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Will the Pistons “flip the switch” in this series or will they revert back to their nonchalant play?
Will it matter?
Will this be the year that the championship window that has seemingly been open for the past four seasons slams shut?
I think so.
Keys for Orlando
1. Force feed Dwight Howard
Rasheed Wallace can’t stop him. Neither can Jason Maxiell or Antonio McDyess.
Howard led the NBA in rebounds, double-doubles, was 5th in blocks, and 3rd in field goal percentage this season in establishing himself as the best center in the game.
Detroit doesn’t have the kryptonite for ‘Superman’.
2. Let Rasheed fire up all the 3-pointers his heart desires
Which shouldn’t be too difficult because unfortunately, Sheed prefers to play behind the arc anyways.
With Dwight Howard down low, can you blame him?
Aside from LeBron James, Wallace is the most talented player in the NBA. As he goes, so do the Pistons.
No wonder they suffer from so many mental lapses.
3. Exploit their mismatches
Tayshaun Prince and Richard Hamilton have difficulty defending swingmen with size (LeBron James anyone?). Orlando has two of the most versatile guard/forwards in the league in Rashard Lewis and Hedo Turkoglu.
Turkoglu has been a reliable playoff performer since his days with the Kings and I expect him to be a HUGE factor in this series.
The Magic have an advantage in three of the five starting positions (Howard, Hedo, & Lewis).
The Pistons have an advantage at point guard and a deeper bench but Big Shot Billups won’t be enough to propel Detroit to a 6th straight conference finals appearance.
May 2nd, 2008 at 10:13 pm
I’m not buying it. Detroit has the much deeper bench, and huge advantages at the two guard spots. Rasheed vs. Rashard at the PF spot is a huge advantage to Detroit also. Hedo vs. Tayshaun isn’t a huge difference either way. Sure, Orlando has a big advantage with Superman at center, but I don’t think that comes close to matching the overall advantage that Detroit has.
May 2nd, 2008 at 10:35 pm
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Detroit has a deeper bench. I won’t argue with you there.
But if Rasheed is going to guard Rashard, how do you expect McDyess who gives up 20 “NBA pounds” to Howard to get the job done?
Dice is going to get eatin’ alive.
I don’t think Detroit has a distinct advantage at both guard spots.
Maurice Evans is an underrated player. He won’t match RIP point for point but he can make things difficult for him offensively.
Yes, Billups has a size advantage over Jameer but I think Detroit will see more of Bogans than they will Nelson.
May 3rd, 2008 at 12:22 am
I agree with most of this, but I just dont see Turkoglu getting the best of Prince. I see Prince keeping him under his usual production…both these teams have the same problem with their bigs…can you imagine how Orlando will play if Howard gets into foul trouble from the get go??? OUCH!! Or what is RashWEED loses his temper and gets ejected?? The Pistons are STACKED on depth for the 1-2-3 positions (bench: Maxiell, Stuckey, Hunter, Afflalo) but have little depth for big men. Orlando has a significantly worse bench.
Detroit in 6.
(also…Jameer Nelson blows…he is the main reason I am picking against the Magic…)
May 3rd, 2008 at 1:11 pm
Look, Howard is a big advantage, but he isn’t at the point yet where he’s going to win a series single-handedly. Detriot will throw McDyess and Maxiell at him, and they’ll double team him relentlessly.
How is Billups and Hamilton vs. Evans and Bogans not a huge advantage for Detroit? You’ve got two borderline all-stars against two 6th/7th man caliber players. That isn’t a distinct advantage for Detroit?