Another game with a slow start, both on defense and offense. Again, we don't start out using our post up game. But we got it going after those opening minutes, and because of good post play, ended up ahead in the first quarter. In the 3rd quarter, we started out immediately playing thru Webber in the post and the game was soon all but over.

We saw our first 20-10 game from Webber. (Well, the refs blew that one call or CWebb would have ended up with 21-10, as it was, hey, I think we will all take a 19-9, player of the game.) Most of this was inside scoring, I think with one outside shot made. Webber's defense on Kamen, when we left Webber on his own, was not too good in the first half and Kamen did some damage in the post. But I don't think Kamen scored in the 2nd half. Sheed guarded him some and we double teamed otherwise. (Or sometimes Kamen was kept too far from the basket thru some good team effort.)

No Brand. Oh well, still a good team with plenty of scorers. Good win, 7 in a row and 11-2 with Webber starting. The starters got their rest, Delfino played plenty and did great on D, the boards, and added some scoring, hitting a triple and going inside twice. JMAX got more than 5 minutes, and hit a shot fading from the post. Playing time does seem to help. A block too.

Mohammed got in during garbage time, got some boards. Flip called his own number as usual when he got to play a bit. Delfino was out there in garbage time as well, and as usual, remained all about getting other people shots. What a team player.

Dyess made several shots. CB got a few buckets mid-1st quarter and pretty much nothing after that except some free throws. Hamilton got some assists and a decent, but not great scoring numbers. Look for Rip's scoring numbers to continue to go down as we go more and more toward post play.

Hunter had a pretty poor game. Yes, it still irks me that JMAX gets so many minutes with Hunter as the point, so never gets a chance to get much practice scoring from the post. The ball does not get to where it needs to go with Hunter running the point. I count this as another game where he hurt the team by playing. The only good thing, Hunter played enough point, lousy as it was, to keep CB out of the game, on the bench resting where he belongs.

Tay hit some outside shots, got some buckets inside, and along with the rest of the Pistons played solid D after the first quarter. (Well, at least most of the first quarter was poor D in regards to the perimeter D, and in regards to not helping out Webber with Kamen.)

Without Brand, the Clips had no interior D at all. Kamen is pretty decent on O, but thats it. Very incomplete player. Of course, against Sheed his O shows not that good at all.

Besides Kamen scoring early on Webber, their 6-7 point guard was hitting outside shots to start the game. Tim Thomas nailed a few 3's, Maggette got some points.

A story. No Dale Davis. Just 4 minutes of playing time this month. Saunders is pulling another Saunders here. This is not developing the bench. At least Delfino is getting some fairly regular burn these days, but that it as far as any serious efforts to try to expand out from the 7 man rotation he went down to last season before the playoff. JMAX did play both halves in this one, but Saunders only used JMAX for garbage time in the 4th, despite a comfy enough lead. Winning the game again is not as important as developing the bench. JMAX needed actual time with the regular rotation, not what amounted to playtime.

This team still needs to get better. I love the wins too, please Flip, keep an eye on the playoffs. Start making decisions based on preparation for the playoffs. Expand the rotation. Add Blalock, Amir, and Dale Davis. Find a way. GO PISTONS!!!!!

6 Pistons shot > 50% tonight.

I think for Tay to play well all we have to do is

1. Add LA to the opposing team's name
or
2. Play in LA

Seriously is it just me or does he always get up for these games?

Thats true. Pistons have won 8 straight games against the Clipps, thats 4 years worth and they have not lost to the Lakers since game #2 of the 2004 Finals. At least Phil Jackson has a bar buddy to share his frusteration with.


Just a great game. Pistons have not only beening winning games - thay have been blowing the competition out of the water during this 7 game streak. Prior win streaks featured a lot of nail bitters with the Starters pulling it out in the final 2 mins. This streak the game is over by then.

Sheed and Dyess have been playing great, ever since Webber came.

As I said in my pre game comments, the Pistons should win going away as all you have to do is put together a decent run on the Clipps and they will die before halftime. Well it took a little longer (about the four minute mark of the third) but after that it was over. The Pistons wasted opportunites in the second qtr but still you could tell that Clippers were just going through the motions and couldn't wait to get back to the warmth of So Cal with their cold 32% shooting.

Even if Elton Brand had played, the outcome of the game would have still been the same with a Pistons W. I think I saw Brand at the Grammys last night so I don't think he was in Detroit anyway. Nobody saw him on the bench did you??

The Pistons are playing well, but the litmus test will be on Wednesday vs the struggling Spurs. Anybody notice that Hunter was 1-8 and Murray 0-2. That's your backup point guards folks. (not that Murray is suited to run it).

Dre and lee,

Good points about some of our problems with the second unit. We do have to get better as Miami looked good against SA. Can Webber do anything with Shaq? Will Saunders play Davis to take some fouls? Who is Joe bringing aboard for the point or perimeter defense?

Lee on post-up game--I call it the Webber playbook. It seems to work.

Dre, this was like an exhibition game without Brand. The Clippers are in bad shape.

I liked the second quarter small ball line-up last night. Hunter, Delfino, JMax, Dice, and either Rip or Tay. The Clips made one 6-0 run in the middle of their time, but otherwise the second was 18-7.

Seemed like Delfino wanted to bring the ball up more but Hunter pouted every time.

i like after the game when they interviewed webber on the court and asked if he was still learning flip's plays and stuff - and he said nah, not really, it's time to just play. to me this is a good thing, because instead of getting locked down into specific offensive possessions, we can just use our strengths and get the best shot available.

it's amazing how many smiles we're seeing from the pistons these days - especially sheed. they're having fun and killing their opponents.

earlier in the year i was never confident that the pistons would pull out victories...now when i'm watching the games that confidence is back, and it looks like the players have it too.

From ClipperBlog.com:

Alas, from the best starting five in the league to "basically an average roster" (with two all-stars). I'm kind of liking average.