Was the season a success?

Was the 2002-03 season a success? I think so. Sure we were demolished by the New Jersey Nets in a rather embarassing fashion but lets take a look at the whole picture.

In the offseason we signed Chauncey Billups, we didn't have to give up anything significant to our team for this to happen. If you franchise in video games then you will know what I mean. The perfect snatch, we receive a great PG to push our previously good PG onto the bench. Now we have a great pair of PG's. That was one huge impact that really gave us another scorer. Something we desperatley need when your best player gets 6 points per game.

Trading Stackhouse was also a great thing for our franchise. With Jerry Stackhouse on our team we were kind of stagnant like the Timberwolves. We were good but didn't show any signs of getting any better. Luckily we shipped him off to Washington for Rip Hamilton who at the time was a bit worse, well now Hamilton has greatly improved and is everything Stackhouse was AND HE IS YOUNGER.

We also drafted Tayshaun Prince out of Kentucky. Sure he didn't contribute much in the season but he came alive in the playoffs, the most important part. He shows promise at the 3, even enough to deter Mr. Dumars from taking Carmelo Anthony. Now I personally don't think Prince is the answer for the three completley but he certainly does help. He showed that he is a clutch player and rookies that want the ball in the playoffs are great things to have (See Bryant, Kobe).

Tayshaun wasn't the only great rookie that we got this year. Mehmet Okur has showed tons of promise, way more than I expected from a player that looks like an ice cream man. I remember when I was at my first ever Pistons game on March 12th of this year he absolutley flourished against my then favourite team, the Lakers. Shooting threes, hook shots and cramming it on Shaquille O'Neal. Okur showed us that he can be a solid contributer for a team and not just a foreign scrub.

We also had some great individual games. The Lakers game like I was just talking about where Billups schooled Kobe (my favourite player) continuosly leading to a huge win. The Celtics game in late January where we beat them by like 50 points. The Kings game where we proved we can hang with the big boys in the West, albeit occasionally. All our OT games that we won every single one of them.

Ben Wallace is our best player and made the All-Star game for the first time in his career. he doubled up as Defensive Player of the Year and almost doubled up being the first player to ever lead the league in blocks and boards CONSECUTIVELY (sp?) He would have gotten it had he not been injured at the end of the season or missed games because of a tragic death in the family.

We won 50 games! the only team in the East to do so, made the first seed in the East. Then in our first round matchup against Orlando we found ourselves down 3-1. WE FACED ADVERSITY AND BECAME THE SEVENTH TEAM TO COME BACK AND WIN! I was so proud at that moment it was not even funny.

We also beat a determined Sixers team with with a couple more overtime games.

Then we lucked out in the draft lottery. Thanks to Otis Thorpe we get the second pick in one of the most talented drafts ever. Sure LeBron will be gone but peopel wouldn't be saying Darko and Melo are better for no reason. Whoever we take will greatly help our team. Giving us a superstar that can finally lead us back to the championship days. Doesn't it feel great?

But then it all ended, after all the good things that happened in the season our season was cut short(er) by the streaking NJ Nets. They kicked our asses, let's be honest. we're we too caught up in the number 2 pick? Maybe, but that is no reason to drop the next two games. I wish we could have gone farther but we didn't (Hey we still advanced on last year). We just have to work hard and win the championship next year I guess, no biggy.

-kabi

 

Yes this season was a success. We got the #1 seed and made it deeper into the playoffs than last year.

 

It was indeed a great season..next year will be even better 8)

 

I like what Detroit did this season but i don't think they should've gotten sweeped..they coulda won at least one game...

 

We could and should of won the first two games...both 2 point losses...we could of easily been up 2-0 heading back to NJ..stuff like that happens though.

 

detroit had a great season but blew their shot at the finals. its not easy to put together back to back top seeded seasons