Pistons-Bulls Preview

By MATT BECKER
STATS Writer

Aiming to be one the top teams in the Eastern Conference, the Chicago Bulls have a goal of finishing with fewer than 10 home losses. It won't be easy, though, considering the teams visiting the United Center this week.

The Bulls look to continue their push for home-court advantage in the playoffs on Thursday when they host the East-leading Detroit Pistons, who are coming off an improbable victory.

Chicago (42-30) has the third-best record in the conference, but because of the playoff format, is seeded fifth behind Southeast Division-leading Miami and Atlantic Division-leading Toronto. The Bulls would still get the home-court edge for the first round with their current seed, a major advantage to the team with the East's best home record at 27-9.

The Bulls are four games back of the first-place Pistons, whose 24-18 road record is the best in the East, and are within striking distance of second-place Cleveland, which has the East's second-best road record at 16-18. The Cavaliers visit Chicago on Saturday.

``We have two big games this week and it's important to stay focused,'' said coach Scott Skiles said, whose Bulls are 7-2 at home since the All-Star break. ``With Detroit coming in off a huge win, that's a huge challenge.''

The Pistons (45-25) appeared to be heading to a certain defeat against Denver on Monday, with the Nuggets preparing to inbound the ball at midcourt with a 98-95 lead and 1.5 seconds to play.

Denver's inbounds pass was tipped by Tayshaun Prince and scooped up by Rasheed Wallace, who banked in a 60-foot buzzer-beater to force overtime. Detroit went on to win 113-109.

``We shoot those all the time before the game,'' said Wallace, who had 22 points. ``This one went in, but it isn't like it won a championship or anything.''

Chauncey Billups finished with a season-high 34 points and 10 assists on Monday after averaging 12.7 points and 3.3 assists in his last three games.

``I hope this one can carry over for us,'' Billups said. ``We just hit a shot like that to beat a pretty good team when we were missing a couple guys.''

Starters Chris Webber and Richard Hamilton missed Monday's game with the flu, and both are listed as day-to-day.

Hamilton has scored 49 points in two games against the Bulls this season, while Webber made a huge impact in his only game against them as a member of the Pistons. The 14-year veteran scored 21 points, grabbed nine rebounds and made a putback with 2.2 seconds remaining to lift Detroit to a 95-93 win over Chicago on Feb. 25.

In the other meeting between the teams this season, Chicago's 106-89 win on Jan. 6 snapped Detroit's 12-game winning streak at the United Center.

Luol Deng had a game-high 30 points in that victory, and scored a career-high 38 on 18-of-25 shooting in the Bulls' 100-89 win over Portland on Monday.

``I don't even think he's reached half his potential,'' said former Piston Ben Wallace, who had 16 rebounds on Monday. ``He's just learning the game. I think once he realizes how good he can truly be, he's definitely going to be an All-Star in this league.''

Wallace has 18 points, 22 rebounds and eight blocks in two games against his former team, while Bulls leading scorer Ben Gordon has 44 points in those contests.

Gordon scored 17 against the Trail Blazers and Kirk Hinrich had 11 of his 21 points in the fourth quarter to help Chicago to its third straight win.

Hinrich is averaging 21.3 points - 4.9 better than his season average - in his last four games, but has been held to 12 points on 5-of-20 shooting against the Pistons this season.

These teams conclude their season series in Detroit next Wednesday.

Apparently, WDFN reported that Webber, Hamilton & DD are all questionable.

As far as regular season games go, this is pretty big.

Two game swing in the division.

We've been incredible on National TV, and the next 3 games are all Nationally televised.

wow, three straight games on national tv? nice.

except it's a killer stretch for us. i'm VERY worried about the next week to 10 days. we could conceivably go from 1st to 3rd in the division. or at least to 2nd.

i pray we can somehow weather the storm and hold off the cavs and bulls for the division (and of course the #1 seed).

but at the same time, i don't want our guys to kill themselves over their stretch run, as we'll be mentally and physically dead by the middle of the 2nd round of the playoffs.

this has to be one of the most brutal stretches of bad scheduling i've ever seen. we could struggle even with the 'easier' games, simply due to the timing of the games. for example, we play 3 games in 4 nights against 3 damn good teams.

except it's a killer stretch for us. i'm VERY worried about the next week to 10 days. we could conceivably go from 1st to 3rd in the division. or at least to 2nd.

i pray we can somehow weather the storm and hold off the cavs and bulls for the division (and of course the #1 seed).

but at the same time, i don't want our guys to kill themselves over their stretch run, as we'll be mentally and physically dead by the middle of the 2nd round of the playoffs.

this has to be one of the most brutal stretches of bad scheduling i've ever seen. we could struggle even with the 'easier' games, simply due to the timing of the games. for example, we play 3 games in 4 nights against 3 damn good teams.


It's not as bad as you are making it out to be. Hold your water, Take into consideration we just got a nice little long break when we desperately needed it. Also got another long break right after the all star break.

Thu 29 @ Chicago
United Center 8:00pm
Fri 30 vs New Jersey
Palace of Auburn Hills 8:00pm
------------Off Day-----------
Sun 01 vs Miami
Palace of Auburn Hills 1:00pm
-----------Off Day------------
Tue 03 @ Indiana
Conseco Fieldhouse 7:00pm
Wed 04 vs Chicago [
Palace of Auburn Hills 7:30pm
----------Off Day------------
----------Off Day------------
----------Off Day------------
Sun 08 vs Cleveland
Palace of Auburn Hills 1:00pm
(Game that decides the season after 3 days rest?)
Mon 09 @ New York (BUUUUUUUUMSS)
Madison Square Garden 7:30pm
-------------Day Off--------------
-------------Day Off--------------
Wed 11 vs Orlando
Palace of Auburn Hills 8:00pm
-------------Day Off---------------
Fri 13 @ Toronto (BUMMMMMMMS injuries)
Air Canada Centre
------------Day Off-----------------
Sun 15 vs Philadelphia (BUUUUUUUUUUUUMSSSSSSS)
Palace of Auburn Hills
------------Day Off------------------
Tue 17 vs Toronto (Still Buuuuuuuuuumsss)
Palace of Auburn Hills
Wed 18 @ Boston (BUMMMMMMMSSSS)
TD Banknorth Garden


The worst part about this is we have to play a back to back to end the year.
But it's Boston, might as well consider it a practice. IF we have the division locked up it will be the bench.

The next week is brutal, after that we coast.
Pistons go 6-6
The Cavs need to go 8-2 and win the tie Breaker.
The Cavs don't get the nice 3 day break that we do either.
Bulls aren't really a factor 4 games back and 10 games to go.

The tiebreakers include:
1. Better record in head-to-head games. (2 - 1 )
2. Higher winning percentage in conference games.
3. Higher winning percentage within division (if teams are in the same division).
4. Higher winning percentage against playoff teams in own conference.
5. Higher winning percentage against playoff teams in opposite conference.
6. Higher point differential between points scored and points allowed.

We lose to Cleveland at home after a 3 day break and can't go 6-6 playing east garbage?
Then it's just not meant to be.

http://www.rovix.com/images/tnt_logo.gif

Let the truth be told.

Shit.

Blakely...


No Rip, C-Webb tonight ...

CHICAGO — Richard Hamilton didn't make the trip to Chicago because of that nasty flu bug he's got, and Chris Webber made the trip, but was sent home to be looked at by the Pistons doctors.

That means Flip Murray and Jason Maxiell will be in the starting lineup, along with Chauncey Billups, Tayshaun Prince and Rasheed Wallace.

Dale Davis is another one affected by the flu bug whose status was uncertain for tonight's game. I just talked with him a little while ago, and he's feeling better and expects to be available tonight.

Even Pistons coach Flip Saunders is a bit under the weather. He has a really sore throat, which means his situation will probably get worse before it gets better.

:mccosky:

Pistons short-handed again

The flu bug will not relent on the Pistons. Rip Hamilton didn't make the flight to Chicago and will miss his third straight game. Chris Webber flew with the team on Wednesday night, but was so sick, he flew back home Thursday morning. Hamilton seems to be getting better. Webber does not. Having already made one emergency run, Webber was scheduled to meet with team doctors again Thursday. The concern is that he may have pneumonia or certainly something a little more harsh than the common flu. He has been sick now for more than two weeks.

Jason Maxiell and Flip Murray will again be in the starting lineup. Dale Davis and Murray, both sick the last couple of days, were feeling better at shoot-around. Flip Saunders, however, not so much. He had a sore throat and was feeling pretty bad, though he did run shoot-around.

Tayshaun Prince, whose neck had been sore after taking that nasty fall against Denver, seemed fine and ready to go.

If both of these guys are just going to write the same goddamn exact thing, are they really both needed?

Just let Langlois write for everybody, what the hell?

Apparently Ben is going to wear those cheap ass Starbury shoes tonight for the first time.

The same company that makes those is going to design a signature shoe for him next year.

I wonder if that company will make goggles and headbands.

"Take that, Chicago!"

http://i157.photobucket.com/albums/t51/WTFDetroit1/Maxiell-PlymouthRock-WTFDetroit-Mad.jpg

Those shoes are reportedly murder on your feet.

j-max SWATS ben on his first shot attempt! i love it.

we're looking much better now. thought we might get blown out for a while there.......we still need to get in a better rhythm though.

j-max with another swat on ben! :)

bulls are killing us on the offensive boards though, come on guys BOX OUT!

So many technicals.

Enough of these failed attempts to post someone up in the left corner. It hasn't worked for anyone they try it with.

stone cold.

That shitty quarter and the Bulls still don't have the lead.

oh my god. that is a ridiculous shot by big ben. what pure luck. makes me wonder if it's meant to be their night.

billups is so off tonight it's not funny.

for fuck's sake! doesn't anybody even CARE about getting defensive rebounds?

they're just walking through and picking up easy offensive boards. disgusting.

we're going to lose and we deserve to at this rate.

long bomb after long bomb. Get it inside dammit.

+9 on the offensive boards. arrgh.

and they keep killing us on the offensive boards.

Fuck fans that leave early.

goddammit Delfino!!!

of course if we'd even played AVERAGE on the boards, there's a good chacne we wouldn't even be in this position.

We've been bad in the clutch for a while now, i didn't expect to win this.

stupid, stupid play by delfino. when is he going to learn not to leave his feet in those situations? he cost us another game like that this year too.

oh well, guess it wasn't meant to be. but it's just a frustrating way to throw the game away.

in any case, this whole team looks horrible IMO. yes it's just one game. but we look tired and completely unprepared for physical, in-your-face defense that we'll face in the playoffs.

sure we were missing rip and c-webb so that's somewhat 'encouraging'. but rip doesn't deal well with the style of defense the bulls play on him and webber wouldn't have made much difference on the offensive boards.

the fact is, we don't give a shit about boxing out or playing with intensity right now. i don't know if it's because we're tired or what. but we look like we are.

the sky is not falling and we're still in good shape, relatively speaking. but i don't like our chances heading into the playoffs with our starters beat up and not in sync.

billups should have stayed in detroit tonight too. harsh words, i know especially since i love billups. but he was just flat out AWFUL tonight.

it's amazing we had any chance to win given the ridiculous amount of offensive boards we gave up. we can't hope for the bulls to miss that many shots again......

NEXT

first, props to ben to going to the starburry's. kinda slap to the face to all the fans who said he was just a greedy bastard, no? i mean, ben took no money up front, and doesnt stand to make much off the deal, whereas he could have signed lucratively with nike. very respectable. for alot of famillies, the last thing they need to be spending +100 $ on shoes. so for ben and steph to do that gets high marks from me.

and lmao at ben plus free throws not cracking the rotation with webber out.

to say the least, this game put me in a bad mood.

The most frustrating thing to me is I didn't see the fourth quarter. I had a buddy tape the game for me, and lo and behold the stupid tape stopped at the fourth quarter. It only taped on SP rather than LP, so the duration of the tape was only two hours. It was really disappointing to have to get online to find out the result.

And I just can't stand losing to Chicago. Don't know why, but it just kills me.

maxiell starting has been pretty inconsistent. ben owned us on the boards and maxiell matched him in offensive skills and ft shooting. :yingyang:

I missed the game, and while I'm disappointed that we lost, I'm surprised that it was only by 2 points without Rip/CWebb.

Anybody want to explain Delfino's fuck up?

He jumped.

hinrich pump faked a 3 point shot under 5 seconds left, tied game. delfino jumped and pummeled hinrich who got 3 FTs out of it. he should've just contested the shot. i would've liked our chances since i don't think he would've made it, we'd have gone to OT.

then again, another OT game might have killed this shorthanded, clearly fatigued (from flu) team. regroup against the nets and get a win, or else i'll start worrying about our division lead.

I missed the game, and while I'm disappointed that we lost, I'm surprised that it was only by 2 points without Rip/CWebb.

Anybody want to explain Delfino's fuck up?
Didn't Delfino do essentially the same thing earlier in the season?

Didn't Delfino do essentially the same thing earlier in the season?

Yes. Pissin' me off.