This Run Is Officially Over

I don't know how other Pistons fans felt, but while watching the final game of the Pistons-Cavaliers series, this thought slowly trickled into my forehead. It had grown into a full-blown roar by the time Rasheed Wallace decided he'd had enough and got himself kicked out of a game in which his team still had a chance (on the scoreboard, at least):

I'm not sure I've ever come to dislike a team I root for more than these Detroit Pistons.

It's not because they ceded the Eastern Conference to Team LeBron, thus giving the NBA (or perhaps more specifically, ABC) a true superstar to promote in its signature series. Teams lose, torches are passed. Before the season, we were already wondering if the Pistons' time had passed, if that sweet championship window had already closed. And Cleveland was one of the teams that looked like it could push Detroit off the top of the hill.

So I'm not surprised the Cavs won on Saturday night. Hell, I think most everyone expected the series was over after Game 5. But I never thought I'd see this Detroit Pistons team flat-out quit on the court. And from my armchair, that's exactly what it looked like in that fourth quarter. It's like they just decided the outcome was inevitable. Maybe it was. Nothing the Pistons were doing was working. Put two or three guys on LeBron, and he dished off to the open guy. And Daniel Gibson wasn't missing. The home crowd was surging with excitement, the kind of excitement you feel when you know you're about to experience something you've never experienced before. It's a great feeling, maybe the best you'll ever have as a sports fan.

The Pistons must have sensed that too, because they seemed like they just wanted to get the whole exercise over with and go home. I thought they'd at least go down swinging. The fact that they didn't might be one of the most disappointing things I've ever seen as a Detroit sports fan.

Even worse was Wallace bailing out on the season - and his teammates - with almost eight minutes left in the game. The Pistons were only down by 12 points. But rather than stay in the game and help his team - and maybe for once play in the post and dominate Gooden, Varejao, and Ilgauskas like everyone knows he can, instead of jacking up three-pointers - he decided to stomp and pout back to the locker room.

I'm sorry - his act is totally played out. It's old and tired, like someone repeating a joke long after it stopped being funny. Stop complaining about the referees. Stop acting like you're entitled to every call. Stop acting like everyone is out to get you. Stop making your teammates waste energy trying to hold you back from doing something stupid.

But he won't stop. And I think even his teammates and coaches are sick of it. Terry Porter looked as if he wanted to punch 'Sheed. Lindsey Hunter just stared at him blankly. What was that outburst going to accomplish, other than making Wallace look like a giant baby who wasn't getting his way so he wasn't going to play anymore. They're tired of having to deal with this $#!+.

Rasheed Wallace probably is the most important player to the Detroit Pistons. And thus, they've taken on his persona. These guys don't just play basketball anymore. Remember this team back in 2004? "Going to work" and all that? This was a team Detroit fell absolutely in love with because it was the type of basketball team we wanted to see: No egos, no superstars, no divas. Any flash was provided by unselfish, hard-working basketball. Everyone played a role and worked toward a collective goal.

Somewhere along the line, this team forgot about all that. Their championship emboldened them to an almost comical level of arrogance. They complained about nearly every call, as if the referees should just let them do whatever the hell they want on offense and defense.

How could you call that foul on me? How did you miss that call on them?

Instead of asserting themselves and showing they were a better team, it's like the Pistons expected the game to just unfold for them, as if they were entitled to victory every time. And if they weren't my team, representing my community, I'd find it very difficult to root for these guys.

But maybe I shouldn't paint with such a broad brush. There's one guy on the Pistons who truly seemed to feel this loss, because he hadn't experienced the success his teammates had. If only Antonio McDyess had been able to pass that desire onto those who lost it. When someone needed to set a rugged defensive tone, who stepped up to try and establish it? McDyess, and it cost him (and maybe the team) virtually all of Game 5. But someone needed to show the Cavs that they couldn't drive so easily to the basket. It's just too bad that those who won a championship couldn't set an example for him, instead of the other way around.

So what now? The rest of this week in the Detroit sports blogosphere will surely be filled with eulogies and fix-it solutions. I'll probably chime in with some ideas, too, though I think it's pretty clear based on the previous 850 words who I think needs to go. Actually, the Pistons are in kind of a tough spot right now, because though its core might be aging, it's not yet old. This isn't like the 1990-1991 team that had clearly gone past its prime. Chauncey Billups, Rip Hamilton, and Tayshaun Prince have quite a few good years left in them. Joe Dumars might still be able to build around those three.

Changing the coach is probably an easy call to make, but can Dumars find another voice that can get through to these guys? Is Terry Porter that guy? He could be a head coach for another NBA team, which makes him an immediately on-hand candicate, but maybe the players are already too familiar with him. Or, after sitting in the assistant's chair, was he able to see what Flip Saunders did wrong, and have an idea of what changes should be made?

Would that even be enough? Or does Joe D have to do something bolder to shake out the complacency and change the culture? If so, is there enough flexibility in the rest of the roster to follow through on such ambitions? He might not, which means he'd have to touch one of the core trio. And if another team decides to throw a maximum dollar contract at Billups (the value of which might be questionable after his performance in the Eastern Conference Finals), Dumars is going to have quite a dilemma. If Billups opts to move on while cashing in perhaps the biggest paycheck he'll ever receive, Joe D might have no other choice than to set him free. Or he might have to consider sacrificing one of the other two for the greater good of keeping Billups and his leadership in Detroit.

Maybe that's the consolation prize for Pistons fans. At least the off-season shouldn't be boring.

Some Guys Actually Live Up To the Hype: Touché, LeBron

I really want to complain, but it's not going to accomplish anything.

I'd love to devote 500+ words to how someone in a Pistons uniform should've fouled LeBron James at the end of last night's second overtime, and made him earn a victory. Maybe I'm showing my age here, but I grew up in the "no easy layups" era of basketball. It's what I saw on TV, it's what I experienced on the playground.

That's not to say LeBron's game-winner wasn't an easy shot. He was surrounded by Detroit Pistons. Yet LeBron sliced right through four of them, neither of whom forced him to change his shot. Jason Maxiell should've come down harder LeBron's arms, making it virtually impossible for him to bring the ball above his waist. And instead of just standing on the edge of the lane, Rip Hamilton should've stepped toward the basket and at least tried to obstruct LeBron's path to the basket.


But maybe it wouldn't have even mattered. As much of a cliche as it might be, sometimes a player just refuses to lose and can't be stopped. The truth is, LeBron had already earned a win before his winning shot with two seconds left in the game. You've already heard or read the stats. You'll be hearing them all day today on TV and radio. LeBron scored 48 total points. The Cavaliers' final 25 points, and 29 of their last 30 were his. Unlike Marv Albert, I have difficulty declaring something I just watched an "all-time" performance. Once the shock wears off, I'm sure I'll be able to compare what I saw to all the other basketball I've observed in my lifetime.

For right now, however, I still can't believe LeBron was able to win a playoff game - likely the most crucial in the series - on a frickin' layup. Long after the game ended, after LeBron had his post-game chat with Craig Sager, I kept rewinding those final seconds and watching them over and over in some kind of post-traumatic stress disorder loop, like a turntable needle that just can't skip over a scratch in a vinyl record. How... in... the hell did the Pistons just let him... spring to the basket like that?

I'd also love to complain about Antonio McDyess getting inexplicably ejected from the game just before the end of the first quarter. Was it a hard foul? Absolutely. That was a clothesline smack straight out of professional wrestling. Anderson Varejao didn't have to fake a fall because McDyess knocked him right to the floor.

But getting thrown out of the game for that? Don't we see that kind of foul all the time? Sure, McDyess deserved a technical foul. You have to suffer some kind of penalty for decking a player off his feet.

However, the referees wildly overreacted in trying to make sure that sort of rough tone wasn't established upon the rest of the game. This was obviously a trigger-happy response to the hard fouls by Chris Webber and Drew Gooden in Game 4. But you can't send a player to the showers on a play like that.

I'm not saying the ejection decided the outcome. It happened far too early in the game, and the Pistons only ended up losing by two points. Besides, McDyess' absence forced Chris Webber to return from the side of whatever milk carton his picture was on, and contribute 20 sorely needed points. But would McDyess have at least tried to prevent LeBron from getting to the basket at the end of the second overtime? Unfortunately, we'll never know.

We also might never know what McDyess would've contributed to Game 6, as the very real possibility exists that he'll be suspended because of that flagrant foul, which is taking this heightened sensitivity toward rough basketball to an entirely too high level of overreaction. Clearly, those are the ground rules the NBA wants to set. I think it absolutely #$@%ing stinks. And I'm not just saying that as a Pistons fan, though this has clearly affected my team. I still nursing a slow burn over what happened in the Phoenix-San Antonio series, and if the Pistons weren't involved at this point, I'd have given up on the NBA playoffs already. That thought was pounding inside my head as I watched McDyess walk the walk of disbelief back to the Pistons' locker room.

But all that is essentially irrelevant against the larger scope of this series. I said I didn't want to complain, but I realize I've spent 700+ words doing just that. I'd actually forgotten that the Pistons also fell behind 3-2 in last year's series with the Cavaliers. But I think I echo the thoughts of every Detroit sports fan when I say this feels different.

This isn't just the Pistons not taking an opponent seriously anymore, seemingly waiting to turn on a switch. This feels like a shift in the Eastern Conference power structure. Here in Detroit, we've seen it before with our own team, and know exactly what it looks like. Perhaps the only difference is that LeBron is changing the balance approximately one year before most of us expected him to. Last night, he showed everyone exactly why he gets all the attention some of us may have felt he didn't yet deserve.

No, this series isn't over yet. But it sure seems that way. I feel much the same way as I did after the St. Louis Cardinals won Game 4 of last year's World Series against the Tigers. The series wasn't officially decided after that, but it may as well have been. The Tigers were wobbling at that point, just trying to stay upright while the Cards were measuring them up for the finishing blow. Today, the Pistons have that same look to them.

▪▪ Detroit Bad Boys easily wins the contest for best post-Game 5 headline, thereby highlighting a sensation I just can't shake this morning as I try to digest my breakfast.

▪▪ True Hoop breaks down the memorable moments from the game.

▪▪ Big Al didn't think he'd ever see one man beat five. (Word, my friend.)

▪▪ Bill Livingston believes LeBron may have trumped Jordan.

▪▪ Scott Warheit points out that this Pistons team has historically responded well to being down 3-2 in a series.

Beat Detroit? The Pistons Did It Themselves

I never thought I'd take ESPN.com's Chris Sheridan seriously again, after his embarrassing attempt to create a sensationalized story with Rasheed Wallace and Flip Saunders back in January. But the guy had it right when he wrote this sentence before Game 4 of the Pistons-Cavaliers series:

Mr. Big Shot is blowing his money.

And last night, Chauncey Billups blew the game for Detroit. That's an overly simplified way of explaining what happened in Game 4. But if LeBron James had to take crap after Games 1 and 2 for not making the plays expected of a superstar, then Billups deserves to be criticized for not being the Pistons' best player when they needed him the most.

He made three awful decisions late in the fourth quarter when the game was on the line. With just over one minute left, Billups left his feet with nowhere to go and dished off a panicked pass right to Drew Gooden. The play-by-play boxscore of the game described the play perfectly: "Chauncey Billups bad pass." He compounded the problem by immediately fouling Gooden, which put the Pistons in the penalty, giving the Cavs free throws on every foul thereafter.

But the three-pointer Billups attempted with 45 seconds left might have been an even worse play. I understand what he was thinking: Take a quick shot, so if it's missed, the Pistons can still get the ball at the end of the game. But he didn't have to take that shot. A leaning, twisting prayer of a shot, while desperately trying to draw a foul when no Cleveland defender was really near him. (Sasha Pavlovic didn't run into Billups; Billups tried to lean into Pavlovic.) Of course, it didn't go in. The Pistons still had a chance to tie the game after that, but it was essentially over after Billups threw up that shot.

Does Billups deserve the benefit of the doubt, given his past heroics for Detroit? Sure. But with that comes the weight of expectations, as well. Why come down so hard on him? Because he's expected to do better. Yet Billups has been outplayed by a rookie, one I hadn't even heard of before this series. (I'll admit, however, that I don't follow the NBA as closely as I used to. 15 years ago, I knew every player on every roster.)

Who is Daniel Gibson? Last night, he's the guy that kicked Chauncey Billups' ass. Okay, Billups outscored him by two points. But he needed almost three times as many shots to do it. One guy's expected to be the best player for his team. The other is a rookie who's just supposed to contribute to the cause.

But maybe it's unfair to come down so hard on Billups because there's plenty of blame that can be spread around. Okay, fine - Rasheed Wallace is an emotional player who often feeds off the perception that the referees are against him. But that technical foul he drew for throwing his headband was totally #@$%ing stupid. What did that accomplish? If you say he was trying to fire up himself and his teammates, then you're just highlighting how desperate he was at that point.

'Sheed just has to be smarter than that. And he's been through far too much not to know that by now. Remind me: Which team is the veteran, playoff-tested one?

And when Chris Webber signed with the Pistons, he may have given the Pistons a new offensive dimension with his passing skills, and helped out with rebounding and defense near the basket. But he is giving Detroit nothing right now. Two points in 20 minutes? Yes, part of that was because Antonio McDyess was playing so well. But he and Jason Maxiell are providing energy, effort, and low-post presence that Webber isn't able to match. He looks tired and slow, and on the verge of being done.

I still think the Pistons will win this series. But I agree that it's going to take seven games now. Detroit is still a better team than Cleveland. But they'd better start playing like it.

Comfortably Uncomfortable: Just the Way the Pistons Need It

Uncomfortably close? Maybe. But it's probably what we should've expected, given the recent history between the Pistons and the Cleveland LeBrons. I was actually thrilled Game 1 was so tight - though I obviously wouldn't be too joyful about it had Donyell Marshall made that last three-pointer, or if LeBron had seized the step he had and tied the score.

But I certainly don't think it's a bad thing that the Cavaliers got into the Pistons' face, and gave them one or two smacks in the mouth to get their attention. It just might force this Detroit team out of its more frustrating tendencies. Had Detroit won this first game easily, and worked up a decent amount of disrespect for the LeBrons, we know what likely would've happened next. We've seen it too many times over the past two or three seasons.

They'd lose focus. 'Sheed would start taking more three-pointers instead of fighting in the paint for baskets and rebounds. (To me, there was no more encouraging number from last night's box score than Wallace's 12 boards. I could've almost guessed the final score based on that.) They'd figure they could turn it on when winning time came around.

However, if these guys know that they're in for a fight, if Cleveland shows that they're not going to make it easy, then there shouldn't be a lapse. That's not to say the Pistons won't lose a game or two (or three). Even if it looks like Detroit has the match-up advantage at virtually every position and should win this series relatively easily, some teams simply have a rough time with certain opponents. And I think the Cavaliers are one of those irritants.

But what's everyone talking about today? LeBron should've taken that last shot. That's what superstars who get entire shoe ad campaigns built around them do. He shouldn't have passed the ball, even if the guy was horrifyingly wide open. Or he did the right thing because that's the play that's supposed to be made every time. (Matt at Detroit Bad Boys analyzes this whole thing so well that I wasn't even sure if I should bring it up here.)

Kornheiser and Wilbon will surely discuss whether or not LeBron is one of those superstars who can take over a game on "PTI" this afternoon, and I hope Wilbon raises an excellent point he's made before. Players who leave for the NBA right out of high school might not be as well schooled in the rhythms and demands of a game than a college player who's been through big conference and tournament match-ups. If a star player has never learned how and when to take over a game, what happens when just such an opportunity is thrust upon him?

Do I think LeBron should've taken the shot? Like Matt at DBB, my opinions changed after I saw the replay. As the play was happening, it looked like LeBron made the right decision because Marshall was so wide open. On a second and third viewing, however, you see that he actually had a step on his defender(s), which means he could've taken the ball to the rim and either have drawn a foul or laid in the tying basket. But we don't know what the plan was. Maybe the play called for exactly the pass that LeBron made. Maybe the sentiment on the Cavs' bench was to go for the win, rather than slog through an overtime period.

As a Pistons fan, I think all of this is awesome. Let LeBron, his teammates, and coaches answer those questions over the next two days. Let that thought influence LeBron the next time he's in such a situation, and it just might cause the kind of hesitation that can cause a player to seize up in key moments. Maybe he decides to force the issue and run into a double-team, rather than kick it out to the wing - because he's sick of hearing about this stuff. This stuff is in LeBron's head now - and the Pistons didn't even have anything to do with it.

But wait a minute - what if this fires LeBron up to become the unstoppable force many of us fear? Is this a case of "Be careful what you wish for"? Ah, let's worry about that on Thursday...

Not my favorite episode of "The LeBrons"

Before last night's Pistons-Cavaliers game, I thought that Detroit really needed to stomp the LeBrons. Blow the Cavs off the floor and give them something to think about as they looked ahead toward a possible (likely?) playoff match-up with DEE-troit BAS-ket-ball. Let 'em know who the best team in the Eastern Conference is, that they don't want any of this, and that last year's seven-game series was a fluke.

Instead, Cleveland looked like they were more interested in sending a message and jumped out to an early lead. And in the process, we got a reminder of just how scary LeBron James could be for the Pistons in the playoffs. 41 points. A near triple-double.

It's difficult to imagine he could put up those kinds of numbers in every game of a playoff series, especially when playing for Team USA didn't really give him any time off last summer. But remember how much energy you had when you were 22 years old? He just might be able to do this.

Detroit just didn't have an answer for LeBron last night. Had Lindsey Hunter not gobbled up the wrong pill from his kitchen counter, maybe the Pistons would've had an extra body to throw at him on the perimeter. (And with a 10-game suspension and approximately $250,000 in lost salary, those better be the best damn diet pills ever, Ivy Hunter.) Given the height difference between James and Hunter, such a match-up probably would've been exploited. But the Pistons could've used the help. Would LeBron have been able to drive to the basket for a game-tying dunk at the end of regulation had anyone else besides Tayshaun Prince and his five fouls been able to stick with him?

And for a minute or so, LeBron appeared to have made the kind of game-winning shot that might have been replayed in Nike and Gatorade ads for years to come. I would've loved to see and hear the reaction at a sports bar or in the Palace as that ball went through the net. In my armchair, I just sat quietly with eyebrows raised. Did that just happen?

On TV, it sounded as if the crowd was initially stunned (and rightly so) before trying to badger the officials into taking a look at the replay. You can say that the ball was clearly on LeBron's fingertips when the clock hit zero and the red lights went on. As a Pistons fan, I certainly would've made that argument. But I'm glad I didn't have to make that call, because it was damn close.

When the shot was waved off, I thought the Cavs were going to be deflated in overtime. I can't even imagine what it would feel like to run to the locker room, high from the euphoria of an amazing, crowd-silencing win, only to be told, "Sorry guys - shot didn't count. Get back on the floor." But LeBron and Co. took that energy into overtime, while the Pistons acted like they knew they were lucky to be playing an extra period. Letting one get away like that, against a division rival and likely playoff opponent, had to hurt.

▪▪ Rasheed Wallace might be the Pistons' most valuable player, but if he's gimpy, I'm not sure how much he really helps. The Free Press' Chris Silva said 'Sheed "showed no signs of discomfort," and he obviously had a much better view than I did. But to me, it looked like 'Sheed couldn't move on defense, and had nothing to put into his jump shot. (And I imagine he had even less interest than usual in mixing it up down low with that ankle.) Detroit's surely a better team with 'Sheed on the floor, even if he's not fully healthy. But maybe sitting him out until that ankle can heal up might be the better long-term plan.

▪▪ The Cavs don't have a match-up for Chris Webber, and he could drive them mad in a playoff series. Even with his lessened mobility, he can frustrate Zydrunas Ilgauskas by moving him all around the floor. Either Webber pulls him up toward the high post, opening the lane for drives to the basket, or faces Ilgauskas straight up and takes him to the hole. Maybe Mike Brown was experimenting when he put Donyell Marshall on Webber late in the game when Ilgauskas was either in foul trouble or needed a breather, but if that's what Cleveland has to resort to in such a situation, they could have big problems.

Back in a week

I suppose the title of this post could refer to the Detroit Pistons, whose season appeared to be on the brink after Wednesday's Game 5 loss to the Cleveland LeBrons. But four days later, they seemed to have rediscovered that championship ju-ju and finally asserted themselves over a not-yet-ready-for-prime-time opponent. (After their performance in this series, however, it looks like the Cavaliers' arrival to prominence might come sooner than originally thought. Or maybe not.)

Unfortunately, I had to catch the end of yesterday's 79-61 victory from a Greektown bar, where my sister and I had left our mother while we caught the rubber match of Reds-Tigers at Comerica Park. While Mama Cass was counting the money she fleeced from slot machines (seriously - she's rich, bee-yotch!) Budweiser and I caught most of the second half at the casino bar. Good times. Hopefully, watching at least part of a Game 7 at a bar is enough to keep me from having to appear before the Gods of Sports Justice. But hey, I ate damn well on those casino winnings.

No, the title of today's post refers to me taking a week off. As noted above, I have some family in town, and we've planned a busy week for ourselves, so asking them to wait while I post some blog entries probably wouldn't go over well. But with the Pistons about to start a rematch with the Heat, and the Tigers continuing to play good (great?) baseball, I might not be able to resist staying away. I'll just have to write in the wee, dark hours of the morning.

(And then I can rant about ESPN and ABC already putting together warm, fuzzy "Pat Riley is back!" features. C'mon, some of the people reading this were toddlers the last time Coach Slickback won a championship. How about waiting until he gets back to the NBA Finals before combing his hair back for him?)

Anyway, the plan - if I can stick to it - is to get back bloggin' after Memorial Day. By then, we should have a feel for how the Heat-Pistons series will go, and could still have a first-place baseball team in Detroit. (My fingers just tingled from typing that.) Thanks to all of you for stopping by to read, and enjoy your holiday.

This has officially become serious

So much for being calm and confident, eh? Even after losing Game 3 to the Cavaliers on Monday, the prevailing sentiment seemed to be that the Pistons were still firmly in control of this series and would win in six games.

At approximately 9:45 pm last night, the collective sphincter of Pistons fans everywhere tightened severely. It was probably already closing at tip-off, and progressively puckered throughout a game in which the Pistons could never assert themselves over an opponent virtually everyone believes (and probably still believes) is inferior in almost every way.

What the hell is going on here?

Three losses in a row is uncharted territory for the 2005-06 Detroit Pistons. And this is an unfortunate time to see how it works out for them.

"I'm still not concerned," Chauncey Billups said after the game. "I know what we're capable of."

Well, how about showing it then, guys? Is it safe to say the time for concern is right #@$%ing now?

How is it that the Cavaliers were playing with confidence last night, while the Pistons were flailing around like the team afraid to lose? This is what happens when you show the other team that they don't need to be afraid of you.

"It's just basketball," LeBronBronBron said in his post-game remarks. "They're not the Big, Bad Wolf. And we're not the Three Little Pigs."

Wait a minute. Who's supposed to be fearful, and who's supposed to be dismissive? Is this what it's come to? When did this NBA post-season become the Bizarro World for the Pistons and their fans? Who were those guys turning the ball over, getting their shots blocked, fumbling balls out of bounds, and fouling out? And who were those guys diving to the floor for loose balls?

Yet the Pistons would have you believe they're still cool like Fonzie. If there was any shock in the Detroit locker room last night, there was no awe to go along with it.

"We have been in this situation before," said Tayshaun Prince. "We know what to do. We feel like we can make it happen."

And if you had any questions about that, Detroit Bad Boys supports Tayshaun's point with hard evidence. These guys apparently like it on the edge. But the Pistons are starting to look like a team that believes its credentials entitle a free pass to the NBA Finals.

Their season is hardly over - and this series could be far off in the rear-view mirror if Detroit is playing for another championship in three weeks - but did you expect to feel any doubt before the Eastern Conference Finals? Are you beginning to wonder if this team peaked too early, if coasting through the majority of the regular season caused a red-white-and-blue haze that might not be shaken off until it's too late?

Maybe I shouldn't be, but I am. (So is Drew Sharp, who already has his scapegoat lined up.) Yet right now, I'm looking at a pair of tickets on my desk to Sunday's Tigers-Reds game at Comerica Park, and thinking I should see if I can sell them to a buddy. Or maybe I'll just leave around the 7th inning or so. Because I think we'll have a Game 7 on Sunday, and I want to be in front of my TV for it.

"We've done enough talking. We may have done a little too much talking," said Ben Wallace. "It's time to play."

Now would be a fine time for that, Ben. Oh, and work on your free throws.

(Photo by Robin Buckson/ Detroit News)