At the end of Game 7, the score firmly in their favor, the five Detroit Pistons stood in an arch around the paint as Eric Snow calmly and aimlessly dribbled the ball waiting for the game clock to run down to 0:00.
Zeros were especially important in this game, and emblematic of the Detroit Defense that by this point should be copyrighted by the team.
- Damon Jones, 0-5 from the field
- LeBron James, 0-4 from three-point land
- LeBron James, 0 field goals in the third quarter
- Zero starters besides LeBron scored in double digits
- LeBron James, 0 assists in the second half
- Damon Jones and Donyell Marshall (the two three-point specialists for the Cavs), combined 0-6 from three-point land
- Drew Gooden, 0-4 from the field
- Zydrunas Ilgauskas, 0 offensive rebounds
Zero is also the number of times that the Cavs led during the game. Sure, at 38-40, the Cavs were only down by two points at half-time after coming back from a double-digit deficit.
But that was the first half, not the second.
After a long series, the Pistons returned to what made them great in the second half. Standing there at the end of the game, defending the paint, defending their house, defending their home court, Detroit arrived where everyone expected them to be.
For all the apparent arrogance and lack of focus, Detroit came through when it mattered the most. After surrendering a 2-0 series lead, after falling behind 2-3, after eking out a two-point victory in Game 6, the Pistons took a step back and turned it up a notch.
Where LeBron had free reign to roam the paint and create for himself and his teammates off the dribble before, there were now two, three, and sometimes four Pistons waiting for him.
Where there had been easy dunks in the paint by Gooden, Ilgauskas, and Anderson Varejao before, there were now the outstretched arms of the interior Detroit defense.
Where LeBron had scorched the Pistons for 21 points in the first half, there were only six to be had in the second.
Over the loudspeaker at the Palace of Auburn Hills, you will hear the Detroit PA announcer scream "Detroit" followed by a resounding answer of "Basketball" from the crowd.
"Detroit Basketball" is exactly what Detroit returned to in the second half. As if willfully summoned at the last second, it appeared at a moment's notice and didn't let up for the rest of the game.
Perhaps the scariest thing for the Miami Heat and the San Antonio Spurs or Dallas Mavericks is that the Pistons seem to be able to recall their defensive intensity that easily and that quickly. Even when their offense sputtered and when their free throws wouldn't fall, their defense came through. More than come through, it ensured that the Detroit lead grew with every passing minute of the second half.
Say that you guarantee a game, guarantee a victory, guarantee a series win.
Say you've been here before, that a 2-3 series deficit is no big thing because it happened to you already and you won anyway.
Say that LeBron did a great job at breaking down your defense, and that you'll have to figure out someway to stop him before he sends your team home packing for the offseason.
Talk is cheap, and we've heard a lot of it this week. From 'Sheed, from Tayshaun Prince, from Flip Saunders.
Playing like they did in Games 3, 4, and 5 the Pistons could talk all they want, but everyone was still going to question their ability, intensity, and their early reservations for the NBA Finals.
Talk doesn't win basketball games.
The feeling that the Pistons are going to score every time down the floor and you aren't — that means something. And that feeling isn't born of trash talk or guarantees, sports columns, or sound bites. That feeling comes from blocks, steals, 24 shot clock violations, altered shots, hands in faces, rebounds, and triple-teams.
That feeling comes when you look at a team confident in what they're doing on the floor, not what they're saying off of it.
Detroit did win the series, just like 'Sheed predicted. Detroit did come back from a 2-3 deficit, just like Prince said. And Detroit did finally find a way to shut down LeBron for an entire half.
All three things were predicated on the "Detroit Basketball" defense showing up for the first time since Game 1 of the series.
Maybe it was in spite of Flip Saunders, maybe instinct took over when it looked like they were heading for extinction, maybe when the offense sputtered they turned to what they had done best for the last four years, but whatever the motivation or source of the change, it looks like the "D" has returned to Detroit.
Standing there at the end of the game, an impenetrable arch around the paint, Detroit did more than just defend the basket, their house, and their home court.
After perhaps the best defensive performance in a Game 7 ever, the Pistons defended their reputation.
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