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Thread: ECF: Detroit (1) vs Miami (2), Heat win 4-2

  1. #11
    The Healer Black Dynamite's Avatar
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  2. #12
    Syndicate Emeritus, Site Co-Founder Taymelo's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Glenn[B
    "They did a good job with pressure," Wade said. "I'm not like them. I'm gonna give them credit."[/B]

    So Wade doesn't think the Pistons give the Heat any credit?

    "No," he said softly.

    Pause.

    "They was tired," Wade said, referring to comments the Pistons actually made after Game 1, in explaining their defeat. "That's what y'all said. That's why we won the first game."
    Aren't you entitled to be both emotionally and physically tired if you've come off one day of rest after a grueling 7 game series to play a team that's been resting for a week after a cakewalk series?

    Funny, when we lose because we're "tired" in game 1 of this year's ECF, its so much more disrespectful than last year's game 1 of the ECF, in which THEY lost because, in THEIR OWN words, they were "rusty"?

    I always find it funny when a guy is not a self motivator, like Wade.

    He actually needs to fabricate shit in his own mind to grow a chip on his shoulder. He needs to find something stupid to be upset about, so he can turn up the intensity for the next game.

    Wade then was asked whether the Pistons changed their approach to him by becoming more aggressive. In only one way, he said.

    "When you're coming up the court and Rip [Hamilton] is doing that bumping stuff, that's the only thing I've seen," Wade said. "Maybe I'll try it and see if I can get away with it."
    How can someone who is in the NBA official witness protection program, who can play an entire game of hacking, pushing, shoving, and not getting called for anything, complain? That's like winning the powerball, seeing a guy who found a dollar on the street, pushing him down and calling him a "lucky bastard".

    Nice DwYAne!
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  3. #13
    I only half watched the game last night because my sister visted (thanks for picking that night) and I watched while talking to her. But, when I saw the ESPN highlights the next day I noticed a half dozen hacks just in the highllights that they never called. It was rediculous. Was the whole game like that?
    Phil Wenneck: The man purse. You actually gonna wear that or are you just fuckin' with me?
    Alan Garner: It's where I keep all my things. Get a lot of compliments on this. Plus it's not a purse, it's called a satchel. Indiana Jones wears one.

  4. #14
    The Healer Black Dynamite's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by WTFchris
    I only half watched the game last night because my sister visted (thanks for picking that night) and I watched while talking to her. But, when I saw the ESPN highlights the next day I noticed a half dozen hacks just in the highllights that they never called. It was rediculous. Was the whole game like that?
    somewhat. they were inconsistent for the most part. but for the final 2 minutes of the game it was exactly like that.
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  5. #15
    Glenn's Avatar
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    Hollibitch, from the Dime.

    Pointing out things that most of us have seen all year.

    Day 15, and still no end in sight for the Pistons' offensive funk.
    After ranking third in the NBA in Offensive Efficiency in the regular season and scoring at least 97 points in their first six playoff games, the Pistons have topped 86 only once in eight games since. Saturday's 98-83 loss to Miami in Game 3 was more of the same, with Detroit producing only three double-figure scorers while falling behind in the series 2-1.

    Unfortunately for the Pistons, this trend shows no sign of abating. Starting with their 86-77 loss to Cleveland on May 13, Detroit has shot 40.8 percent from the field, 31.0 percent on 3-pointer and 69.4 percent from the line -- all well below the team's regular-season marks.

    The malaise has been more baffling because the Pistons' normal weakness, an inability to get to the line, hasn't been a problem. Because of their guard-oriented offense, the Pistons averaged only .297 free throws per field-goal attempt this season, well below the league average of .333. But in this eight-game stretch, the Pistons have made a steady march to the charity stripe, upping the rate to .362. While free throws have been up in the playoffs as a whole, Detroit's increase has been far greater than that of most other teams.

    Unfortunately, when the Pistons aren't getting the whistles, their shots just won't drop.

    Especially notable has been their inability to convert field goals near the basket, and Game 3 was a perfect example. With Miami's tactic of fronting post players driving the Pistons to distraction, and Ben Wallace repeatedly passing up chances near the rim, Detroit took only 19 shots from 10 feet or closer. Worse yet, they made only six.

    Thus, the story for Detroit in Game 4 will be whether they can find a way to get more opportunities near the rim and convert a higher percentage of them. Hubie Brown pointed out one obvious solution on ESPN -- the Pistons have to make better entry passes to Rasheed Wallace and Antonio McDyess in the post.

    But it will take more than that for the Pistons to regain their regular-season stride. Ben Wallace needs to be more willing to pull the trigger near the basket -- and to make a foul shot occasionally. Flip Saunders needs to give Chauncey Billups more chances to use his size to overwhelm Jason Williams on the blocks. And Tayshaun Prince needs to regain the bounce in his step after a tired-looking three-point, four-turnover night in Game 3.


    Detroit has played phenomenally well with its backs against the wall the past three years, including pulling out two elimination games against the Cavs last week. But even in the must-win games against Cleveland, the offense didn't wake up -- it was the defense that rose to the occasion.

    Facing a must-win road game against an opponent that's peaking at the right time, that won't be good enough in Game 4. If Detroit's offensive slump doesn't end in the next 48 hours, its season is as good as over.

    -- John Hollinger
    Find a new slant.

  6. #16
    Glenn's Avatar
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    http://msn.foxsports.com/nba/story/5645296

    Pistons playing like imposters

    Charley Rosen / Special to FOXSports.com
    Posted: 2 hours ago

    Who were those imposters wearing Pistons uniforms?

    They couldn't have been the team that prides itself on smooth, unselfish offense and belligerent defense. The impersonators who lost Game 3 in Miami 98-83 were strictly second-raters.

    On offense, the ersatz Pistons were stagnant. Except when Rasheed Wallace was stationed a step above the 3-point arc in the middle of the court, the Pistons seldom reversed the ball. But even when they did, Detroit gained no real advantages because when the ball moved, the players didn't. And vice versa.

    Also, for the past several seasons, their money play has been some variation of Rip Hamilton cutting or curling off a perpetual sequence of screens — yet this series was employed only eight times in the first half. The yield was five points and two turnovers. In the second half, Hamilton's pet sets were not attempted at all.

    The Heat totally foiled the several attempts by the Pistons to establish a post-up game by simply using a fronting defender. Detroit's putative feeders helped this tactic succeed by trying to make the entry pass from on (or near) the baseline — thereby creating a disadvantageous angle.

    Here's how to overcome a fronted pivot: The passer should be positioned so that he, the pivot man, and the basket are all in a straight line. The weak side should then be totally cleared out. Most passers make the error of trying to flip the ball just over the head of the fronter. Instead, the ball should be tossed to the nearest corner of the backboard so as to lead the pivot man to the hoop. If vacating the weak side fails to establish the required spacing, the posted player has to seal off his defender while another big cuts to the foul line, and a shooter cuts to the weak side corner. Once the ball is delivered to the big at the stripe, either he, the pivot man, or the corner shooter is bound to be open.

    The Pistons, however, tried none of these remedies and, more often than not, the original passer either got stuck with the ball in the corner or made a useless pass out to the perimeter.

    Back to the drawing board.

    Rather than their habitual ball- and player-movement generating good looks in their half-court sets, too many of Detroit's points were the result of Chauncey Billups isolating his defender of the moment — Dwyane Wade, Gary Payton and especially Jason Williams. In all, Billups scored 22 of his 31 points on isos, plus another digit when Miami was whistled for illegal defense, and he bagged the resulting free throw.

    Hamilton likewise resorted to one-on-one play, tallying six of his 20 points in this manner. Tayshaun Prince was 0-3 in isos and was only responsible for four total points on 1-of-7 shooting.

    All of these point-making strategies were very uncharacteristic.

    Moreover, the Heat had their bigs show aggressively on all screen/rolls, then when the ball-handler was forced to back up, the bigs retreated into the paint. Occasionally, Billups was able to clear the traffic and keep his dribble alive long enough to launch a trey (he was 4-of-5 from downtown). Otherwise, the Pistons' S/R attack was nullified.

    The only Piston who was true to form was R. Wallace — and only because he reverted to his psycho-mode. He was so upset about not getting sufficient post-up opportunities that during a second-quarter timeout, he sat on the scorer's table while, 30-feet away, the rest of his teammates gathered around Flip Saunders. Shortly thereafter, when Rasheed was summoned to the bench after picking up his second foul, he angrily waved off his coach's proffered hand. When he finally took his seat, Wallace complained to a teammate about the injustice of being yanked so early with so few fouls. Then, just before the second half commenced, Rasheed loudly cursed the referees.

    No surprise, then, that Rasheed was mostly interested in hoisting 3-pointers (1-for-5), was disinterested in playing defense, and was a total non-factor. The dude wearing Antonio McDyess' uniform passed when he should have shot, and vice versa. And Lindsey Hunter's double had a game full of mistakes.

    Meanwhile, Miami also had their way on offense. Shaq was either played one-on-one by Ben Wallace, or else doubled too late when he'd already brought the ball into the middle of the lane. Maybe that's why Shaq looked so young and sprightly — 11-15, 12 rebounds, and 27 points.

    In Game 1, Detroit had more than a modicum of success when they doubled Shaq on the catch and forced him to be a passer — which is a highly overrated aspect of his game.

    Back to the drawing board.

    The vaunted Pistons' defense was nowhere to be seen. Antoine Walker got into the lane at will — 5-of-11, four assists, 11 points. But it was D-Wade who almost single-handedly dismantled the shreds of Detroit's defense.

    For sure, the Pistons big men were reluctant to help on Wade's penetrations, lest Shaq be left unguarded and an easy target for lob passes. (Which he was, to the tune of at least five dramatic dunkers.) Even so, there's no excuse for the fact that Wade tallied 24 of his 35 points on one-on-one ventures into the paint. (To say nothing of the two assists he also accumulated in so doing.) Hamilton was Wade's primary patsy on these maneuvers, but Billups and Tony Delk were also victimized.

    The Pistons' front court must provide meaningful aid to keep Wade away from the ring. The nearest big has to step into Wade's path, while his partner has to race to the rim and either challenge the inevitable pass into Shaq, or else foul the Big Fellow.

    Perhaps Wade has to be two-timed as soon as he crosses the 3-point line, or aggressively doubled whenever he approaches a screen. (In truth, Wade favors brush-screens; and his technique is to fake using them, then shifting his line of attack to the paint.)

    In all, the masquerade was in effect for 43 minutes. It was only at the start of the third quarter that the real Pistons deigned to make an appearance — for the next five minutes they went on an 11-0 tear, before reverting to their presto-chango vanishing act. (Some genuine comedy relief, however, was provided by a bevy of jesters going through short-lived Hack-A-Shaq and Bop-A-Ben routines.)

    Hey, you guys! You phony Pistons dressed in motley. Is it rough enough yet? Or will it take a 3-1 deficit to finally get it right?
    Find a new slant.

  7. #17
    The Healer Black Dynamite's Avatar
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    hmmm i'm getting really superstitious. did tayshaun have his worst game before or after your shrine was put togethe?r.
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  8. #18
    Syndicate Emeritus, Site Co-Founder Taymelo's Avatar
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    Whichever commentator it was that said before the series that it would go seven games, with a major momentum switch after each game, and with the media and fans rollercoastering from game to game to game to game to game, overreacting each time the rollercoaster went up or down, was dead on.

    Miami wins game 1 and its like the Pistons are done.

    The Pistons win game 2 and its like Miami's done.

    Miami wins game 3 and its like the Pistons are done.

    So, when the Pistons win game 4 and take back home court advantage, I expect all of us to proclaim the Heat dead - - - right before they beat us at home and take a 3-2 lead, at which point people will say the Pistons are dead, until the Pistons take game 6 and everyone proclaims the Heat dead (which they will be, of course, in game 7 in Detroit).
    Quote Originally Posted by WH Press Sec. Tony Snow
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    Quote Originally Posted by Taymelo
    Wait. Throwing them out is not murder, but testing them before throwing them out is murder? WTF, George?

  9. #19
    Quote Originally Posted by Taymelo
    Whichever commentator it was that said before the series that it would go seven games, with a major momentum switch after each game, and with the media and fans rollercoastering from game to game to game to game to game, overreacting each time the rollercoaster went up or down, was dead on.

    Miami wins game 1 and its like the Pistons are done.

    The Pistons win game 2 and its like Miami's done.

    Miami wins game 3 and its like the Pistons are done.

    So, when the Pistons win game 4 and take back home court advantage, I expect all of us to proclaim the Heat dead - - - right before they beat us at home and take a 3-2 lead, at which point people will say the Pistons are dead, until the Pistons take game 6 and everyone proclaims the Heat dead (which they will be, of course, in game 7 in Detroit).
    I think it was better said by Stephen A Smith when he said that he is still picking the Pistons in 7 but you cannot ignore the fact that unlike past years something very real and disturbing is happening with the loss of trust in Flip. In the past the Pistons may of loss respect but never the trust in their coach. I am not sure there is a discernable difference but I think I know what he was saying.

  10. #20
    Glenn's Avatar
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    No game 4 OGT?

    I guess this thread will have to do.

    Game 4 is pretty much do or die for our guys.

    I got news for you fellas, if we go down 3-1, we ain't coming back.

    Let's take our HCA back today.
    Find a new slant.

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