Pistons: The whole package. These guys are playing some serious offense and haven't lost a step on D, in fact they may be better defenders than they were last year. They have 5 all stars in the starting lineup no matter what the fans or the Eastern Conference coaches said this year. KG didn't win more than 50 games every season and make the playoffs every year on his own. Saunders is a solid coach and the improved Pistons show what a solid coach can do with a solid team...make them even better. Sonics: These guys probably have to call each other's numbers out at practice, they are so new they likely don't know each others names yet. The new faces may understand that D doesn't stand for Donuts, but Ray, Luke and Shard are still trying to get that powdered sugar off their hands while their opponents are taking it to the basket every night. Talent and potential abound, the team is rich with it, but like my car after the wax has dried, they look like crap without any polish. I can't imagine the Pistons are taking any team for granted at this point in the season, but that may be the Sonics only hope. Instead I look to see the following... Can Earl slow down Billups and make Sund feel even better about the trade? Can Lewis score against a solid perimeter defender who matches his length and can guard him in the post as well as he can behind the arc? Can the two 7 footers keep Big Ben from scoring 20+ points? Ben will do it if they let him. He may not be a scorer, but he can abuse poor rotations, lazy help defense and slow defense rebounding. Does Felix get any floor time against Sheed?
As an addendum, it's symptomatic that our 2 captains let Rip run free and without a bump along the baseline and zero awareness of what was going on, especially since he'd just hit 2 big shots prior to the game winner. Pathetic.
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting odde23:</div><div class="quote_post">Somebody explain to me how Wilkins gets 5 minutes. Stupid.</div> Matchups, I guess
Throughout the game I think we did play well. There were a few costly turnovers and "mistakes" that we made that you just can't make with a team like Detroit. We should have won this game...but thats the way it goes. Ray was just sleeping on that last play. Rip was already running under the basket when Ray noticed he was gone....oh well....
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting monty001:</div><div class="quote_post">Ray was just sleeping on that last play. Rip was already running under the basket when Ray noticed he was gone....oh well....</div> I disagree. I thought Saunders just ran a brilliant decoy with Billups and Sheed on the high pick and roll that they abused the Sonics with all night, and Rip lost him. Rip knew that play was for him...Ray fell for it, but it was a great play. Great teams make great plays work. If Ray got burned all night I would be all over him, but he played better than average D on a great player all night, and got burned on one play. Unfortunately it cost them the game. Ok maybe he is a loser. No, I think I'll stick with he is a great player who got beat by a better play. I didn't expect the Sonics to be in the game. The fact that I am angry about missed calls and few screw ups (lazy defense by Lew on one play, sloppy passes leading to steals in the first half, Ray getting fooled on the game winner, Swifty missing point blank layups, etc) costing the W is pretty dang awesome. The Pistons didn't take the Sonics for granted and squeak by tonight, folks. The Sonics took it to the best team in the league (for the moment) and made them work to win. I'll take that over what we had two weeks ago, any day.
I totally agree with you. We played a helluva game.. just small things can make a big difference in such a close game. we can sit here and point back to all of the little things that happened in the game, and totally forget about how well they played tonight. Now I'm waiting to see how we bounce back vs the Jazz.
<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">"We were switching everything, so we had it covered," (Bob) Hill said. "The way he [Billups] was going, I thought he was going to take the shot. ... I never saw Hamilton."</div> Again, Hamilton had just hit 2 critical buckets and he runs the baseline better than anyone in the league. How our coaching staff wouldn't at least account for a scenario where Rip might get a shot is beyond me. <div class="quote_poster">Quoting Bob Hill:</div><div class="quote_post">If that's the best team in basketball, we're not that far away."</div> Ah what a win against NO/OK and a close loss to the champs will do. In all seriousness, we are showing some signs - we outrebounded Detroit and the defensive intensity is much much better. Wilcox and the young 7 footers are keeping the ball alive on the offensive glass.
Rip was clutch but a simply disgraceful performance by the Pistons. was an exciting game though I guess.
<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">Bob Hill: "I think we're at the point now where we need to sign another 7-footer, a veteran like the title teams have — like [Detroit's] Dale Davis," he said. "San Antonio has got veterans. We need one of those in case Robert and Johan ... something happens to them and they get hurt. "Then I think with the loss of Vlade, if we can find a shooter at some position, whether it's the 2 or the 3 or even a 4 that can shoot the ball, then I think the roster is set."</div> Link When did Bob Hill get an extension as our head coach--or is he lobbying for a GM position in his next job? Why is he speculating on how to improve the roster when the trade deadline is passed? Why does he believe that finding a shooter is a priority when we have arguably the two best shooting wing men in the league in the starting line up (and a very good shooter in Watson coming off of the bench). When has a veteran third string center become a priority for a team in the lottery? Bob Hill is an idiot who does not understand how to be discreet with his comments. I think that he feels that the title of head coach allows for him to be able to speculate on everything that is related to the Sonics--whether it be management issues, player issues unrelated to their basketball performance, past issues with people that he's worked with, etc. I have never been around a losing coach who wants to air out dirty laundry more than Hill. How can you make the statement that our team isn't that far away from being at the same level as Detroit just b/c you played them well at home for one night? Granted I see the improvement that they have made since we've acquired some new players but to compare us to a championship caliber team as this stage is ridiculous. Being optimistic is one thing but being dillusional is another. Robert Swift has earned the right to get back in the starting line up and play the majority of the minutes at center. If Petro is to get more minutes I'd rather see him get them along side of Swift than at Robert's expense. I love the way Wilcox has been playing and I get the impression that Nick Collison may be the odd man out when decision time has to be made with contracts. Swift has less year's on his contract than Petro and in my opinion is a more promising prospect than Petro so I just think that he should be playing closer to 30 minutes a game than 20. Petro deserves the time, as does Wilcox--but in high stakes gambling something tells me that Wilcox may be playing his way into a contract that the Sonics may not be able to afford. I'm more interested in the minutes that our players will be getting down the stretch of this season moreso than I am whether or not we can make a strong push into the latter part of the lottery. If we are going to make a move for a veteran free agent, I'd like to see him be at a position backing up either Ray or Sweet Lew so that it would force those two to reevaluate their own effort once they got into the game. I wonder how well Fred Hoiberg's recovery is going? Personally I'd love to have Andres Nocioni on our roster.
I would like to see Terry Porter coach this team. He's defensive minded and IIRC he's a tough sucker too. When he took over the Bucks he scrapped George Karl's trapping defense and made everyone accountable. I do not want Bob Hill, he looks to be an ass, and I don't want Sikma, either.
