All four Around The Horn guys say that this series is over and the Pistons will win in 5 or 6. I can only hope that both teams were on the floor practicing or away from a TV and didn't see this. Last thing we need is for our guys to believe "we got this" after game 1 and suffer through a 7 game series or for the Magic to see it and use if for bulletin board lockeroom fodder.
I asked Dee Brown if that was a ploy that worked, veterans ragging on the young team to get in their heads and make them play our game instead of theirs. Worked on the Mavs last year against the Warriors. He thought that would be the real case instead of getting into a pissing match.
I called this in the chat. Flip was giving DHo multiple looks. It's the oldest trick in the book, to take a star off his game. Never let him get comfortable. The Pistons used to do this to Jordan. I'm no Flip lover, but I certainly think you're over-thinking this. It worked out awesome, because just before Maxey got pulled, he blocked Dwight on a post up through natural aggression, not from trying too hard, and possibly picking up needless fouls.
You guys are giving Flip a lot of credit for winning the opening game of a series. Maybe his rotations were good, but Orlando is going to make some adjustments to what Detroit did in game one. SO... CAN Flip make in game adjustments to what Orlando does tonight to counter what Detroit did to them in game one. If the team falls asleep, let's see what he does to wake them up. If Flip can do that these things then I think maybe he deserves some credit for learning how to coach. Until then, I still think he hasn't shown much, if anything. Maybe this is harsh, but after two years of crap, I think we need to see more. Lots more. Detroit beat a crappy Philly team and this orlando team is nothing to write home about. I'm going to wait until I see more. Not trying to be negative...really. But I am cynical.
Linwood's Recap: With about 5:00 minutes left in the 4th quarter, I predicted a Pistons win. I was right.
Only Tay played "playoff minutes", rest of team had their normal share. God bless not so well oiled clock, it helped not so well oiled team to win.
Yeah with the Pistons up 87-86, and CB at the line, I said the first team to 89 would win and the game would be won at the FT line...well the last 13 points were scored at the FT line
Pistons got a break, but that's not why Orlando lost the game. Pistons gave them multiple chances to tie it up or go ahead, but Lewis turned it over a few times in the end and there went Orlando's chances. Pistons got through the foul trouble to their bigs. Overall lots of calls from the refs both ways. Dyess fouled out as well as Nelson. Bench played major minutes in the 2nd quarter allowing starters to be more rested in the 4th. As Lee would say, the game was won in the 2nd quarter when starters got their rest.
I liked how Chauncey got clobbered, shook it off, and calmly hit both of his free throws. From the replay it looked like the back of his head might have bounced off the floor. Ouch.
The third quarter almost killed the Pistons tonight. They were cheating off shooters on every pick and roll, and the Magic hit a barrage of 3s to make them pay for it. The defense was a lot more effective once they stopped leaving everyone open to stop penetration that hadn't even been particularly deadly or anything. Rip bricking everything was a big liability, although everyone in the frontcourt made up for it by making almost everything. Sheed and Tay were 15-23, and JMax and Dice were a combined 7-7! AA and Stuckey actually played together for most of the 2nd quarter and did a nice job, although Stuckey was pretty bad in the 2nd half. But it probably helped down the stretch; neither CB nor Rip played more than 35 minutes. Actually, aside from Tay at 44 minutes, no one else played more than 35. Orlando had 3 guys over 40 minutes, and Jameer probably would have been close to that if he hadn't fouled out. Bogans was kind of the escape goat for them tonight...27 minutes, 0 points, and 5 fouls?! Ouch. Gutsy win, but I think the Magic are going to be pretty tough down in O-Town.
Pistons have to play much better D if they want to go far in this playoff. They had the Magic down and let them come back w/ shoddy play. They may come back 2-2 if this continues down South.
Looked like another coaching gem by Flip. Obviously, lip readers could see that Van Undies got all up in a bunch after the final buzzer...
