was in the air when he touched it. That, my friends, is a 3 pointer.

The rule also says that the basket goes to the closest player. So, the bucket is CB's, who was obviously inside the arc. The only way that it would have been a 3 would have been if it were a tipped shot.

i don't see how that could be a 3-pointer. alley oops from behind the line are not.

the palace was rocking last night. it was an early game, people were waiting in line for bobbleheads and there was a lot of traffic, so it wasn't full right away, but the crowd was into it the whole time and never let up.

maxiell is for real, and his legs are there, and we should be encouraged. philly has no answer for max being the starter, and dyess with fresh legs completely annihilates reggie evans who had his worst game of the series.

stuckey was great. that quick pass to dyess with the shot clock winding down was a veteran move. he made smart decisions with the ball and continues to follow his own misses. before the game started i told my buddy 'please let jarvis ride the pine the rest of the series and let afflalo take his place', and lo' and behold it happens. afflalo was incredible last night - solid defense, steals, made baskets, forced turnovers and bad shots, and contested everything. i'd be surprised to see jarvis thursday. if anything, herrmann is a much better match against philly.

My mistake. The bad performances i.e. Game 1. Game 3 and Game 4.5 (1st half) have been really bad and sub-consciously left a deeper mark in my mind.

game 1 27-22, 24-16 for a half time lead of 51-38.... folded the 2nd half

game 2 basically 4 good quarters lost the 4th with a big lead

game 3 lets forget it ever happened as fans... players never better forget though

game 4 first half continued the game 3 funk.... but 2nd half was great

game 5 basically a repeat of game 2

They have played basically 8 bad quarters over 3 games 2 in two games and one game of 4 bad quarters...and even tied one of those quarters

Its not good they failed as much as they have in the playoffs so far but its not as nearly bad as we want to make it out to be at times

My internet screwed up last night (and is currently still screwed up) so i'm posting from school.

AA played. AA owned defensively. It was a blow-out. We didn't lose the lead. Just sayin. :)

Now all we need to do is get Flip to play him consistently and give Amir minutes and we're perfect.

I didn't read the comments so don't know if this was stated, but we were on fire this game. A little concerning to win b/c of the 3 ball and hot shooting, but i thought the defense held for most of the game.

What a difference with Max starting and having a quick, athlethic player who can close out, and defend pick and roll. Props to Sheed. Monster defensive game.

It's about time Chauncey hit a shot, Rip was good, Tay was stellar. Dice was much better off the bench. Stuckey played better. Don't know why he was taken out towards the end. Jarvis didn't play, and nobody went off on us!

We finally made some offensive adjustments. Now they have to go to Philly and take care of business.

Also i like the idea of doubling Miller. We were trying to cut the head off which we thought was Iggy, but it really starts and ends with Miller.

If Pistons D can hold Philly to low 80's they should have no problem winning game 6. But I don't think that D was much of an issue throughout the series. You can't play much D if you turn the ball over and the other team is running on you. It kind of reminded me of the series against NJ a few years back when they torched Pistons with their fast break.