Re: Pistons vs. Bucks: First Round Thread
I was prepared for my mourning rant after what I saw yesterday when I found an article that just took the words right out of my mouth -- point after point. The truth is, I love the way Larry Brown coaches as a way to get his team playing a certain way. I hate his rotations and the fact that he over-adjusts to everything. Anyways, here's a breakdown of the game from DSR that I totally agreed with.
Link to DSR
WHO'S HOT/WHO'S NOT?
HAVE YOU SEEN THE MEMO?
Yes, on the bench. WHY ISN'T MEHMET OKUR PLAYING? This is not a broken record, this is not Groundhog's Day, but we think it is about time for Scott Perry to give Drew Sharp a call. When can we expect the seasonal Sharp column imploring the Pistons coach to play the Turkish big man? In his postgame press conference, Larry Brown answered a question about Memo's playing time by answering, 'You can't play everybody.' THEN WHY THE HELL DID DARVIN HAM GET 8 MINUTES AND OKUR ONLY 3? Hopefully it won't take the Pistons trailing this series 3-1 before Okur gets some serious P.T.
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UNINTENTIONAL MOTIVATION
Maybe it wasn't such a good idea for Larry Brown to harp on Darko Milicic all year that he wanted him 'to be more like Bill Russell and less like Toni Kukoc.' How does 7-for-8 shooting, 15 points and 9 rebounds sound to you Larry? Hey coach, next time you tell Darko not to be like someone, make sure you won't be facing the guy in the postseason.
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HERE WE GO AGAIN
Why can't anything be easy for the Detroit sports fan? Everybody and their brother thought the Pistons were a cinch to sweep the Bucks and the team promptly lays an egg and loses home court advantage. While it isn't time to panic, the easy first round series that we anticipated might have just slipped away.
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JOE THORTON SCHOOL OF LEADERSHIP
While the rest of the Pistons had to face the music after the Game 2 debacle, Richard Hamilton left the Palace without speaking to the media. What kind of leadership is that? If Rip wore the Pistons 'C', we would sure to be reading a Kevin DuPont article today on why he should be stripped of the captaincy.
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3 PT SHOOTING & REBOUNDING
The stats don't lie. The Bucks outrebounded the Pistons 48-37. That is absolutely inexcusable. And we thought Larry Brown didn't like the 3-point shot. So why did the team heave up 25 shots behind the arc while making only 6?
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DON'T CALL ME DOUGHBOY
Has there ever been a softer frontline than the Bucks trio of Toni Kukoc, Keith Van Horn and Joe Smith? That was the Bucks lineup in the 2nd quarter when they took the lead for good. To get outrebounded by that trifecta is an absolute joke.
How did the Pistons lose to a team that had Van Horn on the court for 20 minutes without scoring? But hey, they got the job done somehow. If the Bucks keep winning, can a Pillsbury commercial be far behind for these guys?
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LARRY BROWN
We would have expected a game like this from ex-coach **bleep** Carlisle (and we saw plenty like it in the last two years), but from a Hall of Fame coach?
Where was Tayshaun Prince in the 2nd quarter after the second year player was arguably the best Piston in the opening period? Why didn't Prince switch with Rip earlier and guard Michael Redd? Why didn't Memo play? Why didn't Detroit pressure the Bucks guards in the backcourt before the last two minutes of the game?
While we like the late quarter switches to get offensive players on the court, how about making adjustments during the other 44 minutes of the game?
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48 MINUTES OF HELL
The Bucks are about as well equipped to handle the Pistons backcourt press as Michael Jackson is to manage a daycare center. When the Pistons press Damon Jones and Brevin Knight there is a 50% shot that another Buck will catch the pass and a 50% percent chance someone in the third row will be the recipient of an errant pass.
The Pistons can basically force Bucks turnovers at will, but Brown didn't start pressuring them until the Pistons were down 15 points with a little more than three minutes to play. If Brown was in charge of the CDC (Center for Disease Control) and had the cure for Cancer, would he tell anyone?
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DAMON JONES
If you are going to talk smack to the fans, how about making one of two crucial free throws to ice the game? And the free throws weren't even close. The minute Jones walked up to the line with a huge sh-t eating grin on his face you could tell he was about to gag. And he didn't disappoint.
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TAYSHAUN PRINCE
What does it take for a guy to get more than 28 minutes of playing time? All Prince did was score 16 points on 5-of-10 shooting, with 6 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals and 2 blocks.
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PISTONS BENCH
One of the Pistons strengths in Game 1 turned into a disaster in Game 2. The reserves scored a measly 11 points on 4-of-17 shooting. Scoreless Williamson lived up to his moniker by putting up a goose egg.
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MICHAEL REDD
Coming off a poor 11-point performance, Redd scored 26 points on Wednesday night. As good of a shooter as Redd is, his 4 rebounds and 0 assists aren't the dominating type of numbers that should beat a superior Pistons team.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
PUBLIC ENEMY #1
He might not be Claude Lemiuex. He might not even be Tomas Vokoun. But Desmond Mason didn't endear himself to Pistons fans by getting into a scuffle with Hamilton. A villian might be good for the Pistons as this series is about as bland as it gets.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
CUTTING OFF CANDY SALES EARLY
I am not exaggerating when I say that the DSR staff sat next to the most ANNOYING KID in the world last night. The girl did not stop screaming for the entire 2 hours and 42 minutes. The love child of Gilbert Gottfried and Sixx from Blossom would have been more pleasurable to watch the game with.
I was prepared for my mourning rant after what I saw yesterday when I found an article that just took the words right out of my mouth -- point after point. The truth is, I love the way Larry Brown coaches as a way to get his team playing a certain way. I hate his rotations and the fact that he over-adjusts to everything. Anyways, here's a breakdown of the game from DSR that I totally agreed with.
Link to DSR
WHO'S HOT/WHO'S NOT?
HAVE YOU SEEN THE MEMO?
Yes, on the bench. WHY ISN'T MEHMET OKUR PLAYING? This is not a broken record, this is not Groundhog's Day, but we think it is about time for Scott Perry to give Drew Sharp a call. When can we expect the seasonal Sharp column imploring the Pistons coach to play the Turkish big man? In his postgame press conference, Larry Brown answered a question about Memo's playing time by answering, 'You can't play everybody.' THEN WHY THE HELL DID DARVIN HAM GET 8 MINUTES AND OKUR ONLY 3? Hopefully it won't take the Pistons trailing this series 3-1 before Okur gets some serious P.T.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
UNINTENTIONAL MOTIVATION
Maybe it wasn't such a good idea for Larry Brown to harp on Darko Milicic all year that he wanted him 'to be more like Bill Russell and less like Toni Kukoc.' How does 7-for-8 shooting, 15 points and 9 rebounds sound to you Larry? Hey coach, next time you tell Darko not to be like someone, make sure you won't be facing the guy in the postseason.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
HERE WE GO AGAIN
Why can't anything be easy for the Detroit sports fan? Everybody and their brother thought the Pistons were a cinch to sweep the Bucks and the team promptly lays an egg and loses home court advantage. While it isn't time to panic, the easy first round series that we anticipated might have just slipped away.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
JOE THORTON SCHOOL OF LEADERSHIP
While the rest of the Pistons had to face the music after the Game 2 debacle, Richard Hamilton left the Palace without speaking to the media. What kind of leadership is that? If Rip wore the Pistons 'C', we would sure to be reading a Kevin DuPont article today on why he should be stripped of the captaincy.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
3 PT SHOOTING & REBOUNDING
The stats don't lie. The Bucks outrebounded the Pistons 48-37. That is absolutely inexcusable. And we thought Larry Brown didn't like the 3-point shot. So why did the team heave up 25 shots behind the arc while making only 6?
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
DON'T CALL ME DOUGHBOY
Has there ever been a softer frontline than the Bucks trio of Toni Kukoc, Keith Van Horn and Joe Smith? That was the Bucks lineup in the 2nd quarter when they took the lead for good. To get outrebounded by that trifecta is an absolute joke.
How did the Pistons lose to a team that had Van Horn on the court for 20 minutes without scoring? But hey, they got the job done somehow. If the Bucks keep winning, can a Pillsbury commercial be far behind for these guys?
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
LARRY BROWN
We would have expected a game like this from ex-coach **bleep** Carlisle (and we saw plenty like it in the last two years), but from a Hall of Fame coach?
Where was Tayshaun Prince in the 2nd quarter after the second year player was arguably the best Piston in the opening period? Why didn't Prince switch with Rip earlier and guard Michael Redd? Why didn't Memo play? Why didn't Detroit pressure the Bucks guards in the backcourt before the last two minutes of the game?
While we like the late quarter switches to get offensive players on the court, how about making adjustments during the other 44 minutes of the game?
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
48 MINUTES OF HELL
The Bucks are about as well equipped to handle the Pistons backcourt press as Michael Jackson is to manage a daycare center. When the Pistons press Damon Jones and Brevin Knight there is a 50% shot that another Buck will catch the pass and a 50% percent chance someone in the third row will be the recipient of an errant pass.
The Pistons can basically force Bucks turnovers at will, but Brown didn't start pressuring them until the Pistons were down 15 points with a little more than three minutes to play. If Brown was in charge of the CDC (Center for Disease Control) and had the cure for Cancer, would he tell anyone?
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
DAMON JONES
If you are going to talk smack to the fans, how about making one of two crucial free throws to ice the game? And the free throws weren't even close. The minute Jones walked up to the line with a huge sh-t eating grin on his face you could tell he was about to gag. And he didn't disappoint.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
TAYSHAUN PRINCE
What does it take for a guy to get more than 28 minutes of playing time? All Prince did was score 16 points on 5-of-10 shooting, with 6 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals and 2 blocks.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
PISTONS BENCH
One of the Pistons strengths in Game 1 turned into a disaster in Game 2. The reserves scored a measly 11 points on 4-of-17 shooting. Scoreless Williamson lived up to his moniker by putting up a goose egg.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
MICHAEL REDD
Coming off a poor 11-point performance, Redd scored 26 points on Wednesday night. As good of a shooter as Redd is, his 4 rebounds and 0 assists aren't the dominating type of numbers that should beat a superior Pistons team.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
PUBLIC ENEMY #1
He might not be Claude Lemiuex. He might not even be Tomas Vokoun. But Desmond Mason didn't endear himself to Pistons fans by getting into a scuffle with Hamilton. A villian might be good for the Pistons as this series is about as bland as it gets.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
CUTTING OFF CANDY SALES EARLY
I am not exaggerating when I say that the DSR staff sat next to the most ANNOYING KID in the world last night. The girl did not stop screaming for the entire 2 hours and 42 minutes. The love child of Gilbert Gottfried and Sixx from Blossom would have been more pleasurable to watch the game with.
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