DawgTalkers.net Forums DawgTalk Tailgate Forum Time to RISE UP Again! CAVS/Pistons Series!!

Here we go! We took them to the brink last year, now it's time to finish the job!

Cavs' 2006 effort has respect of Pistons

By LARRY LAGE
The Associated Press

DETROIT (AP) — When threatened, the Detroit Pistons are at their best. Too much cockiness usually doesn't work for the Pistons because it lulls them into a false sense of security, leading to 1-on-1 moves and lackluster effort on defense and the glass.

Detroit plays up to its vast potential by sharing the ball, defending with passion and rebounding aggressively.

The Pistons know they have to stick to that script in the conference finals — starting Monday night at home — because LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers are good enough to beat them in a matchup of the East's top-seeded teams.

Detroit doubted that entering the conference semifinals last year. It almost cost the Pistons after winning the first two games.

Cleveland won three straight and had the Pistons on the brink of elimination — coming off two straight trips to the NBA finals — before they responded to adversity again by winning the last two games.

"What helps us is what they did to us last year," Detroit coach Flip Saunders said. "That's a positive for us. They had us down, and we came back and knew we had to win Game 6 to get to Game 7.

"That's why this year, except for the one game when we got beat in overtime, we came out focused knowing if we didn't, they would beat us."

Detroit beat the Cavs in three of four games during the regular season, with the lone loss coming in overtime.

James said it doesn't matter that the Pistons view Cleveland as more of a challenge than they did a year ago.

"It's not about trying to win somebody's respect," he said. "It's about trying to win a series."

The Cavs are more confident about their chances to advance to the NBA finals — for the first time since the franchise was born in 1970 — than they were a year ago.

"We feel like we can do it," reserve point guard Eric Snow said. "We just have to go out and get it done."

James is better and his teammates are, too, perhaps because the 22-year-old star seems to rely on them more on the court in his fourth NBA season and second postseason.

"Coming in, he thought he had to do so much," Saunders said. "He kept the ball so much. Now, he makes quicker decisions and he trusts his teammates more."

Larry Hughes is much healthier than he was last season and has helped Cleveland by being a scoring option from the point guard position. Sasha Pavlovic, a non-factor a year ago, is contributing.

The Cavs are deeper, too, with players like high-energy forward Anderson Varejao a part of a nine-man rotation.

"The difference between them a year ago or two years ago and this year, is that they're not a one-man team," Saunders said. "They have more people they can go to, they play their bench more and they always seem to have someone who comes up big for them."

James acknowledged his teammates played a big role in lifting Cleveland to the conference finals for the first time since 1992.

"Without them this definitely wouldn't be possible," he said. "We've been talking about trying to make a run, we've been chanting, `championship' all year and now we've made it closer to what we want to accomplish."

The Pistons are fueled by the disappointments that have followed their 2004 title, the third in franchise history. Detroit had a chance to repeat in Game 7 at San Antonio.

Last year, Detroit lost to the eventual champion Miami Heat in the conference finals after the Cavs added to a season-long grind for a team that won an NBA-high and franchise-record 64 games.

"Going seven games with them, it took a lot out of us. You have to give them credit," reserve guard Lindsey Hunter said of Cleveland's effort in the seven-game conference semifinals. "It probably cost us making it back to the finals."

The Pistons are in the conference finals for the fifth straight year, a streak matched just four other times in 20-plus years, after beating Chicago in six games and opening the postseason with a sweep over Orlando.

The Cavs began the postseason by sweeping seventh-seeded Washington and eliminating sixth-seeded New Jersey in six games.

"They're a team to be reckoned with now," Hunter said. "They've made it this far and all of the elite teams are still playing, so you have to consider them elite. We have to really buckle down and be focused.

"Tested or not, they've made it so they deserve to be here."



LETS GO CAVS!!!!!!

The only chance we have in this series...to get bench play like we did in the close out game against the Nets. We know the Pistons will not let LBJ beat them, there for we need others to step up and make the shot...jmo. Go Cavs!

I cant even describe how pumped I am for this game. Its only a quarter after 10am and im at work and all I want is for it to be 8pm and get this series started.

Im pissed that between game 1 and 2 and game 2 and 3 we have to wait 2 days in between for each.

LETS GO CAVS!! LETS GO CAVS!!! LETS GO CAVS!! LETS GO CAVS!!! LETS GO CAVS!! LETS GO CAVS!!! LETS GO CAVS!! LETS GO CAVS!!! LETS GO CAVS!! LETS GO CAVS!!!

A win tonight, though unlikely, would be sweet! I think if we can get past the Pistons, the Cavs have a real good shot a the Championship.

go cavs!

Yes! imo...am i looking at this series all wrong? Maybe so ...But thats just how i see it. I hope they proove me wrong Lets go Cavs!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Let's do this! GO Cavs!! Gonna take some gritty execution on the offensive end, and like Shotty said, some good bench play.

This series will be won or lost with the play of our BENCH

I think the series will come down to Gooden and Hughes. They HAVE to play well for us to have a shot at going to the Finals. Lebron will get his, Detroit can't stop him completely.

I haven't really cared much until this series. We needed to go father than last year and now we're here. I hope the Cavs aren't as content as I am.

Go CAVS!

We're this far.....why not just win the whole thing?

I AM A WITNESS

Get fired up, let's go, let's go!!!!!!!!!!

Reeshedii wallace go back where you came from.

I really hated LeBron's comment about being in the ECF......how he said it was his greatest basketball achievement. It kind of made me uneasy, like the team just wanted to get to this point and no further? I would have much rather heard him say we havn't won anything yet. Anyway.......maybe I'm just splitting hairs here.

As for the series, I think we really need game 1 or 2 to have a chance to win. We're going to drop one game at home IMO, meaning we'll need 2 on the road. If one of those doesn't come in game 1 or 2 it's going to be an extremely hard uphill battle. If I was more confident in us holding serve at home, I wouldn't be as nervous. Detroit had a phenominal road record this season, including beating us twice this season at home (along with stealing game 6 last season).

Hopefully LeBron has one of his career defining moments in game 1.

Let's go Cavs! Eat their children!

Yes! Eat their children!

My prediction is Cavs 83 Pitsons 80

Yeah I am getting a little bit worried about our guys "being happy to be here". I work for the Timberwolves and our director of youth basketball is a big Cleveland fan from Akron. His best friend happens to be one of Detroit's work out assistants. Guys name is Wilson. Anyhow Wilson told him that Hubie Brown told Flip that he gets the sense that Cleveland is just happy to be here. Wilson also told him that the Pistons coaching staff have focused much of their dialogue on how they let Cleveland get up on them 3-2. Wilson said look for Detroit to really pack it in and make LBJ and Co. "beat the Pistons over the top." Bottom line is that our guys need to make the open jumpers if Detroit's main game plan is to take away any paint activity.

http://cbs.sportsline.com/nba/story/10188644

AUBURN HILLS, Mich. -- For now, call it the LeBron Plan.

Advertisement


Years ago, the Detroit Pistons had a catchy name -- "Jordan Rules" -- to contain an NBA superstar. Now another star awaits in LeBron James.

"We've got a name for it," Pistons coach Flip Saunders told the Associated Press on Saturday with a sly grin. "But I'm not going to talk about it now. Maybe later."

The Pistons and Cleveland Cavaliers open the Eastern Conference finals Monday night. And while the name of the Pistons' plan may be under wraps, the strategy itself is not quite as mysterious.

Tayshaun Prince will be the primary defender, drawing his usual assignment against a star on the perimeter, but he will get plenty of help.

"It's going to be a collective effort," Saunders said.

Detroit wants to limit the number of times James has the ball in the lane.

"If you let him get to the basket, he can make plays for himself and other people," Saunders said.

When the Pistons are unsuccessful, they don't want him to enjoy bump-free paths to the basket.

"At this point, no matter who it is, he's going to get fouled hard going to the basket," Saunders said. "You've seen that in the playoffs so far and as you extend in the playoffs, more is at stake. You might kind of like somebody the first game and the second game you kind of don't like them. By the fifth game, you hate them. That's just the playoffs."

In last year's conference semifinals, Detroit trapped James, went over screens and under screens while sending waves of defenders at him. James managed to be spectacular at times but was stunted at others, including the second half of Game 7 when he made only one field goal.

"I've seen almost every defense that I could possibly see for the rest of my career in this series," James said on May 21, 2006. "That's why they're Eastern Conference champions, and that's why they keep winning."

A year later, the Pistons are still winning while the Cavs have won more in the playoffs than they have in more than a decade.

Cleveland beat New Jersey 88-72 Friday night, advancing to the conference finals for the first time since 1992 against a team that has been at least this far in five straight years.

Advertisement


James said experiencing playoff-style intensity against the Nets' Mikki Moore and Bostjan Nachbar prepared the Cavs for what they're about to face against the Pistons.

"We had a lot of physical plays, which is going to help us in the Detroit series because that's a very physical team," he said. "I think that's going to help us get over the hump. But at the same time, it's a very great team we're playing."

The Pistons want to do more than just test James physically. They want to confuse him by randomly alternating man-to-man and zone defenses while sending up to five different defenders toward him.

"I don't want to give out all our secrets," reserve guard Lindsey Hunter said. "But we just want to make him work extremely hard and give him a lot of different looks to not let him get comfortable and settled in on how we're going to guard him. We want him to think and to tire him out."

Detroit doesn't want to let James relax on defense, either, whether he's guarding Prince or somebody else.

"We want to go at LeBron," Saunders said. "We've got to keep him on his heels."

The Pistons hope they can keep their cool if James' stardom leads to favorable calls from the officials.

"We know he's going to get his love and go to the line, but we're going to make it hard for him," power forward Rasheed Wallace said. "He can get 30, but he's going to have to put up like 30 shots."

Detroit had the same mind-set entering its four straight playoff matchups with Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls from 1988-91 and that plan prevented him from reaching the NBA Finals until his seventh season in the league.

Joe Dumars led the "Jordan Rules" as shooting guard back then. Now, he is Detroit's president of basketball operations.

"The game plan is the same," Dumars told the AP. "We never leave one guy out there and say, 'It's your job to try to stop this guy.' We send five guys out with a mission to limit that particular guy.

"I don't know how many rules we have, but I do know that all five guys understand that it's their job as five to not leave Tayshaun or whoever it is out there by himself."

« Back · 1 · 2
AP NEWS
The Associated Press News Service

Copyright 2006-2007, The Associated Press, All Rights Reserved

Looks like LeBron is going to have the same path to the finals that Jordan did ... he has to figure out a way around the Pistons.

cleveland basketball!

OK folks...We have a dilemna...One that can prolly wait till after this series is over...But I'm gonna light the fuse now...For thought...

IF WE LOSE THIS SERIES???

In 2008 I see very little change in this team coming...And the reason we will lose is the low post presence we LACK...Low post D we LACK...So...

Detroit's getting OLD...Miami without Shaq is NUTTIN...

Enter the Chicago Bulls...

This edition of the Cavs isn't going to get much better...THIS IS THE YEAR...Or we need MAJOR CHANGES UP FRONT...A seasoned Brown and Gibson ain't gonna cut it...

Watch out if the Bucks get one of those top 2 picks also.

But anyways, who cares man, Cleveland is in the Eastern Conference finals. Enjoy it man. We haven't been here in 15 years, lets stop looking in the past and stop looking forward and enjoy where we are at right now.

Im not saying I am happy with just getting here, but it is a great achievement considering what we have gone through. Lets enjoy this series and take it from the Stons, and worry about next season in the off season.

LETS GO CAVS!! LETS GO CAVS!! LETS GO CAVS!! LETS GO CAVS!!

why are you so sold on chicago?

one playoff series victory since the jordan days... you want to talk about post presence, they have none... they could get lucky tomorrow night and land #1 or #2 and get a greg oden, but that's not likely...

they could still land al horford, which could make them a good team in 2-3 years...

the thing with the cavs is, i believe when lebron's contract is up, so is z's... so when we resign lebron (which we will, he went with the 3 year deal so he could get that huge 150m deal that ONLY the cavs can give him) we'll have some cap space to add another pretty big player... z may resign again, but it will be for very very little money as he may just want to finish his career in cleveland in a bench role...

chicago only won a game in the detroit series because detroit allowed them too...

when you have no frontcourt, you don't beat the pistons in the playoffs... you just don't...

I'm not that worried, frankly. The Cavs have 2 restricted free agents this offseason, and frankly I can't see them keeping both. One will be dealt in a sign-and-trade, to actually get some extra draft picks for a change, IMO, whether it is Pavlovic or Varejao. Plus, as I was reading in The Beacon Journal, the Cavs have become one of the most profitable franchises in the NBA right now. They'll have to go over the salary cap in two years, and Gilbert may jump the gun on that now and try for a deal to put the team over the top. As hard as I was on Gilbert when he took over the team, I trust him right now. I'm honestly not that concerned.

Come on Cavs! Gotta make it happen!!

I am so pumped for tonight!!!!!!

In complete honesty, I like Larry Hughes. We went on a huge winning streak with him at PG; but no one gives him any credit. But when he messes up everyone in CTown wants his head. Typical Cleveland fans--need someone to hate.

He really isn't that bad. I'd rather have him in than Eric Slow, or Amon Ones.

cavs are 0-17 in first game on the road in a playoff series.....how bout we turn that around tonight!!


GO CAVS

Im sorry to be negative but I dont think we have a shot in hell.
Dream Scenario: Cavs in 7
Realistic Scenario: Det in 5 or 6

Z is the KEY