Eastern Conference Finals Game 6 - All Is Said But Not Done

Third straight year, third straight disappointment, totally disheartening.

Antonio McDyess said it best: “We give (the fans) a good dose in the beginning and let them down in the end.”

I mean, it’s just totally inexcusable not to learn the lessons, not to make the necessary adjustments. Three years in a row of harrowing disappointment is simply inexcusable.

Tayshaun Prince may have given Flip Saunders a face-saving statement, “the media has talked about over the past couple of years how far as us losing in the Eastern Conference finals and it being Flip’s (Saunders) fault. Today was a prime example it wasn’t”.

I’m sorry Tayshaun but I’m not buying that anymore. If a team that’s on the brink of elimination, a team trying to make a point to its fans by getting past the Conference Finals after 2 years of being disappointed, squanders a ten point lead in the final quarter in a game that it should have won.

A player’s standpoint or perspective may be different from a fan’s point of view but honestly, a player can only do so much as to play the game. It’s already a chess match come the playoff time. I mean, if coaches do not take the brunt or the burden of this loss then what’s the point of hiring a head coach and pay them the large salary that they get if they can’t provide the outcome?

Two years back in Miami, the excuse was that the league emphasized more on the offensive part of the game. OK, so the fans gave Saunders the benefit of the doubt w/ Joe D backing up his coach, saying that Flip is the right man for the job w/ his offensive set plays.

A year ago, it was complacency. Also the fact that ‘Sheed rolled his ankle. Ok, it would be because of a number of reasons but last year’s disappointment was still a nightmare. Being killed in the playoffs by a one-man wrecking crew was a stinging loss. We had our hearts crushed on that one. Joe D was quite stern on his warning against complacency thereafter. Mr. Dumars also strengthened his bench with rookies Stuckey & Afflalo; a gunner in Jarvis Hayes; and emphasized on developing the bench. Maxiell got much of the benefit of this.

The fans thought they had everything clicking: a healthy line up, a strong(er) bench, offensive sets and two years of hard-earned lessons (heartbreaks). If it wasn’t the coach’s fault, then should we buy the fact that this was all the effort that the players can give? I don’t think so.

Let’s go back a little, go back to games 3 and 5, the last quarter runs. They showed that, if pressed the right buttons with the correct personnel on the floor, they can execute that stifling defense that was once was their trademark, their staple. Here are the questions:

Why did that defensive execution show up earlier in game 3, early in the 3rd quarter where there was ample time to make a comeback? Why wasn’t the same defense applied when they were trying to defend a lead, staving off elimination?

I’m sorry Flip. You have the millions of Dollars anyway and still didn’t have the job done. The players did what they had to do and even if they did what they wanted to, you are the head coach. It is your primary duty to see to it that your orders were executed on the floor.

It’s time to own this defeat.