I haven't looked at the box score yet, but the thing that really stood out to me tonight was the way that Chauncey was anticipating passes and getting unusual steals. Also, we seemed to be mixing the zone in nicely and helping out. Maybe it helped that we were so frightened of Dirk and he grabbed our attention.

Concerning our Center situation:
Not to belittle Nazr, because I think he is trying as hard as he can, but I think Dale Davis would be a better starting center for this particular team. Our fab 4 are used to playing with a defensive center who does the dirty work. They are used to running the offense with 4 guys and a pick setter. Davis sets a better tone at the start of the game.

Conversely, I think that our bench could use another scoring option. Nazr would not have the pressure of getting in early foul trouble and he would probably fare a lot better against the other team's backup C. Play him the same amount of minutes as he plays now, just with a different group of players. Flip could decide which center to finish with depending on the way the game is going... sort of like how Orlando does with Darko and Battie.

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"I’ll just say this: We’re not talking to teams about their second- or third-best players." Joe Dumars talking about his plan to get other teams' 4th best players.

Iremember last season, we were kicking the crap out of cleveland and James hurt his ankle. Espn started showing another game.

Game Recap

Detroit 92 / Dallas 82


The good news: Pistons play probably their scrappiest game of the year. Clearly things were said as there is little resemblance to the team The Low had the misfortune to have to write about the other night.

The bad news: It takes five Rasheed Wallace threes to make up the final margin. He finishes five for eight from three and two for six from two.


Game Flow

The Pistons start the game well edging out to a four point lead halfway through the first. In what becomes the pattern of the game Dallas fights back to tie at 18 with 3:10 left. From that point on it is all Pistons through the rest of the first and into the midpoint of the second quarter. Two unforced turnovers from Flip and one from Chauncey, but Sheed shoots the lights out.

The ten point gap the Pistons open up at the 8:50 of the second mark turns out to be the final margin of victory. From then on it’s a tie game with each team making runs that the other answers. The Pistons push the lead out to sixteen two times in the third, but a burst from Nowitzki pulls it back to ten when the Pistons call time out at the 8:31 mark of the fourth. From this point until late in the fourth the Mavs hardly involve Dirk in the offense.

Two Billups’ steals help to break the Dallas offense down and their late flurry in the next to last minute of the game falls short as the Pistons turn the defensive pressure back up to secure the win.


Pistons on Defense

Particularly in the first half the Pistons did a great job of mixing in a zone on the Mavs’ pet pick and roll play, effectively taking it away. Without it the Mavs turn into a jump shooting team and decent man to man coverage drops the Mavs 0.454 season shooting field goal percentage to 0.419, their average three-point shooting of 0.385 to 0.286 – down 25%. The Pistons outrebound the Mavs by eight in total and by five on the offensive boards. They double up the Mavs in the hustle stats, with a combined twenty steals and blocks to ten for the Mavs.


Pistons on Offense

Without Chauncey and Rip the Pistons shoot 53% from the field for the game and 60% from three lead by Sheed’s 63% five for eight night. Chauncey and Rip combine for eleven of twenty-nine from the field – 38% including one for seven from three – 14%. All together the team shoots 0.475 overall and 0.412 from three. The Pistons rack up 23 assists (to 13 for Dallas) versus 13 turnovers including at least three bad unforced ones.


Player Summaries

Prince – Leads the team in scoring on 50% shooting with seven boards, many in traffic. Great floor game.

Wallace – The best of times, the worst of times. Sheed puts up eight threes, but hits five to go along with a team leading nine boards in 33 minutes. Add a couple of blocks and a steal against three turnovers and you’ve got a pretty good line. The worst of times could come when he shoots one for eight next time. Still, it’s worthwhile just to hear him yell “don’t leave me” as he back pedals down the floor, and of course “GLASS!!!” after (not before) knocking one down off the backboard. Sheed gets exposed a couple of times not getting out on Nowitzki, but tightens up with some prompting from the coaching staff and forces a couple of late misses.

Mohammed – Nice game for nineteen minutes – eight points on 80% shooting with a couple of dunks and three boards. Each shot was an adventure though as the hands of stone reputation did not suffer.

Hamilton – Fifteen points on 40% shooting (50% from the line, 25% from three) with five boards and some nice in your face man to man defense against Howard. Thirty-nine minutes.

Billups – Twelve points on similarly bad shooting, but eleven assists versus five turnovers plus five steals including two key ones to turn back the Dallas scoring tide early in the fourth. Five fouls in 36 minutes.

McDyess – When will this man ever manage to take a charge? Somebody needs to sit him down and teach him how to stand still. Five fouls in 22 minutes but eight points and five boards. And he was on the floor at the end of the game helping to spread the floor and keep the Dallas defense honest.

Murray – Two points (from the line) in 20 minutes, but five boards, four assists, and three – count ‘em – three blocks. Couple of bad unforced turnovers. But maybe for the first time I’ve seen him this year, Flip was active on the defensive end.

Davis – Nice game off the bench with six and four in fourteen minutes plus a block. Not shabby for an old guy.

Delfino – Two points on a nice dunk off a pass from McDyess in fourteen minutes. Three boards and an assist and should have played just a bit more. Ran the floor well and to my eye still looks more comfortable in the offensive and defensive schemes than Murray – to be expected given his tenure with the team.

Dupree – Goose egg in half a minute at the end.


More fun stats on the gameflow tomorrow when they get released.

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"But first, are you experienced? Or have you you ever been experienced? Well, I have."
Jimi

Just got back from the game and had a smile on my face as I left the American Airlines arena. A few hundred Piston fans in the house mostly wearing the Pistons good luck RED unis. The chant of Deetroit baskeetball was heard faintly as the Pistons ended the third qtr up 76-60 and then added to that by scoring the first hoop of the 4th qtr.

When the MAVS responded with a 8-0 run it got the crowd back in to it, I bravely told the Mavs fans I was sitting with that the Pistons were 8-0 when leading at the end of the third and there was no way they were going to let this one slip away

The Mavs fans were in awe of Sheeds three point display in the first half and impressed with Princes' all around play in the second half. This game was won by the Pistons defense as well as the timely threes by Sheed etal. The Mavs appeared flat & a step slower than the Pistons, routinely getting outhustled to loose balls and rebounds.

When the Pistons did respond to the Mavs run with a mini run themselves to go up 82-70, the fickle fans started heading for the exits. This surprised me since the Mavs have been known for comebacks these past two seasons. It was almost like a playoff atmosphere as the fans knew they were in for a battle, and some even thought that the Mavs would win in a blow out

I was sitting about 15 rows back of the basket, but close enough to observe the coaching antics of Flip and his twitching. The dude walked the sidelines from the opening tip off to the end of the game and never sat. I am now wondering if they even had a seat for him?? Terry Porter seems to be in line for the head coaching position if Flip falters or has to have his pipes cleaned ala LB Only saw Cowens involved on the time outs and Ron Harper seemed to be staring into space whenever I looked over there, possibly dreaming about getting into the game as I saw him shoot about 5 or 6 three pointers during warmups.

Well I guess if you wear your Pistonsforum.com t shirt to a Piston road game, they will win??? Sorry I can't fly to Orlando tomorrow., Got to get back to Cali!!

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"Once you go Barack, you never go Bak" Mario Cantone 2008

Dre, the way it looked and sounded on TV was that the arena was pretty much dead for almost the entire game. Seemed like you could have heard us typing in the chat room directly from your seat, there was so little noise from the crowd. Was that really how it was?

The crowd was quiet because they were behind most of the game and all you heard were a bunch of "how did he missed that (a Mav) or oh Sh*T how did he make that (Sheed, Dice and Prince Jumpers). The crowd was noisy before the game, at the intoductions, during halftime and when it appeared they were coming back.

I was sitting in my seat ready for it 90 mins before tip off and leading up to that it felt like a playoff atmosphere. I wonder if TNT suppresses some of the crowd noises. I know those were longest time outs I ever had to sit through when attending a live game.....because of TNT's advertisers.....

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"Once you go Barack, you never go Bak" Mario Cantone 2008

By the way, the box score seems to indicate that the Pistons bench actually played slightly more minutes than Dallas's subs. Perhaps largely due to Nazr playing only about 20 minutes, but each team had three starters in the 37-40 minute range: CB-Rip-Tay, Dirk-Terry-Howard. Sheed played 33 minutes. Also, both teams had 9 players in double figure minutes.

Not that Flip's bench usage is the same as Avery's or anything--Dirk and Terry are the only two Mavs averaging more than 30 minutes this season--but there was some bi$%^ing in the chat about that very subject right when Avery started going to his bench midway through the first quarter, and yet the overall balance of minutes played in the game between bench and starters was almost exactly the same for both teams tonight.

IMO, that had more to do with Flip trying to counter the Mavs subs than it did him being proactive and/or doing his own thing.

The Mavs went small for a while to try and get back in the game and Flip countered by bringing Delfino in for Davis.

It always seemed as though Avery was the first one to make subs and Flip was just reacting out of necessity.

I did like that Tay and Rip were on the floor with Flip Jr, Delfino and Dice at one point. I'd like to see a bit more of the integration of starters and the bench working together rather than 5 on 5 off.

Good win, good D.

I think this is the first time, in as long as I can remember, that Chauncey Billups played defense. That I felt like he was trying to be a difference maker without the ball. Let's hope he can bring it again tonight in Orlando.

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They are the archetype for dominance. They are the gatekeepers of the conference. They are the Detroit Pistons.