OT: Detroit Pistons: Arrogance versus Humility

[campybatman]

The Pistons have done it all to be in a position to stick out their chest, but still... I would think that the Pistons are motivated to return to the NBA finals to dispel the belief that they're nearly done and were exposed by Cleveland last season during the playoffs.

The eastern conference playoffs have their share of storylines but, of them, Detroit definitely has something to prove to themselves.

The Detroit Pistons were hanging out at the scorer

[Truthiracy]

How can anyone respect a team like this?

[campybatman]

Philadelphia is unlikely to win this series as now Detroit is motivated even more by being embarrassed and angered by this game one loss.

Win or lose, Andre Iguodala is earning himself possibly a bigger contract from the Sixers or another franchise. Or so he's hoping...

Sixers' Iguodala has faith he can play for larger fortune

He wants to be a franchise player. He wants to be paid accordingly.

But he walked away from a $57 million contract extension.

But when the Daily News asked people around the league whether the multitalented Iguodala is a franchise player, many of the responses indicated that, while he might yet develop into one, he is seen more as an excellent No. 2 guy, able to support a No. 1 guy in whatever areas might be necessary in a given game.

"When I heard that he had turned down the extension, the first thing I thought was, either he's crazy or he's a good businessman," said Boston Celtics coach Doc Rivers. "The way I look at it is, he has a lot of faith in himself. Given the finances of my generation, I can't compute [the current numbers], to be able to walk away from that. But a lot of players are."

Iguodala wasn't alone. The Chicago Bulls' Luol Deng and Ben Gordon reportedly walked away from offers of $50 million; the Charlotte Bobcats' Emeka Okafor turned down a reported $65 million.

"For that group, in the long run, it probably is a good business decision," Rivers said. "But it is risky."

http://www.philly.com/dailynews/sports/ ... rtune.html

[freakon0mics]

There are only a few young players in this league that I will give that kind of money too, Dwight Howard, Chris Paul, and Deron Williams. Thats it. No other player is worth that much.

[sixers_610]

to wiseguys, others


I agree with you, I am sure most sixer fans agree with you. He's not worth that kind of money, and those other players are. The problem is we can't afford to let him walk, you know?

[MyInsatiableOne]

Someone last week in an article (can't remember where) said the Pistons were not really a perennial title contender but rather a team that really isn't good enough to get over the hump who happened to luck out in 2004 by taking on a dysfunctional Lakers team with too many stars and egos.

I tend to agree with this assessment. They remind me of the Atlanta Braves or the Indianapolis Colts in that respect.

[Albanian Damien]

Someone last week in an article (can't remember where) said the Pistons were not really a perennial title contender but rather a team that really isn't good enough to get over the hump who happened to luck out in 2004 by taking on a dysfunctional Lakers team with too many stars and egos.

I tend to agree with this assessment. They remind me of the Atlanta Braves or the Indianapolis Colts in that respect.

Yeah honestly the only time they really looked like a championship team was the season after the title where they lost to the Spurs. In 03-04 they were the fourth best team IMO. I think the Spurs, a healthy Minnesota, and non bickering Lakers would've beaten them. They just got the right conditions to win.

[P2]

The Sixers have won three straight games against the Pistons, so it wouldn't surprise me if they went up 2-0 in the series. Believe it or not, but Detroit really has problems winning against Philly, as do we have problems against Washington. That's why we must hope LeBron advances (but Cleveland is a joke all-around).

[MyInsatiableOne]

-= original quote snipped =-

Yeah honestly the only time they really looked like a championship team was the season after the title where they lost to the Spurs. In 03-04 they were the fourth best team IMO. I think the Spurs, a healthy Minnesota, and non bickering Lakers would've beaten them. They just got the right conditions to win.

I agree, that year they seemed legit. Since then they've been living off the reputation the media bestowed up them.

Are they very, very good? Sure. But the only team in the East I see that can win the title is the C's. Anyone else will get **** rolled by the West's entry.

[MyInsatiableOne]

The Sixers have won three straight games against the Pistons, so it wouldn't surprise me if they went up 2-0 in the series. Believe it or not, but Detroit really has problems winning against Philly, as do we have problems against Washington. That's why we must hope LeBron advances (but Cleveland is a joke all-around).

Agreed. Cleveland does not scare me. Washington doesn't, either, but they will give us fits. Cleveland is **** horrendous apart from LeBron. Easily worse than last year's team, which hands-down is the worst team ever to play in the Finals (even worse than those Nets teams that got rolled two years in a row).

[Rasheeed!!!]

Lucked out to the championship? C'mon.....no such thing...the better team always wins a 7 game series.

Hell, the Pistons played a tough 7 game series against the Nets, beat the only 60+ win team in 6 and waxed the floor with the Lakers.

That team played some of the best D in NBA history. During the reg season and playoffs they held a total of 16 opponents under 70 pnts, including one span in the reg season of 5 games under 70. That season, along with SAS, they set the record for fewest PPGA in the history of the NBA, with a mark of 84.3ppg (which is 5.8ppg better than this seasons team).

But hey, I'm sure it won't be "luck" or "the right conditions" if Boston wins this year.

[canman1971]

Who cares if the Pistons feel confident, cocky or whatever. What are they supposed to say? These are the threads that give Celtic fans a bad rap. Talk about arrogance.

[SuigintouEV]

C'mon.....no such thing...the better team always wins a 7 game series.

Except when injuries come into play, and the west had a lot of those, including Karl Malone and Sam Cassell.

[MyInsatiableOne]

So apparently other team's fans can say and think whatever they want about their teams and it's OK but if Boston fans do it, we're arrogant and jerks and stereotypical Boston ****.

OK, got it.

[Taget]

Lucked out to the championship? C'mon.....no such thing...the better team always wins a 7 game series.

Hell, the Pistons played a tough 7 game series against the Nets, beat the only 60+ win team in 6 and waxed the floor with the Lakers.

I completely agree. And you guys played a complete team game with a great coach. A championship is a championship and nothing to sneeze at.

That said we can take two things from this.

First don't get overconfident. It's important that our team not take anyone lightly. Why it was important to crush Atlanta. Take it to them hard and don't take anything for granted.

Second the playoffs is about winning 7 games. Not what the score is. Our win against Atlanta is one win. Doesn't matter how many points you win by or lose by. Just one game. And in that context we held our home court advantage Atlanta. In tennis terms we held serve. Detroit didn't. But there is six games left.

I remember a few years ago Utah completely crushed the Chicago Bulls in one game. But was only one game. And teams have time to regroup or conversely get cocky and regress.

[MyInsatiableOne]

I never said the Pistons lucked into that championship. But I think they were helped by the dysfunction on the Lakers. Would they have beaten the Lakers of 2000-2002? Hell no.

And obviously Larry Brown was the right coach for that team, as witnessed by the ineptitude in the playoffs when it matters under Flip Saunders.

[bstein14]

The Pistons have been there before. They are not going to panic against a team like the Sixers in the first round. They will take care of business.

The Pistons will make it back to the ECF for the 6th straight year and it will be a great series with the Celtics.

The Pistons destroyed the Lakers in 04 and were a game 6 Robert Horry 3 pointer away from being back to back champions so I don't see how anyone can knock what they have accomplished in the past. I can understand criticism for losing to Miami, Cleveland, and game 1 against the Sixers but the 08 playoffs are still young and a lot is still to be seen.

[MyInsatiableOne]

I'm not saying the Pistons *won't* beat the Sixers, but I would not be surprised if they lost the series, either

[campybatman]

I feel like the playoffs are another brand of basketball with teams taking their games to the next level in hopes of advancing from one round to the next round. The Celtics aren't sweating Washington, I feel. Boston should be able to differentiate from what has occurred during the regular season versus what could happen in the playoffs. I don't believe Pierce and Garnett and teammates will allow the Wizards to intimidate them or let it get into their heads that the losses by Washington were anything more than three out of four meetings that didn't go positively during the regular season. Again, that's the regular season and, during the playoffs, you start over...

The Sixers may not win the series against Detroit but they should still look to the positives that can be taken from the series against a better team if they're able to push the Pistons to six or seven games. It would show the Philadelphia players that they could hang but must build on this toward next season. It might be a matter of resigning players and adding one or more players to put them over the proverbial hump in the next few seasons.

[sully00]

If you put up 20/5/5 and play nasty defense coming off your rookie deal in this league you get paid a max contract. You have to get awfully lucky to build a championship contender without two max guys. So if he is only a 2 who plays defense and not a #1 so be it. Go get him a #1 option in the low post and go for it.

I think this is probably it for the Pistons but I think they will still be there in the conference finals.