Here’s a question about tonight’s hoops game: Does Detroit have a chance to match L.A.’s size and tempo? That’s on the physical side.
On the mental side, can the Pistons give the 48-minute effort they’ll need to win after their four veteran standouts played 46, 43, 40 and 38 minutes the night before in a tough win at Golden State?
In the locker room before the game, I spent a few minutes probing reserve forward Josh Powell’s mind about tempo and lineups. I did so because of that first question, trying to address the fact that Detroit lacks depth up front and consequently likes to play Wallace at the five, with Prince at the four and Hamilton at the three. Tonight, the Pistons will start Kwame Brown, but how long will Brown last, even if he’s a pretty good defender? Can Detroit afford to go small against L.A.’s big lineup?
Powell said that it depends. He said the bigger lineup from the Lakers can succeed if they take care of the ball and rebound well, eliminating a smaller lineup to get out and run on them successfully. Of course, Powell also raised the good point that the Lakers can just as easily go small themselves, and pretty much match the Pistons in talent. For example, you can play Gasol at the five, Odom or Vladi at the four, Kobe or Ariza at the three, Kobe, Sasha or Fish at the two and Fish or Farmar at the point and be just fine. L.A. hasn’t had to use a small lineup much this year, but certainly possesses the ability to do so.
As for Phil Jackson’s pregame, we heard the same things that had been circulating at practice for the last couple days: he’s generally happy with L.A.’s defensive effort, and thinks it’s ahead of his team’s offense. Phil also explained why Iverson makes the Pistons a faster team, and didn’t have a ton to say about what kind of player Brown might grow into.
