Five Keys to Wednesday's Game 5

While the Pistons are down, they are by no means out. With a Game 5 victory Wednesday night versus the Heat, momentum can shift back their way. Here are five keys to the game:

1. FEED 'SHEED

If the Pistons can get 'Sheed going in the post -- early and often -- he'll gain some confidence and, I hope, rouse the troops. It's clear that the team plays much better when 'Sheed is scoring. He becomes animated in a positive way. His energy is contagious. And, as you may well know, when he scores 20 in the Playoffs, the Pistons are undefeated. That mark can be achieved if he's utilized on the block and if he's encouraged to make moves toward the basket. He need not fade away from Haslem, who's not that great of a defender.

2. USE THE BENCH WISELY

Say what you want about Flip Saunders, but realize that, despite all his shortcomings, his biggest mistake throughout both the regular season and the Playoffs has been his failure to find a substitution pattern. A team's bench is something to be valued. For the Pistons, a team with a potentially tremendous bench, it's been terribly misused. Lindsey Hunter and Tony Delk have proven that they play well together. They spark the defense. They're both good outside shooters. So far this Playoffs, however, they haven't seen the floor as a duo too often. Maurice Evans has proven himself as a high-energy guy with a high-percentage 3-point shot. So why did Carlos Delfino, someone who wasn't used in crucial minutes at any other juncture in the postseason, take Evans's place for two games in this series? To me, it seems inexplicable. McDyess seems to know his role, but his fellow big man, Dale Davis, does not. He needs to play three three-minute stints a game. In each stint, he needs to foul Shaq two times. If he fouls out, it's no big deal. But if Ben or 'Sheed do, it spells trouble.

3. RIP RIP WHEN HE'S INEFFECTIVE

In Game 4, Rip Hamilton committed four turnovers in what seemed like four consecutive possessions. It was the most frustrating point of the game, and it could have been prevented. The simple remedy is to tell Rip not to drive at Shaq and 'Zo and the other trees so much. He needs to pull up and take his patented J some more! Or, Flip could just yank him from the lineup and calm him down. Either way, he needs to avoid plays where he throws it directly into Shaq's extended forearm and allows the Big Aristotle to rumble coast to coast for a lay-in. Those plays are not good.

4. FALL, AND DO NOT STAND UP

Dwyane Wade's Converse commercial proclaims that for every seven times he falls, he stands up eight. This is impossible, of course, but that doesn't mean that the Pistons can't convince the Converse people to edit their ad. If they can successfully put No. 3 on his rear end and make him stay there awhile, if they can become the Bad Boys that their predecessors were, perhaps the Converse people will change their slogan. The Pistons have already done everything they can to deter Wade from scoring. Now, they need to do something dirty. Before the end of the night, the ad should read: Fall seven times, stand up six.

5. KEEP THE FAITH

I know the Pistons can come back from this deficit. Many other fans do, as well. However, all the media this side of the Atlantic are saying that it's over, that the Pistons' run as Eastern Conference Champs is over. But what do the Pistons think? Are they so frustrated that they're eager for the season to end? Will they put the bickering and the futility of the past few days behind them and re-discover the 64-win team of the regular season, the championship caliber team of the past two seasons? My guess is yes, they will. They have too much pride to go quietly into the Detroit night. Barring an injury or another foul-ridden game like Game 4, the Pistons should take Game 5. Then, they'll breathe a big sigh of relief, regroup quickly, and pack their bags for another day or two amid the sun and debauchery that is South Beach.