OST: East Rd 2, (5) Bulls vs. (1) Pistons (Pistons win 4-2)

[Higherwarrior]

Chicago Bulls (5) vs Detroit Pistons (1)



might as well start the bulls-pistons thread. that series is done now.

we will need to play our best ball this year in order to beat them. it hurts me to say it, but the bulls are a better team, if not more experienced, than us right now.

if we don't significantly step it up, they beat us in 5 or 6 games.

[Black Dynamite]

If we play focused and come with a solid gameplan, we'll win this series in 5 games. If we have trouble getting up for this series, then we arent ready to go for the title.

[Higherwarrior]

well i don't know that you're giving the bulls enough credit. hard to do, i know. i hate them too.

but believe me, this team is for real. they have more athleticism than us, more overall depth, and a better coach/motivator. not to mention, they are trying to reach the top so they're much hungrier than we are.

i hope you're right but my mind tells me it's not going to be anything close to a 5 game series. i think if we advance, it's in 6 more likely 7 TOUGH games.

you don't manhandle the heat the way they did and get pushed over by us in the next round. true the heat were not at the top of their game but neither are we right now.

if we raise our level of play and play up to our abilities all the time, then i'm confident we can prevail. but this bulls team is extremely intense and scrappy the whole 48 minutes- something i haven't seen since our 2004 team.

if we can't rediscover that type of pistons basketball, we won't win the series, plain and simple. as much as it pains me to say it, i just have a bad feeling they prevail.

UNLESS sheed brings it each and every night and takes it to these kids. also, rip will somehow have to overcome their hounding defense and we'll need some huge production from prince and also our bench.

we've got a week to rest which is good and bad. we need the rest but we usually come out flat after a long layoff. if we end up advancing though, this layoff will come back to help us in another month.

[b-diddy]

i agree with guts. 5 games, unless ben plays out of his mind... kinda likely actually. still, we have too many advantages.

[Black Dynamite]

I never said 5 games for sure. Too bold a prediction. In fact I'm worried that it may go 7. I said "if" we stay focused. Unfortunately that hasn't been our strong suit at times. But again the key to this game is defense. We gotta prove to Ben that defense is still our culture and that we now can post up at both PF and C on offense. An inside beating will be a requisite for us to counter their Backcourt Depth.

Also Delfino, hunter, and Flap Murray are going to have to have the best series of their lives.

[Glenn]

This is going to be a tough, tough series.

If the Bulls are stroking the jumpers, they'll be very hard to beat.

I suppose the same could be said for the Pistons.

[metr0man]

I've been worried about the Bulls for a while, and unfortunatly those fears were warranted. They remind me of the way we played in 2004, hungry, young, hustle, DEFENSE, a hardass motivating coach, and now in the Heat series they showed poise and discipline.
Discipline in that they didn't take a game off or sleepwalk through one or two games or have a 'letdown' game or insist that 'if it aint rough it aint right' to justify not taking care of business. THey just did it. Their dismantling of the Heat was eerily reminiscent of our dismantling of the 04 Lakers (except they didn't take game 2 off).
We can match them in poise, but I don't think we have the discipline. I'm not getting a good vibe, but I'll pick the Pistons in 6 anyways. I say home teams win until we break through in Game 6 and take the series.

one area where we might have an advantage is that Skiles didnt have to make any adjustments against the Heat because they were winning - he said even adjustments were overrated. Considering the way they fizzled out the previous two years when going down in the series, the opportunity is open for him to get outcoached - but that requires the Pistons to come out on top first. Game 1 and 2 are essential.

[Uncle Mxy]

The Bulls are a very dangerous team, but they've done everything in the world to remind the Pistons of that -- humiliating win at home, sweep the Heat, etc. The Pistons of old have usually responded to such challenges (apart from the Ben and Chauncey meltdown last year). My suspicion is that, much as was the case with the Bad Boys of old, beating Chicago will be as hard as the Finals, but it will happen and it will be great.

[MoTown]

What day does this series start? It seems no one wants to spill the beans on that little tidbit of information.

[Uncle Mxy]

No one knows yet, AFAICT.