In summary this series was lost in game one when the Cavs established the tempo and we gave them confidence and in game 5 when we let the road team win. Prior to that game it was so close, either team could have swept the other in 4 and they would have been called ugly wins, but would have been forgotten about once the finals were in full affect. Our inability to ever stretch a lead out more than 5 points in the first four games put the pressure on the pivotal game 5. We did get leads of 8 points on 2-3 occassions, but could never extend it Flips inability to adjust the defense during the crunch time time outs and the overtimes cost us the series and possibly Flips job. That game should have never got to OT and for La bron to disect the D the way he did basically set up the defense for Boobies game 6 heroics.
I can't remember what year it was, 85 or 86 but Daddy Rich purposely played some of the guys in an elimination game to show the front office that they needed to be gone. I'm pretty sure that included Kent Benson, Kelly Tripucka and maybe Dan Roundfield. Now, I'm not saying that Flip is that clever or confident, but it might have the same effect. Anyone in the front office who thinks that NazMo will ever be a rotation player on a very good Detroit team is kidding themselves. The Spurs have proven that those guys are good alongside a superstar like Duncan, and you can interchange them by swapping out NazMo and Rasho for Elson and Oberto without missing a beat.
Interesting. I think Flip panicked when he put him in though. Hopefully we can get a good deal for Nazr. Dale Davis is better than him along with Amir, J Max, Sheed, and Webber if he returns.
I hate these kind of comments. Just give the other team its props and move on. Billups on the Pistons still being better than the Cavaliers, in his mind: "I believe that, I really do," Billups said. "There's nobody that team who is better than ours. And maybe I'm crazy, maybe I've got too much confidence in these guys, but I don't believe that. I believe in us. I believe we're the better team. "Did we back it up? No, we didn't. I still think we're better, I'm saying that because I'm serious, and I really believe that. To be saying that in defeat, I have no problem with that. I'm standing up and saying that. I think the same could be said by a lot of guys."
Maybe CB needs to figure out that it isn't about being the better team, it's about winning. That's his problem in a nutshell. He would rather be acknowledged as a top rank player than win games.
Dba, interesting comment on Billips. The remarkable tenacity this team has had was also its downfall. That certain stubborness. I think the Pistons have better players too. So what? But we have no youth mixed in in an era of soft rules. You can't play defense in the NBA so you better have a penetrator or a real scorer on your team. It also helps to have a coach that can think ahead. It also helps to have an owner and a GM (who is great) who can make the little moves that prevent what just happened from happening. Now we are at a major crossroads instead of the NBA finals. Talked to my Laker friends and they say the same thing. They say your team used to be so crisp and so in sinc. They say you guys don't have that extra bounce like the young teams.
That's the problem. Now you are going to have to wait another year, and by that time it might be too late. Ben went out in a rough way. Will Chauncey too? Does this happen to all good players?
This is just more talk without the walk. I can think of 5 PGs off the top of my head who are better than Billups whose key attributes are making free throws and not turning the ball over.
