Detroit Pistons

By noreply@blogger.com (David Friedman) Shortly before William Davidson was inducted in the Basketball Hall of Fame, Mitch Albom conducted a lengthy interview with the only owner who has won championships in three professional sports leagues (three NBA titles with the Pistons, two WNBA titles with the Shock and one NHL title with the Lightning). Davidson offered interesting, intelligent and insightful takes on a wide range of subjects but his comments about Isiah Thomas made me wish that he had either said a lot more--or a little less: William Davidson is a great man who has done a lot of wonderful things for Detroit, the NBA and with his numerous philanthropic endeavors but in this instance his words about Isiah Thomas could have been more carefully and thoughtfully chosen.   [read the full post]

By David Friedman Hall of Famer Joe Dumars, Dantley's teammate on the Detroit Pistons from 1986-89, spoke in almost reverential terms about Dantley: "I think he was the most disciplined player I've ever been around in my life--did not deviate from his ...

By noreply@blogger.com (David Friedman) Although Dantley was highly productive in Utah, he and Coach Frank Layden did not always see eye to eye. Prior to the 1986-87 season, Utah traded Dantley plus two draft picks to the Detroit Pistons for Kelly Tripucka and Kent Benson. The Pistons had evolved from being a high scoring team to being a defensive minded unit but even though they had a physical squad they did not have a bona fide inside scorer; center Bill Laimbeer was a spot up shooter, while Rick Mahorn and young forwards Dennis Rodman and John Salley were not big time scoring options. Dantley provided just what the Pistons needed, leading them in scoring (21.5 ppg) and helping them make it to the Eastern Conference Finals, where they lost 117-114 in game seven to the defending champ...   [read the full post]

By noreply@blogger.com (David Friedman) A couple months ago, ESPN The Magazine ran a fascinating article about what it takes to get to the NBA Finals. Guest writer Baron Davis interviewed fellow All-Star guards Kobe Bryant, Chauncey Billups and Tony Parker. Bryant, of course, teamed with Shaquille O'Neal to lead the Lakers to three straight NBA championships from 2000-02. O'Neal and Bryant's Lakers also made it to the 2004 Finals, where they lost to the Detroit Pistons as Billups won the Finals MVP. This year Bryant, sans O'Neal, guided the Lakers back to the Finals, where they lost in six games to the Boston Celtics. Parker has won three championships as a San Antonio Spur (2003, 2005, 2007) and he was selected as the 2007 Finals MVP.   [read the full post]

By noreply@blogger.com (David Friedman) 4) Joe Dumars finally figured out that Flip Saunders was never going to lead the Pistons back to the Finals, let alone win a championship. The question now is whether the team's championship-contending window is still open with the current nucleus of players or if Dumars is going to overhaul the roster. Until I see what happens on that front it is impossible to predict how good the Pistons will be in 2009. 9) I've been saying for a couple years that the Raptors are the Phoenix Suns East: that means that they can win a lot of regular season games and be a tough playoff matchup but unless they become more stout defensively and on the glass they will not beat Boston, Cleveland, Detroit or Orlando in a seven game series.   [read the full post]

By David Friedman(noreply@blogger.com) 1) Under Saunders' predecessor Larry Brown, the Pistons built an identity as a strong defensive team. Saunders' Pistons were not nearly as good defensively, especially when it mattered most: in the Eastern Conference Finals against elite teams. As I noted in the "Requiem" article, Saunders' Pistons were most known for "lacking focus, not playing up to their potential and taking off quarters, halves and sometimes complete games." Is that entirely Saunders' fault? Perhaps not, but ultimately the responsibility for a lack of focus and productivity falls on the shoulders of the CEO, the general, the man in charge. Here is another way to look at this. Greg Anthony has repeatedly made a very perceptive observation about Phil Jackson's team...   [read the full post]

By David Friedman(noreply@blogger.com) For most of the game, the teams were separated by five points or less. According to the conventional wisdom, this is the type of game that Detroit should be expected to win: a close playoff game at home against a team that has struggled on the road throughout these playoffs. Yet it does not surprise me at all not only that the Pistons lost but that they lost in precisely the manner that they did; after all, I predicted virtually this entire scenario in my series preview: I mentioned Boston's superiority in rebounding, I pointed out that Detroit never shot better than .410 from the field versus Boston during the regular season, I declared "the Celtics are an outstanding defensive team that will outexecute the Pistons down the stretch" and I conc...   [read the full post]

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By noreply@blogger.com (David Friedman) The Pistons have made it to the Eastern Conference Finals for six straight seasons but unless they can win two games in a row against the team with the best regular season record in the NBA this will be their third consecutive defeat in this round of the playoffs. Their only two Finals appearances during the past six years came with Larry Brown as the coach and a young Ben Wallace patrolling the paint. Without Brown's leadership and Wallace's paint presence, the Pistons have simply not been the same team in the playoffs: they do not defend the paint well on a consistent basis against elite teams and their "liberation offense" is unproductive for long stretches.   [read the full post]

By noreply@blogger.com (David Friedman) Antonio McDyess had a flashback to how he played before knee injuries limited his athleticism and now Pistons fans are partying like it's 1999--that was when McDyess made the All-NBA Third team for the first and only time, averaging a career-high 21.2 ppg and 10.7 rpg. McDyess had 21 points and 16 rebounds as Detroit defeated Boston 94-75 to even the Eastern Conference Finals at 2-2. Those numbers, once routine for McDyess, represent playoff season-highs in both categories. McDyess is the only Detroit starter who was not a member of the 2004 championship team and he is one Piston whose effort and focus are constantly at a high level; his mind and heart are always willing, though his body may fail him from time to time. In this game, the Pistons fe...   [read the full post]

By noreply@blogger.com (David Friedman) Detroit's fans showed up at game three of the Eastern Conference Finals ready to cheer for their conquering heroes after the Pistons' road win in game two but by the second half the Pistons trailed by 24 and boos echoed through the Palace of Auburn Hills. The Pistons made a late run but never got closer than nine points as the Celtics regained homecourt advantage with a 94-80 victory. Kevin Garnett made big plays at both ends of the court, leading the Celtics in points (22), rebounds (13) and assists (six). Ray Allen struggled with his shot again (5-16 from the field) after seeming to break out of his postseason slump in game two but he still finished second on the Celtics with 14 points while also playing a good floor game (six rebounds, six assis...   [read the full post]

By David Friedman(noreply@blogger.com) Richard Hamilton (25 points) and Chauncey Billups (19 points, seven assists) led a well-balanced attack as Detroit beat Boston 103-97, handing the Celtics their first home loss in this year's playoffs. The Pistons played very efficiently on offense, shooting 35-71 (.493) from the field, converting 28 of 32 free throw attempts (.875) and passing for 21 assists while only committing nine turnovers. Although Boston won the rebounding battle 39-31, Detroit grabbed several key offensive boards down the stretch and that helped the Pistons to preserve their lead. All five Detroit starters played at least 32 minutes and scored at least 13 points. The one reserve player from either team who had a significant impact was Rodney Stuckey, who had 1...   [read the full post]

By David Friedman(noreply@blogger.com) The Boston Celtics outscored the Detroit Pistons 44-22 in the paint and captured game one of the Eastern Conference Finals, 88-79. Kevin Garnett scored a game-high 26 points on 11-17 field goal shooting and he also had nine rebounds and four assists as he completely dominated Rasheed Wallace (11 points on 3-12 field goal shooting, five rebounds, four assists). Fresh off of his sensational game seven performance versus Cleveland, Paul Pierce authored an excellent all-around game, finishing with 22 points, six rebounds and six assists. He often served as the primary ballhandler in Boston's half court offense, taking pressure off of young point guard Rajon Rondo and creating easy scoring opportunities for himself and his teammates. R...   [read the full post]

By noreply@blogger.com (David Friedman) Don't count the Orlando Magic out just yet. Rashard Lewis scored a playoff career-high 33 points as the Magic beat the Detroit Pistons 111-86 to cut Detroit's lead to two games to one in their second round series--but the most significant development in this matchup may have happened at th...

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By David Friedman On a night when the other three All-Stars on the court combined to shoot 4-36 from the field, Kevin Garnett shot 13-22, scored 28 points and grabbed eight rebounds as his Boston Celtics escaped with a 76-72 game one victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers. If this game were a building, it would have been condemned and torn down; if this game could have looked into a mirror, the glass would have shattered into a million pieces. This game was U-G-L-Y--unless you are a big fan of missed shots (the teams combined to brick, airball and otherwise misdirect 91 out of 143 field goal attempts) and turnovers (38). Rajon Rondo played a solid game, scoring 15 points (all in the first half) and adding six assists and five rebounds. Paul Pierce had five rebounds a...   [read the full post]

By David Friedman Orlando's offense is based on Howard attacking on the inside and drawing double teams that result in wide open three pointers for Turkoglu, Lewis and other perimeter players. Detroit countered by staying at home on Orlando's outside shooters and mainly using single coverage on Howard; the Pistons were able to do this because they have enough frontcourt depth to rotate several different primary defenders on to Howard, including Rasheed Wallace, Antonio McDyess and Jason Maxiell. A great player cannot allow himself to be defended one on one, so the onus is on Howard, the Orlando coaching staff and the Orlando guards to make sure that the Pistons are not able to get away with this strategy in game two.   [read the full post]

By David Friedman Eastern Conference First Round Detroit will win because...the Pistons will not let the Sixers do those things four times in seven games. New Orleans will win if...Chris Paul, David West and company perform at the same level that they did during most of the regular season. Dallas will win because...the Mavericks are loaded with playoff veterans who keenly understand the difference between the regular season and the playoffs. 3 San Antonio (56-26) vs. #6 Phoenix (55-27) San Antonio will win if...the Spurs get Shaquille O'Neal and/or Amare Stoudemire in foul trouble, thus weakening the Suns inside. Tim Duncan must have a huge series in the paint and not settle for jumpers.   [read the full post]

By David Friedman Notes From Courtside: LeBron James won his first scoring title, averaging exactly 30.0 ppg, scoring 2250 points in 75 games. James has averaged at least 27 ppg, six apg and six rpg for four straight seasons, a feat only accomplished by Oscar Robertson, who achieved those levels in the first eight seasons of his career. During Cleveland Coach Mike Brown's pregame standup I asked him this question: "This season you are scoring about the same number of points that you did last year but you are giving up about three more points per game defensively. What do you think are the main reasons that the defense is not quite where it was last season?" Cleveland finished the season ranked ninth in ppg allowed and 11th in opponents' field goal percentage.   [read the full post]

By David Friedman 1) Boston Celtics, 55-15--clinched playoff berth 2) Detroit Pistons, 50-20--clinched playoff berth 3) New Orleans Hornets, 48-21 4) L.A. Lakers, 49-22 5-6) Houston Rockets, San Antonio Spurs, 48-23 1) LeBron James, CLE 30.8 ppg 2) Kobe Bryant, LAL 28.3 ppg 3) Allen Iverson, DEN 26.6 ppg 4) Carmelo Anthony, DEN 25.5 ppg 5) Amare Stoudemire, PHX 24.7 ppg 6) Dwyane Wade, MIA 24.6 ppg 7) Dirk Nowitzki, DAL 23.6 ppg 8) Michael Redd, MIL 23.3 ppg 9) Richard Jefferson, NJN 23.0 ppg 10) Corey Maggette, LAC 22.3 ppg 13) Tracy McGrady, HOU 21.8 ppg 14) Chris Paul, NOH 21.7 ppg 26) Paul Pierce, BOS 20.0 ppg 30) Kevin Durant, SEA 19.6 ppg 38) Kevin Garnett, BOS 18.8 ppg 41) Ray Allen, BOS 18.2 ppg 24) Ben Wallace, CLE/CHI 8.7 rpg   [read the full post]

By David Friedman Last season, the Cleveland Cavaliers eliminated the Detroit Pistons in the Eastern Conference Finals by relying on excellent team defense, strong rebounding and the brilliant all-around play of LeBron James. Several of the faces have changed in Cleveland--and things have not always gone smoothly since the big trade--but that tried and tested formula resulted in an 89-73 home victory over Detroit on Wednesday night. James did his part with 30 points, seven rebounds and six assists, shooting 11-19 from the field and producing a +15 plus/minus rating while playing a team-high 41 minutes. The Cavaliers outrebounded the Pistons 46-39. Ben Wallace and Zydrunas Ilgauskas each had eight rebounds and Anderson Varejao added six rebounds o...   [read the full post]

By David Friedman 1) Boston Celtics, 47-12--clinched playoff berth 2) Detroit Pistons, 44-17 3) San Antonio, 42-17 4) L.A. Lakers, 43-18 5) New Orleans, 41-19 1) LeBron James, CLE 30.6 ppg 2) Kobe Bryant, LAL 28.3 ppg 3) Allen Iverson, DEN 26.8 ppg 4) Carmelo Anthony, DEN 25.9 ppg 5) Dwyane Wade, MIA 24.4 ppg 6) Amare Stoudemire, PHX 23.9 ppg 7) Dirk Nowitzki, DAL 23.6 ppg 8) Michael Redd, MIL 23.4 ppg 9) Richard Jefferson, NJN 23.0 ppg 10) Chris Bosh, MIA 22.6 ppg 23) Ben Wallace, CLE/CHI 8.8 rpg 1) Steve Nash, PHX 11.4 apg 2) Chris Paul, NOH 10.8 apg 3) Jason Kidd, DAL/NJN 10.4 apg 4) Deron Williams, UTA 10.1 apg 5) Jose Calderon, TOR 8.6 apg 6) Jamaal Tinsley, IND 8.4 apg 7) Baron Davis, GSW 8.0 apg 8) LeBron James, CLE 7.5 apg 9) Allen Iverson, DEN 7.2 apg 10) Chauncey Billups, DET 7.2 apg   [read the full post]

By David Friedman In the East, Anthony and Legler only agreed about four players: Richard Hamilton, Chris Bosh, Caron Butler and Paul Pierce. Legler also had Chauncey Billups, Antawn Jamison and Zydrunas Ilgauskas on his list, while Anthony chose Ray Allen, Hedo Turkoglu and Rasheed Wallace. Bosh, Billups, Butler and Pierce are obvious choices. I would go with Ilgauskas at center; Wallace is not even a true center, he just plays there because the Pistons got rid of Ben Wallace and their other plans (Nazr Mohammed, Chris Webber) fell through. Wallace does not play hard every night and neither shoots nor rebounds as well as Ilgauskas. Hamilton and Jamison complete my ballot. Allen is having one of the worst seasons of his career and I need to see more than just th...   [read the full post]

By David Friedman Rasheed Wallace had 23 points, 15 rebounds, three assists, three steals and two blocked shots to lead the Detroit Pistons to an impressive 90-80 road win over the defending champion San Antonio Spurs. Amazingly, this is the first time that Wallace has put up at least 23 points and 15 rebounds in a game since February 10, 2005. Wallace is a marvelously skilled player and it was his arrival in Detroit that put the Pistons over the top and enabled them to win the 2004 championship. Yet he is averaging just 13.1 ppg and 7.4 rpg this season, numbers that are roughly in line with his career marks (15.4 ppg, 6.9 rpg). Those are decent stats for a small forward, not a multifaceted power forward/center. Wallace, who clearly has the rare ability to be a 20-10 guy co...   [read the full post]

By David Friedman With most of the Eastern Conference mired in mediocrity--even the fast starting Orlando Magic are just 5-5 in their last 10 games--there is obviously a very real opportunity for either the Pistons to make it to the Finals for the first time since 2005 or for the Celtics to return to at least some of the franchise's former glory. Although I have pointed out the flaws of both of these teams in previous posts, looking at the East right now the only team that seems like it has the necessary parts to beat either the Celtics or the Pistons in a seven game series would be the Cleveland Cavaliers--not that Cleveland would win such a series if it were played now but by May the Cavaliers should be able to get back to playing the way that they did last year defen...   [read the full post]

By David Friedman 1) Boston Celtics, 26-3 2) Detroit Pistons, 24-7 3) San Antonio Spurs, 21-8 4) Phoenix Suns, 22-9 5) Orlando Magic, 22-11 1) LeBron James, CLE 28.8 ppg 2) Kobe Bryant, LAL 27.1 ppg 3) Allen Iverson, DEN 26.3 ppg 4) Carmelo Anthony, DEN 25.7 ppg 5) Richard Jefferson, NJN 24.8 ppg 6) Dwyane Wade, MIA 24.8 ppg 7) Carlos Boozer, UTA 24.1 ppg 8) Michael Redd, MIL 23.9 ppg 9) Dwight Howard, ORL 22.9 ppg 10) Tracy McGrady, HOU 22.8 ppg 16) Dirk Nowitzki, DAL 21.7 ppg 17) Paul Pierce, BOS 21.6 ppg 20) Yao Ming, HOU 21.3 ppg 26) Kevin Durant, SEA 19.7 ppg 32) Ray Allen, BOS 19.1 ppg 37) Kevin Garnett, BOS 18.8 ppg 26) Ben Wallace, CHI 8.6 rpg   [read the full post]

By David Friedman The Boston Celtics led for most of the game but when crunch time arrived the Celtics disappeared and the Detroit Pistons won, 87-85. This showdown in Boston between the teams with the two best records in the Eastern Conference was just chapter one in a story that will continue throughout the regular season and very possibly not conclude until the playoffs. Chauncey "Mr. Big Shot" Billups made two game-winning free throws with just .1 second left in regulation and he finished with a game-high 28 points, including 12 in the fourth quarter. He also had a game-high eight assists. His backcourt mate Richard Hamilton scored 21 points on 8-11 field goal shooting. Antonio McDyess (13 points, 10 rebounds) was the only other Piston to reach double figur...   [read the full post]

By David Friedman The Chicago announcers claimed that the Bulls played with energy but if that is the case then I'd hate to see what this team looks like when it does not play with energy; the rebounding, turnovers and general lack of aggressiveness (as suggested by the paucity of free throw attempts) all speak to mental and physical lethargy. Ben Wallace did not have a single rebound in the first half and he ended up with two points, five rebounds, four assists and two blocked shots. Ben Gordon scored eight points on 3-9 shooting. Although the game was close most of the way, I doubt that any seasoned NBA viewer who watched this contest really believed that the Bulls were going to win; the Bulls' play just lacked direction, purpose--"oomph," for lack of a better t...   [read the full post]

By David Friedman The Spurs dropped a couple games when Tim Duncan sat out due to injury, so the Celtics--owners of a nine game winning streak--pulled away a bit. Are the Magic going to duplicate last year's fast start and slow fade? Dwight Howard is still putting up MVP caliber numbers but the Magic are just 5-5 in their last 10 games; they are also 5-5 at home, which is very strange considering their 12-3 road record. One of those numbers will turn out to be a fluke; if it is the former, then Orlando could win 50-plus games but if it is the latter then the Magic will end up with 40-45 wins. Detroit has been winning "quietly," fueling the predictable and tired talk that the Pistons have been disrespected. Guess what? The Pistons have four All-Star caliber players and n...   [read the full post]

By David Friedman Regular Cleveland starters Zydrunas Ilgauskas and Drew Gooden were joined by point guard Eric Snow, shooting guard Shannon Brown and small forward Sasha Pavlovic, who usually plays shooting guard. That unit helped the Cavs take a 15-11 lead at the 5:59 mark. Then the cavalry arrived: James, Hughes and Varejao entered the game at the same time. My first thought was that it was clever to have James and Varejao come into action together so that the Cleveland fans would not boo Varejao for his extended holdout. After the game, James said, "I thought it would raise the intensity of the fans, having me, Larry and Andy come in at the same time--and it worked. I thought by coming in with Andy it might stop some of the boos Andy might get, just protecting my...   [read the full post]

By David Friedman The second article discussed the Detroit Pistons and tried to make the case that they are being disrespected. Huh? Consider these preseason predictions: The Sporting News picked the Pistons to make it to the Eastern Conference Finals, CBS Sports.com ranked the Pistons as the third best team in the East, David DuPree of USA Today also had the Pistons third and Sports Illustrated called Detroit the second best team in the East. In addition, most of the NBA analysts on ESPN, TNT and NBA TV generally offer nothing but praise for the Pistons, even though Detroit has failed to return to the Finals since the departures of Coach Larry Brown and center Ben Wallace. I guess that the magazine in question wants to say that is it taking a "countercultural"...   [read the full post]