# Official First Round Thread: #1 Pistons vs. #8 Orlando Magic



## DetBNyce (Jul 23, 2002)

We can post in this thread all our predictions, analysis, discuss the games in the series with the Magic, and matchup problems, etc. I or anyone else will start with *GAME 1* in bold print then move on to *GAME 2* and so on.

The assumed playoff rosters (I will edit them if there are any mistakes):

*Orlando Magic:* 
*C* Steven Hunter
*PF* Pat Garrity
*SF* Gordon Giricek
*SG* Tracy McGrady
*PG* Darrell Armstrong

*Bench:* 
Drew Gooden
Jacque Vaughn
Pat Burke
Jeryl Sasser
Andrew DeClerq
Shawn Kemp 
Chris Whitney

*Detroit Pistons:*
*C* Ben Wallace
*PF* Clifford Robinson
*SF* Michael Curry
*SG* Richard Hamilton
*PG* Chauncey Billups

*Bench:*
Corliss Williamson 
Jon Barry
Chucky Atkins
Mehmet Okur 
Tayshaun Prince 
Zeljko Rebraca 
Hubert Davis/Don Reid

*STARTERS*

*Ben Wallace vs. Steven Hunter*

Ben wins this matchup hands down, by how much determines how healthy Big Ben is. *Advantageistons*

*Cliff Robinson vs. Pat Garrity*

It's no secret Cliff hasn't been playing up to par lately, but usually Cliff matches up against more of a low post player, but that's not the case in this series. He and Pat Garrity are the same type of player and playing against a banger would usually wear Cliff down, but he will be able to conserve more injury without all the banging he would normally have to face. With that being said I give the advantage to Cliff. *Advantageistons*

*Michael Curry vs. Tracy McGrady*

Obvious without a doubt. * Advantage:Magic*

*Richard Hamilton vs. Gordon Giricek*

Giricek really impresses me without a doubt. I think he is underrated, a good shooter, and easily capable of consistent 13-15 point games. We have Rip Hamilton wjo is a 20 ppg scorer and I think he will get more minutes than he did in the regular season so that could be upped by 2-3 more pts. Rip is the better player hands down. * Advantageistons*

*Chauncey Billups vs. Darrell Armstrong*

Chauncey has been a beast since the All-Star break, I just hope he comes out aggressive and looking to score because that's when we are at our best. Armstrong can not handle Billups period. Look for Billups to post him up and try to get some easy baskets. *Advantageistons*

*Benches*

The Pistons have one of the best benches in the league and IMO Orlando does not have that much quality depth. With that I mean players that can make a big impact. We have the reigning sixth man of the year along with Jon Barry and Memo Okur. 'Nuff Said. *Advantageistons*

*Coaching*

Carlisle is one of the best coaches in the league.*Advantageistons*

While I think Tracy McGrady could dominate games and win 1 or 2 games for Orlando all by himself, I like our chances in this series. I think our depth will wear Orlando out during games and over the course of a seven game series. I think we will win this series in 5 or 6 games. *Prediction: Pistons in 6*


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## DetBNyce (Jul 23, 2002)

Kabi, Jvanbusk, or whoever feel free to add in logos or player pics. I'm not too familar with those things.

Sunday 4/20/03: 12:30 PM


*GAME 1* 


Any predictions/analysis??


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## Lope31 (Jun 11, 2002)

I will try to add a bunch of pics to this thread. Here is a start








VS
















VS


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## DetBNyce (Jul 23, 2002)

Thanks, KABI. Good lookin' out, cuz I don't have the slightest idea on how to post pics.


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## jvanbusk (Jun 9, 2002)

I'll do a little synopsis position by position and share my thoughts like you did DetBNyce.

<b>Point Guard</b>
<i>Darrell Armstrong vs. Chauncey Billups</i>

Darrell Armstrong used to be a pretty solid point guard. He was a solid distrubuter that could put a few points on the board. His best years are behind him. Once a threat to put up 15 consistently, he's no longer that type of player. He averages 9 points and 3 assists in 28.7 minutes of play. Chauncey Billups on the other hand has come alive since the all-star break. His best month was February where he scored over 23 a game. He's still playing very well and for the year is averaging 16.4 points per game. Chauncey has developed into a player the Pistons go to in crunch time with game winners over Golden State and Atlanta. He's younger than Darrell and will play more minutes. Clearly an advantage for the Pistons.

Advantage: Detroit.

<b>Shooting Guard</b>
<i>Tracy McGrady vs. Richard Hamilton</i>

Michael Curry will most likely check McGrady on defense. Even so, I espect McGrady to average 35 points per game, if not higher. McGrady is a premiere player in the NBA, and although Curry is supposedly a good defender (I think he's sometimes overrated) he won't stop TMac. One thing the Pistons have going for them is Tracy shouldn't be able to get to the lane and put up shots in the paint as much with Ben Wallace roaming that area. Tracy is still a solid jump shooter and I fully expect him to dominate at times, maybe even steal a game or two. Rip is a solid player and should get some points on the offensive end, but this is another no-brainer just like the point guard battle.

Advantage: Orlando.

<b>Small Forward</b>
<i>Gordan Giricek vs. Michael Curry</i>

Michael Curry provides little to nothing on the offensive end and his main job will be to try and contain TMac. Giricek is a rookie in the NBA and will probably be guarded by Richard Hamilton. Labeled a 'weak defender', I feel Rip is average atleast. Even though he's a rookie, I have an obvious dislike for Curry and I have to give the advantage to Giricek. Don't think he will score the 15.4 he did during the month of February, but I would expect him to put 10 on the board per night.

Advantage: Orlando

<b>Power Forward</b>
<i>Pat Garrity vs. Clifford Robinson</i>

Pat Garrity, like Cliff, is a solid shooter from the outside. He can knock down the occasional 3 ball. It will be very important for Cliff not to lose Garrity or else Garrity will make the Pistons pay. Cliff has been in the league a long time, so I really don't expect too many mental lapses out of him. He's going to give the Pistons close to 15 points a night and will also hit the 3 ball. He's a solid inside out player, and a damn good interior defender. You can't give the advantage to Garrity here. Although Cliff isn't my favorite Piston, I think this is an obvious choice.

Advantage: Detroit

<b>Center</b>
<i>(? someone fill me in here, Hunter/Declerq/Kemp/Gooden?)vs. Ben Wallace</i>

Anybody that thinks there's an advantage here for Orlando is kidding themselves. Even if he's playing on a bum leg, Ben has the heart to go out and hustle to pull down his 15-20 boards.He's an intimidater in the lane, which could end up being a problem for Tracy McGrady. Ben is one of the main players attributed to shutting down Allen Iverson on March 20th when Iverson had just 5 points. Ben dominated that game with 9 blocks. It would not be wise for Tracy to get cocky and think he can go to the lane whenever he wants, or else we could see Ben take over the game. I'm not exactly sure who starts for Orlando, but advantage Pistons.

Advantage: Detroit.

2-12 we are better than Orlando. Plain and simple. McGrady is one of the best players in the NBA and we will need to keep him in check. Key to this series for Orlando is going to be other players stepping up. I.E. Giricek and Gooden putting in good rookie performances, Garrity knocking down some shots. I do think that we will wear Orlando down and take this series. Not sure how many games though, it could easily go 7.


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## tmacistight (Apr 6, 2003)

Good posts guy! I feel the Magic have a great chance (because they are actually healthy), but either way it will be a great series. I'm going to game 3 (can't wait). But I think you might be wrong on our starting lineup. Doc has said that he might use this lineup

C Steven Hunter
PF Drew Gooden
SF Gordon Giricek
SG Tracy Mcgrady
PG Jacque Vaugn


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## Lope31 (Jun 11, 2002)

It really will be Ben vs Tracy. If Ben can control the boards and grab everything Tracy misses then I think we will be well off. If Gooden and Giricek go off then we will need Billups and Rip to step up. I think it is a good series but we get it because of eperience and defence, in 6


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## DetBNyce (Jul 23, 2002)

> Originally posted by <b>tmacistight</b>!
> Good posts guy! I feel the Magic have a great chance (because they are actually healthy), but either way it will be a great series. I'm going to game 3 (can't wait). But I think you might be wrong on our starting lineup. Doc has said that he might use this lineup
> 
> C Steven Hunter
> ...


I figured I would be wrong about you guys starting lineup because it seems like everytime I see them play they have a different starting lineup. I actually like the fact that Gooden is starting because that means he will likely start the game with Cliff guarding him. Obviously Cliff is one of our better post defenders like jvanbusk said and he seems to get a lot of the younger post players in the league frustrated with his physical style of defense. Hopefully Cliff can make it hard for him early on, not letting Gooden get his confidence up and limiting his effectiveness.


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## Brian. (Jul 11, 2002)

I think all that we have to do in this series is let tmac do his thing *but* shut down the rest of the magic players which I don't think should be too hard. There is no way that one guy can win a series by himself. As long as we stay healthy we should take this series in 5 or 6. BTW I am going to game 2  I got some pretty decent seats hopefully I get to see a good game.


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## thrillhouse (Apr 18, 2003)

Whats up guys, i'm new to the board as far as posting, but i have been visiting this board for a couple of months now. The pistons fans seem like we have a good group, and this years playoffs should be fun. Im predicting pistons in 6.


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## jvanbusk (Jun 9, 2002)

> Originally posted by <b>thrillhouse</b>!
> Whats up guys, i'm new to the board as far as posting, but i have been visiting this board for a couple of months now. The pistons fans seem like we have a good group, and this years playoffs should be fun. Im predicting pistons in 6.


Glad to have you here. Welcome!


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## Lope31 (Jun 11, 2002)

Glad to have you here, as far as Brian goes. Good catch as far as getting those tickets I would love to go there! I hope it's a close one, with Chauncey hitting a buzzer beater three for the win of course.


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## jvanbusk (Jun 9, 2002)

<b><font color= "red">I copied this thread over to the Playoffs forum to be inserted into the Game Thread over there. I'm leaving the thread on this board too. It doesn't really matter to me where the stuff is posted just thought it would be nice to have the option. 

jvanbusk</b></font color>


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## jvanbusk (Jun 9, 2002)

Bad news for the Pistons. Ben to possibly miss the start of the series?

http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/playoffs2003/story?id=1541168

Let's hope he gets better and quick.


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## Damian Necronamous (Jun 10, 2002)

When will Drew Gooden be back?!


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## jvanbusk (Jun 9, 2002)

> Originally posted by <b>Damian Necronamous</b>!
> When will Drew Gooden be back?!


Damian, I'll defer to a Magic fan because I'm not exactly positive, but I thought he played a few minutes in the last game of the season.


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## MagicMan (Mar 3, 2003)

Nope, he didn't play a few minutes. He played A LOT of minutes in the last couple of games. He's perfectly healthy and getting back in 20/10 form. Better get your precious Ben back.


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## Brian. (Jul 11, 2002)

> Originally posted by <b>MagicMan</b>!
> Nope, he didn't play a few minutes. He played A LOT of minutes in the last couple of games. He's perfectly healthy and getting back in 20/10 form. Better get your precious Ben back.


Cliff Robinson will be more than able to hold his own against drew gooden.


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## MagicMan (Mar 3, 2003)

If Wallace is out, it will be a lot harder to handle Gooden than you think if he plays to his potential. Hell, he may even out-rebound an injured Wallace.


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## Dynasty Raider (Nov 15, 2002)

I think DETROIT will take the series --- Tracy can't win 4 games by himself, not when you've got Ben Wallace gobbling up EVERYTHING.


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## jvanbusk (Jun 9, 2002)

> Originally posted by <b>MagicMan</b>!
> If Wallace is out, it will be a lot harder to handle Gooden than you think if he plays to his potential. Hell, he may even out-rebound an injured Wallace.


Cliff Robinson is a better interior one on one defender than Ben Wallace. Plus, I got to believe that if Ben Wallace is playing nobody will outrebound him.


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## Lope31 (Jun 11, 2002)

Well Big Ben's wife gave birth to his his first kid the other day, he says he is questionable about the first game.


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## BallBiologist (Mar 29, 2003)

> Originally posted by <b>Dynasty Raider</b>!
> I think DETROIT will take the series --- Tracy can't win 4 games by himself, not when you've got Ben Wallace gobbling up EVERYTHING.


Who said he will have to win it by himself? He makes maybe 30-40 points, his team makes the other 60-80... 

We do have gooden, girochek now..and dqlerq and hunter have improved significantly and kemp has always been pretty good.. vaughn/sassinator/armstrong are pretty good players too. garrity hits the 3 when he feels like it..

anyways other than a few minor mistakes.

ANyways good luck and i'll be bringing a broom to game 4


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## jvanbusk (Jun 9, 2002)

> Originally posted by <b>courtside</b>!
> 
> 
> Who said he will have to win it by himself? He makes maybe 30-40 points, his team makes the other 60-80...
> ...


You are going to look pretty silly when the Pistons are up 2 games to 1 and you have a broom at game 4.


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## DetBNyce (Jul 23, 2002)

> Originally posted by <b>jvanbusk</b>!
> 
> 
> You are going to look pretty silly when the Pistons are up 2 games to 1 and you have a broom at game 4.


:laugh:


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## BallBiologist (Mar 29, 2003)

I already bought brooms for my entire section at center court.. Be on the look out...


I'm getting mine signed by mcgrady after the game..


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## Tactics (Mar 6, 2003)

It didn't look like the Pistons handled Gooden very well now did they? 18 points and 14 boards, solid performance for a rookie.


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## Lope31 (Jun 11, 2002)

I couldn't see the game, friggen Canadian-ness...Ben played 43 on a bad knee isn't that kind of stupid? He only grabbed 13 boards so you can tell he wasn't up to par. Tracy went off, I'm tired of losing. Let's go Detroit.


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## thrillhouse (Apr 18, 2003)

we didnt play very well the entire game, but i was encouraged by the way we came back in the last 5 minutes. you could tell that ben was rusty and tenative in the first half, but he really loosened up in the second half. I expect us to come out strong early in game 2.


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## Brian. (Jul 11, 2002)

I didn't get to see much of the game except for the last few minutes. It was a tough game to lose but what can you do. We obviously need a win wednesday. I think big ben summed it up nicely 



> If we play with the same urgency in the first quarter that we had in the fourth, we win this game easy,' said Detroit's Ben Wallace, who played 42 minutes after missing two weeks with an injured left knee."


I thought that Uncle Cliffy did a decent job on Mcgrady of course I didn't see much of the game. I can't wait for the game on Wednesday the Palace will be rocking I am going to do my share of :cheers: 

BTW if the magic do win on wednesday I am going to go white sox fan and run on the court and tackle and throws some punches at T-Mac after the game


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## DetBNyce (Jul 23, 2002)

All I'm going to take from this game is that it was the tale of two halves. We played horribly in the first half and better in the second half. If we played the first half like the second I think we would have won. Woulda, Coulda, Shoulda, but we didn't. Obviously Orlando had something to do with that, but I think the Pistons were very tentative in the first half trying to get a feel for each other and things of that sort. 30% shooting can not be expected again. I hope the Pistons watch game tape of this one and realize they need to put a body on Gooden because killed us. 
Like I said before I fully expect T-Mac to put up 35 ppg and possibly steal a game or two, but we can't let him score 43 points on 24 shots!! I say stick Cliff on him and if that means starting Memo so be it. Cliff did the best job of any defender we have and maybe his length can distract him somehow. The refs were horrible both ways.


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## Brian. (Jul 11, 2002)

I forgot to mention a few things like for as much as I rag on Uncle Cliffy for not showing up in the playoffs he did today I hope he can play this well all the way thru the playoffs. Also nobody has mentioned or at least I haven't seen it yet but Big Ben Wallace was 7-8 from the FT line today. To rain on the parade a little bit chauncey struggled big time we need him to play a much better game for us to advance in the playoffs.


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## DetBNyce (Jul 23, 2002)

> Originally posted by <b>Brian</b>!
> I forgot to mention a few things like for as much as I rag on Uncle Cliffy for not showing up in the playoffs he did today I hope he can play this well all the way thru the playoffs. Also nobody has mentioned or at least I haven't seen it yet but Big Ben Wallace was 7-8 from the FT line today. To rain on the parade a little bit chauncey struggled big time we need him to play a much better game for us to advance in the playoffs.


I think we all get on Cliff. I know personally I do he recently has been one of my least favorite Pistons, but he brought it on both sides of the ball today. And Ben did look very comfortable at the line. I have 100% confidence in Chauncey, he had a bad game but he brings it when he needs too. Evidence by his play in the 4th quarter.


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## jvanbusk (Jun 9, 2002)

> Originally posted by <b>DetBNyce</b>!
> 
> 
> I think we all get on Cliff. I know personally I do he recently has been one of my least favorite Pistons, but he brought it on both sides of the ball today. And Ben did look very comfortable at the line. I have 100% confidence in Chauncey, he had a bad game but he brings it when he needs too. Evidence by his play in the 4th quarter.


Chauncey was smoking in the 4th quarter taking it to the whole. The Magic really had no answer for this. I'd like to see him do this more at the <b>start</b> of the game rather than waiting to the end. If Chauncey can get to the basket early, he might get into a groove and be able to knock down more shots from the outside.

*Edit* Also, Big Ben's had plenty of time to work on his free throws the past two weeks. Could that be a source of the improvement?


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## DetBNyce (Jul 23, 2002)

GAME 2 

:upset: 

I am never one to question Carlisle's substitution methods, but why did he take Rip Hamilton and the starters out. They were killing Orlando and had all the momentum. I also understand that he is set in his ways but if your starters are up 15+ points, why sub them out?


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## DocBakk (Jan 3, 2003)

Michael Curry is a very solid defensive player, but I think Tayshaun Prince might be an OK match up to help slow T Mac's offense. T Mac can wear weaker players down with a pretty good power game but he'd rather just rain jumpers were Prince can get a hand in his face. I guess we'll see


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## DetBNyce (Jul 23, 2002)

> Originally posted by <b>DocBakk</b>!
> Michael Curry is a very solid defensive player, but I think Tayshaun Prince might be an OK match up to help slow T Mac's offense. T Mac can wear weaker players down with a pretty good power game but he'd rather just rain jumpers were Prince can get a hand in his face. I guess we'll see


Yeah, Prince has a long wing span and I think that bothers T-Mac a little. I heard a quote earlier in the year from T-Mac saying Kevin Garnett played the best defense against him in the league this year and I think Garnett's height and length are what really bothered T-Mac. Now T-Mac is definitely unstoppable and while Prince is certainly not the defender that Garnett is he has the same type of length that can make it just a little bit harder for T-Mac. I wish Prince would have got a little more PT during the regular season to help his maturation, which would have made him our starting SF so Michael Curry can sit on the bench where he belongs.

P.S. IMO, Michael Curry is an overrated defender.


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## jvanbusk (Jun 9, 2002)

> Originally posted by <b>DetBNyce</b>!
> 
> 
> Yeah, Prince has a long wing span and I think that bothers T-Mac a little. I heard a quote earlier in the year from T-Mac saying Kevin Garnett played the best defense against him in the league this year and I think Garnett's height and length are what really bothered T-Mac. Now T-Mac is definitely unstoppable and while Prince is certainly not the defender that Garnett is he has the same type of length that can make it just a little bit harder for T-Mac. I wish Prince would have got a little more PT during the regular season to help his maturation, which would have made him our starting SF so Michael Curry can sit on the bench where he belongs.
> ...


I agree! This guy gets a little too much credit.

Tayshaun was one of the key reasons we won tonight. Orlando fans aren't going to admit it, but Tayshaun played a hell of a game on McGrady tonight. Great defensive effort.


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## tmacistight (Apr 6, 2003)

I'll give props to Prince for his defense on Mcgrady. But you have to admit that he caught Mcgrady when he was extremely tired. Mcgrady scored 46 points and his teammates had 31 points. Mcgrady and Declerq were the only ones to score in the third quarter. When you have one guy to guard it makes it so much easier. Props to the Detroit D though! This is why he is the mvp of this league.


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## jvanbusk (Jun 9, 2002)

Would you like to see Tayshaun start on Friday? 

I think it has interesting pros and cons. I do think he is better than Michael Curry, and he did a very good job on TMac last night. He's going to offer more scoring help and will possibly knock in the outside shot. 

Con side: I still don't think he's ready. If he had started more games in the regular season I think this would have been an easy decision, but he still has mental lapses and makes rookie mistakes on the court. 

I say start Curry, and if he doesn't offer anything bring in Tayshaun early. And by all means, make players outside of McGrady make shots.


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## DetBNyce (Jul 23, 2002)

> Originally posted by <b>jvanbusk</b>!
> Would you like to see Tayshaun start on Friday?
> 
> I think it has interesting pros and cons. I do think he is better than Michael Curry, and he did a very good job on TMac last night. He's going to offer more scoring help and will possibly knock in the outside shot.
> ...


I agree, we should start Curry even though he doesn't bring anything offensively and is overrated, but he does have experience and that's one thing Tayshaun doesn't have. Another thing is that I would worry about the foul trouble Tayshaun would get in early on from guarding McGrady. They made questionable calls on Tayshaun (the drive where Tayshaun didn't touch him) and he wasn't in that long and I believe he got 2 or 3 fouls called on him. 

And please Pistons as you said jvanbusk, MAKE THE OTHER PLAYERS SHOOT.


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## Lope31 (Jun 11, 2002)

I am gonna go crazy if I have to keep watching these NJ Bucks games and no Pistons :upset:


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## digital jello (Jan 10, 2003)

> Originally posted by <b>jvanbusk</b>!
> 
> 
> I agree! This guy gets a little too much credit.
> ...


Curry is an overrated defender because his defense is the only thing he brings. He has no offensive game at all, so the only thing he appears to have is defense. 

And Prince did a real nice job on T-Mac, about as nice as one can do.


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## Lope31 (Jun 11, 2002)

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## thrillhouse (Apr 18, 2003)

i feel you on that


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## the wall (Jul 21, 2002)

Oh wow, the Pistons are horrible. We have absoluetly no offense...hopefully we get lucky in the draft lottery.


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## DetBNyce (Jul 23, 2002)

Why do we wait to the end of games or when there is desperate measures .to play to our potential? 

:upset: :upset: :upset: :upset:


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## Brian. (Jul 11, 2002)

I really don't know what to make of this series. First quarter of games we are a very good team but after 12 minutes we just quit. There is no movement to our offense come the 4th quarter. Everybody just stands around the perimeter. We finally had a low post scorer in this game in Zelly of course too little to late. Corliss has been very dissapointing in this serie. We could harp on the bad calls (like grickek walking in the lane how could that not be called  ) but good teams or should I say championship calbier teams overcome bad officiating. I do need to give orlando credit for playing very good. I am not giving up on the series though. We come home for a game that if the pistons have any heart should be able to win. Then we send it back to orlando where the pressure is on them. They certainly don't want to come back to Detroit for game 7... Well anyways I have needed to rant for awhile and now I feel much better.


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## jvanbusk (Jun 9, 2002)

> Originally posted by <b>Brian</b>!
> I really don't know what to make of this series. First quarter of games we are a very good team but after 12 minutes we just quit. There is no movement to our offense come the 4th quarter. Everybody just stands around the perimeter. We finally had a low post scorer in this game in Zelly of course too little to late. Corliss has been very dissapointing in this serie. We could harp on the bad calls (like grickek walking in the lane how could that not be called  ) but good teams or should I say championship calbier teams overcome bad officiating. I do need to give orlando credit for playing very good. I am not giving up on the series though. We come home for a game that if the pistons have any heart should be able to win. Then we send it back to orlando where the pressure is on them. They certainly don't want to come back to Detroit for game 7... Well anyways I have needed to rant for awhile and now I feel much better.


Brian, I was completely PO'ed with the officials in the first half. I truely believe this took the Pistons out of their game. It was pathetic. Every call went against the Pistons. I hate doing that, but I honestly feel it's the truth. Sure we should have come out and played better in the second half. They should have never gone on that 20-2 run. But can you honestly say the officiating didn't dictate the game in any way?


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## Brian. (Jul 11, 2002)

> Originally posted by <b>jvanbusk</b>!
> 
> 
> Brian, I was completely PO'ed with the officials in the first half. I truely believe this took the Pistons out of their game. It was pathetic. Every call went against the Pistons. I hate doing that, but I honestly feel it's the truth. Sure we should have come out and played better in the second half. They should have never gone on that 20-2 run. But can you honestly say the officiating didn't dictate the game in any way?


Don't get me wrong the officals were horrible and put the pistons behind the eight ball but its not the officals fault that chauncey shot 6-20 and rip 2-11. The pistons had an oppurtunity to win the game but the pistons had some terrible TO's down the stretch.


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## thrillhouse (Apr 18, 2003)

man i was all pumped thinking we have a game in a half hour, and now i find out its not till tomorrow.


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## Brian. (Jul 11, 2002)

I still have a good feeling about this series guys. The guys should be fired up to play today. We win tonight and the pressure is on orlando. To quote one of my favorites lines from one of my favorite movies (animal house)

D-Day: War's over, man. Wormer dropped the big one.
Bluto: What? Over? Did you say "over"? Nothing is over until we decide it is! Was it over when the Germans bombed Pearl Harbor? Hell no!
Otter: Germans?
Boon: Forget it, he's rolling.
Bluto: And it ain't over now. 'Cause when the going gets tough . . . the tough get going. Who's with me? Let's Go! Come on! AAAAEEEEEGGGHHHH!!


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## jvanbusk (Jun 9, 2002)

> Originally posted by <b>thrillhouse</b>!
> man i was all pumped thinking we have a game in a half hour, and now i find out its not till tomorrow.


Haha, I'm glad it wasn't on last night or else I would have had to tape American Idol. Tonight I can just tune in at around 5 to 9 to see who gets kicked off (Josh Gracin).

From here on out they are must win games. I do think we will win tonight in a tight game, much like the Pacers did last night. I have my doubts about Friday in Orlando. We must not allow Darrel Armstrong, Gooden, and Giricek to go off like they did last game. If they do, it's curtains for us and we can start looking at that Memphis pick more closely.

Let's go Pistons!


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## jvanbusk (Jun 9, 2002)

That's what I'm talking about! 31 point win, exclamation points at the end by Memo. No Big Nasty, no Zelly. But, an unbelievably well played game by the Pistons. We need this to carry over to game 6. This is the type of game that the Pistons need to play in Orlando to win in Orlando. Nothing worse is going to cut it. Game 6 will be a do or die for both teams, so expect Orlando to come out with their A+ game, let's just hope our A+ game is better.

Huge game for Prince, on this night he outplayed Tracy McGrady.


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## thrillhouse (Apr 18, 2003)

i maybe drunk right now but i believe the pistons won by 31 points.


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## Brian. (Jul 11, 2002)

This season is all on the line friday. We win friday and they are are just about done. They would have a hell of a time trying to win game 7 at the palace. Obviously though if they win at home this series is over. This is do or die on friday let see if the pistons can responed to that.


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## Brian. (Jul 11, 2002)

Interesting line up change last night corliss didn't even play. I wonder if that will continue for this series. Regardless 1 down 2 to go. We have 12 straight road playoff loses will the 13th game be lucky for us. What a great time to break that streak.


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## BallBiologist (Mar 29, 2003)

Sorry to break it to you but Magic just want to beat the pistons on their home court for the fans.. If magic lose the series, I will be hoping the pistons win ECC because they put up a good fight and deserve it.. But I know that the magic are going to win most likely

Anyways, was fun watching this series..


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## Brian. (Jul 11, 2002)

Guys I am the biggest idiot of all time... today at work my boss caught me off guard and asked if I wanted to work firday and without thinking I said yes. Which means that while you guys will be watching the game I am going to be working  .


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## DetBNyce (Jul 23, 2002)

> Originally posted by <b>Brian</b>!
> Guys I am the biggest idiot of all time... today at work my boss caught me off guard and asked if I wanted to work firday and without thinking I said yes. Which means that while you guys will be watching the game I am going to be working  .


Well hopefully you'll come back to see that the Pistons won.


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## thrillhouse (Apr 18, 2003)

what a put back dunk by ben, that was sweet.
throw it down big ben!:yes:


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## thrillhouse (Apr 18, 2003)

really good game tonight. Rip and chauncey were huge tonight, and ben was his usual all-star self. also, after not playing in game 5 corliss had some really key points for us.


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## DetBNyce (Jul 23, 2002)

What a game, what a game! Chauncey with 40 and three pointer after three pointer. Big Ben rebounding and scoring big. Bang-A-Ben didn't work. Way to play Pistons basketball. Good all-around team effort offensively, defensively, and this team show how much heart and fight they really have left. Orlando has to be doubting themselves right now. Homecourt is back in our advantage let's keep it up and become the 7th team to come from a 3-1 series deficit.


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## jvanbusk (Jun 9, 2002)

Well, who wants to tell Brian that he has to work Sunday?


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## TomBoerwinkle#1 (Jul 31, 2002)

Nice win for the Pistons. Unlike certain past teams that shall remain nameless, this Pistons squad is classy, and commands respect. Win or lose, props to the 02-03 Pistons.


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## Lope31 (Jun 11, 2002)

You don't know how happy I am right now.


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## eckô (Feb 26, 2003)

i cant believe it, ben went 8 for 22 from the line and they still won, now if thats not a kick in the behind for the magic i don't know what will.


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## Brian. (Jul 11, 2002)

> Originally posted by <b>jvanbusk</b>!
> Well, who wants to tell Brian that he has to work Sunday?


Heck if it means a pistons W I don't care. I do work on Sunday though I am hoping we play at 5 because I do get off at 3. Regardless from what I saw sneaking into the break room it was a good game. The pistons are in a great positon the magic have to be doubt themselves at this point. Plus we play at home where the crowd is loud enough by themselves we don't need to generate noise with "thunder sticks" how pathetic but thats another topic for another day. Needless to say I am pumped for the game sunday.


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## Brian. (Jul 11, 2002)

Excellent time to read the Orlando papers...

http://www.orlandosentinel.com/sports/basketball/magic/orl-sptbianchi03050303may03,0,7057320.column?coll=orl%2Dhome%2Dheadlines 

http://www.orlandosentinel.com/sports/basketball/magic/orl-asecmagic03x050303may03,0,6949237.story?coll=orl%2Dhome%2Dheadlines


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## the wall (Jul 21, 2002)

AHH I'm such a moron for giving up hope. I've should've known better! These last two games have been unbelievable...and I can't wait for game 7!

:djparty:


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## BallBiologist (Mar 29, 2003)

I cant wait until game 7 either.

I think Pistons have a better chance at winning now but I hope magic 'steal' the advantage away like they did in game 1

Sorry Pistons fans

And I think Pistons are one of the best teams in the east..


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## DetBNyce (Jul 23, 2002)

Ben Wallace is averaging 12 pts. and 19 rebs. over the course of this series. He is bringing his usual A+ defense along with some Offense too. Just thought I'd throw that out there.


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## BallBiologist (Mar 29, 2003)

enjoy the games guy..starts in 15 miinutes..


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## Lope31 (Jun 11, 2002)

Pistons were up 20-8 with 5 left in the first!!!

all I get to see is the html thing and nba.com and the thing at espn.com, the game isnt shown here.


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## BallBiologist (Mar 29, 2003)

Last remark in this thread..


#1 vs #8..


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## DetBNyce (Jul 23, 2002)

Don't make excuse now, you were one of the main Magic fans saying that Orlando is so much better since the trade and that they are better than the Pistons. You said the Pistons weren't going to win in Orlando they proved you wrong, you said they couldn't come back from 3-1, well they did. Give credit where credit is due. Is was a great series that should stick out in our minds for awhile. IMO the better team won and Detroit wanted it more. With that being said good luck it was a good series and it was fun talking about it with you.  

I wonder how much fun Brian had at work today? :yes:


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## DetBNyce (Jul 23, 2002)

I made a mistake and made another post. My fault, well something needs to be said. How great was Tayshaun today? Without him it would've been a long day. Sine they did it, I guess it's time to change my sig. Up Next: Philly on Tuesday.


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## jvanbusk (Jun 9, 2002)

It was a hectic week for me this week (Prom weekend), but you know where I was from 12:30 to 3:10 on Sunday. I was dog tired, but I was pumped to watch this game. We controlled the action, and really showed who the better team was. Excuses have been thrown around all series, but I really think this shows how much heart the Pistons have. In the last two games of this series the Pistons found another scoring threat: Tayshaun Prince. Who woulda thunk it?


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## Brian. (Jul 11, 2002)

> Originally posted by <b>DetBNyce</b>!
> I wonder how much fun Brian had at work today? :yes:


lucky for me I got off at 2:45 and was able to watch the rest of the game on our big screen in the lunch room :grinning: Tayshaun was huge but I wouldn't expect to see much of him against the 76ers. Unless I am wrong I don't think the 76ers have an athletic 3. Corliss will probably eat up all of prince's minutes this series. The guy who needs to step up this series is Chucky Atkins. I love Chauncey but AI can run circles around him. When Chauncey is in the game they need to take advantage of AI on the offensive end and have chauncey post him up. Back to Chucky though he has the quickness to stay with AI he needs to make AI work for everything he gets. I think we can win this series maybe in 6 but probably in 7.


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## thrillhouse (Apr 18, 2003)

that was a great game sunday, solid game overall. I like the way we match up with philli, i say pistons in 6.


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## DetBNyce (Jul 23, 2002)

http://www.detnews.com/sports/index.htm

Somebody please check out pic #11 under "Game 7 photo gallery"
has to be one of the funniest pictures of the year. :laugh:


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## jvanbusk (Jun 9, 2002)

> Originally posted by <b>DetBNyce</b>!
> http://www.detnews.com/sports/index.htm
> 
> Somebody please check out pic #11 under "Game 7 photo gallery"
> has to be one of the funniest pictures of the year. :laugh:


Either Cliffy is extremely excited or he had too many burritos before the game started. :laugh: Funny pic.


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