Remember the old SNL skit, “Deep Thoughts by Jack Handey”? Well, this is something like that. Only worse.
Eastern Conference Finals:
—The Pistons, as I’ve said before, could be finished. The theory isn’t exactly groundbreaking, but when you get a group of players who have played three full seasons without injuries AND have made a deep run into the playoffs each year, eventually they will run out of steam and out of luck. That’s just how it is, that’s how it’s always been. Think ‘89 Lakers or ’87 Celtics. Things just catch up with you. Things have certainly caught up with Detroit, the players and the coaches.
—With Dwayne Wade’s acrobatic, amazing and burned into playoff lore lay-up yesterday, the Pistons are being fit for a playoff toe-tag faster than Marty McFly was when facing a possible duel with Mad Dog Tannen in Back to the Future III.
—That play was indicative of what’s wrong with Detroit this post-season. Wade flipped the switch; the Heat have flipped the switch in the Eastern Conference Finals—but the Pistons have stood by and watched, mostly. Had this been 2004 or even 2005, somebody on the Pistons would have wrapped up Wade’s arms and prevented the shot from being taken. Somebody would have taken him to the floor. Hard.
—Everyone says not to write off the Detroit Pistons; that they love it when their backs are firmly against the walls and the odds are worse than Pitt-Aniston reconciliation. Well, wish granted. Down 3-1 in the Eastern Conference Finals against a team that has had it in for you for the past twelve months is pretty bad odds. Of the last 43 teams to be down 3 games to 1 in the Conference Finals, only three have came back to win the series.
—Don’t blame Flip Saunders for this—as it has been rumored that the Pistons are. (Wasn’t that the rumor with this group and Rick Carlisle for awhile? And for a short time last year, Larry Brown? Maybe it’s the players, after all.) For all that the Pistons are and claim to be, they sure throw their coach under the bus pretty easily. No, the “Demise of Detroit” is simple logic. Time takes its toll in the NBA, through injuries and fatigue, and there’s nothing they can do about it.
In honor of the late, legendary, “That Guy” actor club, I can’t help but wonder if Detroit would be fairing better under the tutelage of Paul Gleason. He could have even coached the Pistons as his character in The Breakfast Club, Principal Vernon.
Try and imagine his post game press conferences: “Mess with the bull, you get the horns.” Or “I told them the next time I have to call a time-out, I’m crackin’ skulls.” Or simply imagine Vernon giving a pre-game speech: “You ought to spend a little more time trying to win the game and this series and a little less time worry about trying to impress people.” Paul Gleason, you will be missed.
—Yes, these are the things that I think about. All. Day. Long.
—Is it me, or have the Pistons become a mini-version of the Spurs and are beginning to argue and bemoan every call that isn’t in their favor?
Western Conference Finals --If Mark Cuban can turn around the Mavericks with his money and enthusiasm, why not the Cubs?
—Sticking with the baseball thing for a second, in baseball, they always say good pitching always beats good hitting. Is that what we’re seeing in the Western Conference Finals? From the Dallas Mavericks, of all teams?
The Mavs got burned in Game 1 by 32 fast-break points from Nash and the Suns up-tempo game. They preached defense and stopping the Suns in transition before Game 2. Since that time, they’ve allowed 25 fast-break points combined in Games 2 & 3 (and just four—4!—in Game 3). Neither team scored a 100 in the Game 3, which is always to the advantage of whoever the Suns are playing. Seems like Phoenix has have run into a wall—good defense.
—The MVP, Steve Nash, has gently called out his teammates, saying they need to show more fight and have “been a little too passive” at times. I don’t think it’s long before his teammates start fighting back and asking for a piece of the MVP Trophy. After all, they helped him win, and now he's calling them out?
--Hard to believe, but Raja Bell really could be the key to the series for the Suns. Say that again, slowly. Raja Bell.
—Two words (in the voice of Christopher Walken): “More Barbosa”.
Back later this week with NGS II Finalist Assignment #2…
it's really odd to think that the pistons are in trouble because they HAVEN'T suffered many injuries the past 2-3 years. personally, i try not to buy into all the excuses that have been made for them. this one actually makes sense in a way, but as good as they are, that cleveland series showed alot of cracks in their armor. detroit is tired, but if they had taken care of business in that series, they'd have alot more left in this series. no matter what, missing a ton of shots, and free throws, plus giving up 55-58% to miami is hard to overcome, whether they're tired or not.
Cuziffer: Good point. I don't think it's one particular factor, as so much a collection of many things. It is ironic, but the lack of injuries does play a role, because, for one, in my opinion, it means they are seconds away from a couple key injuries. Secondly, the ####s and bumps they've taken by playing all these games will have that effect on them eventually. But the stats you point at tell a lot of the story. Maybe it isSaunders and his emphasis on offense and not defense, I don't know. Or maybe, as I eluded to with Shaq and the Pistons already (and as Scoop Jackson wrote about today), it's a loss of hunger for the Pistons. It's hard to stay hungry for three years like that. They'd have to watch an awful lot of Rocky to keep that eye of the tiger. Thanks for the comment, cuz!
Love the Walken "More cowbell" reference! I can't listen to any BOC without expecting to hear a cowbell!
Agreed, Paul Gleason will be missed. Played the surly, no-nonsense type perfectly but did so in comedies which probably made it even more difficult to pull off.
it's tough to rest guys if they're not injured, which is what many pistons fans are saying should have happened. with an injury, a player does get some needed rest, but it's silly to hope someone on your team (or any team) gets hurt, just so they don't wear down late in the season or in the playoffs.
it's a factor with the spurs also. even with phoenix, who play so much up-tempo, plus have had so many injuries, plus have such a short bench. in their case, it's hard to imagine that they'd be home already if not for tim thomas. he's not the only reason they've made it this far, but for a guy the bulls wanted nothing to do with, he sure has found a niche with the suns.
Nooch: Thanks for the comment. Glad you liked the references. My top three Paul Gleason films: Trading Places, Van Wilder and The Breakfast Club.
Cuz: I know what you mean. It isn't that I'm advocating anyone to get hurt as a way to rest up; it's just that lack of rest does create complacancy and tiredness. I think the Pistons thought they "flipped the switch" at the end of the Cavs series, but they really had not. And if they did, they're like my car: out of gas. You are right, the Suns are running into it a little bit (you know they miss Amare something fierce, like we were talking about last week). Raja being their defensive guy, that loss hurts. Heck, by the time he comes back, they could be done. And the Spurs seemingly deal with the fatigue every year after they win a title. Thanks for the comment--excellent points.
Moore, The Pistons' problem rest squarely on the shoulders of Flip Saunders. He's not been too accomodating in changing his srategy in dealing with Wade's offensive prowess. By not curtailing Wade and allowing him to open up the lanes and getting in the paint. He's punished them, time and time, again! Is it any wonder that we're seeing all this bickering from the Piston players? Add to that, their bench hasn't been as productive as you'd expect. Throughout the regular season there was some productivity from there. But in the postseason it's become none existent. Dumars should also suffer the indignity, as he hasn't added anything to the team in order to bolster the roster. Kelvin Cato was merely an after thought, for the inglorious misgivings of Darko wouldn't you say? Dumars may well be wishing that he could have back both Milicic and Arroyo. Upon Milicic's arrival in Orlando, he found a new lease of life and was quite productive complementing Dwight Howard. Arroyo was what everyone already knew he was, a more than capable backup point guard with an attacking flair. Mark Cuban from my knowledge had stated that he was interested in buying the Pittsburgh Pirates, but ownership there wasn't interested. That's Cuban's hometown isn't it? And still the Pirates languish in the doldrums of the NL Central. The people over their at the Tribune Group are too stupid to look a gift horse in the mouth. They're probably of the belief that Dusty Baker will still be able to turn things around. And beneath it all they're still a moneymaking concern overall. Go figure? When the ti
Tophatal: While I agree that you Saunders is responsible for defensive adjustments, I don't think the blame sits squarely on his shoulders. These players have talked for nearly a year about how Larry Brown wasn't the reason they played so well, they were. And Saunders isn't out of the floor--anyone of the players out there for Detroit could make a move and step up defensively, or put a body on Wade--or not let him get that shot up. It's a mindset this team is missing, which could be directly attributed to Saunders and Dumars, but also to the starting five. If we praise them when they are up, they deserve to be blamed when it's failing, too.
As far as Cuban, it was rumored or stated today (can't remember which--I think it was on SI.com) that he was interested in the Cubs. He had been interested in the Pirates, but the only bigger challenge would be the Cubs at this point (assuming that the Royals are unsalvagable.
Thanks for the comments! Good talking to you as always.
Last edited by MooreSports on May 30th at 2:11 PM.
Bri - You have made the NBA conference finals interesting for me. Wow, that's tough to do. I am also impressed with your HTML abilities in the comment boxes.
Norcal: Thanks for the props, bud. I always take your praise as high compliment because your a good writer and are well respected. That, and as mentioned, you know your reality TV, which is no small feat in itself.
Nice job, Moore. Always display your wit, charm, and flair. That's your ticket. I don't want to put pressure on you, so just find a way to do what got you to the Sweet 16 in the first place. You'll do just fine!
Mr.NFL: Thanks for commenting here. Exactly! If nothing else is working, why not Mark Cuban??? I'm so timid in counting out the Pistons, but I've just had this feeling for three weeks their run is coming to an end, unless they find that missing something inside the team, that hunger.
MeanD: Thanks for the comments. I didn't think my Bonds piece was that bad! :) Just kidding, I know what you mean and don't worry, I'll find it. I've got something special planned for the next assignment. We'll see if I can pull it off. Thanks again, keep writing yourself!
Hey Moore: You know I had to stop by and give my two cents.
I'm just gonna be straight, I think you are dead wrong about something here. No sugar-coating...
Marty McFly would have wasted Mad Dog Tannen!!! A crack shot at Wild Gunman, are you kidding me???
As always, this was fun to read. Paul Gleason was a cool actor, a bit of a role player. Don't forget his return to glory cameo in "Not Another Teen Movie".
I have heard the same rumblings about Cuban and the Buc's that Ed mentions, but Lord knows the Cubs could use some change. Maybe even Cuban would prove to be better than what they have going right now.
Congrats to you again on making it through round 1. I never thought for a second that you wouldn't. Another good post chalked full of humor, good analysis, and timely movie references Moore. Great job.
Shooter: You know, it's funny, Back to the Future is going to come up a lot soon. And I will kindly disagree with you, Marty was a crackshot at Wild Gunman, but he was always a bit scared in key situations, which leaves me to believe that he would have missed. Tannen killed like 12 men! C'mon, Shooter!
Good call on Gleason! I'll be over to comment shortly on your Hollywood post...thanks for the comment, bud!
edclinchsaint: I'll check out your post as soon as I can, thanks for the comments.
Gbrent: Thanks for the comments, I think Cuban could do the same things with whatever team he ends up with. Posh locker-rooms might be enough in itself to lead to changes. And I see him hiring Sweet Lou Pinella. Thanks for the kind words, I was glad you advanced, too! Good luck in the next round!
Last edited by MooreSports on May 31st at 4:37 AM.
Half: thanks for the comment. I'd think so too, but when I saw this listed in the SI.com "Truth and Rumors" section, I couldn't help but comment on it. To read this rumor, just click here.
You would think Cuban wouldn't have enough money to sustain two franchises, like Randy Quaid in Days of Thunder, someone would suffer. Then again, I don't know how much he's making...
Moore -again, very enjoyabe post. When Saunders was hired in Detroit my son-in-law, huge NBA fan, said he wouldn't have to do a lot of coaching because of the talent on that team. For a large part of the year (which is typical in NBA and NHL)he didn't. Just let them play and they would make adjustments. I agree with him to a point but in the playoffs a coach can be huge! Riley is making him look bad. But there is some problems with the players. Maybe they don't have much in the tank. Or, maybe no one wants to get in the way of Shaq when he actually drives to the hoop with (cough, hack, snort, cough) speed.
And Gleason was awesome. The first thing I thought of when I heard he had passed was the character that Nooch already mentioned, "Beeks" in trading places. "Beeks, where is Beeks"? And, of course, he was classic in the Breakfast Club.
gcoach: Thanks for the comments, I really appreciate it. I like what you said about Saunders, and that is an excellent point. He certainly had a hands off approach~and the players certainly enjoyed that~until they decided they weren't playing enough defense, their tanks were on E and the bench was non-existent. As someone else eluded to, I believe it was Cuziffer, the Pistons don't really want to rest the last week of the regular season (who would), but that line of thinking (resting) also won the Lakers the championship in 2001 and 2002 as they got deeper into their run.
Gleason was masterful as Clarence Beeks. "In this country we say 'Happy New Year' not 'Merry New Year'. Good stuff. His turn as the Prof in Van Wilder is pretty good too: "You slept with my daughter?"
Finally, a Pistons take I agree with. The Pistons are just not hungry. Flip is doing his part by designing an offense that's beating the defense and getting wide open looks. The problem is they are missing wide open looks because they are not putting their heart into every shot. That's not a coaching problem, that's just a lack of desire by the players.
ramstyle: Thanks for putting in your two cents here. Yeah, I tend to agree with you on this. Flip designed an offense that improved this team's quality of play for 82 games and now, all the sudden, it doesn't work? Could be due to the Heat and Riley, but Miami isn't THAT good defensively. If the Pistons want to complain about their coach's defensive prowess, they are barking up the wrong tree to the media. What, did they forget everything Larry Brown taught them? Or the fact they are professional basketball players and are in control of what happens out there? Just seeing that Wade play in my mind, validates this team, at least for this post-season, just doesn't have that desire and that will...someone would have not let Wade make that shot. Thanks for the comments!
Half: I know, it's a total mind-blower, huh? And he would lead the 7th inning stretch practically every game, or bring in really cool people to do it (not that there aren't now.
Crabman: Thanks DC, appreciate it. Yeah, Bell certainly changed the fortunes of Phoenix last night, didn't he?
Caynondave: Thanks for the comments and the congrats. Strange how history repeats itself sometimes, huh?
Last edited by MooreSports on May 31st at 8:46 AM.
Well Done Moore, I think time is the great debaser of dynasties just ask the Ming's...led the league in vases for years then the whole world went cereal bowl, what are you going to do?
Last edited by edhardiman on May 31st at 10:44 AM.
edhardiman: Not sure I completely understand it, but I get the jist of it! Thanks for the comments my man, good luck this week in the contest and with the assignment.
Your blogs work for me 60% of the time, all the time. Just playing, nice post. Hope you take this thing. By the way, women have smaller brains...it's science.
Bri-Loved the Paul Gleason reference. Great 'That Guy" in Breakfast Club and Die Hard alike.
You're dead on about the Pistons throwing their coaches under the bus. Right after I posted on them having the opportunity to demonstrate the epitome of team play to all sports fans during the Cavs series, LeBron started schooling them and they started bailing on each other. Unbelievable! Flip will definately take the brunt of this and it is not deserved. How about the reigning Defensive Player of the Year crying about not practicing enough defense? He needs to practice defense? What happened to instinct, like the ones that were missing from the Wade lay-up you rightly pointed out. Uuggh!! We should be watching LeBron vs. Wade right now.
burger21: Thanks for the comments. I agree. Though for any Pistons fans, I'm not bashing these guys, really this is a natural process. A little backlash is going to happen to you when you react to losing like this. Just think, the national media loved the Pistons two years ago, now they're taking quite a hit and being called out...honeymoon of good graces on this dynasty is over.
Well, Mr. Burgundy, I have to admit, another dandy of an article. Maybe by this time next year you'll be working for Network.
I think this series is over, even though, at this point in time, the series is going to game 6. I think the Heat need only ride on Shaq's shoulders to get to the Finals.
docatl: Thanks for the comment. I think most of us assumed the Pistons would find a way to win an elimination game at home, they were 5-0 before last night. Now it gets interesting. The Heat certainly aren't the Cavs.
dmatcwu: I know...I think we were all expecting the Pistons to win at home, weren't we? This isn't making excuses for the Heat, but really, what would be the incentive to even trying to match their energy and they couldn't match the desperation. Put up a fight, rest a little, head back to South Beach and close the thing out there. Not saying they wouldn't have taken the win and it was part of Miami's plan (I personally wouldn't give Riles that much credit)--but it's worth noting.
They should have punched Prince right in the baby-maker. Scholars maintain that he got his name from a whales ####. Did you see the block Wallace got on Shaq. He landed, knees first, on Shaq's back and no call. Had Shaq done that to Big Ben they would have had to carry him off the court on a stretcher.
Hey, by the way, for some reason Fox is not allowing me to vote for you again. Aren't you suposed to be able to vote once a day? It is not giving me the option. It let me vote for Shooters.
dmatcwu: Nice Anchorman references! Shaq lands on anyone and they are going out in a stretcher...
You can only vote once per 24 hours, as I've been told, not once a day. So it doesn't reset at 12:00 am every night. If you voted for me after 11:00 PST yesterday, you won't be able to until that time is up, I guess...
