"When I saw them, they looked flat," Casey said. "They weren't pushing it up like they were early in the year. They weren't aggressive going to the basket and they were having trouble getting their shots off."

Coach's thoughts were confirmed by Pistons coach Larry Brown in the Detroit Free Press.

"I've never had a team that you could turn it on and turn if off when you wanted and expect to be successful, and that's the way it looks like we play," Brown said. "If it was just one or two instances, you would say, 'Hey, that's uncharacteristic.' But from one quarter to the next, it's a totally different effort."

Still, the Pistons are 14-8, good for third in the Central Division. According to Casey, when the Pistons do execute their offense, they're difficult to stop. Casey shared his insights with NBA.com on the Detroit Pistons and their diagonal cuts in the second edition of the NBCA Coach's Corner of the 2003-04 season.

Casey has nearly 20 years of NBA experience, breaking into the league as a Chicago Bulls assistant coach in 1982. He was the head coach of the New Jersey Nets for a year and a half, including the 1999-2000 season.

WHAT IS THE KEY TO GETTING RICHARD HAMILTON OPEN?

“Larry Brown runs a play for Richard Hamilton that he ran for Allen Iverson in Philadelphia. It's called the 'diagonal cut,' going from left to right, from one side of the floor to the other. Hamilton starts on the left side of the court. Then he'll get a pick at the elbow, then he'll get a pick in the middle of the foul line. Hamilton then can take the dribble over the top or pull up and hit. It works well for Hamilton. "One of the best things about that is play is the defenders can't really switch because if they switch, there's a four (a power forward) or a five (center) on Hamilton on the perimeter. And if they counter that switch, the last screener can dive down to the block, Hamilton can back out and clear and either take them or throw an entry pass into the post."

HOW IMPORTANT IS IT FOR THE PISTONS' BIGS TO GET SECOND-CHANCE SHOTS?

"Their two big men don't have a lot of inside moves. What they do best is rebound and spit the ball back up with a great second effort. Ben Wallace has a couple of little moves. I'm surprised Elden Campbell is contributing as much he is. Then again we're talking the East, that's like a different country than the West. Mehmet Okur is a very good player. I like him. He has more of a perimeter game like most European big men do. He has the ability to rebound too. Larry Brown is going through the center a little more than [former Pistons coach Rick] Carlisle did and with good results."

HOW WELL DO THE PISTONS RUN THE SECONDARY BREAK?

"When a team runs, they run to score. The Pistons do as well, but they can also get into something in the half-court very quickly with their secondary break. When they run, they get into a lot of Carolina sets -- backscreens and lobs. The four man comes down and sets a screen for the point guard, who can keep going or kick it to the wing. The post who is trailing the break can set up and set a back pick for a small forward or a guard on the elbow for a lob. The point guard, after using the screen, can shoot, which Hamilton and Billups do very well, or pass and move to the corner or set up back screen. It's a very structured offense with many rules of action."

CAN LARRY BROWN GET THESE GUYS TO PLAY TOGETHER ON OFFENSE?

“The Pistons are playing good team defense and they defend the pick and roll very well. They're aggressive with their post defense. As a matter of fact, their defense is keeping them around. Their up-tempo play has disappeared the last two games. And there are some who think that Chauncey Billups doesn't have very good shot selection. But with Hamilton and Billups they get a lot of their production from their guards. "But right now, it seems as if they're trying to figure each other out."

Photo credits: Hamilton: Noren Trotman/NBAE/Getty Images; Wallace and Okur: Allen Einstein/NBAE/Getty Images; Brown: Mitchell Layton/NBAE/Getty Images

--Rob Peterson, NBA.com

NBCA Coach's Corner archive:
Dec. 5: Don Casey on Sacramento's "Princeton offense"