this was a superb game. the sellout crowd was actually a sellout (of course there's always like 10 open seats right around us though) and they were pretty into the game. you could really tell that there weren't a lot of the regular season ticket holders there, because everyone was pretty excited and the crowd stayed into the game. that $89 package must have really worked out. you could also tell because the concession lines were extra long and slow, the bathroom lines were long (and people didn't know to wrap against the wall, instead they clogged the concourse), and it took forever to get out of the palace.

what was really impressive about the pistons in the 2nd quarter is that, although rip and jarvis were hot, they still recognized double teams and made extra passes and got everyone else involved. take away a couple silly turnovers on our part and we could've put up 50 that quarter. it was interesting putting stuckey in at shooting guard over afflalo, but that was cool to see him get burn early in the game with the starting unit. i don't mind as much because we know what afflalo's going to bring, and we need to get stuckey ready. flip even said they inactivated hunter because they need him for the playoffs and need to get stuckey minutes.

max was a beast as usual, and even though teams are working hard to take away his putbacks and thunder dunks, he's showing that he's got a broader offensive repertoire and using it to his advantage to still get points. he has scored in double figures in 9 of 15 games in december, versus 4 of 14 games in november. he missed a couple shots in garbage time, but no matter.

afflalo looked solid and put an end to diener's nonsense pretty quickly, but hey man, 1/4 from the line and 2/6 in your last 6? that's a fast way to go from 90% to 80% on the season! either way - awesome mid-range shooting. hayes, welcome back - look what happens when you take good shots in the flow of the offense and when your feet are set. amir - nice job on the boards, and way to impact the game - block on the first possession he came in, then knocking the ball off a pacer to go out of bounds and get the pistons the ball back. brezec, again not the most talented guy, but he understands how he's going to win a role on the team...with energy and hustle. good job. and stuckey/rip running out of the way when you were charging at the bench was the most hilarious play of the season.

stuckey did fine, albeit some mistakes and perhaps some poor shot selection, but i like that he is fearless in going to the basket, is willing to draw contact, and can stay strong enough with the double-clutch to still get a quality shot off and avoid the block. 5 steals in 2 games, with several assists, quality drives to the hoop, and perfection from the line? i'd say things are looking good as the season progresses. again he got rid of the ball early in the clock to get some ball movement. overall some rookie mistakes but a solid game.

herrmann got a very big ovation when he first entered the game, and the crowd loved his one-handed reverse layup. that guy must have some monster hands. i'm not sure how good his defense will be, but hey so far so good.

the whole bench unit is now bringing exactly what we need. there's a good mix of playmakers/shooters/intelligent players, and everyone is very aggressive and gives full effort. that's exactly what we need.

the funniest part of the night was in the men's room following the game. as i'm takin' care of business, someone let out the biggest wet burrito fart i've ever heard. either that or he was giving one of the toilets a feast. i couldn't tell, but it was frightening. then my buddy walks into a stall to pee, and the toilet was missing!! ahahaha. there was just like a metal plate there, but no sign on the door saying out of service or anything. good times, good times.

1-0 with a maxiell jersey on. considering i've worn tay's and ben's through some losses in the ECF, might have to permanently switch to jmax.