ECF Game 5

Ok Pistons fans it's time for me to get ready to head off to The Palace for game 5 of the Eastern Conference Finals. As was going trough my pre-game routine I realized that my lucky shirt is now 2 and 0. A good sign if you ask me, remember I ditched my Sheed Jersey when we lost at home to The Bulls.

I am expecting a huge game from Mr. Wallace tonight and hoping that Chauncey can take care of the ball. Don't worry, I plan on being extra loud and obnoxious tonight, the Pistons can use any kind of boost they can get. So for everyone else going to the game let's turn it up and show the word that Detroit is on a mission.

As always I leave the comments to you. And If you didn't know, The Need4Sheed forum offers a live chat feature, so if you like you can talk Pistons with fellow Pistons fans like yourself, during the game.

I have a need..... a Need 4 Sheed.
Go Pistons!

Always The Joker

Sure Rasheed Wallace can get emotional at times, but that's just part of his game. The fact of the matter is that Pistons fans know they can always count on Rasheed Wallace for a smile. It doesn't get much better than this video of Rasheed Wallace doing his best to make things difficult for Chris Webber.

It's all tied up

The Cavs tied up the series Tuesday night in Cleveland 91-87. Chauncey Billups led the Pistons with 23 points, but it wasn't enough to spark a win for the Pistons. The series is now tied at 2 a piece with game five coming back to The Palace on Thursday night.

Key Points:

• The Pistons still look out of their element in this series.
• Chauncey finally started knocking down shots, but he is still having a problem taking care of the ball. He had 5 turnovers and just 2 assists.
• Daniel Gibson looks like he's taking lessons form Varejoke. The kid went 12-for-12 from the line, but you have to give it up for him, he's playing well.
• Funny how not one Cavalier fan commented on this blog until they tied the series up, at least Bulls fans stuck with their team when they were down 3-0. Remember LeBron fans, we have no problem with intelligent comments, but when you get nasty and idiotic we hit the delete button, so don't bother. Comment modification is now turned on thanks to some vulgar comments from Cavs fans.
  
• Rip Hamilton put up 19 points, but he had to take 21 shots to do it.
• Is it just me or is there an assist problem with Detroit. Chauncey had just 2, but I am not complaining, we really needed his shot to fall.

Photo by Nathaniel S. Butler/NBAE via Getty Images

• The Cavs free trow shooting is actually a plus for them, they shot 82% from the line.
• Where is the urgency in the Pistons?
• The Pistons out rebounded the Cavs 40-36.
• Panic in Detroit? Not in my hood.
• What's with all the three pointers by the Pistons, especially in the first quarter. The Pistons were just 3-for-17, and don't get me started on the rushed three from Chauncey at the end of the game.
• I think Delfino would play well against the Cavs if he just got some time. We need a hustle guy to do all the dirty work and you know Los is more than capable.
• Though Sheed only scored 9, his defense was key again, 3 blocks and 3 steals along with 5 boards. Oh ,and a tech.

Photo by Nathaniel S. Butler/NBAE via Getty Images

• When Sheed takes his headband off it usually results in some kind of emotional spark, unfortunately it didn't happen in game 4.
• The Pistons seem to be getting into these shooting lulls, you know the ones that plagued them earlier in the season.
• Hey, what happened to C-Webb?
• Gooden tried to take down Sheed.
  
• Rip talking smack to Lebron, didn't matter, James knocked them down anyway.
  
• I know Flip Saunders is not the to blame for everything on the court, but I do think that his inability to make adjustments in the Playoffs is something that is really hurting us. You see, in a series against one team Flip's flaws seem to come to light, they get covered up during the regular season because they don't play the same team over and over again. Someone on that bench needs to adjust to something and that's all I am saying.
• MyDyess played a hell of a game. In fact he is the only one playing with any sense of urgency.
  

Photo by Nathaniel S. Butler/NBAE via Getty Images

• This is best out of 3 now, but remember, Pistons have the home court advantage.
• No excuses, Pistons had a chance to win this one.
  
• I still think there is a simple answer to this all.... Play DEEETROIT BASKETBALL.

Sheed Says

"There's no pressure. We're out here playing. We've been here. They're trying to go down the road that we've already been. We're just trying to get back to that same road. We got lost, but now we're trying to get back."

Chauncey struggles again, Cavs take game 3

The Cavaliers won game three 88-82 for their first win of this Eastern Conference Finals. LeBron James led all scores with 32. Chauncey continued to struggle in this series, as he went 4-for-14 with 5 turnovers. The Pistons hope to regroup in game four Tuesday night in Cleveland.

Key Points:

• Rasheed Wallace led the Pistons with 16 points, but for some reason the Pistons stopped going to him when he was red hot.
• Chauncey is having problems with the Cavs defense, it's time for CB to start playing his game, he looks awkward out there.
• Flip Murry, who went in for Chauncey, was playing so well that he took Mr. Big shots place the entire second quarter.
• Billups says "Rip and I need to step up."
  
• Looks like Larry Hughes may not play in game four, that might be good for the Cavs. Rookie Daniel Gibson has been playing well for Cleveland.
• Cavs fans are brutal, I have heard many a story from Pistons fans who have gone to games in Cleveland. They even boo their own players. Did you hear the reception Donyell Marshall got when he checked into the game for the first time.
• Sheed's back to back threes were clutch.

Photo by Nathaniel S. Butler/NBAE via Getty Images

• LeBron James is a great player, I am not denying that, but listening to the announcers constantly gush over him is nauseating. I wouldn't be surprised if they started glorifying him for his constant nail biting.
• Still hate Varejoke. He was scoreless in game 3.
• Not only did Chauncey struggle but so did Rip. Hamilton took just 8 shots for 7 points.
• Each team had 34 rebounds.
• The Pistons were in this game the whole way but their offense has been off this whole series. You have to give some credit to the Cavs defense for taking the Pistons out of their comfort zone.
• At this point it's time for Flip Saunders to make adjustments to help the Pistons get out of this slump.
• Tayshaun's shot was finally dropping. Tay put up 13 points with 5 rebounds and an assist.
• Flip Murray entered the game late in the first quarter and just started putting up points. The way Chauncey was playing Flip was a breath of fresh air. I never thought I would ever say that.
  

Photo by Nathaniel S. Butler/NBAE via Getty Images

• Can someone please tell me why in the hell Jason Maxiell only played 4 minutes? I know C-Webb was playing well, but the kid dominated game 2. It makes no sense to me.
• The Cavs shot 49%, while the Pistons shot 44%.
• Chauncey Billups off balance shot in the closing minutes of the game was awesome, but too little too late.
• Are the Pistons being a bit selfish? They had just 15 assist for the game.
• Antonio McDyess recored the Pistons only block of the game.
• Need4Sheed reader Thomas Bailey sent me an email that I totally agreed with. He had this to say, "So as I am watching this game, I am thinking to myself, why is Rip Hamilton setting screens and then getting out of the way from the rest of the Pistons on offense? No wonder he is struggling, he is no longer the primary scorer in the sets that Saunders is running. Hamilton is at his best running and running and running off screens, not setting them, nor trying to create something himself off the dribble."
  
• C-Webb was hot from the start. He finished with 15 points, 7 rebounds and 3 assists.

Photo by Nathaniel S. Butler/NBAE via Getty Images

• Billups shrugs off disappointing performance.
• This is defiantly not Pistons Basketball we have been seeing.
• The Pistons backcourt were a combined 6-for-22 in game 3.
• At least the Pistons did well from the line, they shot 85% on Sunday.
• Sounded like there were a lot of Pistons fans in the house.
• I miss George Blaha.
  
• The Beat Detroit shirts were a little much, maybe concentrate on good slogan next time. Why not "The Kings Court" at least that's a bit more original, 99% of Cavs fans idolize LeBron anyway. It didn't go over too well on TV, it looked like only about 70% of the crowd were wearing them.
• Detroit needs to go back to the way they played defense in game one and two.
  
• I truly think that if the Pistons went to Sheed down on the block in the fourth quarter they would have come out with the win.
• Don't they know there is a Need4Sheed?
• Columbus Cavs has their own version of Beat Detroit, and Pistons fans let me tell you that you will NOT be happy when you see it.
  

Game 3 ECF

It's game time Pistons fans, here is your game post. Do what you have to do in the comments section.

Need4Sheed on Blogshow

Many of you might not be familiar with Blog Show, because it is part of Washington Post Live, on Comcast SportsNet in the D.C.. Blog Shows hosts are the famous Jamie Mottram from AOL Sports Bloggers Live and AOL's The Fanhouse along with the esteemed Dan Steinberg of D.C. Sports Bog of the Washington Post. It seems that they featured Need4Sheed on their show Friday night.

This is short clip featuring Need4Sheed.com, but if you want to check out the whole episode along with previous Blog Shows check them out here.

Sheed enjoys Maxiell: But who doesn't?

Jason Maxiell finally got a chance to show the world just what kind of player that Pistons fans already knew he was. Jason blew the doors off the Palace with his play in game 2 of the Eastern Conference finals. Nobody appreciated it more than Rasheed Wallace.

Video Courtesy of TNT

Sheed and Maxiell Power The Pistons

Game 2 of the Eastern Conference finals was like a carbon copy of game one. The final score was even the same at 79-76. It came down to the final play with the Pistons up by one and LeBron with the ball, but this time he didn't pass. He drove the lane, with Rip in front of him, put up the shot and missed. The rebound came off to Larry Hughes who had a wide open look but missed the 10 footer and Varejao missed the Hughes put back. Rasheed got the board, passed it to Richard Hamilton who was fouled and sent to the line with a second left on the clock.

Key Points:

• Just like everyone was talking about LeBron's pass in game one, all I keep hearing is that Rip fouled James when he was driving the to the hole but didn't get the call. Sure there was a little contact but that is how the game was being called all night. I am glad to see that the refs were consistent and didn't leave the game up to a call that could have went either way.
• Speaking of the no call foul, why isn't anyone mentioning that the Cavs missed both Larry Hughes's wide open shot or the Varejao put back. They had their chance and they didn't do it.
• ESPN's Chris Sheridan is crying foul. So much so that you would think he was being payed by Dan Gilbert.
  
• I am truly surprised at the Cavs defense, they have really been giving the Pistons (especially Chauncey) a hard time.
• I truly loath Varejoke more and more with each passing game. The name Clown Shoes comes to mind when I think of him.
• I don't know how the game sounded on television, but The Palace crowd was about as loud as I have heard them in years.
• Carlos Delfino came up huge in his 11 minutes on the floor. He not only did a great job on LeBron but he hit 2 HUGE 3's.
• One word...... SHEEDtastic

Photo by Allen Einstein/NBAE via Getty Images

• Tayshaun is 1-19 for the series. He was 0-for-8 last night.
• McDyess had a scare in the first quarter when he got cut in the mouth. A good thing came out of it though...Jason Maxiell.
• Christopher Roumaueh of Lake Orion made $50,000 for making a shot from midcourt during a timeout. Let me tell you the crowd went wild, along with Chris and the rest of the Pistons. Especially Sheed.
• "All that flopping, they need to make that a technical foul for next year. That's not defense in the fourth quarter and I'm glad we have veteran officials to see that."Pistons forward Rasheed Wallace, referring to Anderson Varejao's sprawl fall on Sheed's shot that gave Detroit the lead for good.
• LeBron received a flagrant foul for elbowing Webber in game one. If you haven't seen it, check it out. Looks like Bron takes lessons from Kobe.
  
• On the way home from the game I was listening to the locker room interviews and Chauncey said something that will stick with me forever. When asked about Cleveland's complaining about foul calls he said. "If they are crying that much what are the babies going to do?"
• Jason Maxiell got the crowd on their feet all game. This guy was a key to the Pistons win. The ally oop he converted was redunkulous.

Photo by Allen Einstein/NBAE via Getty Images

• Rasheed was the Pistons high scorer with 16 points, but his defense is what has been coming up big this series. In fact there has been a Need 4 Sheed this whole playoff run.
• The Pistons actually shot 47% from the charity stripe.
• The Cavs defense is causing the Pistons to uncharacteristically turn the ball over. They had 18 on Thursday.
• Bonehead tech by Mike Brown at the end of the game.
  
• As I was walking to my car at the Palace I saw a bus load of fans from Cleveland waiting to leave. Let me tell you that they looked devastated. That was a long ride home. Funny, Clevelenad fans are brutal, they talk shit even when their team is down. I am surprised there hasn't been some kind of incident considering the Cleveland fans I have seen this series.
• Mr Wallace, who hit the off balance game winning shot over LeBron, was happy that Varejoke tried his patented flop move. It just make it easier for Sheed to sink the shot while Varejoke was crying on the floor. Everyone knows you game Clown Shoes, it doesn't fly here in Detroit.

Photo by Allen Einstein/NBAE via Getty Images

• Drew Gooden, Zydrunas Ilgauskas and Larry Hughes combined for just 11 points.
• The Pistons were down by 12 at halftime but their usual 3rd quarter run got them right back into the game.
• The Pistons defense in the closing minutes of the game was key.
  
• Cavaliers sent two defenders at Billups when he tried to initiate pick and rolls, and again, it worked. Billups had five turnovers and only attempted seven shots.
• I am not going to complain about whistles, but I did notice that Chauncey couldn't get a call to save his life and LeBron looked like he traveled and palmed the ball on a couple of ocasions with no calls.
• Webber got some nice points in the paint, but he really had to work hard. Some easy ones just wouldn't go in.
• Did I mention that Maxiell had the best game of his career considering what is at stake here. J-Max put up 15 points with 2 blocked shots, 6 rebounds and a steal. Oh and he posterized LeBron.

Photo by Allen Einstein/NBAE via Getty Images

• "Our offense has just not been very good," said Billups. "And, of course, when you're at home and your offense is good, there's a lot of energy in the building. We have not given our fans a lot to cheer about in these two games with the exception of our defense."
• Sheed loves to be dramatic, especially when he hits those important 3's.
  
• Is anyone going to Cleveland for games 3 or 4? If you are I would love to know.
• The Pistons, along with their fans, know that they have to play a lot better in Cleveland to win.
  
• Someone in the crowd had THIS (one of my wallpapers) as poster, but I didn't get to see what it said on it.
• FEELING LUCKY: When he stood up from the podium after his sit-down with the media, Wallace asked the media if anyone knew what the lottery jackpot currently was worth.
  

Pistons 2 Cavs 0

Just back from the game....
No voice....
Do Tums prevent ulcers?
Because the Pistons are giving me one.
More in the A.M.

ECF Game 2

Well Pistons fans it's time to get ready for game two of the Eastern Conference Finals. I am sure LeBron is going to have something to prove considering all the criticism he has been getting for his play in game one. You can also look for Mr. Big Shot to step up in this one early. Even the Cavs are expecting a better Billups.

My hope is that The Pistons actually come out and play. Detroit was lucky they got a W out of Monday nights performance, so if they play Pistons basketball they should come out fine.

I am expecting the referees to blow the whistle more to make up for game one. If the referees do end up doing that let's just hope the calls are consistent.

Since I was wearing my Rasheed Wallace road jersey for game 5 of the Pistons-Bulls series and they Pistons got blown out, I have retired it for the remainder of the season. I'm sporting this to combat the jinx on the jersey.

I am getting ready to head out to The Palace for the game, so I am leaving the comments up to you. As always I will be as loud as I can. Go Pistons!

Around The Way

• Pistons get ready for a more aggressive LeBron James.
• Beware of counterfeit merchandise Pistons Fans.
• The Pistons Dave Wieme's thoughts on the pass heard round the world.
• McDyess had been sick.
• Pistons Forum.com did a great Video Podcast of the Pistons - Cavs matchup. They also have some practice day interviews.
• Terry Foster scouts game 2. "He won't be a factor in these playoffs, but the Pistons players got a peek into the future during practice Wednesday when Amir Johnson soared over Flip Murray and threw down a two-hand dunk."

"You only can do the guarantee once a year, so don't y'all look for it," Wallace said after Wednesday's practice. "If I say it, I'm going to say it. If not, don't even ask."

"We have a lot of hired assassins on this team," Wallace said. "'Dyess and Webb haven't been on, but we know they are capable of catching that hot streak. We ain't worried about the way they are shooting because we know at any moment they can break out."

New Pistons Anthem

Doing what I do here on Need4Sheed is pretty cool. Not only do I enjoy writing about my beloved Pistons, but from time to time I get little bonuses that make me smile. When I opened up my email a few hours ago I had one of those surprises. Here is a new Pistons Anthem called The Pistons 2007 by Johnny Lawrence from Detroit. Enjoy!

powered by ODEO

It's gonna be a short summer for Tayshaun.

Congratulations to Tayshaun Prince, this summer he will be playing for the the USA Basketball team. Injuries to some key players forced manager Jerry Colangelo to make a couple roster moves. Along with Tay, Jason Kidd, Mike Miller, teammates Carlos Boozer, Deron Williams, and Tyson Chandler will be new additions to try out for the team. Also the predicted 1st and 2nd pick of the 2007 Draft, Greg Oden and Kevin Durant will be trying out for the team.

Great Job Tay, your finally getting recognized for your amazing talent.

Joey D.

A little Cavs - Pistons history lesson

Some of you might not know the the history between the Cavaliers and the Pistons back in the 80's. Here is a little video history lesson courtesy of a Rick Mahorn elbow and a Bill Laimbeer, Brad Daugherty fight.

We'll take it: Pistons win game one

The Pistons take game one of the Eastern Conference Finals 79-76. It wasn't pretty, in fact it was pretty darn ugly, but as long as it's a W the Pistons will take it. Detroit, led by Rip Hamilton's 24 points, held LeBron James to just 10 points on 5-for-15 shooting.

Key Points:

• Tayshaun did a great job all night guarding LeBron, and when he was on the bench taking a rest Delfino matched that.
• Not only did Delfino do a great job on LeBron when he was on the floor, but he grabbed a couple of key offensive rebounds in a crowd of Cavaliers.
• How about Dale Davis coming in early in the first quarter when Chris Webber got in foul trouble. DD went strong to the hole on a couple of plays for and-1's.
• Rip Hamilton was The Pistons only offense in the first half.
• Everyone is all over LeBron for passing the ball out to D. Marshall on the last play of the game. Now I really thought he was going in for the basket, but I can understand why he dished to his teammate for the win. Had Marshall made the shot LeBron would have been the hero.
• With the way that The Pistons played, the Cavs should have won this game. Detroit was out-rebounded, they had more turnovers and shot horrible the first half.
• Rasheed was a monster in this one. Had Rasheed not anchored the D, the Pistons would have lost this one. Sheed put up 15 points, with 12 rebounds and 7 blocked shots. That my friends is SHEEDtastic.

Photo by Jesse D. Garrabrant/NBAE via Getty Images

• James was scoreless in the first quarter and finished with a playoff-low 10 points.
• Ilgauskas had a big game, he led the Cavs with 22 points and 13 boards.
• Jason Maxiell played great, although the box score doesn't reflect it. He was actually on the floor for the last few minutes of the ball game.
• Chauncey was invisible in the first half, but like always he comes through in the clutch.
• Antonio McDyess couldn't buy a bucket.
• Surprisingly the Pistons shot 43% for the night.
• I listened to Mike Brown's press conference on the way home from the game. He must have mentioned that it was ridiculous that LeBron didn't go to the foul line all game about five times.
• How can he go to the line if he's not driving the lane?
• Yes Sirrrr, if Rip wasn't hitting his shots in the first quarter The Pistons would have dug themselves in a hole they couldn't get out of. Rip finished with 24 points, 7 assists, 2 steals and three rebounds.

Photo by Jesse D. Garrabrant/NBAE via Getty Images

• An old friend gave me his prime seats, so I was really close to the action. So close in fact I could hear everything that Sheed was saying on court. I was actually sitting right behind Chauncey Billups good friend Tyrone Lue.
• Did anyone catch the play when Sheed and Clownfish went for the rebound and Sheed landed right on top of him. It was as though he was just sitting on him like a kids would do when they were fighting. Hilarious.
• Rasheed's 7 blocks were a career high.
• One down and three to go.
• Chris Bosh - Sheed interview.
  
• The Cavs led by as many as nine points in the first half and didn't trail in the game until Detroit started strong in the third quarter with a block and shot-clock violation on defense along with a 3-pointer and hook at the other end of the court.

Photo by Jesse D. Garrabrant/NBAE via Getty Images

• Billups scored 10 of his 13 points in the final quarter, making all three of his shots including a 3-pointer that gave the Pistons a 78-76 lead with 1:52 left.
• Rip and Tayshaun connected for one of their signature ally-oops. It's been so long since I had seen one of those that I almost forgot how pretty they are.
• C-Webb had a couple on nice dunks.
  
• The Cavs got too many second chance points.
• Chauncey was a turnover machine, he ended up with 7.
• The Pistons will have to come out much stronger in game 2 to take hold of this series.
• Sorry with the late recap, I was having server issues.
  

And so it begins

The 2007 Eastern Conference Finals are just hours away. As I get ready to do what I do before games to keep my teams mojo in tack, I will leave you with a few things of note to keep you busy before the big game.

• Detroit Bad Boys has a must read post up about the series.
• USA Today highlights The Prince's plan to dethrone The King.
• The Ghosts of Wayne Fonts tells us just what this really means to Detroit.
• Legendary Detroit sports commentator Boney has a new blog called The Mind of Boney, he gives us his EFC preview.
• YaYSports has doubts about his Cavs.
• Free Darko is blogging the EFC over at Deadspin.

I am also adopting Detroit Bad Boys policy about comments on this blog (and I thought it was only me), I really couldn't say it better than Matt, so the same goes for Need4Sheed.

For the most part, I appreciated almost all of the opposing viewpoints visiting Bulls fans brought to this little corner of the internet. Hearing a rival fan speak up may raise the ire of some Pistons fans who frequent the site, but as long as people are voicing semi-intelligent opinions in a halfway polite manner, I’m all for it. Seriously, what's the point of sports without rivalries and banter?

Unfortunately, it's my experience that the Cavs feature some of the absolute worst fans ever to stumble their way online. The worst offenders are rude and ignorant, and perhaps most annoyingly, seem to think that WRITING IN ALL-CAPS with a 7:1 ratio of exclamation marks to periods makes their inane ramblings about LeBron James more convincing!!!!!!!

(On a side note, the only other fans that come close are Miami fans. I'm guessing it’s the superstar effect with LBJ and Wade/Shaq - ie, big names on the home team turning casual fans who derive most of their knowledge from shoe commercials into raving lunatics.)

So with that in mind, consider this fair warning for those who wish to speak on behalf of the hapless Cavaliers: impress me with intelligent commentary (or at least make me laugh) or don't waste your time, because if your only intentions are to scream about King James' superiority and insult the Pistons/city of Detroit/Pistons fans, your efforts will never see the light of day. Go find a bathroom wall to scribble on, or better yet, an oven to stick your head in. I'm asking nice: please don't give me a reason to hate your team, your city or your state more than I already do.

Thank you Matt, you plucked the words right out of my mouth (that probably goes for every Piston fan that reads our sites), though you said it much more poignantly than I ever could have.

I leave the comments up to you Pistons fans. Enjoy the game, I will be as loud as I can be for all of us.

With Cleveland comes Varejoke

The Pistons face the Cavaliers in the Eastern Conference Finals. What does that mean for the Pistons and their fans? It means that Detroit will be subject to one of the most annoying players on the planet, Clownfish Varejao.

In Cleveland he's known for the energy he brings off the bench. Just about everywhere else Sideshow Bob Varejao's game is nothing more than a mop top flopping all over the floor.

Around these parts Varejao isn't well liked, in fact outside of Cleveland he's nothing more than a clown who's idea of playing defense is trying to draw charges.

So Pistons fans, get ready for The Flopper.

Tayshaun Prince Unsung Hero Desktop Wallpaper

Photos via Getty Images

New Tayshaun Prince desktop background wallpaper, located in the Wallpapers section of the website. Available in Standard and Widescreen resolutions.

Around The Way

• Henry Abbott over at True Hoop has a great peice (must read) on Tayshaun Prince.
• Detroit Bad Boys: That wasn't so hard, was it?
• Pistons will face The Cavs in the Eastern Conference Finals and The Cleveland Leader is convinced the Cavs will take the series. In fact, their only criticism of the Pistons is the lame timeout comment about C-Webb.
• Keith Langlois: "Flip Saunders might try to find some minutes for Jason Maxiell when Varejao is in the game so he can match Varejao's high-energy act with Maxiell's bounce and brute force." Boy would I love to see that, let's see him try to flop against J-Max.
• The Spurs oust the Suns. It's Jazz and Surs in the Western Conference Finals.
• Check out what HoopsAddict.com has to say about The Pistons in their Conference Finals Podcast.
  

"You can't really enjoy it," Wallace said. "Going to the conference finals is great, but it's like another year for us. You know what I mean? We've done it every year. That's not one of our goals.

"Our goal is to win championships so getting to conference championships is on the way."

Pistons - Cavaliers Schedule

Eastern Conference finals
Detroit vs. Cleveland
All games on TNT

Game 1 - Mon May 21 Cleveland at Detroit 8:00PM
Game 2 - Thu May 24 Cleveland at Detroit 8:00PM
Game 3 - Sun May 27 Detroit at Cleveland 8:30PM
Game 4 - Tue May 29 Detroit at Cleveland 8:00PM
Game 5 * Thu May 31 Cleveland at Detroit 8:00PM
Game 6 * Sat June 2 Detroit at Cleveland 8:30PM
Game 7 * Mon June 4 Cleveland at Detroit 8:00PM

Stuffed and Mounted: Pistons to the Eastern Conference Finals

The Pistons closed out The Bulls in Chicago to go to their fifth straight Eastern Conference Finals. It wasn't easy for Detroit, who played this one like they really wanted it, beating The Bulls on their home court 95-85. The game was close in the first half, with The Bulls leading at halftime, but the Pistons came out strong in the third quarter and kept control of the game no matter what The Bulls seemed to throw at them.

Key Points:

• Rasheed didn't need to make a GuaranSheed... His performance did it for him.
  
• Pistons put the D back in Defense in game six.
• Richard Hamilton was making ridiculous shots all night. Rip led the team with 23 points and was 5-for-5 from the line.
• Detroit played all 48 minutes of this one.
• Jason Maxiell made every second of his 7 minutes count. J Max is playing crucial playoff minutes and doing it well.
• Lindsey Hunter was a huge spark off the bench. He bothered The Bulls on D and knocked down some critical shots in the first half.
• I am not going to lie, even though the Pistons were playing Detroit Basketball from the opening tip, I was still a bit nervous.
• Hard fouls on both ends of the floor. Neither team was giving up easy baskets.
  
• Rip hit his first 5 shots from the floor.
  
• C-Web played 23 minutes and scored 5 points, his 9 rebounds were key. Though he didn't score much in this series, he was defiantly a plus when he was on the floor.
• 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.

Photo by Gary Dineen/NBAE via Getty Images

• The Bulls rode P. J. Brown in the first half, but the Pistons shut him down in the second. Brown scored a season high 20 points, all of which came in the first half.
• The Pistons held the Bulls to 37% shooting while they went 42% from the floor.
• Ben Wallace was a non factor with just 7 rebounds and six points. He sat most of the second half, finishing with just 28 minutes, the least among all of the Bulls starters.
• Chauncey Billups mentioned how quiet the United Center was after the game. If there's one benefit to closing out a series on the road, that's it. "In a strange sort of way it always feels better to close it out on the road," Billups said. "That silence, like church."
• On a very odd play late in the game, Antonio McDyess blocked a Nocioni three. As Nocioni was falling to the ground after the shot, he pulled Dice down by the shoulder and McDyess got called for a foul. Nocioni went to the line for three free throws. He made all three.
• The Pistons took control of the boards in the second half, outrebounding Chicago 14-7 in the third quarter and finishing with 48-35 edge.
• Chauncey finished the game with 21 points on 3-for-12 shooting with 7 assists and 2 steals. Chauncey was a perfect 14-14 from the free throw line.
  

Photo by Gary Dineen/NBAE via Getty Images

• Antonio McDyess seem to be everywhere at all times. Dice scored 5 points and pulled down 10 important rebounds.
• "We never talked about having a Game 7," Prince said. "We wanted to really make a statement with this game."
• Sheed hit a 3 pointer 30 seconds into the second half to start a 12-1 run.
• C-Webb had a sweet behind the back feed to Rip for a layup.
• The refs didn't see eye to eye with Sheed, he was called for a tech on a possession call that looked like it went off Hinrich. In fact it was called Detroit ball until a ref (Bennett Salvatore?) from across the floor reversed the call. Needless to say Sheed was upset. The refs also took away two crucial Sheed baskets, one was a putback jam that was taken away and called loose ball foul, the other was a traveling call.
• Its been a while since I have seen Tayshaun Prince this emotional during a game. He was pumped!
  
• Taysaun Prince was fantastic, especially in the fourth quarter, he was making everything. He was backing down Deng in the paint and hitting hooks right over him. He finished with 17 points and 9 rebounds.

Photo by Gary Dineen/NBAE via Getty Images

• Did you know that Tayshaun Price has gone to the Conference finals every single year he's been in the league. That's got to be some kind of record.
• Ben Wallace was on the bench in the closing minutes of the game. I wonder how he feels about that.
• Scott Skiles isn't happy and didn't have anything nice to say about Detroit. Poor sport.
• Referee Jack Nies actually went over to Flip Saunders and warned him he wasn't going to take anything from Sheed. That was before he was called for his 4th Tech of these playoffs.
• Pistons assistant coach Ron Harper said there actually was some bad blood being felt by the Pistons toward Kirk Hinrich and Andres Nocioni, even though there was still plenty of love for departed Piston Ben Wallace.
• When Ron Harper was asked "Who do the Pistons hate?" his answer, "Cleveland. We don't like Cleveland. That series is going to be fun." If they win.
• One of Rasheed's four assists was a bullet pass to Tayshaun in the Paint for a dunk.
• It was comforting to get to watch the game on local television and get to listen to Blaha call the game.
• Full Sheed Ahead: Great peice on Sheed by Michael Rosenberg of the Freep. "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..."
• Everyone on the Pistons hustled for this win, they all played with heart.
• On to the Eastern Conference Finals!

MyDyess Has His Ways

I know most of The Pistons are very superstitious, but Antonio McDyess sure has his ways of doing things. ABC aired a piece on Dyess before Sunday's game to show just how superstitious he is.

Courtesy of ABC

Pistons Get Pounded At Home

The Chicago Bulls shot lights out Tuesday night to beat The Pistons at The Palace 108-92 to send the series back to Chicago for game six. The Bulls, led by Ben Gordon, couldn't seem to miss a shot. They shot 72% from the floor in the first quarter and 57% for the game. The Bull also didn't miss from downtown, shooting a whopping 62% from behind the long line.

Key Points:

• The Bulls played fantastic.
• The Pistons defense just wasn't working.
• I wonder if the fact the Flip Saunders didn't make any adjustments to what was going on in the game has something to do with his Playoff woes.
• I have no idea why the Pistons stopped going to Tayshaun in the third quarter. He started off the quarter hitting his first four shots for the Pistons and then they stopped going to him.
• Chauncey Billups was the high scorer for Detroit with 17 points and 6 assists, but he got into early foul trouble.
• I also questioned why Flip waited until eight minutes were left in the game to put Chauncey back in.
• Chris Webber had a couple of nasty dunks over Ben Wallace, but he looked very frustrated at times. He put up 9 points with 8 rebounds.

Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images

• The Pistons didn't even look like they wanted it last night, I was really surprised by their performance.
• Not only was the game ugly, but I got caught in a huge downpour as I was walking into The Palace and had to sit through the game soaking wet. I am not talking damp, I am talking dripping wet.
• When the Pistons were down in the fourth quarter, I waited for The Pistons to start taking some threes to cut the lead down but they never did. Something had to work, right?
• You have to give credit to the Bulls did all the right things and didn't seem to miss anything.
• Rasheed got called for a tech on a call that wasn't even his and I was sure that it would light a fire under him, but it didn't. Rasheed finished with 15 points, 5 rebounds, an assist and 2 steals.
  

Photo by Allen Einstein/NBAE via Getty Images

• The Pistons actually shot 42% from the floor and out-rebounded The Bulls.
• Maxiell did a nice job in his 15 minutes on the floor. He score 5 points with 3 rebounds and a steal.
• Rip kept driving the lane and getting blocked. He was looking for calls he just wasn't getting.
  
• Flip Murray recorded the Pistons only blocked shot.
• Dice seemed like the only Piston playing with heart.
• The Pistons actually made a young boy cry last night. There was a boy about 6 years old sitting in front of me who was at his first Pistons game. He was so distraught by the Pistons loss that he went into a full blown hysterical crying breakdown.
• Adjustments need to be made.
  
• The series is not 3 - 2 and The Pistons are going to have to play Detroit Basketball in Chicago to close this one out.
• "Unfortunately, we've done this before, time and time again," Billups said. "We have to go on the road and try to win a game. We're a good road team. We've got to just do what we do, and we'll be fine."

Pistons - Bulls Game Five

As The Pistons get ready to try to end the series tonight, I am going through my game day rituals. From what I wear to what I do, it's all a plan for me on game days. As I head out to get ready to go to The Palace for game five, I leave the comments up to you.

This should be a good one People.

For all of you that are also heading out to the game, let's be louder than ever.

Why Walk When You Can Ride

The Pistons mean business when they are getting ready for big games. Here is a little clip I found on the FSN pre-game show before game 3 in Chicago. You can see in the video how seriously everyone is as they are walking into the arena.....

Well, everyone except Sheed. As all the players are strolling in, Sheed catches a ride.

Flip Murrary Posterizes Hinrich so Hinrich Throws a Punch

Check out the last angle of the Posterization of Kirk Hinrich by Flip Murray. You can clearly see that Kirk took a straight left handed jab to Flips "private parts."

No wonder why Flip stared Hinrich down after that.

Pistons Lose One In Chicago

Due to a unscheduled trip to the hospital yesterday, I missed 90% of the Pistons 87 - 102 loss to The Bulls. From what I hear from everyone the only thing I did miss is a Posterization of Hinrich by Flip Murray. Feel free to leave your thoughts about the game in the comments.

I am far from worried, in fact the loss just means that I get to go to game five on Tuesday.

I did find this picture of a very sad Antonio McDyess. This guy wants a championship bad.

Getty Images

Rip and Chauncey ESPN Interview

Here is a quick interview with Rip and Chauncey during the ESPN broadcast of game three of the Bulls - Pistons series.

Sheed Says

"As we chopped it down," he mentioned of the lead and the Bulls, "them butt holes got tighter and tighter."

A Need For Sheed

I have had a ton of fun with Need4Sheed.com since I started doing it in 2005. What started out as a personal page for me to share things with friends has grown into something more than I could ever have imagined.

When things at Need4Sheed started to get a little popular my one and only goal was to make sure that Rasheed himself knew about the site. Once that happened I never had another goal, things just started to happen. Who knew the site would been mentioned on some of my favorite and most respectable publications in sports. Who knew I would get a chance to blog for The Pistons. Who knew I would get to meet Sheed on more than one occasion? Not me that's for sure.

After all of that, what happened Thursday night in the opening minutes of the third game of the Eastern Conference Semi Finals really made me proud.

Video courtesy of FSN Detroit

I have so much respect and admiration for George Blaha I just can't explain it. Mr. Blaha is the link to The Pistons that has never changed as long as I have been a Pistons fan. They have changed stadiums, players, coaches, uniforms and even team colors, but George is the one constant that always stays the same. He is the link to this team in good times and bad and his love for the team shows trough on every broadcast.

George is a Detroit Legend!

Pistons Still Undefeated In The Playoffs

If The Chicago Bulls ever had a chance in this series it was Thursday night in game three when they had the Pistons down by as much as 19 points in the third quarter. The Bulls were playing well the first half and controlled the game going into halftime with a 16 point lead.

The Pistons however didn't let up, locking down on defense and mounting a huge run late in the third quarter to take them within one point going into the fourth, thanks to a huge three by Rasheed. It was all Pistons in the fourth as Detroit took game three in Chicago 81-74 to lead the series 3 - 0.

Key Points:

• The Bulls played very well in the first half and it looked like they would come out with the win.
• Chicago's inexperience and youth really showed in the fourth quarter.
• The Pistons are on the verge of another Swiff.
• No NBA team has won a best-of-seven series after dropping the first three games.
• If you watched the game on FSN you could clearly hear a Pistons fan screaming SWEEP in the closing seconds of the ball game.
• The Bulls won the battle of the glass, out-rebounding The Pistons 60-43.
• Rip kept The Pistons in the game in the first half.
• Was it just me or did the rims have a lot of spring in them.
• Credit the comeback to Sheed, Tay and Mr. Big Shot.
• Tayshaun put up a double - double, scoring 13 points in the third quarter. He finished with 23 and 11 boards.

Photo By Clarence Tabb Jr. / The Detroit News

• The United Center crowd was stunned.
• The Pistons zone really gave the Bulls a hard time.
• If you live in Michigan and you were watching the FSN broadcast you heard Mr. George Blaha give a shout out to Need4Sheed. Wow!
• Tayshaun went 6 for 6 in the third quarter to help mount the comeback.
• Ben Wallace was everywhere in the first half and almost invisible in the second.
  
• I think this might be the best Pistons comeback in a very long time.
• Intimidate and Dominate.
• This Pistons team looks hungry and determined. They have one goal.
• Chauncey started out slow, but he knocked them down when we needed him. Mr. Big Shot had 21 points, 2 steals, 7 assists and 4 rebounds.

Photo By Daniel Mears / The Detroit News

• I found myself screaming SHEEEEED plenty of times during the game.
• Surprisingly this game was all starters. Sheed, Rip, Tay and Chauncey combined for 76 points. C-Web didn't score and Dice scored just 3 while Maxiell added 2 off the bench.
• "I was encouraged. We knew at the start of the game we allowed them to take the first punch and we weren't as aggressive as we should have been," Billups said. Then he explained the comeback: "It was our defensive pressure. It allowed us to get in the passing lanes, get steals. We had settled too much. In the second half we got aggressive and played Piston basketball."
• Ben Wallace was late for the game and wouldn't give an explanation. Skiles was pissed.
• The Pistons attempted just two free throws in the first half.
• If you didn't get to see this one, you really missed out. Well, not if your a Bulls fan.
  
• Nocioni looked a bit teary-eyed after the game.
• Sheed has never been so focused. He wants nothing less than a Ring and some new Championship Belts. Rasheed put up another double - double, scoring 16, with 5 monster blocks, 11 rebounds, 2 assists and a steal. Another SHEEDtastic performance.
• When Sheed blocked Deng's shot with 5.4 seconds left in the third, and he hit the 3-pointer at the buzzer to pull the Pistons within one to start off the fourth (61-60), it took everything out of the crowd and the Bulls.

Photo By Daniel Mears / The Detroit News

• The Pistons poise and composure since the Playoffs started is undeniable.
• Detroit native and Need4Sheed reader Raj Senapati, who is now living in Boston, informed me that a buddy of his and Piston fan Maneesh Gulati flew from Boston to Chicago to catch the Pistons play the Bulls. As the Pistons were pulling away in the forth quarter Raj got a text message from Maneesh that simply said..."I am about to get my ass beat!" Gotta love Pistons fans.
• The Pistons held the Bulls to 30 points in the second half, while scoring 53 themselves.
• These Pistons look simply unstoppable.
• From ESPN's The Daily Dime's Chris Sheridan "On Sunday, nobody should even show up in this stadium," one disgusted fan told me as he exited his seat with three seconds remaining while those who stayed behind were booing the home team. It was an emotional roller coaster of a night for those fans, whose hopes were sky-high at halftime after the Bulls held the Pistons to 28 points but were in the gutter afterward.
• This one has got to hurt worse than games 1 and 2 for The Bulls and their fans.

Remembering When: Pistons - Bulls Rivalry INTIMIDATE & DOMINATE

For those of you too young to know, or those of you too old (like me) to remember about how big the Pistons - Bulls rivalry was, here is a great video I caught on FSN Detroit narrated by your favorite broadcaster and mine, George Blaha.

Intimidate and Dominate, gotta love the Bad Boys.

Here is a little insight from The Starting Five on the history of the Bulls - Bad Boys rivalry.

Kirk Who?

I never could put my finger on exactly who Bulls point guard Kirk Hinrich reminded me of until now.

Pistons Fans Going To Work

This Playoff series with The Bulls is more then just an old rivalry renewed. This one is personal for Pistons fans who need to let Ben Wallace know what they think of his red, white and blue betrayal.

A lot has been said about Detroit fans booing Ben every time he touches the ball. There was even a bit of heckling by some fans sitting behind the Bulls bench at game two that got under Ben's skin a bit. Love him or hate him, appreciate him or not, Ben was part of something special in Detroit and now he's not. He's the enemy when he walks into our house and you best be sure that Pistons fans are going to let him know it.

Like I said before, it's our job.

Over the last two games The Palace has been littered with anti Ben posters. This one in particular is a little close to my heart since it more than inspired by something I did here on Need4Sheed.

Need4Sheed reader Chris Brown, along with Danielle Lizotte and his nephews Tyler and Trenton Hubbard from Battle Creek, MI were kind enough to send along this picture to let me know that they weren't going to let Ben off easy.

Detroit is a state of mind.

No Bull: Pistons Dominate Again

The Pistons once again dominated The Bulls in game two beating them handily 108-87. Detroit, led by Tayshaun Prince's 25 points, took an early 8-0 lead and kept it the entire game.

Key Points:

• The Pistons took their balanced attack and deep bench right at the Bulls no matter what they threw at them.
• Detroit put up 34 first quarter points, its highest total in the opening period thus far in this year's playoffs.
• The Pistons shot 53% from the floor.
• I am amazed that the Bulls went to the line 53 times.
• And speaking of those 53 times, Ben Wallace actually made 5 of his 9.
• Rahseed never got going in the game because of foul trouble, he played just 18 minutes but still scored 10 with 7 rebounds and an assist.
• The crowd was really loud, but when the Pistons pulled away it quieted down a bit.
• Michael Sweetney? I didn't even know he was on the Bulls.
• Tayshaun just couldn't seem to do anything wrong. Prince put up 25 points on 9-for-20 shooting, with 7 rebounds, 2 assists and a steal. He also did a great job helping Chauncey bringing the ball up because of the Bulls trap.

Photo by D. Lippitt/Einstein/NBAE via Getty Images

• Did I mention that Tay rocked a hard dunk right over Ben Wallace?
• It can't be a good sign for the Bulls when at one point in the game Ben Wallace is your high scorer.
• Miss enough three's Nocioni? He went 1-for-6 from downtown with 4 turnovers. I don't think he will be making any more guarantees.
• Two Bulls Blowouts.
• Undefeated in the Playoffs.
• Hinrich had 2 points on 0-for-7 shooting.
• Pistons out rebounded the Bulls 36-22.
• Detroit's bench is HOT.
• Pistons Bloggers were representing, I met up with Matt of Detroit Bad Boys and we caused some havoc.
• I think C-Web could have put up at least 30 by the way he was playing had he not been in foul trouble. He did however score 22 points with 7 rebounds and 4 assists. Chris also hit a few right over Ben Wallace.

Photo by D. Lippitt/Einstein/NBAE via Getty Images

• The Pistons uncharacteristically turned the ball over 21 times.
• All Detroit starters in double digits.
• "We kind of lost our swagger," said Kirk Hinrich, who didn't make a shot in Game 2. "We need to get our swagger back.
• It seemed like no matter what The Bulls threw at The Pistons they had an answer for it.
• The Bulls guards just can't match up with Chauncey or Rip.
• I haven't seen the Pistons play defense like this since the 2004 championship run.
• C-Webb played great, he was actually 10-for-11 from the floor.
• My favorite sign of the night: "Sheed is the only Wallace we Need"
  
• Sheed had a couple of monster dunks. He had so much fire inside when he threw them down it reminded me of this commercial, which is one of my all time favorites.
• Maxiell played 15 minutes with 4 points and 8 rebounds. As Chauncey would say, "when he gets that basketball he's going hard to the basket, whenever he gets the ball he has bad intentions."

Photo by D. Lippitt/Einstein/NBAE via Getty Images

• The flow of the game was nonexistent because of foul calls.
• Maxiell groomed to be the next Ben Wallace. We have been saying that all season.
  
• I really thought the Bulls were going to bring it. I have to tell you that I love seeing Ben and company hanging their heads on the bench.
• The Pistons were up bunches, but they still were diving for loose balls.
  
• Scott Skiles is going to explode sometime soon.
• The Pistons held the Bulls to 34% field goal shooting.
• Detroit can't take these two wins for granted, they have to play even harder on Thursday in Chicago.
• NO MERCY.
• "I have seen an intensity in that locker room that's higher than I ever expected," said Chris Webber, "I love that edge and I am seeing it becoming more intense every game."
• All the Pistons bigs were in foul trouble.
• "I told the guys before the game, 'No rebounds, no rings,' " Saunders said.
• Rip was great, scoring 24 with 9 rebounds and 6 assists.

Photo by D. Lippitt/Einstein/NBAE via Getty Images

• Late in the game, you could hear a group of fans sitting behind the Bulls' bench taunting ex-Piston Ben Wallace, chanting "Sixty-million!" over and over in reference to the money he took in bolting for the Bulls. The fans continued to taunt Wallace until he acknowledged them by rubbing his fingers together in the universal sign for money. Then he waved to the fans to continue. All the while, Wallace never took his eyes off the court. Via The Detroit Free Press
  

Round 2 Game 2: Get ready Pistons fans

Once again as I get ready to head out to game 2 against The Bulls, I leave the comments up to you. Although I don't expect the same kind of game tonight, I do expect the Pistons to bring it at tipoff. But Justin Rogers thinks the Bulls are loosing confidence and Matt and company over at DetroitBadBoys are reminiscing about the Pistons Bulls rivalry.

If you didn't already know it, there is bad blood when it comes to The Pistons and The Bulls. Even the fans tend to get into it. The fans over at the Blog-A-Bull hate the Pistons and their fans (us), though I don't think we have too much love for them either.

So, as I head out to represent all of you Pistons fans that will be watching the game at home, feel free to talk it up in the comment section before during and after the game. And don't worry, I will be loud enough for all of us.

Will the Bulls be throwing elbows?

Chicago Sun Times Jay Mariotti columnist wants Ben Wallace to inflict pain on Rasheed in his column titled "Time to get mad, get even."

"Oh, and Ben also has his mind on the real-estate market. He has a house for sale here. ''We're trying to sell it this weekend,'' he said. ''I'll cut you a good deal.''

How about cutting Rasheed Wallace's laughing mug with an elbow?"

Oh Rasheed

We all know that Rasheed is a character. I was lucky enough to be watching the local news when they introduced a new segment called "Oh Rasheed." In this clip we get see what Sheed has in store for Lindsey Hunter. I happen to love the theme song, it fits perfectly.

Video courtesy of WDIV Detroit

Now I know what the Pistons did to get ready for the Bulls.

Welcome To The "D" Chicago

The Pistons pummeled the Chicago Bulls 95-69 in game one of the second round. The Pistons, led by Chauncey Billups and Richard Hamilton , looked sharp from the tipoff and controlled the tempo of the game. Detroit, who went on a 13 to 2 run in the first quarter, took the early lead and never relinquished it.

Key Points:

• The Palace was electric, I couldn't hear myself think. It was so loud that you could barely hear what Mason was saying on the PA.
• This was just the kind of game the Pistons needed to start off this series.
• The Pistons defense was classic, they locked down the Bulls like they were prison guards in Alcatraz.
• The Pistons held the Bulls to just 69 points, which is an all time playoff low for Chicago.
• I know the rest of this series probably wont end up like this game but it was nice to see The Bulls look like deers in headlights.
• Early foul trouble sent Ben Gordon to the bench.
• You know me, I am not one to call out referees, but Bennett Salvatore did his best to keep The Bulls in the game. The first half whistles he was blowing were more than suspect.
• Rasheed was simply SHEEDTastic, not only did he knock down some key three pointers, but his defense was stifling.

Photo by D. Lippitt/Einstein/NBAE via Getty Images

• Every single Piston on the floor in this game played their part and played it well.
• Nocioni talks big but he was a non factor. In fact Chicago's bench missed all of their 12 shots in the first three quarters, finishing the game just 3-for-30.
• Since 2003, four Pistons are in the top five among playoff games played and the fifth is Ben Wallace.
• Speaking of Ben Wallace, The Palace crowd didn't let down. He took an early seat on the bench in the rout.
• The Pistons held the Bulls to 32% shooting.
• Detroit out rebounded Chicago 46 to 38.
• Webber, who played just 20 minutes looked great. He pulled down 7 rebounds, with 2 steals and 5 points. This specific dunk was spectacular, he got mauled by Nocioni on the play, but didn't get the call.

Photo by D. Lippitt/Einstein/NBAE via Getty Images

• I am still riding the high of this game, the whole experience was a blast. The Pistons actually seemed to feed of the the energy of the crowd and vice versa.
• The Pistons bench was clutch.
• They played a really good Pistons - Bulls retrospective video before the start of the game that really got me going. Bad Boys, Pippen, Dumars, Jordan, Laimbeer, Chauncey, Rip, Sheed and Ben Wallace as a Bull... It was classic.
  
• You have to love the energy and power Maxiell brought. I think he feeds off of playing against Ben Wallace. Maxi not only threw down some thunder dunks, but he made some jumpers that I didn't know he could even hit.
• Lindsey's D was fantastic as usual.
• Tay did a great job on Luol.
• You know it's going to be a good game when McDyess knocks down his first shot like it's nothing.
• The Pistons had 12 steals and 4 blocks in the game.
• Detroit shot 44% from three point range.
• Rip scored 20 points with 4 rebounds, 2 assists and hit his only three he attempted with a second left on the shot clock.

Photo by D. Lippitt/Einstein/NBAE via Getty Images

• Though everything seemed to be going right for the Pistons, they had a hard time scoring in the third quarter. It didn't matter though because they stepped up their defense and didn't let Chicago get back in the game.
• Delfino was solid in his 11 minutes. He had a nasty dunk in the fourth quarter.
• McDyess is a rebounding fool lately.
• Maxiell's 12 points is was a playoff high for him.
• The Bulls turned over the ball 22 times.
• "We're not sitting up here gloating over this victory," Rasheed Wallace said. "We know it took a lot of hard work to get it. It's just one victory."
• The Pistons were making things look easy at times, but you have to credit their hard nosed defense in this one.
• I truly love the Pistons focus.
• The calls weren't going the Pistons way, but nobody lost their cool.
• The Pistons sent a nice statement.
• Mr. Big shot was in control of this one. Chauncey scored his 20 points in just 27 minutes.

Photo by D. Lippitt/Einstein/NBAE via Getty Images

• It was a good day for Detroit sports. The Pistons, Wings and Tigers were all winners on Saturday.
• Rasheed and Tayshaun each had 13 points.
• Lindsey Hunter had 6 assists and 3 steals.
• "Our bench was great," Billups said. "We depend on those guys to come in with a lot of energy, especially against this team that plays with a lot of energy for 48 straight minutes. We feel like when our starters go sit down, we're not losing anything We believe in our bench. Today they came and they showed they're capable of doing this."
• Poor Dyess, he missed 3 putback dunks that he looked like he had. The way he has been playing lately makes him look like he never had any injuries in his career. He's got a new found pep in his step.
• There was a kid in front of me that was wearing his Pistons Ben Wallace jersey that he made into a Rasheed Wallace jersey by taping a 6 next to the 3. Gotta love it.
• Maxiell scored six straight points on Ben Wallace in the second quarter.... The changing of the guard happened right before our eyes Pistons fans. And I think even Ben knew it.
• Game 2 Monday at 8 PM, I can't wait.

Let's Get Ready To Rumble

It's almost that time Pistons fans, time for the Pistons - Bulls series to start. Big Ben will try to do everything he can to prove himself. Nocioni will try to make good on his prediction and the rest of the Bulls will be there to back him up.

What they might not be ready for is this veteran Pistons team, who after last seasons playoff disappointment have something big to prove. I have been very impressed with the Pistons business like attitude and their grit and determination. They want this championship badly and they know what they need to do to get it.

As I get ready to head out to The Palace for game one of this series I am leaving the comments up to you. Maybe you need to watch this video to get you pumped first, or maybe you need to put on your Pistons Gear to get ready. Just do what you have to do to get yourself prepared of round 2.

Feel free to talk it up with your fellow Need4Sheed readers. Make your predictions, pick your players of the game or vent it you have to. This is the Playoffs people, its time to show your colors.

Sheed Says

Bulls Andres Nocioni made a bold statement the other day when he said,

"We are going to win. We are going to win, of course," Nocioni said Tuesday. "I believe we can win. We are going to play seven games, and we are going to win (Game 7) in Detroit.

It will be nice. Nice."

Rasheed had this to say about Nocioni's comments...

"That's on them," Wallace said. "They've got to go out there and do it. If they do, hats off, but hey, it's going to be a hell of a fight. I'll tell you that."

"I know to beat us, they're going to have to make a whole lot of them jump shots." And that was after calling the Bulls "great shooters."

"We're not knocking them," Wallace said. "We respect them. They're a good young ball club. But hey, it's a different type of mission we're on. I think they're happy to be here, and we're on a mission to go out there and win it." Via The Detroit Free Press

UPDATE: Need4Sheed reader Daniel Pantalleresco is not happy with Nocioni's comments. So he made This to show his disdain for Mr. Nocioni.

Pistons Playoff Anthem Video

The Pistons - Bulls series starts on Saturday and if you weren't excited enough this Playoff Video by Need4Sheed reader Johnathan Brown from Detroit, MI will be sure to send you over the edge.

Getty Images

I also got another email from Need4Sheed reader Adam, who needed a "Count that baby and a foul" audio clip for a Pistons song he was making. After I sent the clip to him he sent me the completed song. I was going to post it, but Detroit Bad Boys already has it up so go take a listen.

It's Playoff time and Pistons fans are representing!

Pistons Fans Still Bitter about Ben

Pistons vs.Bulls or as most Pistons fans would call it, Pistons vs. Ben Wallace.

The Pistons second round matchup is a doosie! Detroit is playing a team that has been a rival of The Pistons for many years. A team most Pistons fans more than hate, but when you add Ben Wallace to the mix things heat up.

I would say that most Pistons fans have not forgiven Ben for leaving the city that made him who he is. Plenty of Pistons fans now have a severe dislike for the man they once revered. As we know from the Pistons first meeting with the Bulls at the Palace, Pistons fans are going to be less than friendly to Big Ben. In fact, it is now our job as Pistons fans to do everything in our power to root against him. It is the playoffs you know... It's win or go home and we would love to send Ben and the rest of The Bulls packing Detroit style.

A few days ago I received an interesting e-mail from Need4Sheed reader Eric Timmer that I thought I would share with you.

Dear Natalie,
My name is Eric Timmer from Imlay City, Michigan, but I now live in West Palm Beach Florida. Love the site, and I wanted to send you these pictures of me teeing off on my beloved Ben Wallace bobblehead. This is the night that I heard he had turned into Benedict Arnold and signed with the Bulls.

Now I am sure many of you can truly appreciate Eric's pain. What could be better than taking a golf club and teeing off on Ben's bobble head? I especially love that fact that Eric is even addressing the ball head correctly, with the right grip and all (nice form by the way).

I for one had a feeling Ben was on his way out of Motown, so the news didn't surprise me. I appreciate and thank Ben for what he did for the franchise but I won't be cheering for him any time soon. In fact I think The Pistons organization should play the famous Big Ben Gong whenever he misses a free trow at the Palace.

I would actually like to know what Pistons fans think. Love him or hate him that's the question. You have to pick one, there is no in between.

It's Official Round 2 Starts Saturday

The powers that be finally announced the start of The Pistons second round series against The Bulls. Games one and two will be at The Palace Saturday and Monday. Both games will be televised on TNT, but the starting times yet to be announced.