The Pistons and Bulls are meeting in the playoffs for the first time since Chicago swept Detroit in the 1991 Eastern Conference Finals en route to the first of six NBA titles under Michael Jordan. We’ll be covering this from all angles between now and Saturday’s Game 1, but feel free to get the conversation started now in the comments.
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Echoing the old rivalry, is Ben the New Dennis Rodman? Minus the feather boas, of course! If that Quisling beats us in this round, Joe D will never hear the end of it!
Hope I’m wrong but before the playoffs I predicted Spurs over Bulls in Six.
This team needs to play like it hasn’t since the Spurs series. Taking good shots and protecting the ball on offense to limit the fast break. Stopping dribble penetration and controlling the boards on defense.
This one’s going six or seven either way.
Talk about a worst case scenario. I think the Bulls are the team that nobody in the east would like to tango with right now. That said, Maimi played like a team that shouldn’t have even been in the playoffs. I think Quick makes the right point, we will have to play our “brand” of basketball. The Stones cannot come out overconfident or cocky. Chauncey needs to score early and get Heinrich in some foul trouble. Absent the elf, they really don’t have a true point guard. It should be interesting to see how he holds up as the series progresses into games 5 and 6 because we have three completely different 1 gaurds to throw his way. Also, the Bulls seem to be one of the only teams in the NBA that gets shafted by officials more than we do. Moreover, they don’t have #23 getting the phantom calls for them anymore.
All in all, we are in for a great series. Already got my tix to game 6.
GO STONES!
Pistons vs. Bulls. Wouldn’t have wanted it any other way. Pistons in six. Maybe five, but I’m feeling generous.
This is going to be some pretty interesting playoffs. Pistons and Bulls both sweep first round to play each other in the second round. In my opinion this will be the toughest matchup up of any team of any round in the playoffs. Definitely going 6 or 7 rounds.
Looks like Cavs might sweep Wizards to make 3 first round sweeps on the east coast. Then Warriors look like they are going to pull the upset on the Mavs.
Third round should be much easier than the second round, it’s going to be a war vs the Bulls. As long as it isn’t the Spurs for the finals (I actually rather play the Suns), all we got worry about is the Bulls.
This is pretty much the finals right here. Two of the best teams (I think) in the league. Forget all that talk about Dallas, Phoenix and other western conf teams, I think we are seeing the best two teams in the league right here. The Bulls get hosed a LOT by the refs, so maybe Pistons can use it to advantadge. I think home court will come into play big time here. Cleveland has an easy path, whereas the Bulls and Pistons have had to battle (even tho they both swept, both were challenging series). It should make for a very interesting series coming up…!
This is going to be worse than the Cleveland series from last year. The Bulls will destroy the Pistons with their crisp ball movement and intensity. The only way we could stop them is by putting half-court pressure to slow them down. That means we have to use Flip Murray, Delfino and Hunter alot.
Keys To Winning:
1. Execute on Turnovers (Bulls give up the ball alot).
2. Defensive Rebounds (Bulls seem to punch out the ball alot).
3. Points in the Paint (Rasheed and Webber)
I agree with Fadel’s points to winning this series.
We will have to take advantage of the Bulls’ lack of interior offense and pressure the jump shooters. Probably won’t see too much zone defense by the Pistons either although I really hope Flip implements the 3/4 and full-court press more often in this series.
I am pretty confident that Flip has barely tapped his array of defensive schemes and hopefully the intensity of the series magnified by the loudest crowd in the NBA will prove to be enough to help the Pistons bring down the Bulls.
i agree with Latch about the two hardest teams in the nba, EXCEPT for San Antonio. I still think they are one of the best playoff teams in the league and could give Detroit a run for their money.
I’m saying Pistons in 6. Its going to be one hell of a series but Detroit has the experience, and they’re focused. Just look at Sheed. Even Ben Wallace wont be able to stop that fade away J in the post. Rip has the size on Gordon that his shooting percentage might dip a bit and Chauncey and Hunter can guard Hinrich. And then we got the Baby Eater going to play this series since he did so well in the season against the bulls (You better play him flip!)
Oh and I just saw this: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2007/writers/chris_mannix/04/30/inside.nba/
Looks like Lindsey might retire at the end of the season and take a front office job. Exit Lindsey, enter Acie Law?
This should be a great serious and I fully expect some highs and lows with a potential loss for the boys in games 1 or 2. We haven’t really had the punch in the mouth wake up call this year yet and these guys pretty much need it. However, maybe the sweep for the Bulls has them a little over confident going in (no punch in da face for them either).
Story lines:
1. I think this is the series where Flip (Coach guy not big brother to strippers/bullet magnet) either make or breaks his Pistons Tenure. If he can’t diagram a way to exploit his nemesis Ben and Skiles, then the whole thing gets blown up.
2. Big Shot/Sheed/Tay/Rip vs. Ben. Who’s really got the heart of a champ? I bet Ben plays like a freakin’ immortal but is undone by the stripe. Promotional idea - Head band night!
3. Can prince shut down Deng (we should play the Napoleon dynamite “Dang” drop at each turnover).
4. Rip/Chauncey need to put the hammer down on the Bulls guards, keep their composure, and control of the game.
Sit down fans, this is going to be a great series.
The Pistons aren’t good enough to win this series. Webber is way too soft for this type of basketball. He likes that pass-and-move feminine style. Rasheed doesn’t want to play hard versus Chicago because ‘Sheed is more concerned with just chillin’ while jacking up three’s. Look for ‘Sheed to play good defense and to draw a lot of fouls but that’s about it.
Chauncey is playing for a new deal. I wouldn’t put Gordon on Billups because size and length seem to bother Chauncey. Stefalosha looks as if he should get the prime assignment if things get tough with Mr. Big Shot. Everyone knows deep down inside that Chicago is prime and ready to win the NBA title.
The Pistons/Bulls rivalry from 1988-91 showed the dominance of the Pistons. Chicago couldn’t do anything except use the refs and marketing of the NBA to make sure that Jordan won. The Bulls were personally responsible for instituting the “flagrant foul” rule as Pippen and Jordan couldn’t take the brunt of the physical style that the Pistons gave out. Detroit could get hit and wind up laughing while shooting freethrows. Chicago would get hit and start complaining to the league office. I wonder where all of this soft basketball started?
Thanks a lot Mike!
I hate to say it but I think Chicago will sweep this series. The Pistons just don’t play hard enough nor do they play inside enough to win this series. I don’t think it’ll be close. I think Chicago will dominate the boards as well as get out in the open floor for easy baskets. The Bulls rotate well on the perimeter defensively. Ben Wallace is going to have an MVP performace in this series because he’s going to go all out on every possession. The anger and hunger of the Bulls combined with the softness and tenderness of the Pistons big men will be the difference in this series.
How is Detroit too soft to win and where did you get the idea that Chicago is physical? The only member of Chicago’s team that doesn’t flop on the floor at the first hint of contact is PJ Brown. Give me a break.
You want to put a rookie on Billups? Sefolosha had an easy time against Wade because Wade is the only playmaker on that team. Billups doesn’t need to shoot all game in order to make a difference, and unfortunately if Sefolosha and B. Wallace are on the floor at the same time, it hurts Chicago’s offensive abilities.
I think Chicago is the 2nd best team in the east, but I think our size, experience, and abilities combined out number what Chicago can bring to the series. Detroit has a deeper bench, more experience, and more length than Chicago has. I don’t see anyone on Chicago’s team that can match up with Sheed 1 on 1. I don’t see how Ben Gordon will keep Billups from posting him up.
To just come out and say that the Bulls will sweep because Detroit’s big men are soft shows absolutely nothing other than you basically repeating what guys like Stephen A. Smith say… At least throw up a statistic showing that Detroit’s big men are soft other than rebounding totals during the season.
I hate statistics, but if Detroit is so soft, how did their defensive efficiency get better this season without Ben?
I agree with Boney that this will not be a series to be swept. However, I do not think that Detroit has a deeper bench than Chicago. In fact, unfortunately I think Chicago is the deepest team in the league. Pistons have 5 people who can hurt you, while Chicago has Deng, Hinrich, Gordon, and off the bench they have Duhon, Sefolosha, Nocioni, Tyrus Thomas, and defensively they have Brown and Big Ben. Lot of threats there. I think it is a pretty even matched series with a slight edge to the Bulls.
Brown cannot stop Sheed on D, and I would put money on it that Ben can’t either.
CHI has no “beef” coming off the bench. Nocioni plays like a SF (he’s almost worse than Ginobili, Matt should make a shirt), and Tyrus Thomas will get dominated by Dyess/Sheed/Webber/Prince and he will muscled by Dale Davis and even young Maxiell.
To tell me Detroit will lose because they’re soft is also a way to tell me that you didn’t watch CHI at all during the season. They’re not that physical, and if you watched the last series at all, you’ll realize that you could’ve used any of the games as an example of how to flop, put it on tape, and sent it to Coach K at Duke.
sheed will be the key to the series. if sheed starts laughing, it’s all over. he has the capability to dominate against this bulls lineup and if he stays on the block, i don’t think anybody, save big ben, can come close to stopping him.
and if he gets a couple techs for laughing at people, so be it.
I’d forgotten about Sheed laughing last year. I know a lot of people think Chicago is going to be tough, and I am one of them, but I also think the Pistons are on the upswing this playoffs, as opposed to last year when they seemed to play as if they were entitled to go to the finals. I also think that the regular season wasn’t a great example of the Pistons’ play, especially the game that Chauncey was out. I’m going with Pistons in 6.
Bulls in 6. Rasheed is the ulitmate in unreliability: if he plays hard every minute, Pistons may win. Otherwise, Bulls, the team, will win in 6
Do we believe that these games will be close, tooth-and-nail grind it out affairs? If we do (I know that I do), the advantage goes to the Pistons. These Bulls have yet to prove that they can consistently close out really good teams. Are we to believe that they’re just going to do it now, all of a sudden, in the playoffs when it’s much harder? I’m not a believer.
With both teams meeting at equal health, the Pistons should close them out (see: Webber back in Feb., though to be fair, Nocioni didn’t play in that game). The boys looked like they had ice water in their veins at the end of game 4 against the other Magic. These Pistons are composed. These Bulls are young and vulnerable.
Deng and Gordon play unstoppable basketball when their shots are falling. What about when their shots aren’t falling? Are Gordon and Deng both going to average 25/game in this series? I doubt that. Since we generally seem to agree that all other things are close to being equal, the Pistons proving they don’t falter under pressure seems to be the key to me. Having the home-court advantage and being able to start the series at the Palace will help set the tone for the Boys in Blue to win this one.
The Bulls look an awful lot like our Boys of ‘03-’04, but I just don’t think they have the ability to close it out with a turnover machine like Hinrich manning their ship. And I just don’t think Ben Wallace will make seven straight free throws to clinch it in the Palace. Perhaps I’m just using wishful thinking, but of course, this is why the games are played.
There’s only one word to describe the Bulls - OVERRATED. None of the regular season games featured a Pistons team playing at the top of its game. The Bulls are young and stupid - the Pistons will take them out of their game within 4 minutes of the opening tip. Big Ben will mentally self-destruct by game 3. And the Pistons will sweep the series.