Announcement

Collapse

The Rules of Pacers Digest

Hello everyone,

Whether your are a long standing forum member or whether you have just registered today, it's a good idea to read and review the rules below so that you have a very good idea of what to expect when you come to Pacers Digest.

A quick note to new members: Your posts will not immediately show up when you make them. An administrator has to approve at least your first post before the forum software will later upgrade your account to the status of a fully-registered member. This usually happens within a couple of hours or so after your post(s) is/are approved, so you may need to be a little patient at first.

Why do we do this? So that it's more difficult for spammers (be they human or robot) to post, and so users who are banned cannot immediately re-register and start dousing people with verbal flames.

Below are the rules of Pacers Digest. After you have read them, you will have a very good sense of where we are coming from, what we expect, what we don't want to see, and how we react to things.

Rule #1

Pacers Digest is intended to be a place to discuss basketball without having to deal with the kinds of behaviors or attitudes that distract people from sticking with the discussion of the topics at hand. These unwanted distractions can come in many forms, and admittedly it can sometimes be tricky to pin down each and every kind that can rear its ugly head, but we feel that the following examples and explanations cover at least a good portion of that ground and should at least give people a pretty good idea of the kinds of things we actively discourage:

"Anyone who __________ is a liar / a fool / an idiot / a blind homer / has their head buried in the sand / a blind hater / doesn't know basketball / doesn't watch the games"

"People with intelligence will agree with me when I say that __________"

"Only stupid people think / believe / do ___________"

"I can't wait to hear something from PosterX when he/she sees that **insert a given incident or current event that will have probably upset or disappointed PosterX here**"

"He/she is just delusional"

"This thread is stupid / worthless / embarrassing"

"I'm going to take a moment to point and / laugh at PosterX / GroupOfPeopleY who thought / believed *insert though/belief here*"

"Remember when PosterX said OldCommentY that no longer looks good? "

In general, if a comment goes from purely on topic to something 'ad hominem' (personal jabs, personal shots, attacks, flames, however you want to call it, towards a person, or a group of people, or a given city/state/country of people), those are most likely going to be found intolerable.

We also dissuade passive aggressive behavior. This can be various things, but common examples include statements that are basically meant to imply someone is either stupid or otherwise incapable of holding a rational conversation. This can include (but is not limited to) laughing at someone's conclusions rather than offering an honest rebuttal, asking people what game they were watching, or another common problem is Poster X will say "that player isn't that bad" and then Poster Y will say something akin to "LOL you think that player is good". We're not going to tolerate those kinds of comments out of respect for the community at large and for the sake of trying to just have an honest conversation.

Now, does the above cover absolutely every single kind of distraction that is unwanted? Probably not, but you should by now have a good idea of the general types of things we will be discouraging. The above examples are meant to give you a good feel for / idea of what we're looking for. If something new or different than the above happens to come along and results in the same problem (that being, any other attitude or behavior that ultimately distracts from actually just discussing the topic at hand, or that is otherwise disrespectful to other posters), we can and we will take action to curb this as well, so please don't take this to mean that if you managed to technically avoid saying something exactly like one of the above examples that you are then somehow off the hook.

That all having been said, our goal is to do so in a generally kind and respectful way, and that doesn't mean the moment we see something we don't like that somebody is going to be suspended or banned, either. It just means that at the very least we will probably say something about it, quite possibly snipping out the distracting parts of the post in question while leaving alone the parts that are actually just discussing the topics, and in the event of a repeating or excessive problem, then we will start issuing infractions to try to further discourage further repeat problems, and if it just never seems to improve, then finally suspensions or bans will come into play. We would prefer it never went that far, and most of the time for most of our posters, it won't ever have to.

A slip up every once and a while is pretty normal, but, again, when it becomes repetitive or excessive, something will be done. Something occasional is probably going to be let go (within reason), but when it starts to become habitual or otherwise a pattern, odds are very good that we will step in.

There's always a small minority that like to push people's buttons and/or test their own boundaries with regards to the administrators, and in the case of someone acting like that, please be aware that this is not a court of law, but a private website run by people who are simply trying to do the right thing as they see it. If we feel that you are a special case that needs to be dealt with in an exceptional way because your behavior isn't explicitly mirroring one of our above examples of what we generally discourage, we can and we will take atypical action to prevent this from continuing if you are not cooperative with us.

Also please be aware that you will not be given a pass simply by claiming that you were 'only joking,' because quite honestly, when someone really is just joking, for one thing most people tend to pick up on the joke, including the person or group that is the target of the joke, and for another thing, in the event where an honest joke gets taken seriously and it upsets or angers someone, the person who is truly 'only joking' will quite commonly go out of his / her way to apologize and will try to mend fences. People who are dishonest about their statements being 'jokes' do not do so, and in turn that becomes a clear sign of what is really going on. It's nothing new.

In any case, quite frankly, the overall quality and health of the entire forum's community is more important than any one troublesome user will ever be, regardless of exactly how a problem is exhibiting itself, and if it comes down to us having to make a choice between you versus the greater health and happiness of the entire community, the community of this forum will win every time.

Lastly, there are also some posters, who are generally great contributors and do not otherwise cause any problems, who sometimes feel it's their place to provoke or to otherwise 'mess with' that small minority of people described in the last paragraph, and while we possibly might understand why you might feel you WANT to do something like that, the truth is we can't actually tolerate that kind of behavior from you any more than we can tolerate the behavior from them. So if we feel that you are trying to provoke those other posters into doing or saying something that will get themselves into trouble, then we will start to view you as a problem as well, because of the same reason as before: The overall health of the forum comes first, and trying to stir the pot with someone like that doesn't help, it just makes it worse. Some will simply disagree with this philosophy, but if so, then so be it because ultimately we have to do what we think is best so long as it's up to us.

If you see a problem that we haven't addressed, the best and most appropriate course for a forum member to take here is to look over to the left of the post in question. See underneath that poster's name, avatar, and other info, down where there's a little triangle with an exclamation point (!) in it? Click that. That allows you to report the post to the admins so we can definitely notice it and give it a look to see what we feel we should do about it. Beyond that, obviously it's human nature sometimes to want to speak up to the poster in question who has bothered you, but we would ask that you try to refrain from doing so because quite often what happens is two or more posters all start going back and forth about the original offending post, and suddenly the entire thread is off topic or otherwise derailed. So while the urge to police it yourself is understandable, it's best to just report it to us and let us handle it. Thank you!

All of the above is going to be subject to a case by case basis, but generally and broadly speaking, this should give everyone a pretty good idea of how things will typically / most often be handled.

Rule #2

If the actions of an administrator inspire you to make a comment, criticism, or express a concern about it, there is a wrong place and a couple of right places to do so.

The wrong place is to do so in the original thread in which the administrator took action. For example, if a post gets an infraction, or a post gets deleted, or a comment within a larger post gets clipped out, in a thread discussing Paul George, the wrong thing to do is to distract from the discussion of Paul George by adding your off topic thoughts on what the administrator did.

The right places to do so are:

A) Start a thread about the specific incident you want to talk about on the Feedback board. This way you are able to express yourself in an area that doesn't throw another thread off topic, and this way others can add their two cents as well if they wish, and additionally if there's something that needs to be said by the administrators, that is where they will respond to it.

B) Send a private message to the administrators, and they can respond to you that way.

If this is done the wrong way, those comments will be deleted, and if it's a repeating problem then it may also receive an infraction as well.

Rule #3

If a poster is bothering you, and an administrator has not or will not deal with that poster to the extent that you would prefer, you have a powerful tool at your disposal, one that has recently been upgraded and is now better than ever: The ability to ignore a user.

When you ignore a user, you will unfortunately still see some hints of their existence (nothing we can do about that), however, it does the following key things:

A) Any post they make will be completely invisible as you scroll through a thread.

B) The new addition to this feature: If someone QUOTES a user you are ignoring, you do not have to read who it was, or what that poster said, unless you go out of your way to click on a link to find out who it is and what they said.

To utilize this feature, from any page on Pacers Digest, scroll to the top of the page, look to the top right where it says 'Settings' and click that. From the settings page, look to the left side of the page where it says 'My Settings', and look down from there until you see 'Edit Ignore List' and click that. From here, it will say 'Add a Member to Your List...' Beneath that, click in the text box to the right of 'User Name', type in or copy & paste the username of the poster you are ignoring, and once their name is in the box, look over to the far right and click the 'Okay' button. All done!

Rule #4

Regarding infractions, currently they carry a value of one point each, and that point will expire in 31 days. If at any point a poster is carrying three points at the same time, that poster will be suspended until the oldest of the three points expires.

Rule #5

When you share or paste content or articles from another website, you must include the URL/link back to where you found it, who wrote it, and what website it's from. Said content will be removed if this doesn't happen.

An example:

If I copy and paste an article from the Indianapolis Star website, I would post something like this:

http://www.linktothearticlegoeshere.com/article
Title of the Article
Author's Name
Indianapolis Star

Rule #6

We cannot tolerate illegal videos on Pacers Digest. This means do not share any links to them, do not mention any websites that host them or link to them, do not describe how to find them in any way, and do not ask about them. Posts doing anything of the sort will be removed, the offenders will be contacted privately, and if the problem becomes habitual, you will be suspended, and if it still persists, you will probably be banned.

The legal means of watching or listening to NBA games are NBA League Pass Broadband (for US, or for International; both cost money) and NBA Audio League Pass (which is free). Look for them on NBA.com.

Rule #7

Provocative statements in a signature, or as an avatar, or as the 'tagline' beneath a poster's username (where it says 'Member' or 'Administrator' by default, if it is not altered) are an unwanted distraction that will more than likely be removed on sight. There can be shades of gray to this, but in general this could be something political or religious that is likely going to provoke or upset people, or otherwise something that is mean-spirited at the expense of a poster, a group of people, or a population.

It may or may not go without saying, but this goes for threads and posts as well, particularly when it's not made on the off-topic board (Market Square).

We do make exceptions if we feel the content is both innocuous and unlikely to cause social problems on the forum (such as wishing someone a Merry Christmas or a Happy Easter), and we also also make exceptions if such topics come up with regards to a sports figure (such as the Lance Stephenson situation bringing up discussions of domestic abuse and the law, or when Jason Collins came out as gay and how that lead to some discussion about gay rights).

However, once the discussion seems to be more/mostly about the political issues instead of the sports figure or his specific situation, the thread is usually closed.

Rule #8

We prefer self-restraint and/or modesty when making jokes or off topic comments in a sports discussion thread. They can be fun, but sometimes they derail or distract from a topic, and we don't want to see that happen. If we feel it is a problem, we will either delete or move those posts from the thread.

Rule #9

Generally speaking, we try to be a "PG-13" rated board, and we don't want to see sexual content or similarly suggestive content. Vulgarity is a more muddled issue, though again we prefer things to lean more towards "PG-13" than "R". If we feel things have gone too far, we will step in.

Rule #10

We like small signatures, not big signatures. The bigger the signature, the more likely it is an annoying or distracting signature.

Rule #11

Do not advertise anything without talking about it with the administrators first. This includes advertising with your signature, with your avatar, through private messaging, and/or by making a thread or post.
See more
See less

Monday articles out of Detroit

Collapse
X
Collapse
 
  • Page of 2
  • Filter
  • Time
  • Show
Clear All
new posts
Previous 1 2 template Next
  • #1

    Monday articles out of Detroit

    Interesting comments by Tinsley


    http://www.freep.com/sports/pistons/...e_20050516.htm
    May 16, 2005






    BY CHRIS NELSEN
    FREE PRESS SPECIAL WRITER



    INDIANAPOLIS -- Carlos Arroyo didn't know if he was ever going to get off the bench again after not playing in the past two games.


    But coach Larry Brown called the point guard's number late in the first quarter of the Pistons' 89-76 Game 4 victory over the Pacers on Sunday.


    "Obviously, he was ready for it," Pistons forward Tayshaun Prince said.


    Arroyo took advantage of the opportunity and gave a lacking Detroit bench some life. He had two points, four assists and one steal in 12 minutes.


    "It feels good because the last couple of games I thought I was going to be called, but it didn't happen," Arroyo said.


    Said Prince: "He really shared the ball for us when he came in, and we needed that."


    Arroyo hadn't played in the series since Game 1, when he played nine minutes, though almost four came late in the fourth quarter when the Pistons had a big lead.


    Brown has been reluctant to play Arroyo partly because of his defense.


    But Arroyo held his own against the Pacers and guard Jamaal Tinsley.


    "We tried to contain him from going to the basket, but I think today was one of those days that we contained almost everybody," Arroyo said.


    Arroyo's contribution was important because it allowed starter Chauncey Billups to stay fresh. Billups, who had his best game of the series with 29 points, was happy to see Arroyo get some minutes.


    "I thought Carlos was great. I'm just glad that Coach gave him an opportunity in a series like this," Billups said. "I'm looking forward to him getting another opportunity again in the next game."


    If Arroyo can have more success, that would give the Pistons two solid backup options for Billups and Richard Hamilton (Lindsey Hunter already is a solid defensive contributor).


    Arroyo hopes he has earned Brown's trust.


    "It's up to him if he trusts me or not," Arroyo said. "I trust myself when I'm out there, and hopefully he sees that. I want to play, but my job is to stay ready as a professional and I understand that this is a team of sacrifices."


    TINSLEY STRUGGLES: Tinsley's ability to consistently dribble inside on the Pistons helped the Pacers win two straight games. But in Game 4, the Pistons finally solved him, holding him to one assist and forcing him into seven turnovers.


    "They were looking for me to pass more," Tinsley said. "They were playing the passing lane and deflecting my balls. They had the wings crowded more so I can't throw the direct pass. I give them credit; they came out with a game plan, and they stuck with it. I'm going to have nights like this, but it isn't going to be too many nights, so I'm not worrying."


    FOSTER TONED DOWN: After three games, center Jeff Foster was the Pacers' MVP. But he did not make his presence felt Sunday. Foster had 45 rebounds in the first three games, but just one in Game 4, along with three points in 12 minutes. "When we got behind we went small and he had to come off the floor," coach Rick Carlisle said.


    ALL MENTAL: When asked about his sore right calf, Hamilton said: "It's 100% mentally. I'm going out there with that mentality."


    After a big Game 1, Hamilton has struggled shooting in the past three games. He made six of 16 shots for the second straight game and had 13 points and seven assists.


    "It felt better in the second half (of Game 3) when I took the wrap off," Hamilton said before Game 4. "So I'm going out there raw today. I'm not going to wear anything."


    TIRED PRINCE: Prince asked for a break once during Game 3. But after that, Brown said Prince told him he was fine.


    Prince looked tired down the stretch in Game 3, playing all but two minutes and scoring just nine points. In Game 4, he played all but eight minutes and scored just seven. Brown said he would monitor Prince's situation and might be inclined to give Ronald Dupree or Darvin Ham some minutes.


    NOTEBOOK: Prince was pleased with the defense on Jermaine O'Neal.


    In his last two games O'Neal, the Pacers' All-Star, is 6-for-26 from the field. Reggie Miller and O'Neal combined for just 17 points in Game 4, while Stephen Jackson had 23.


    "Obviously in an ideal world, it would be great if all three of us could score 20 points a game," Miller said. "We're playing a great defensive team in Detroit and they're going to shut down one, maybe two, of us." ...


    One series ago, the Pacers stole Game 2 in Boston and had a 2-1 series lead against the Celtics heading into Game 4 at home -- only to get blown out by 31 points. Sunday's loss to the Pistons in Game 4 was eerily similar.


    "It was a tough loss for us," Tinsley said. "We could have competed more."


    Free Press sports writers Perry A. Farrell and Helene St. James
    Tags: None
  • #2
    Re: Monday articles out of Detroit

    http://www.freep.com/sports/pistons/...e_20050516.htm

    O'Neal off the mark -- again

    May 16, 2005






    BY HELENE ST. JAMES
    FREE PRESS SPORTS WRITER



    INDIANAPOLIS -- This is what almost $15 million is buying the Indiana Pacers in the playoffs -- plenty of rebounding but lots of air balls.


    About 40 hours after he sat in the interview room at Conseco Fieldhouse and lamented his performance in Game 3, forward Jermaine O'Neal was back to explain his Game 4 failure.


    O'Neal, whose $14.8-million annual salary is tied for fifth-highest in the NBA, shot 4-for-15 in Sunday's 89-76 loss to the Pistons.


    "I played bad," said O'Neal, who played 38 minutes. "I was terrible tonight. I was out there, I played, couldn't do anything right. I just didn't make them. I had quite a few wide-open shots, but it was just that type of night for me. Sometimes you have those type of games, and for me it was tonight."


    Actually, it was Sunday, it was last Friday, and it was Game 1. O'Neal is 6-for-26 the past two games and 24-for-73 (32.9%) in the series. The only game in which he displayed his All-Star skills was Game 2, when he carried his teammates with an outstanding second half.


    O'Neal is playing with a sore right shoulder, but he refused to use that as an excuse, saying he was fine. Yet the facts hint otherwise.


    O'Neal led the team during the regular season with 24.3 points per game, but he has averaged 15.5 in this series, 9.0 the past two games. His 13 rebounds Sunday -- five offensive -- marked his series high, giving him 36 over four games.


    While rebounding helps, it's offense the Pacers need from O'Neal. He started Sunday 0-for-6, and didn't make his second field goal until the third quarter.


    "I have to get him better shots," point guard Jamaal Tinsley said.


    Coach Rick Carlisle shouldered the blame, too.


    "As the coach, I have to do some things to get him some better shots," Carlisle said.


    "It's not easy because Detroit is a great defensive team and -- as you get deeper into a series -- it makes it hard on both teams.


    "I'm encouraged by the fact he's not played his best and we still had it to six in the third quarter."


    The Pacers got that close after O'Neal made two free throws, but then, when they needed him most, this is what O'Neal did:


    He didn't stop Antonio McDyess from making a turnaround jump shot, and he missed the basket from four feet away.


    O'Neal's primary assignment, Rasheed Wallace, torched him for 17 points, outscoring O'Neal, 10-2, in the first half.


    The contrast between those players was all the more poignant for what each said after Game 3. Wallace promised the series would be tied at 2. Besides his 17 points, he had 12 rebounds and five blocked shots.


    O'Neal didn't so much promise as protest, saying he was pretty sure he would not come out and go 2-for-11 again. But he nearly did just that, and it's a performance the Pacers can't afford from him.


    Contact HELENE ST. JAMES at 313-222-2295 or stjames@freepress.com.

    Comment

    • #3
      Re: Monday articles out of Detroit

      http://www.freep.com/sports/pistons/...e_20050516.htm

      TWO CENTS WORTH

      May 16, 2005







      •So it's all even coming home. Or you could say -- sorry, Rick Carlisle, we know you said you didn't want to hear it -- it's a push.


      DO IT THE YODA WAY


      Did you catch the halftime show during the Pistons-Pacers game Sunday? ABC ran an "NBA Minute"/"Revenge of the Sith" promo with actor Samuel L. Jackson comparing "Star Wars" and NBA characters.


      Such as: "The Yoda of the NBA is Larry Brown. He's probably going to be on a walking stick, according to him, pretty soon, and he does get all the kudos from everybody around him for being the most knowledgeable guy in the league."


      Yeah, but L.B. is a little taller.


      Jackson also compared Rip Hamilton's and Darth Vader's masks, but decided Darth's is scarier.


      USE THE FORCE, LARRY


      Speaking of Yoda, he doesn't work alone, you know.


      Maybe the Pistons could use a little help remembering the right way to another Larry O'Brien Trophy. Maybe Larry Brown should tap into the Tao of Larry and ask, like, what would other Larrys do:


      •Larry Flynt: Hustle! The Pistons' slogan isn't go to work every other night, is it?


      •Larry Bird: What, hire Rick Carlisle?


      •Larry King: Throw it out to the callers. Joe from Auburn Hills, what do you think the Pistons should do?


      •Larry Holmes: Defend a title? He did it successfully 20 times.


      •Larry Fine: You know, the Three Stooges, the one with sort of a 'Fro. Then again, he wasn't very good at getting the Mo' to shift to his side.


      •Larry (Bud) Melman: He was the little guy in a suit and glasses -- or are we thinking of Larry (Bud) Brown?


      •Larry David: Curb your enthusiasm. Remember, it's still 2-2.


      •Larry the Cable Guy: Git-R-Done!


      WALTON WIGS OUT


      ABC's crew -- including ex-Piston Grant Hill -- had a few pregame moments, too:


      •Analyst Bill Walton, on complaints about the refereeing: "Enough of the whining. Enough of the excuse-making. Let's start playing some basketball. And that's what the Pacers are doing and the Pistons are not."


      •Walton, after almost any statement by the other panelists: "I disagree with that."


      •Host Mike Tirico, as Walton closed the show wearing a huge Afro wig: "I'm sure Coach Wooden's so proud watching you right now."


      KNOW YOUR NEXT FOE


      And that would be the Miami Heat, if the Pistons do move on.


      Shaquille O'Neal's stand-in, Alonzo Mourning -- the only player on the roster who was there -- was recalling the Heat's last trip to the conference finals.


      "It was so damn long ago," he told the Miami Herald. "When was it, '97? We had to play against Chicago, but I think it's wide open. We're not facing a Chicago Bulls team. Michael's retired, and he's not coming back, so I think the opportunity is great for us, especially because we have a little bit of time to get the Big Fella rested.


      "If we get him back in the swing of things, with everybody playing the way that they're playing off the bench, oh my goodness. It's going to be tough to stop us."


      PRESS CLIPPINGS


      Bob Kravitz, Indianapolis Star, writing before Sunday's game: Oh, and one more thing: Reggie Miller is now saying that today's game is the "biggest in franchise history." This officially marks the 12th time in Miller's 18 years that he has proclaimed the next game to be the "biggest in franchise history."


      BOTTOM LINE


      •Seattle guard Ray Allen, on San Antonio guard Bruce Bowen's clutching-and-grabbing style: "Asking him why he plays that way is like asking Shaq why he dunks on people. That's what he does. That's how he plays. That's what he gets away with. ... That's what they put him out on the floor to do, because he doesn't have an effect otherwise."

      Comment

      • #4
        Re: Monday articles out of Detroit

        http://www.freep.com/sports/drewshar...e_20050516.htm


        DREW SHARP: Rasheed proves good as his word

        But while Pistons toil, Heat, and Shaq, chill
        May 16, 2005







        BY DREW SHARP
        FREE PRESS COLUMNIST



        INDIANAPOLIS -- They can pat themselves on the back until they break their shoulder blades, but the Pistons should hold the self-applause, cup their ears toward South Beach and listen to the sounds of a sleeping bear slowly stirring.


        It's not about Indiana. Never has been. They're playing the Pacers, but they're bracing for the approaching Heat.


        It's all about Miami and the Eastern Conference championship confrontation everyone has eagerly anticipated since the Lakers shipped out Shaquille O'Neal. And the longer the Pistons take to dispose of the Pacers, the greater the task becomes when a truly deserving opponent emerges.


        It was time for re-establishing the swagger of the predatory champion -- seeking out the weak and quickly destroying them -- an attitude that doesn't exist without Rasheed Wallace.


        He backed up another guarantee, replacing words with the actions strangely absent in the Pistons' consecutive losses to Indiana last week.


        "I'm the megaphone on the team," the Great Prognosticator said. "I'll say what other people feel, and the other guys responded."


        No, it was he who responded, emerging from a passive slumber, demanding the ball on the low block and redirecting shots when the Pacers dared challenge him.


        "Rasheed would be the first to say that his team backed him up," Pistons coach Larry Brown said. "He's a great teammate and was taking all the blame for us losing after Games 2 and 3."


        He deserved a sizable chunk of the culpability. Watching Wallace in those games evoked grainy playoff memories of Sergei Fedorov. Each is notorious for aimlessly floating, bottling up his immense skills. It's as though he's awaiting a special invitation to become involved.


        Wallace had 17 points, 12 rebounds and five blocked shots Sunday. What's more, only three of his 20 shots were beyond the three-point arc -- his safe haven in those times of latent aggressiveness.


        He has to be the difference-maker if the Pistons are to retain their crown, but until Sunday Wallace was more "Why?" than X-factor.


        "I was worth two cents last game," he said. "I couldn't make a shot to save my life."


        This "guaran-Sheed" victory lacked the boldness of last year's declaration before Game 2 of the Eastern Conference finals. There were doubts last year whether the Pistons were the better team, but there are no similar concerns this time. Indiana has played only three pretty good quarters of basketball, yet this series is tied at 2-all.


        Lose this one, and the Pistons could pretty much kiss good-bye a successful defense of their crown.


        A 3-1 series deficit wouldn't have been insurmountable, especially with two of the three final games on the Pistons' floor. But the primary goal has never been about getting past their divisional nemesis, and the physical and emotional expenditure necessary for winning the last three games would sap reserves needed against more challenging competition.


        Shaq now gets a minimum of one week to further rest a bruised thigh -- after already missing Games 3 and 4 on the road against Washington, both Miami wins.


        And now this series is going longer than necessary.


        The Pistons regained their dominance, reeling off runs of 19-1 in the first quarter and 16-2 in the third quarter. Each time the Pacers mounted a marginal comeback, the Pistons flexed their muscle and their will, and the Pacers meekly relented.


        "I know the character and heart of the guys in the locker room," Wallace said. "It was answering the bell. ... I wouldn't necessarily say that we were losing focus. They were the better team. They were getting to the loose balls. It's still a series. It's still a series."


        No, it isn't, because the Pistons are finally taking matters seriously.


        The ever-present title belt sat perched atop Wallace's cubicle. The name Roscoe is etched across its front. It's the nickname that former Portland teammate Walt Williams gave him many moons ago.


        It's there for all to see, but Wallace insists his motivation comes from the pictures that grace the walls of the Pistons' practice facility -- pictures of Detroit winning it all last season -- a constant reminder of the only objective that matters.


        "It's the first and the last thing that we see," he said. "That's what inspires me. That's what this is all about."


        And their lazy approach against a clearly overmatched team might just cost them that goal. They finally got the message that they should get past the Pacers.


        But that was never the big prize.


        Contact DREW SHARP at 313-223-4055 or dsharp@freepress.com.

        Comment

        • #5
          Re: Monday articles out of Detroit

          http://www.freep.com/sports/pistons/...e_20050516.htm


          MITCH ALBOM: Billups makes his points with actions, not words

          May 16, 2005






          BY MITCH ALBOM
          FREE PRESS COLUMNIST



          INDIANAPOLIS -- When you absolutely, positively have to win a game, it's nice to have your opponents shoot like trash-can drummers on the streets in New York. You know, clank, clank, thump, thump? The Pacers saw the bottom of the net Sunday about as often as Bill Gates sees a phone bill, and their futility was all over the scoreboard.


          They scraped 13 points in the first quarter, barely broke 20 halfway through the second, didn't reach 50 until near the end of the third, and after that, who cared? Reggie Miller didn't have a point in the first half. Jermaine O'Neal missed nine of his first 10 shots. Jeff Foster, the miracle man off the bench, played more like the bench Sunday, a wooden performance, one basket, one rebound.


          Still, when you absolutely, positively have to win a game, you don't want to wait for the other guys to stink the place up. You want to make things happen.


          Enter Chauncey Billups.


          Twenty-nine points, six assists and two steals later, the game is won.


          "I can't believe he hasn't been an All Star," gushed Pacers coach Rick Carlisle after the game was sealed, and the Pistons had tied the series at two games apiece. "I'm a big fan. He's a great player."


          And Carlisle coaches the other guys.


          Now remember, Billups had been shooting only 38 percent in this series, was fairly bleak from three-point range, and had been outplayed by Indiana's Jamaal Tinsley in the depressing Game 3 upset. It was time for the point guard to, well, be the point guard.


          He did it, right from the start.


          When they absolutely, positively had to have it.



          Chauncey takes charge from the start

          He hit a reverse lay-up, then a fast-break lay-up. He hit a nine-foot jumper. He fed Ben Wallace for a dunk. He stole the ball and fed Rasheed Wallace for a slam. By the end of the first quarter, Billups had nine points and three assists, and the Pistons never looked back.


          "I wanted to come out aggressive," Billups said. "I think our aggressiveness dictated the game, and my team followed me."


          Indeed they did. Make no mistake. Rasheed may have verbally guaranteed this win (which was kind of unfair, because he did it in response to a reporter's question, which isn't quite the same thing as shouting it from a mountaintop), but words are words, and action is action.


          Chauncey provided the action.


          Never more than in the third quarter, the only time Indiana made any serious run. Rasheed had mouthed off after a foul, had drawn a technical, and Indiana's free throws cut a lead that had once been 17 points all the way down to six. The crowd was back into it. The ThunderStix were pounding.


          But there was Billups, once again, racing upcourt with Rip Hamilton on a fast break, laying the ball in. There he was pushing the ball and drawing a foul and making both free throws. There he was stepping back into a long jumper, 23 feet, all net.


          He scored seven points in less than two minutes.


          Say good night.


          "Chauncey put his stamp on the game," Carlisle said of that stretch. "And that was really the last time we were in it."



          As the point guards go ...
          Watching this series -- at least the games the Pistons win -- you wonder why it is tied. Detroit seems to have more tools, more reliable shooters, and a more solid starting five.


          But from the outset, we said these two teams are mirror images of each other, and one of the things that is the same for both is that when the shooting is off, the team generally loses, and when the point guard plays well, the team generally wins.


          Tinsley proved that in Game 3.


          Billups proved it in Game 4.


          Someone asked Billups after the game if playing the point for Larry Brown -- who is notoriously hard on men at that position -- had gotten any easier.


          "Never," he said, laughing. "It never gets easy. He's relentless, man. ... There are times when I go home and I'm not very happy with him, and times he goes home and he's not very happy with me.


          "But I love him to death. He's never gonna let up. He holds your feet to the fire."


          Funny, that's what Billups did to the Pacers.


          It's all tied up, they're coming back to the Palace, and as Billups noted, it's a three-game series with two games in Detroit.


          Who knows what Tuesday brings? This thing has already taken some unusual turns. But this doesn't change: When you absolutely, positively have to have the game, you want the guy wearing No. 1 to act like his number.


          Oh, and if the other team wants to shoot like amateurs, you'll take that, too.


          Contact MITCH ALBOM at 313-223-4581 or albom@freepress.com. Catch "The Mitch Albom Show" 3-6 p.m. weekdays on WJR-AM (760). Also catch "Monday Sports Albom" 7-8 p.m. Mondays on WJR. To read recent columns by Albom, go to www.freep.com/index/albom.

          Comment

          • #6
            Re: Monday articles out of Detroit

            ROAD RAGE: Pistons get aggressive, back up Rasheed

            May 16, 2005






            BY PERRY A. FARRELL
            FREE PRESS SPORTS WRITER



            INDIANAPOLIS -- Rasheed Wallace said the Pistons would return to Detroit with their Eastern Conference semifinal series tied, 2-2.


            And he did his part Sunday to make sure that happened.


            Wallace had his best game of the series, getting 17 points, 12 rebounds and five blocked shots and helping the Pistons to the predicted victory over the Pacers at Conseco Fieldhouse, 89-76.


            "I know the character and the heart of the guys in our locker room," Wallace said. "It was answering the bell. We knew we couldn't go down, 3-1, to this team, so we had to come out and answer that bell. ... It's still a series."


            Game 5 in the best-of-seven series is 7 p.m. Tuesday at the Palace.


            Chauncey Billups also had his best scoring game of the series with 29 points on 10-of-20 shooting. He said he liked that Wallace predicted the Pistons' victory.


            "He puts a lot of pressure on himself and you know he's going to come out with his top effort," Billups said. "That was just a little added incentive. We knew that it was a crucial game for us, but his comments just added a little bit. We just tried to stay aggressive."


            Detroit scored 25 points off 19 Pacers turnovers. Billups helped force Jamaal Tinsley into seven turnovers.


            "Rasheed would be the first to say that his team backed him up," Pistons coach Larry Brown said. "He's a great teammate and was taking all the blame for us losing after Games 2 and 3."


            Wallace also locked up the Pacers' Jermaine O'Neal, who had his second straight bad shooting game. O'Neal scored 10 points on just 4-of-15 shooting. He pulled down 13 rebounds.


            O'Neal said Wallace was aggressive. "He came out and hit some pick-and-pops," O'Neal said. "He was 8-of-20 and I thought he tired late."


            O'Neal was 2-for-11 in Game 3. "I just didn't make them," he said of Sunday's game. "I played bad. I was terrible tonight. I stunk the gym up.


            "Sometimes you have those type of games, and for me it was tonight. We felt good about our shots. We took a lot of shots. It just didn't fall for us. We weren't able to make the shots we had."


            The Pacers were 26-of-70 from the field (37.1%).


            "Tonight we had some great looks, Jermaine and myself, and we just didn't make them," said the Pacers' Reggie Miller, who was 2-of-6 and scored just seven points.


            Three Pistons reached double figures in rebounding -- Wallace led the way with his 12, and Ben Wallace and Tayshaun Prince each added 10. Detroit had a 47-41 edge on the boards.


            Antonio McDyess added six rebounds and scored 12 points. He left the game with 10:29 to play and got two stitches for a cut below his right eye, courtesy of an Anthony Johnson head-butt. He returned to the bench before the end of the game.


            As for backing up Rasheed Wallace's victory guarantee, McDyess said: "We didn't want him to be a liar. I think we did a tremendous job. ... I tried to get hustle plays and baskets when we needed them."


            The Pistons set the defensive tone early, hounding the Pacers into 13 straight misses during an eight-minute stretch in the first quarter. Detroit jumped out to a 21-13 lead, and Indiana was forced to play catch-up for the remainder of the game.


            The Pacers went on an 8-0 run during the third quarter -- a stretch in which Rasheed Wallace was called for a technical foul and Indiana closed its deficit to 56-50.


            But the Pistons responded with a 16-2 run in the next five minutes, using a triple from Prince to take a 20-point lead, 72-52. Billups added seven points during the run.


            "Give Detroit a lot of credit," Pacers coach Rick Carlisle said. "They really raised the level of their game. We knew they would play a great game and we knew they would play their best and they did."


            Contact PERRY A. FARRELL at 313-222-2555 o

            http://www.freep.com/sports/pistons/...e_20050516.htm

            Comment

            • #7
              Re: Monday articles out of Detroit

              [QUOTE=Unclebuck]http://www.freep.com/sports/pistons/...e_20050516.htm



              Bob Kravitz, Indianapolis Star, writing before Sunday's game: Oh, and one more thing: Reggie Miller is now saying that today's game is the "biggest in franchise history." This officially marks the 12th time in Miller's 18 years that he has proclaimed the next game to be the "biggest in franchise history."


              QUOTE]

              What's up w/Kravitz? Why call out Reggie for that statement? As if we don't get enough abuse from the Detroit media, our own Indy writers bash our players. Wake up! Game 4 IS A BIG GAME!! What a jerk.
              Dallas Clark>Tony Gonzalez

              Comment

              • #8
                Re: Monday articles out of Detroit

                It is amazing to compare the columns written by Mitch Album and Drew Sharp.

                Album is a great writer and his column makes a lot of good points and is just fun to read. Drew Sharp is just trash. He is shockingly bad.

                Comment

                • #9
                  Re: Monday articles out of Detroit

                  Originally posted by Unclebuck
                  It is amazing to compare the columns written by Mitch Album and Drew Sharp.

                  Album is a great writer and his column makes a lot of good points and is just fun to read. Drew Sharp is just trash. He is shockingly bad.
                  I don't mean to pick on you, UB, but wow.


                  Just ... you know ...

                  Wow.
                  “Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts.” - Winston Churchill

                  “If you can't be a good example, then you'll just have to serve as a horrible warning.” - Catherine Aird

                  Comment

                  • #10
                    Re: Monday articles out of Detroit

                    Man, some of those articles really rub me the wrong way with their underlying conceeded, "we're better than you" attitude. The stuff about "The Pacers are paying $15 million for a guy shooting nothing but airballs", and "It's all about playing Miami next round...".

                    Doesn't really surprise me though...most Piston fans I know share a similar attitude.

                    Comment

                    • #11
                      Re: Monday articles out of Detroit

                      Amazing how much time was spent in a couple of those articles talking about the Heat.

                      This series is as much soap opera as basketball - we'll see if the Pistons can back up yesterday on Tuesday. I still don't get the sense they take the Pacers quite as seriously as they should.
                      The poster formerly known as Rimfire

                      Comment

                      • #12
                        Re: Monday articles out of Detroit

                        Originally posted by DisplacedKnick
                        This series is as much soap opera as basketball - we'll see if the Pistons can back up yesterday on Tuesday. I still don't get the sense they take the Pacers quite as seriously as they should.
                        I agree, thats why I believe we are going to win the series.

                        Comment

                        • #13
                          Re: Monday articles out of Detroit

                          Originally posted by Los Angeles
                          I don't mean to pick on you, UB, but wow.


                          Just ... you know ...

                          Wow.

                          Sorry. Of course you had to quote it so I can't correct my errors.

                          Comment

                          • #14
                            Re: Monday articles out of Detroit

                            Originally posted by Unclebuck
                            Interesting comments by Tinsley


                            http://www.freep.com/sports/pistons/...e_20050516.htm
                            May 16, 2005






                            BY CHRIS NELSEN
                            FREE PRESS SPECIAL WRITER



                            INDIANAPOLIS -- Carlos Arroyo didn't know if he was ever going to get off the bench again after not playing in the past two games.


                            But coach Larry Brown called the point guard's number late in the first quarter of the Pistons' 89-76 Game 4 victory over the Pacers on Sunday.


                            "Obviously, he was ready for it," Pistons forward Tayshaun Prince said.


                            Arroyo took advantage of the opportunity and gave a lacking Detroit bench some life. He had two points, four assists and one steal in 12 minutes.


                            "It feels good because the last couple of games I thought I was going to be called, but it didn't happen," Arroyo said.


                            Said Prince: "He really shared the ball for us when he came in, and we needed that."


                            Arroyo hadn't played in the series since Game 1, when he played nine minutes, though almost four came late in the fourth quarter when the Pistons had a big lead.


                            Brown has been reluctant to play Arroyo partly because of his defense.


                            But Arroyo held his own against the Pacers and guard Jamaal Tinsley.


                            "We tried to contain him from going to the basket, but I think today was one of those days that we contained almost everybody," Arroyo said.


                            Arroyo's contribution was important because it allowed starter Chauncey Billups to stay fresh. Billups, who had his best game of the series with 29 points, was happy to see Arroyo get some minutes.


                            "I thought Carlos was great. I'm just glad that Coach gave him an opportunity in a series like this," Billups said. "I'm looking forward to him getting another opportunity again in the next game."


                            If Arroyo can have more success, that would give the Pistons two solid backup options for Billups and Richard Hamilton (Lindsey Hunter already is a solid defensive contributor).


                            Arroyo hopes he has earned Brown's trust.


                            "It's up to him if he trusts me or not," Arroyo said. "I trust myself when I'm out there, and hopefully he sees that. I want to play, but my job is to stay ready as a professional and I understand that this is a team of sacrifices."


                            TINSLEY STRUGGLES: Tinsley's ability to consistently dribble inside on the Pistons helped the Pacers win two straight games. But in Game 4, the Pistons finally solved him, holding him to one assist and forcing him into seven turnovers.


                            "They were looking for me to pass more," Tinsley said. "They were playing the passing lane and deflecting my balls. They had the wings crowded more so I can't throw the direct pass. I give them credit; they came out with a game plan, and they stuck with it. I'm going to have nights like this, but it isn't going to be too many nights, so I'm not worrying."



                            Well no wonder JT had such a bad game! If somebodies out ther deflecting my balls I ain't gonna play too well either!!
                            Ever notice how friendly folks are at a shootin' range??.

                            Comment

                            • #15
                              Re: Monday articles out of Detroit

                              Originally posted by Unclebuck
                              Sorry. Of course you had to quote it so I can't correct my errors.
                              “Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts.” - Winston Churchill

                              “If you can't be a good example, then you'll just have to serve as a horrible warning.” - Catherine Aird

                              Comment

                              Previous 1 2 template Next
                              Working...
                              X