We got punked in the paint 54-34 too, missed 10 FT's and had only 15 dimes, but the better "team" still won because Flip has figured out how and when to play them...

I don't think he was the answer, I just thought he could help, at least in the rebounding department. I do see where Flipper was coming from, though. As long as he keeps giving the younger players minutes he's on my good side.

On that note...Amir had only one foul today (guarding matchup nightmare Josh Smith). That's the least number he's accumulated in a while. A sign of an improvement? ermm...I might need a bigger sample size.

(Long Sigh) As Piston fans we're just like abuse victims. We've been lied to and lied to and lied to. Flip is not giving the young players minutes, they're earning them, and have solidified roles in the rotation. But much like an abuse victim we have no ability to trust or let our guard down. You know, all of this is a direct result of Delfino and Darko!!

Crazy, man. That's just exactly what I was telling my friend tonight before the game. He said I was being unrealistic expecting the Pistons to win 125-0, since anything more than 105-5 was really just running up the score and being unsportsmanlike.

It's his length and athleticism. He had no problem rebounding when Horford was in the game in the 2nd. Took a few away IIRC.

I can't remember if they tried Horford posting him up. I do remember JS posting him up being successful the first 2 times, and then Amir forcing a tough shot the 3rd. To really know how to defend a guy, it's important to play against him and learn some of his tendencies.

The problem with Max, what's always been, is his lack of height. It really hurts him against some of the taller teams. That's why i'm so adament for Amir. What he lacks in strength, he makes up for in height, quickness, and jumping ability.

You put Amir Johnson and Rasheed Wallace in a game against Big baby, and KG, and i would bet money what happened wouldn't have happened. At the very least it would have been a wash in terms of rebounds/2nd chance points.

I love Max, but lately he hasn't been playing his usual game. The Sheed/Dice lineup doesn't cut it against a great rebounding team. That's what worries me in the PO's. There are going to be times when it would be better for Stuck or Amir to finish the game. Does Flip have the stones to do that or the comprehension to realize it?

There's still plenty of time left in the season to go.

edited to add;

I'm not trying to devalue what Maxiel does. I just think it would be nice to have both options and use whats needed at the time.

I would be so frustrated if other teams had a guy like Chauncey Billups. He really is a cold blooded 4th quarter killer. Did you see him going for the block in the last minute? He didn't get it, but he caused a big miss. Earlier, I thought to myself, well, this is Chauncey's worse game of the season. Turns out that he was the hero.

Sheed was crazy at the start. Then, he went into super unselfish mode, which was some sort of personal protest against success. He really left Tay hanging a few times when he declined the post move with no double and passed back out with a low shot clock. At the end, I would have bet my bippy that he was going to get tossed. The things that he was screaming to Crawfor must not have been that bad. "You're calls upset me, but yet they are fair. In the future, please make calls in my favor." Or something like that.

Stuckey really has that split the defenders move down. Once he gets through there, we score every time. Also, he has that ability to hang on his short jumpers that makes it almost impossible to block him.

Amir. What can you say. 3 offensive rebounds resulting in immediate put-backs in an incredibly short period of time and he gets benched. I hear the arguments about Horford... but why not keep him in with Sheed or Dyess?

What is going on with Maxiell? I think he hears footsteps.

__________________
"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.

I don't know if you were being sarcastic or not, but I do feel that way sometimes. I just never know what's gonna happen next. All I know is Max and Stuckey are safe. Darko WAS given minutes he didn't earn, however. That guy had no work ethic to speak of (or maybe LB just ruined him. Who knows). Delfino's more of an enigma, but he's a Raptor now. I don't really care what the reasons are, as long as the kids are playing, and playing well. It's all about the playoffs, and none of these kids are like Darko or Delfino. That's a good start.

Will some of y'all please go watch that Boston game again. Why is everybody acting like Boston threw the ball too Big Baby in the post???? He was scoring because Pierce was getting into the lane, drawing defenders and dumping it off to the guy. What, was Dyess not supposed to rotate?? Was he to concede the lane to Pierce? We have yet to lose because Dyess and Sheed get man handled inside, but we do often lose because our perimeter players cant stay in front of their man on defense.

Awesome

Did anybody here watch Big Baby vs. Duncan the other day? He's good.