Alright, i think i have cooled down enough to talk about the game now.
And thanks for not rubbing it in; i know it must have been thought of;D
This is what DET fans dreaded. After two playoff runs where the major problem was lack of focus, playing down to the opponents lv, etc, we like to believe that the Pistons have learned their lesson and that kinda mentality is behind them. Well, in all appearances that was exactly what they did yet again.
They started off posting up 'Sheed and the other players as well, over and over. And it was working well. Halftime we were up 13; and, the pistons came out jacking up threes. They did not return to what had gotten them that lead until they were losing.
Flip seems to know his stuff to me, But i think it has to be said that he is not good at rallying the troops in the way that people like Pat Rilley can. I mean, i can't know for sure where the problem lies.
I wonder how Larry Brown would react to the players joking around with the 76er staff throughout the game. I guareetee Bill Laimbeer was rolling over in his grave when he saw 'sheed joking around with 76ers with like less than 30 seconds left in the game.
I think sportsmanship is all well and good; but, the pistons need to act like cold blooded killers out there, not like attendees at a box social.
Here is the silver lining, though it requires a a bit of extreme optimism to see it. Maybe, just maybe, this loss will wake everybody up; and, from here on out they will play to their potential.
I have horrible focus being ADD and all. But i am sure i would not have the trouble sticking to gameplans that Detroit seems to have.
15 comments:
Oh yeah, and why the HELL is game 2 on nbatv. That pisses me off. Lots of people in this country are not in areas where NBATV is available. For example, vermont:(
So i guess i'll be listening to that game on the radio-if that is available.
1950 called, and they want their medium back.
Tom you just gave another reason that the top 16 teams should go to the playoffs instead of 8 from East and 8 from West. If the 16 best teams were in the playoffs they would show all the games on national TV.
How the networks aren't banging down Stern's door and demanding this change is beyond me. I heard people like money. And there are WAY more people that would like to see Boston playing Portland rather than Atlanta and have Golden State in the playoffs.
Then the Sixers wouldn't have beaten your beloved Pistons since they wouldn't even be in the playoffs.
...And on a side note Houston would play Denver who they could beat instead of Utah.
I think Jeremy posted this before, but here is the playoffs match-ups without consideration of Conference:
bos-66 * por-41
det-59 * tor-41
lal-57 * was-43
noh-56 * cle-45
sas-56 * gsw-48
hou-55 * den-50
pho-55 * dal-51
uta-54 * orl-52
Call me bitter, but we could lose to anyone playing like we did. If my 4th grade Y team showed up, DET would jsut have played down to our level, and failed to "turn it on" in the end.
Also, i don't think they would televise TOR vs DET if thry don't televise PHI vs DET. Phil is better than toronto.
Portland is just as boring to me as hawks. They started out hot, but they didnt' stay that way.
The EXACT reason that they show a few important games on NBATV every year is so Stern can convince cable providers (Time Warner, Cox, Charter, etc.) that it's worth paying for. The same thing happened w/ the Dallas/Green Bay game this past NFL season. They would only show it on the NFL Network to increase demand.
Stern's actually betting/hoping he'll catch enough people that want it enough to call their provide & demand they start carrying it so they'll pay the price the NBA wants for it.
No NBATV in Mad, Wisco either. Charter won't carry it. When I called to ask why the guy first pretended like he'd never heard of it and that nobody else carried it. After I rattled off a few other carriers he admitted that they stopped carrying it 2 years back and have been negotiating ever since. I kind of doubt the last part. Probably just said that to get me to sign the dotted line.
ic, i didn't quite think of it like that. Every hocky game is televised where i live. I think (really i have no idea) that NHL viewership goes down every year. SO i been wondering what the deal is. YOu cleared things up a bit.
By the way, i have watched all the wings postseason games. This month wears me out. I probably watch 5 times more tv in april than all other months combined.
And, don't you hate customer service asshats? Everyonce in a bluemoon i actually get someone that is helpful, and i gush all over them. They must think me wierd, but i like to give props to them more then i like to bitchout the jerkwads.
Oh yeah, i forgot to comment on the pistons game. Which i listened to on the radio.....
As horrible as the last game was, this game was in equal proportion good for the Stones. A perfect bounce back, with biggest leadbeing 27-28 points, allowing starters to not have to play whole game.
Maybe that gross game will serve as a reminder all postseason, so they can keep up this kinda play.
Only thing to improve on, is they still had more turnovers than they should get in game 2.
Deeeetrooooit! Baaastketballll!
(i used to think that was kinda dumb, as i figure yous do. But it has grown on me over the years.)
GOSTUCKEY wrote:
"I knew something was going to go wrong when Steven A. Smith pick us to win in 4 or 5."
4/26/2008 8:29:49 AM
This Detroit Free Press reader's comment made me laugh, so i thought i'd include it.
If you did not watch this game, you could never imagine "the ugly-osity, the horrible-liciousness" of it. (another good one:D). It was the most painful 36 minutes of my life. (If you think i endured that crap for a forth quarter you are crazy).
I could go on endless diatribes with this game. But i will try to just get the main points, and mainly for the purpose of getting the stank of this game off my chest.
Detroit's effort in this round is the perfect foil to SAS's effort. DET, who lead the NBA (and had one of the lowerst averages in history) with 11 and change turnovers a game, committed like 12-14 in the first half. With a lot of clock still left in the third, the Pistones surpassed there season high of 18 turnovers.
While PHIL was quick and good at cutting off passing lanes, that hardly mattered. Detroit passes were slow, telegraphed, nonchalant, etc..and sometimes just plan out of bound.
Honestly-and i am not this kinda guy really-but, I am pissed at the Pistons. Do they just have no control over their mindsets? There are innumerably reasons for them to be motivated, and they still they come out with zero urgency, zero passion, and zero focus.
It seems they can only show up if it is against a great team. I swear their odds at beating a team like SAS or PHX are the same as beating a team like PHX or even the Knicks for that matter.
The pistons missed 15 shots in a row in the third, really that doesn't bother me. That kidna thing can be out of your control sometimes. they were wide open looks, they were shots we make. Mainly it is the total lack of committment and how that leads to endless turnovers.
Here is another way the turnovers affected the game. Detroit shot 64% in the first half and had 40 points! Yes, that is what I said, heheh. If you were watching that first half, it seemd like everytime they were holding the ball they tossed a bad pass or just didn't protect the ball in 1on1s.
I often think media dooods are too quick to criticize and it often irritates me. I didn't like all the dogging that T-Mac was getting; as far as i could tell, he was playing his heart out. But i hope everyone with a mic in this universe uses it to lamblasts to Pistons. Maybe if the whole world comes together and talks shit about them, they might get a clue and play with a little heart.
If i were flip, i would bench 'Sheed and Chauncey next game. I would still put them in as soon as i have too, but i would hope that somehow, i don't have to until at LEAST late in the first. For the atrocious apathy was mainly on their parts. Hamilton and Prince were actually great in the first half. (I am mainly focusing on the first half, cause all the misery of the 2nd half was really brought about by the 1st half play.)
I, in general, hate when people boo, and i have never considered booing my hometeam. But if I was at that game, i would have booed my ass off; and, continued to do so, from my seat, until they were closing the building and they had to throw me out.
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I am very dissapointed at the Philly fans for booing at Mcdyess when he broke his nose. There was no play to provoke boos. They were just booing him because he is an injured guy i guess, or maybe because he was able to walk away. I don't know. But, i have been to scores of NBA games in 6 venues and in all those citys, even SA, were the fans were very ugly (i only went to a spurs game once though), fans were still very respectful of an player when he gets an injury. Normally, if he is knocked down, they will cheer once he is able to get up.
In this game though, Mcdyess had blood just POURING from his face, and the fans were booing him. I had never seen fans act like that toward an injured guy. Mcdyess is questionable for game 4.
Alright,t ahts it, i know it was long, but trust me, it could have been much longer.
Oh yeah, i forgot to say that the Pistons also looked like they may have been high on something during that firsthalf. Something stronger than pot, but i don't know what.
Maybe they were smokin' pot w/ Josh?
After the game 2 blow out I almost wrote a blip that 'I hope this doesn't inflate their ego back to where it was before game 1.' Well, it didn't - it inflated it even bigger than it was before game 1.
I love to hear someone hate on their team when they sucked it up. A fan that cares so much that they can get angry when their team is not playing to their potential. I know I get angry/frustrated/yelling-at-players-on-TV at times even when the Lakers are playing a decent game. I can't imagine what I'd do if they toyed with me like the Pistons do.
It's probably like someone talking shit about your little brother/sister so I apologize if I'm stepping on your toes when I say: Chauncey is the problem with that team.
He is their natural leader. The rest of the team will follow his example. The nonchalant, play it cool, 'we the best, even though we have underacheived for at least 3 consecutive seasons,' attitude rubs off on every other player. If Chris Paul or Deron Williams was running this team right now, Sheed would be the only one that might need a little extra motivation. I think Sheed could technically be a leader too but he's much further away from emotional stability than Chauncey is. To me it seems kinda like a buy low / sell high scenario. The cool, collected attitude works pretty well down the stretch in the 4th quarter but at some point between games, the passion has to come out.
I'm usually a huge fan of the underdog so their failing to make the finals hasn't bothered me much as a fan until this year when it seems increasingly likely that they could make Boston's road to the finals much easier by taking exit 'relax, we still got this.'
Whenever i read the write-ups on the game, i alwyas read some of the reader comments jsut to see the fans' persepctives. A lot of times i hear that Pistons just kinda took on Rasheed's personality. Being that his personality is so strong, i could see how there is a little something to that. Chauncey is the leader, but so is Sheed. He is just so charasmatic it can't be helped. The other players really look up to him.
While Sheed may be some sort of emotional leader or something, Chauncey is still the guy that controls the game, so it is definately on him to get his head where it needs to be. The rest of the team will probabaly follow by example.
However, i also think that coaches are hired for a lot more than Xs and Os. They need to know something about motivation as well. I know if you got a person like Tim Duncan, that aspect of the coaching job is a lot easier; but still, i think that coaches need to find a way to inspire their players.
I always hear about motivational gimmics used by Riley, Jackson, and I know Goerge Karl recently had video spliced of the nuggets and Kimbo Slice in an effort to get his team to be tougher. Denver still might play crappy D, but it was a good idea.
I wouldn't go so far as to say it is a buy low sell high scenerio. For one, i don't see what guards of Chauncey's calibre are available for the Pistons. I beleive their plan is to have Stuckey as the starting PG down the road. If not that, then the starting SG.
Two, as fan. I still really like Billups. Watching him this year, i thought it seemed as though his game has been elevated. I am not even talking about his stats, though those are up. When he is concentrating i think he has been excellent as a floor general.
One small example is somehow, every period Detroit has the ball for the last shot. It is kinda weird really. Chauncey just seems to know what is going on at all times. He is aware of all mismatches that arise and things like that. And he is good at getting other players going, or getting to ball to an open hot hand. Jsut good decisions all around. Except when, like last night, he is not motivated, and passes are lackadaisical.
Basically, to me, he has it all except that all important concentration/ or focus in games that he thinks aren't too critical. Obviously that is a huge problem; but i rather find a coach that is skilled at rallying troops, than shipping out Chauncey for a guard that is less skilled.
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a bit of an aside i actually was gonna say on my last post.
There a was one thing wierd about the last game. Normally, in a game were the pistons are not giving it the full effort, that manifests itself in soft defense and stale offense. You know what i mean, the kinda offense were there is no ball movement, too much 1on1, too many contested jumpers, etc.
This time (still jsut talking about the first half), the offense, when they actually got a shot off before turning it over, was run properly. Open looks, 64% shooting percentage. And the defnse wasn't to horrible. PHIL had 44 points in the first half.
Normally they STILL protect the ball, just play bad O and D. It was the complete opposite for the first time i've ever seen. Like i said in easrlier, they jsut were constantly turning giving the ball away.
Well, now they gotta win 3 of the next four games. I hope they can see the urgency in that.
Sorry, I guess I wasn't being clear. I definitely don't recommend trying to get rid of Chauncey. Buy low / Sell High is was an emotional analogy. I think most people would instinctually assume that calm relaxation is important between games and high emotion is best used during important games. I was, poorly, trying to say that it should be opposite. That, by getting pumped up between games, there's natural build up to the importance of the game when it comes around. During the game, it's then ok to concentrate on being calm & focused because the urgency is already built in for the entire game due to the anticipation that was built up in between. Chauncey's got the game face down. I just worry he never shows emotional leadership between games. I'm probably putting too much on Chauncey because he's the natural leader. Someone like Lindsey Hunter could just as easily step into that void if he's got enough credibility with the rest of the team (including Sheed & Billups).
As for the coaching... I've never been a fan of gimmicks. It's obviously worked for Riley a couple years back but these guys are adults for the most part. I don't see that working year in, year out. I think the most obvious thing one can do is recognize your inability to be a natural leader because your job is, primarily, to be a teacher. That's why teams name Captains. They're typically veterans but they should be the individuals that the rest of the team respect and listen to already.
In this case, I think Flip's best option is to take Chauncey (and MAYBE Sheed - Flip should know best in this case) into his office and talk to them about their leadership and what's required of them to get the rest of the team ready. Ideally he'd have been doing this all season already but if not, now is a perfect time to start.
I know Chauncey is intelligent so he should be able to be reasoned with in this manner. I'd tell him that even though he may not need to psych himself up to perform adequately that others look to him to see how they should behave and most people can't perfom to their highest extent without some passion. I need him to exert a little energy (or determination, or anything except 'cool') just to show the other guys that this shit matters in his soul and not just in his mind.
In the years the lakers were winning, Phil didn't go to Kobe or Shaq. He went to Ron Harper and Brian Shaw (and lesser to Robery Horry; later to Derek Fisher) to deliver that team leadership when he needed it. Thee rest of the team already respected these guys and their accomplishments so when they said something, people listened.
ahh, i get ya now. I think my misunderstanding was partly setup cause i have heard that analogy used by (bad) piston fans about Rasheed. Except they DO mean get rid of him
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Your post is a long list of things i agree with:)
"In this case, I think Flip's best option is to take Chauncey (and MAYBE Sheed - Flip should know best in this case) into his office and talk to them about their leadership and what's required of them to get the rest of the team ready."
I really like that idea. Maybe gimmicks are gimmicky, i just like the spirit behind of such efforts i guess.
Maybe i am putting too much leadership responsibility on the coach. I guess i see a void and am trying to figure out who is supposed to fill it.
"I think the most obvious thing one can do is recognize your inability to be a natural leader because your job is, primarily, to be a teacher."
While i think one's inability to lead comes from just not having the knack for it, not cause it is it isn't the primary role of your job description, i like everything else you are getting at. "Recognize your inability" and move on from there. Like what you said about coach talking to the captains.
Tricky thing there is Chauncy and Rasheed were the ones playing the sloppiest during game 3 and the first half of game 4. But Lindsey Hunter definately has the respect of the whole team and i have a feeling he had something to say at halftime during game 4.
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As you say, Chauncey does need to show that energy on the outside. And not jsut for the effect it has on his team. But hopefully, for the effect it would have on him.
alright, now for a bit on the game last night.
I think the Detroit Facemasks (Mcdyss has one now too) are trying to give me a heart attack. They started out game 4 just like they did game 3. Though they did close the 2nd period okay.
They had 11 turnovers in the first half, at one point it was 5 turnovers on 6 possessions. Again, philly had some nice pokes and strips, but they were mostly unforced errors.
Detroit was down by 10 at halftime and i was feeling mierable. They quickly swung that around to a 10+ lead and closed the 3rd with an 8 point lead.
The juxtaposition of the piston's worst ball and best ball gave me a very strange view of how different they can play. It really is like a Dr. Jykell and Mr. Hyde thing. The disparity would be unimaginable if i didn't see it with my own eyes.
I would pay a lot to see the entire meeting that went on in the lockerroom(um..sp?, looks funny to me) at halftime. I just wanna know who said what.
If they could play throu8ghout like they did in that 2nd half, they would easily sweep all the way to Boston.
PHI just looked silly trying to run a halfcourt offense. When DET isn't constantly turningover the ball and, with that, handing out fastbreak points, PHI is a lot less impressive. Barkley and Kenny were joking saying PHI's best offense is the "ol' fumblerooski" play. lol. Meaning, the only time their halfcourt game worked was when they would lose control of the ball, track down the looseball, and thereby, get defenders out of position-like on the play were Andre I. had a very nice dunk.
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Andre is getting and is going to get a lot of crap for not playing well this series. Booo to anyone giving him crap. The reason guys i never heard of, like Reggie Evens and Willie Green, are having surprising good performances is because DET is putting all their defensive concentration on Andre I. I think if you are the only real star on your team, struggling is gonna be natural when a top defensive unit's #1 goal is to make your life difficult. I realy respect Andre Millers game, from what i have seen this year, but PHI does little to help Andre I. offensively. Meanwhile, Andre I. is dishing out some nice assist to those surprise guys.
So, like, i got your back Andre.
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I (or WE) need to think of a knick name for Andre I. AI is bad for obvious reasons. And i can't spell Igoudala, well maybe i did, but i had to think pretty hard. I would be fine with just Andre, but there is Andre Miller..
good point. I never liked A.I. - Iverson is already a classic, you can't take it away.
Andy Iggy is a good nerdy one but I think you want something worthy of his talents. How's about Dre.I... no, still too close. DrIggy! Snoop DrIggy Dog! Dr. G!
I got nothin.
Oh yeah, i forgot about Iggy, or andy iggy or wahtever. But plan Iggy works good for me.
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