Clocked City Beasts of the East Detroit Sputter to 8th Seed By Riebeil Durley-Petty
Monday night was symptomatic of the Detroit Pistons season. In a must win game with the #7 seeded Chicago Bulls, Detroit was playing well. They came out strong in the third quarter, pouncing on the Bulls and gained an 11 point advantage early in the period. With 2:23 left in the fourth Detroit was up 88-85 when Chicago center Brad Miller was run following a second technical for disputing a travel call.
Then in typical Piston fashion the wheels came off the ride. Rip Hamilton, an 85 percent free throw shooter who has one of the purest strokes in the Association missed the tech throw, turned the rock over, and the Bulls proceeded to score the game’s final 6 points. After a Ben Gordon floater put Chicago ahead 90-88, Detroit had a chance to tie the game with 14.9 seconds left but the possession encapsulated their season. A disjointed play wound up with Rasheed Wallace hoisting a pull-up fallaway trey and Antonio McDyess desperately flailing a shot falling to the floor unaware there was 5 seconds left.
Detroit squandered a golden opportunity to beat a team 5-23 on the road when trailing entering the final frame. But for the Pistons it was a repeat of the same song that’s run back time and time again all year.
Detroit has had a plethora of late game leads and almost every time they’ve been unable to deliver the knockout blow. Inevitably, they crumble under the pressure like a chocolate chip cookie and discover new, more confounding ways to blow games. However, Detroit’s late game ineptitude is hardly the main reason they barely sneaked into the playoffs as the eighth seed.
Many will want to attribute the Motor City’s dreadful season to one move but the problems run far deeper than that.
After running off the rip to a 4-0 start Detroit dealt their pillar and stabilizer Chauncey Billups for Allen Iverson on November 3, and since that day the state of Michigan has wished they could pull a Regina Belle and make it like it was. Despite the post trade lament you really can’t blame Detroit for making a deal to get a surefire future Hall of Famer Iverson.
Coming off a 59 win season and bowing out in the Eastern Conference Finals for the third consecutive year, Team President Joe Dumars knew he had to do something drastic to bolster the Pistons chances of getting with the defending NBA champion Boston Celtics and rising Cleveland Cavaliers. If Detroit remained as composed they would have had a great chance of reaching the East Finals but probably would have endured the same fate and ended the season with another disappointing defeat. While it was surprising and a little baffling for some to see Billups dealt for Iverson the move freed up cap cheddar for Detroit to pursue free agents during the next two summers. The deal was also designed to give the Pistons an energy boost from Iverson’s voracious appetite for a title because no matter what your opinion of him maybe AI unquestionably goes hard every time on the floor.
After a slow start Detroit appeared to be on track to becoming legit East contenders. The Pistons handed the Los Angeles Lakers their first loss of the season at Staples Center. Detroit also got w’s over the San Antonio Spurs, Orlando Magic, Cleveland Cavaliers and Denver Nuggets, proving when on their game they could get it in with the league’s elite. However, they were equally capable of getting smacked by the lowly Minnesota Timberwolves, Oklahoma City Thunder, LA Clippers and Sacramento Kings.
In late December Detroit looked to have rectified things, going on a roll winning 8 of 9 games. But the blazing prosperity proved to be a mirage, as the Pistons proceeded to drop 5 straight games, exceeded a few weeks later with an 8 game skid, their worst in 7 years.
No one could have forecasted such a dismal campaign for the perennial beasts of the east. Over the last six years D-Town has become a hardwood institution, making six consecutive Eastern Conference Finals appearances and sitting adjacent the league’s preeminent crews every year. Such a putrid season is absolutely unacceptable by their standards. How could this have happened to such to Roc City?
The easy explanation for Detroit’s drudgery is Iverson, but that would be an unjustifiable, sweet tart copout. Yes, dishing Billups to Denver disrupted the team’s unbreakable camaraderie. “Mr Big Shot” was the Pistons maestro and had impeccable timing with Rip Hamilton, who was affected more than anyone by the deal. Rip may have averaged more points this season (18.3 ppg) than last (17.3) but his field goal percentage declined from 48.4 to 44.7, as well as triple percentage from a career high 44.3 last year to 36.8.
Billups knew exactly what spots to deliver the orange to Rip off screens. Without his backcourt homie, Rip had to adjust to Iverson’s bobbing and weaving, jook and shoot style. Iverson, whose 27.1 ppg scoring average is one of the most prolific bucket fillers in league history, and while he made concessions in his game to blend in with his teammates and run the point he’s just not a natural facilitator. AI’s 5 assists a night led the Pistons, but because he’s not as adept a pill liaison the waning offense never established any synergy and Iverson’s scoring output plummeted as well to a career low 17.4 points a game.
But if you truly want to know the reason why Detroit has suffered such a precipitous fall from glory you have to go back to the summer of 2005.
On the basketball’s grandest stage at the Palace of Auburn Hills the Pistons clung to a two point lead over the San Antonio Spurs with 9.4 seconds left in Game 5 of the NBA Finals. As the ball was inbounded Robert Horry inbounded the ball to Manu Ginobili Rasheed Wallace foolishly went to trap him in the corner, leaving “Big Shot Rob” who had personally cooked Roc City like ravioli wide open to bust the game-winning treyball. Detroit won the following game in San Antonio but lost Game 7 and the chance to win back-to-back NBA titles.
Honestly since that crushing night at their own crib D-Town has never completely recovered. Sure they won 64 games in 2006, four of their starters made the All-Star game that same year and they’ve reached the East Finals every year. But despite all their braswado and brazen talk they’ve never displayed the same hunger that helped them astonish the world and ingratiate themselves to America as the collection of hard-working, unglamorous ballers beating the heavily favored Kobe-Shaq Lakers in 2004. The Pistons became complacent. Detroit got gassed off their success, overfelt themselves and fooled themselves into thinking they could turn it on whenever they needed. Roc City had the East on smash and no one was in their vicinity.
What else could explain the Pistons inexplicably losing to a vastly substandard Cleveland Cavaliers squad in 2007, aside from LeBron James preposterous brilliance? After Ben Wallace bolted to the Windy City for fatter bank Detroit lost their heart and soul and their defensive identity. Once a ravenous, smothering entourage, the Pistons defense while still very good, was far more feeble in the paint as teams racked inside points at will. Last year Detroit had the league’s best defense holding opponents to 90.1 points per contest. This year that number jumped to 94.7 while the Pistons stagnant offense only mustered 94.2 points a game.
The lovable, yet volatile Rasheed is also a major reason for Detroit’s dissipation. Sheed is one of the most supremely talented ballers in the game. He can drill triples like a 2 guard and is virtually unguardable with his sinister turnaround jumper in the post. Yet Sheed’s lack of concentration and overly unselfishness nature causes continual vacillation in his numbers, preventing him from being on par with the league’s premier power forwards of Kevin Garnett and Tim Duncan. It’s like reaching in a jar full of jelly beans with your eyes closed- you never know what you’re going to get with Sheed.
Yes first year coach Mike Curry could have better managed Iverson and probably should have let Tayshaun Prince run point forward to allow Rip and AI to work the wings, but this thing has been festering for a couple years. It’s like a case of covert cancer gradually spreading, eating your system internally on the hush unbeknownst to you that eventually manifests in outward damage.
No AI couldn’t answer this equation or rejuvenate the Pistons intensity. This abominable debacle stems from years of arrogance and apathy. And isn’t it an ironic twist Detroit’s cavalier play will be exploited by the Cavaliers. Roc City has been vomituous litter all year and should more aptly be titled Clocked City because they’re going to get a major capping at the hands of Cleveland.
D-Town deserves enormous props for their remarkable run, yet it feels somewhat hollow. Yes they won a title but they their talent should have produced more rings. Ultimately the Pistons will probably be remembered as the hardwood version of the Atlanta Braves. Great teams whose excellence never amounted into legendary title regimes.
Whitney Houston’s 1987 classic perfectly summarizes the Roc City era, “Didn’t we almost have it all.” Yeah Detroit you almost did but unfortunately your self-induced blasé nature negated your own greatness.
Then in typical Piston fashion the wheels came off the ride. Rip Hamilton, an 85 percent free throw shooter who has one of the purest strokes in the Association missed the tech throw, turned the rock over, and the Bulls proceeded to score the game’s final 6 points. After a Ben Gordon floater put Chicago ahead 90-88, Detroit had a chance to tie the game with 14.9 seconds left but the possession encapsulated their season. A disjointed play wound up with Rasheed Wallace hoisting a pull-up fallaway trey and Antonio McDyess desperately flailing a shot falling to the floor unaware there was 5 seconds left.
Detroit squandered a golden opportunity to beat a team 5-23 on the road when trailing entering the final frame. But for the Pistons it was a repeat of the same song that’s run back time and time again all year.
Detroit has had a plethora of late game leads and almost every time they’ve been unable to deliver the knockout blow. Inevitably, they crumble under the pressure like a chocolate chip cookie and discover new, more confounding ways to blow games. However, Detroit’s late game ineptitude is hardly the main reason they barely sneaked into the playoffs as the eighth seed.
Many will want to attribute the Motor City’s dreadful season to one move but the problems run far deeper than that.
After running off the rip to a 4-0 start Detroit dealt their pillar and stabilizer Chauncey Billups for Allen Iverson on November 3, and since that day the state of Michigan has wished they could pull a Regina Belle and make it like it was. Despite the post trade lament you really can’t blame Detroit for making a deal to get a surefire future Hall of Famer Iverson.
Coming off a 59 win season and bowing out in the Eastern Conference Finals for the third consecutive year, Team President Joe Dumars knew he had to do something drastic to bolster the Pistons chances of getting with the defending NBA champion Boston Celtics and rising Cleveland Cavaliers. If Detroit remained as composed they would have had a great chance of reaching the East Finals but probably would have endured the same fate and ended the season with another disappointing defeat. While it was surprising and a little baffling for some to see Billups dealt for Iverson the move freed up cap cheddar for Detroit to pursue free agents during the next two summers. The deal was also designed to give the Pistons an energy boost from Iverson’s voracious appetite for a title because no matter what your opinion of him maybe AI unquestionably goes hard every time on the floor.
After a slow start Detroit appeared to be on track to becoming legit East contenders. The Pistons handed the Los Angeles Lakers their first loss of the season at Staples Center. Detroit also got w’s over the San Antonio Spurs, Orlando Magic, Cleveland Cavaliers and Denver Nuggets, proving when on their game they could get it in with the league’s elite. However, they were equally capable of getting smacked by the lowly Minnesota Timberwolves, Oklahoma City Thunder, LA Clippers and Sacramento Kings.
In late December Detroit looked to have rectified things, going on a roll winning 8 of 9 games. But the blazing prosperity proved to be a mirage, as the Pistons proceeded to drop 5 straight games, exceeded a few weeks later with an 8 game skid, their worst in 7 years.
No one could have forecasted such a dismal campaign for the perennial beasts of the east. Over the last six years D-Town has become a hardwood institution, making six consecutive Eastern Conference Finals appearances and sitting adjacent the league’s preeminent crews every year. Such a putrid season is absolutely unacceptable by their standards. How could this have happened to such to Roc City?
The easy explanation for Detroit’s drudgery is Iverson, but that would be an unjustifiable, sweet tart copout. Yes, dishing Billups to Denver disrupted the team’s unbreakable camaraderie. “Mr Big Shot” was the Pistons maestro and had impeccable timing with Rip Hamilton, who was affected more than anyone by the deal. Rip may have averaged more points this season (18.3 ppg) than last (17.3) but his field goal percentage declined from 48.4 to 44.7, as well as triple percentage from a career high 44.3 last year to 36.8.
Billups knew exactly what spots to deliver the orange to Rip off screens. Without his backcourt homie, Rip had to adjust to Iverson’s bobbing and weaving, jook and shoot style. Iverson, whose 27.1 ppg scoring average is one of the most prolific bucket fillers in league history, and while he made concessions in his game to blend in with his teammates and run the point he’s just not a natural facilitator. AI’s 5 assists a night led the Pistons, but because he’s not as adept a pill liaison the waning offense never established any synergy and Iverson’s scoring output plummeted as well to a career low 17.4 points a game.
But if you truly want to know the reason why Detroit has suffered such a precipitous fall from glory you have to go back to the summer of 2005.
On the basketball’s grandest stage at the Palace of Auburn Hills the Pistons clung to a two point lead over the San Antonio Spurs with 9.4 seconds left in Game 5 of the NBA Finals. As the ball was inbounded Robert Horry inbounded the ball to Manu Ginobili Rasheed Wallace foolishly went to trap him in the corner, leaving “Big Shot Rob” who had personally cooked Roc City like ravioli wide open to bust the game-winning treyball. Detroit won the following game in San Antonio but lost Game 7 and the chance to win back-to-back NBA titles.
Honestly since that crushing night at their own crib D-Town has never completely recovered. Sure they won 64 games in 2006, four of their starters made the All-Star game that same year and they’ve reached the East Finals every year. But despite all their braswado and brazen talk they’ve never displayed the same hunger that helped them astonish the world and ingratiate themselves to America as the collection of hard-working, unglamorous ballers beating the heavily favored Kobe-Shaq Lakers in 2004. The Pistons became complacent. Detroit got gassed off their success, overfelt themselves and fooled themselves into thinking they could turn it on whenever they needed. Roc City had the East on smash and no one was in their vicinity.
What else could explain the Pistons inexplicably losing to a vastly substandard Cleveland Cavaliers squad in 2007, aside from LeBron James preposterous brilliance? After Ben Wallace bolted to the Windy City for fatter bank Detroit lost their heart and soul and their defensive identity. Once a ravenous, smothering entourage, the Pistons defense while still very good, was far more feeble in the paint as teams racked inside points at will. Last year Detroit had the league’s best defense holding opponents to 90.1 points per contest. This year that number jumped to 94.7 while the Pistons stagnant offense only mustered 94.2 points a game.
The lovable, yet volatile Rasheed is also a major reason for Detroit’s dissipation. Sheed is one of the most supremely talented ballers in the game. He can drill triples like a 2 guard and is virtually unguardable with his sinister turnaround jumper in the post. Yet Sheed’s lack of concentration and overly unselfishness nature causes continual vacillation in his numbers, preventing him from being on par with the league’s premier power forwards of Kevin Garnett and Tim Duncan. It’s like reaching in a jar full of jelly beans with your eyes closed- you never know what you’re going to get with Sheed.
Yes first year coach Mike Curry could have better managed Iverson and probably should have let Tayshaun Prince run point forward to allow Rip and AI to work the wings, but this thing has been festering for a couple years. It’s like a case of covert cancer gradually spreading, eating your system internally on the hush unbeknownst to you that eventually manifests in outward damage.
No AI couldn’t answer this equation or rejuvenate the Pistons intensity. This abominable debacle stems from years of arrogance and apathy. And isn’t it an ironic twist Detroit’s cavalier play will be exploited by the Cavaliers. Roc City has been vomituous litter all year and should more aptly be titled Clocked City because they’re going to get a major capping at the hands of Cleveland.
D-Town deserves enormous props for their remarkable run, yet it feels somewhat hollow. Yes they won a title but they their talent should have produced more rings. Ultimately the Pistons will probably be remembered as the hardwood version of the Atlanta Braves. Great teams whose excellence never amounted into legendary title regimes.
Whitney Houston’s 1987 classic perfectly summarizes the Roc City era, “Didn’t we almost have it all.” Yeah Detroit you almost did but unfortunately your self-induced blasé nature negated your own greatness.
Comments