Finish the quarter

After two quarters in game three of their second-round series against the Chicago Bulls, after having won their first six playoff games of 2007, the Detroit Pistons had only 28 points. They trailed the young Bulls by sixteen.

By the end of the third quarter, it was 61-60, with the Bulls clinging to a lead that had looked, to some, secure at halftime. The Pistons continued their second-half surge in the fourth quarter, and ultimately took a commanding lead in the series. Final score 81-74. Chicago scored just thirty points in the second half, to Detroit's 53. In other words, the Pistons did to the Bulls what the Bulls had done to them in the first half, only better.

Though Chauncey Billups was inclined to credit the Pistons defense generally with the victory in a post-game interview, the truth is probably that the Pistons owe their comeback in large part to the way they finished the third quarter.

In case you missed it, this was a low-scoring game throughout. It took two minutes for either team to get on the board, and the second quarter started slowly, too. Having begun 20-18 in favor of Chicago, it was still 22-22 until the 7:16 mark. The Bulls finished the half outscoring Detroit 22-6. As the third quarter began, their lead reached its acme of nineteen. It was still seventeen at the seven-minute mark. Then the Pistons ran off twelve straight to make it 55-50 with 2:41 to go in the third.

At this point, the Bulls were still arguably in control of the game. They called timeout, then came back and pushed the lead to nine again with 1:17 to go. My sense at the time was that Detroit had blown their chance to close the gap in the third quarter, and the Bulls had recaptured the ever-important momentum. But I was wrong.

Billups canned a three with 0:59 to go, and then an Antonio McDyess lay-up and a Rasheed Wallace three at the buzzer gave them eight points in the final minute and cut the lead to a single point. The Pistons had scored thirty-two points in the third quarter, after managing just twenty-eight the entire first half. Those eight points down the stretch would more than equal their margin of victory in the end.

The Bulls fourth quarter was about as bad as possible. They had just three field goals, and ten points, in the first 11:57. They missed a lot of free throws. But that demoralizing final minute of the third must be at least partly responsible.