[Goubot]

Whew, nice recovery. No real complaints here, other than that the Lakers came back in the fourth and we had more turnovers than I would've liked, but we had a fairly good all around game. Everyone did well, but Prince was a beast, especially in the third (he almost outscored the Lakers by himself that quarter).

If we can beat Golden State, I won't be too unhappy with this roadtrip.

[ChrisWoj]

Originally Posted by AM?RICAN GOD™

"Straight outta Compton, it's Taysaun Prince!"

Well... its kind of true.

So, do you guys think we've been re-invented here? Flip Saunders turning the Ben-less Pistons into a zone-defense team to rest their legs on the floor for the up-tempo offensive game you need in the NBA right now? It really looked like it worked tonight, especially with the guys we have. The thing I like the best about it is that in a zone Tayshaun works as the quarterback where in a man looking to collapse on people in the paint Ben was the quarterback.

With Tayshaun's length and developing leadership, quarterbacking a zone defense could be the perfect place for him right now, and he really seemed to get into it on both ends of the floor as a result of the fresh legs (usually he runs with the top offensive player on the other squad) and increased confidence.


-Chris.

[STUCKEY!]

I like how we played tonight Tay was a absolute monster in that third quarter

[Roscoe Sheed]

I was at the game and I must say it was nice to see the Lakers fans have to come back down to earth. You wouldn't believe how much the fans and media around here have been overrating the Lakers.

The Pistons defense looked spectacular. The Lakers couldn't figure it out until the very end when Kobe actually decided to play.

There was a near fight in my section. There was a die hard, street-wise Pistons fan behind me who was taunting the Lakers fans all night long. A few of them didn't take too kindly to it and started throwing stuff at him. They had to call in security to remove them. I felt a bit nervous because me and my girlfriend were decked out in Pistons gear, but there were no problems for us.

[STUCKEY!]

Originally Posted by Roscoe Sheed

I was at the game and I must say it was nice to see the Lakers fans have to come back down to earth. You wouldn't believe how much the fans and media around here have been overrating the Lakers.

The Pistons defense looked spectacular. The Lakers couldn't figure it out until the very end when Kobe actually decided to play.

There was a near fight in my section. There was a die hard, street-wise Pistons fan behind me who was taunting the Lakers fans all night long. A few of them didn't take too kindly to it and started throwing stuff at him. They had to call in security to remove them. I felt a bit nervous because me and my girlfriend were decked out in Pistons gear, but there were no problems for us.

yea that sort of thing can get pretty scary thats why when i lived in philly i wore my piston jersey under my jacket

[Austin Kent]

Ahah I remember going to a Sixers game a long time ago in Philadelphia wearing my Allen Iverson jersey on top of my Tim Hardaway. I was like 12 years old and with my dad, so nobody really gave me a hard time, but I got a lot of cheers from the other Iverson fans (and there were a lot!)

[Austin Kent]

Pistons Zone Defence Renders Lakers’ Bryant Useless
By Austin Kent

Looking to bounce back from Wednesday night’s thrashing in Sacramento, the Detroit Pistons packed their bags, reloaded and headed south to take on the Los Angeles Lakers. Friday night’s bout would prove to be more than just a desperate attempt to climb back to .500 for Flip Saunders and his recovering Pistons, it was an opportunity to salvage a disappointing road trip that would only support the critics who claim Detroit’s title hopes vanished when Ben Wallace left for Chicago. In other words, Chauncey Billups and company took the court looking to stop the bleeding. If the final result is any indication, the Pistons have finished grieving and are ready to reclaim their position as a national contender.

It wouldn’t be illogical to assume that without four time defensive player of the year Ben Wallace manning the middle, the Pistons would struggle to come up with some stops. The 240 pound monster after all, spent the last five years of his career feeding on the guards and forwards alike who dared beat their own defenders and attempt to take the ball to net. But it would be illogical to think that the 2004 world champions would fail to change and adapt to their new identity. Six games into the season they may have already found just what they’ve been looking for.

For the majority of the match up the Pistons set up in an unusually effective zone defense with Tayshaun Prince stationed in the middle operating as the quarterback. Head coach Flip Saunders has never been one to shy away from trying to integrate zone defences into his teams, and was one of the first coaches to truly welcome the rule change that enabled them to do so back during his tenure in Minnesota. Taking the pressure off of the guards to lock down their opponents on the perimeter enabled the Pistons to get out and run. Sitting in the center of the zone with the reach of Inspector Gadget and vision of Sherlock Holmes, Prince was able to orchestrate the defense with ease and was the prime benefactor of the consequently fresh legs on offense. After a solid first half Prince would only add to his performance, going ballistic in the third quarter scoring 18 points, and eventually tying his career high of 31.

The new strategy held the reigning scoring champ Kobe Bryant to two first half points, and scoreless in the first quarter. In fact, through the first three quarters Bryant only managed to put up four shots. The decision to set up in a zone may have caught the Lakers off guard. Coming off of a loss in Portland just two days prior, the Lakers fell behind early and, aside from a brief 30-29 lead, were unable to catch up. The Pistons took a 45-37 lead at half time and wound up on top at the game’s end by a score of 97-83.

Chauncey Billups helped set the tone for Detroit with 21 points, while Rasheed Wallace bounced back from Wednesday night’s goose egg with 15 of his own. After a fourth quarter scoring surge Kobe Bryant finished with 19 points and Lamar Odom chipped in with 16. All was not lost for the Lakers however, immediately at least, as 19 year old Andrew Bynum looked to jump out of the gates set on abusing Nazr Mohammed down low but after picking up two early baskets seemed to cool off, finishing with only six.

With the win the Pistons move to 3-3 while the Lakers fall to 4-3, although it’s still far too early in the season to gauge either team’s eventual shot at success, the Pistons can wrap up their road trip Saturday night knowing that they are taking the right steps to establishing a healthy (and successful) Ben Wallaceless identity.

HoopsAddict.com

[JoeD]

That was a pretty good article about the zone.

I have a question for you guys, do you think or rythym may have been from playing 7 deep? We played Delfino 12 and Davis 2, they weren't bad but weren't really involved. Despite the success I'm disappointed Maxiell didn't get involved.

Glad Hunter got to play since Murray was filling in for Hamilton. He looked good. Funny to think he was crossing over Kobe.

[JoeD]

Makes me wonder why they made the NBA shorts shorter.