It's hard to judge an NBA playoff series from just one game. But after an exciting opening weekend, there are certainly a number of fans already pushing the panic button with their teams down early.
The Washington Wizards have not found a way to stop LeBron James, but at the same time they were ill-equipped to stop his supporting cast in the second game of their series. And while they aren't likely to shoot 37 percent again, or 18 percent from beyond the arc, the Wizards need to find a way to get Caron Butler on track if they want to climb out of their 0-2 hole.
Likewise, the Houston Rockets are down two games to none against the Utah Jazz, though the Rockets have not played terrible basketball. The problem for Houston is twofold: first off, they lost their home-court advantage, and the Jazz are arguably the toughest team in the league to beat at home. On top of that, they have also been hurt by the absence of point guard Rafer Alston, who was having a career year before straining his hamstring toward the end of the regular season.
Still, there is a team that seems to stand above all the others in its worries: the Detroit Pistons. Detroit suffered a shocking 90-86 loss at home Sunday to the Philadelphia 76ers, a team that was just 40-42 in the regular season after a four-game slide at season's end.
For Detroit, the loss is alarming, but it should not have Pistons fans looking for signs of the apocalypse. It should, however, bring into question whether this team has the ability to get back to the NBA Finals.
The Pistons have been known to be lackadaisical at times, and it seems that they entered Game 1 underestimating the Sixers. Detroit did not match the intensity of its opponent down the stretch and let Philadelphia climb back into the game after being down 13 at the half.
The way the Sixers have been playing, it is not entirely shocking that they were able to stay in the game, but there is no way an elite team with the title aspirations of the Pistons should allow a lower seed to come back so dramatically on its own home court.
Detroit is only as good as its backcourt, and the duo of Chauncey Billups and Richard Hamilton was mediocre at best in Game 1. Billups had trouble defending Andre Miller, who had 11 points in the fourth quarter, and even Louis Williams, who hit a huge jumper with three minutes left to give the Sixers a four-point lead. And though Billups had 14 points, half of them came from the charity stripe.
Hamilton struggled mightily as well, which might have been rust from his reduced minutes over the past few weeks. The Pistons rely on his scoring, and he shot a mere 29.4 percent (5 for 17) from the field. The former UConn Husky shot 48 percent during the successful season, showing that Detroit cannot afford another poor performance from him.
Along those lines, Detroit got no offensive production off of its bench from swingmen. Philadelphia head coach Maurice Cheeks started his rookie small forward Thaddeus Young and also gave significant minutes to the young Williams and was rewarded with a combined 19 points and some athleticism that gave Detroit fits. Cheeks knew that his young players got him this far down the stretch, and he didn't waver in pushing them into the playoff atmosphere.
Detroit coach Flip Saunders, on the other hand, did the opposite. Down the stretch he rested his starting five, handing out big minutes to his bench players to gear them up for the postseason. On Sunday, he proceeded to play just one substitute, forward Jason Maxiell, for more than 15 minutes. Maxiell rewarded him with probably the team's best performance of the day, chipping in 12 points and 11 rebounds, including six on the offensive glass. But with Hamilton and Billups struggling, it would have been wise to give rookie Rodney Stuckey a chance to come in provide a punch off the bench or give more minutes to Lindsey Hunter, one of Saunders' most experienced role players.
Of course, Stuckey played just 13 minutes and attempted only one shot. For a rookie who had averaged 14 points in April, it would make sense to see him on the floor. Stuckey should be an important part of his team's arsenal, and if he is going to play he should get the opportunity to be aggressive and try to score. While he may have felt the pressure of his first playoff game, the Pistons' coaching staff has to have some faith in him and realize how vital he could be to their success.
With the struggles of their guards and some uncharacteristic mental mistakes down the stretch, the Pistons essentially gave away the victory, and if that trend continues, Saunders should be legitimately concerned. Many people believe that this game will light a fire under Detroit; however, no team should need extra motivation come playoff time. And while Detroit could easily come back and win the next four games to move into the second round, this loss shows that the Pistons are far from a lock to make a run in the East.
