** NBA Conference Finals ** - Page 56

tuq · #**551** 06-01-2006, 12:12 AM

Horny, first off I like the Pistons and hope they win - something about the Heat players in general just piss me off, as does the whole city of Miami for that reason. Plus the city of Detroit in general just sux, so it's nice they have something to live for.

Anyway, my big gripe about this series - and I've watched pretty much the whole thing - is that both teams seem to be getting open looks, they're just shooting bricks. Maybe I'm just not looking closely enough, but the shot selection seems to be no tougher than what we're seeing in the WCF.

All of this leads me to believe that the WCF winner is a favorite in the Finals. Yes, even Phoenix.

Fallen Hero · #**552** 06-01-2006, 12:21 AM

"All of this leads me to believe that the WCF winner is a favorite in the Finals. Yes, even Phoenix. "

Unless they get there horribly tired and/or with even more injury problems, Phoenix is the favourite imo.

Hornacek · #**553** 06-01-2006, 12:31 AM

tuq, curious, have you been to Detroit before?

tuq · #**554** 06-01-2006, 12:45 AM

Other than a layover, no. But I have some close friends who live in the area and they have basically told me the metro area sucks. As you are aware, nobody moves TO Detroit - so the people there pretty much have been there their whole life, and have a pretty good read on the place. I don't know the reasons for the suckage (auto industry slump, perhaps?) but as Coach on Cheers would say, "it's anonymous".

Please don't take it personally. That wasn't my intent.

CharlieDontSurf · #**555** 06-01-2006, 01:03 AM

If the Suns pull off the upset then I agree they are the favorite...esp with a healthy Bell/Thomas.

I'm the opposite though...cant stand the Pistons...especially Sheed. I get the feeling they think they are one of the greatest teams ever or sumthin.

What I'm rooting for is two games 7's where both teams will feel like they have a huge advantage...and then the Suns and Heat advance.

Hornacek · #**556** 06-01-2006, 01:15 AM

tuq- none taken. I agree that Detroit is a total sh!thole, but the suburban area is VERY nice. Oakland County is Top 5 richest counties in the US, #1 for a certain size or whatnot (I forget). Great place to raise kids, its just the weather and lack of a (good) big city nearby.

teamdonkey · #**557** 06-01-2006, 01:53 AM

good win for the Pistons, 3 things stuck out:

-Heat shooting free throws like crap
-Pistons playing the best defense on Wade they have all series
-Antonio McDyess showing up huge

Detroit could very well have folded and called it a season tonight, props to them for forcing it back to Miami.

teamdonkey · #**558** 06-01-2006, 02:21 AM

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I think it would be very hard to think a team would win a title without its second-best player. I do not think this is out of the realm of possibility.

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The Suns are trying to do it without their best player, and I'd take a 5 to 1 bet that they will.

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They were down to two starters when Raja was hurt (Marion and Nash). Kurt Thomas was their best defensive player and rebounder this year. Nash's back is worse then ever. And the entire season without Amare.

They are already having a better playoffs than last years team, and it's so mind-boggling it defies reason. My only explanation is that is that they are on the heater of all time.

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the longer these playoffs go, the less i buy this. the team PHX is putting out there has some great chemistry and seems to be getting better. Tim Thomas has played 31+ minutes a game this postseason and has been a beast. If Kurt and Amare are healthy he probably gets no play, and Marion sees 10 fewer minutes a game.

I'm sure they'd love to have Kurt Thomas (waaay overrated on this board) and Amare Stoudamire back, but i'm not sure it would make them much better. These guys seem to be doing just fine on their own.

CharlieDontSurf · #**559** 06-01-2006, 02:25 AM

From Daily Dime..this was the only interesting commentary on tonights game.

It's tempting to say that the Pistons got back to playing their brand of basketball on Wednesday, and that's what allowed them to handily win Game 5.
Tempting, but wrong. The Pistons won by 13, but they weren't 13 points better, if you get my drift. Detroit's victory margin resulted almost entirely from the glaring disparity in free-throw accuracy between the two clubs.

Miami shot a wretched 6-for-20 from the stripe, with Jason Williams the lone Heat player to convert more than half his foul shots. Had the Heat converted at their regular-season rate of 69.9 percent, they would have made 14 of those 20 foul shots and finished with 86 points.

Lowest FT% by a team in NBA playoff game (Min. 10 FTA)
FT% FT FTA Date
26.1 6-23 PHI 03/19/60
30.0 6-20 MIA 05/31/06
33.3 8-24 ORL 05/19/96

Meanwhile, the Pistons were a scintillating 23-for-26 at the line. Even Ben Wallace got in on the act, hitting two of his four tries after going 5-for-33 in the preceding seven games. The other Detroit players were an eye-popping 21-for-22, including 2-for-2 when Pat Riley went to the desperation "Hack-a-Dice" and sent Antonio McDyess to the stripe (Ben Wallace having already been removed).

Had Detroit made its regular-season rate of 72.7 percent, the Pistons would have made only 19 of those 26 free throws, and would have ended up with 87 points. Thus, once we account for the uncharacteristic free-throw performances by both sides, what was a comfortable Detroit win becomes an 87-86 Pistons squeaker.

Obviously, that bodes poorly for Detroit in Game 6. Yes, they're still alive, and that was the objective tonight. But it's hard to argue that the Pistons' recent offensive woes are solved when their three key players (Chauncey Billups, Richard Hamilton and Rasheed Wallace) shot 13-for-44. Plus, the team once again limped home with an 18-point fourth quarter -- six of which came on intentional fouls by the trailing Heat.

So despite the victory, the Pistons haven't solved any of the problem areas in their puzzling spring slumber. They've just given themselves 48 more hours to find some answers.

Hollinger

AZplaya · #**560** 06-01-2006, 04:20 AM

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I'm sure they'd love to have Kurt Thomas (waaay overrated on this board) and Amare Stoudamire back, but i'm not sure it would make them much better. These guys seem to be doing just fine on their own

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Saying the Sun's might not be much better with Amare is one of the must absurd things I have ever heard...ever. While we are very fortunate to have hit some huge shots in these playoffs and we seem to be on a sick heater...Amare Stoudamire is one of the most dominant low post players in the league. If the Sun's had Amare, this series would be over already, IMO.