The Pistons took game 4 off, thinking the Bulls would lie down and be swept. Ready for game 5?

Did anyone else get the feeling that the Pistons purposely decided to lay low for 3 quarters in their game 4 with the Chicago Bulls today? Why else would they wait until the 4th quarter before turning up their intensity?

DAMN! So much for our Tuesday night clubbing...

The game within a game they were playing was "How long can we just go through the motions before deciding to make an effort?"

Just as the Pistons waited till the 2nd half tip before turning up the wick in game 3, they decided to make things more interesting in game 4. How? By waiting for the 4th quarter before trying the same sort of comeback. Their little game backfired this time...

I admit I'm being somewhat facetious. But when you consider the Pistons found themselves down 21 after 3, it's the only thing that makes sense.

You have to give the Bulls some credit, as they just could have laid down and let their season come to an end. But I think the Pistons deserve most of the credit for the Bulls extending the series. Who were the biggest culprits in Game 4? It was an ugly game for the Detroit big men.

Rasheed Wallace fell back into his lazy habit of lingering around the 3 point line. I can somewhat live with that when he's hitting those long jumpers. But when you shoot 2-12(!) from 3 point land, and 2-4 inside, you'd think that one would tend to work the paint just a little more? 2 for 12? Jesus.

Chris Webber has been all but invisible the last 2 games. On second thought, C-Webb has been totally invisible. In games 3 and 4, Webber was a combined 0-8 in 30 total minutes. Webber was damn successful if he trying to go incognito. Someone has to clue Webber in that the feds aren't after him anymore, he doesn't have to attempt to hide in plain sight.

Antonio McDyess hasn't been much better than Webber, with his 3-11 from the floor over the 2 games. His normally on the money jumper has gone AWOL.

I'm not going to get to uptight over the Pistons first loss in a 7 game series. It's their first playoff loss, period. Even the best teams will lose playoff games. The Pistons weren't going to go through the playoffs as Moses Malone once predicted for his 76'ers, "Fo, fo, fo."

I fully anticipate that the Pistons will wake from their partial game stupor upon coming home for game 5. If they show even a little interest from the start, the Pistons should blow away the Bulls Tuesday night, and finally end this farce of a series.

Still, I'd feel a little better about losses like today's if the Pistons would at least make an attempt to look like they give a shit.