Great post!

I'm psyched now!

PLAYOFFS BABY!!

When they showed stats how many minutes pistons rookies have got, two things are mentionable:
1. AA an AJ have each ALREADY played more minutes in their rookie season than Tay did.
2. Mateen Cleaves played 150% more minutes than AJ or AA: it says how much they put on this guy and therefore how big bust he turned to be.

AJ needs really some muscle: when he gets ball, he has so much trouble to keep his position so he is not capable of making good shot.

Looks like the 1st half was good old Piston half effort stuff. Actually looked like they were trying to get into a scoring contest with the Heat and were trying to bury them that way but the Heat players were hitting their shots in the 1st half.

Then in the 2nd half the Pistons started to play some D and got some great production off the bench.

Riley was there for the game and it looks like this was one the games that he must of circled on his calendar as a game to try and win. Probably figured he would lose anyway so it was no real threat to his lottery ball hunt.

Won by 16 and I would called it by a 15-20 point margin anyway given that Hamilton was out so it ended about how it should have.

Great games by Afflalo and Amir. Especially AA, he has really been taking advantage of this golden opportunity to start. You have to be proud how these guys have been stepping up to show what they have for the playoff roster whenever they get the chance. Lot more than I can say for Past Piston young bench guys.

Thanks for the correction on the tv schedule CloudWalker.

Tay got burried on the bench his rookie year, only to emerge in the playoffs. Michael Curry was starting ahead of him and he was about as good as Lindsey Hunter is right now. About the only good that came out of that season was that Tay put his name on the map.

Maybe the Heat played well for a while last night because of Shaq's recent remarks....

I love playing for this coach and I love playing with these guys. We have professionals who know what to do. No one is asking me to play with Chris Quinn or Ricky Davis. I’m actually on a team again.

True perhaps, but why single out a second year end-of-the-bench player who by all accounts is a decent kid who plays hard. I had begun to think of Shaq as an elder statesman and was kind of starting to like him. These remarks though are utterly classless. What a jerk.

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

Wow. It is pretty unusual to single out players by name like that because of their ability. It's one thing if they couldn't get along personally, but to embarrass a guy like that is pretty low, I agree.

As was pointed out on Pardon The Interruption yesterday when they discussed those remarks, Shaq has pretty much thrown his previous teammates under the bus in public every single time he's switched teams--Penny from Orlando, Kobe from L.A., now those guys from the Heat.

he has grown up..... lol remember he normally throws the superstar of the team he leaves under the bus, he never said a word about wade..... well not yet anyways lol

So Chris Quinn isn't on Shaq's Fave Five? I'm really surprised by that. Maybe they are just too similar to get along.

Dice FTs lately is horrible, miss 5 in this game. Season average is lower than Max. Did i just say Max? The guy whom FTs were comparable with Big Ben early in the season?

Wow, Dice. You better start makin your FTs cause the playoffs is coming soon. And FTs are very important in the playoffs.