00:00So what we try to do here on this show is give you our opinions
00:03and explain why we feel a certain way.
00:07Oftentimes, I will tell you that my opinions are shaped
00:10over looking at the longer timeline, the 30,000-foot view,
00:15a wide swath of games, not just one game, not just one play,
00:19not just one at bat, et cetera, et cetera,
00:22because there are ups and downs with teams and with athletes,
00:27and you have to ride the roller coaster because that's just the way sports are.
00:32And so what I find is that oftentimes I'm taking the position of I'm not panicked.
00:40Here's the reason why I'm not panicked.
00:43But, Scott, when teams make it to the postseason, championship teams,
00:49and they get into situations like what happened Sunday,
00:53these are the proving grounds, right?
00:55This is where everything matters times 10.
01:00And as you're trying to get to the top of the mountain,
01:03there are huge moments.
01:04There are gut-check moments that you have to come through.
01:08And you think back to the famous double overtime goal, Red Wing St. Louis.
01:12You think back to that one that worked out.
01:14Another one that worked out is when Michigan won the national championship in football,
01:20their first got to have a drive, the first time all season,
01:23that they had to have a drive, came in the fourth quarter against Alabama in the Rose Bowl
01:28in the national semifinal, and they came through.
01:30And other times you don't, but still get to the mountaintop.
01:33A great example is here's a steal by Bird, hands it off, the DJ lays it up and in,
01:37which might have cost the Pistons a series over Boston in 88
01:42before they slayed the Dragon in 89 and won the NBA championship.
01:47Or maybe it was 87.
01:49It was 87, right?
01:50And then they beat Boston in 88 and then went to the finals and lost.
01:53But you have these moments, these crossroad moments,
01:57and you have to answer the bell.
02:00And this is the earliest I can ever remember a team in a postseason
02:05having a crossroad moment, a crossroads moment.
02:08This is a gut-check game.
02:12And I am not panicked, but I'm not going to downplay the importance of tomorrow's game.
02:17I think tomorrow's game is a must-win.
02:20And must-win is a term that gets thrown around all the time,
02:24and the comeback is, well, in a literal sense, it's not even close to it.
02:27But in a – I actually do think this is a must-win
02:33because everybody came out of Sunday talking about the Pistons.
02:37And look what Orlando did.
02:38And calling them out as seriously flawed.
02:43And I don't think they're seriously flawed.
02:47But I think after that performance Sunday,
02:50they really have to prove it, and they have to prove it now.
02:53And I think this is a must-win game.
02:55And if they lose this game, my reaction on Thursday won't be panicked
03:05because I think it'll be appropriate that they're in deep, deep trouble,
03:09that they really, truly aren't built for postseason success.
03:15Orlando's maybe tougher than many eights
03:17and ended up as an eight seed because of injuries throughout the course of the season.
03:21But that still doesn't mean that you shouldn't beat them.
03:23Okay, maybe they're more like a three seed or a four seed.
03:26Pistons won 60 games.
03:27They're the one seed.
03:28You still should be favored.
03:29Still should get it done.
03:31I think it's an appropriate response that this is a must-win game.
03:35Well, I certainly hope they play like that.
03:39Mathematically, it's not, obviously.
03:41But, yeah, I'm kind of – I share your feelings.
03:42It feels that way because of how they were unable to overcome adversity on Sunday.
03:49Like, every time they got close, Orlando just –
03:53it's like a dog nipping at your heels or something like that.
03:56Just kind of shake it loose and keep climbing up the pole.
03:59Next thing you know, you're at the top and the dog's at the bottom
04:02just jumping up and barking and it's not even coming close to your feet.
04:06They've got to play better.
04:07And they have to treat it like this is a must-win.
04:10It's a pesky team.
04:12It's a talented team.
04:13I said yesterday, I think this is going to be one of these teams
04:15in the next couple years, we look at the Eastern Conference
04:18and we say Orlando is going to be a force.
04:21But so are the Pistons.
04:23Pistons are the better team.
04:24They've got to show it tomorrow night.
04:26And, yeah, I'll say it's a must-win.
04:29Yeah, I hate the term must-win.
04:30I usually just literally reserve it when it's in the literal sense, right,
04:34when you're going to get eliminated.
04:35But if they lose tomorrow night, I would pick the Magic to win the series
04:39because everything that people doubted about the Pistons nationally
04:43and outside Detroit, the Pistons breathed air into everything
04:47by losing game one of all those doubters being correct, possibly correct, right?
04:53There's nothing that says they're just going to win this series.
04:55Like, oh, don't worry about game one.
04:56That's why I'm really disappointed in game one.
04:58If, oh, don't worry, they lost game one, they can win this series still.
05:01Do I expect them to win this series?
05:02Yes, I do.
05:03But it's not like they have some kind of championship pedigree on this team
05:06where we've seen them do it before.
05:07We've never seen them win a home playoff game before.
05:10J.B. Bickerstaff has not got over the playoff hump before.
05:13So, yeah, if they don't win tomorrow night,
05:16there's going to be some serious panic coming from me, that's for sure.
05:19But what I think they have to do is adjust.
05:21The reason why Jalen Dern didn't play so well, I think, Gator,
05:24is you bring up, like, that hasn't happened all year long.
05:27Dude, playoff basketball is different, and everyone kept saying it.
05:30Myself included, everyone says it.
05:32It's different.
05:33So when you get into a playoff series,
05:34there is a hyper-focus on stopping Jalen Dern.
05:37Teams try to stop him during the regular season,
05:39not like you do in a seven-game series when they break it down,
05:42and they're going to force other people on this team to beat them.
05:45It's not going to be Dern.
05:46They'll let Cade go off, obviously, for 30 or 40, whatever.
05:48But Tobias Harris, Jenkins, somebody else, Duncan Robinson,
05:51they have to hit shots.
05:52And then that will open things up for Dern,
05:54and he'll get his eventually.
05:55But that's what's got to happen.
05:572-4-8-5-3-9-97-97.
06:00Watch your phone calls and feedback here.
06:02I'm Carson Anderson on 97.1.
06:04Right now, the voting on our Twitter poll,
06:06as far as what best characterizes your feelings,
06:10Detroit, what do you think is leading?
06:11Detroit is in big trouble.
06:13Game two is a must-win.
06:14Detroit will be fine, I think.
06:15I'm still chesty, no worries.
06:17What do you think leads the way?
06:18I would imagine that people would say it's a must-win.
06:22With 43.6% of the vote, game two is a must-win.
06:25With 34.6% of the vote, Detroit will be fine, I think.
06:3015.4% of the vote, I'm still chesty, no worries.
06:346.4% of the vote, Detroit is in big trouble.
06:37Let's get to your phone calls.
06:39We go to Coach here on 97.1.
06:41Hello, Coach.
06:42Hey, good morning, gentlemen.
06:44Nice job.
06:45I was waiting on the guitar solo with you singing,
06:49but I guess we won't get there.
06:50No, that's not going to happen.
06:51Not going to happen.
06:53And not a woman, Kirsten.
06:55Hey, long-time listener, first-time caller with you guys,
07:00but I'll say this, man.
07:02Pistons will be fine.
07:03They need to play like it is their backyard.
07:06They got punked in their own backyard, okay?
07:09It's real simple.
07:10You've been playing with a chip all year.
07:13Where's the chip now?
07:15How come you didn't have it for this?
07:16So we give them their mulligan.
07:18Now they need to dig in, learn from it, and get it going.
07:22It's as simple as that.
07:23The first series for a team like this is usually your most difficult one.
07:28I don't know that they had the mentality ready,
07:30but they got punked in their own backyard.
07:32Now we'll see how they respond.
07:34And this will tell us what kind of team we really have.
07:37You know, that's my two cents on it.
07:39No panic, no worry.
07:41Yeah, I mean, look, I expect them to respond.
07:43Let me be clear on that.
07:44However, if they don't, you're going to hear a different tone on Thursday's show.
07:50And I, you know, we have 82 games of evidence that they are much better than they showed.
07:57And I mean, not every game, I guess, all during the regular season,
07:59but we have much more evidence that they are good enough to win this series
08:04and win more series in the postseason as much as regular season basketball can have.
08:08Because it's not a straight line.
08:11Oh, you're good in the regular season.
08:12You're going to be good in the postseason.
08:13However, there's, there's, that, that was a disturbing performance in how that game went.
08:21And it's, do I think they're going to respond?
08:24Yeah, I actually think they're going to respond.
08:25Man, but they better.
08:28Yeah.
08:28They better because.
08:29You need to put the grit back in and do what they do.
08:32I don't know.
08:33Some of those things happen.
08:35I've coached a long time with football primarily,
08:37but sometimes you just, you just don't have a feel for the grit.
08:42And coaches don't control grit.
08:44The players control it.
08:45So you all keep doing what you do.
08:48You're bringing grit to the show in the morning.
08:50So hopefully the Pistons will bring that for their next one.
08:54Keep doing what you do, guys.
08:55Thank you very much.
08:56Appreciate it.
08:56And we indeed are gritty.
08:58It's been said.
08:59Yeah.
08:59I mean, we have hats.
09:01We will get to more of your phone calls and feedback.
09:02It is Carson Anderson here on 97.1.
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