Empty the Bench

Detroit 95, Chicago 85: Pistons fans, it’s okay to exhale. Take a deep breath, blow it out, and stop worrying. You never really thought the outcome of this series was in question, did you? Okay, let’s all be honest–with the way the Bulls basically dismantled the Pistons these last two games, and the series shifting back to Chicago last night, you thought a decisive, nerve-racking Game 7 Monday night was close to being a near certainty. Surely this proud, talented group of Bulls–a team that notched the best regular-season record at home in the Eastern Conference–wouldn’t let their season end on their home court, right? Wrong.

Displaying the grit, defensive tenacity, and confidence this core group is known for, the Pistons prevailed on the road and will make their fifth consecutive trip to the Conference Finals. What is it, exactly, about this team that’s helped them consistently achieve at such a high level? As he always does, ‘Sheed Wallace provided the headline quote: “Big cojones,” he said. “Bottom line, we know how to win in those situations.” You’re darn tootin’, Rasheed, you’re darn tootin’.

To quickly wrap up last night’s game, the Bulls took a five-point lead into halftime on the back of P.J. Brown, who equaled his career playoff high with 20 points. But when the veteran Brown, who could have very well laced up his sneaks in the NBA for the final time last night, leads the Bulls in scoring, it’s not a good sign. Once the third quarter clock started running, the Pistons “locked in,” as Chauncey Billups has become fond of saying this postseason, going on a 12-1 run and never really looking back. After ‘Sheed politely disputed a few calls with Jack Nies–who politely assessed him a tech–that didn’t go his way, Tayshaun Prince and the rest of the starters successfully calmed him down and helped get his head back in the game, and the big man came up big. On the night, give him 16 points, 13 boards, 4 assists, and 2 blocks.

For the first time in this series, there wasn’t a huge discrepancy in free throws taken by the two teams (35 for Chicago, 31 for Detroit), and the Pistons hit their freebies late in the fourth when it mattered most. As you might have guessed, it was the calm, cool, and collected Billups spending the majority of time at the line, going 14-14 to finish with 21 points, 7 assists, 2 steals, and *no* turnovers. Rip Hamilton bounced back from a few poor games to score 23, and Prince was his normal reliable self with 17 points, 9 boards, and excellent defense. For the Bulls, Brown didn’t score in the second half, and Ben Gordon and Kirk Heinrich collectively choked, shooting a combined 10-31 for 30 points.

The Pistons now await the winner of the Cleveland/New Jersey series (Game 6 is tonight, in Jersey), and are no doubt hoping the Nets can eek out another win tonight and push it to Game 7 back in Ohio. If the Nets to pull it out, the Conference Finals won’t start until next Wednesday; if the Cavs close out the Nets, they’ll head to Detroit for Game 1 Monday night at the Palace. To hear assistant coach Ron Harper tell it, it was nothing personal with Chicago, but Cleveland is another story: “We don’t like Cleveland. That series is going to be fun.”

That is, of course, assuming the Cavs advance. Be sure to check back at Empty the Bench this weekend (or on Tuesday) for full previews of the Eastern and Western Conference Finals.

A Few More Things About Last Night:

- I owe Lindsey Hunter a little bit of an apology. The other day I said he “seems like a very likeable guy, but right now he’s not very likeable as a backup PG.” I still don’t like that he’s the Pistons’ #1 option off the bench to spell Chauncey, and that position *must* be addressed during the offseason, but last night he was huge in the second quarter. With the rest of his teammates struggling from the field, Hunter scored 7 straight to keep the Pistons hanging around. He also played some great defense in helping slow down Gordon.

- Antonio McDyess needs to get his sweet shooting stroke back. He had another off night from the field, going 1-5 (and 3-4 FT) for just 5 points, and the Pistons will need him to improve as they move forward in these playoffs. To his credit, he didn’t let his offensive frustration bog down his entire game, as he did grab 10 boards (3 offensive) and a steal.

- Tayshaun Prince…. we like Tayshaun Prince. The guy is just a rock solid player who knows his role on this team and does it well. When the Pistons need a bucket, they know they can turn to him on the post because he can handle most small forwards guarding him. When they need a stop, they know they can rely on him to stay in front of his man and/or contest his shot. And when ‘Sheed threatened to lose control, it was Prince who rushed over and reminded him that “it was not the time.” Amazingly enough, ‘Sheed listened.

- Ben Wallace was 14 minutes late for the game again, again due to “traffic.” I really don’t think it’s a big deal, but it just gives the Chicago media more ammunition for piling their team’s problems on the free agent who scored the big bucks last summer. Some of the criticism is fair–when you’re paid like a franchise player, you’re expected to perform like one, and that just didn’t happen for most of this series. He was bothered by a bad back, but he didn’t help the fan’s perception by chumming around with his old teammates throughout the series. I’m going to predict right now that one way or another, Wallace is not suiting up for the Bulls for another three seasons.

- Luol Deng is going to be scary in the coming seasons. He’s already scary, actually. Once he adds the three-point shot to his considerable repertoire, watch out. This guy has many, many All-Star games in his future.

- So does Tayshaun Prince.

- Give Flip Saunders some credit for making the right adjustments on both ends of the court, and putting his players in a position to succeed, which, arguably, he didn’t do in Games 4 and 5. The Pistons were throwing all kinds of different looks at the Bulls on defense, especially when Chicago resorted to their bread and butter set, the high pick-and-roll with Heinrich and Gordon. Chicago never seemed to really settle into a comfort zone, shooting 37% as a team.

- Tyrus “Athletic” Thomas has a bright future ahead of him. Great rebounder, incredible leaper, good shot blocker, but no jump shot or post-up moves whatsoever. That’ll come in time, as well as a little more maturity. He needs to cut down on the arrogance and smirking quite a bit.

What They’re Saying:

Detroit Bad Boys:

I didn’t even want to think about what would happen were the Pistons to back into a Game 7 situation. Yes, it would have been at the Palace, but the entire sporting world would have been rooting for the Bulls, if for no other reason than to witness both an upset and a collapse of epic proportions.

Fortunately, we don’t have to contemplate such a scenario anymore, as the Pistons amazingly retained their focus the entire game to pick up the elusive fourth win. Down goes Chicago, down goes Ben Wallace, down goes having to listen to an entire summer of comparisons to the 2004 Yankees.

A. Sherrod Blakely’s Pistons Insider:

The Detroit Pistons are back in the Eastern Conference finals for a fifth straight season, validating them as one of the league’s best teams this past decade. But this group has their sights set on greater achievements, and this was just the kind of series they needed. After a dominant start, Detroit was sluggish in Games 4 and 5, and the result was a pair of losses. It was the kind of experience that should pay dividends for this team as they progress through the playoffs.

Need4Sheed:

I am not exaggerating when I say that this one was SHEEDtastic. Rasheed was key in this win. Sheed dominated, with 16 points and 13 rebounds along with 2 blocked shots. Mr. Wallace hasn’t had this much fire in him in a very long time. His drive alone can win this team a championship.

Michael Rosenberg, Detroit Free Press>:

This was the Full ‘Sheed, the one the Pistons want, mouth and all. From the moment he stepped on the floor, Wallace was convinced the Pistons were the best basketball team on the planet and the world was out to get him. Game 6 provided evidence for both theories. In the locker room after the clinching victory, Wallace took a rare break from his profanity-laced rap music and went with some disco: “Hot Stuff,” by Donna Summer. And then Rasheed danced while Summer sang:

Wanna share my love with a warm-blooded lover

Wanna bring a wild man back home …

The Feed:

For Detroit the key is clearly in the focus department. Neither the Cavs nor the Nets have the depth to hang with the Pistons over a seven-game series unless they return to the less frenzied defense of the two Chicago losses. The defense is going to be their route to success in the next round and whichever opponent comes their way it’s looking like a third trip to the finals in four years for Detroit.