http://wtfdetroit.com/ogt/countdown_10.gif


Pregame
Series tied 2-2

http://us.i1.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/i/us/sp/v/nba/teams/1/80x60/det_2.gifhttp://us.i1.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/i/us/sp/v/nba/players/2005/3174.jpghttp://us.i1.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/i/us/sp/v/nba/players/2005/3330.jpghttp://us.i1.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/i/us/sp/v/nba/players/2005/3621.jpghttp://us.i1.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/i/us/sp/v/nba/players/2005/3006.jpghttp://us.i1.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/i/us/sp/v/nba/players/2005/3149.jpg
VS
http://us.i1.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/i/us/sp/v/nba/teams/1/80x60/cle_2.gifhttp://us.i1.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/i/us/sp/v/nba/players/2005/3045.jpghttp://us.i1.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/i/us/sp/v/nba/players/2005/3639.jpghttp://us.i1.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/i/us/sp/v/nba/players/2005/3704.jpghttp://us.i1.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/i/us/sp/v/nba/players/2005/3602.jpghttp://us.i1.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/i/us/sp/v/nba/players/2005/3121.jpg


(http://wtfdetroit.com/forums/showthread.php?t=5835)
Last game: Pistons lose 74-72 (http://wtfdetroit.com/forums/showthread.php?t=5835)

Game 4 Statistical Leaders



Points:
Richard Hamilton 30
LeBron James 22

Rebounds:
Ben Wallace 10
LeBron James 8

Assists:
Chauncey Billups 7
LeBron James 9

Steals:
Chauncey Billups 3
Two tied 2

Blocks:
Ben Wallace 3
Zyrdunas Illgauskas 3

Bench Points:
Pistons: 7
Cavs: 21




Official Game Chat
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Round 2 schedule:


1. Sun, May 7, 3:30p – Pistons win, 113-86 (http://wtfdetroit.com/forums/showthread.php?t=5741)
2. Tue, May 9, 7:00p – Pistons win, 97-91 (http://wtfdetroit.com/forums/showthread.php?t=5744)
3. Sat, May 13, 5:30p – Pistons lose, 86-77 (http://wtfdetroit.com/forums/showthread.php?t=5765)
4. Mon, May 15, 7:00p – Pistons lose, 74-72 (http://wtfdetroit.com/forums/showthread.php?t=5835)
5. Wed, May 17, 7:00p – at Detroit (TNT)
6. Fri, May 19, TBA – at Cleveland (ESPN)
7.* Sun, May 7, 3:30p – at Detroit (TNT)

*if necessary

alright, i take partial blame for the loss, for being lazy about game 4's OGT. back to the basics.

if Sheed isn't 100%, i hope and pray that Dice can get some offense going. the Cav's bigs can't guard Dice. if Dice can get one of his double doubles off the bench, that'd be huge for us.

offensively, the Pistons should be more loose at home and all those in-an-out shots should drop.

http://img53.imageshack.us/img53/4503/235034dl.jpg

Billups has to show up in this game. I mean, he has fucking Eric Snow guarding him. How can he not average 40pts a game?

Got 'pacas?

http://www.nba.com/media/pistons/media_051003_027.jpg

I hope they're still in the palace. Mike Abdenour obviously forgot to pack them for the trip to cleaveland.

Like I said in chat, I'm writting off the last 2 games as Clev held serve at their house. We should've been able to beat them, but we didn't. It sucks, but keep the eye on the prize. I'm sure we have this series.

We shouldn't even have to be stratesizing about these guys. But...I'm thinking Sheed is going to be gimpy...duh. I watched parts of the game again and there were a couple of possessions where RW got the ball and he didn't even make a move, he just hoisted it...sore ankle.

We ned to go to the basics, run rip on the curls, give it to Tay on the wing, and CBill needs to be selective on his shots, but he can be selective and still score 30.

And a good old fashioned Piston's Defensive effort would be nice. Our D hasn't bee the prob, just want them to keep it up.

I just wan't to get this series over with so I can no longer be subjected the media's sloppy blow job that they are giving LeBron.

I just wan't to get this series over with so I can no longer be subjected the media's sloppy blow job that they are giving LeBron.


Yes but then you get to witness the sloppy blowjob of DWade. Which is the lesser of two evils?

I just wan't to get this series over with so I can no longer be subjected the media's sloppy blow job that they are giving LeBron.


Yes but then you get to witness the sloppy blowjob of DWade. Which is the lesser of two evils?

Actually with MIA you get the Wade/Walker/Shaq/Payton DVDA.

You notice the Lebron hype fizzling out when the Pistons pulverised them the first two games. The surest way for the felatio to stop is to have Ben, Billups and Sheed show up to one of these games and play like they are capable. Before you know it networks are scrambling to replace blowouts with something more competitive.

i just cant stand the star-hype commercials anymore. next year i will go crazy: we will witness my murder of lebron, and wade will not get up that 8th time. but anyway...

due to my superstitious self i changed my pc wallpaper back to the one i had on most of the season, but inflatable ben wont be here til at least game 6. damn backorder, of a present at that. i can only hope the guys play better at home, maybe they just need to hear some deeeetroit basketball. 98-87 pistons.

http://us.i1.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/i/us/sp/v/nba/players/2005/3121.jpg

Fixed.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v63/GlennDanzig/bigz.jpg

So what is this about MoEvans breaking a finger?

So what is this about MoEvans breaking a finger?
wow these voodoo dolls do work. :)

No they don't, since Delfino has yet to get hurt. :(

Detroit wins this 87-80.

No they don't, since Delfino has yet to get hurt. :(

Detroit wins this 87-80.
not my fault you're buying cheap ginoibli dolls and putting delfino's jersey on them.:p

No wonder it kept flopping even though I was nowhere near it.

No wonder it kept flopping even though I was nowhere near it.

LMAO!!

anyone think we might see Carlos Delfino in game 5? with Mo evans supposedly breaking/hurting his thumb, could Flip actually try Delfino on the floor?

anyone think we might see Carlos Delfino in game 5? with Mo evans supposedly breaking/hurting his thumb, could Flip actually try Delfino on the floor?
This is Flip we're talking about here. He'll play Delk at the 3 or some shit.

LOL@Matt for even thinking that for one second.

Honestly, I wouldn't even want Delfino to play right now. He hasn't played with the regulars in about a month. I'd rather they put Rip at the 3 and give Delk more burn at the 2.

I agree. Which should have happened in game 4.

i just as much doubt he would. but i dont care about delfino being rusty on offense. i just want him in for defense. if he can give lebron even half a fit its worth it IMO. can mo break a toe to be safe from him coming back?:o i'd take rip at the 3 over mo anywhere on the court.

If Mo is out for game 5, we most likely will see delfino.

Delfino could actually help us out more in an up-tempo game, so hopefully we come out guns blazing.

If Mo is out for game 5, we most likely will see delfino.

Delfino could actually help us out more in an up-tempo game, so hopefully we come out guns blazing.
yea his ability to pass on the break would be nice. but i'm kinda worried about rust as far as offense is concerned. but baptised by fire may be the motto.

just give Mos minutes to Delk if we struggle to score again

Is Larry Hughes supposed to play on Wednesday?

I think having him for 30+ minutes would be major boost to the Pistons.

just give Mos minutes to Delk if we struggle to score again


Mo has been playing forward exclusively in the playoffs. Delfino is the only sub that can handle that job.

the Cavs are due for a bitch smacking tonight.

Got 'pacas?

http://www.nba.com/media/pistons/media_051003_027.jpg

This post was clearly the work of a clairvoyant.

If Evans can't go, Maxiell will be activated.

He's going to chew Ilgauska's beard off.

i've got two tickets for sale for tonight's game, if anyone's interested. $60 each. PM me edit: sold 'em.

~sigh~ i hate how these two wins somehow changes the balance of power in the east now by espn's standards.


Mark my words, LeBron will take Cleveland to the NBA Finals by 2009 at the latest. But again, this series against Detroit has made even 2007 a possibility.

Yeah, I said it.

I won't pick them to reach the Finals next season (assuming they lose this series to Detroit), but I think they will have to be considered a contender.

The confidence of LeBron's teammates is rising higher and higher by the minute. I could see it during Game 4. I chalked their Game 3 victory up to Detroit being complacent, but I know the Pistons came out fired up for Game 4 because of Rasheed's guarantee.

Still, focused and intent on winning, Detroit could not pull away from Cleveland.

I wrote in my last blog that the Cavs need a ruffneck on that frontline. Well, he's not rugged, he's not hard-core, he's not a "gangsta' rapper" by any stretch of the imagination, but I think Anderson Varejao might be the Cavs' man.

Time to wake up and go to work.

Play time is over.

I still wish we would be playing the Wiz, I hate Lebronamania. If we would have played the Wiz, we would chillaxin by now.

Anderson Varejao will lead the Cavs to the NBA Finals in 2009.





ROFLMAOPIMP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Under 4 hours til game time. I'm pumped. This is the first REAL game of the season.

gotta say, tonight's the closest to a "must win" the Pistons have had so far.

a loss tonight, then going down to Cleveland down 3-2 would suck.

crush 'em tonight and wrap it up in 6.

Anybody going to this? I'll be there.

I'll be there.

I'll also be there.



in spirit

gotta say, tonight's the closest to a "must win" the Pistons have had so far.

a loss tonight, then going down to Cleveland down 3-2 would suck.

crush 'em tonight and wrap it up in 6.
we lose tonight, and i say fire flip no matter what else happens from now on. even if sheed was knocked out of the game!

i woulda been there if it wasnt for Matt selling my tickets. j/k:p

http://img512.imageshack.us/img512/9581/yg6iw.jpg
CAVALIERS - PISTONS

We win 105-87...It's time Detroit.

Anybody going to this? I'll be there.


Was offered tickets, but I have to go to school. A part of me died around 8:38AM today.

ill be here in my livingroom. i learned a few months ago that its not a good idea to watch games at the bar when youre a pistons fan here lol. and id like to say, damn you all who live in detroit and going to games isnt even a big deal.

Our coach sucks. I dont care how this game turns out. that doesn't change.:mad: this faggot believes in a broken thumb mo evans more than shifting rip to SF for delk or putting in delfino. I have no faith in this nervous twitching fuck at all. Wackass worn out defensive scheme, only uses 3 pages out of that supposedly amazing offensive playbook, and his substitutions are fucking atrocious. Fuck Flip and his bitchmade assistants!

If this first-half is any indication of how we are going to play the rest of the way, we deserve to lose.

Our coach sucks. I dont care how this game turns out. that doesn't change.:mad: this faggot believes in a broken thumb mo evans more than shifting rip to SF for delk or putting in delfino. I have no faith in this nervous twitching fuck at all. Wackass worn out defensive scheme, only uses 3 pages out of that supposedly amazing offensive playbook, and his substitutions are fucking atrocious. Fuck Flip and his bitchmade assistants!

Mo Evans has been the Pistons best reserve this series. That says a lot about how our bench is playing.

Well it was a good season.

Down 3-2 to fucking Cleveland?

Fuck this shit.

its time to panic

we lost 3 straight against this fucking lame Cavs team...i could puke right now

Our coach sucks. I dont care how this game turns out. that doesn't change.:mad: this faggot believes in a broken thumb mo evans more than shifting rip to SF for delk or putting in delfino. I have no faith in this nervous twitching fuck at all. Wackass worn out defensive scheme, only uses 3 pages out of that supposedly amazing offensive playbook, and his substitutions are fucking atrocious. Fuck Flip and his bitchmade assistants!

Mo Evans has been the Pistons best reserve this series. That says a lot about how our bench is playing.
no he hasnt. he's actually been our worst. delk may have not scored much, but he never dragged us down like evans has at time. and fuck this our bench sucks bs. or substitutions suck. which goes back to coaching.

its time to panic

we lost 3 straight against this fucking lame Cavs team...i could puke right now
the worst part is that they'll get credit for doing something big, when its more about our coach getting his ass handed to him by mike brown.

This will be just like the New Jersey series


we still got this niggas

The series AINT FUCKING OVER!

This will be just like the New Jersey series


we still got this niggas
yea if we can assassinate the coach in time.:mad:
damn even if we do get this, we dont deserve it. and we probally will win the series on some wild backs against the wall shit. but we still wore ourselves out against the cavs and our coach is still less than mike fucking brown. WTF?

Lost by two Ts.

Rasheed should be fucking shot.

if delf was playing...we would have won



...just wanted you guys to know that

i feel sorry for Dice, he has earned sth better than this...

Flip is the biggest jackass. Can we trade for Larry Brown?

Our coach sucks. I dont care how this game turns out. that doesn't change.:mad: this faggot believes in a broken thumb mo evans more than shifting rip to SF for delk or putting in delfino. I have no faith in this nervous twitching fuck at all. Wackass worn out defensive scheme, only uses 3 pages out of that supposedly amazing offensive playbook, and his substitutions are fucking atrocious. Fuck Flip and his bitchmade assistants!

Mo Evans has been the Pistons best reserve this series. That says a lot about how our bench is playing.
no he hasnt. he's actually been our worst. delk may have not scored much, but he never dragged us down like evans has at time. and fuck this our bench sucks bs. or substitutions suck. which goes back to coaching.

I know the people of this city love to find a scapegoat and pound him to submission, but Mo Evans is not our worst bench player nor is he the reason we're down 3-2. It's just getting laughable now.

I'm sorry, we're not winning with Flip sitting on the bench.

if delf was playing...we would have won



...just wanted you guys to know that
mo evans is our best bench player some that cant be true. he's even better than delk. :confused:

its one thing to let phil jackson own you in the west. but lewtting mike brown make you a servant to his paper king is disgusting.

I know the people of this city love to find a scapegoat and pound him to submission, but Mo Evans is not our worst bench player nor is he the reason we're down 3-2. It's just getting laughable now.
no but he's not any help either. and he's made more bad plays than good. no one here is blaming him. we're actually blaming his coach for believing in him. ;)

If the pistons do win, it'll be in spite of flip. Hopefully someone steps up in the locker room and rallys the boys.

This team is a fucking disgrace.

Fuck em.

I know the people of this city love to find a scapegoat and pound him to submission, but Mo Evans is not our worst bench player nor is he the reason we're down 3-2. It's just getting laughable now.
no but he's not any help either. and he's made more bad plays than good. no one here is blaming him. we're actually blaming his coach for believing in him. ;)

So what has Sheed done the last 3 games other than run his mouth? How about Chauncey and Dice (before that explosion in the 4th quarter today)?

WHERE THE FUCK WAS DELK? WHERE?

He woulda ate Donkey alive. :(

So what has Sheed done the last 3 games other than run his mouth? How about Chauncey and Dice (before that explosion in the 4th quarter today)?
more than mo. which says enough. but i reiterate. its not his fault his coach is dumb enough to believe in him more than delk and delfino.

I know the people of this city love to find a scapegoat and pound him to submission, but Mo Evans is not our worst bench player nor is he the reason we're down 3-2. It's just getting laughable now.
no but he's not any help either. and he's made more bad plays than good. no one here is blaming him. we're actually blaming his coach for believing in him. ;)

So what has Sheed done the last 3 games other than run his mouth? How about Chauncey and Dice (before that explosion in the 4th quarter today)?

Absolutely nothing. I still don't get this Mo-hate, aside from a few mistakes he's been solid off the bench. I'd really like some objective reasons as to what Maurice Evans has did so wrong this playoff.

Absolutely nothing. I still don't get this Mo-hate, aside from a few mistakes he's been solid off the bench. I'd really like some objective reasons as to what Maurice Evans has did so wrong this playoff.
he hasnt scored. his defense on lebron hasn't been worth much(hunter actually played him better oddly enough). of course that momentum killing sequence in game 3 didnt sit well with me as solid. he cant hold on to rebounds still. and lately cant even get to them. made some absolutely dumb fouls.

but to be fair he had a great steal in game 4. unfortunately his play didnt hold up long after that. if he's been our most solid player with his performance. then its worse than i originally thought for us.

I don't agree with the Mo-hate either (and I am a certified Mo hater). For a bench player, he played about as well as he can. There is nothing more you can ask of him.

I don't agree with the Mo-hate either (and I am a certified Mo hater). For a bench player, he played about as well as he can. There is nothing more you can ask of him.
once again (and this is my final say on this because he isnt worth even discussing this long). maybe you have a lower bar set because its him. but i dont. if thats the best he's got, then i hope to never see him on the court again. now im officially done with mo, since imma be pegged as his hater for expecting more than what he's done in the regular season(when he's done less in the post season).

Absolutely nothing. I still don't get this Mo-hate, aside from a few mistakes he's been solid off the bench. I'd really like some objective reasons as to what Maurice Evans has did so wrong this playoff.
he hasnt scored. his defense on lebron hasn't been worth much(hunter actually played him better oddly enough). of course that momentum killing sequence in game 3 didnt sit well with me as solid. he cant hold on to rebounds still. and lately cant even get to them. made some absolutely dumb fouls.

but to be fair he had a great steal in game 4. unfortunately his play didnt hold up long after that. if he's been our most solid player with his performance. then its worse than i originally thought for us.

1. He can't score? He's averaging more points than Delk (on less time nonetheless) on far better shooting.

2. "Momentum killing" is a tad exaggerated. The Pistons had already pissed away a 10 point lead themselves. The LeBron dunk was as much the fault of the inside players who weren't there and that foul while he was on the ground was garbage.

3. His rebounding isn't great, but then again he's usually playing SG. His rebounding is no different than Delk's.

4. Dumb fouls? I think you mean Antonio McDyess, but regardless his fouling numbers aren't terrible and Delk fouls nearly the same amount (both less than Lindsey).

Where is the blame for Joe? I mean everybody is ragging on Flip and Mo. Maybe Joe doesn't control the play or the plays. However Joe is a much to blame IMO for all of this. He spent the MLE on DD who played maybe 48 minutes all year, the rest on Mo who has hurt the growth of Delfino. Not to mention the fact that the Darko debacle hurt the depth of the team two fold. Joe also hired the coach. I am sorry but I am sick of the Saint Joe routine by everyone.

joe aint exempt. he's getting his at the same time. flip's failure is joe's failure. thats a given around here. joe d doesnt need to fired though. unless he keeps flip and lets wallace get away.

I just got back from the game here are a few of my petty thoughts.

The building was pretty dead from the start of the game to the half. maybe the early start or just the lackluster play?

I said last game that it feels like bizarro world right now. The Cavs are playing Detroit defense. They are damn good at protecting the front of the rim.

There is no ball movement on offense at all. The ball gets dumped into someone and that player goes one on one. The second half they were trying to find the open man but very little driving to the basket.

When and why did they stop running Rip off double screens? I thought this play was pretty much cemented into the game plan about 20 times a game? What about the tay screen were he flairs to the basket from the free throw lane?

Billups not only has shrunk in these playoffs but he now somehow actually looks smaller physically to me...maybe it's the way he's carrying himself. He has never ever disappeared in any playoff series, until now.

Ben Wallace played better, mis timed his leaps at certain moments for a rebound but still isn't playing like the 4 time DPOY.

I have Zero confidence in Flip.
--No Dice plays in crunch time.
--The 2 last plays of the game were just terrible play calling
--Delk could be the spark plug we need but Flip thinks he knows better.
--Mo Evans played fine but still wtf is he doing out there. Please don't tell me there isn't a better option available. Mo Evans is fine but I really hate him just for being an option for Flip.

lastly, the cavs are now beating us as opposed to the Pistons beating themselves.

This is the same team that got to the finals last year, this team won 63 games this year, the Mo signing looked good at the beginning of the season, there wasn't really a good FA guard out there who could help us (Finley? who else?) Dale increased our depth, its up to the coach to use this depth...also Joe hired the best available coach out there in the summer...i think he couldn't do much more, certainly he could have gotten more for Darko&Arroyo, but that's Davidsons fault(for not taking back any longterm contracts)...

Oh one more thing. I am so sick of Varejao coming up with bigger plays for his team than Ben is for his.


JoeAsberry, you're right in what you say. A lot of Joe's options were limited. There was no saving the LB as coach at a certain point so it's not like he made a mistake there.

There were a large contingent of people that had reservations about Flip, myself included. I remember saying at the time that Flip was the best of the worst available.

This team is a fucking disgrace.

Fuck em.

Cosigned. I'll always believed that, as a rule, a fan should never care more about the game than the players do. These guys obviously don't give a fuck, so I don't either.

i feel sorry for Dice, he has earned sth better than this...

Fuck Dice. He showed up for one quarter in the playoffs, and his defense has been shit. Then he sits on the bench crying like a bitch.

He acts like he already has a ring. Fuck em.

I am sorry for this but Ben cost us this game as much as anyone too. Learn to shoot fucking FT's. Even SHaq can hit them at a 50% clip. 3 of 7 wins the game 2 0 7 gets it to OT.

joe aint exempt. he's getting his at the same time. flip's failure is joe's failure. thats a given around here. joe d doesnt need to fired though. unless he keeps flip and lets wallace get away.

We lose game 6, Flip and Ben are both gone.

Oh one more thing. I am so sick of Varejao coming up with bigger plays for his team than Ben is for his.
whoa. lets be honest. ben is taking on the whole cavs team on the boards. under the circumstances he's ben giving his all. but he's not a one man army. it took flip all way until the 5 game of the second round to give him the green light to attack the rim in the post. i hate seeing the cavs not even guard him because they know we arent gonna try and keep them honest. thats why the double teams have been so heavy on sheed and tay.

once again flip annoys me. and sidney lowe.

joe aint exempt. he's getting his at the same time. flip's failure is joe's failure. thats a given around here. joe d doesnt need to fired though. unless he keeps flip and lets wallace get away.

We lose game 6, Flip and Ben are both gone.
you wish ben was gone. i dont get your obsession with seeing ben out of here. but its not likely at all.

I am sorry for this but Ben cost us this game as much as anyone too. Learn to shoot fucking FT's. Even SHaq can hit them at a 50% clip. 3 of 7 wins the game 2 0 7 gets it to OT.
damn i miss mike woodson more than lb. he had wallace improving quite a bit at working the post and atleast breaking even on Ft %

joe aint exempt. he's getting his at the same time. flip's failure is joe's failure. thats a given around here. joe d doesnt need to fired though. unless he keeps flip and lets wallace get away.

We lose game 6, Flip and Ben are both gone.

Rasheed didn't do himself a lot of favor with that guarantee and the whole "sun shines on a dog's ass" comment. Wouldn't suprise me at all if he were shipped out along with Flip.

When and why did they stop running Rip off double screens? I thought this play was pretty much cemented into the game plan about 20 times a game?
Amen.

We're focusing too much on creating mismatches so we can go one-on-one. That's why we have no assists. That's why we're not moving the ball.

And, let's be honest, the Cavs ARE playing great defense.

This team is a fucking disgrace.

Fuck em.

-Cosigned.

I want Mahorn and Laimbeer to kick the shit out of this group of pussies and take their "franchise season win" record back. Show these lazy, candy-assed motherfuckers how to play some REAL Detroit Basketball.

Dude, I would love to see lamb bitch this team out as head coach. You think he would put up with this shit? ABC had a few WNBA games on this summer and they put mics on the coaches, and lamb was on top of everything.

People need to shut the fuck up and stop hating on Dyess.

People need to shut the fuck up and stop hating on Dyess.
i dont blame dyess. he layed some stinkers though as has everyone in this series. thats the point though. this team has been laying a collective stinker. falls back on flippity doo da. doesnt really fall on anyone individually. you can honestly only direct your anger to the team as a whole and the coach.

OH and I have.


Quotes like this just make me sick.



"I'm still not concerned because I know what we're capable of," Chauncey Billups (http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/players/3174/) said. "We've been there before.


You know what, fuck you. You're down 3-2. I think you should be a little worried. You know what you're capable of? How about you show us? Or no, I guess a 3-2 series isn't enough pressure for you guys to get unbored.

People need to shut the fuck up and stop hating on Dyess.I will when he plays a molecule of help defense.

I refuse to put the blame on one player. This is a team. Win as a team. Lose as a team. And when you have your main 6 players back from a team that should have won the championship last year, I refuse to think that the palyers are to blame for this. Its all on Flip. I hope he flips his way out of town.

i think there perhaps is a little too much hating going on. im not thrilled with flip, but im not going to say he completely fucked up or that we're fucked.

to me, if i had to blame anyone, i'd blame chauncy for playing like a rookie tonight. that 4th qtr was brutal, he committed atleast 3 frustration fouls. now thats stupid.

i think a few adjustments and we'll be fine.

1) go back to the offense that won us 64 games. like someone said, double screens for rip. quicken the tempo. gun it from outside. i wish flip figured out how to effectively use sheed and dyess at the same time (the best weapon in the league last year), but its too late now. one thing i'd like to see is chauncy in the post. what happened to that? let him do his thing, and DJ wont be a problem anymore.

2) the pistons played lebron 1 on 1 more tonight, which they need to stick to. but whats with flashing ben to the perimeter? he's great on the outside, but bron's smart enough not to shoot over him, he simply dumps the ball inside and its usually an easy 2. ben isnt KG, and he cant protect the rim when he's standing near the timeline. keep his ass in the paint, and dont have 4 guys guard lebron, have one guy funel lebron to the help-where ben will do his thing.

im strangely not that down about this loss.

and also, get out of here with the rebuild/let ben go/let flip go talk.

worse comes to worse, pistons lose the series, and we're never legit contenders again. i'd rather bring this squad back for 4 more years and be good pretenders than to just blow it up. these guys have accomplished too much to sell them out like that.

i think a few adjustments and we'll be fine..
yea, unfortunately you havent noticed that we've been saying that since game 3. no adjustments were made. at this point its a safer bet that there wont be any good ones from our coach. if we win it'll be on will alone. which is great huh?:p :mad:

EDIT: i do appreciate your positivity though diddy. and i apologize for not being able to relate on your view of flip.

we've lost 3 games streight, but they've all been heartbreakers. if chauncy takes the dunce cap off tonight, we're probably going back to cleveland up 3-2.

even if flip gets outcoached in game 6, i think we have the personel to win... if everyone has a good game. this team has seen must win game 6's before. they know what they have to do. and im guessing Joe D will have more than a few things to say.

plus, the cavs all the sudden are the favorites and all the pressure will be on them to win in cleveland. i dont think they can do it. i think i'll be putting money on the pistons.

i'd rather bring this squad back for 4 more years and be good pretenders than to just blow it up. these guys have accomplished too much to sell them out like that. I'm attached to these players, but I'm more attached to winning--playoff games specifically, championship games ideally. If this configuration of players and coach either can't or won't beat a team like the Cavs, why not make changes? Isn't the whole point to win championships? (Unless you think this whole series against the Cavs has been some kind of cosmic fluke. I don't know, it's hard to figure. I didn't know a team could win 64 games and play this poorly. Will the Real Slim Shady please stand up?)

I really hope that a week from now, we're talking about beating the Heat and laughing about the hilarity of the Cleveland series... But I have my doubts.

I refuse to put the blame on one player. This is a team. Win as a team. Lose as a team.


Now that I've settled down a little...Its not just flip its the starting 5 too. Even Ben 'pay me' Wallace.

i'd rather bring this squad back for 4 more years and be good pretenders than to just blow it up. these guys have accomplished too much to sell them out like that. I'm attached to these players, but I'm more attached to winning--playoff games specifically, championship games ideally. If this configuration of players and coach either can't or won't beat a team like the Cavs, why not make changes? Isn't the whole point to win championships? (Unless you think this whole series against the Cavs has been some kind of cosmic fluke. I don't know, it's hard to figure. I didn't know a team could win 64 games and play this poorly. Will the Real Slim Shady please stand up?)

I really hope that a week from now, we're talking about beating the Heat and laughing about the hilarity of the Cleveland series... But I have my doubts.
i dont get the automatic equating of splitting up the core to keeping us a contender. but whatever.

either way i wont be laughing about shit. we can draw up laughing scenarios when the parades on tv. otherwise no laughs at all.

i dont get the automatic equating of splitting up the core to keeping us a contender. but whatever.

Changing one starter isn't exactly blowing up a team (at least not the way I think of blowing up a team, the way PHX did a few years ago) Is it good enough to just change the coach and the bench? Maybe. Maybe not.

i dont get the automatic equating of splitting up the core to keeping us a contender. but whatever.

Changing one starter isn't exactly blowing up a team (at least not the way I think of blowing up a team, the way PHX did a few years ago) Is it good enough to just change the coach and the bench? Maybe. Maybe not.
your over/under is far wider on moving a core member. the point is that you're a contender probally for atleast 2-3 more years as is. removing a piece to gamble is very pat rileyish.

i dont get the automatic equating of splitting up the core to keeping us a contender. but whatever.
Changing one starter isn't exactly blowing up a team (at least not the way I think of blowing up a team, the way PHX did a few years ago) Is it good enough to just change the coach and the bench? Maybe. Maybe not. your over/under is far wider on moving a core member. the point is that you're a contender probally for atleast 2-3 more years as is. removing a piece to gamble is very pat rileyish.And placing an inexhaustible faith in a group of players who couldn't get by the baby-faced Cavs--what do you call that?

your over/under is far wider on moving a core member. the point is that you're a contender probally for atleast 2-3 more years as is. removing a piece to gamble is very pat rileyish.

I agree pretty much, but this is a different situation. The Heat were a team that was just put together facing the defending champs, and really, they were a Wade injury from the finals. The Pistons are a team that has gelled all they ever will on the brink of being eliminated by a Cavs team that has been to the playoffs in YEARS. With a freaking 21 year old who has never been to the playoffs leading them.

And need I remind you.. The Heat are sitting there waiting for the winner of this series in the ECF. They're already back to where they were last year, so it doesn't really look like the moves hurt them in the long run. Especially if the Pistons lose to the Cavs, because then chances are good they're going to the finals.

Though I agree that cutting up the core would be tough to do. It's hard to imagine not having one of the starting 5 here anymore, and it's hard to predict how the team will react. But that's why we got Joe D.

i didn't have the intestinal fortitude to read or listen to anything last night, after the game. i woke up this morning hoping that last night was a bad nightmare. i mean, only in my nightmares do we end two games w/ the ball and don't even get a shot off....

Fuck. Just.........fuck.



Go Tigers.

i HATE this cliche, but i think it does apply: "they need to start playing Pistons basketball".

i think it was b-diddy who mentioned it earlier....WTF is up w/ all the 1-on-1 basketball? my theory is that Flip is so panicked about the scoring droughts we've had, that he's hell bent on taking advantages of perceived mismatches. i really can't blame him too much for that, but we're playing a different offense than what won us 64 games. quite frankly, the defense is there. the Cavs haven't broken 100 points yet in the series. last night, the Cavs only shot 38% to our 42.7%.

also, turnovers are absolutely killing us right now. a lot of those seem to come from trying to kick it out when a 1-on-1 iso doesn't work. of course, the rest of the guys are standing around watching, so they're not expecting the pass.

KISS = keep it simple, stupid.

let's move the ball around, limit turnovers, and play defense. let's post up Tay, post up Chauncey, and even post up Rip from time to time. but let's play our game.

Pistons in 7.

btw, i know that Mo wasn't the reason we lost last night, but can we avoid putting him on Lebron?

you know it's bad when Lebron is showboating, putting it between his legs 3-4 times, nails a fadeaway jumper, and laughs running back down the court. lebron's got zero respect for Mo as a defender.

Eh, I'm still not all that worried.

Eh, I'm still not all that worried.
do i think this team can pull off two straight against the Cavs? hell yeah. :)

am i worried? hell yeah :(

the biggest thing i'm worried about is that we've looked the SAME for three straight games. how can i believe we'll suddenly play differently in game 6?

btw, i know that Mo wasn't the reason we lost last night, but can we avoid putting him on Lebron?

you know it's bad when Lebron is showboating, putting it between his legs 3-4 times, nails a fadeaway jumper, and laughs running back down the court. lebron's got zero respect for Mo as a defender.

Dear Epic Fliptard,

LeBron growls when he's around Mo because he's finally free of Tayshaun guarding him, not because Mo frustrates him. Use Tay, Rip, Delfino, and put JMax in there for a pinch. Put Mo on Flip Murray.

Thank you, and good luck in your next job
-Uncle Mxy

also, was i the only one who was ecstatic when Varejo was out and slow, plodding Z came back.....but worried when Gooden came back in? Gooden basically won the game for the Cavs. Gooden hits the game winning bucket and blocks Tay's potentially game winning shot.

I thought I saw it was Donyelle who made the block. Either way, we were just plain outhustled and outplayed. I can get angry and blame this guy and that guy, but we didn't deserve to win. As far as I see it, Tay and Dice had nice game and did what they needed to, and that was it. And it may just be anger and disappointment talking, but I don't want Sheed as a Piston next year. His actions just haven't fit in with this organization's class and quiet confidence. We went from playing well because of feeling disrespect (a chip on our shoulder) to ridiculing the competition, Shaq-style. I'm not sure of Sheed's trade value after all this, but taking a very quick look at the Trade Checker, I'll take a one-for-one for Odom or Magloire in a heartbeat.

I don't know all this talk from the players after the game about it's their offense that's out of sync kinds of bothers me. I was critical of the offense too but isn't this teams identity on the defensive end?


Just seems like it's the Cavs right now that are getting their hands on loose balls, steals, deflections and blocks. maybe the offense gets in sync if they could get the defense going. The defense wasn't bad in the second half just not great.

I just never knew this groups fortunes to lie on the offensive end. I am not minimize the issues with the offense but I have yet to see that old school Piston D' that got them here in the first place.

Almost too pissed to type.

Down two, waning seconds, need all of the shooters on the floor.

We get...Lindsey?

Tony Delk should have been in the game, no question.

The Cavs didn't even have to guard Lindsey, which freed them up to go hard after Rip.

Flip mismanaged this game (the series, for that matter) in so many ways.

The players have been just as bad. Where the fuck are all these stupid turnovers coming from?

I'd say we're in a 50/50 move on/go home situation right about now.

I'll save my "offseason change" suggestions until the rest of the series plays out.

We're about to learn a lot about this team Friday night, fellas.

And the thing that pisses me off the most is that Detroit still refuses to give Cleveland any kind of credit. The players sound like the fucking 04 Lakers.

also, can we PLEASE stop Tayshaun from trying to break his man down off the dribble? either post up or give it to someone else.

Tay can't take Illgauskas off the dribble.

Eh, I'm still not all that worried.
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