Once More With Pistons

Closeout time tonight in Detroit, where for the second straight round, the Pistons sent the young'uns to bed early. This time, it was the Magic who felt the viselike Pistons defense strangle them in the fourth quarter, with a 13-0 run to take an 8 point lead with 5 minutes left being the turning point.

The Magic weren't ever going to win this series, but they really weren't with 12 free throw misses (and only 16 makes), while the Pistons went 28 of 32. The simple rule with the Pistons is this: you can't be behind by more than 5 points in the fourth, because they are just going to get to the line and extend the lead. They are tough enough to beat, especially with the condor-esque on the ball defense of Tayshaun Prince and Rasheed Wallace, without giving them an extra dozen points from the charity stripe.

With that kind of disadvantage, the Magic had to play the perfect game... and with 21 turnovers for Orlando to only 3 for Detroit, the home team was able to overcome a 64% clank rate from the field. Goat horns go out to Jameer Nelson, who backed up his guarantee of a road win with a critical turnover at one end, then got beat off the dribble for a bucket with 2 minutes left. What I thought would end the Magic in the first round -- point guard trouble -- got them in the second. If it's my team, I try to upgrade the position in the off-season, or maybe see what happens if Keyon Dooling got more minutes. Nelson doesn't handle the ball well enough, and is a defensive liability at his size.

The signature play of this one was a a stunning defensive play by Prince on the Magic's designated fourth quarter hero, Hedo Turkoglu. Hedo took it to the rack, with Prince matching him perfectly and denying him at the rim. It's the kind of play that no more than a half dozen guys in the NBA could make, and if defensive player of the year was based on highlight alone, Prince would have a case. (I'm not sure he doesn't have one anyway.) And yes, it was just like when he ate Reggie Miller's lunch as a young'un.

The Pistons get to stay home, rest, and watch the Celtics and Cavs bloody themselves up for at least two more games. They couldn't have asked for a better route to the Finals right now.