When the Pistons built such a large lead so early the other night, I fully expected the Nuggets to come back rather quickly. Almost regardless of what happens in the first 40 or so minutes of a game, the better team (of which there are like 25 in the league) usually puts down the clamps at the end and gets the win. Sometimes they have to (or choose to) put down the clamps a little bit earlier before things get out of control.

The Pistons have no clamps.

Against bad teams, I think it is the other coaching making adjustments and Frank sticking to his game plan.

Talent and a good game plan can get you in the game, but it takes good decision-making to keep you in the game when adjustments are made.

Lawrence Frank would be a great assistant coach for Bill Laimbeer.

Didnt Joe Dumars reject a trade for Rondo a few years ago?

To win in this league, you either need a championship coach or a pass first player that makes better decisions than your non-championship coach. Plus a certain level of talent of course.

Joes live for combi 

rarely do you see the pistons make any type of adjustment that addresses the specific adjustment on the other side.  (when that has happened, it is usually the result of drummond playing more than usual and becoming that x-factor that changes the flow of the game.)
the most obvious example i always recall is the first orlando game when the orlando coach made an adjustment sometime in the 3rd quarter that let his shooters get better, more open shots.  i don’t know what he did – don’t have a tape of the game to watch again – but it was clear during the flow of the game that an adjustment had been made, the orlando shooters were suddenly getting better looks, frank did nothing to counter it and orlando won comfortably.
this same pattern has repeated itself, over and over again throughout this season and it was evident last season also.
flip saunders coached much the same way – we have our plan and our rotation and we are going to stick with it! – and when you have the talent he had at his disposal here in detroit, you can afford to coach that way.
to be fair, most nba teams play that way, game-to-game.  during the regular season, they basically play their game, as often as they can, and only tweak things on the margins.  (some guys like popovich, obviously, break that rules, which might be why he is so successful.)  teams usually only make large changes and adjustments during a playoff series.
but with the marginal talent here in detroit now, this type of rigidity is fatal. 

AT 7-17 …. we’ve come along way from that team that was 4-20 last year