And I understand that you’d rather have a player that can break down a defense off the dribble and force the defense to rotate, but I think Rip’s unique game forces the D to react just as much and really makes the guy guarding him expend a lot of energy.

Also, I think Rip deserves credit for improving his defense.

(*btw, you wanna talk about tay ascending to the throne, i finally am getting the feeling that phil’s dad can coach this team. it took 3 years and 2 absolutely miserable, heartbreaking, kick-yr-dog exits, but it’s almost like he’s gotten it. i’d say phil’s dad has progressed as a coach in these playoffs as well as any of our players. now, i’m thinking phil’s dad shouldn’t be fired if we get to a 6th straight ecf but not the nba finals. it would have been finals or bust for me just a few weeks ago. another btw, i move that pistons coach flip saunders should only be referred to as “phil’s dad” from here on out.)

boney, i know you’ve gotten it enough on this thread, but that was probably the best game rip’s played as a piston, which may indicate he’s showing no signs of decline from the player you hate.

well, can’t dwell on this win forever. time to move onto matt’s other threads…

That being said, I feel bad for SVG, it’s hard to take a guy seriously who looks like a 55yo porn star whose nickname is “The Hedgehog”. But he was seriously outcoached in this game.

In other news, I love Doris Burke, she knows her stuff, and she can be color person on any game I watch. Finally, I can’t believe I didn’t get down on the Cavs -1. This was so obvious*, but in my own paranoid mind, something this obvious never wins. But that rule usually applies to the NFL, not other sports.

In other words, I’m parroting LB today lol….

*”obvious” because my take on Garnett, Allen, Pierce, is that they’re very talented individuals, you have one conference finals loss among the three of them. That’s a huge reason for betting against them in a road game.

Re: Billups suit, that military jacket style with the snaps up on the shoulders on top of a rectangular patch is apparently getting over big time. I’m not quite sold yet on it, but I’m not hating on it yet either. LeBron was wearing one at a press conference earlier in the playoffs.

All I know is, I absolutely love this picture of Chauncey:

http://sportsmedia.ign.com/sports/image/article/676/676682/chauncey-billups-interview-20051216015344694-000-000.jpg

I think it’s because of the belt.

the magic are done, now the question is for CB to be or not to be? for game 5…i say rest caz stuk will play better and hunter’s wheels are greased.

im proplexed with the Cs on the road this playoff. i was wishing for the cavs to win given a pisons round 2 victory, but now i dunno

in D-town we should have pizza pies for 22 cents…tay is the man this playoff season

dogg: Wilbon meant Wed. night to Tues. night … 6 days (minus like 3 hours). As far as I have heard (only been looking since the Chauncey injury), Game 5 has always been slotted for Tuesday. No way does the NBA let four days lapse between games in the same playoff series. No way.

Sauce: Gotta agree with kevin s., you are just KILLING Flip, you non-believer! My friend (Flip gives him heart attacks) put it best tonight while we were watching Boston-Cleveland … “I was nervous when Flip didn’t call timeout when Tay brought the ball to the corner on that last shot, but he took it in the lane and just made an amazing shot.” To which I said “I was nervous too, but as much as it may not seem so at times, I think Flip knows his guys better than we do.” My friend concurred. He’s finally aboard the Flip-hope train, or at least the Flip hope train vis-a-vis the Cavs or Celts.

Flip is CLEARLY ready for a victory in the ECF. Tonight was the first night that the same aforementioned friend finally admitted he thought this team was going to win the NBA Finals. Before today he didn’t think they’d even make it there. He called this squad “special”, and I’ve been saying that for quite some time. Boston has proven that there is a way through tenacious pestering, to bottle LeBron, and they’ve proven that if we get them instead, they’re mental midgets. Hell, I’ve been saying they’re mental midgets for quite a while (I mean, isn’t Doc Rivers the perfect head mental midget?), but when Cleveland took the lead early, Boston lost its composure. This Detroit team doesn’t lose its composure. Advantage: Pistons.

P.S.: Seriously, why even play Billups in Game 5? Why even mess with it? Uh, last time I checked, we’re one of only eight squads to come back from 3-1 down. This Orlando team needs our entire starting five (or at least Tay to join Chauncey on the injured list) to get hurt to come back from 3-1. They’re DONE. After Game 5, Chauncey can sit for another week or 10 days. Why bother for Game 5?