Vardan

Pistons calm before storm Players say they aren't frustrated, and Rasheed Wallace predicts Game 4 win. INDIANAPOLIS -- You could argue that Game 4 today against the Pacers is the closest thing to a crisis point the Pistons have had since they faced elimination in Game 6 at New Jersey last year. You could argue it until you were blue in the face, but, as far as the Pistons are concerned, you would be wrong. "We don't feel like it's a crisis," Richard Hamilton said. "It's a seven-game series. ... We know we still have a lot going our way." The Pistons, after a galling 79-74 loss Friday night, trail the Pacers, 2-1. Another loss and they would face the prospect of coming home on the brink of an early and unexpected elimination. "We're not frustrated at all," said Hamilton, who has made 12 of 33 shots with 12 turnovers in the last two games. "We know what we've got to do. We've been in this situation and we know what it takes to play the way we want to play." And that is? "We just have to come out and play like we played in the second half (Friday) for the full 48 minutes," he said. "We haven't played a full 48 minutes the last two games. We have to find a way to do that." The Pacers seem poised and eager to push the Pistons to the edge. "We're not a bum team that's playing off fumes," Jermaine O'Neal said. "We're a team that's very well coached, that has talent and has a lot of experience. "Winning a Game 4 is going to be big for us, sending those guys back to Detroit down 3-1. That's a very big obstacle to get over." Rasheed Wallace said he doesn't think the Pistons will have to worry about that. "We are definitely going back to Detroit with this thing tied 2-2," Wallace said after the game. "No question about it." Guarantees aside, coach Larry Brown maintained a high level of optimism Saturday. "We know we have to play our best game by far to be in a position to win," he said. "The way I look at it, we haven't played our whole game the last two games and we had chances to win. Everybody knows what we have to do to be better." The Pistons defended well enough to win Friday. The Pacers shot 36 percent and scored 12 of their 21 fourth-quarter points from the free-throw line. But the Pistons sputtered badly, and uncharacteristically, on offense. After three quarters Friday, they were shooting 31 percent. They finished at 36.9. "They've done a good job of knowing our plays, understanding what our play calls are and knowing where we like to go," said Tayshaun Prince, who had nine points and shot 2-for-8 Friday. "They're getting to our spots before we even run the play, so they are pushing us off the block and out of our spots." The Pistons have had 33 turnovers the last two games. Instead of passing inside-outside and side-to-side, and making the Pacers' defense move, they have suddenly become a dribble-drive team, trying to attack constantly off the dribble. That has been the equivalent of running their heads into a wall, as the Pacers continue to sag and collapse their defense. The Pistons have scored 20 points in the lane the last two games and were outscored by 26 -- this against a team that had been outscored in the lane, 318-194, in its eight previous playoff games. "If we move the ball, our percentages will go up," Brown said. "Every time we curled off a screen, it seemed like we got a good shot. Early in the game I thought we got impatient." Chauncey Billups and Hamilton agreed that impatience was the main problem, and that started with them. In the two losses, they have combined for 12 assists and 17 turnovers. "I think we want to win so badly, we want to play so well, that I think guys tried too hard and did too much on their own," Billups said. "We forgot about playing Detroit Pistons basketball until the end." Billups said the Pistons will change some of their offensive sets, try to get the ball inside to Rasheed and Ben Wallace more consistently, and give the Pacers some new looks. "Bottom line," Hamilton said, "is we just have to slow down and take our time. If we move the ball better and make easier plays, we'll be OK."

PlayOff 2005

Новости NBA

Hasmik jan, Сколько фотографий присылать?

АсkapoBo

Откуда знаем??? Может все страницы прочитал???

Я думаю не стоит.

Ню и че написал пЪэму?

May 14, 2005 © Getty Images Safina and Ondraskova Reach Prague Final PRAGUE - Top-seeded Russian teenager Dinara Safina will have a chance to win her second title of the year on Sunday as she takes on unseeded Zuzana Ondraskova (right) in the final of the 2005 ECM Prague Open, the new Tier IV clay court event in Prague, Czech Republic. In Saturday's first semifinal, the 34th-ranked Safina outlasted 123rd-ranked qualifier Laura Pous Tio of Spain by a score of 46 62 75. The 19-year-old Russian will now play in her fifth career final on the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour, having won titles at Sopot in 2002, Palermo in 2003 and her biggest win earlier this year at Paris [indoors], where she stunned Amelie Mauresmo in a thrilling three-set final. Safina began her week in Prague with a gruelling 63 46 62 win over 188th-ranked qualifier Libuse Prusova. Then, she won back-to-back matches over two more Czechs, a 62 62 second round win over 110th-ranked Michaela Pastikova and a 61 64 quarterfinal win over world No.58 Iveta Benesova, who was the No.5 seed here. In the final, Safina will take on 25-year-old Zuzana Ondraskova, who dispatched her compatriot No.2 seed Klara Koukalova 62 62 in Saturday's second semifinal. The rapidly-rising Czech star will play in her first Tour final on Sunday, hoping to use all of her experience from the ITF Circuit, where she has won 15 career singles titles. The 98th-ranked Ondraskova has had an excellent run in Prague, defeating former Top 5 player Jelena Dokic 64 61 in the opening round, 46th-ranked No.3 seed Jelena Kostanic 63 76(6) in the second round, and world No.79 Mariana Diaz-Oliva 75 62 in the quarterfinals. Her semifinal win over world No.40 Koukalova was her career-best and just her third over a Top 50 player, including the aforementioned win over Kostanic. In an interesting twist, the underdog Ondraskova has won her only prior meeting with Safina, a 46 62 86 marathon in the qualifying rounds at Wimbledon in 2002. In Saturday's doubles final, No.2 seeds Emilie Loit and Nicole Pratt were tied at one set apiece with the unseeded team of Kostanic and Barbora Strycova before the match was suspended due to darkness. The final will resume on Sunday at 67(6) 64. Pous Tio was making just her second career Sony Ericsson WTA Tour main draw appearance, having lost in the opening round in her first at Bogota earlier this season. She won three matches in qualifying over the weekend and two more to reach the main draw quarterfinals, where she dispatched 87th-ranked Puerto Rican Kristina Brandi 63 62 for her third career Top 100 victory. She recently won the biggest title of her career at the $75K ITF/Cagnes-Sur-Mer-FRA. Koukalova was playing in her eighth Tour semifinal. Although she has reached five career finals, she has come up short each time, most recently at Sopot last year, where she lost to Flavia Pennetta.

Schnyder, Mauresmo Scheduled for Rome Final Switzerland's Patty Schnyder (left) put a halt to Maria Sharapova's run in Rome, along with a bid for the World No.1 ranking. Schnyder outlasted Sharapova in the semifinals of the Telecom Italia Masters Roma, 36 63 61 and advances to her second final of the season. Had Sharapova won the title in Rome, she would have ascended to the No.1 ranking. Schnyder will face defending champion and No.2 seed Amelie Mauresmo, who posted a 62 64 victory over No.6 seed Vera Zvonareva. Mauresmo will be making her fifth career appearance in Rome's final and looks to defend the title she captured last year, after serving as runner-up in 2000, 2001 and 2003.

Argentina and Chile in the red group The red group promises hot matches with Southamerican top teams Chile and Argentina, as well as France and Czech Republic. Argentina with its stars Guillermo Coria and French Open winner Gaston Gaudio will take on France in the first match, meanwhile Chile plays against Czech Republic. Germany is part of the blue group at the ARAG World Team Cup and will face Sweden, Spain and the USA. The hosting team will play against the US in its first group match on Sunday, when Chile also takes on Czech Republic.

Federer, Gasquet Set for Hamburg Showdown World No. 1 Roger Federer overcame Nikolay Davydenko 6-3, 6-4 to advance to the final of the Masters Series Hamburg on Saturday. The current INDESIT ATP 2005 Race leader will be attempting to claim his third title in four years at the Rothenbaum. Standing in his way of a 19th consecutive victory in an ATP final will be 18-year-old Richard Gasquet, who took just 56 minutes to defeat Christophe Rochus 6-1, 6-1 and reach his first Masters Series final.

Рязань

Я за то что города не дописывал.

Да

А что ты за него... неё не проголосовал?

Шинник - Зенит 0-2 Спартак - ЦСКА 0-1 Москва - Томь 1-0 Рубин - Терек 0-1 Ростов - Динамо 1-1 Торпедо - Локомотив 0-2 Сатурн - Крылья Советов 2-1 Амкар - Алания 1-0

А как Вам Паучки?

:lol:

Это не красота, а увечья