Weekend wrap; Pistons pound Bulls and Cavaliers

Seein' Red
Perhaps we should have listed the Chicago Bulls on our recent poll of the most hated Piston rivals. Or perhaps not, since the Bulls–after turning some heads last season by making the playoffs for the first time in the post-Jordan era–have returned to sub-mediocrity and are nowhere near deserving of "rival" status. [...]

~ The Detroit News ~

Ben Wallace lays down law on defense, stymies Cavs
AUBURN HILLS -- Every time the Cleveland Cavaliers looked like they might be making a run at the Pistons on Sunday, they ran into Ben Wallace. A steal here, a deflected pass there, a rebound here, a block there -- he was a one-man wall of denial.

Referee gets his message across
AUBURN HILLS -- Veteran referee Joey Crawford hadn't worked a Pistons game all season until Sunday, but he clearly has watched a lot of film. No doubt he has heard Bulls coach Scott Skiles and others whine about the Pistons' nonstop chatter with the referees.

~ The Detroit Free Press ~

Bloodied and Dfeated
If the Pistons are looking for a stop, chances are they're going to Ben Wallace, who has become a difficult matchup for any opponent.

Chicago's Skiles cries foul, and ref reacts
"The thing with Joey, he just said, 'Hey, you're not talking tonight.' And I said, 'Hey, I'm going to talk,' otherwise Joe (Dumars) won't pay me. That's what a coach does. But I like Joey, I respect him. When the ratings come out and we can vote, and in five categories he gets a 10 in every category."

~ MLive.com ~

Inside the Pistons
Who's hot: Ben Wallace made his presence felt at both ends of the floor in four games last week, averaging 10.8 points, 13.3 rebounds, 4.5 blocked shots and four steals per game.

"D" gains momentum
Not including Sunday's 90-78 win over Cleveland, the Pistons had risen to fourth defensively. They're still not as stingy as they were last year, but they've shored up some of what was ailing them early on.

~ The Oakland Press ~

Pistons give Cavaliers heavy dose of Big Ben
AUBURN HILLS - When Larry Brown left town, many people figured the Pistons' defensive discipline would head out the door with him. They were supposed to become more of an offensive team under Flip Saunders while sacrificing their former identity. After 55 games, it's clear that while their offense has improved, their defense has not suffered at all. And it never will as long as they have a healthy and motivated Ben Wallace on their side.

~ Foxsports.com ~

LeBron must learn to play outside spotlight
by Charlie Rosen
On their way to a carefree 90-78 victory, here's a closer look at Detroit's specific strategies that were designed to dethrone LeBron.

~ Cleveland Plain Dealer ~

Cavs must respond tonight
by Bud Shaw
Answering a cheap shot requires nothing more than an attitude. But the Cavaliers didn't show that or much of anything Sunday after Rasheed Wallace opened a gash on Zydrunas Ilgauskas' head. Rasheed The Innocent, of course, claimed to referees he was swiping at the ball - probably on his way to helping an elderly lady to her seat.

A Reminder of What's Basic

Now that we’re into the “second half” of the season, I’d like to point out a few things about how Pistons put the first half behind them.

I particularly liked Chauncey Billups comments after the All Star weekend. He said, “It was beautiful. Non-stop from the time I woke up to the time I lay down.”




Using math to predict the MVP
by Matt Watson

In an effort to scientifically predict the winner of the NBA's Most Valuable Player award, Michael Wilczynski, a guest writer for 82games.com, examined 20 years of historical data to see what past winners had in common.


Will there be any fight in the Cavs tonight?
by Ian Cameron

A. Sherrod Blakely of MLive gives the rundown of the skull crackin' that went on early in Sunday's beatdown of the Cavs, with Sheed nearly decapitating Zydrunas Ilgauskas (resulting in 5 stitches for big Z).

Pistons prevail in a laugher
In a game of strange calls, Rasheed Wallace gets 15th technical for a chuckle, still scores 24.
by Joanne C. Gerstner

CLEVELAND -- Welcome to the Twilight Zone, Quicken Loans Arena-style.

It's a very weird, metaphysical state, as evidenced Monday night, where technical fouls are called for laughing and confusion reigns.

The Pistons and Cavaliers stepped into this scary world, with the Pistons bearing the brunt of the freakiness.

The Pistons beat the Cavs, 84-72, overcoming three odd technical fouls and other phantom foul strangeness.


Technically, this is a trend
Officials have whistled Pistons for misbehavior 10 times in three games, no laughing matter.
by Joanne C. Gerstner

CLEVELAND -- Maybe Bulls coach Scott Skiles has pulled off a Jedi mind trick on officiating crews for Pistons games.

Ever since Skiles complained about the Pistons being whiners, the officials have called technical fouls on Detroit at a mad clip.

Try 10 technicals in three games. The one that really has the Pistons scratching their heads was Monday's called on Rasheed Wallace -- for laughing.


Picking up speed
Mavs potent but often fade come playoff time
by Joanne C. Gerstner

They're fun to watch. They can shoot the lights out and play tough defense. The wins are piling up, and people are starting to wonder what's going to happen in the playoffs.

No, it's not the Pistons.

There's another team winning nearly as many games, without as much hype -- the Dallas Mavericks.

They've been at, or near, the top of the Western Conference all season, sharing elite status with the 2005 NBA champion San Antonio Spurs. They were 44-11 through Sunday, with a one-game lead over the Spurs for the conference's top record.


Alley oop to ... Jason Maxiell
by Joanne C. Gerstner

Q . Strongest player you have every played against?

A . Easy. Ben Wallace, without a doubt.

Q . I think a few people around the league would have that answer too. What makes Ben so strong?

A . He just has that will to go after the ball. He's like a bull, a really strong bull.

Q . Goofiest looking basketball shoes being worn in the NBA right now?

A . Alonzo Mourning of the Heat has some messed up shoes. They're just horrible. I would never wear them.

[...more...]


Dealing Darko was good move
by Chris McCosky

Burning questions as Darko-mania continues to grow:

Q . They are talking about promoting Darko to the starting lineup in Orlando already. Do you think the Pistons traded him too hastily, and do you think they did it just to cut costs?

A . Listen, we can probably agree on a couple points.

Darko Milicic was not going to flourish here.




DETROIT 84, CLEVELAND 72: The last laugh
'Sheed earns 15th tech, but Pistons stay on a roll
by KRISTA LATHAM

CLEVELAND -- The officials keep on whistling. And the Pistons keep on winning.

Add three more technical fouls to the docket and up the total in the past three games to 10. But don't fret too much. All three games resulted in Detroit wins, with the Pistons topping Cleveland, 84-72, on Monday night at Quicken Loans Arena.


PISTONS CORNER: Boldly going where no Piston has gone before
by KRISTA LATHAM

FREE PRESS SPORTS WRITER

Pistons rookie Amir Johnson left for the NBDL's Fayetteville Patriots on Monday and will play at least a week for the NBA's new minor league partner.

What the forward will do down there, the Pistons can't say.

This is the first time the Pistons have sent a player to the NBDL. And coach Flip Saunders said he wouldn't give the Patriots staff any instructions on how he'd like Johnson to be used while he's on their roster.