Official Detroit Pistons thread

[froot loops]

The thing about trying to put the best team together is not realistic. The NBA season just ended, a lot of players declined to come. You have a couple perennial all stars and a grab bag of players who were thrown together because the league just ended.

Their two centers are Bam Adebayo and Javale McGee. Good gravy.

[froot loops]

Happens when you shoot too many 3s. They went from being up 8 to losing by as many from shooting 3s. Even open, it is a lower percentage shot.

France shot 27 threes and the US shot 32, France shot 35 two point shots and the US shot 37 two point shots. The facts should at least somewhat fit your narrative.

[Futureshock]

France shot 27 threes and the US shot 32, France shot 35 two point shots and the US shot 37 two point shots. The facts should at least somewhat fit your narrative.

Percentages? 4th quarter %?

[Futureshock]

The thing about trying to put the best team together is not realistic. The NBA season just ended, a lot of players declined to come. You have a couple perennial all stars and a grab bag of players who were thrown together because the league just ended.

Their two centers are Bam Adebayo and Javale McGee. Good gravy.

Love McGee, as I grew up with his mom and aunt, but we couldn't find anyone better?

[froot loops]

No, that's the problem. They also had Kevin Love on the roster, he hasn't done a thing in three years. Saddiq Bey was on the reserve roster and filled in during the exhibition games. That author thinks he is being profound by saying you can't just assemble an All Star team and roll out the ball. There are two problems with that, it isn't an All Star team and when the season ends on a Wednesday you pretty much just have to throw a roster together and hope for the best. It's not an ideal situation. You are picking from a batch of people willing to go.

[Futureshock]

You assume they were going to hit the open 2s, they missed a lot of open 2 pointers in the 4th. They missed them at the bucket. Holiday had a couple takes at the rim where he just flat out missed them, he was better from 3 than he was from 2.

Fournier was the difference in the game. If he doesn't hit the shots in the 4th, the game is over. It's like you are trying to fit a narrative about post play off of this game. Like that one game was more important than Gobert getting exposed by the Clippers small ball lineup.

They played Draymond 21 minutes and they didn't run pick and rolls, he is as useful as Ben Wallace offensively if you don't run those.

https://www.espn.com/mens-olympics-basketball/matchup?gameId=401344325

Well, I do since it is a higher percentage shot right? I also think not having a guard trying to defend a 7 footer would help with rebounding. They killed us on the boards 42 - 36.

They outshot us 46.8% - 36.2% even though we outshot them from Three, 31.3% - 29.6%. The difference, for the winners, was not jacking up 3s

[Futureshock]

No, that's the problem. They also had Kevin Love on the roster, he hasn't done a thing in three years. Saddiq Bey was on the reserve roster and filled in during the exhibition games. That author thinks he is being profound by saying you can't just assemble an All Star team and roll out the ball. There are two problems with that, it isn't an All Star team and when the season ends on a Wednesday you pretty much just have to throw a roster together and hope for the best. It's not an ideal situation. You are picking from a batch of people willing to go.

True but Popovich isn't a flexible guy. After 2 years of scouting France this is the game plan?

We can gripe about the players, but we have more collective talent then any other team. It is not as substantial as it was with the first dream team. But it is enough if they're out in position to be successful. Popovich blaming the players is surprising and a loser's lament. Finger pointing never won anyone anything.

[froot loops]

Since the Levine three they didn't hit a shot from the field. They missed two point blank twos from Adebayo and Levine. The two most important shots France hit were threes from Fournier and Batum.

Batum's three closed it to a 4 point lead and Fournier's gave them the lead. Since Lavine's three the US went 0-6 from beyond the arc and France went 2-3. Those two were the most important buckets, aka they won by jacking up a couole of threes.

Of the 0-6 from three in the last 3 minutes. Two of them were when they were down 7 with 4 seconds left. I'm sure you are mad they passed up 2 point baskets then as well.

[froot loops]

True but Popovich isn't a flexible guy. After 2 years of scouting France this is the game plan?

We can gripe about the players, but we have more collective talent then any other team. It is not as substantial as it was with the first dream team. But it is enough if they're out in position to be successful. Popovich blaming the players is surprising and a loser's lament. Finger pointing never won anyone anything.

It's not a great team, it has one superlative player in Durant. Lilliard is probably the second best player. Most of the other non-Finals players are hit and miss. The fact that they had to rely on two guys who didn't practice with the team and came in jet lagged shows you how lacking the roster is.

You act like there is some game plan that is preferable, I'm sure they'll make changes but this is what they have. If Durant doesn't carry them, they won't win.

[Futureshock]

Since the Levine three they didn't hit a shot from the field. They missed two point blank twos from Adebayo and Levine. The two most important shots France hit were threes from Fournier and Batum.

Batum's three closed it to a 4 point lead and Fournier's gave them the lead. Since Lavine's three the US went 0-6 from beyond the arc and France went 2-3. Those two were the most important buckets, aka they won by jacking up a couole of threes.

Of the 0-6 from three in the last 3 minutes. Two of them were when they were down 7 with 4 seconds left. I'm sure you are mad they passed up 2 point baskets then as well.

IF they go 50% on 6 - 2s that equals 2 Threes right? They pannicked. The game isn't won at the three. It's usually lost.

The fact they were actually hitting shots were why they made shots at the end. The shots could have been 2s (for them) and they still would have won. The US actually hit more 3s and shot better from there.

How do you ignore the fact they out shot the US 46% to 36%. 36% is awful. Even from 3.

So, you good with Liliard guarding Goebert? THEY didn't need threes. They could have hit 1 and won the game.

[Futureshock]

It's not a great team, it has one superlative player in Durant. Lilliard is probably the second best player. Most of the other non-Finals players are hit and miss. The fact that they had to rely on two guys who didn't practice with the team and came in jet lagged shows you how lacking the roster is.

You act like there is some game plan that is preferable, I'm sure they'll make changes but this is what they have. If Durant doesn't carry them, they won't win.

You act like it's Durant and a bunch of guys from the H League. They're talented enough. The weird composition is somewhat of a hurdle, but they need to press the difference on the offensive end.

Coaching. I think there's more to it then just rolling the ball out there. We still have the most talented team. Coaching will have to be the difference because the talent disparity just isn't there. But there is enough talent there to win the gold. If coached right.

[froot loops]

If Adebayo and Levine hit their point blank shots, they win the game. It doesn't even matter if France hits their game winning threes.

Again of this 0-6, two of them came down 7 with 4 seconds left. I don't consider Durant shooting wide open threes to be panicking. When that famous 3 against Cleveland in the JR Smith game, he passed up driving to the bucket on a fast break for a 27 foot three that he swished. I didn't consider that to be a panic, they will only go as far as he takes them.

[froot loops]

Of course there is more to coaching than rolling out the ball, but that means you have to have practice. They didn't have the practice time, they have a subpar roster that is light on big men and point guards. France hit their threes and the US missed theirs. You are desperately trying to work it back to post play when in reality, its just a loss by a flawed team that went cold. We have seen throughout the years that the US can get tripped up by roster and continuity issues, this is one of those times and it is going to be an issue for this tournament.

[froot loops]

And the point about Lilliard getting switched into Gobert is the problem you face when going small and specifically when you have Lilliard as your second best player. Lilliard is a great offensive player but he can be exposed defensively.

When to switch, when to go under or over is things that take lots and lots of practice time. It's not like Pop can bark a few commands in the huddle and everything will be straight defensively.

[Futureshock]

If Adebayo and Levine hit their point blank shots, they win the game. It doesn't even matter if France hits their game winning threes.

Again of this 0-6, two of them came down 7 with 4 seconds left. I don't consider Durant shooting wide open threes to be panicking. When that famous 3 against Cleveland in the JR Smith game, he passed up driving to the bucket on a fast break for a 27 foot three that he swished. I didn't consider that to be a panic, they will only go as far as he takes them.

There were a lot of possessions before they got in that position. If they just continued to do what got them the lead they would have been okay. But they started hoisting threes and contested shots.

The guys just added looked so. So I get your point. But a simple zone thrown in there for a couple of possessions would have been enough to get them out of their rhythm. Before you go there, no it would not have been enough, but it may have been enough to keep the Batuums (Or whatever the hales his name is) from hitting wide open shots.

Say what you want, but France had a better plan and executed better. France does have continuity but they aren't better.

The players know. That's why there's an issue brewing about running the drab SA offense. That offense and defense sux. Has Popovich won since Duncan retired?