Detroit Pistons coach Flip Saunders looks at the upcoming playoffs and doesn’t feel pressure, but excitement. Why? Because he feels prepared for what’s coming.

“The only time you feel pressure,” Saunders said, “is if you think, as a team, you’re not prepared or if there’s something teams can do against you, or if you think you’re vulnerable at a spot.

“Over the course of the season, we’ve prepared ourselves for situations. We’ve prepared our bench to play. Because of our preparations, you feel more excitement than pressure.”

That’s a healthy and optimistic way to look at what is an incredibly daunting task. Winning a championship is the only goal, and only one team will accomplish it.

The East might be an easier road than the West, but it’s not without obstacles or talented opponents. The Boston Celtics won 66 games, play excellent defense, have a stirring leader in Kevin Garnett and have shown few cracks or weaknesses.

The Orlando Magic has the East’s best big man, fantastic three-point shooting and nothing to lose. The Cleveland Cavaliers have LeBron James – enough said.

The Pistons getting back to the NBA Finals is a real possibility. But it’s far from a given.

That’s why president Joe Dumars won’t judge Saunders’ performance on whether the team makes it there. It is simply too much to ask. If making it to the Finals was a must for any coach, there would be 28 teams at the end of each season searching for a new guy.

Saunders will be evaluated on other, less-straightforward things – how hard he works and how well he has the team prepared to play, how he holds his players accountable if they begin to lag, and how well he adjusts to smoothing over the inevitable bumps.

If Saunders passes those tests and the team performs at a high level, even if the Pistons exit before the NBA Finals, his job should be safe.

And he might have to really fail in those areas for it to be in serious jeopardy. He has passed the first test with how his team performed during the regular season. Don’t think that doesn’t count for something.

“I think Flip’s done as good a job this year since he’s been here,” Dumars said. “I think this was his best job this season. He’s done a really good job incorporating the young guys, keeping the veteran guys fresh.

“The second part we all get judged on is how we do in the playoffs. That’s the open book right now.”

The book starts with chapter one at 6 p.m. today, when the first round opens against the Philadelphia 76ers.

If that book ends happily, don’t be surprised if sometime this summer or early in the fall Saunders winds up with a contract extension. He has one year left on his deal, and no doubt his agent will want to secure additional years if Saunders brings the team a championship.

If it’s another unhappy ending, it will depend on Dumars’ evaluation of his criteria. If the ending comes quickly – getting knocked out of the playoffs anytime before the Eastern Conference finals – then I don’t see how Saunders can pass Dumars’ test.

The Pistons want to see Saunders cross the bridge and finally win a championship. They believe he’s capable of that.

Perhaps his calmness is a good sign, a sign of a man who is truly ready for what’s coming.

A man who is, as he put it, prepared for anything.

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(c) 2008, Detroit Free Press.

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AP-NY-04-19-08 1928EDT