Pistons' championship window might be closed

[Rollie_Fingaz]

The Official "Pistons are fucked" thread..

Pistons' championship window might be closed

By LARRY LAGE, AP Sports Writer
June 3, 2007

CLEVELAND (AP) -- The Detroit Pistons' reign atop the Eastern Conference is over.

This year, for sure.

Maybe in the near future, too.

The Cleveland Cavaliers beat Detroit 98-82 Saturday night in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference finals, eliminating the East's top-seeded team with four straight wins that likely will lead to an uncertain offseason.

Anything is possible.

Coach Flip Saunders might only match the two-year tenure that his predecessors, Larry Brown and Rick Carlisle, had before exiting with a buyout and a firing, respectively.

"I feel comfortable," Saunders insisted.

Chauncey Billups, who is expected to be one of the NBA's top free agents this summer, may also be elsewhere next season.

The All-Star point guard said if Detroit's offer is equal to the best deal he can find on the market, he expects to be back.

"Hopefully it all works out, but that's down the road," he said.

Chris Webber will be a free agent, too.

The 34-year-old center hinted, however, that he might retire.

"Right now, it hurts. I don't know," Webber said. "It takes a lot of energy."

The Pistons may also decide they're tired of Rasheed Wallace's act.

Wallace needed to be restrained from physically going after an official after getting ejected with two technicals early in the fourth quarter as the Cavs pulled away.

"It was a tough time for that to happen," Billups said. "He played his heart out, but he kind of lost it. He's very emotional and that's what we love about him."

The Pistons used to win games when they faced adversity, but they simply crumbled against the Cavs.

On the brink of elimination or with a chance to advance, the Pistons are 20-4 dating to 2003, with three current starters playing key roles. The setbacks in the pressure-packed situations came Saturday night, as defending champions in Game 7 of the 2005 NBA finals against San Antonio, in Game 6 of the conference finals last year to Miami and when New Jersey won the conference finals in a sweep four years ago.

When the Cavs took control away early in the fourth quarter, Saunders put his hands on his head and watched in disbelief from the sideline as LeBron James stole a pass and scored at the other end of the court on a three-point play.

While Detroit's run might be over, it certainly was one the franchise could be proud of, with five straight conference finals appearances, two NBA finals and one championship.

Since 1984, only the Los Angeles Lakers have been more consistent in the playoffs, with a run that ended with a sixth straight conference finals appearance in 1989.

"A lot of teams would love to be in this position," Billups said.

 

[Rollie_Fingaz]

Wallace ends season with technical difficulties

Forward ejected after outburst for receiving three personal fouls in 39 seconds during fourth quarter.

Joanne C. Gerstner / The Detroit News

After Rasheed Wallace was called for an offensive foul, he argued with referee Eddie F. Rush and was ejected with two technical fouls. See full image

CLEVELAND -- It was typical Rasheed Wallace, right down to the end -- he had to have the final say.

Problem was, Wallace's final actions didn't do the Pistons any good in losing Saturday's decisive Game 6 of the Eastern Conference finals.

He became unhinged around the eight-minute mark in the fourth quarter, dramatically coinciding with the Cavaliers' surge. Wallace received three personal fouls in a span of 39 seconds, culminating in his sixth.

He exploded in anger after being whistled for his final foul, yelling at the referees. He was quickly hit with two technicals and tossed from the game, but Wallace wasn't done ranting.

"I just get so sick and tired of that cheating (garbage) out there," Wallace said after the game. "All that flopping. They reward flopping. That's not defense. I hope the league does something about that before the next series."

Wallace, also very animated on court after being ejected, was restrained by Antonio McDyess on the way to the tunnel.

Wallace pointed and yelled, "(Screw) you! (Screw) all of you!" in the direction of the Cavaliers and officials still on the floor.

The fans at Quicken Loans Arena roared with happiness at the sight of the unhinged Wallace, taking it as an omen that the Pistons were done.

Chauncey Billups was understanding of Wallace's frustration.

"It was a tough time, a tough time for it to happen, but he played his heart out," Billups said. "Some situations, man, it just seems unfair. And especially in his case. But you know, I'm not here to say anything but that he played his heart out, and he got six fouls. He was frustrated, as he should have been, with how the game was going and how he was getting called.

"He got emotional, he is emotional. But that's what we love about Rasheed. He got kicked out of a crucial part of the game."

Ironically, Wallace's actions would have cost the Pistons even if they had won. Earning his seventh technical foul of the postseason would have triggered an automatic suspension for Game 7.

They said it...

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."

Technical issues

The shot clock, game score and game-clock timing systems in Quicken Loans Arena experienced a serious problem at the end of the first quarter and at the start of the second -- leading to a 21-minute delay.

It started when the horn did not sound to end the first quarter. Then, the shot clocks lost power going into the second.

It was amusing to see how the players passed the time. Anderson Varejao did a strange dance-skip thing to Gwen Stefani's "Sweetest Thing". Wallace jogged around.

Finally, when the delay hit about 15 minutes, the players got some practice balls out and started shooting like it was another pre-game warm up.

The problem couldn’t be resolved, so the officials talked it over with Flip Saunders and Cavaliers coach Mike Brown. The solution: There were three people with stop-watches to monitor time, and then announcements from public address man Olivier Sedra to indicate when time was running down to the 10-, five-second and shot-clock violation intervals.

Sedra also announced the score after every possession, as the arena's scoreboards were stuck at 0-0.

The shot and game clocks returned to normal in the second half.

Glad to be back

McDyess was relieved not to be suspended for his flagrant-2 foul on Varejao in Thursday's Game 5 at The Palace.

McDyess, speaking publicly for the first time since the incident, said he never meant any harm to Varejao. He delivered a clothesline to Varejao, taking him down by the neck.

"I didn't deliberately try to go for anything, go for his head, or be a dirty player," McDyess said. "I was actually trying to go for the ball. To me, when I looked at it again from another angle, it looked to me as if it (the ball) was by his head.

"I didn't expect to get ejected from the game. Do I take responsibility? Yeah, some, of course, because I feel like I could have helped the team -- I know I could have been the game in certain points."

Getting testy

The Pistons and Cavaliers came out a bit chippy. Sasha Pavlovic started things off, shoving Richard Hamilton at 9:48 of the first quarter.

The Pavlovic-Hamilton beef continued, with the pair trading words and some bumps.

Finally, the referees had enough, hitting both with technicals at 3:29 in the first.

Chris Webber also received a technical, getting caught up in the heat of the moment.

Ouch

Being on the floor in Game 6 was often a dangerous place. This accidental damage occurred within a two-minute span in the third quarter: Webber was kneed in the groin, Pavolic took a shot to the side of his head while driving the lane, and Zydrunas Ilgauskas was slapped in the face accidentally by LeBron James.

Webber seemed to take the worst blow, as he went down for a minute in pain.

Learning the hard way

McDyess finally understands how hard it is for fans -- and his own friends and family members -- to survive watching tension-packed basketball games.

He was ejected at the end of the first quarter of Game 5 and hung around in the locker room until halftime. McDyess couldn't stand it anymore, so he decided to go home to see the rest of the game.

Then the tension got to him -- even though he's a player. McDyess couldn't watch the fourth quarter, and either of the overtimes.

"I was walking up and down the street in my neighborhood," McDyess said. "People were screaming at me, 'Hey, we're in overtime again!' I'm walking up and down the street, pulling my hair out. I didn't want to see it. So I told them, I don't want to know until it's after the game.

"My grandma, she's called me a few times and told me she's having a heart attack watching it (his games). And now I understand that from the outside."

 

[Rollie_Fingaz]

Pistons will never be the same
Terry Foster

Management knew it was time to turn the page and give the dancers and romancers their moments. For sports fans, it was time to order another shot and try to put this jolt behind them.

The Pistons fell hard during a 98-82 loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers at Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland. The fellas came here to root the Pistons one last time, but even before LeBron James was officially crowned king of the Eastern Conference, dates were being dragged reluctantly to the dance floor.

The Pistons are done, and now comes the hard reality of losing. This must be the conclusion of the Pistons as we know it. This has been a nice run of five straight Eastern Conference finals, two NBA Finals and an NBA title in 2004. But all good things must come to an end.

The "Show Time" Los Angeles Lakers are no more. The Boston Celtics of Larry Bird, Robert Parrish and Kevin McHale are no more. Even Michael Jordan is gone. The Pistons didn't just lose a series. They were destroyed Saturday night, never to be the same again.

Tough moment

This was a tough moment for Greg Balteff of Canton. He tried to sum his thoughts up in words as he sat at a table near the bar. But the words were hard to come by.

"Where do I begin," he said over the loud music. "I would break it up. It is not working anymore. It just isn't working. I don't think they had legs. I really think they are tired."

They were tired. They were tired mentally and physically, and it showed.

The Pistons might not be ready for a total break up, but Pistons president Joe Dumars must shock and awe us before the summer is over. The current Pistons are running on fumes and might have another run if they are lucky.

If Dumars brings this team intact, they will be a leading contender during the regular season. They might win 50 to 55 games and make us think they are on the verge of winning another title. But they will be undressed during the playoffs, losing to a team they have no business losing to.

That is why the time for change is now.

The "Bad Boy" Pistons stuck around too long. They got an extra year because of two championships, but in hindsight it was not the right thing for the organization. Dumars was part of that as a player, and I'd bet he'd be willing to admit that his team should have vanished before losing to the New York Knicks in the first round of the 1992 playoffs.

General Manager Jack McCloskey kept looking for magic in wild trade after wild trade, but he could not find it. Dumars cannot make the same mistake.

I know he loves this starting five because it has given him so much. This Pistons team gave us joy.

"I hope people just don't say this team stunk. They gave us a great run, and they should be remembered for that," said Jay Chavey of Livonia, who watched the game at Kickers. "Everything has its time. And now this is their time. I hope people praise them and not rip them."

Of course fans will rip them. That is human nature, especially after the meltdown. It was officially over with 7:44 remaining, when Rasheed Wallace could not keep his cool and was kicked out of the game. When the emotional leader imploded, it signaled the end of the Pistons and the coronation of the James era.

A new era

It is time to usher in a new era of Pistons basketball, but it is not time to blow up the entire franchise. The Pistons should try to sign Chauncey Billups. They need to keep him with Richard Hamilton and Tayshaun Prince. This is the nucleus. But everybody else, and everything else is up for grabs.

This might be a risk because of a troubled past. But the Pistons should turn to Portland to see if they can bring in big man Zach Randolph. Yeah, he is a pain, and he is immature. But the dude has soft hands and can score inside with the best of them when he is focused.

He is a risk. But perhaps the risk isn't as risky if his former coach at Michigan State, Tom Izzo, steps in and helps guide him. The Pistons need something new, and you can stop your wish list at Kevin Garnett. He is not coming here.

The Pistons need new blood and a new direction. You must also examine coach Flip Saunders, who never gained control of this team. There were players only meetings and disagreements with his guidance and strategy. You can only bring him back if there is an overhaul.

But the bottom line is he never gained control of an out-of-control dressing room from the Larry Brown era. The players always believed they could win it on their own. And perhaps they realize that is not possible.

They either need a new coach or they need to listen to Saunders.

Pistons no longer mesh

This group no longer works, and it was painful to see the end come among sports fans, dancers and cigar smokers.

"This is terrible," one man screamed.

But people here were forgiving. They moaned and groaned and shook their heads, but they did not want to let go of the embrace of the Pistons. Miles Brown of Southfield admitted the Pistons could use another big man because he expects Chris Webber to either retire or leave the team.

"I still see guys who are in their prime, and I still think they've got another two or three years left in them," Brown said. "When you look at their average ages, it is about 30 something."

I am going to disagree with Brown. The NBA works this way. Champions are not beaten. They are destroyed. When a team has a long run and is swept out of the playoffs in this manner it is very difficult for them to return.

The Celtics destroyed the Philadelphia 76ers. The Pistons destroyed the Celtics. The Chicago Bulls destroyed the Pistons. The Pistons destroyed the Lakers, and now we witnessed the Cavaliers destroy the Pistons.

This team will never be the same mentally and physically. They just did not lose a series. They lost four games in a row, and all of the blemishes that we saw haunt the Pistons all season bubbled to the surface.

They were undisciplined, fought with one another and their coach, could not shoot and fell apart.

So long live the Pistons. It was a nice run that is over even if the organization does not admit it. This franchise won't rebound from this as San Antonio has done time and again.

It is time for fresh blood. Maybe the patrons here at Kickers don't see it. But hopefully Dumars will.

 

[Rollie_Fingaz]

Pistons' magic has run out after collapse against Cavaliers
Rob Parker

CLEVELAND -- No one could have ever imagined that it would end this way.

No, not the Eastern Conference finals, but the Pistons' wonderful run the past five years.

In the end, the Pistons pulled one of the biggest choke jobs in the NBA. With their embarrassing 98-82 loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers in Game 6 before a sellout crowd at the Quicken Loans Arena on Saturday night, the Pistons lost the best-of-seven series, 4-2. Worse, they lost four straight games after winning the first two games of this series.

The Pistons -- who appeared to be heading to their third trip to the NBA Finals in four seasons -- are the third team in league history to fail to make it to the championship after winning the first two games in the conference finals.

"It's disappointing," point guard Chauncey Billups said after the debacle. "I feel bad for the guys on the team.

"We've had a great year, and for it to come to an end like this we put a lot of work in, but it was a tough one out there today."

But this is bigger than losing to LeBron James, the NBA's next biggest star since Michael Jordan, and the Cavaliers, a lesser team. This series was never about the Cavaliers. Easily, the Pistons would have been moving on if they played their basketball, did regular things, not phenomenal basketball.

"Some of the key guys didn't play their best series," forward Tayshaun Prince said. "We played up and down."

This was a team that had the best record in the Eastern Conference, a team that won its first seven postseason games with a lot of focus and determination. Add to that, the experience factor. They won so many big games, especially on the road.

Pistons lack energy

Like last season, the Pistons simply seemed to run out of gas at the end. Maybe, it's the roughly extra 100 games they've played the last five seasons of making it to the conference finals every year. Maybe, it's just that there was no more left in this group of overachievers who bucked the odds, winning an NBA title without a superstar, in a superstar league.

It's an amazing feat, but you can't live on that forever.

The Pistons' magic clearly has run out. This is the second straight year that their season ended in the conference finals with a Game 6 loss on the road -- last season it was against Miami. They used to own big moments like this, winning six straight Game 6s before the last two years in the conference finals.

Worse, it's the second straight year someone other than the star of the team was the player who killed them. Rookie Daniel Gibson scored a career-high 31 on 7-for-9 shooting from the field, including 5-for-5 from 3-point land. Last year, it was the Heat's Jason Williams, who hit his first 10 shots.

No answers

The Pistons never seemed to have an answer in the biggest moments the last two seasons. That's not an abrasion. That's a pattern.

Billups, who becomes a free agent this summer, wasn't sure if this run -- which produced a championship in 2004 and five straight trips to the conference finals, the first team to do that since Jordan's Bulls -- was officially over after horrid losses in early June back-to-back.

"That's not really up to me," Billups said. "I love the guys I play with.

"We love being around each other. We had some really great years, and if we keep it all together, we can have a few more great years. Nobody's too old; we still have a group."

Like last season against the Heat, the Pistons simply couldn't shoot the ball. They shot a paltry 36 percent from the floor and were drubbed 31-16 in the fourth quarter. Prince had a horrible series and went 1-for-10 from the field in the finale.

But Richard Hamilton and Billups, the Pistons' two All-Stars, failed to play to their levels in the conference finals for the second year in a row.

"Our shooters never really got into a rhythm as far as anytime in this series, and you've got to give them credit for that," said coach Flip Saunders, who failed to make it to the Finals despite getting to the conference finals for the third time in four years.

"I didn't play my best, but I played my hardest," Billups said.

The same could be said about the Pistons as a whole. Imagine that.

 

[cranrab]

it's easy to see how people have knee-jerk reactions to loss.

first the maverick fans, then tobe's childish tirade at the conclusion of this season, and now this over reaction to the pistons.

there has to be a "cooling off" period before you decide to throw the baby out with the bath water.

in the case of dallas, you have 1 major component in jerry stackhouse becoming a FA. so why a complete overhaul? why not tweak the philosophy and keep the personnel?

in the case of the fakers, you have 7 free agents and 2 players with expiring contracts next year. not to mention a disgruntled cash cow. so why NOT trade?

in the case of the pistons, you have 2 older front court players who may retire in chris webber and dale davis. i think both could return somewhere and still contribute under the right circumstances and with limited minutes. my biggest problem with chris webber on the pistons is that chris webber has always been a true SF, yet they had him playing C. WTF was that?

anyway, the point being is, organizations can't panic after a loss.

 

[Havoc]

I agree they shouldn't be so quick to completely change a roster (in effect, changing the chemistry of teammates) after a failure in the playoffs. I've heard some weird things, like Shaq heading to Denver to Kobe going to Chicago (dumb deal for Chicago).

I wouldn't mind seeing Webber with the Lakers. He can't be any worse than anything we've got now in C/F positions.

 

[Rollie_Fingaz]

I wouldn't mind seeing Webber with the Lakers. He can't be any worse than anything we've got now in C/F positions.

Unfortunatly, he's about as fragile as what you have there.

 

[cranrab]

which way does chauncey billups want to go?

more money or another title run?

i'd like to see him play out his contract next year with the pistons and then sign with the miami heat. jason williams contract expires next year, so the timing is good.

i think chauncey billups' size and playing style complements the half court game of the miami heat with udonis haslem and shaquille o'neal in the front court.