<font color="RoyalBlue"><font size="3"><div align="center">Detroit Pistons (33-19) @ Los Angeles Lakers (28-24) Friday February 25th, 2005 - 10:30PM ET Tipoff (on FoxW)</div></font></font> Projected Lakers Starters <font color="Indigo">PG - Baron Davis (I wish, it's still Chucky) SG - Kobe Bryant SF - Caron Butler PF - Lamar Odom C - Chris Mihm</font> Projected Piston Starters PG - Chauncey Billups SG - Rip Hamilton SF - Tayshaun Prince PF - Rasheed Wallace C - Ben Wallace Pistons lead the season series 1-0 Key Stat Lakers have finally won 3 straight games. Key Match-Up Kobe Bryant vs. Tayshaun Prince Lakers' Keys to the Game - Don't settle for perimeter shots - Stay out of early foul trouble - Be more physical than the Pistons - Hold the Pistons to under 100 points Pistons' Keys to the Game - Stop Kobe, and force his teammates to beat you - Control the rebound battle - Attack Chris Mihm and get him in foul trouble Prediction After a flurry of trades, surprisingly two teams meet who did nothing to change their roster. The Lakers will be tested tonight against a Piston team firing on all cylinders. The Pistons destroyed the Lakers in the first match-up, but the Lakers were without #8 in that game. Tonight Kobe gets to face the team, who beat the Lakers in the Finals last season, and he will try to lead the new Lakers against the defending champs. Both teams have stepped up their play since the All-Star Break and both are hungry for more W's. The Lakers only have a few home games left, and this is an important game for them before they head out on a 3 game road trip against the much improved Atlantic Division. The Lakers should have Caron back for this game, and they will need him to be effective offensively when the Pistons clamp down on Kobe. The Pistons will double Kobe all night and force the other Lakers to beat them. The Pistons are great at exploiting a team by baiting them into difficult, contested shots. Their ability to rotate on defense makes it tough for an offense to find an open look. The Lakers are going to have to shoot 45% or higher to win this game. The Lakers better be active on the glass tonight and box out better. Against Portland, Joel Pryzbilla killed the Lakers on the glass in the 1st half, and almost had a double-double before halftime. If the Lakers play soft tonight, the Wallace's are going to have a field day in the paint, and create a lot of second chance opportunities for their teammates. The Pistons are the better team, and I don't think the Lakers have addressed all of their problems yet. Even though this game is more important for the Lakers to win, I have to be realistic and predict a Piston win. The Lakers will be competitive, but will fall behind early and not have enough in the 4th quarter to win the game. My prediction 87-95 Detroit winning at Staples. <font color="Indigo"><u>Laker Team Notes</u></font> <div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">Forward Caron Butler, who sat out two games because of a stomach virus, practiced Thursday. Butler said he lost about eight pounds and at one point had to receive intravenous fluids during a visit to a team doctor. </div> Source
lmao @ the point guard position. I feel you on that one though. I'm still fuming about losing him to the Warriors. As for the game, if it rains tonite (which they say it will ), I think I'm gonna try to catch this one. However, after seeing the Pistons dismantle the Lakers during the Finals last year, it's difficult for me to envision a scenerio where the Lakers can win this game. 6+ months and I still cringe when I think about that series. Nevertheless, this is a huge game if the Lakers can steal this because it will give them a major booast heading into (what appears to be a soft) roadtrip.
Wow...Caron lost 8 pounds, maybe he really was sick... Ugh, I don't see this one turning out to be all peachy for us Lakers...Detroit is too much to handle for us if we don't play physical..I take Detroit...99-91
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting Bobcats:</div><div class="quote_post">Isn't this game in LA? I take Detroit by 12.</div>Brain freeze on the title thread, thanks....correction made.
Well....you wont beat the detoilet pisstons @ their place regaurdless, because the refs wont let you (Finals last year games 3+4...look at the foul stats...nuff said) But this time we are in LA, near full strength for the 1st time in a while and coming off the longest winning streak of the year. If there is a game the lakers could win vs Detoilet, then its tonight. Although i wouldnt be shocked if lakers got snuffed in this one, the lakers have the ability to beat them quite easily if they play perfect basketball. No turnovers.... Outrebound them.... Force ben wallace to be a offensive threat, shooting far from the basket... Chucky must match Chauncys offensive numbers.... MAKE YOUR WIDE OPEN SHOTS KOBE CREATES FOR YOU! Attack the basket...draw the charge, do something to take quick control of the momentum.
Rough first half for the Lakers, down by 13 at the break. The Lakers made a mini run to end the half, but they need to do a much better job on the boards. The main difference has been the Pistons ability to get to the free throw line, they have a 13 to 4 edge in free attempts. Lamar Odom is really struggling tonight on both ends of the floor, but if he can rebound in the second half the Lakers can make this a close game. The Pistons are shooting 54% from the field, I doubt they can sustain that in the 2nd half, so the Lakers have a still have a chance tonight. If the Lakers were playing against most teams tonight they would be winning, but they need to increase their intensity against the Pistons to compete. Defense needs to step it up big time in the second half.
This game is ugly. We can't stop them from getting easy baskets. They have gotten atleast 3 easy baskets after we have scored...we just aren't getting back on D. Lamar is blah tonight, he needs to show up in the second half. Kobe has had some nice moves, but that is about it.
Someone needs to lay Tayshaun on his butt. He's getting uncontested dunks and layups, take a hard foul on the guy. Chris Mihm finally got his 1st rebound of the game. It only took him 2 and half quarters. Also the Lakers need to take Atkins out and bring in JJ. Billups is just killing Atkins inside and outside. Put Butler on Billups and JJ on Prince.
This game made me sick. Drop Tierre Brown now. I dont care if our roster is one player short. The guy sucks.
All I got to say about this game is damn. Cyke I got a little more to say. Gotta give a big up to Carlos for just straight ballin. Damn that man is ballin haha. And Detroits defense was like us playing NBA live on rookie level. It was just sickening, DAMN!
The worse thing about this game, is the Lakers didn't play all that bad offensively. They Lakers shot 45% against one of the best defensive teams in the league, the Lakers also kept the rebounding battle close and actually had more assists on less shots made than the Pistons. The Lakers also shot 47% from behind the arc and 93% from the line. The difference in this game was the lack of effort on defense for the Lakers. The Pistons had a field day inside with dunks, layups, and put backs. The only hard foul was Chris Mihm hitting Tayshaun Prince after he blew by Atkins and Mihm rotated late. The Pistons shot an incredible 54% from the field and was able to maintain a 12 to 16 point lead throughout the entire game. It's hard to take the positives away from a 21 point blow out, but I think the Lakers beat most of the teams in the league putting up those type of offensive numbers. The problem is and has been the Lakers defensive effort on the court. It's a complete breakdown and they need to find a way to improve on it in the next 29 games, otherwise it's going to be tough making it into the playoffs. At least he TWolves and Grizzlies lost tonight. The Lakers need to go 2-1 at the very least on their next road trip, going 3-0 would be even better, and acheivable with Toronto, New York, and Boston up next.
I honestly have grown to truely dislike the Detoilet Pisstons and most of the fan's. To think i actully rooted for them over the pacers last year (my boy is a Indy fan). They are good obviously, you dont become champ by accident. I just dont like them and i refuse to watch any of their games (ditto with memphis). This game was unbareable for me to watch, but i kept finding myself coming back for more. The TO's was extremly lopsided, Kobe had more then the pisstons team had. But i will say this, kobe shot 12 times and made 6(50%) and dished out 11assists....but all that means JAKK in in a "L". I wasnt expecting anything less then what we seen, just have to learn from this game and make the lesser teams they play on this road trip pay the price.
That has to be one of the worse nick-names I have ever heard of. Some long time fans will hate the Pistons because of the past with the bad boys but there is really nothing to hate about this current group of Pistons. Maybe Rasheed who was trash talking everyone from the Laker players to the fans but really none of them are arrogant enough to be given hate. They just play the game and get the job done.
Well, usually if i hate someone....they have my respect deep inside. I hate Kobe so bad at one time, i hated Jordan and lebron among others at one time. But as you get past the hate it makes the respect that much greater. Odd i know, but thats how it is with me i suppose, just cant help but hate greatness at first.
