Pistons put the D on Dallas
February 4, 2008 by James Edwards
Filed under Dallas Mavericks, Detroit Pistons, Dirk Nowitzki, NBA Championship, NBA Playoffs, Rasheed Wallace
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Rasheed Wallace calls for low post offense
In the pre Super Bowl marquee NBA matchup, the Detroit Pistons showed why defense wins championships.
Holding the powerful offense of the Dallas Mavericks to 29 points in the second half, the Detroit Pistons easily won the afternoon game.
Detroit had lost in Dallas in January in a typical Maverick racehorse affair. They were determined not to play that way this time.
A special focus was put on stopping the high scoring Dirk Nowitzki and it paid off with Dirk missing shot after shot in the second half.
The Mavericks, who were without starting point guard Devin Harris and sixth man Jerry Stackhouse, also shot a season-low 30.3% and made a season-low 23 shots.
The key was a relentless defense that involved more switching than usual on pick-and-rolls and a physical an aggressive approach to handling reigning MVP Dirk Nowitzki. source
Coach Flip Saunders, who is better known for offense, has always been a strong believer in defense.
“When we are playing our best, that’s how we play,” said Pistons coach Flip Saunders, who called Sunday’s defense the best he has seen on Nowitzki in his time with the Pistons. “We play physical, we get after it, we make teams react to what we do, and we don’t stay back. We become more proactive.”
Rasheed Wallace speaks
The center for the Detroit Pistons, Rasheed Wallace, had a ready quote before the game.
“We’ve just got to put their (butt) in a hole on the other end, put their (butt) right down there on them chop blocks (the post),” Wallace said. “They don’t have no real big men, actually. The only real big man I’d say is Damp (Eric Dampier) because he fits that classic big man mold. … But they’ve got a lot of slashers on their team. It’s a team full of slashers. I’m not saying they’re not good, but, hey, in order to hold their slashing down, put their (butt) on the chop blocks.” source
Come playoff time, if the Pistons should meet the Mavericks in the NBA Championship series, look for the Pistons defense to win over the long haul. Offense seems to win during the regular season, but defense prevails in the playoffs.
NBA Basketball Fan Question Can Dallas win a title with offense?
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