'We aren't going to lose' Billups says the Pistons remain cool and confident Chris McCosky / The Detroit News Robin Buckson/The Detroit News RASHEED WALLACE: His guarantee after the loss in Game 3 seems to have backfired, and his technical in Game 5 was unnecessary and costly. See full image BEN WALLACE: Still a rebounding and defensive force, he has been an offensive liability. Has made 4 of 18 free throws and was 0-for-7 in Game 5. See full image Clarence Tabb, Jr./The Detroit News Chauncey Billups says the Pistons will play with a chip on their shoulder in Game 6 against the Cavaliers. See full image AUBURN HILLS -- The Pistons woke up Thursday morning staring smack in the face of what would be one of the more epic upsets in modern sports history. The two-time Eastern Conference champions, who had the best regular-season record in the NBA, are down 3-2 to the upstart Cavaliers and face premature playoff elimination tonight in Game 6 in Cleveland. Their mind-set might surprise you -- then again, maybe it won't. "We haven't lost this series," Chauncey Billups said. "We aren't going to lose this series." Though things were quieter than normal at the practice facility -- mostly because Rasheed Wallace was in the back taking treatment on his sprained right ankle -- the Pistons remain defiant. There was no sense of dread or impending doom. In truth, the mood was one of excitement and eager anticipation. "Our players are looking forward to this," coach Flip Saunders said. "It's a chance to show how good you really are. When your back is against the wall, you are going into a hostile environment against a team that is playing with a lot of confidence; it can be a good challenge and a great opportunity." Or, as Lindsey Hunter put it, "These are the moments that define teams." The Pistons prefer a one-word self-definition -- champion. And that title, that reputation, is what they are playing to protect tonight. "We made our bed and we've got to sleep in it," Billups said. "It's a one-game series now, man. We've been there before, most of us. We have to win one game. We know if we play every quarter like it's the last, we will have some success." Billups and co-captain Ben Wallace held a team meeting before practice Thursday. What was talked about, or the tone and tenor of it, wasn't shared. But the Pistons appear to be of one mind and purpose. "We're all right," Billups said. "I would not say we've lost any confidence. When you are playing well and you are in a rhythm, you will have a little swagger. When you aren't, the swagger's not there. But that doesn't mean your confidence is gone. "We have a very confident group. You ask anybody in this gym, 'Are you going to win the series?' and you won't find anybody hesitating. We believe it, too. We aren't just saying it. We just have to win one game." Not down for the count The Pistons admit to being staggered, maybe even a little shocked, by what transpired in the last three games. To come into Game 3 averaging 106 points in the playoffs, and then produce an average of 77.7 points and shoot 38 percent the next three, well, that's a bit unnerving. "It's like being in a fight where you don't expect to get knocked down and you get knocked down," Saunders said. "You are a little bit groggy when you get up sometimes if you get up and you keep fighting through it, you put yourself in a situation to throw some haymakers back at them. We have to get our aggression back." Saunders said the Pistons got back on their feet in the fourth quarter of Game 5. "The energy and effort in the fourth quarter was as close to being where it was most of the year," he said. "We really started going after it again. You could see there was real emotion." That emotion was undone by Rasheed Wallace's foul trouble and sore right ankle, and Billups fouling out with 2:12 left. But, to the Pistons, it represented a step toward recovery. "From five minutes left in the third quarter of Game 2 until there were five minutes left in Game 5, we didn't play well," Saunders said. "I thought for the first time in the fourth quarter, we showed more of what we're about. We showed our competitiveness." After the team meeting Thursday, according to Saunders, the players' approach to practice was: "We know what is at hand, let's get to work and get it done. Show us what we have to do and let's go out and do it." The Pistons have to solve the riddle of the Cavaliers' defensive strategy. They changed their defensive scheme before Game 3. Knowing the Pistons are a jump-shooting team, the Cavaliers adjusted their defense to take the perimeter away. They started switching on all pick-and-roll plays, leaving a bigger defender on the perimeter against Billups or Richard Hamilton. They are forcing the Pistons to beat them by going to the basket. Neither Billups, Hunter nor Hamilton are exceedingly adept at dribble-penetration and their attempts at forcing it have helped contribute to 50 turnovers and 49 assists the last three games. "The biggest thing is, we are trying to score five points in one play," Saunders said. "We have a lot of guys who feel they have the ability to take the game over, and they have tried to do a little too much individually. We are taking something that's there, like an 8-foot shot, and trying to get a dunk out of it." It's time to adjust The Pistons will make adjustments tonight. "I don't think we're confused," said Billups, who is averaging 15 points and shooting 37 percent. "We attack certain mismatches and they are prepared for us to attack them. When I get a big man on me and I attack, they know they are going to send two or three guys at me. It's about attacking the mismatch, but doing it the right way and making the right pass at the right time." The key is to move the ball, make the defense move and be willing to take whatever opening presents itself. "We have to look at it like they are playing zone," Saunders said. "We have to make more zone-type cuts, zone-type passes and be willing to look for zone-type shots." The Cavaliers' strategy has been enhanced by Rasheed Wallace's ankle injury. He is the Pistons' best low-post scorer and a solid perimeter threat. He did not practice Thursday. Saunders said Wallace was feeling better and that he would play in Game 6. "We have no choice now but to play and play with that chip on our shoulder," Billups said. "We have to play to win each possession, each quarter. We have to play with a vengeance. If you don't, it could be a very sad ending."
Now that he's made these comments, Chauncey will shoot 2-10 and have 11 turnovers. Why can't the Pistons just play instead of talking?
