Before Monday's game, Pistons coach Flip Saunders reacted strongly to his players questioning him for assorted things after Game 3.

On Ben Wallace suggesting that Saunders doesn't emphasize defense as much as ex-coach Larry Brown: ``This is the same group that said we did more defensive drills than we ever did. . . . You want to talk about lack of defense? Yeah, there's a lack of defense because guys aren't doing what they're supposed to do. If I gave up 50 points in the paint and I gave up 13 straight drives to the basket when I'm supposed to be guarding someone, I mean these are things you learn in the sixth grade: Stay between your man and the basket. If you can't do it, you are right, there's going to be a defensive lapse.''

On Tayshaun Prince questioning why Lindsey Hunter, who has had some success defending Dwyane Wade, did not play in the second half of Game 3: ``The reason we couldn't put Lindsey on the floor was . . . because Tay wasn't scoring. That was one of the things that went into it, so it's pretty ironic.''

Saunders made it clear that players would not dictate his decisions: ``As a coach, I make decisions. I have to live by the decisions. As players, they play, and they have to implement. . . . [But] we're better when we're irritable, and we're feeling fat cats about ourselves.''