Yes I did. I said he would flash some of the youngsters in there, but really go with Stuckey, Hayes, Theo, and Dixon as his main bench guys. This was a slam on the average fan, who would imagine that our youngsters got to play, and not notice how little they played.

The other part, about us losing, you know that I have said we can't win with Afflalo not playing.

On the energy thing, Flip pretty much says that after every loss. Never mind Theo was his first sub, and brings no energy. Never mind that Dyess was leg dead so bad he could not get his legs warmed up until the end of the first quarter. Never mind Sheed had a bum ankle and could move no faster. Never mind Philly went big in this game, playing Iguidala at shooting guard so he could totally overwhelm Rip. It was atrocious coaching, not any lack of energy. PS, and shame on the fans who cheer on Saunders as he tears the team down. I know its a minority, but all it takes is a few cheerleaders like this and Flip will use that as justification to stay the course toward disaster.

Oh, and I forgot to mention Tay is leg dead again. He could not possibly have hit an outside shot last night. And don't blame Sheed for not going inside much. With the rest of the team off on their shooting, Philly could too easily pack the middle on us.

Do you think Saunders bases his rotations on what percentage of casual Internet fans support his moves?

Aggravating loss only because it is kind of typical. I wish DET could take care of their home court. It kind of seems like the more things they have going in their favor, (home court, 3 days off, everyone back etc.) the worse it is.

I find Flip's quote in today's papers to be telling. He says something along the lines of, 'When you starters come out with no energy, it really puts a lot of pressure on your bench. Every play for them becomes huge.' This, to me, has always been Flip's big problem. He is too caught up in the now. He can't picture what the end of quarter might look like if someone hits 3 shots at the start of one. Sheed was hot in the 2nd quarter and because of that he wasn't going anywhere in the 2nd half. Contrast Flip's quote to someone like Popovich who talks about not panicking when they're down, remembering that the game is 48 minutes long and sticking to their principles/philosophy of playing. Flip can only play the bench when there is a margin for error. He can't coach them to success.

Disappointing that Sheed and Theo didn't get to play together.

A good sign for where this team is headed under Flip's guidance was Philly's last shot of the game. DET gets the rebound in front of their own bench and didn't know if they should call timeout or advance the ball. Not only did they time go off the clock, but they also came close to having to take the ball the length of the floor on their last shot. I know DET has the reputation of being ruthlessly efficient down the stretch, but in reality that was eons (another coach) ago. These Pistons have taken on the personality of their leader. Where they used to thrive in late game situations, they now are nervous and twitchy.

As good as their last play was out of the timeout, I think it is causing people to overlook how great a play they ran out of their previous TO. You remember the one where Rip (3-7 with 3 of his attempts blocked) dribbled, dribbled and dribbled as the shot clock ran down before heading baseline and dribbling the ball of his foot and out of bounds? Deeeeeeeeetroit Basketball!!!!

...Another season; Another player experiencing "leg death".

I didn't get to watch this one, but based on all these comments, I think that I'll just delete it off the DVR and pretend like it never happened.

I hung out with Yogi Berra instead (at a function) and he said the following:

1) he loved hitting at the old Tiger Stadium
2) he is good friends with Leyland and thinks he's a great manager
3) the balls are way more lively now than they were in his day
4) I asked him who would get the AL pennant this year, and he said "we'll see." He knew I wanted him to say the Tigers, and he wouldn't do it.

Anyways, I always wondered whether or not his quotes were accidently brilliant or whether he was just a clever guy. After meeting him, I'm 100% certain that he knew what he was saying at all times.

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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.

What a treat to meet Yogi Berra! A true legend. He is also a great wit. Two Berraisms that I can remember:

It's deja vu all over again.

Nobody goes there anymore -- it's too crowded.

That is so awesome that you got to meet Yogi Bear. Did you happen to see Boo Boo or Ranger Smith?

I don't understand who more people aren't mentioning this. The fact that Tay has played close to 40 min for the past like 4 games is just glossed over.

Tay played 34 minutes 2 games ago against the Knicks.

The Pistons are 17-5 in their last 22 games. That ain't that awful, is it?

Do you think that this conspiracy will ever see the light of day? Or are Joe Dumars and George Blaha in on it as well?

Word!

We have a lot of great wits on this forum. No legends though...

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

Thank you for another great season!