Tayshaun Prince blocks Hedo Turkoglu with the game on the line

Image details: Orlando Magic v Detroit Pistons, Game 5 served by picapp.com

Hard to believe it came down to Hedo Turkoglu at the top of the key and Tayshaun Prince guarding him with the game on the line.

In game 4 you will remember that Hedo Turkoglu went to his left after a jab step to the right and found his way blocked by Jason Maxiell in what looked like a charge. It was later noticed on tape that Maxiell had a foot on the circle and that would make it a foul on Maxiell. Turkoglu missed the shot and the Pistons won by 1 point.

This time with the playoff series on the line, Hedo went to his right on Tayshaun and there was no one waiting. The Pistons were up by 3 and Tayshaun was going for the block. It looked like Hedo was going to score the basket and get the foul. That would give him a chance to tie the game.

So Prince rose inch for inch with Turkoglu, as if taped to his body, and he pinned the would-be jam against the backboard and off the rim. It caromed away, the game was safe, and moments later, the Pistons were headed to a familiar place, the Eastern Conference finals, for the sixth straight year.

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Defense.

Defense by the Pistons won the game.

At halftime the Orlando Magic were shooting 54%. You do not lose many games if you shoot 54%. By the end of the game the Orlando Magic were still shooting 48%. This did not include the multiple fouls on Dwight Howard taking away a lot of his misses and moving them to the foul line where he shot 6 for 15. That is right, 6 for 15 at the line.

Detroit only shot 36% for the game.

The Detroit Pistons missed 64 percent of their shots and had a rookie filling in for an All-Star at point guard.

It didn’t matter.

Detroit set an NBA playoff record with just three turnovers and made just enough shots and stops to advance to their sixth straight Eastern Conference final with a 91-86 win Tuesday night over the Orlando Magic in Game 5 of the second-round series.

Richard Hamilton scored 31 points, made victory-sealing free throws late in the game and Tayshaun Prince had a key block to help Detroit eliminate Orlando.

The Pistons are the first franchise to play in six conference finals in a row since the Los Angeles Lakers went to eight straight in the 1980s.

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Rasheed Wallace made some huge shots and played excellent defense. Antonio McDyess was on fire with 17 points on 6 of 9 shooting mostly on set shots from the foul line extended.

NBA Playoffs Rip Hamilton factoid Rip became the all time Piston playoff scorer taking over that spot from Isiah Thomas.

With his 11th point, Hamilton broke Isiah Thomas’ career playoff scoring record of 2,261 points and he did it in 110 games—one fewer than Thomas needed to set the mark. “That’s a great honor because Isiah is Detroit basketball,” Hamilton said. “To pass one of his records is crazy because I haven’t been here that long.” … Hamilton is four games away from breaking Bill Laimbeer’s franchise record of 113 playoff appearances source

Now Chauncey Billups can heal up for the winner of the Boston Celtics and Cleveland Cavaliers.

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Chauncey Billups is the leader

Image details: Orlando Magic v Detroit Pistons, Game 2 served by picapp.com

Now Orlando winning game three of the Detroit Pistons / Orlando Magic series was no surprise. They almost and probably should have won game number two in Detroit.

Orlando Magic 111, Detroit Pistons 86

The Pivotal game will be game 4 in Orlando. Should Orlando win that game convincingly and Chauncey be playing below par, then this series will change momentum and Orlando will be the favorite, even though the series will be tied 2 – 2.

Chauncey hurt his hamstring in the game.

Point guard Chauncey Billups played only four minutes Wednesday before straining his right hamstring in the opening quarter. After slipping under his own basket, Billups stayed down for a few moments before he stood and went to the bench, where strength-and-conditioning coach Arnie Kander assessed the damage.

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Chauncey is the player that brings the confidence for Detroit.

“Losing Chauncey was huge for us,” said Richard Hamilton, who scored 24 points. “He means so much to our team. To not have him out there made a difference. We fought back, but we just couldn’t get the win.”

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Chauncey does have a backup and his name is Rodney Stuckey. He is actually a pretty good player.

Forced to take over the primary point guard duties, Pistons rookie Rodney Stuckey played 34 minutes, scoring a playoff career-high 19 points. At one point in the third quarter, Stuckey orchestrated a 12-2 spurt that cut Detroit’s deficit to three. He scored six of those points, drew Magic point guard Jameer Nelson’s third and fourth fouls and made four free throws.

Orlando gained confidence in this game. Even though it was a game 3, a game the Pistons typically lose in any 7 game series.

So you could make the argument that Wednesday night was just the Pistons fighting off a collective yawn. Or you could argue that the Pistons’ oil light is starting to flash and the air bags are about to deploy.

I don’t see a complete crash in their immediate future, but this suddenly looks like a six or seven-game series. A lot will depend on Billups, who limped to the locker room with a towel over his head in the first quarter.
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Jameer Nelson and Rashard Lewis came up big.

Nelson seems to be maturing into a consistent point guard before our very eyes. He’s done that before, only to revert back into Jameer. But he’s never played this well for this long.

Then there’s Lewis. Welcome to the playoffs, Money Man.

The Magic are paying him $118 million to take them to the next playoff level. He’d made 12 of 52 3-pointers before Game 3, when he hit five-of-six. The biggest came when Detroit had cut the lead to 67-64.

The series just may hinge on Chauncey Billups and his hamstring.

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Ben Gordon shooting the lights out!

The NBA draft class of 2004 has their contracts coming up for renewal.

In the NBA, this is the first of the great Promises, like a strong spring breeze after a long cold winter; it brings with it many new riches.

This time period, 3 years after your initial contract, is the reason that so many undernourished, undereducated, immature lanky, talented basketball players leave College early to go to the Pros.

You see, it is not the NBA come calling, it is the after 3 years free agent or renegotiate that they hear so loudly.

The class of 2004, including Ben Gordon, may face the harsh reality of being drafted at the wrong time.

With only a few teams expected to be under the salary cap next summer, there probably won’t be a big market for free agents. Most teams are going to drive a hard bargain with their ‘04 rookies right now. Because any contract they sign would be guaranteed, those players are going to be asked to give up some money in return for the security of a longer-term deal. source

The teams have until Oct 31st and only 3 players have signed on the dotted line; Dwight Howard, Devin Harris and Kevin Martin.

If they don’t sign before Oct 31, then next year they can test the Free Agent waters.

Here are some of the players from the class of 2004:

Emeka Okafor, Bobcats, No. 2 pick
Bobcats co-owner Michael Jordan has said he wants to re-sign the 6-10 forward/center, the 2005 Rookie of the Year, but so far no deal has been reached. Will the Bobcats be willing to go into the $70 to $75 million range for a player with Okafor’s history of injuries?

Ben Gordon, Bulls, No. 3
The 6-2 guard and former Sixth Man Award winner has blossomed into a 20-point scorer, meaning he probably wants a deal better than the five-year, $47.5 million package Kirk Hinrich signed a year ago. More likely, it will take something similar to that of Sacramento’s Martin. But with teammate Luol Deng (see below) also due for a hefty extension, can the Bulls afford both?

Al Jefferson, Timberwolves, No. 15
He could be in for a near max deal after averaging 16 points and 11 boards last season. Plus, as the main piece in the Kevin Garnett trade, Wolves vice president Kevin McHale can’t afford to let the 6-10 power forward get away.

Others include:

Shaun Livingston, Clippers – injured

Josh Childress, Hawks – probably headed for free agency

Luol Deng, Bulls – looking at a huge payday, but will it be the Bulls?

Andrew Iquodala, 76ers – possible free agent

Josh Smith, Hawks – maybe free agent

Jameer Nelson, Magic – undecided by the Magic

Yes, Ben Gordon and the class of 2004 may have to live on only 7 or 8 million a year a piece. How will they manage?

NBA Basketball Fan Question Which of these free agents would you want the most?

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