Good "D" by Delfino. ASB was asked on radio why Delfino doesn't play more. His take was that Flip is more comfortable with Evans as he coached him before i.e. there is no logical reason other than preference.

Lack of pts in the paint is worrisome. Flip has to stop with the jump shooting when things are not going in.

Dang we had to hold on to win this one scoring just one point in the last 4 mins. Bad shot selection and the refusal to go inside almost cost us a victory that should have been by 20 pts, based on the Pacers ineptness in the third Qtr. Well...I guess all of the road victories can't be easy, so we will take it.

Good bench production from Dice and Hunter, but the former took too many jumpers instead of driving and Hunter fell in love with the three ball ala Delk and then he and Billups spent to much time dribbling in the 4th qtr.

I am glad that Flip brought in Delfino and Davis to experiment with the bench, but now he needs to get somebody to practice going inside. SIX points in the paint will not win many playoff games. 9 assists by CB, but bad play selection down the stretch in crunch time.

Home cooking the next two games....no let ups, take all prisoners!!!

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

Carlisle always coaxes a nice low scoring affair that keeps his team in it. If the Pistons made better decisions down the stretch it might not have been so close, but they didn't and escaped with the W. There is something to be said for playing like you have a paperbag with no eye holes over your head and still stealing a road game. What can be said, I'm not sure, but something for sure.

I was pretty pleased with this game. Flip made a lot of roster moves, getting several players significant burn. Although people flinch when Hunter shoots a 3, he's made over a 1,000 in his career and it's a shot he can hit particularly if he is feeling it. Besides, the havoc and mayhem he wreaks on defense usually keeps the other team from exploiting those long misses.

The main sore spot was Ben's continued atrocious free throw shooting. He's actually regressing to a sub 30% shooter. It is absolutely amazing that his shots look worse than mine considering he is 12" taller than me, is a professional baller and has taken several thousand more free throws than I have. I can't help but get an uncomfortable feeling that Ben is going to hurt this team one day with his inability to make bunnies. I worry that it could happen in a crucial moment. I hope I am wrong.

Another guy who is regressing is Chauncey. Man, he's lost all of that pre-All Star poise and discipline. He's forcing bad shots, not involving his teammates etc. I was pleased to see him in the paint grabbing some boards (yes, guards can board, ask JKidd or Bonzi Wells). Still, his game is wildly inconsistent night to night. And his 4th quarter handles are extremely suspect. This cats gotta get on track and fast.

Dice was an absolute man. How many teams can boast a consistent double double threat off the bench? What a luxury to have.

Bring on the Nets. I wanna see Hunter vs. JKidd.

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To all of my friends, comrades and companions at PF.com

Thank you for another great season!

This game really showed that you can call a dog a cat all you want, but in the end the dog will show. In the begining what we saw was a high scoring fun offensive team that can play some D. That dog was meowing, but you are what you are. The Detroit Pistons folks are a rugged so what I can't score defensive team. That is what they are, you can't put syrup on poop and call it pancakes.

There offense is their Defense, The last two games you saw how Detroit likes to play, and how they will play when the lights come on in the playoffs. They're soe teams that can't defend and the Pistons will score all day, but when it comes down to it the D will show and that cat can't be a dog.

Give props to the bench tonight they really steped up and did the work.

Micro, just posted my concerns on the other board and came hear to read your post saying the same thing. Right, Ben has to do something about the free throw shooting. And Chauncey's head is just not into it. Some really poor decisions lately. On the other hand, this team just coasts and (usually) keeps winning. I am a bit concerned that the offense has not looked as sharp. Hope it is not a trend.

- Just can't win! Its either the defense or offense.

No players perfect. Chauncy had a less than steller game ( especially in the 4th ) it happends. Be thankfull that we have a half-way decent bench this year to help pull the team through. Hunter looks 5 years younger out there. Sitting him for most of the season will insure he is fresh for the stretch run.

Defense has won the past 2 games for the Pistons. A good trend for most.

I liked the ruggedness, the intensity. And Ben on anyone who has only one possible shot to take is never fair. Bench looked good and everyone except the guards got off with a light minutes game. And of course, there was a W at the end.

A couple fewer threes and a couple more plays down low might have turned it into a laugher, but the Pacers know how to play the Pistons and any win down there looks good to me.

I've just come to the realization that we are jump shooting team. Period.

If we make the shots and play Pistons "D" we win by double digits. If we play Pistons "D" and the shots don't fall we have a close one and will most likely have to rely on 4th quarter poise. I like us in that position as well.

I think the defense is near playoff level now. My worries are beginning to subside. Excellent work by Flip on the rotations. (Guess his talk with Dungy helped?).

I'm not worried about the offense. If its one thing that Flip can tinker with and fix its the "O". The only question mark I have now is Flip's abililty to adjust during the playoffs. Crossing my fingers!

By the way, Lindsey was awesome. I've never seen a guard cause that much havoc defensively. Hell, you can't even inbound the ball with this guy...he's nuts!!! Everyone talks about the Pistons "switch". I'm here to tell you that it has a name...Lindsey Hunter. His defense is infectious.

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"I'm a diamond, you're a cubic zir-con-ia" - Nice and Smooth via The Low

People say Hunter is a situational player. Well here's the situation, we need some D. Put him in.

Is there any hope that Flip is keeping this team from attacking the paint so that opposing teams can't develop counters to our sets? I can't imagine a disciplined, basketball savy team simply unwilling to play inside/ outside. It would be kinda like how the Pistons caught everyone off guard in the early season with the offensive efficiency and mid range attack.

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Good point, Slippy. I hope thats the case. I also wondered if injury was a consideration. I totally agree about Hunter and I also think Delfino can be of use in this capacity as well. Some take issue with Hunters' shot selection, but he is is an opponents nightmare and thats good enough for me, but if it's points you want well I know Lindsey has made some huge shots for us in the playoffs. I liked liked the line w/ Lind., Chaun.,Dale, Delf.,Dyess it was probaby the best part of the game. They may not play like that night after night but lets just hope those guys keep getting minutes.