- The Pistons followed their 11-game winning streak with a 1-2 showing against Boston, Dallas, and San Antonio. In the losses to Boston and Dallas, the team seemed to play without the right focus and energy, a problem that has cost them in the playoffs since losing game 7 to the Spurs in the Finals. It comes down to coaching. The Pistons have shown time and again that some nights, they aren’t willing to bring the effort, so the coach has to inspire and motivate the team in such a way that they do bring that determination and energy. For all of his off-court drama, Larry Brown found a way to motivate this team. Flip Saunders hasn’t yet found the right buttons to press, and if he doesn’t figure it out this year, he may not have another chance.
- Specifically in the Dallas game, when Walter Herrmann was defending Dirk Nowitzki so well, why did Flip Saunders go with a different defender in the second half until it was too late? It seems Dirk plays well against taller defenders as he prefers to use speed and quickness to create space. Against smaller, quicker defenders like Steven Jackson, he struggles to dominate them as he isn’t comfortable posting up in the paint.
- Strange game between the Wings and Wild as Minnesota won 6-5 in a shootout. Even though the Wings dominated the shot totals, they gave Minnesota far too many scoring opportunities off bad turnovers. The one problem the Wings have with trying to move the puck quickly out of the defensive zone is that when a skater who isn’t accustomed to starting the break, like Andreas Lilja, has to make a play, he gives up a juicy turnover to the opponent. The Wings need to pick and choose when to break out and when to regroup more carefully. It’s worth sacrificing a few scoring chances to prevent giving the opponent even better chances, especially when you have playmakers like Datsyuk and Zetterberg who can create opportunities out of nothing for both themselves and their teammates.
