Pistons Dominant

The Pistons have looked great in the past three games against the Bulls. They won the first two at home by at least 20, and had a great comeback from 19 down to win in Chicago on Thursday night. They are getting balanced scoring from the starters, and key additions from their bench.

The thing that was interesting in Thursday night's game is that many analysts are saying that the Bulls blew it. They believe that it was the Bulls game to win, and that for most of the game they deserved to win. A quick note to those analysts: check the final score. The Bulls didn't score many more points in game three than in games one or two. They played the exact same way, the Pistons just played down to their level in the first half and allowed them to stay around. The light finally turned on in the second half and it was lights out for the Bulls.

I give credit to Flip Saunders. Many people have question his ability as a coach in past years. Look at game 3. They turn around in the second half and get the win because of Saunders. He chose to go to the zone and completely confused Chicago. He made the Bulls so nervous that for the final six minutes they looked like a high school team. Everyone knows it takes at least two years for a coach's system to take over and be strong. I think we're seeing Flip's system at its best right now.

The big difference between this years team and last years is their mindset. This is a team on a mission. They feel like they've been the best team in basketball for the past four years, and now they're out to prove it. The best thing to watch though is how they are finally finishing out games. In past years they would let the opponent hang around the entire game and just barely squeak it out. It seems that they finally have gotten that killer instinct and are set on putting a team away early.

Look for the Pistons to finish the sweep today and get a nice break before playing Cleveland for the East crown.