Rd 2 Gm 4 - GuaranSheed: "We going to bust their ass!" (Mon 5/15, 7p, TNT)
Sheed said that after the game today when asked about game 4.
Pity Sheed used it so early in the playoffs. Oh well.
Wallace vows Pistons will win Game 4
Wallace vows Pistons will win Game 4
Sunday, May 14, 2006 By JOSH WEIR
http://www.newspagedesigner.com/user...uaransheed.jpg
CLEVELAND - Rasheed Wallace let his play do most of the talking during
the first two games of the Eastern Conference Semifinals.
After Saturday’s Game 3 — an 86-77 Cleveland win in which his game remained
relatively quiet — Detroit’s bombastic forward opened his mouth fully.
“Oh, we going to bust their ass,” Wallace said about Monday’s Game 4 at The Q,
after the Cavs cut their deficit to 2-1 in the best-of-seven series. “I’ll tell you that now.
That’s a given.”When asked if that was a guarantee, Wallace repeated what he previously
said and later took it a step further.
“Yeah, it’s definitely a five-game series,” he said. “They beat us today, so were going to
go ahead, beat (them) Monday, (and) take it back to Detroit. ...
Monday is their last game in this building for this season.”
Cleveland veteran point guard Eric Snow just smiled when informed of Wallace’s comments.
“That’s Rasheed,” the McKinley High School grad said. “Rasheed’s always the guy that’s
going to make predictions and be that spark plug for the team. ... I’ve come to expect that from him.
“We can’t worry about what they’re saying. We just have to focus on the next game.”
Most of the Pistons gave Cleveland credit for the win.
Detroit shot just 39.4 percent and turned it over 16 times on Saturday after shooting 47
percent and committing a combined 18 turnovers in the first two games of the series.
However, the Pistons couldn’t ignore the fact that they led by 10 midway through the
third quarter, at which time Cleveland looked like it was on life support.
“We lost that game ourselves. We let one slip away,” Detroit reserve forward Antonio
McDyess said. “(There were) a couple a plays where they gained momentum, and we
kind of lost focus.” That’s a rarity for the boys from Motown. They’re usually the tougher,
more poised team that watches the opponent wilt down the stretch.
But it was the Pistons committing bad turnovers and allowing LeBron James to get right to the
rim in the fourth quarter. Wallace lost his cool late in the game when he shed Cavs’ forward
Anderson Varejao with an elbow, although Wallace had a different take about the play.
“It wasn’t chippy at all,” he said. “The whistle already blew, and he’s still trying to push ...
I just moved my arm out of the way.” Varejao, who scored a career playoff-high 16 points, was
asked afterward if he got under the skin of Wallace. “I don’t know, I just try to do my job,” the
second-year player from Brazil said. “I just try to play hard for my team against everybody.”
Detroit point guard Chauncey Billups, who had 20 points Saturday, felt like Wallace didn’t get
aggressive until it was too late. Wallace averaged 19.5 points in the first two games, including
a team-high 29 in Game 2. On Saturday he registered just 11 points on 3-of-11 shooting and
six rebounds and one blocked shot.
It also was clear the 11-year pro wasn’t going to lose much sleep over it.
“They did what they were supposed to do, as far as beating us in Game 3. That’s it, though,”
Wallace said. “We still going to win this series. We ain’t letting one game discourage us.”
Reach Repository sports writer Josh Weir
at (330) 580-8426 or e-mail:
josh.weir@cantonrep.com
