Detroit Pistons (and NBA) Playoff Thread

[Aussie_Wing 354]

I want Dupree in for Prince. And anyone for Billups, ANYONE.

[Muse 3]

I'm tellin you...like I posted a bit above...we gotta punish anyone that comes drivin to the lane...

I aint fukin around...I really mean hammer them! I want the Spur to be woozy...maybe even knocked out for a minute. We NEED Bad Boys, 1989/1990 Pistons basketball...we need Laimbeer, Mahorn type of nastiness...

Make this the ugliest game ever...if we gotta win the game 58-57, so be it...

Are you suggesting a "Kill 'em all" defense????

[Aussie_Wing 354]

Udrich cutting up Billups. WHAT IS HE DOING?!?

[whitneydatsyukrox 0]

7 minutes left and they're down by 10. Detroit can pull out a win if they really put on a huge run and don't let up the rest of the game.

[Aussie_Wing 354]

We just let up! SO PATHETIC, WE HAVE GOT NO IDEA HOW TO DEFEND!

[Heaton 1]

You know, we lost this game on our own, we were horrible. Now I know this is no secret, but the way we play basketball we have about a 30% chance to win this series because of how the refs are calling games, it just doens't work for us.

Our poor shooting, shotty defense on top of the horrible reffing spells disaster for the defending champs.

[Heaton 1]

Also, I wanna have the mindset that this series is like last years ALCS with the Red Sox and the Yankees how the Yankees just DESTROYED the Red Sox in game 3, but the Red Sox fought back. ah well, who knows what'll happen.

[RockyMountainWingGal 108]

At least the Suns made a run at it in all of the games they lost vs the Spurs. This is just plain embarassing. Yes we do need the "Bad Boys" back, 'cause nobody out there in a Pistons uniform qualifies as such! Where's Bill Laimbeer? Suit him up and send him in - couldn't be worse than this bunch. Hell, put Darko in to start the next game - shy not?

[eva unit zero 271]

Doesn't help that the Spurs have more than twice as many FT attempts as Detroit...Duncan and Ginobli each have been to the line almost as much as the entire Detroit TEAM.

This officiating is SICKENING. The Spurs' lead has come almost entirely from FTs...and you can't seriously tell me that they have committed less than half as many fouls as Detroit.

The Spurs would be up by 4, give or take a couple if they hadn't had the 20 attempt advantage.

Just disgusting. Ginobli has dropped 16 from the field and ELEVEN from the line. Duncan has put in 8 of his 18 from the line. You're gonna tell me that this isn't another case of bubble fouls?

[Rampage_Winger 0]

HI DERE MY NAME IS DETROIT AND I HAVE A VICTIM COMPLEX

[BlueMonk 102]

You gotta hand it to the Spurs. They're just that good. They've learned a lot since last season. They choked away a series against the Lakers. Got a big lead and then were just dissected in the next four games. They're smarter now.

The Spurs' weakness is Tony Parker. But they can easily overcome that. So much depth and the defensive tenacity is incredible. This team could be a dynasty if the key players stick around. Very impressive.

[Aussie_Wing 354]

Yeh not many Detroit playoff games have been on TV in Australia, but I got this one. I see what your talking about, the officials are a disgrace. Especially in the 1st qtr, some of those calls were pathetic.

Detroit are not looking good. Prince?????????? NOW IS THE TIME!

[gowingsgo 3]

Really? They aren't? Man, good thing you said that becuase I thought they were, thanks for pointing that out Captain Obvious. It's more like the Pistons stopped hitting shots, they had wide open looks nearly every shot but couldn't hit them.

The Pistons did not come out "tentative" they were real aggressive in that first quarter/half hence all their steals, blocks, and buckets but seemed to die down after that. I was using the first quarter as an example of how well the Pistons can play, that is when Sheed is involved, he was responsible for many of those steals, blocks, and buckets in the early going, but they faded away from him and in turn so did the game.

*EDIT* I think the Pistons only had 2-3 turnovers in the first half...

Anytime you want to take your foot out of your mouth and give the Spurs their props for beating up the defending champs you can do so. They need to finish the series before anyone crowns them champs but they are well on their way to doing so.

Keep on X'ing and O'ing the series for us. I like reading all the commentary on basketball games from a hockey point of view.

[eva unit zero 271]

Really?  They aren't?  Man, good thing you said that becuase I thought they were, thanks for pointing that out Captain Obvious.  It's more like the Pistons stopped hitting shots, they had wide open looks nearly every shot but couldn't hit them.

The Pistons did not come out "tentative" they were real aggressive in that first quarter/half hence all their steals, blocks, and buckets but seemed to die down after that.  I was using the first quarter as an example of how well the Pistons can play, that is when Sheed is involved, he was responsible for many of those steals, blocks, and buckets in the early going, but they faded away from him and in turn so did the game.

*EDIT* I think the Pistons only had 2-3 turnovers in the first half...

Anytime you want to take your foot out of your mouth and give the Spurs their props for beating up the defending champs you can do so. They need to finish the series before anyone crowns them champs but they are well on their way to doing so.

Keep on X'ing and O'ing the series for us. I like reading all the commentary on basketball games from a hockey point of view.

The Spurs have done well, no doubt...but they have not been that much better...the score is not showing the way the game has been...as I said...the ridiculous difference in foul calls was almost the exact difference in the score.

I can understand some of the late fouls and Chancey's T, due to frustration and all. But a hck of a lot of those fouls were called early. And that huge discrepancy and the similarity between the Spurs' lead in FT points to the Spurs' margin of victory is AWFUL suspicious.

When's the last time you saw an NBA finals game where one team received DOUBLE the number of free throws?

Are you gonna tell me the Pistons were just hackin away that much, and the Spurs were just that clean?

Don't buy that for a second.

[Rampage_Winger 0]

Really?  They aren't?  Man, good thing you said that becuase I thought they were, thanks for pointing that out Captain Obvious.  It's more like the Pistons stopped hitting shots, they had wide open looks nearly every shot but couldn't hit them.

The Pistons did not come out "tentative" they were real aggressive in that first quarter/half hence all their steals, blocks, and buckets but seemed to die down after that.  I was using the first quarter as an example of how well the Pistons can play, that is when Sheed is involved, he was responsible for many of those steals, blocks, and buckets in the early going, but they faded away from him and in turn so did the game.

*EDIT* I think the Pistons only had 2-3 turnovers in the first half...

Anytime you want to take your foot out of your mouth and give the Spurs their props for beating up the defending champs you can do so. They need to finish the series before anyone crowns them champs but they are well on their way to doing so.

Keep on X'ing and O'ing the series for us. I like reading all the commentary on basketball games from a hockey point of view.

The Spurs have done well, no doubt...but they have not been that much better...the score is not showing the way the game has been...as I said...the ridiculous difference in foul calls was almost the exact difference in the score.

I can understand some of the late fouls and Chancey's T, due to frustration and all. But a hck of a lot of those fouls were called early. And that huge discrepancy and the similarity between the Spurs' lead in FT points to the Spurs' margin of victory is AWFUL suspicious.

When's the last time you saw an NBA finals game where one team received DOUBLE the number of free throws?

Are you gonna tell me the Pistons were just hackin away that much, and the Spurs were just that clean?

Don't buy that for a second.

Here's a hint: charge into the lane towards the basket AND YOU WILL DRAW FOULS. This isn't difficult. If the Pistons' offense wasn't so anemic, they wouldn't be settling for jump shots and missing lay ups. You want some discrepencies? Let's look.

Tayshaun Prince 1-7

Richard Hamilton 5-15

Tony Parker 6-9

Manu Ginobili 6-8

If you shoot like s**t, you will lose.

And while I'm at it, if you're desperate and you know it, blame the refs. I mean, for f**k's sake, why would the NBA favor a small-to-medium market like San Antonio? Give me a break.

[Rice 42]

Tim Duncan, and the latest and greatest Manu Ginobili who everyone LOVES.

Honestly, how many segments have you seen about him in the past few days..

NEVER is there that much attention centered around 1 Piston.

[Cruiser008 37]

We've been thoroughly outplayed since about the 4 minute mark of the 1st quarter of game 1; simple as that.

Now let me address the officiating. The Spurs ARE getting more calls than us, but it's not as if the officials are out to get us at all. Of the players on SA, only Duncan and Ginobili are getting the benefit of the doubt on 50/50 calls, aka the 'Star Treatment'. Ya know why? 'Cause they are STARS!

This goes back to the point I made earlier about the NBA's fundamental flaw with respect to fairness; namely the fact that its a STAR-DRIVEN league, and as such the quantity and quality of favourable calls a player receives is (in general, especially in the playoffs when more people are watching) directly proportional to a player's star power. This is precisely why Detroit was getting ripped off by officiating so much during the Miami series (Shaq and Wade are two of the most popular Superstars in the league). With San Antonio the reffing has been practically fair, and frankly Detroit needs to DEAL WITH IT, a LOT better than they have been.

Edited June 13, 2005 by Cruiser008

[Rampage_Winger 0]

Tim Duncan, and the latest and greatest Manu Ginobili who everyone LOVES.

Honestly, how many segments have you seen about him in the past few days..

NEVER is there that much attention centered around 1 Piston.

Isn't the whole Pistons shtick the team concept? Plus Rasheed is a whiny c**t. The Pistons will get a lot of screen time when the series shifts over to Detroit.

I thought it was established that Tim Duncan is one of the least marketable superstars in the game. Don't understand this finger pointing at all.

There are a number of reasons that Ginobili is getting so much attention. He's a charismatic fellow with unique talent, taking on a bigger role than any foreign player before him (I'll change my answer if Dirk ever leads the Mavs to the Finals). He's setting up to become the Finals MVP with his play. I suppose you could say the NBA is trying to manufacture a new superstar, but honestly, Ginobili seems to be doing that well enough on his own. Just because something "makes sense" doesn't mean it's true (see: Scott Lucidi).

And I don't see how a 21-point drubbing is the responsibility of the refs. Television ratings are routinely higher for close games and for a close series. At this rate, a close series does not appear imminent. Unless you're playing the Lakers, I fail to see how blaming the officiating is anything but grasping at straws.

Edited June 13, 2005 by Rampage_Winger

[johnogrodnickfanclub 0]

HI DERE MY NAME IS DETROIT AND I HAVE A VICTIM COMPLEX

dude, even the spurs own ice man george gervin said on national tv that the pistons just aren't getting the calls...

[gowingsgo 3]

You guys were complaining that the Heat were getting all the calls in the last series. If the Pistons want calls then they need to drive to the basket and create contact.

Its as simple as that and that is the style that is getting San Antonio to the line for all of their free throws. Jump shooting teams arent going to get to the free throw line because they are easier to defend than driving and slashing teams.

There was only a SIX foul difference in the game. That is by no means a big difference, but when a foul becomes a shooting foul or when a team gets their opponent into the penalty they create more scoring opportunities. The Pistons aren't doing this and settling for jumpers isnt going to land you many free throw attempts.

Anyways, the Pistons will get the "home court" calls in the Palace and they'll still get handled by the Spurs. There aren't too many more excuses to pull out of the bag.

[Muse 3]

Tim Duncan, and the latest and greatest Manu Ginobili who everyone LOVES.

Honestly, how many segments have you seen about him in the past few days..

NEVER is there that much attention centered around 1 Piston.

Isn't the whole Pistons shtick the team concept? Plus Rasheed is a whiny c**t. The Pistons will get a lot of screen time when the series shifts over to Detroit.

I thought it was established that Tim Duncan is one of the least marketable superstars in the game. Don't understand this finger pointing at all.

There are a number of reasons that Ginobili is getting so much attention. He's a charismatic fellow with unique talent, taking on a bigger role than any foreign player before him (I'll change my answer if Dirk ever leads the Mavs to the Finals). He's setting up to become the Finals MVP with his play. I suppose you could say the NBA is trying to manufacture a new superstar, but honestly, Ginobili seems to be doing that well enough on his own. Just because something "makes sense" doesn't mean it's true (see: Scott Lucidi).

And I don't see how a 21-point drubbing is the responsibility of the refs. Television ratings are routinely higher for close games and for a close series. At this rate, a close series does not appear imminent. Unless you're playing the Lakers, I fail to see how blaming the officiating is anything but grasping at straws.

Well said.

The simple fact is that the Spurs far outplayed the Pistons in both games. Two blowouts.

Its not an officiating problem. It is instead a matter of discipline, taking good shots, and confidence. The Pistons do not look as poised or as focused as they did in either of their two previous series of this playoff run. San Antonio showed them a lesson in game one, and the Pistons did not respond with playing a smart game - they instead look haphazard. They started to look a bit haggard in the last couple games of the Heat series. Unfortunately, they haven't regained their composure.

And it seemed like practically no one could hit a simple shot in most of the second half of last game. That was certainly some bad luck... but also just bad positioning. Players were losing their cool and not focusing on doing what they do best. They let their defense break down, and SA was running circles around them.

And not one Piston three pointer in this entire game. I mean, come on. Not one.

They need to calm down and get it together so they don't get blown out in a sweep. I said before this series, and I'll say it again: Pistons will lose in 6, possibly 5. And I don't see them winning any games with a 20 point margin, that's for sure.

Edited June 13, 2005 by Muse

[dallas27 7]

Really?  They aren't?  Man, good thing you said that becuase I thought they were, thanks for pointing that out Captain Obvious.  It's more like the Pistons stopped hitting shots, they had wide open looks nearly every shot but couldn't hit them.

The Pistons did not come out "tentative" they were real aggressive in that first quarter/half hence all their steals, blocks, and buckets but seemed to die down after that.  I was using the first quarter as an example of how well the Pistons can play, that is when Sheed is involved, he was responsible for many of those steals, blocks, and buckets in the early going, but they faded away from him and in turn so did the game.

*EDIT* I think the Pistons only had 2-3 turnovers in the first half...

Anytime you want to take your foot out of your mouth and give the Spurs their props for beating up the defending champs you can do so. They need to finish the series before anyone crowns them champs but they are well on their way to doing so.

Keep on X'ing and O'ing the series for us. I like reading all the commentary on basketball games from a hockey point of view.

Anytime you want to jump off the Spurs bandwaggon you can do so as well. I never said I'm not giving the Spurs any credit, did you see me say that? Did you not see me post that I would not mind losing to the Spurs? Or did your bandwaggon ass just see that? You know what, next year I'll just wait untill the finals and pick the favorite to win just like you k? Maybe I'll get my degree in journalism too. Few questions: How long have you been a Steelers fan? How long have you been a Wings fan? How long have you been a Spurs fan? I see you are from socal and none of the above teams are located there. So make up your bulls**t answer that you've been their fan for a long time to cover up your bandwaggonism (is that a word?). It's not that I have anything against you I'm just sick of you coming here in a Pistons thread and posting non-stop about the Spurs like you've been a fan of them for your whole life. Guess what? You aren't a fan of them, if anything you are a bandwaggon fan, they aren't even your favorite team.

Back on topic: The only difference I see here is that the Spurs are getting calls and making their shots and the Pistons aren't getting any calls and they aren't making their shots. For pete's sake they aren't even making simple layups and little 3 foot shots, it's disgusting. Before you go off and say that I'm not giving any credit to the Spurs for saying that: They are playing "the right way", they are sharing the ball, playing good defense, just playing "the right way." Yes, you do have to drive to the land to draw fouls, but you also need decent refs to notice obvious ones eg. Bens phantom block on Ginobli in the first game, even the announcers said he got away with that one. I notice the Spurs are hella traveling as well, or is it just that the nba is leniant on it? Other than that the Pistons just plain ol' suck (I've never said that before, you can go back and look at all my Detroit posts) and the Spurs are just giving them an ass whoopin'.

[gowingsgo 3]

Been a Steelers fan for 15 years (we didnt have a pro football team in AZ growing up) Kind of hard to have a home team to root for when your home town doesn't have any teams.

Been a Red Wings fan since birth (both parents are from Detroit)

I HATE all So Cal pro sport teams. Worst sports fans in the country.

I understand you're mad that the Pistons are getting punked at their own game but you're excuses for them have run out. Officials don't miss shots or turn the ball over, the players do. If the Pistons want the same calls then they need to play physical and earn those calls. The Spurs beat the Suns at their game and now they are doing the same to the Pistons. I don't have to be a Spurs fan to enjoy a good game of basketball.

For the record I am NOT a San Antonio Spurs fan but I do enjoy watching them play. I am not a bandwagon Spurs fan. You won't see me with a Spurs flag on my car or a Tim Duncan jersey. But you will see me pointing a finger at you for being cocky enough to call me out on a basketball topic when you're obviously lacking game knowledge.

[Heaton 1]

I understand you're mad that the Pistons are getting punked at their own game but you're excuses for them have run out. Officials don't miss shots or turn the ball over, the players do. If the Pistons want the same calls then they need to play physical and earn those calls. The Spurs beat the Suns at their game and now they are doing the same to the Pistons. I don't have to be a Spurs fan to enjoy a good game of basketball.

You're missing the point entirely, losing to the Spurs wouldn't be the worst thing in the world, it wouldn't be like losing to Miami or LA, it wouldn't be like losing to the Pacers.

The Spurs are destroying the Pistons, but at the same time the Pistons aren't helping their case at all. The Spurs are playing almost FLAWLESS basetball, didn't most of if not all of their starters shoot about 50% last night? Didn't Genobli not miss a shot until the THIRD quarter?

The Problem is with the Pistons getting more physical is that the refs will NOT allow them to play that game, everytime we get back some momentum we lose it by trying to play "our" game because a foul is called. Driving to the hoop shouldn't ALWAYS constitute a foul, the Spurs went to the line TWICE as much as Detroit last night, it should always even out at the end of the game.

So once again I'll reiterate, the Spurs are dominating us, they're making their shots, making the big plays, making all of the 3's making the right defensive stops. But at the SAME TIME the refs are just not allowing us to do anything productive in this series.

Would we be winning this series if the refs were better? Probably not. Would we still be looking this bad? Absolutely not.

[BlueMonk 102]

If the Pistons want the same calls then they need to play physical and earn those calls. The Spurs beat the Suns at their game and now they are doing the same to the Pistons.

Absolutely.

Complaints about the officiating are hard for me to understand. My complaint about the officiating in this series is the wild difference between how closely they called game 2 after letting so much contact occur in game 1. But the NBA is always like that, and it looked to me like they called it the same both ways. The Spurs were smart enough to figure it out early on and adjust, the Pistons weren't and didn't. The aggressive team gets the benefit of the doubt, and the Spurs had way more energy (which is inexcusable for the Pistons down 1-0 in a huge game 2).

Detroit may show up strong at home, I don't know. But the Spurs have completely outplayed them in these two games, no excuses. The Pistons need to come out on fire on both ends of the court and outhustle the Spurs. They have to be the team with the most energy. The officiating problems will take care of themselves if they do that.

One thing that even Hubie Brown is failing to acknowledge is how much of the blame for the "easy shots" the Pistons are missing is a result of the Spurs' defense. They close in on the shooter so incredibly fast that the Pistons are rushing those shots. If they take their time and set their shot, it will likely be blocked. The Pistons did the same thing to teams last year, and they also didn't get credit for it, and everyone called it ugly basketball. Sorry, but the defense has a lot to do with that by altering and rushing the shots. It would be nice for the TV guys to at least give credit where credit is due.