A primer for the Pistons / Heat series.

[Fresh]

If the heat split at home here and then take one road game from detroit...they have home court advantage...it's silly to think that the team is screwed after one game....

I'm looking at the long run here, and that is all about Shaq's mobility. He logged 30+ minutes tonight and had a hell of a performance for his condition, but he's only gonna have 1 night off after such a high-energy performance. If Shaq doesn't play this well in game 2, more players will have to step up. Most importantly, Wade is gonna have to step up big time. I said it time & time again on RealGM, Wade is NOT gonna have those huge performances against this Pistons team. He needs to score in the 20-25 range nightly at a HIGH percentage(come on, atleast 45%), dish the ball out effectively, and not turn the ball over. Wade took some stupid shots tonight and we paid for it.

At about the 8-minute mark, I was just waiting for that run. It came, but it left after a few turnovers and very bad shot selection. It's a shame because we could've easily ran away with this thing. I don't know, I was never overly confident about this series, but obviously we're still in it.

Winning game 2 at home and splitting on the road is easier said than done, especially against Detroit. This team is gonna have to start playing like champions and not giving up those big runs in the late-2nd, 3rd quarter and trying to win it in the 4th. It works against New Jersey & Washington, but not against Detroit.

I was anticipating a few more Damon Jones triples early on, but it just never came although he sparked the comeback in the 4th with the triple that cut the lead to 4.

We have our work cut out for us. I'm not gonna lose sleep over this game, but I hope Van Gundy does.

 

[TerryTate]

I'm looking at the long run here, and that is all about Shaq's mobility. He logged 30+ minutes tonight and had a hell of a performance for his condition, but he's only gonna have 1 night off after such a high-energy performance. If Shaq doesn't play this well in game 2, more players will have to step up. Most importantly, Wade is gonna have to step up big time. I said it time & time again on RealGM, Wade is NOT gonna have those huge performances against this Pistons team. He needs to score in the 20-25 range nightly at a HIGH percentage(come on, atleast 45%), dish the ball out effectively, and not turn the ball over. Wade took some stupid shots tonight and we paid for it.

At about the 8-minute mark, I was just waiting for that run. It came, but it left after a few turnovers and very bad shot selection. It's a shame because we could've easily ran away with this thing. I don't know, I was never overly confident about this series, but obviously we're still in it.

Winning game 2 at home and splitting on the road is easier said than done, especially against Detroit. This team is gonna have to start playing like champions and not giving up those big runs in the late-2nd, 3rd quarter and trying to win it in the 4th. It works against New Jersey & Washington, but not against Detroit.

I was anticipating a few more Damon Jones triples early on, but it just never came although he sparked the comeback in the 4th with the triple that cut the lead to 4.

We have our work cut out for us. I'm not gonna lose sleep over this game, but I hope Van Gundy does.

That's true....so many intangibles though...did you honestly think Ben Wallace would be an offensive menace today? The dude almost nailed a triple to close out a quarter today! He was that close (and that on-target inside the perimeter)

There is too much miscommunication on defense...the HEAT need to establish their matchups better....Tayshaun is the one that is gonna get the Heat good if they cant stop him after this game...

 

[Fresh]

There is too much miscommunication on defense...the HEAT need to establish their matchups better....Tayshaun is the one that is gonna get the Heat good if they cant stop him after this game...

That's right, and he's the one I feared the most coming into this series. Everybody's been talking about the Chauncy Billups-Damon Jones matchup, since it's obvious that DJ's defense is just awful 75% of the time(I can't knock him though, because it's not a matter of effort). I liked the way we threw Dooling in there for 21 minutes because he's a pretty good defender, and a damn good defender compared to DJ(LOL). But really, Tayshaun Prince's height advantage over Wade is something that I looked at as a huge mismatch. He got some pretty good looks tonight even when Wade was all over him. There was one play early on where he was posted up with Wade and Wade took the right and he blew right by him for the easy layup...that was probably the most pathetic defensive effort I've seen in the playoffs so far.

But really, we can still win this series. I'm not saying it's impossible, but game 2 now becomes a must win game and splitting in Detroit now becomes a must. If anything, I thought there would be a chance of us losing by the luck of a crazy shot or bad call in a game 7 or something, but I didn't see us flat out losing a home game like this.

The good thing about Wade is his confidence and his head. He knows what he did wrong and he knows what he has to do to come out there on Wed. and tie this series up. We're gonna have to dominate in game 2 if you ask me. We need to hit em early and pound them the entire game.

EDIT: Oh yeah, and big ups to Eddie Jones & Keyon Dooling tonight

 

[GCS VP]

What to expect:

1. Ben Wallace will foul every time he gets a block shot as he always seems to fall all over his opponent.

2. Shaq will get called for many offensive fouls.

3. Wade will not get the calls he gets against everybody else.

4. Larry Brown will cry about the officials.

5. Stan Van Gundy will cry about the officials.

6. Rasheed Wallace will jack up a ton of threes in one game and make none.

7. All the games will be close until the Pistons have their drought and the Heat will expand leads or take leads.

8. Udonis Haslem will outplay Rasheed Wallace for most of the series....again.

9. Ben Wallace will have a 2 point game.

10. Chauncey Billups will carry Detroit to make it competitive.


Heat in 5.

Most likely outcome:

Heat in 6.


It is a shame though that the Refs will not allow the Heat to sweep the defending world chumps.

:roflmao:


Your a regular "Nostradeamus"......

Where should I begin?

Actually, I wont.

But it looks to me like you were 2 of 10 on your predictions.

That reminds me of Wade`s shooting tonight......about 20%.



The Heat are a great team and im not trying to "gloat".

But "Section" needs to show the Pistons some respect.

 

[Pink_Dove]

HVAC,
Reread the title of the thread. It says SERIES not GAME 1.
Also, I didn't see you post any primers ? It's easy to get out of the bush when the action starts and say I told you so. You're rooting for Detroit since you're from the Motown area but I didn't see you post anything constructive or relevant on the series before except that Detroit will win in 6 because they're a 'team'.

As for the game, 2 things that havn't been pointed out here:

- I believe you've touched on this before X-Con (during the season) but Van Gundy got outcoached by Larry tonight. The Heat looked lost on offense after getting close at the end of the 4th quarter while the Pistons had set plays for Rip and Chauncey.

- Am I the only that thought the Heat lacked passion ? I'm not only talking about D.Wade and D.Jones, but about everyone except the fans. Zo wasn't his usual self and neither was Shaq.

 

[GCS VP]

HVAC,
Reread the title of the thread. It says SERIES not GAME 1.

I did and I was (obviously) referring to the "What to expect:" of Sections thread.

"9. Ben Wallace will have a 2 point GAME."- Section 126.

That sounds like this one GAME to me. :confused:

Also, I didn't see you post any primers ? It's easy to get out of the bush when the action starts and say I told you so.

Actually me and Section just "exchanged words" about this very topic recently.

http://www.finheaven.com/boardvb2/showthread.php?p=1231295#post1231295

You're rooting for Detroit since you're from the Motown area.

True.

but I didn't see you post anything constructive or relevant on the series before except that Detroit will win in 6 because they're a 'team'.

What am I suppose to say?

Detroit kicked the Heat`s A$$ tonight!?!?!?

The Heat dont have an answer for Rip Hamilton.

Who the hell was covering Rasheed Wallace tonight?

Detroit gives the Heat to many matchup problems.

Shaq is hurt.

Detroit will sweep?


Re-read the predictions: Here is 6-9

6. Rasheed Wallace will jack up a ton of threes in one game and make none.

7. All the games will be close until the Pistons have their drought and the Heat will expand leads or take leads.

8. Udonis Haslem will outplay Rasheed Wallace for most of the series....again.

9. Ben Wallace will have a 2 point game.

:shakeno:

 

[Section126]

What to expect:

1. Ben Wallace will foul every time he gets a block shot as he always seems to fall all over his opponent.

He did tonight...nice NON-goal-tending calls in the 1st refs....

2. Shaq will get called for many offensive fouls.

One BS call....the rest of the game was called straight up on SHAQ.

3. Wade will not get the calls he gets against everybody else.

:roflmao: ...How do I say...I TOLD YOU SO!!!!

4. Larry Brown will cry about the officials.

He didn't after the game...why should he....

5. Stan Van Gundy will cry about the officials.

To shell shocked to cry...he should have though...with the crappy job he did tonight....Hey...we open a lead with Wade guarding the ball...so why not put him back on Tay....Nice job Stan....

6. Rasheed Wallace will jack up a ton of threes in one game and make none.

Looks like it will be game 2.....he must think he is Larry Bird after that performance.

7. All the games will be close until the Pistons have their drought and the Heat will expand leads or take leads.

Hey...It happened...we just matched their drought with one of our own.

8. Udonis Haslem will outplay Rasheed Wallace for most of the series....again.

WOW...Just call rasheed Wallace....Larry Bird...If you are a Heat fan...Pray...that he thinks he can jack up threes all series long...PLEASE.

9. Ben Wallace will have a 2 point game.

It will happen...maybe twice....he was Moses Malone tonight...adding to the fluke factor.

10. Chauncey Billups will carry Detroit to make it competitive.

His ballhandling was superb....my favorite Piston Player.

Heat in 5.

Well...that's out the window seeing as how the Refs will not allow it.....

Most likely outcome:

Heat in 6.

Will happen.....I did say 2-2 coming back to Miami.....it still stands.

It is a shame though that the Refs will not allow the Heat to sweep the defending world chumps.
:roflmao: ...Did you guys like how we shot 10 free throws and never got Detroit into the penalty? Of course...The Pistons never foul.....

The game was lost in a couple of areas....Wade took bad shots......Detroit played him well...but he took bad shots and didn't his good looks...he probably had his worst game as a Heater...even worst than his 5 point performance.....at least he was aggressive in fouling out.

I knew the Refs were gonna fuk us...but that doesn't matter....They are the champs and the champs get calls....challenging teams have to make their way.....Credit goes to fantastic shooting by Rasheed......He basically beat us with his three's....

Stan van Gundy started the game by putting Wade on Tay.......he switches Wade to Billups and we control the game and carry a lead for most of the first half....of course...he swithes him back to Tay and we lose the lead and ultimately the game.

Hey Stan....when we tied the score at 80-80...it might have been a good idea to go to Shaq.....(He got 2 touches from that point on.)

I told my friends that watched the game that we needed to score 25 points in the 1st quarter to win......which would mean that we are playing at our pace......of course.......The pace slowed down to a crawl....we ended up playing Detroit's game......Nice Job larry.

Once Rasual Butler doesn't hit a couple of shots or is in a offensive groove...it's time to get him out of the rotation and go with the defensive option...Anderson.

Looking forward:

Wade never has two bad games in a row......and he always follows a bad game with a Jordan impersonation.

Need a contribution from "somebody" on the bench. A nice 10 point performance from Dooling would do the trick...or a 8 point performance from Laettner.

Ben Wallace is not Moses Malone...and Rasheed Wallace is not Larry Bird.....a good sign that they played so far above their heads and we were in it?

Game 2 is a must win...PERIOD.....and we cannot win by 2...although I would take it....confidence dictates a double digit victory...we need it.

We couldn't play any worst......time to play at our best the rest of the way.


Patience grasshoppers......hold your water.......We win Game 2.

 

[Section126]

But "Section" needs to show the Pistons some respect.

That is the problem with you Piston fans...all you do is cry about not getting "respect" what more respect do you want?

Do you want Miami, Phoenix, and San Antonio to forfeit the rest of the playoffs?

As for me I have given the Pistons plenty of respect....if I am not allowed to have confidence in my team...then WTF....

In the prediction thread I said ALL the games will be close and be decided in the 4th....

and I REALLY believe that if these games were officiated like the regular season....the Heat would win in 5. But I did predict Heat in 6 (most likely)and I stand by that.

You want to see a key? The Heat NEEDS to win game 2.....but that is not only it...They NEED to win game 2 by more than 10 points.....if they don't...I'm afraid that they will lose the series.....

Whenever the Heat has thrown out a clunker....They always come back and look like the greatest basketball team in the history of the league.....they need to do it again....The Heat's best game is good enough to lay a beatdown on the Pistons.....THAT is what they need.

 

[Pink_Dove]

HVAC,

Big Ben could come out NEXT game and put up a 2 point effort. I don't think his predictions refered specifically to GAME 1. His prediction could still be right. Same goes for the Rasheed Wallace predictions (number 6 and 8) (although I have Rasheed down as my X-fator for the Pistons and he proved it yesterday)

For the rest my bad dude. I wasn't aware that you had posted in another thread .It was so long and seemed like a showdown between Junc and Section.
:saberfigh

 

[Fresh]

The game was lost in a couple of areas....Wade took bad shots......Detroit played him well...but he took bad shots and didn't his good looks...he probably had his worst game as a Heater...even worst than his 5 point performance.....at least he was aggressive in fouling out.

I knew the Refs were gonna fuk us...but that doesn't matter....They are the champs and the champs get calls....challenging teams have to make their way.....Credit goes to fantastic shooting by Rasheed......He basically beat us with his three's....

Stan van Gundy started the game by putting Wade on Tay.......he switches Wade to Billups and we control the game and carry a lead for most of the first half....of course...he swithes him back to Tay and we lose the lead and ultimately the game.

Hey Stan....when we tied the score at 80-80...it might have been a good idea to go to Shaq.....(He got 2 touches from that point on.)

I told my friends that watched the game that we needed to score 25 points in the 1st quarter to win......which would mean that we are playing at our pace......of course.......The pace slowed down to a crawl....we ended up playing Detroit's game......Nice Job larry.

Once Rasual Butler doesn't hit a couple of shots or is in a offensive groove...it's time to get him out of the rotation and go with the defensive option...Anderson.

Looking forward:

Wade never has two bad games in a row......and he always follows a bad game with a Jordan impersonation.

Need a contribution from "somebody" on the bench. A nice 10 point performance from Dooling would do the trick...or a 8 point performance from Laettner.

Ben Wallace is not Moses Malone...and Rasheed Wallace is not Larry Bird.....a good sign that they played so far above their heads and we were in it?

Game 2 is a must win...PERIOD.....and we cannot win by 2...although I would take it....confidence dictates a double digit victory...we need it.

We couldn't play any worst......time to play at our best the rest of the way.


Patience grasshoppers......hold your water.......We win Game 2.

Very well said. I think if you like at it in the way that Sheed probably played above his usual, Big Ben(offensively) played way above his usual, and Dwyane Wade & Damon Jones played at their worst. If you look at it like that, the unusual happened last night. In the NFL when that happens to a Donavon McNabb in the Championship, it's over because there's only one game. However, fortunately the NBA is a 7-game series.

Game 2 is a must, and I think we can take game 2. My biggest fear is splitting in Detroit.

 

[Section126]

Very well said. I think if you like at it in the way that Sheed probably played above his usual, Big Ben(offensively) played way above his usual, and Dwyane Wade & Damon Jones played at their worst. If you look at it like that, the unusual happened last night. In the NFL when that happens to a Donavon McNabb in the Championship, it's over because there's only one game. However, fortunately the NBA is a 7-game series.

Game 2 is a must, and I think we can take game 2. My biggest fear is splitting in Detroit.

We did play our best game against them in Detroit....

If the Heat is thinking about "splitting" in detroit...then we have already lost....Lets try to win both games. :wink:

 

[nyjunc]

That is the problem with you Piston fans...all you do is cry about not getting "respect" what more respect do you want?

Do you want Miami, Phoenix, and San Antonio to forfeit the rest of the playoffs?

As for me I have given the Pistons plenty of respect....if I am not allowed to have confidence in my team...then WTF....

In the prediction thread I said ALL the games will be close and be decided in the 4th....

and I REALLY believe that if these games were officiated like the regular season....the Heat would win in 5. But I did predict Heat in 6 (most likely)and I stand by that.

You want to see a key? The Heat NEEDS to win game 2.....but that is not only it...They NEED to win game 2 by more than 10 points.....if they don't...I'm afraid that they will lose the series.....

Whenever the Heat has thrown out a clunker....They always come back and look like the greatest basketball team in the history of the league.....they need to do it again....The Heat's best game is good enough to lay a beatdown on the Pistons.....THAT is what they need.

You predicted the Heat would win in 5, that's not showing respect(or thinking logically).

 

[nick1]

I'm tired of people talking **** saying that the Pistons can shut down Wade, he had a triple-double vs. them earlier this year (it included 31 points). Last night Wade was just missing shots he normally would have made, he was open and he just missed them. Not his night but beware of Wade in Game 2

 

[Section126]

You predicted the Heat would win in 5, that's not showing respect(or thinking logically).

Read the prediction....selective aren't we?

 

[nyjunc]

Read the prediction....selective aren't we?

You predicted Heat in 5, you don't get 2 predictions. It's either you think the Heat will win in 5 or 6 not both and since you mention 5 first that is your official prediction.