Pistons Overwhelm Bulls in Game 1

By Benjy Lipsman in News on May 7, 2007 12:45PM

As we watched the Bulls-Pistons games on Saturday night, we just kept telling ourselves that there's a reason these are best-of-seven series. Any team can have an off night.

And, boy, did the Bulls have an off night. The Pistons jumped out to an early lead and kept adding to it, trouncing the Bulls 95-69. The Bulls looked overmatched from the outset of the game, as they looked sloppy and lethargic after the week off.

Ben Gordon was ineffective against Chauncey Billups, scoring just seven points and getting in early foul trouble trying to defend him. P.J. Brown also got himself into early foul trouble. The team handled the ball sloppily the entire night, leading to 22 turnovers. And the bench was horrific, making just 3 of 30 shots — only 10%! So much for their picking up the slack when the starters wilted.

The biggest question now is whether the Bulls can bounce back in tonight's Game 2 in Detroit? They need to make the necessary adjustments defensively and remain more focused throughout the game. A repeat of Saturday's sloppy play and horrific shooting will create a 0-2 hole by the time the series returns to Chicago. If the Bulls have any hopes of winning this series, Monday night's game is the most critical one to win.

Photo via REUTERS/Rebecca Cook.