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Sign up for E-newsMay 24, 2005
You play your game, and we’ll play ours
Ramblings on a very, very, very good Monday……
Game One in Miami is over and the Pistons looked tremendous….came out and stayed with Miami, didn’t lose any confidence when Shaq came out and went 4-4, didn’t double team the Big Sunburn (Chum you were absolutely right, my friend) and stuck to the Larry Brown game plan.
I liked that we didn’t fall in love with the jump shot, even though we made a bunch in the first quarter, including Sheed from beyond the arc – three times. Held D-Wade down, making him shoot the jump shots and getting a hand in his face every time. Watch Tayshaun in this series --- he can stay with Wade on the defensive end (Tay doesn’t bite on the jab step) AND can post him up on the offensive end (did you see the spin move in the first quarter?).
What I thought was really great was the fact that we didn’t do anything real spectacular. We played our game. Rip made his 15-footers, Chauncey penetrated when he needed to, Tayshaun played defense and knocked down some shots. Ben….well, Ben made a few jump shots that I didn’t expect, but fortunately Miami didn’t expect it either. Overall, we played a very solid game, a defensive-style game and I think made a statement that we are not intimidated, however we respect the Heat and are not taking anything lightly.
Here’s the thing, though. Miami will make adjustments and Dwayne Wade won’t shoot that poorly every night. Stan Van Gundy will study the tapes and draw up a game plan to counter Rasheed’s hot shooting and maybe double-team Tayshaun on the block. Game Two will be interesting on Wednesday night.
Is it me, or do you get the feeling that the national media is pulling for Shaq and the Heat? It feels like the Lakers series last year…… “Shaq this and Shaq that”….it’s not how the Pistons are the best team in the league, it’s about how Shaq is going to dominate. I have a theory that the national media finds it easier to talk about one player rather than an entire team. I think we have so many weapons, including our coach, that they don’t have enough time to cover it all. I will say, however, that the national guys have given us more credit than they did last year.
Alright, enough game analysis. You can read the papers tomorrow for that. On to more “serious” matters…..
How about Dan LeBatard in the Detroit Free Press this morning? I don’t know if you all know this, but Detroit is actually Iroquois (according to LeBatard) for “land of deserted buildings, burned out cars, murder, sadness, depression, bad weather and ugly basketball”. Actually, Dan, Detroit is English for THREE NBA CHAMPIONSHIPS. I know your number one priority is to sell papers and your number two priority is to sell yourself. I’m not going to give you any more time in my blog for your rantings, so I will just say this…..when your “pretty playing” basketball team wins an NBA Championship (the team, Dan, not just one player on your team), come back and talk to us. But remember, you’ll still have AT LEAST two less than Detroit.
Looking forward, how about those Detroit Shock? Starting 2-0 for the first time in their history, with a very winnable game tomorrow night. I’m going to make a prediction right now, after seeing the Shock play on Saturday afternoon on Opening Day at the Palace…..the Shock will win 26 games, win the division and the conference and go to the WNBA Finals in September. You heard it here first.
Had a ton of fun on Friday with the participants in the Dribble ‘Til You Drop promotion with the Shock out at Hoop City Grille. Never felt like a drill instructor before that and it really gave me a chance to live out my dream of being Louis Gossett, Jr. in An Officer and a Gentleman. Although, I’m a bit disappointed that no one told me they, “got no place else to go” when I asked them to quit. I will have to work on that for next year. Congratulations to Bethany…..and to Liz, Samaria and Katelyn. Everyone did a great job!!
Did you happen to see the Detroit News and Free Press this weekend? Sports section, page three had a full-page ad from Palace Sports & Entertainment, thanking the staff, full and part-timers, for the great job they did this year and how important they are to our success. It’s my blog, so I have the right….that is one classy move by the organization. And it’s just another item in a long list of cool things that we have done this year……championship rings for more than 400 staff members, honoring the department heads who have some of the most thankless jobs (parking, guest services, security and operations) and now taking out a full-page ad, worth about $30,000, to thank staff. That’s how you build loyalty and championships……
Game One in Miami is over and the Pistons looked tremendous….came out and stayed with Miami, didn’t lose any confidence when Shaq came out and went 4-4, didn’t double team the Big Sunburn (Chum you were absolutely right, my friend) and stuck to the Larry Brown game plan.
I liked that we didn’t fall in love with the jump shot, even though we made a bunch in the first quarter, including Sheed from beyond the arc – three times. Held D-Wade down, making him shoot the jump shots and getting a hand in his face every time. Watch Tayshaun in this series --- he can stay with Wade on the defensive end (Tay doesn’t bite on the jab step) AND can post him up on the offensive end (did you see the spin move in the first quarter?).
What I thought was really great was the fact that we didn’t do anything real spectacular. We played our game. Rip made his 15-footers, Chauncey penetrated when he needed to, Tayshaun played defense and knocked down some shots. Ben….well, Ben made a few jump shots that I didn’t expect, but fortunately Miami didn’t expect it either. Overall, we played a very solid game, a defensive-style game and I think made a statement that we are not intimidated, however we respect the Heat and are not taking anything lightly.
Here’s the thing, though. Miami will make adjustments and Dwayne Wade won’t shoot that poorly every night. Stan Van Gundy will study the tapes and draw up a game plan to counter Rasheed’s hot shooting and maybe double-team Tayshaun on the block. Game Two will be interesting on Wednesday night.
Is it me, or do you get the feeling that the national media is pulling for Shaq and the Heat? It feels like the Lakers series last year…… “Shaq this and Shaq that”….it’s not how the Pistons are the best team in the league, it’s about how Shaq is going to dominate. I have a theory that the national media finds it easier to talk about one player rather than an entire team. I think we have so many weapons, including our coach, that they don’t have enough time to cover it all. I will say, however, that the national guys have given us more credit than they did last year.
Alright, enough game analysis. You can read the papers tomorrow for that. On to more “serious” matters…..
How about Dan LeBatard in the Detroit Free Press this morning? I don’t know if you all know this, but Detroit is actually Iroquois (according to LeBatard) for “land of deserted buildings, burned out cars, murder, sadness, depression, bad weather and ugly basketball”. Actually, Dan, Detroit is English for THREE NBA CHAMPIONSHIPS. I know your number one priority is to sell papers and your number two priority is to sell yourself. I’m not going to give you any more time in my blog for your rantings, so I will just say this…..when your “pretty playing” basketball team wins an NBA Championship (the team, Dan, not just one player on your team), come back and talk to us. But remember, you’ll still have AT LEAST two less than Detroit.
Looking forward, how about those Detroit Shock? Starting 2-0 for the first time in their history, with a very winnable game tomorrow night. I’m going to make a prediction right now, after seeing the Shock play on Saturday afternoon on Opening Day at the Palace…..the Shock will win 26 games, win the division and the conference and go to the WNBA Finals in September. You heard it here first.
Had a ton of fun on Friday with the participants in the Dribble ‘Til You Drop promotion with the Shock out at Hoop City Grille. Never felt like a drill instructor before that and it really gave me a chance to live out my dream of being Louis Gossett, Jr. in An Officer and a Gentleman. Although, I’m a bit disappointed that no one told me they, “got no place else to go” when I asked them to quit. I will have to work on that for next year. Congratulations to Bethany…..and to Liz, Samaria and Katelyn. Everyone did a great job!!
Did you happen to see the Detroit News and Free Press this weekend? Sports section, page three had a full-page ad from Palace Sports & Entertainment, thanking the staff, full and part-timers, for the great job they did this year and how important they are to our success. It’s my blog, so I have the right….that is one classy move by the organization. And it’s just another item in a long list of cool things that we have done this year……championship rings for more than 400 staff members, honoring the department heads who have some of the most thankless jobs (parking, guest services, security and operations) and now taking out a full-page ad, worth about $30,000, to thank staff. That’s how you build loyalty and championships……
