Pistons Crush Sixers; Take 3-2 Series Lead

Well the Pistons definately left no doubt about this one. It was a solid effort on both ends of the court for the full 48 minutes. This is the kind of effort we have grown to love as Piston fans and are mystified when it disappears. As I've said before, when we play this way, we are virtually unbeatable. This is the kind of effort that if applied the rest of the playoffs, will result in a championship.



Chauncey decided to announce his presence in the series last night as well. He was playing like the Chauncey we've grown to love. He was dishing out assists left and right and hitting 3's in transition. He was driving the lane and drawing fouls and really setting the Pistons up for success all night long.



I look for the Pistons to close this one out on Thursday. I admit I was one of those fans getting upset after losing 2 games in this series. However, when you look back on it, we really only have had 1 bad game this series and that was game 3 in Philly. This is the game you would expect the Sixers to win since it was their 1st home playoff game in quite some time. If we wouldn't have had that rough stretch of 6-8 minutes in Game 1, we would have clinched the Series last night. So I guess it's important to keep everything in perspective.



Game 6 will be Thursday night in Philly and game time is 8pm. It will be broadcast on TV20 and TNT. Let's get this done Pistons and move on with Orlando coming to town on Saturday.

Game 5 Tonight in the D!

The Pistons will look to take the lead in their best of 7 series with the Sixers tonight and set up a close out game on Thursday when they meet for Game 5 tonight in Detroit. The Pistons showed their true colors in the second half of Game 4 playing stellar defense and playing unselfishly on offense. It is widely known that the winner of Game 5 in a tied series usually turns out to be the victor. The Pistons would do well to come out swinging and put this one to bed early. The Magic already moved on in their series, dispatching of the Raptors last night. They will be getting plenty of rest so the Pistons don't want to extend this series any longer than they already have.

Game 5 will be broadcast this evening on TV20 and NBA-TV @ 7pm.

On another note, it looks as if the Celtics are getting more than they bargained for from the Hawks as well. The upstart Hawks have won 2 in a row now to even the series at 2 a piece and assured themselves at least one more home game in the series. I certainly still believe the Celtics will prevail in this series, however it is nice to see another Eastern Conference power having to fight as well.

Weekend Recap

Well, the Pistons performance in Game 3 was certainly not anything to write home about, so we'll leave it at that.

When I watched the 1st half of Game 4 I though we were in for the same show. However, the real Pistons finally showed up in Philly in the second half yesterday. The defense was tenacious, the ball was moving on offense and we were consistently making the extra pass to get someone a wide open shot. This is the team the Pistons can be all of the time. When they play like that, they are unbeatable. Flip just has to find a way to get them in that mindset for every possession of every game.

I continue to be more impressed every game with the effort from Tayshaun Prince. He is playing excellent defense on A.I. and still getting his own on offense. I think he could possibly the most underrated player in the NBA. Let's make sure we as Piston fans appreciate him for what he does and give him the love that he deserves.

Game 5 will be Tuesday night at the Palace at 7pm. The Pistons need to be focused on bringing the effort from Game 2 and the second half of Game 4. If they do this and win Game 5, I believe it will finally break the spirit of the young Sixers. Then we would return to Philly for a series clinching Game 6 on Thursday. And, say what you want about the Pistons focus, but in closeout games, they are virtually unbeatable.

Game 3 Tonight

The Series shifts to Philly tonight for Game 3. Coming off there thumping of the Sixers on Wednesday, the Pistons need to keep the pedal to the metal tonight and reclaim home court advantage from the Sixers. The Pistons are fully capable of taking both of these games in Philly if they put their minds to it. It was nice to see Rip get going in Game 2. Even though it was a blowout in the 4th quarter, I thought it was a good move by Flip to leave Rip-City in the game to get some reps and really get his stroke back shooting the ball. These next 2 games are a homecoming of sorts for both 'Sheed and Rip as both hale from the Philly area. Here's hoping they put on a good show for their hometown friends and family and help the Pistons bring home a win tonight!



The game will be televised on ESPN2 @ 7pm.

The Giant is Awake!

Well it looks like the Sixers roused the sleeping giant on Sunday. The Pistons came out in full force last night. I was particularly impressed with the play of Tayshaun and 'Dyess. Both of these guys came out and established themselves early and set the tone for the entire night. When 'Dyess had that slam back after the offensive rebound, I had flashbacks to his early days in Denver when he routinely took it to the hole with authority.

Then there was Jason Maxiell. Boy did he bring the intensity again last night. He has proved to be an invaluable spark plug to this team. The huge block on Jason Smith surely sent a message when Max erased his dunk attempt. It also didn't hurt that J-Max' only 2 points came on this absolute poster job of Smith as well!

The Pistons surely sent a message in this game. However, they really need to make sure this intensity carries over to Philly on Friday. If they continue to play this way, we should take both games in Philadelphia, which would be ideal. The Pistons showed once again that when they put their mind to it, they can dominate any team on any given night. Also, Chauncey didn't even score until the 3rd quarter! I'd like to see Mr. Big Shot take it to Andre Miller a little bit more. However, if everybody else continuesto roll like they did last night, I guess I'm fine with that too. Go Pistons!

Must Win Wednesday

The Pistons will be in "must win" mode tonight, and personally I believe they will deliver. I think they got a wake up call on Sunday. And when you think about it, wouldn't you rather have that come in Game 1 of Round 1 as opposed to sometime in the Eastern Conference Finals like last year? I look for Chauncey and Rip to both be very aggressive out of the gate tonight. If they get hot early, the Pistons will dominate. The game will be televised on your local MyNetwork affiliate, channel 18 in the Muskegon area on Comcast. Tip-off is set for 7:30pm. Let's get this engine firing and GO PISTONS!!!

Sunday Letdown

OK, I admit it, I haven't been on here because I've been totally upset by the Pistons Sunday loss. I really didn't expect the boys to come out on the 1st game of the playoffs and give it up late to the upstart Sixers. However, I'm also keeping this loss in perspective. "We will win Game 2," as the great 'Sheed once said. This series will probably go 6 games now though. Unfortunately we won't be as rested as I would have liked for a 2nd round series. We just have to put the pedal to the metal now. The Sixers if anything have given us a wake up call and shown us not to take anything for granted and to go out there and leave everything on the floor every single game in our march to another championship!