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Nights like tonight are maddening.

You see the Knicks, trading lead changes with the Pistons 20+ times and know that they are playing one of their absolute best games this season.

And on the other hand, you have the Detroit Pistons, unable to slow the Knicks, unable to build a big lead seemingly stepping through the motions until it was too late to pull one last rabbit from the hat.

It's enough to shake your faith in Detroit Basketball.

This game had it all. Clutch baskets, big plays, questionable calls, and three overtimes.

At the end, the Pistons inability to close out an opponent, to put their foot on the throat of the Knicks and choke them into submission was why they lost. It's a tired routine we have seen many times.

It was Chauncey Billups inexplicably jacking up 3 pointers early, in the middle and at the end of shot clocks during the late game. It was his inability to stop dribble penetration from Marbury, whom he was probably too busy taking notes from on how to finish at the hoop.

It was Nazr Mohammed unable to convert tip ins during overtime with stone hands.

It was Rasheed Wallace fouling out after never really starting the game from a mental standpoint.

It was Flip Saunders also cruising in a kind of semi-retarded haze benching the Goon Squad and allowing Wallace to foul out when he could have been a late game factor.

It was one of the most incompetent referee crews I have ever observed.

We learned a couple things this game.

Flip Murray is possibly the worst player on the Pistons.
Chauncey Billups is in a dangerous funk.
Will Blalock is only a stop gap at backup PG.
Carlos Delfino is making a case as the most valuable bench player on the Pistons.
Antonio McDyess can still play a power game if he doesn't lean exclusively on his turnaround jumper for scoring.
Tayshaun Prince is too much in love with open jumpers even when they are not falling.
Nazr Mohammed is limited, but very valuable.

Here are the Pistons 2nd thru 4th scoring options and their sum shooting stats.

Tay 4-16, 1-7 from 3
Sheed 4-14, 0-4 from 3
Billups 3-13, 2-9 from 3

That's 11-43 and 3-29 from 3. And yet between Rip, Nazr, Dice and Delfino, we almost won this game.

The brightest point in what was a disappointing loss had to be Rip Hamilton. Entering tonight's game, his previous career high was 44 points. Tonight he had 51, seemingly scoring at will, avoiding 3 pointers and slashing to the basket. That's the 6th 50 point game in Pistons history.

Here is the history of the Pistons single game scoring record that I could chase up

Jerry Stackhouse - 57 points
Kelly Tripucka - 56 points
Dave Bing - 54 points

I'm pretty sure George "Bird" Yardley scored 50+ as well for the Fort Wayne Zollner Pistons.

Anyway, it's late and watching that game was exhausting...

My Good Guys: Rip Hamilton, Antonio McDyess, Carlos Delfino, Nazr Mohammed

My Bad Guys: Chauncey Billups, Rasheed Wallace, Flip Saunders, Flip Murray, Tayshaun Prince

Pistons player of the game: Rip Hamilton