| Re: Milwaukee February 2nd, 8:00PM
Sprocket says…
Pistons 96 / Bucks 86
Lesson 1: CWebb will do some great things here this season, but he really isn’t a center and a conventional back to the basket big man will expose him.
Lesson 2: With big men prone to picking up techs, now may not be the best time to trade Nazr Mohammed. Six may not be too many.
The first quarter is a seesaw low energy affair with neither team really clicking. Although Bogut isn’t scoring as efficiently as he will in the third, he is pretty much able to get what he wants against Webber. The Pistons may need to put in a scheme that does something they haven’t done since before Ben Wallace, double a man in the post. Rasheed is very active early, getting boards and assists, setting good screens, and actually calling “glass” before each of his bankers. The first ends ominously for the Pistons with Maxiel getting stuffed on a last second dunk attempt.
The Bucks start the second strongly forcing a Pistons timeout in the first couple of minutes. Shortly thereafter the Pistons botch their second fast break of the night. A couple more Bucks points and another Pistons timeout and Billups reenters the game. The Pistons go on a little run to retake the lead and go up by three after a Wallace block. Delfino is very active on the boards and on the defensive end of the floor in the quarter. He plays the remainder of the second after entering around the ten minute mark and finishes the Pistons scoring in the half with back to back layups.
The Bucks don’t take a free throw in the first half and commit nine turnovers. The Pistons shoot 8-9 from the line with only five turnovers.
The second half start is all Bogut, scoring five points over Webber. That makes 13 points on 6 for 10 shooting for Bogut with 8 boards. Rasheed picks up a tech and then yells “I don’t want that” when Villaneuva is called for a foul on the next possession. The game turns though on the forgotten man, Nazr Mohammed, who comes in and basically takes Bogut out of the game. In the interim McDyess manages to pick up two techs and the Bucks have nearly as free throws from technicals as from fouls. Mohammed throws two long outlet passes both leading to Pistons hoops. The Pistons finish the third on an 11-2 run with the Bucks going 0 for 8. Although he doesn’t score, it was good to see Rip tossing the old Ben Wallace lob to Maxiel near the end of the quarter. The Pistons lead after three by ten, 72-62.
The Bucks begin the fourth with four quick points forcing another Pistons timeout. The Pistons are 0 for 9 from the three point line. Rasheed returns and continues a very good floor game, getting a steal and then hitting the Pistons first three of the night after a Bucks long gun. He chatters a bit more at the refs after picking up a foul, prompting either Cowens or Porter to tell him to quiet down, to which Sheed replies between two Bucks free throws “Ball don’t lie! I ain’t worried about him. Leave me alone.” Prince who to this point has had a good but quiet game takes over on the offensive boards. Billups backs down Boykins for the and1, and a Sheed three around a handful of Maxiel dunks sends the crowd for the exits. Maxiel gets a sign of things to come when two Bucks mug him on a dunk attempt late in the fourth. He hits the free throws and then throws down a massive dunk to end the game.
Six Pistons score in double figures and they outrebound the Bucks by 4.
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