NBA Basketball 2004-2005 thread - Page 17

Well, well, well, what do you know. Game 7, here we come. And look who scored 7 big points down the stretch for Detroit, none other than Rasheed Wallace.

Even if the Pistons don't win Thursday night--and I still like San Antonio's chances of winning it on their home floor--this game is maybe the best testament to what us Detroit fans have come to love so much about them. No chance, heart-breaking loss at home, haven't won here since Duncan joined the league...and they still get it done, with not even a hint of tough-loss hangover from Game 5. Such incredible heart and determination, they believe in themselves even when we get down on them.

Spurs fans: Gentlemen, it's been a pleasure, and it's only appropriate that it all comes down to this. Let's enjoy the ride, even while our nerves take a beating. In the span of three days, this series has gone from an all-time clunker to probably the best Finals in almost 20 years (since '88). I'm all too happy for my team to share the biggest spotlight of them all with a similarly well-balanced and determined club.

Game 7! Bring it on! The Pistons certainly did their part tonight in extending the series another 2 days. Hopefully when the final buzzer sounds on Thursday, the Pistons will be back to back champs.

Good game Pistons, they just wanted it more. Especially well done on the mental issue. There was a moment in the second quarter (the series of fouls and technicals) where I thought they were going to break down, but they did a fantastic job of recovering. This was a win they deserved to get.

A few questions/observations though.

You have the best player in the game, possibly the league, and arguably the greatest damn power forward of all time. Why the HELL does he take the third most shots on the team? Both Manu and Parker shot more. Sure they were great in the first half, but they kept driving in the second when Detroit collapsed the lane and they couldn't get anything going. Get the damn ball to Duncan. that goes double when he's being partly guarded by a guy with 5 fouls.

Spurs have got to cut off the Pistons 3 point shooter. They don't defend the three as a shot well, their three point defense is predicated on denying the shot in the first place.

Stop turning the @*(#&@*( ball over. Please? 12 ain't bad, but it won't get it done when Detroit only turns it over 4 or 5 times.

I'm scared for game 7. I still think the Spurs can pull it off, but very few Spurs have currently been in a game 7. None of their big three have ever had a series go longer than six. Detroit, on the other hand, has made a habit out of pulling out the win at the last second, and just finished a series where they won game 7 on the road. This is not where I wanted to be at all.

And allow me a moment (but just a moment) to bitch about the reffing down the stretch. For the first three, three and a half quarters it was fine (although I do think that Detroit gets away with too much physical contact, and Rasheed Wallace is a permanent moving screen), but overall it was fair. And then at the end it goes to hell. The Pistons were doing whatever they wanted physically and weren't getting called for it. Kind of tough for SA to make a shot when every time they go up there's a hand on their arm. The refs didn't cost the Spurs the game, they were already down, but it was still frustrating to watch. Tim Duncan does not miss two point blank shots in a row without being fouled, it just doesn't happen. And I do think the refs were reluctant to foul out Rasheed Wallace.

I guess it did get more physical down the stretch, but the Pistons were the ones who didn't adjust to that in the last game. Chauncey had made his living getting to the line for most of Game 5, but then he kept driving to the bucket right at the end and not getting any calls, which should not have come as a surprise.

Game 7 and we wouldn't have it any other way.

I'm happy for both teams. We have a series we are going to remember.

For anyone who is thinking the Pistons are done in Game 7, all we have to do is point to the Boston Red Sox. Anything is possible.

Should be a great ending. As I said, I don't care who wins, because we as fans won already.

And the collective bargaining agreement was struck! They are moving up the cap, reducing the terms of the contracts and also going with an age cap of 19 minimum. Interesting. I'm surprising nobody is discussing this. I wonder if the whole NHL debacle scared the 2 sides into an agreement.

I don't think the NHL debacle has affected them all that much. There's exponentially more money to be made in the NBA than in the NHL, where the owners actually did better for themselves by not having a season. The money's doing the talking here, nobody wants to walk away from it.

I think the Spurs get more calls their way than Detroit does, and I did not notice anything much to complain about tonight. The most blatant missed call of the night was when Billups cleanly blocked Duncan's shot on a drive to the basket, but he was whistled for a foul.

Detroit made big plays when they had to, and they executed better in the clutch. If game 7 is close at the end, you have to like Detroit's chances.

Can a player on the losing team be named MVP? In case Detroit loses (and I HOPE they do), I think Chauncey Billups should be named MVP. He has literally been the most valuable player in this series, win or lose.

On a different note, given all the hate that the national media has given both teams and this series, I am laughing my ass off that this "ratings nightmare" is going 7 games.

Should be fun on Thursday; may the best team win.

Before the series, I picked Detroit in 5 (and took a lot of heat from my fellow Spurs fans) because I had no faith in the Parker/Billups matchup. In a game 7, that Detroit advantage will be huge, unless Duncan negates that edge by reverting to his previous MVP form.

I am upset because in this series Duncan has avoided alot of physical contact when trying to post down low. He has posted too far from the basket, farther than he has all season. Great defense, yes, but I hope he steps it up and gets physical.

One thing I hope to see in game 7 is Bowen covering Billups like he did at the end of game 5. I would rather see 2 point baskets by Rip than 3-point daggers by Chauncey.

My prediction for game 7 is a double digit win for Detroit. Go Spurs!

So, does anyone out there still think this will be a dull series?

I still give the Spurs the edge in Game 7, only because the game is in San Antonio. The Pistons, though, have shown they are capable of winning a Game 7 on the road. Regardless of the outcome, fans of both teams should be proud of how this series has played out. Hopefully Detroit can accomplish another first in this year's Finals. Last year they became the first team to win three straight home games in a 2-3-2 Finals format. A win on Thursday would make them the first team to win Games 6 & 7 on the road.

GO PISTONS!

BTW, I see that as part of the rumored new bargaining agreement, there will be a 19 year age limit. Is it possible to make that retroactive so we can return Darko?

Seems like lots of fans of teams with good post players are saying stuff like this these days

I remember some people doubting me on this aspect of the CBA, but it turned out I was right...not to mention that Stern also gave in on many other points.

From ESPN
Stern actually cited the NBA's own lockout as what scared him, its not like that's ancient history still. Plus the brawl had him stressing over league image and fan connection as well.



Yeah, but that is what they do, use physical presence to force you out of your comfort zones. But then so do the Spurs usually.

I agree. Billups kills teams a LOT MORE than Rip does actually. Billups is the big shot maker on that team and the most dangerous guy if you let him get hot. I would equate the importance of having Bowen on Billups to when Jackson put Pippen on Mark Jackson in the 98 Pacers/Bulls series. That single move allowed Chicago to barely beat Indy in 7 games, it was that critical.

If you have a playmaker on the other side you absolutely MUST disrupt him if you want to force the team out of plays and into free-lancing. The Spurs are a better free-lancing team than Detroit and if they can force that issue I think they win the game.

Plus, at the risk of being simplistic, with even teams a lot of it comes down to just making shots in the 4th.

All I know is I had the Spurs in 6 at NBA.com which would have won our 4 man contest I believe, so thanks a lot Duncan.



Pacers talk

You need to point this out to Indy locals who complained that Tinsley sucks because Billups got the better of him. He has a knack for that I say. Also some locals need to wake up and realize that a non-Artest team just went 6 with a team that has gone 7 with Miami and the Spurs. People around Indy (some) are talking overhaul and needing an impact player, etc.

Idiots. I hate fans that can't see a good thing when they've got it. It would be like Eagles fans wanting to overhaul their team or Colts fans...wait a second, the idiots complain about the Colts too.


The big rumor flying had Bender and the #17 pick going to LA for a couple of role guys (George perhaps, maybe a pick). Bird recently said no deal though, so now it looks like just rumor.

But rumblings over moving the pick have been pretty strong and the Pacers would like to adjust some salary (Croshere or Bender).

Then again, with the cap being raised so much and the lux tax being reduced (in the new CBA) they and other teams might be a lot more willing to stand pat. The draft is only 6 days away so I guess we will see.

One guy 100% not being moved, Ron Artest, who has already been playing some summer league games in NYC and has been working out in Indy (where he lives). Bird nixed all Artest trade talks completely. He'd be a fool to dump him.

Personally I say that Artest will be in the MVP buzz next season except that the brawl image will keep him out of it just like his problems kept him from winning DPOY the year before he did win it (after shaping up).

Well, the guy who did end up winning that Defensive Player of The Year Award, Ben Wallace, was pretty deserving, too. How many centers do you see who can play the press against opposing team's point guard? I'm amazed at some of the things Big Ben does defensively.

Big Difference here. The Eagles are strong on BOTH SIDES. The Colts are Not. The Colts need D and has all their money tied up on offense. I don't see how this correlates to the Pacers issues. They just need to be healthy and get their players on the court. I don't forsee them making big changes and don't think they should.

The Colts OTOH, Have major defensive issues and need to overhaul it. While they have Dwight Freeney, he is pretty much it IMHO. They hit a brick wall when they face the best Defensive teams in the AFC.

The Eagles also are in good shape other than a line that is getting old and the whole TO debacle. The Eagles don't need to overhaul one bit. They are doing it the proper way with the draft and free agency much like the Patriots have done. This is hard for me to say because I don't like Philly one bit but I have to give them props.

Watching "The Best Damned Sports Show" last night, Eva Lagoria said if the Pistons win she'll appear on the show in a bikini while if the Spurs win, John Salley will appear on the show wearing a Speedo.

For the sake of the TV-watching nation, let's hope the Pistons win tonight.

Go Pistons!!!!

Ah, well, it wasn't meant to be. Pistons folded up down the stretch, everyone but Rasheed. Chauncey did very little in the 4th, and Rip was invisible. Big-time plays from Duncan and Ginobili won it for the Spurs.

After Bowen hit the 3 to put them up 6 with just over six minutes left, I started accepting that San Antonio would win, and that any Pistons comeback would just be a pleasant surprise. I'm almost glad they never got within 4 after that, losing Game 7 of the Finals in the last two minutes would be too much to take. Too bad the game as a whole was a clunker.

Congrats Spurs, you earned it, no question about that.

Message to Pistons:

Thanks a lot. Thanks a fucking lot for rolling over to the Spurs.

Last year, you guys play over your head, and beat the Lakers, who admittedly deserved it, since they were the ones who rolled over, and refused to put in the effort.

This year, you basically have the same team, and the Spurs are basically the same as last year. Now, I'll be the first to admit that the Spurs are better than this year's Lakers, but they're clearly inferior to last years.

So, this year, Detroit can't step up to the plate, and they have to let the Spurs have their way with them.

FUCK!

Now I've got a whole year having to listen to the most arrogant fans on the face of the earth crow about a team that, historically speaking is one of the worst championship teams of all time. Almost any other championship team in history would have their way with these clowns.

These Spurs wouldn't know a 3 digit score if it hit them on the ass (though they'd flop down and cry "foul", that 3 digit number fouled me, but boo hoo, there's a conspiracy and David Stern won't let the ref call a foul on it).

Geez, just yesterday, I'm hearing from fans that this is a conspiracy if the Spurs don't win tonight.

Yeah, it's the refs fault that in the second most boring NBA championship of all time your team scores an average of 84 points. BORING. Learn to shoot. The only reason the Spurs win anything is because those conspiratorial referees let the Spurs be thugs, which Spurs fans acutally think passes for good defense. If the fouls were actually called, the spurs wouldn't win any game that wasn't against the Atlanta Hawks.

Again, Detroit, thanks for rolling over. Thanks a fucking hell of a lot.

Wouldn't beat ANYONE who wasn't the Hawks? Hmmm...well, doesn't look like there's much point arguing any of it with you, George. Though I'm amused that a non-Pistons fan is taking this so much harder than probably any of us who just watched our team lose.

Uh huh, that's why the Spurs played so physical with Phoenix and put up 120 points in regulation. The Pistons are far more physical.

As for the Pistons folding, nah. They were a good team, but their bench was thinner than last year, and that hurt. The Spurs had another year of experience under their belt and were mentally tougher. Shots that missed last year went down for them. last year's Lakers were lucky to beat the Spurs, a couple more shots and game 4 in LA could go to the Spurs, and I don't even need to mention game 5. And I think last year's Pistons would have struggled with either San Antonio OR MInnesota. LA beat both teams mentally, not on the court. It won the games, but both those teams could play better. As soon as LA hit a team that didn't roll over mentally, they collapsed. Detroit would have had a lot more trouble with a team that didn't just disintegrate in front of the entire country. They deserved their championship this year, and to accuse them of rolling over this year is grossly unfair to them. They lost two games, came back and evened the series TWICE, and then finally fell apart in the 4th. Better than the Lakers the last two years who collapsed by halftime game 6 against SA two seasons ago and never even showed up to play the Pistons last year. As soon as they found an opponent that wasn't intimidated, they fell apart. The Pistons showed far more poise in defeat than the Lakers ever did.

As for the game, nice job Detroit. They played hard and worked the Spurs as hard as they could and to the very limit. In the end, like Popovich's favorite quote, "I see a stonecutter hammering a stone. For a hundred times he hammers and there's no sign. Then, on the hundred and first, the rock shatters, and I know it was not the hundred and first blow that did it but the one hundred that came before." Spurs just kept shipping away at Detroit all game, and they finally broke. And even then, it wasn't over until Bruce stuffed Billups right at the end of the game to force a turnover.

Great series, great year, and we'll probably see you again next year. Good luck, but not too much.

Damn you Pistons! You robbed us of a chance to see Eva Longoria in a bikini on national television.

Seriously, the Pistons just couldn't pull it off. The Spurs played just about perfectly down the strech.

Only if Wallace had stayed with Horry at the end of Game 5, only if.....

I predict a rematch in next years Finals with the Pistons winning in 6.

The Lakers? The Lakers??? They SUCK



God bless our freedom of speech, even for idiots like you. :b



I did not see it that way. I think I saw one foul call against Detroit that seemed like a clean block, but the Spurs were called for a few iffy fouls when the Pistons drove too. The outcome had nothing to do with officiating, just like Game 6. The better team won. I didn't expect the Spurs to win, but I am glad they did.



Very insightful. Hmmm, who said that? Oh, it was me.

HAHAHA, George cracks me up

Quit hatin yo.
I love hearing folks whine

Props to Detriot for a GREAT series, i loved it!!!!!!!!!

The best team won, and its the Spurs again

The Spurs did not play well and this was Detroit's opportunity but they couldn't hit their shots. I cringed everytime Lindsay would take a shot. Chuancy wasn't very good tonight. Rip missed a lot of shots as well.

The game was called way too tight which clearly benefited the Spurs. Detroit was in foul trouble before they knew it. There was no consistency in officiating from game to game. The officials should not be deciding the games.

The Pistons had a shot at the end. They cut it to four after a nice steal. Then, Rasheed clearly knocked the ball from Duncan's hands but he was called for a foul. Duncan was actually hitting his foul shots tonight so it was over after that.

The Pistons needed to win this one to erase Sheed's mistake in Game 5.

Congrats to the Spurs and their fans. It was a tough series, and San Antonio made the plays down the stretch, while the Pistons couldn't hit their shots in the 2nd half. While I didn't like the tight officiating (it completely destroyed the flow of the game), it didn't cost Detroit the game. George, if you think the Pistons rolled over for SA, then you don't know this team at all. Of course, you should be an expert on teams rolling over, though, since you are a Laker fan.

The Pistons are still a young team, so hopefully they will be back in the Finals again next year. How about a rematch, San Antone?

The officiating was definitely tight, but at least one of Rasheed's fouls was a pretty dumb one, he threw his leg out at Ginobili when Manu was coming around a screen. It was an obvious call that the refs had to make. And McDyess committed a couple of unnecessary fouls on Duncan in the third quarter, when Tim was two feet from the basket and obviously on his way to scoring anyway.

The Darko era definitely needs to get going here. Who do you guys like for the head coach job now? Flip Saunders has been mentioned a lot, and Marc Stein said the other day that he'd already passed on negotiations with Portland and Cleveland. I'd be pretty happy to get him.