Kori Ellis
12-25-2005, 04:14 AM
Pistons: Back With A Vengeance
By Rasheeb Shrestha
SpursZONE.com
http://www.woai.com/spurs/story.aspx?content_id=1B837E1F-CA9C-4386-B08D-4DAFE1FD640E
It all started with a laugh.
The Detroit Pistons had just lost to the San Antonio Spurs in Game Seven of the 2005 NBA Finals, ending their one-year reign atop the NBA, and their team charter back home was predictably full of dead silence. Such a defeat could have devastated a group of individuals who had overcome obstacle after obstacle just to get back to the Finals, and the mood on the plane suggested as much.
Yes, Rob Thomas, this IS how a heart breaks.
But just when it seemed the Pistons were headed for a long summer of reflect and regret, Rip Hamilton changed everything. He finally exhaled, letting out a laugh as loud and profound as it was symbolic. The rest of the Pistons followed suit, as the mood quickly changed from looking back to looking ahead.
“They’re just borrowing our trophy,” a defiant Hamilton proclaimed.
What followed was an off-season of change. Yes, Larry Brown was out and Flip Saunders in as head coach, but it was much more than just that. The Pistons collectively decided to take the regular season seriously for once, after learning the hard way that home court advantage does in fact matter in the playoffs.
Their work started in the summer, with Rasheed Wallace losing 15 pounds and showing up to camp in his best shape in years. Tayshaun Prince worked tirelessly on his entire offensive package – inching his way closer to becoming that reliable go-to-guy. Hamilton concentrated on improving his 3-point stroke, and Chauncey Billups worked on the finer parts of his game. As for Ben Wallace, well, all you have to know is for a guy who needs no extra motivation; he was about to enter a contract year.
Add in Flip’s creativity and hands-off approach to the Pistons’ offense, and Detroit fans could not have asked for a better start to the season, as their 21-3 record suggests.
Coach Brown a Mere Afterthought
Contrary to popular belief, the Pistons’ motivation doesn’t stem from wanting to prove they can win without Larry Brown. When a team makes the Eastern Conference Finals with one coach, wins the NBA Title with another coach, and then starts a season 21-3 with a third coach, one thing is for certain: it’s not about the coach, it’s about the players.
The Pistons’ motivation is the same as it’s always been: to prove they’re the best team this League has seen in years.
Rule Changes Help Pistons
Detroit’s ascent to the top of the League started in the 2001-2002 season, which, not coincidentally, was the first season the NBA legalized zone defenses. David Stern’s vision was to reduce the number of isolation plays and to improve passing, teamwork, and, eventually, the overall aesthetics of the game.
Piston GM Joe Dumars created his team with this in mind. Offensively, he made sure everyone on the floor could make an impact on the game without ever having to dominate the ball.
But it’s on defense where the rule changes helped them the most. Hardly any team in the League plays a zone consistently. However, almost every team takes advantage of the newer rules – double-teaming a star player when he doesn’t have the ball and positioning the defense in such a way that they’re able to rotate and help quicker. Hence, it became easier to negate the effect of superstars; and the Pistons, with their superior quickness and unparalleled length of their defenders, have taken advantage of these rules more than any other team.
Dumars’ vision became crystal clear during the 2004 NBA Finals, when the balanced Piston attack destroyed the star-laden Los Angeles Lakers, becoming the first team in a quarter century to win the NBA Title without at least one true superstar. Now a year and a half removed from that Championship, the Pistons are proving once again that “team over star” is the new mantra of the NBA.
A Season for the Ages?
Not surprisingly, Detroit has not gotten much pub over their unbelievable start to the season. The fact is they are currently on pace for over 70 wins – which would put them in the ball park of the 1996 Chicago Bulls’ record mark of 72-10. But it hasn’t been the number of wins that have been impressive – it’s the WAY they’ve been winning.
They are infinitely improved on offense. They take care of the ball better than any other team in the League, and they still shut you down when they have to do so. Their crunch time play is so impressive that you better hope to blow them out to beat them.
You wanna know the scary part? There’s still room for improvement. They’ll be the first to say their defense and rebounding have not lived up to their usual standards as of yet. Their bench play, while much improved, is still somewhat inconsistent. And of course with a brand new head coach, they are almost guaranteed to get better as the season moves along.
The Pistons are not without their flaws – as minor as they may be – and they will certainly be tested again and again throughout the course of the season – beginning with Sunday’s Finals rematch with the Spurs. The defending Champs are off to their own hot start, and if it weren’t for Manu Ginobili’s nagging injuries, we might be talking about two teams going for 70 wins.
The Pistons know this, and they also know they’ll likely see the Spurs again this coming June in the NBA Finals. There’s absolutely no doubt it would be a tremendous series, just as it was last year. And after the series is over, the Pistons have absolutely no doubt they’ll be laughing again -- but this time for an entirely different reason.
By Rasheeb Shrestha
SpursZONE.com
http://www.woai.com/spurs/story.aspx?content_id=1B837E1F-CA9C-4386-B08D-4DAFE1FD640E
It all started with a laugh.
The Detroit Pistons had just lost to the San Antonio Spurs in Game Seven of the 2005 NBA Finals, ending their one-year reign atop the NBA, and their team charter back home was predictably full of dead silence. Such a defeat could have devastated a group of individuals who had overcome obstacle after obstacle just to get back to the Finals, and the mood on the plane suggested as much.
Yes, Rob Thomas, this IS how a heart breaks.
But just when it seemed the Pistons were headed for a long summer of reflect and regret, Rip Hamilton changed everything. He finally exhaled, letting out a laugh as loud and profound as it was symbolic. The rest of the Pistons followed suit, as the mood quickly changed from looking back to looking ahead.
“They’re just borrowing our trophy,” a defiant Hamilton proclaimed.
What followed was an off-season of change. Yes, Larry Brown was out and Flip Saunders in as head coach, but it was much more than just that. The Pistons collectively decided to take the regular season seriously for once, after learning the hard way that home court advantage does in fact matter in the playoffs.
Their work started in the summer, with Rasheed Wallace losing 15 pounds and showing up to camp in his best shape in years. Tayshaun Prince worked tirelessly on his entire offensive package – inching his way closer to becoming that reliable go-to-guy. Hamilton concentrated on improving his 3-point stroke, and Chauncey Billups worked on the finer parts of his game. As for Ben Wallace, well, all you have to know is for a guy who needs no extra motivation; he was about to enter a contract year.
Add in Flip’s creativity and hands-off approach to the Pistons’ offense, and Detroit fans could not have asked for a better start to the season, as their 21-3 record suggests.
Coach Brown a Mere Afterthought
Contrary to popular belief, the Pistons’ motivation doesn’t stem from wanting to prove they can win without Larry Brown. When a team makes the Eastern Conference Finals with one coach, wins the NBA Title with another coach, and then starts a season 21-3 with a third coach, one thing is for certain: it’s not about the coach, it’s about the players.
The Pistons’ motivation is the same as it’s always been: to prove they’re the best team this League has seen in years.
Rule Changes Help Pistons
Detroit’s ascent to the top of the League started in the 2001-2002 season, which, not coincidentally, was the first season the NBA legalized zone defenses. David Stern’s vision was to reduce the number of isolation plays and to improve passing, teamwork, and, eventually, the overall aesthetics of the game.
Piston GM Joe Dumars created his team with this in mind. Offensively, he made sure everyone on the floor could make an impact on the game without ever having to dominate the ball.
But it’s on defense where the rule changes helped them the most. Hardly any team in the League plays a zone consistently. However, almost every team takes advantage of the newer rules – double-teaming a star player when he doesn’t have the ball and positioning the defense in such a way that they’re able to rotate and help quicker. Hence, it became easier to negate the effect of superstars; and the Pistons, with their superior quickness and unparalleled length of their defenders, have taken advantage of these rules more than any other team.
Dumars’ vision became crystal clear during the 2004 NBA Finals, when the balanced Piston attack destroyed the star-laden Los Angeles Lakers, becoming the first team in a quarter century to win the NBA Title without at least one true superstar. Now a year and a half removed from that Championship, the Pistons are proving once again that “team over star” is the new mantra of the NBA.
A Season for the Ages?
Not surprisingly, Detroit has not gotten much pub over their unbelievable start to the season. The fact is they are currently on pace for over 70 wins – which would put them in the ball park of the 1996 Chicago Bulls’ record mark of 72-10. But it hasn’t been the number of wins that have been impressive – it’s the WAY they’ve been winning.
They are infinitely improved on offense. They take care of the ball better than any other team in the League, and they still shut you down when they have to do so. Their crunch time play is so impressive that you better hope to blow them out to beat them.
You wanna know the scary part? There’s still room for improvement. They’ll be the first to say their defense and rebounding have not lived up to their usual standards as of yet. Their bench play, while much improved, is still somewhat inconsistent. And of course with a brand new head coach, they are almost guaranteed to get better as the season moves along.
The Pistons are not without their flaws – as minor as they may be – and they will certainly be tested again and again throughout the course of the season – beginning with Sunday’s Finals rematch with the Spurs. The defending Champs are off to their own hot start, and if it weren’t for Manu Ginobili’s nagging injuries, we might be talking about two teams going for 70 wins.
The Pistons know this, and they also know they’ll likely see the Spurs again this coming June in the NBA Finals. There’s absolutely no doubt it would be a tremendous series, just as it was last year. And after the series is over, the Pistons have absolutely no doubt they’ll be laughing again -- but this time for an entirely different reason.