Postseason Disappointment in Detroit

Before the postseason began, the city of Detroit was rockin'! The Red Wings finished with the best record in hockey and were slotted with a one seed in the playoffs, facing 8th seeded Edmonton. The Pistons finished with the best record in basketball and had a one seed in the first round, slotted to face 8th seeded Milwaukee. There was chatter of Detroit potentially being home to the 2006 NBA and NHL Champions. The Wings were ousted in the first round of the playoffs against the 8th seeded Oilers. Then, tonight, the Pistons were eliminated in the Eastern Conference Finals, in game 6 of their series with 2nd seeded Miami.

I don't follow hockey closely enough to give much analysis on what happened to the Wings in their series against the Oilers, but I have followed the NBA Playoffs rather closely. While Detroit steamrolled past Milwaukee in the opening round of the playoffs in five games, they ran into problems in the second half of Game 2 against Cleveland in the second round. The Pistons dominated the Cavs in Game 1 and in the opening three quarters of Game 2, until they got cocky and Cleveland put on a run. Detroit lead by 20 at halftime, but the Cavs pulled to within 5 in the fourth quarter and had some opportunities to make it a one possession game, until Detroit held them off at the tail-end to take a 2-0 series lead. The Pistons weren't the same after that game, however. LeBron's Cavs won three straight games, including one in MoTown to take a 3-2 series lead. If it wasn't for some critical offensive rebounds in the fourth quarter of Game 6, the Pistons might not have made it to the Eastern Conference Finals.

The series against Miami was no contest. I stated at the outset, the only way Detroit would fall in the playoffs was if they beat themselves. I stand corrected. It was a combination of Detroit beating themselves, but also, of Miami simply outplaying Detroit. Shaquille O'Neal and Dwayne Wade were too much to handle in the series, especially Wade. Prior to tonight, in Miami's two losses, Wade shot 55%. In their two victories, he shot nearly 70% from the floor. The Pistons couldn't flow offensively at any point in the series. Richard Hamilton found ways to score, but only show 35-40% in the series. Chauncey Billups was inconsistent. Rasheed Wallace was ineffective throughout the series. Before tonight, Ben Wallace had shot a pathetic 24% from the foul line in the playoffs. Tayshaun Prince was the most consistent offensive force for the Pistons, but was shut down at times in the Miami series.

From the fourth quarter of Game 2 against Cleveland until they were eliminated in Game 6 against Miami, Detroit seemed tired and not as motivated as their opponents. Cleveland and Miami seemed to want it more than the Pistons did. James and Wade attacked the basket, got their big men involved, didn't force up too many shots. Detroit, on the other hand, forced too many shots. They didn't work the ball around enough. For the most part, their foul shooting was dreadful. They spent more time complaining to the officials and complaining to the media about their head coach than they did focus on winning basketball games. I think Detroit got a bit too cocky in the Cleveland series and lost focus. It doesn't matter how good a team is, how much experience they have, or how much hype they've received, if they lose focus, then they might as well pack their bags and head home. The Red Wings did that after their first series and after tonight, the Pistons will be doing likewise. Hey, at least the Tigers are playing good ball. Maybe they can be this year's Chicago White Sox.