Detroit Pistons vs Boston Celtics Series

[D-Dogg]

If i'm the Lakers....i'm keeping my eyes open and my head on a swivel in games 3 & 4.

No doubt...no doubt. It has gotten testy already a couple of times. If something actually pops off, I can guarantee Turiaf will get suspended for coming off the bench. He can't help it.

I don't, however, think it will happen. Pop has a deep rooted respect for Phil and the Lakers. If the Lakers are on the verge of winning, I don't forsee any dirty play. Pop will more likely give up the ghost, IMO.

the spurs didn't have respect for the Suns, IMO...because of Antoni. He's kind of...to put it mildly...arrogant. After game one of the suns/spurs, he talked about how the suns won the game, etc. He was the kind of coach that irritated Pop. Phil and Pop are very similar in demeanor, and even now Phil is talking about how we have done nothing, the spurs are great, blah blah...not feeding anything to their fire...at all. He said "they were off tonight, they won't be off in san antone" (paraphrasing). I can't say enough about how Antoni's style of "we were the better team...but..." rubs other coaches into the red-ass, and adds motivation.

Bear in mind, I don't think this series is in any way "over." The spurs will come out hard on Sunday...but Phil's laid back style is far better against Pop and crew than Antoni's "eh, we are the best and ef you if you think otherwise..we got screwed..again" mentality. Antoni was a walking, talking bulletin board fixture. Hell, he did it against the Lakers on the second game of the season, bitching at Phil for the late timeout...talk about how the Suns bust the Lakers out of the playoffs, etc. He was a mouthy dude. He is going to fail, and fail hard in NY because the media there aren't going to coddle him...they will cut out his kidneys and sell them on the open market, and laugh while they do so.

 

[nowagimp]

No doubt...no doubt. It has gotten testy already a couple of times. If something actually pops off, I can guarantee Turiaf will get suspended for coming off the bench. He can't help it.

I don't, however, think it will happen. Pop has a deep rooted respect for Phil and the Lakers. If the Lakers are on the verge of winning, I don't forsee any dirty play. Pop will more likely give up the ghost, IMO.

the spurs didn't have respect for the Suns, IMO...because of Antoni. He's kind of...to put it mildly...arrogant. After game one of the suns/spurs, he talked about how the suns won the game, etc. He was the kind of coach that irritated Pop. Phil and Pop are very similar in demeanor, and even now Phil is talking about how we have done nothing, the spurs are great, blah blah...not feeding anything to their fire...at all. He said "they were off tonight, they won't be off in san antone" (paraphrasing). I can't say enough about how Antoni's style of "we were the better team...but..." rubs other coaches into the red-ass, and adds motivation.

Bear in mind, I don't think this series is in any way "over." The spurs will come out hard on Sunday...but Phil's laid back style is far better against Pop and crew than Antoni's "eh, we are the best and ef you if you think otherwise..we got screwed..again" mentality. Antoni was a walking, talking bulletin board fixture. Hell, he did it against the Lakers on the second game of the season, bitching at Phil for the late timeout...talk about how the Suns bust the Lakers out of the playoffs, etc. He was a mouthy dude. He is going to fail, and fail hard in NY because the media there aren't going to coddle him...they will cut out his kidneys and sell them on the open market, and laugh while they do so.

Yep, when you think you know what people who you dont even know are thinking(if they dont say it themselves), its time for therapy. If the lakers lose a game, get a rubber room for the night.

 

[AfroSuns]

No doubt...no doubt. It has gotten testy already a couple of times. If something actually pops off, I can guarantee Turiaf will get suspended for coming off the bench. He can't help it.

I don't, however, think it will happen. Pop has a deep rooted respect for Phil and the Lakers. If the Lakers are on the verge of winning, I don't forsee any dirty play. Pop will more likely give up the ghost, IMO.

the spurs didn't have respect for the Suns, IMO...because of Antoni. He's kind of...to put it mildly...arrogant. After game one of the suns/spurs, he talked about how the suns won the game, etc. He was the kind of coach that irritated Pop. Phil and Pop are very similar in demeanor, and even now Phil is talking about how we have done nothing, the spurs are great, blah blah...not feeding anything to their fire...at all. He said "they were off tonight, they won't be off in san antone" (paraphrasing). I can't say enough about how Antoni's style of "we were the better team...but..." rubs other coaches into the red-ass, and adds motivation.

Bear in mind, I don't think this series is in any way "over." The spurs will come out hard on Sunday...but Phil's laid back style is far better against Pop and crew than Antoni's "eh, we are the best and ef you if you think otherwise..we got screwed..again" mentality. Antoni was a walking, talking bulletin board fixture. Hell, he did it against the Lakers on the second game of the season, bitching at Phil for the late timeout...talk about how the Suns bust the Lakers out of the playoffs, etc. He was a mouthy dude. He is going to fail, and fail hard in NY because the media there aren't going to coddle him...they will cut out his kidneys and sell them on the open market, and laugh while they do so.

He may have rubbed other coaches the wrong way but he has to say something to give his players the mental confidence to think they can win and he has to in such a way to make them believe he "believes" it too, and that is not just saying it in the locker room. I do think the suns are a more talented team and his statement is not far from the truth but what he didnt say and everyone knew is the Spurs are a better coached team.
I also disagree he will fail in NY although only time will tell, Phil is not that much a better coach than D'antoni, he is just luckier with the calibres of players he has had in his career and his remarks to Phil after that game was because he was pissed. I was at that game, first game in the season, home team getting blown out, too much annoying Laker fans in the building booing the suns in front of the fans and PJ pulled that stupid mind game and the way he dismissed D'antoni when he complained was insulting and shows Phil is carrying some grudge from being knocked out of the playoff by pringles the last 2 seasons.

 

[D-Dogg]

He may have rubbed other coaches the wrong way but he has to say something to give his players the mental confidence to think they can win and he has to in such a way to make them believe he "believes" it too, and that is not just saying it in the locker room. I do think the suns are a more talented team and his statement is not far from the truth but what he didnt say and everyone knew is the Spurs are a better coached team.
I also disagree he will fail in NY although only time will tell, Phil is not that much a better coach than D'antoni, he is just luckier with the calibres of players he has had in his career and his remarks to Phil after that game was because he was pissed. I was at that game, first game in the season, home team getting blown out, too much annoying Laker fans in the building booing the suns in front of the fans and PJ pulled that stupid mind game and the way he dismissed D'antoni when he complained was insulting and shows Phil is carrying some grudge from being knocked out of the playoff by pringles the last 2 seasons.

Yeah, pretty much a resounding NO to everything you typed there.

 

[D-Dogg]

Yep, when you think you know what people who you dont even know are thinking(if they dont say it themselves), its time for therapy. If the lakers lose a game, get a rubber room for the night.

 

[AfroSuns]

Yeah, pretty much a resounding NO to everything you typed there.

NO to what?
That Phil is a great a great coach and no other coach could have won the title with Jordan and Pippen among others in Chicago or Kobe and Oneal in LA?
Or that he didnt lose 2 years in a roll to Pringles one of which is without Amare and KT in the line up.


Oh wait, it has to be the fact that he plays mind games and woe unto any coach who challenged him.

 

[D-Dogg]

No in that I don't think Dantoni's coaching style was the way to motivate that team. And he coached ridiculously talented teams. No in that Phil isn't a much better coach than Dantoni. No in you thinking he's not going to fail in NY. And no to your last points...you don't find it odd that Shaq and Kobe couldn't win until Phil got there.

Yes, Pringles bested Phil twice...both times with the Lakers huge underdogs. I don't think it was the results that bugged Phil..it was the arrogance. That's why Phil told him to **** and sit down.

Phil plays mind games, and he's got his own whole host of issues, but he produces results, in big situations.

 

[nowagimp]

No in that I don't think Dantoni's coaching style was the way to motivate that team. And he coached ridiculously talented teams. No in that Phil isn't a much better coach than Dantoni. No in you thinking he's not going to fail in NY. And no to your last points...you don't find it odd that Shaq and Kobe couldn't win until Phil got there.

Yes, Pringles bested Phil twice...both times with the Lakers huge underdogs. I don't think it was the results that bugged Phil..it was the arrogance. That's why Phil told him to **** and sit down.

Phil plays mind games, and he's got his own whole host of issues, but he produces results, in big situations.

The amareless and KT less suns of 2006 that outsted the lakers were surely not heavily favored over the lakers. Coming back from being down 3-1 with 9 active players, and a bench whose 7th man(Jones) scored 4ppg in the playoffs is pretty amazing. That year, PJ's coaching did not allow the lakers to prevent a comeback (from a 3-1 defecit) from an undermanned, small suns team. That suns team way over achieved using bit pieces like TT to plug the hole up front with KT amare out. That team needed Boris Diaw(who didnt even start for the hawks the previous year) to score 19 ppg in the playoffs to win. It looked like a very motivated team to me, playing way over their heads.

 

[mojorizen7]

The Mike D apologies and blind homer support continue. Now he's even being spun into a HC worthy of being mentioned in the same breath as Phil Jackson. That's funny. The Lakers were not very good in '06.....neither were the Clippers. I'm too lazy to look it up but we were expected to beat those teams. Where did we finish in the seeding that year? I forget. As the apologists are so fond of bragging....we won a ton of regular season games(without Amare and KT for a stretch). There's no reason that we should've been taken to the limit by both the Lakers and Clippers other than Mikey D's penchant for being slow and hesitant to make adjustments in playoff series'.
Phil's crappy Lakers team came out better prepared and focused on defense....i do remember that.

 

[AfroSuns]

...you don't find it odd that Shaq and Kobe couldn't win until Phil got there.
.

No i dont, if you expect 2 young players to win against the seasoned utah jazz in malone and stockton. then i dont know what to tell you. Didnt Del Harris have both of them for only one season before Rambis tried his hand at head coach in the interim for another year before Phil was hired? so you can safely say they are coming into their own when Phil took over not because he is a magician.

Yes, Pringles bested Phil twice...both times with the Lakers huge underdogs. I don't think it was the results that bugged Phil..it was the arrogance. That's why Phil told him to **** and sit down.
.

Underdogs??? Lets for the sake of argument agree they were, i thought your Phil is too good and better than D', his coaching talent certainly must have departed him to lose after going up 3-1. Mr produce in big situation certainly let one get away from him.
and What arrogance? D'antoni has never rubbed it in his face until Phil chose to be an Ass in the first game of the season and you dont think he is carrying a grudge. Dantoni maybe "Inferior" to your Phil but he is definetly more of a gentleman than he is, so much so it earned him the pringles nickname.

 

[mojorizen7]

This thread has gotten derailed.
I'm looking forward to tonights game BTW.
I'm curious as to how tight the CELTICS might be. They can't fall behind early IMO.
Go Pistons

 

[AfroSuns]

The Mike D apologies and blind homer support continue. Now he's even being spun into a HC worthy of being mentioned in the same breath as Phil Jackson. That's funny. The Lakers were not very good in '06.....neither were the Clippers. I'm too lazy to look it up but we were expected to beat those teams. Where did we finish in the seeding that year? I forget. As the apologists are so fond of bragging....we won a ton of regular season games(without Amare and KT for a stretch). There's no reason that we should've been taken to the limit by both the Lakers and Clippers other than Mikey D's penchant for being slow and hesitant to make adjustments in playoff series'.
Phil's crappy Lakers team came out better prepared and focused on defense....i do remember that.

No one is apologizing or making excuses for D'antoni,i know am not, I do respect him for his offensive talents, but way to go in discrediting him by lauding his accomplishments in that season, second time mvp award for his player, most improved POY for another all with playing small ball most of the games.

 

[mojorizen7]

No one is apologizing or making excuses for D'antoni,i know am not, I do respect him for his offensive talents, but way to go in discrediting him by lauding his accomplishments in that season, second time mvp award for his player, most improved POY for another all with playing small ball most of the games.

The apologists know who they are. As for individual regular season awards....i don't understand how that supports an argument for D'Antoni's playoff bloopers. We've played small ball every year under DA until Shaq arrived

 

[mojorizen7]

Here we go. This ought to be a pretty physical,hard fought affair.
I'm gonna take the Pistons in a close one(going out on a limb i know)
91-86

 

[mjb21aztd]

lets go celtics I hope they beat the pistons and take them out in 6 or 7 games. I woud love to see KG get his first ring especially if he beats the lakers

 

[D-Dogg]

The amareless and KT less suns of 2006 that outsted the lakers were surely not heavily favored over the lakers. Coming back from being down 3-1 with 9 active players, and a bench whose 7th man(Jones) scored 4ppg in the playoffs is pretty amazing. That year, PJ's coaching did not allow the lakers to prevent a comeback (from a 3-1 defecit) from an undermanned, small suns team. That suns team way over achieved using bit pieces like TT to plug the hole up front with KT amare out. That team needed Boris Diaw(who didnt even start for the hawks the previous year) to score 19 ppg in the playoffs to win. It looked like a very motivated team to me, playing way over their heads.

The Suns were the 2 seed, the Lakers the 7th. It would have been a major upset for the Lakers to pull off the series win, which they almost did. That year's suns team I thought was incredibly difficult to defend...small, sure, but they ran you to death. The Lakers team won something like 45 games that year. Almost everyone expected the Suns to roll them.

 

[D-Dogg]

Underdogs???

Top seeds vs bottom seeds make the bottom underdogs.

What arrogance?

Please. Seriously.

so much so it earned him the pringles nickname.

The Pringles nickname came from Laker fans because Whineantoni looks like the freaking Pringles guy. Not because he is a gentleman. You are far out there man...

 

[mojorizen7]

JVG as comic relief....
FAIL

 

[Treesquid PhD]

Hunter is perfect for the Suns, old and sucky.

 

[mojorizen7]

Hunter is perfect for the Suns, old and sucky.

As a free agent a few yrs back he was exactly what we needed.
But hey, Banks was a younger version of Hunter right....?

 

[mojorizen7]

Wow. What a poor show from the PISTONS.
Boston suprised me with this. They're making the extra pass tonight but the Pistons defense has been lazy.

 

[hsandhu]

The Pistons are an embarrassment, how can you just flat out dog playoff games like they did tonight and have done so many times in the past.

 

[Irish]

I only watched the first quarter of the Celtics beatdown of the Pistons, but IMHO the Pistons offensive meltdown was due to getting away from the strong team play their offense showed in Game 2. It looked like they had regressed into a one on one team without having a player like LeBron who can rescue that strategy. Throw in a -16 on the boards and it is surprising the game was as close as it was as long as it was.

By contrast, the Celtics spread the ball around very well six guys in double figures.

For a veteran team like the Pistons to lose their offensive poise like that is intriguing. It is almost like they were overconfident going into a game at home with a team that had won on the road in playoffs. But if they don't play harder on Mon, it will be over very quickly

 

[Darth Llama]

Both these teams have been horribly inconsistant this year in the post season. Both teams seem to want to give away the Eastern Conference championship, I have no idea who's going to win this series.

I just hope whoever does, keeps playing like crap when they get to the NBA Finals. I'll be rooting for the Lakers or Spurs over either one of these pathetic teams.

 

[nowagimp]

The Suns were the 2 seed, the Lakers the 7th. It would have been a major upset for the Lakers to pull off the series win, which they almost did. That year's suns team I thought was incredibly difficult to defend...small, sure, but they ran you to death. The Lakers team won something like 45 games that year. Almost everyone expected the Suns to roll them.

KT played the first 53 games for the suns that year and went out with injury late in the year, not to be seen in the playoffs. The team lost 11 of 23 games with KT out at the end. When KT went out, the defense went from mid pack in the NBA, to near the worst. Opponents went from 34% to 40% from 3 against that team and scored inside alot, because of the constant doubling. The doubling also led to tons of oboards and putbacks by the opposition indicated by the 8.5 rebound(a deficit of 4 per game with KT playing) a game deficit in the playoffs. The clippers scored 110+ pts on that team in 5 of 7 games in the second round that year, alot of scores just by putbacks. And yet with KT in the lineup the suns defense averaged 101ppg. Amare was also out for the year with micro, so there was no inside game on offense. The playoff seeding was meaningless as the suns played .500 ball in the games without KT at the end of the year. Looking back on that team now, it was a near miracle that they beat the lakers as they were beaten up big inside, as would be expected. They only beat the lakers and clippers that year on heart, just heart. That team with no KT, plus no amare, probably could not have earned a playoff seed.

But then what lakers fan would know any of this? That PJ and Kobe were beaten by an injury ravaged suns team( lost 2 starters at the 4,5 for the year) with no size or depth up front, the smallest team in the playoffs.