ECF Thread: Heat vs Pistons [Heat win series, 4-2]

[The X]

I'll go Heat in 6, just because I think that if it goes to a 7th & deciding game, Pistons will advance....as Andrew said, it is wishful thinking on my part....

[dinocarlo]

SHOOTING GUARD: Wade vs. Rip

Wade is a superstar. He's not much of a threat, though, if he doesn't have the ball. Rip is a great scorer. He has great off-ball movement too.

advantage-even
[/list]

I wouldn't call that even. Sure, Wade isn't much of a threat when he doesn't have the ball, but think realistically. Wade almost always has the ball. He'll get it, no doubt about it. He's also a better scorer than Rip, and if he's not hitting the J he'll go to the basket and throw his body around and get to the line.

I think Sheed's attitude deter,omes where this series goes. Sheed vs. Haslem.

Oh right. That's true. My previous post was a little pessimistic. I made that a bit more detailed now:

SHOOTING GUARD: Wade vs. Rip

Wade can dominate the game with his assists, penetrations, and even jumpshots. He's not much of a threat, though, if he doesn't have the ball. Rip is a great scorer. He has great off-ball movement too. Still, Wade is a superstar and he's gonna have the ball 99% of the time.

advantage-Heat

I'll go Heat in 6, just because I think that if it goes to a 7th & deciding game, Pistons will advance....as Andrew said, it is wishful thinking on my part....

If ever this goes to seven, I don't see the Pistons winning easily. Unlike the Cavs, the Heat have more veterans who can handle pressure (hopefully) better.

[Matt]

Haven't been on here for days as exams approach i must limit my time away from books. I'll just pop in every Pistons game till exams finish.

Anyways, this should be a very well contested series, Wade & Shaq are always playing their best against Detroit. Problem for the Heat is they don;t have a reliable 3rd scorer. No Heat player in the 4 games against Detroit this season averaged 10+ppg (other than Wade & Shaq). X-factor Walker averaged 6ppg on something like 25% shooting. But that's the regular season.

I doubt fatigue will be much of a factor, maybe it'll impact Prince a little but everyone else should be fine. Last season there was a similar scenario and fatigue didn't really come into play.

Matchups:

Shaq v Ben Wallace
Shaq will have the obvious advantage, but how big is up to him. It all depends on his fouls, ability to score and how much effort he puts into defense. If Shaq does not show up to play Pick & roll defense then his advantage is minimal.
Adv: Shaq

Udonis Haslem v Rasheed Wallace
Both are good defenders that rely on their jumpshots. Rasheed has to cover Haslem's elbow shots and likewise Haslem has to step out to the 3. Rasheed has a much larger skill set and importance though.

Adv: Detroit

A Walker v T Prince
Walker will have his hands full on both ends of the court. The open shots he got against NJN will likely disappear, as will his impact. On defense he's gotta not get abused in the post.

Adv: Detroit

Wade v Hamilton
Hamilton has to make Wade work on D, and will do so. Wade has to get to the paint. Chances are Hamilton will play Wade, with Hunter spelling him and Prince having his turn late in the game. Wade gets the advantage, but how big we don't know...Hamilton is a big time playoff performer.

Adv: Heat

Williams v Billups
Williams can really hurt the Pistons, problem is Riley has him on a short leash. Billups should get the scoring going and will use P&R situations involving Shaq to his desire.

Adv: Detroit

Bench: The benches won't have a huge impact on the game, but enough to start a run or pickup the intensity. Heat instantly improve on D when Zo & Payton are in. They just need to find some scoring. Detroit has Hunter who will be unleashed onto Wade and will make him work for points. McDyess is very good rebounder and the main point scoring threat off the bench.

In the end i see Detroit prevailing in 6 or less. Given that a possible game 7 is in Detroit, i don;t see them losing. Let the games begin.

[Fenix]

Detroit in, defense will prevail and who exactly is able to run with Hamilton all day? Or defend Wallace on the perimeter?

[The X]

Detroit in, defense will prevail and who exactly is able to run with Hamilton all day? Or defend Wallace on the perimeter?

I think Payton & Posey will share the role of running after Rip....as for Rasheed Wallace, I think when he gets hot the Heat might go with Antoine Walker, who use to play PF back in his earlier days....not that 'Toine is a defensive presence, but I could imagine Heat going a lineup of Shaq/Zo, Walker, Wade, Posey/Payton, Williams/Payton....the Heat's rotation should only use those players, plus Haslem....

[pistons'er]

i thought Nets could won the series,but they're unlucky
Pistons win the series 4-0

[BIG GREEN]

Nets aren't unlucky...unlucky is loosing a game 7 the way the spurs did. Being beat 4 times in a row in the playoffs means you suck.


I love how pistons fans are always overconfident about their team. After going to game 7 with the cavs..and being on the brink of elimination...not only do they think pistons will beat the stronger team of heat..but they believe it will be done in less than 7? LoL....oh how i'll love heat kicking their cocky asses.

[Fenix]

Detroit in, defense will prevail and who exactly is able to run with Hamilton all day? Or defend Wallace on the perimeter?

I think Payton & Posey will share the role of running after Rip....as for Rasheed Wallace, I think when he gets hot the Heat might go with Antoine Walker, who use to play PF back in his earlier days....not that 'Toine is a defensive presence, but I could imagine Heat going a lineup of Shaq/Zo, Walker, Wade, Posey/Payton, Williams/Payton....the Heat's rotation should only use those players, plus Haslem....

You know you're in deep shit if you're planning to use Antoine Walker as your defensive stopper.

[dada]

You got rid of that old sig Yohance. About time.

[dan_suth]

I love how pistons fans are always overconfident about their team. After going to game 7 with the cavs..and being on the brink of elimination...not only do they think pistons will beat the stronger team of heat..but they believe it will be done in less than 7? LoL....oh how i'll love heat kicking their cocky asses.

Just because you hate the Pistons so much doesn't mean that they aren't a MUCH better team than the Miami Heat. So the Pistons played a couple of poor games in the 2nd round, big deal. They recovered and stepped it up when they had to.

And your statement works both ways. How can you call Pistons fans cocky for saying Pistons in 6, when you are "guaranteeing" that the underdog Heat will win the series. Are the ESPN analysts overconfident too? All but one of them have picked Detroit to win this series (I understand that many ESPN guys are idiots, but their opinions are worth more than our meaningless ones).

Interesting note: The Pistons have won their last five game 1's - if Miami can steal game 1 tonight or game 2 on Thursday, this series will be pretty exciting. But if Detroit takes the first 2 games at home, I don't see it going past 6 games.. with a good possibility of ending in Detroit in game 5.

Detroit is the best team in the NBA. Anything less than a championship this season will be disappointing for the organization and the fans.

[spyda45man]

yo miami should hav this on lock. shaq is healthy this yurr, idt detrot will be ready 4 him.

[J@3]

Post like a human please.

[KDawg295]

like last year everyone is hating on the pistons (media wise)..the way i see it is that its more fuel for the fire.

I think the pistons will pull through and face DALLAS in the finals.

"If it ain't Rough, It ain't Right" -Chauncey Billups

[John WB]

I rooted for the Pistons the last two years vs. those Shaq teams, but this year am rooting for the Heat just cause I rather see them in the Finals AND I'm a Dwayne Wade fan.

[dada]

Post like a human please.

He's from STL, go fugre...Nelly clone.

[BIG GREEN]

You got rid of that old sig Yohance. About time.

Yea i just realised just how much people didn't like it. So i manufactured something 10x better in about half an hour.

I love how pistons fans are always overconfident about their team. After going to game 7 with the cavs..and being on the brink of elimination...not only do they think pistons will beat the stronger team of heat..but they believe it will be done in less than 7? LoL....oh how i'll love heat kicking their cocky asses.

Just because you hate the Pistons so much doesn't mean that they aren't a MUCH better team than the Miami Heat. So the Pistons played a couple of poor games in the 2nd round, big deal. They recovered and stepped it up when they had to.

And your statement works both ways. How can you call Pistons fans cocky for saying Pistons in 6, when you are "guaranteeing" that the underdog Heat will win the series. Are the ESPN analysts overconfident too? All but one of them have picked Detroit to win this series (I understand that many ESPN guys are idiots, but their opinions are worth more than our meaningless ones).

Whether or not you think pistons are a better team is your opinion...not fact. I didn't "guarantee" anything..so don't put words in my fucking mouth. I don't give a shit about what "analysts" think cause history has shown that their opinions are just as valid as ours. The name "analyst" is used loosely on those over-paid fuckers.

[GloveGuy]

Just because you hate the Pistons so much doesn't mean that they aren't a MUCH better team than the Miami Heat. So the Pistons played a couple of poor games in the 2nd round, big deal. They recovered and stepped it up when they had to.

Interesting note: The Pistons have won their last five game 1's - if Miami can steal game 1 tonight or game 2 on Thursday, this series will be pretty exciting. But if Detroit takes the first 2 games at home, I don't see it going past 6 games.. with a good possibility of ending in Detroit in game 5.

Detroit is the best team in the NBA. Anything less than a championship this season will be disappointing for the organization and the fans.

Looks like we have a homer in the house. This will be interesting.

First off, the Pistons are not MUCH better than the Heat. That's a bullshit assessment. Last time I checked, the Heat have the two more dominant players in Shaq and Wade. They also have players like Walker and Williams who can easily turn it on offensively, and great defenders in Zo and Payton. The chemistry excuse is irrelevant if you watched the last four games of the Heat-Nets series. Miami's playing their best basketball of the season, and quite frankly, it happened just in time.

You'll appreciate this stat: When ever a team who had won their previous series in five games faces a team who had won their's in seven, the former has won the first game 24 out of 28 times.

It's a shame the Pistons no longer share the same attitude as fans like you, as they seem to have lost their swagger. The best team in the NBA doesn't lose three games in a row, one at home, to anyone.

[Matt]

Heat win by 5 or 4. Despite Wade getting 25 & shooting 9 for 11 he didn't really kill the Pistons. It was Miami's role players that were able to score.

Miami got into the hoop way too easy for my liking. Detroit missed so so many easy shots. Despite the shooting % the offense was good minus some sloppy passes.

Ben Wallace had a monster game on D poking the ball out of Shaq's hands and making him ineffective in the 2nd

Game 2 on Friday....can't wait.

[BIG GREEN]

One down..and three more to go on the tons of piss..aka piss-tons. I look for wade to get his fouling under control and give the heat a more dominant win in game 2.

[dinocarlo]

Great job by the Heat's role players. I hope they sustain it and I hope Wade and Shaq gets more dominant in Game 2.

KEYS TO THE SERIES

I. Both teams

• Rebounding
• Lessen TO's while forcing the other team to commit TO's
• Race to 90 points
• Bench production/support for star players

Miami outrebounded them 43-33 but had more TO's. Miami reached 90 first and had more support from the bench. The Pistons missed many shots.

II. Pistons

1. Lessen Wade's chance of touching the ball
2. Put Shaq to foul trouble
3. Faster tempo

III. Heat (basically the opposite of the Pistons')

1. Wade should control the game with his penetrations, jumpshots, and assists
2. Shaq should stay out of foul trouble
3. PERIMETER DEFENSE!!!

#1 - Wade shot well but needs to limit his fouls next game.
#2 - Shaq had a good game and fouls didn't bother him in the 2nd half.
#3 - Even if the Pistons had many good looks, give credit to the Heat defense for turning the Pistons into a jumpshooting team. They need to lessen the Pistons' open looks, though.

[Andrew]

It's only one game but it's the start the Heat wanted, taking advantage of fresher legs and at least assuring a split in Detroit. It has to be a confidence boost that they were able to win despite Shaq and Wade being in foul trouble though it would be naive to think they can win that way four times in this series. I think we're in for a good showdown.

[maes]

As i posted before, i think that win had less to do with Shaq & Wade (they both played like their superstar selves) but more to do with Walker & Payton.

Walker, mr inconsistency, shot a a very consistent 50% from the field with 7 boards and actually attacked the basket...and played 38 minutes. Gary Payton, 14 points, 2-3 3PT, and played 35 minutes. With those veterans elevating their game at starter minutes, it gives the option to rest Shaq, and even Wade is going to be (inadvertently) rested having played only 26 minutes.

The reason i'm making a big deal about fatigue (while i agree that fatigue effects all teams) is because Detroit has exactly 1/2 a bench player, McDyess. Brown never played the bench. Flip started to but soon went back to a Brown rotation of starting 5 + McDyess. All 4 starters (except Sheed who has a McDyess backup) on Detroit played 39-41 minutes. They keep that up, with Shaq playing under 30 minutes and and it will become a huge factor.

In the recent game 7 Phoenix win, Nash basically told the reporters he's been having a bad series because of fatigue & injuries, and when he got 3 days of rest he put out a more Nash-like game 7 performance.

The detroit fans at work think i'm nuts, but i've always said Detroit would better off starting only 4 of those guys and making one of them a 6th man, a spark off the bench. I think this rotation would cost them more regular season losses but would have a big advantage in the playoffs. The reality is, you don't need 5 all-stars out on the floor at once, there's only 1 ball. I would have advocated keeping Okur or Darko, and yeah maybe they don't dominate, but if they can be a strong roleplayers, those are the guys that carry teams in playoffs.

[dada]

Very surprised how Game 1 went down. Miami looking decent this first game and I'm beginning to rethink my Pistons prediction.

[BIG GREEN]

I wouldn't be suprised if miami won in less than 7 games...they seem like a superior team on all fronts in this playoff.

[Unrestrict3D]

I tuned in late last night only to see the poor Pistons getting stomped. I really liked how well Miami distributed the ball and played solid as a team as just about everyone stepped up and hit open shots. I'm going to stay with Miami in six games.