Pistons Breakdown: Detroit the Class of the East

Though Detroit’s latest 101-83 win came against the scuffling New Jersey Nets, any road victory in the NBA is a cherished one.

With that as a backdrop, the Pistons showed plenty of reasons in New Jersey as to why they’re the class of the Eastern Conference.

Why the Pistons Will Cruise to the Eastern Conference Finals

The Pistons offense showed remarkable balance.

All five starters were given equal opportunity to showcase their scoring abilities, whether it was Antonio McDyess’ midrange jump-shooting, Rasheed Wallace’s reverse-pivot fadeaways, or Chauncey Billups' filthy pull-up jumper.

Only Tayshaun Prince struggled when his number was called, missing several layups. But his unselfishness as a passer (six assists) more than made up for his inability to put the ball in the basket.

The Pistons were unstoppable when running set plays. On three straight third-quarter possessions, Detroit ran Rip Hamilton off a baseline screen before having him pivot and run all the way back around a baseline screen on the other side of the court.

No Nets defender was near Hamilton as he nailed three straight midrange jumpers.

Other impressive play calls involved Prince curling around a mid-paint pick en route to a catch-and-layup, and a nifty give-and-go between McDyess and Hamilton that led to an easy jumper.

When Flip Saunders allowed his charges to iso, post up, or freelance, a number of Pistons made impressive one-on-one plays, including impossible-to-defend fadeaways in the post by Rasheed Wallace, effective screen-rolls by Billups and McDyess, and aggressive attacks on the basket by Jason Maxiell.

Billups was strong and smart. On one possession, a screen left him matched up one-on-one with Sean Williams at the top of the key. Billups drove at him and then away from the basket along the baseline, before pivoting back to the hoop and netting an un-blockable reverse layup.

Billups also showed great timing when going up for layups in traffic, knowing when and how to avoid blocked shots.

The Piston reserves went Saran Wrap in the fourth quarter, blanketing the court and making simple basketball plays like wing passes and screen-rolls ineffective. Jarvis Hayes, Lindsay Hunter, Jason Maxiell, and Rodney Stuckey probably tipped more passes in the fourth quarter than the Detroit Lions secondary has all season.

That nonstop disruption and defensive energy will be a nightmare for opposing second lines all year, and was one of the most impressive aspects about the team.

The Pistons nearly had as many assists (27) as the Nets had made baskets (30), and the Pistons' execution was just about flawless.

Wallace’s rotations were perfect, and while his basket defense only yielded two blocked shots, his presence altered countless others. Also, his desire to show on the nether side of screens thwarted many New Jersey screen-rolls.

Most shocking of all was the fact that on a questionable foul call against Wallace in the first quarter, he raised his hand and accepted responsibility.

Rasheed not going after the throats of the three blind mice? Say it ain't so!

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.