Game Four: Orlando vs Detroit

Chauncey Billups will sit out tonight. The Magic look ready.

• Stuckey starts, McDyess starts for Maxiell
• Howard makes a wild move in the post, going right, spinning left, hook shot, brick. Way too quick, he tried to use up way too much space.
• Howard smacks Rip’s shot out
• McDyess pops out to 18 feet and hits the J to punish Howard for sagging down low
• Howard with the jump hook in the lanem tied 4-4
• Turnover, Hedo steals, leads the break, finds Nelson filling the right lane
• Stuckey drives by Nelson, draws the foul. Good early play by Stuckey. Get his confidence going early. Stuckey hits both FTs. He hits all 9 FTs he took in game three.
• Hedo and Dwight work that high screen and roll again, Hedo goes left again, takes the layup again, misses badly, brick, Dwight hits the backboards, gets the rebound and throws it off glass, good.
• Rip into the paint, finishes over Howard and draws the foul. Howard still checking his lips, he might be bleeding.
• Mo Evans drains a three of Nelson’s penetration
• Tayshaun posts Hedo, spin move, layup, Howard from the weakside, Prince bails out on the shot and tries to get rid of it, almost a turnover, bounces around, gets the ball, slapped out of play. Detroit ball. Sheed gets the short jumper in the lane.
• Alley oop from halfcourt from Jameer to Howard for the dunk. McDyess was too far away from the rim to try fronting Howard like that.
• Jameer pointing to Howard and then pointing to Howard’s mouth. Yep he’s bleeding inside his mouth, probably just a little gash. Let’s see if the refs notice and make Howard go to the bench to stop the bleeding.
• Three pointer Nelson. Turnover Detroit, layup Evans off the Nelson feed. Nelson has had a bright start.
• Timeout Detroit
• Stuckey weaves his way into the paint, jumps over Nelson and finishes easily from 14 feet
• Rashard Lewis gets by Rasheed by faking the screen and roll with Jameer, then going the other way and getting the open lane to the rim, big dunk
• Lewis dunks again, this time over Wallace
• Stuckey back into the paint, nice move, blows the layup
• Foul Stuckey trying to draw the charge on Bogans, too late, should have just contested the shot
• McDyess has switched onto Lewis, Lewis goes by him easily. Rip has switched onto Nelson, Nelson goes by him easily three times. Looks dubious for Detroit.
• Timeout as Prince is fouled on a fastbreak layup attempt
• Teams trading a couple of misses. The Magic have been working Howard hard in the low post. They look very comfortable in the knowledge of how to attack Detroit through Howard either with his passing or post play.
• Jameer hits a pull up 3 pointer. Orlando lead 27-21 with a minute to play in the first. Lindsey Hunder is in the game now. Stuckey picked up his second foul.
• Fastbreak dunk Mo Evans, Tayshaun Prince from behind with the rejection. Great block.
• End of One
• Maxiell in the game for the first time, he takes Howard, McDyess is on alongside him, Howard turns it over first time in the post against Maxiell.
• Dooling hits a three to end a 9-0 Pistons run
• Bogans trips himself and his teammate up on defense, missed three, offensive rebound Detroit, putback. Tied at 32.
• The two teams trade three pointers. Jarvis Hayes finally making a good contribution.
• Gortat gest a clear out, posts up Rasheed, nice, lefty hook along the baseline, good. Rasheed could do nothing about that. Next possession down, screen and roll, 8 footer off the glass by Gortat.
• TImeout 41-35
• Orlando lead 49-42 with a little over a minute left
• Rasheed Wallace goes into the post against Howard, on the right block, goes into the middle, turnaround J
• Nelson takes Hunter off the bounce, layup
• Hunter holds it for the final shot, goes in to Wallace, Nelson deflects the pass, doesn’t get the steal. There’s 5 seconds left. Flip calls a twenty. Orlando lead 55-44. Rip gets a clear out, turnaround J, miss, shot clock violation on the air ball, Bogans got a piece of it.
• Halftime
• Rashard Lewis hits an early three off of Hedo’s penetration
• Rip and Antonio play the two man game running pick and pops and hand offs in the right wing. They go nowhere. Contested long two pointer at the shot clock buzzer, miss.
• Nelson comes right back down scores quickly. Timeout Flip. He’s nervous and Detroit are in trouble
• Detroit get back to their money plays out of the timeout, off the ball screens for Rip as he curls off a McDyess screen and hits a J off the elbow
• Howard steals the rebound on Rashard’s missed three, kicks it out, Detroit’s defense has already left, Rashard drives inside, draws the foul on McDyess. Jameer drives inside, Stuckey keeps him out of the paint, fallaway from 8 feet from Nelson, miss.
• No basket… McDyess had a nice put back slam but it was still in the cylinder
• Mo Evans drains a three right in front of Detroit’s bench
• McDyess steals the ball from Hedo after he comes down with the rebound.
• Hamilton is starting to press. The last two shots he took were contested and he was being lightly doubled, having an open man to his side both times. He’s starting to feel the pressure without Chauncey and with Detroit’s offense struggling. Rasheed Wallace needs to establish himself down on the block and help Rip out. Rip has 18 of Detroit’s 48.
• Stuckey hits from 18 feet off the dribble. His first bucket since early in the first quarter.
• Rasheed Wallace has only 6 points. Nice bucket inside by McDyess, he now has 4. Stuckey has 6. Tayshaun Prince has 11, he’s the only other Piston to show up tonight.
• Orlando lead 63-54. The Magic really should have a bigger lead by now, they’ve been the much better team. Detroit has found a way to hang in tonight.
• Rasheed with the steal. Lewis turned it over. Stuckey drives, kicks it to Rip, hits the 17 footer on the baseline.
• Timeout Orlando
• Rasheed posts up Lewis, doubled quickly, open lane for Stuckey, surrounded at the rim, misses the layup
• Nelson makes him pay on the other end, blazing past the rook, taking him to the rack and drawing the foul. Nelson misses both.
• Hunter nails a three. Detroit pulls within 2 after being down 15. This is a 13-0 run. Hunter came in after Stuckey picking up the foul, his fourth probably.
• Turnover, Hunter with the steal, breakaway, Rip is all alone, dunk. Tie game.
• Orlando are throwing this game away.
• Timeout.
• Nelson scores out of the timeout to take the lead back. A wide open Hunter three pointer gives Detroit their first lead since early in the second. There’s two minutes left in the third.
• Hunter strips Nelson, loose ball, scrap on the deck, jump ball. Nelson is in some pain after that. Hunter just about wins the tip, Tay gets it. Detroit set up.
• Rasheed down low, fake spin baseline, back right, turnaround J in Howard’s mug. Nice move.
• Maxiell on the opposite block, left block, works on Hedo, turnaround, miss. Hedo should have blocked that, weak move, he never pinned Hedo down or shot faked to get him off balance and he had a slow release. Hedo is still 6-10 right?
• Hedo picks up the offensive foul on the other end
• Rasheed in the post again, right block again, drives on Howard, fouled. Hits both.
• There’s 8.2 seconds remaining. Orlando ball, they’ll take the final shot. Jameer has it, drives up court, drive and kick to Evans for three. Tie game.

Fourth Quarter

• The game is tied 70-70
• Orlando have thrown away a big lead. They’ve been unable to get Howard going in the post in the third, they’re having trouble getting him the ball. They haven’t been able to get Hedo or Lewis going in the third. Bad execution.
• Orland shot 31% and had 4 turnovers in the third versus 58% and 1 turnover for Detroit. Another turnover to start the fourth.
• Juan Dixon forces a 22 footer, misses
• Dooling misses a runner, fastbreak Detroit, layup
• Timeout SVG, Detroit have a 4-0 run to start the fourth and Orlando’s offense has been horrible on the first few sets.
• Howard has only 2 points since the first quarter and no field goals
• Lewis off the dribble, misses the 16 footer, rebound Howard, bad brick by Dwight. Rasheed misses out of the post on the other end.
• There’s 9 minutes to play.
• Lewis off the bounce, draws the foul on McDyess on the floor. Sideline out, Hedo inbounds the ball to Dooling, Dooling struggled to get the ball with Dooling on him. Rashard has Hamilton in the post, backs him down, short 5 foot hook, miss. Good shot, bad miss.
• Prince gets the put back
• Hedo fadeaway 16 footer off the dribble
• Something happened there. Diwght and McDyess went tumbling to the floor. Double fouls. Looked like a take down by McDyess,
• Hamilton with a 22 footer off the dribble, puts Detroit back up 6
• Rashard posts up Tayshaun, doubled, hits Evans, misses the three
• Orlando are falling apart out there. They desperately need to relax or at least think clearly. This is very worrying. I don’t see them winning this game without a big jump in belief, an adrenaline pumping play is called for
• Charge Tayshaun
• Mo Evans off the dribble, 15 footer, good.
• Rashard to the rim, fouled, misses the first, hits the second. That’s 13 for Lewis. 5 point lead.
• Stuckey back in, hmm …. not sure that was wise
• 6 minutes to play, Detroit lead 80-75.
• Rip posts Dooling, Jameer fouls Rasheed out on the three point line.
• Timeout. The Pistons aren’t even heading to the bench. They’re staying on the floor and making the adjustments themselves. Tayshaun Prince is leading the group.
• Rasheed scores down low
• Iso for Lewis, step back J in McDyess’ face.
• 5 minutes to go, the Magic need stops, Stuckey dominating the basektball and milking the clock, way too early for that, drive and kick along the baseline to Rip, missed J, Nelson fouls McDyess on the offensive board. The Magic have to protect their backboards. Detroit looking to post Rasheed, foul on Dwight. Sideline ball, in to Stuckey, almost a minute has gone off the clock on this possession, Nelson gets the defensive board off of Rip’s midrange miss
• Hedo to the rim, gets bumped, gets the layup, hits the FT. Orlando within two. Detroit lead 82-80 with 3:57 to play.
• Detroit miss again, get another offensive rebound. Prince looks to create, dribbles into a trap, charging foul. Turnover. Wasted possession.
• 3:20 to go. Lot of time. Get a bucket and make this about pressure.
• Dooling drives baseline, kicks it out, Magic swing the ball, Hedo is open from three, hits it. Orlando lead.
• Timeout
• Rip down low on Dooling, iso, backs him down, gets him up, draws the foul, hits both
• Hedo off the screen and roll, doesn’t drive, just wakling sideways behind the three, pulls up, nails it
• Rip iso in the post, fallaway in the lane, hits it. Tied at 86.
• Two minutes to go
• Nelson gets it to Hedo, high screen and roll, drives inside, McDyess comes over to alter the shot, Hedo with the runner off the bank, no good, Dwight on the offensive board, taps it, doesn’t get it, Detroit ball.
• Rip in the post again, double teamed, Rasheed takes a three, miss. Orlando with the rebound, get up early, Hedo into the paint, finger roll.
• Rip drives by Dooling, foul, tech too
• SVG has to take Dooling off the floor. He simply cannot guard Rip Hamilton. SVG is allowing Detroit’s best scorer to go one-on-one down the stretch with an easy matchup.
• Rip misses the T, Rip shooting two, making two
• Jameer Nelson drives into the paint, gets fouled. The game is tied at 88. Nelson gets the roll on the first, off the front of the rim, backboard, back of the rim and down. Nelson front rims the second. Orlando up 1.
• Hunter in for Detroit. Rasheed in the low post over Howard, misses it, offensive rebound. Pistons work it around, can’t get a shot, Prince drives, takes a rolling 15 foot hook shot, hits it. Pistons lead, Pistons lead!
• Hedo holds the ball, runs down the clock, makes his move, gets into the paint, blows the contested layup, Howard misses the tip. Foul, no after the clock.

This is over. Detroit win. They have this series. They’re going to be heading to the conference finals and a meeting likely with the Boston Celtics.

Orlando completely collapsed tonight. They only have themselves to blame. They were up 15 in the third quarter. They caved mentally, they didn’t execute, they missed shots, they couldn’t get their best scorers good looks, their defense wasn’t good enough, they gave up offensive rebounds. Just poor play. They deserved everything they got tonight and that’s an early summer.

Detroit will win this series, probably in game five.