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**Austin Kent** · 02-26-2007, 02:24 PM

Quote:

7. The East-leading Pistons are an old-school team with a potentially enormous front line. Are they capable of winning the championship?

ANSWER: Every week looks more promising, let's put it that way.

The stats emphasize that the Pistons have become a superior defensive team since Ben Wallace's departure -- they now rank in the top four in both scoring and field-goal defense, after being a middle-of-the-pack team last year. The midseason pickup of Chris Webber has given them the traditional post-up center they never had with Wallace. Webber is a threat from the high post whether he's popping in jumpers, hitting Richard Hamilton on cuts to the basket or passing out to Chauncey Billups for catch-and-shoot jumpers.

The most impressive aspect of the Pistons is their profundity of big men. It's as if they're playing in a different era with their front-line depth chart of 6-10 Webber, 6-11 Rasheed Wallace, 6-9 Antonio McDyess, 6-10 Nazr Mohammed and 6-11 Dale Davis, who is old enough to appreciate the cast assembled by Detroit president Joe Dumars.

When Davis came into the league in 1991, he was a power forward. "The majority of teams went with a big center and a big power forward, so you usually had close to two 7-footers out there,'' said Davis, who spent his first nine seasons with the Indiana Pacers. "In the later years, with the shortage of big guys, I just shifted over to center.''

To sum up his 16-year career: He was a power forward who became a center, and today he is a situational center -- in other words, he is so anachronistic that he can only be deployed against other teams that play the old-fashioned low-post style. In all that time Davis' style hasn't changed one bit. It's the rest of the world that has changed around him.

"When teams go small now, most other teams usually go small with them,'' said Davis, who turns 38 next month. "But even with the league going small, I still can't see those teams winning championships.''

For all of the momentum toward small-ball and up-tempo style, the last 18 NBA champions have been essentially half-court teams. Until the Suns prove otherwise, then the answer is yes: The Pistons can win the title.

Sports Illustrated

I always enjoy reading Sports Illustrated's articles.

chairman5 · 03-09-2007, 01:54 PM

i wouldn't be surprised if they won the Title

but i would be very surprised if they beat a semi healthy Heat team

i dont see how they can stop both Shaq and Wade and now they have to deal with Jones back

but beating Dallas/Suns/Spurs in the Finals should not be too difficult

**kamego** · 03-09-2007, 10:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by chairman5

i wouldn't be surprised if they won the Title

but i would be very surprised if they beat a semi healthy Heat team

i dont see how they can stop both Shaq and Wade and now they have to deal with Jones back

but beating Dallas/Suns/Spurs in the Finals should not be too difficult

I am going to try and show how we could beat a healthy Heat team. I am not saying we would automatically win but I am saying I am not on the side that a healthy Heat team should be the foregone favorites in the East. Refer back to the 2004 finals. (04 Lakers to 07 Heat) I don't see much of a talent differance between the team teams, yes the heat have a few more role players then the Lakers did but I am not here to worry about role players and I think Shaq was much and Kobe scares me more then Wade. Back to my original point, how do you beat Shaq/Wade: You double team Wade and do not put a center on the floor. Webber, Dice, a little Mad Max at center. If Dale Davis is on the court this doesn't work. My game plan then is very simple, I hedge all my bets that Shaq will get tired and/or in foul trouble guarding guys in the high post rather then Dale Davis in the block. I wouldn't say this is fool proof but I do think Wade could be evened out if we were able to put Prince on him and anytime he touched the ball hedge a 2nd man over on him. I let Shaq beat me and not Wade. I think their is a much greater chance to Shaq fail carrying a team then letting Wade be open all series long. Just my two cents

Goubot · 03-09-2007, 10:58 PM

That also assumes Wade can rehab successfully and still play his brand of basketball without reinjuring the shoulder.

**kamego** · 03-09-2007, 11:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Goubot

That also assumes Wade can rehab successfully and still play his brand of basketball without reinjuring the shoulder.

I always fear the worst on my end

I do doubt that he is able to play a whole postseason without it popping out again. I don't want to get into what that means for him long term but I have to assume if it pops again he shuts it down for the season.

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