Pistons Breakdown: Detroit the Class of the East

And let's not forget the most important factor making the Pistons a lock for the Conference Finals:

They play in the Eastern Conference.

Why Getting to the NBA Finals Isn’t a Lock

When Flip Saunders stopped calling plays, the team reverted back to simple isolation, post-up basketball.

Despite starting out 6-6 from the field, the Pistons were only shooting 13-34 from the field at one point in the second quarter.

Simple-minded offense has doomed the Pistons the last two postseasons, and will doom them again this year if Saunders doesn’t call more set plays.

While the Piston offense was unselfish and crisp, there was precious little weakside action to force every opposing defender to play defense. In fact, the only time a ball was reversed from one side of the court to the other was when a potential entry pass to the post was successfully denied.

That’s another area of offensive simple-mindedness that will hurt Detroit come playoff time.

Antonio McDyess missed several rotations early, contributing to New Jersey’s shooting over 50 percent from the floor in the first half.

The Pistons starters played with a surprisingly low amount of energy in the first half, perhaps brought about by New Jersey’s lethargic play.

But Detroit’s biggest area of concern is the Boston Celtics.

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