Stop blaming Flip Saunders for the Detwah Pistons playoff failings thus far. Just stop. Yes, this is virtually the same ensemble that former coach Larry Brown led to back-to-back trips to the NBA Finals, including their 2004 stunner when they knocked off the mighty Lakers in 5 games. But the big difference between the team from the past 2 seasons and this one isn't Flip Saunders:  it's the sense of entitlement that has crept into Motown. The '04 team was a bunch of also-rans. Castaways that were grouped together by GM Joe Dumars, and were guided by Brown to become what TEAM basketball was all about. Defense and great chemistry became the hallmarks of that Pistons team. Individually they weren't the 5 best guys on the floor, but as a team there was nobody better in the league. Chauncey Billups, Rip Hamilton, Tayshaun Prince, Raweed Wallace and Ben Wallace worked seamlessly on both ends of the court, as the collective chip on their shoulder drove them to prove everyone wrong. And they did.

When Larry Brown left for New York last summer, suddenly the Pistons had a new battle cry: we CAN win without LB! And for the 1st half of the season the giant chip returned, as Detwah made a run at one of the best regular seasons ever, starting 41-9. Then the all-star weekend happened, where 4 of the 5 Pistons starters were named All-stars. The admiration and glorification the team had so desparately wanted was finally heaped upon them. They were called "The Champs", the kings of the league, and the best team in the NBA. It became a question of not IF the Pistons would make it back to the Finals, but who from the West would dare oppose them.

The Pistons players started believing the hype, and they haven't been the same since. They struggled through a 2nd round series against Lebron and the Cavs, rallying to win the series. Many (myself included) thought that would be the wakeup call Detwah needed, and would roll through Miami to their rightful place in the Finals. Instead, they're down again, facing a 3-1 hole in tonight's game 5 at the Palace. And instead of a rallying cry, instead of pulling together like they used to do, they're coming apart. Players are pointing fingers at Saunders essentially because they've won a title and Flip hasn't.

While this is true, if the Pistons are going to tune out or turn against any coach who hasn't won a title, Dumars might as well blow this thing up and start all over this summer because there's only 4 coaches in the league who've won a title: Phil, LB, Pop, and Pat Riley. That's it. And none of them are coming to Detwah anytime soon.

Are the Pistons done? Certainly not. If any team is equipped to make a comeback, it's this group. But they need to stop pointing the finger at  Saunders, and start realizing both their defense AND offense has slipped. They need to get the chip back, the "us against the world" mentality, because if they don't no coach is going to be able to save this once great team from turning into individuals.