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Good God. Most consecutive posts without a Spurs fan.
Pacers Bench:
Sarunas (upproven in the NBA)
Bender (upproven - played a total of 74 games over the past 3 seasons)
Harrison (upproven)
Granger (upproven in the NBA)
Fred Jones (upgraded - 14 starts did help him get better)
Anthony Johnson (career year last season probably regressing some)
Austin Croshere (same)
Scott Pollard (same)
Eddie Gill (probably regressing some)
Detroit Bench:
Hunter (same)
McDyess (upgrade didn't come into his own until the playoffs)
Arroyo (upgrade - should see more PT)
Dale Davis (same)
Maurice Evans (upgrade)
Jason Maxiell (upproven)
Darko (upgrade - should see more PT)
Ronald Dupree (most likely won't make roster)
Delfino (upgrade)
Good God. Most consecutive posts without a Spurs fan.
That is one way to look at it... I guess it is all just speculation at this stage... but I believe overall (including the starters you left out) Indiana is markedly improved over Detroit... you did not take into consideration the injury ridden Pacers as upgraded across the board due to their current health...
and we left off one of the most important aspects...
Rick Carlisle (same)
Flip Saunders (downgrade)
If Flip was the "worst coach in the NBA last year" then why did the team that fired him call him when the season ended and ask if he wanted his job back? If it's your opinion he was the worst coach then fine but it wasn't fact. How do you explain all the years Minnesota did well with no talent next to KG? They never lost in a playoff series in which they were the favored team. The year that Flip did get some talent (the year before Sprewell and Cassell went sour) he took them to the WCF's.
If Rick Carlisle stays the same that means an exit in the ECF's or before
Rick should have won coach of the year last year for making the playoffs with a severly beaten roster... and he did phenominally in the playoffs too... you are just mad cause he could still be the Pistons coach... but instead you are stuck with Flip "run into the ground" SaundersIf Rick Carlisle stays the same that means an exit in the ECF's or before
Jeff and Stephen were also banged up...
If Flip was the "worst coach in the NBA last year" then why did the team that fired him call him when the season ended and ask if he wanted his job back? If it's your opinion he was the worst coach then fine but it wasn't fact. How do you explain all the years Minnesota did well with no talent next to KG? They never lost in a playoff series in which they were the favored team. The year that Flip did get some talent (the year before Sprewell and Cassell went sour) he took them to the WCF's.
You really think you're smart dont you? With all the crap you come on here and say. Never lost when they were the favoured team? Was Detroit favoured over LA? No but they won didnt they? Flip is a terrible coach. THEY LOST 7 YRS IN A ROW in the first round !!!!
There you go again picking out what you want. How bout commenting on my other post. So what if it was a 5 point game in the 4th? What does that prove, it only makes my point stronger you got crushed when it really mattered.
1. Those of you Pacer and Piston fans who are going unnecessarily going back in forth on "who's team is better on paper" do realize this is a SPURS messageboard, right?
2. Indiana's team is much improved from last year in terms of balance and shooting and depth. To deny it would be just hating.
3. Detroit has had four (4) 50 game winning season, three ECF appearances, two NBA finals appearances, and one championship over the last four years. To call them overachievers and simply state that they have been purely lucky and should have been beaten by Indiana and/or Miami is ALSO hating.
4. Rick Carlisle is a phenomenal coach. He may be a stubborn S.O.B. And, he may still need to work on his interpersonal skills with his players, but I think he's even improved on that since his Detroit years. Even as a Piston fan, I respect him a great deal.
5. Flip Saunders is far from the worst NBA coach over the last few years. Did you watch Lenny Wilkins in Toronto and New York? Did you see a New Jersey team completely give up on Byron Scott? Did you see what happened to a playoff contender with a top 5 player in Orlando under Doc Rivers? Does the name TIM FLOYD ring a bell? Ever heard of Alvin Gentry? Dan Issel getting calls from NBA franchises these days? Flip is no Rick Carlisle. He's not even in the same universe as Larry Brown. But, he is better than the WORST NBA COACH over the last few years. A statement like that shows a biased hate towards the Detroit franchise, just to hate.
6. What happens in the first third of the NBA season is markedly different than come May and June. The Pacers completely man-handled and beat up Detroit last November in the Palace, the night of the brawl. They were by far the better team. But, one regular season game, especially in the beginning of the season, does not mean one team is DEFINITELY the better team come May and June. That's just pure naive talk.
7. Healthy players in early September, two months before the season even starts is not the same as healthy players when the playoff season starts. To state that Jermaine O'Neal and Jamaal Tinsley are healthy now means nothing, because that does not guarantee that they will be healthy for the playoffs, especially with their history of injury. While Detroit has been fortunate not to have major injuries for their last two playoff runs, that is also a product of conditioning, hard work, and a training staff and strength & conditioning coach that is one of the best in all professional sports. You see, the Pistons have been beat up the last two seasons too, but not to the extent that a "charlie horse" or a "sprained ankle" or other lesser "bumps and bruises" will dehabilitate those players to the extent to severely disrupt their caliber of play. Call it want you want, but the Pistons have been healthier over the last two years for a reason. Luck is part of it, but not the only reason ...
8. It can be quite fun to "talk smack" back and forth with fans from other teams, but is the begninning of September really the time to do so? I have soooo much respect for the Indiana Pacers organization and especially what they accomplished last season. How come mutual respect is so hard to come by with sports fans these days? I'll talk as much smack as the next guy, but some of each of your respective smack is irrelevant, unfounded, unprovable, and just argumentative nonsense ...
OH YEAH ... and my dad is stronger than your dad!!
Oh, now it is ON!!
Great post JamStone, you pretty much covered it all. I like the Pacers team and franchise, I just can't stand their fans.
They cant stand you either.
Could it be because it is hard to hear the truth sometimes?
I flew up to Troy the night of Game 6 and sat in a sports bar surrounded by a great group of people who were rabidly passionate about their team. The next day at the office everyone was wearing their Pistons gear, and I got a few looks- not quite hostile, but not group-hug level either- because I had "unknowingly" packed my Spurs gear for the trip!
Actually had to fly home the night of Game 7. I got a full dose of Pistons fans on the way to and at Wayne County, I got a full dose of Mavs fans at my layover in the sports bar at DFW seeing the last few minutes before the half, and a full dose of Rockets fans as I ran off the plan to the only open sports bar in Bush Intercontinental to see the final 43 seconds of the game.
I got hate from both the Mavs and Rocket fans. From Pistons fan? A grudging respect for being a very worthy advesary, for being fellow warriors. I respect that about their team and their fans.
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