Detroit Pistons (and NBA) Playoff Thread

[Rampage_Winger 0]

This was the best series of my lifetime. Chauncey should've won Finals MVP. Stones are our equals. *zen*

[mattcorpolongo 0]

Ben Wallace should have won Finals MVP, Champs or no Champs...Tim Duncan didn't deserve it.

[auxlepli 17]

I'm disappointed Detroit didn't win.

I hate Texas teams, although Tim Duncan is pretty cool.

[gowingsgo 3]

Last night was a perfect example of how I can call Tim Duncan the best player in basketball. Even when he was struggling shooting with double and triple teams he found open players for big shots and was able to finally make some free throws. It would be very hard to argue against Tim Duncan being the best baller in the league right now.

San Antonio won this game ugly with sick defense in the 2nd half. Bowen shut down B-B-B-Billups. Rip had a hand in his face all night. The only Pistons doing it were McDyess, Sheed and Wallace.

Robert Horry was SO clutch last night. He took charges, blocked shots, had key steals, offensive rebounds and hit the 3s and free throws needed to help seal the deal.

The Pistons should be back minus LB. Dont know how that affects them in the east but the east will be a lot tougher with the Heat coming back healthy.

Glad I didnt have to eat any crow, but Detroit put up one hell of a good fight.

This leaves one unanswered question....

ARE YOU READY FOR SOME FOOTBALL??

[TheGoonSquad0208 1]

Ya we did lose however it was a good game, though this isn't my favorite sport and the off season in the NHL is coming soon enough .

Edited June 24, 2005 by TheGoonSquad0208

[gowingsgo 3]

Ya we did lose however it was a good game, though this isn't my favorite sport and the off season in the NHL is coming soon enough .

I dont see the NHL coming back anytime soon....that needs a forum and a thread of its own

[dallas27 7]

Detroit couldn't hit the broadside of a barn last night and S.A. was hitting everything, thats the only real difference I saw. They were both making all the hustle plays and what not just that Detroit shot like s**t and S.A. was hitting everything.

The ONLY reason why Duncan got MVP is becuase they won game 7 and everyone was questioning his "skills" or whatever. Chauncey, although he didn't play well in game 7, kept the Pistons in this series and he should have got it.

As I said earlier I do not mind losing to S.A. at all although the bitter taste of defeat does suck. I'm still happy with how the Pistons came back from a 2-0 deficit and force a game 7 which they stood no chance at doing.

Word of warning: Once Delfino gets a season under his belt Detroit may make it hard for the '05 Champs to repeat and they just may reclaim it back. That kid is going to do wonders scoring and assist wise for the Pistons. Tayshaun should get better and hopefully he will show up for the whole playoffs next year.

[gowingsgo 3]

DETROIT SAN ANTONIO

Points 74 81

FG Made-Attempted 31-74 (.419) 29-68 (.426)

3P Made-Attempted 2-14 (.143) 7-11 (.636)

FT Made-Attempted 10-14 (.714) 16-19 (.842)

3 pointers, free throws and clutch defensive stops at the end of the game won this for San Antonio. Otherwise both teams shot poorly last night. The poor shots can be attributed to good defense. There weren't very many wide open looks last night.

[dallas27 7]

DETROIT SAN ANTONIO

Points 74 81

FG Made-Attempted 31-74 (.419) 29-68 (.426)

3P Made-Attempted 2-14 (.143) 7-11 (.636)

FT Made-Attempted 10-14 (.714) 16-19 (.842)

3 pointers, free throws and clutch defensive stops at the end of the game won this for San Antonio. Otherwise both teams shot poorly last night. The poor shots can be attributed to good defense. There weren't very many wide open looks last night.

The Spurs shot 45.5% from the field comparted to Detroits 37.5%. 45.5% from the field is not shooting poorly...37.5% is however poor....

[BlueMonk 102]

You have to tip your hat to the Spurs. They made the big shots down the stretch and played great defense. The criticism of Tim Duncan throughout this series was overreactionary. The fact is the Detroit frontcourt plays some of the toughest defense anyone has ever seen. Of course he wasn't going to go 35 and 20 every game against the Pistons. But he was still the best player on the floor, no doubt about it.

Nothing for the Pistons to hang their heads about, that's for sure. They had one hell of a season and removed any doubt about their 2004 championship with another great postseason. 31 playoff wins in two seasons isn't bad!

[gowingsgo 3]

DETROIT  SAN ANTONIO

Points  74  81

FG Made-Attempted  31-74 (.419)  29-68 (.426)

3P Made-Attempted  2-14 (.143)  7-11 (.636)

FT Made-Attempted  10-14 (.714)  16-19 (.842)

3 pointers, free throws and clutch defensive stops at the end of the game won this for San Antonio. Otherwise both teams shot poorly last night. The poor shots can be attributed to good defense. There weren't very many wide open looks last night.

The Spurs shot 45.5% from the field comparted to Detroits 37.5%. 45.5% from the field is not shooting poorly...37.5% is however poor....

You're right. I read that stat box wrong. They separated the 3s from field goals. 37% is crap

[RockyMountainWingGal 108]

Yup, you still gotta love the Pistons effort. I agree it was probably over after the Game 5 debacle. BUT, they could have gone to San Anton and just laid an egg -- instead they put up a good fight - at least until the last quarter last night....

All I can say is at least the Pistons defended their title to the wire - for all you who are clamoring for the return of hockey, remember how the Red Wings defended their last title in the playoffs??? Wasn't pretty, was it?

I'm sure I'll be glued to the set when hockey returns, but the Pistons have really gotten me back into basketball the last several years - plus the Nuggets out here are drastically improving and I sincerely hope they give the Spurs a run for their money in the West next year.

Congratulations Pistons on a great 2005 season!

[Heaton 1]

I'm sure I'll be glued to the set when hockey returns, but the Pistons have really gotten me back into basketball the last several years

no doubt, it's kinda funny but this year without hockey has actually been a good year with sports for me. before when the red wings were on all the time, i'd never pay attention to football or basketball really, sure i'd watch a game here or there, watch the playoffs, but i was never into it was i was with hockey. i wasn't as enthralled into the other sports. now that i watched football so entetnly and watch the nba playoffs so closely, it'll be interesting to see how i deal with all of the sports next year.

[Rice 42]

It was a good run.

Next year will be great, as the Miami rivalry will be in full force.

Darko will finally get his chance to play in the NBA's summer leagues and get some experience. Hopefully he wont be a waste of bench next year.

If Larry Brown doesnt come back, there is a good chance Delfino will. He wouldve been huge for the Pistons.

Joe will definately tweak the Pistons' bench, I dont see it getting worse.

[Cruiser008 37]

A few final thoughts about Game 7 (and the series) from me now that's I've had some time to digest the disappointing loss yesterday.

1) Popovich is a GENIUS; he called an early TO to calm down Parker thus allowing him to hold his own against Billups, he at least had some part in bring Duncan's confidence back, esp. at the free throw line, and the most ingenius move of all, putting Bowen on Chauncey (which works because Billips isn't particularly quick)and Parker on Rip (which works because Hamilton doesn't have a post-up game) during the 4th quarter

2) The officials called the game pretty tightly (although it was a fairly reffed game), a fact that hurt the Pistons

3) Hunter and Hamilton let Detroit down; Lindsey especially couldn't hit an open jumper to save his life

4) Lastly, while Hunter and McDyess played admirably, the lack of a dependable back-up at the 2/3 positions REALLY hurt Detroit in this series. Most of the time neither Hamilton nor Prince had a jump in their step, and by game 7 both players were running on FUMES. It's awfully tough when almost half the team has nothing left in the tank.

Looking ahead, the Pistons will DEFINITELY be back, but they've missed a GOLDEN opportunity. We were fortunate that most of our lineup was healthy, whereas teams like Miami and Phoenix had their hopes derailed by significant injuries to key players (i.e D Wade and J Johnson).

It would also be nice if Detroit could get a better regular season record. However I don't know if that's likely since so much of our game relies on energy and hustle, and as Detroit showed in these playoffs, there's only so many times you can go to the 'well'.

As for next year, the keys for Detroit are Delfino and the development of Milicic. I haven't criticised Joe D. for picking him yet, but next year is gonna be the make-or-break year for Darko.

It was enjoyable following the Pistons this year, but despite having seen an epic NBA finals, I'd still say that game for game, minute for minute, NOTHING beats the Stanley Cup playoffs.

[RockyMountainWingGal 108]

It was enjoyable following the Pistons this year, but despite having seen an epic NBA finals, I'd still say that game for game, minute for minute, NOTHING beats the Stanley Cup playoffs.

Good post above .... ^

I have to say that the last few years' Stanley Cup playoffs have been quite boring, at least imo. It doesn't help that the Wings flopped out early both years - with very disappointing performances. The Avalanche also had terrible playoff years - yeah I don't want them to win in the end, but they're fun to watch.

The Ducks killed the playoffs for me two years ago - WCF Ducks vs Wild - I'd rather watch golf..... Last year wasn't much better. I like the Lightning, but I wasn't all that thrilled about the series vs the Flames.

I hope when the NHL does return, they will have a better product out on the ice - and I will still feel like I used to about the playoffs... here's hopin'.....

[eva unit zero 271]

DETROIT   SAN ANTONIO

Points  74  81

FG Made-Attempted  31-74 (.419)  29-68 (.426)

3P Made-Attempted  2-14 (.143)  7-11 (.636)

FT Made-Attempted  10-14 (.714)  16-19 (.842)

3 pointers, free throws and clutch defensive stops at the end of the game won this for San Antonio. Otherwise both teams shot poorly last night. The poor shots can be attributed to good defense. There weren't very many wide open looks last night.

The Spurs shot 45.5% from the field comparted to Detroits 37.5%. 45.5% from the field is not shooting poorly...37.5% is however poor....

You're right. I read that stat box wrong. They separated the 3s from field goals. 37% is crap

the 31-74 includes 3 pointers

31-74 shots made=62 points

2-14 3 pointers=2 additional points

10-14 FT shooting=10 points

total 74.

[eva unit zero 271]

A few final thoughts about Game 7 (and the series) from me now that's I've had some time to digest the disappointing loss yesterday.

1) Popovich is a GENIUS; he called an early TO to calm down Parker thus allowing him to hold his own against Billups, he at least had some part in bring Duncan's confidence back, esp. at the free throw line, and the most ingenius move of all, putting Bowen on Chauncey (which works because Billips isn't particularly quick)and Parker on Rip (which works because Hamilton doesn't have a post-up game) during the 4th quarter

2) The officials called the game pretty tightly (although it was a fairly reffed game), a fact that hurt the Pistons

3) Hunter and Hamilton let Detroit down; Lindsey especially couldn't hit an open jumper to save his life

4) Lastly, while Hunter and McDyess played admirably, the lack of a dependable back-up at the 2/3 positions REALLY hurt Detroit in this series. Most of the time neither Hamilton nor Prince had a jump in their step, and by game 7 both players were running on FUMES. It's awfully tough when almost half the team has nothing left in the tank.

Looking ahead, the Pistons will DEFINITELY be back, but they've missed a GOLDEN opportunity. We were fortunate that most of our lineup was healthy, whereas teams like Miami and Phoenix had their hopes derailed by significant injuries to key players (i.e D Wade and J Johnson).

It would also be nice if Detroit could get a better regular season record. However I don't know if that's likely since so much of our game relies on energy and hustle, and as Detroit showed in these playoffs, there's only so many times you can go to the 'well'.

As for next year, the keys for Detroit are Delfino and the development of Milicic. I haven't criticised Joe D. for picking him yet, but next year is gonna be the make-or-break year for Darko.

It was enjoyable following the Pistons this year, but despite having seen an epic NBA finals, I'd still say that game for game, minute for minute, NOTHING beats the Stanley Cup playoffs.

I would have liked to see Darko get some time in the playoffs, especially with Wallace/Wallace/McDyess in foul trouble in game 7. Who did we have in ? Campbell at center. Prince was our excuse for a PF and Hamilton was up playing SF. The Spurs killed during that period because Prince and Hamilton were being outmuscled.

Tell me that a 7 foot white guy isn't gonna help there? Especially considering he does have some pretty good offensive skills.

[BlueMonk 102]

Interesting article debunking the myth of Big Shot Bob.

[mattcorpolongo 0]

Pistons will draft Salim Stoudomire..Small...But un-real shooting range..The best shooter in this years draft.

Arroyo needs to be gone, Mike James needs to be back...Corliss Williamson Needs to be back... Dupree needs to fine tune his game...Darko needs more playing time...Delfino needs to produce..Dunkin Darvin needs to exit...(BRING BACK SCORLESS CORLISS)...and MIKE JAMES!!!

Edited June 27, 2005 by mattcorpolongo

[dallas27 7]

Pistons will draft Salim Stoudomire..Small...But un-real shooting range..The best shooter in this years draft.

Arroyo needs to be gone, Mike James needs to be back...Corliss Williamson Needs to be back... Dupree needs to fine tune his game...Darko needs more playing time...Delfino needs to produce..Dunkin Darvin needs to exit...(BRING BACK SCORLESS CORLISS)...and MIKE JAMES!!!

Hate to disappoint ya but that will not happen....

[dallas27 7]

"Larry Loyalists wonder how the Pistons would ever survive without his influence from the bench. He's still an X-and-O ace, but the Pistons also need a coach who makes it a goal to make an NBA player out of Milicic. The Pistons are already younger than the Spurs. Imagine their depth if Carlos, Carlos and Darko reach their potential."

http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/playoffs2005...marc&id=2094534

[mannysBETTER3434 1]

Hey everyone its good to be back... I was really disapointed I couldn't talk about the playoffs here. After every game I wanted to log on but because of computer problems and a new job its been hard, but hopfully I can stop by a little more now

Now on the Pistons.....

Like someone said we need Scorless Corlis back (did I just say that?) but I doubt it will happen. Things we need next year is Darko/Delifino to get better. Darko though will probally need an injury to get into the line-up. There is no way he will be better then Ben/Sheed/Dice.

Ham Slam, Hunter, Cambell will probally be gone. Hopfully Arroyo is gone as well because he is worthless. I hope Fransico Garcia is still available tommorow during the draft I think he would fit good coming off the bench for us. I saw a mock draft of us taking some French center. I hope not, I'm sick of us taking foreing players who we know nothing about. Salim Stodamire could be nice too, theres even a chance we could sign him as a FA if not drafted.

Dream Scenario (NEVER WILL HAPPEN)

We trade Darko to Portland for the 3rd pick and take Paul or D. Williams. Either could come off the bench for Billups (this is considering Hunter/Arroyo are gone)

Its good to be back!

[Rice 42]

Rumor is Detroit wants Alan Houston or Michael Finley or someone like them. I think Finley would be great for the Pistons. The problem is they both have HUGE contracts.

[mannysBETTER3434 1]

Houston is suppose to be released tommorow, but I guess his huge contract will not be as high because of the new bargining agreement.

Speaking of high contracts, Arroyo has one and should go.......

On the radio rumor has it the Pistons will try to trade up and draft Charlie Villanueva from UCONN. I don't know hardly anything about this guy. Does anyone?

Edited June 27, 2005 by mannysBETTER3434