[Detroit News]

Prince lauds King James
"What he presents on the floor is unusual," Prince said. "He scores from so many different areas, points come easy to him; rebounds, points, all that stuff comes so easily, so natural to him. It's like no other."

[My favorite part is actually a typo at the end. Spot it and win a No-Prize.]

[Detroit Free Press]

Pistons Corner: Cavs' high-scoring LeBron makes MVP statement
Sitting third in the NBA averaging 31.7 points, he has become nearly unstoppable the past 10 games, scoring more than 30 points in each one, including a streak of nine straight with at least 35 points.

Finally that has meant victories for the Cavs, who have won nine of those 10 games and are securely in the No. 4 Eastern Conference playoff position.

Still smiling
There's no easy way to begin a story about a child with sickle cell disease. But Tony and Margie Delk agree there is a best way. Focus on the child, not the disorder.

Rosenberg: Punishing Big Ben not worth the risk
"There is a lot written that there were no apologies," Saunders said. "I talked to Ben. Ben talked to me. Ben talked to his teammates."

Cavs aren't ready for grind that awaits
"We're not into it," Billups said. "Because we know once we do get into it, it's a long grind. We've played until June the last two years, and that's long. That's three months. When it's time, we'll be ready."

.... Some good did come from Fayetteville. Acker said it was so boring there that besides shopping and eating, all he did was work on his game. And in the final five games of the season, he hopes to show Pistons fans some of the things he picked up.

Hot topics
Ben Wallace's dust-up with Flip Saunders and teammates last week wasn't the first time he has ripped the team for poor play. But quitting during a game? Doesn't seem like the actions of a captain. Ugly chapter or genius tactic? We're leaning toward the former.

[Ever notice how, when one Detroit paper has lots of Pistons stories, the other paper follows suit the next day? Yesterday the News, today the Freep.]

[Cleveland Plain Dealer]

Lineup questions arise late for Cavs
Flip Murray has been outstanding since being acquired in a trade with Seattle on Feb. 23 and moving into the starting lineup 21 games ago. He's averaging 13.9 points in 37.5 minutes a game, and Cleveland is 15-6 when he starts. The Cavs were 18-10 with Hughes as the starting shooting guard, and he was averaging 16.2 points before he got hurt.

Brown, who gave his team Tuesday off, admitted he was hesitant about changing the starting lineup with things going so well.

[Fox Sports]

Video: Chauncey Billups on The Best Damn Sports Show, Period

Preview: Cavaliers at Pistons
The Pistons are one victory shy of the 1988-89 team that finished 63-19 and won the first of back-to-back NBA championships. Detroit has already clinched the top seed in the Eastern Conference, and is trying to hold off San Antonio and Dallas for the best record in the league .... Detroit has won 12 of the last 14 home games against Cleveland.

[Detroit Bad Boys]

27 (mostly bad) reasons not to like Michael Jordan
Tell us your reasons why we shouldn't like Michael Jordan — the more awesomely bad twisted logic the better! [ALSO: stories on Ben Wallace being the league's toughest rebounder, "Tayshaun'd" becoming part of the urban vocabulary, and a David Wieme interview that's pretty ho-hum until the Larry Brown part.]

[Pounding the Rock]

So you're saying there's a chance?
.... The Spurs aren't beating a healthy Pistons team (and neither is any team in the Eastern Conference). I just can't see it. Just like last year when I couldn't see anyway PHX would seriously challenge the Spurs (and they didn't). SA will not have home court advantage; that alone infers they will have to play better than last year to beat DET. Then there's the fact DET has undoubtedly improved since last June. SA beating DET simply doesn't make sense. Does not compute. Undefined. Error. REENTER. [This is actually a Spurs blog, April 9 entry. Check out this entry and the follow-up from PO'd Spurs fans, including a priceless photo of the typical online blogger.]

[Booth Newspapers]

LeBron James even better than expected
.... The Pistons are pleased with the NBA's decision on Tuesday to allow playoff rosters to be expanded. Teams can now carry 13-man playoff rosters (it used to be 12), although only 12 players will be eligible to play in each game. That means the Pistons can have rookie Jason Maxiell and Kelvin Cato on the playoff roster instead of having to choose between them. This gives them the flexibility to use Cato, who was expected to be left off the playoff roster, in case the Pistons play the Miami Heat and Shaquille O'Neal.

SI Players Poll: Who is the toughest rebounder in the NBA?





Game Wreckers: NBA Style
by Robert Pelletier

Scouts can take the joy out of a game, for a coach, before it ever begins. The scouting report on the Detroit Pistons probably translates to something like this:
.

[Detroit News]

Take that, LeBron
When Cavaliers reserve Anderson Varejao grabbed Rasheed Wallace by the face and threw him to the court halfway through the second quarter, the beast was wide awake and breathing fire. If the Cavaliers wanted a playoff game, the Pistons would give them one.

Final score: Pistons 96, Cavaliers, 73. Statement, anyone?

.... "The message this sends to us is, we must be kicking their (butts)," Wallace said.

James is a star, but Billups proves he is a winner
"I've never been in a situation like this," said Billups, who had eight points and his standard assist-to-turnover ratio (eight to one). "It's unbelievable when you feel this way, thinking you'll win pretty much every time you step on the floor."

Hamilton finds playoff groove
The Pistons have played much more zone and deployed more full-court traps the last four or five games, and they will continue to do so for the remainder of the regular season.

.... Once the Pistons clinch the overall best record and home-court advantage throughout the playoffs (their magic number is one), Saunders said he planned to activate rookies Amir Johnson and Alex Acker in at least one or two of the remaining games.

[Detroit Free Press]

That's a laugh: 63rd victory ties team record
"We're trying to accomplish things," Pistons coach Flip Saunders said. "Playing a lot of people. Doing some things, playing some full-court pressure, play our bench. But always what happens, when you get in the heat of the battle, competitive juices flow, and our guys got juiced up a bit and really executed defensively and carried over the offensive end."

Pistons Corner: Hamilton cool with light load
Hamilton missed the Pistons' game against Orlando on Friday, a Detroit loss, to attend the funeral of a family member. In the Pistons' blowout win over the Pacers on Sunday, Hamilton logged only 25 minutes and scored 12 points on 5-for-12 shooting. He scored 14 points in 27 minutes Wednesday against Cleveland. The last time he scored 20-plus points and played more than 40 minutes was March 31 against Milwaukee, when he netted 25 and played 41 minutes.

[Akron Beacon-Journal]

Cavs routed, James injured
The Cavaliers' experience against the Detroit Pistons Wednesday was as humbling as it was painful, both physically and mentally. Their hosts, the reigning Eastern Conference bosses, sent a profound reminder of the order of things.

If the Cavs had tasted a little pride after winning 11-of-12 games, the Pistons silenced them with a 96-73 whipping.

Even Pistons hate to see LeBron limp off
Even though James and the Cavs loom as a possible second-round opponent for the Pistons, Prince didn't want to see James hobbling off the court and trying to keep weight off his left ankle.

"For one of our players, or any other player, this is an important time of the season and you don't want anyone to get hurt," Prince said. "You want them to try to help their team accomplish something. Hopefully, this is not too serious for the Cavs and he can get back healthy."

[Cleveland Plain Dealer]

Pistons put hurt on Cavs
Had this been a heavyweight fight, the Pistons would have won by technical knockout after a brief but intense scuffle between Rasheed Wallace and Anderson Varejao midway through the second quarter. The Cavs (47-31) had no fight left after Varejao was ejected.

The night went from bad to worse when James, who led the Cavs with 22 points, left the game with 1:46 remaining in the third quarter after falling and spraining his left ankle on a hard drive to the basket. Alan Henderson left early in the fourth with a dislocated finger on his right hand.

[Need4Sheed.com]

The Pistons, Not Just a Team They Are Family
If you are a Pistons fan you must realize that this team, and especially this season is very special. On the verge of breaking the Pistons franchise winning record, clinching the best record in the NBA and getting ready for playoff dominance, sometimes we take this all for granted. What you are witnessing doesn't come along very often, so watch them, enjoy them, praise them, and thank them, they have made our city proud.

[Detroit Bad Boys]

Carlos Delfino habla Espanol
NBA en Español recently had Carlos create a series of captions for several humorous photos from around the league. Sounds like a great idea, right? There's only one catch; the captions are entirely in Spanish. (We're told that we should have known that, considering that it was done for NBA en Español.)

[YAYSports.com]

Detroit is arrogant
If Krista Latham wasn't such a hot name, we'd probably have a thing or two to say about this, other than "Hey Krista - the Cavaliers are a professional basketball team, not a group of seventh-graders thrown together to be blessed by the presence of Detroit basketball."

[The Mighty MJD]

Some happenings in the Pistons/Cavs game
As you know, I’m a Pistons fan, but… I kinda respect what Varejao did. Earlier in the season, a Rasheed elbow split open Zydrunas Ilgauskas’ dome, and then he laughed in Z’s face when he tried to retaliate. I guess Varejao holds a little bit of a grudge. I like that. Nothing wrong with a hard foul to send a message.

Of course, the message wasn’t really well-received… the Pistons beat their ass, winning by 23. “Flip outcoached me and their players outplayed us on both ends of the floor,” Cavs coach Mike Brown said. “Even their cheerleaders did a nice job.” But it was a nice try, anyway, Anderson.

[Finally, this isn't quite relevant but check out the LeBron James picture here. Remind you of the old Damon Wayans "Handi-Man" superhero? Yes, I thought so too.]

Pistons Blowout Cavaliers 96-73

The Pistons beat the Cavaliers last night to tie the all time franchise season win record at 63. One more win and the Pistons not only beat that record, but they will secure home court advantage throughout the playoffs, a goal they had set for themselves at the beginning of the season.




Democracy trumps monarchy; King James falls

So about last night's 96-73 win over the Cavs: put it out of your head. For whatever reason — whether it be the pressure of a supposed "statement game", the wear of playing at such a high level while winning 11 of their previous 12, or pure, tangible fear after Cavs reserve "Sideshow" [...]


Which is which?

In no particular order, one of these pictures is an NBA player, one is a popular Simpsons character, and another is a former American Idol winner. Can you guess which is which?


Try not to bleed on the suit

Pat Riley really doesn't like it when the calls don't go his way.


Carnival of the NBA

The Basketball Jones is hosting the latest Carnival of the NBA — head on over to see a round-up of the best the basketball blogosphere has to offer. I guess this makes J.E. Skeets our favorite Canadian carnie . . .


Carlos Delfino vents his frustration

Is there discord on the Pistons? First it was Ben in Orlando, now it's Delfino:
"I need to come in and shoot more, but I'm finding it very difficult to get used to the selfish mentality here.
"I prefer to pass the ball and here, if you enter for four or five minutes and don't score, [...]

[Detroit News]

Wallace: Records aren't a big deal
Wallace is the only player left from the 2000-01 team that had the last losing season for the Pistons. After four 50-plus win seasons, the Pistons have surpassed 60 and are one victory from setting a franchise record -- they can reach 64 victories tonight in Toronto.

"For the most part, we're not looking to go out and set records," Wallace said. "We just try to give ourselves every opportunity to win every game. When you do that, when you play hard every night, good things usually happen."

Rob Parker: Pistons know title is most important, not regular season
If you were in that locker room following the Game 7 loss to the Spurs in San Antonio, you would know why this group was so focused this regular season.

The Pistons didn't want to be in that position again. They knew if the decisive game been at The Palace and not the SBC Center, they would be working for their third straight title now.

[Detroit Free Press]

Pistons Corner: 'Sheed must bleed' cries draw laughs
"I laugh all the time because when we were in Cleveland they had signs all up talking about " 'Sheed must bleed,' " shooting guard Richard Hamilton said. "Every time we play them we always kind of mock it, but it's fun."

.... Delfino will likely represent his country in July, but he will not miss the Pistons' playoff run to join the Argentinean team early to train, as the report speculated.

[Booth Newspapers]

Pistons have just a little left to play for before playoffs begin
The only goals left to accomplish are a franchise record for victories and a league-best record in order to get home-court advantage throughout the postseason. The magic number is one on both accounts and each can be reached with a victory in tonight's game at Toronto, or by beating New York, Milwaukee or Washington next week.

Full-Court Press: Detroit's toughest foe: themselves
It doesn't matter who they'll see in the playoffs. If this team plays close to their best game, there's not a team in the NBA that can beat them in a best-of-seven series. Not Dallas. Not Phoenix. Not even San Antonio, even with a healthy Tim Duncan and Manu Ginobili.

[Toronto Globe & Mail]

Raptors question marks
The 26-53 Raptors have three games left in the 2005-06 regular season. They will take on the powerhouse Detroit Pistons at the Air Canada Centre tonight, what will likely be their 11th consecutive loss. The Pistons are 63-15, the best record in the NBA.

The Raptors, who have not won since losing Bosh to a season-ending thumb injury on March 26, will also be without second-year forward Matt Bonner, who is through for the season with an ankle sprain.

[Fox Sports]

Grading the Eastern Conference Coaches
If it ain't broken, make it work even better. By opening up the Pistons' offense, and by shunning his predecessor's picayune nagging and shrill correctives, Saunders has restored the joy of playing. Aside from periodical bouts of boredom, Detroit has maintained its intensity throughout the season.

So far, so great. But how will Saunders react as the Pistons get deeper into the playoffs and the pressure mounts? Will he be able to make the miniscule adjustments that spell the difference between champions and also-rans?

Grade: A+

[Detroit Bad Boys]

The Gift of Magic: Pistons clinch best record
Ironic as it may seem, the Boys in Blue clinched tonight in large part due to the contributions of one Darko Milicic (ironic because it is the greatest contribution to Piston success Darko has ever offered). A couple weeks ago, we brought in a real-life Magic fan to educate us on how well the human victory cigar was adjusting to his new sunny locale. Just fine, thank you. Darko went for 14 points, 7 boards, 3 blocks, and a steal in tonight's matchup.

[Christian Science Monitor]

Who's best in the NBA? Let the debate begin
Increased scoring isn't limited to Bryant, James, & Company. Offense is on everyone's mind after several seasons of ugly, jarring, and punishing basketball embodied by the Detroit Pistons' championship team in 2004. Under new coach Flip Saunders, the Pistons are averaging nearly four points more per game compared with last season, though they rank well below perennial scoring machines Phoenix, Dallas, and Miami.

[Kind of a suck article and mostly a superstar lovefest, but it was fun to include the Monitor after the likes of the Fayetteville Observer.]

James lifts Raptors past Pistons
Mike James thought Rasheed Wallace tried to mock the Toronto Raptors when he attempted a left-handed 3-pointer.

So James bit -- yes, bit -- his former Detroit teammate and had a career night.

.... Asked what his best line to Wallace was, James said: "I bit him. He grabbed me in a headlock and I bit him. It felt so good. I tried to pull some skin off him."

Pistons' bench falls late
More than anything else, the Pistons' objective was to return to Detroit healthy. Check that. But they're not coming home with a franchise record for wins in a season, although that seems to be OK with them.

"We got out of it what we wanted," Saunders said. "Our main guys played really well, especially in the third quarter when they turned the heat up. We worked on some of our trap defenses that were really effective. Then we gave our young guys some fourth-quarter experience."

Pistons Corner: Starters to get break; Maxiell gets more time
Saunders plans to give his starters more rest -- but still maintain a rhythm. The coach said he plans to have the starters play around 20 minutes a game for the rest of the regular season. Saunders also wants to mix in some of the younger players, particularly rookie Jason Maxiell, with the veterans.

"He's had a great attitude," Saunders said. "He's improved a lot just because he's had to play against Ben and 'Sheed (Wallace) and those guys every day and I think he's a guy if we give him extended time, over a two- or three-game span, he'll produce."

[Booth Newspapers]

Toronto tops Detroit, 108-103
Richard Hamilton threw a lob pass from near half court that sailed well over Ben Wallace's head. Just before that, Rasheed Wallace launched an ill-advised 3-pointer early in the shot clock ... with his left hand.

"I knew it was time then to get him out," quipped Pistons coach Flip Saunders.

Full-Court Press: Cleveland/Detroit rivalry under a watchful eye
"Yes, I do have some concerns in the event these two teams meet in the playoffs, given the fact that there has been some hard fouling on the part of both teams in the last three games played," Stu Jackson said on conference call Thursday. "I had a conversation with [Cavaliers General Manager] Danny Ferry on this subject."

[Toronto Globe & Mail]

Toronto ends skid by beating one of best
Before a crowd 19,800, Toronto's fifth sellout of the season, the Raptors staged a gutsy fourth-quarter rally to score a 108-103 victory over the stunned Pistons.

[I bet you didn't know we were actually in a playoff game last night, did you? The Globe and Mail tries in vain to pretend this game was meaningful by noting that the Pistons' "embarrassment was complete" after the final Mike James free throws. Hogwash.]

[Detroit Bad Boys]

The Best of Grant Hill; A team of his own for Harper?
NBA talks to Cleveland about physical play
It's a slow day for news, but it's Friday and I imagine many of you are just itching for something to pass the time before you punch out. So, even though it's not particularly relevant to anything happening right now, let me present some highlights from the Grant Hill

[Need4Sheed]

Best Damn Sports Show Chauncey Interview
Chauncey Billups gave a great interview on The Best Damn Sports Show last week. With his upcoming appearance on Quite Frankly with Stephen A. Smith and his MVP attention, Smooth is getting the recognition that he so greatly deserves.

Another guest of the show was Billups cousin USC Running Back LenDale White, the show brought the two together for a quick segment and LenDale painted a great picture of his famous cousin.

[Fox Sports]

Raptors beat Pistons with a little help
If you were wondering how the Chris Bosh-less Raptors beat Detroit last night, consider this: Rasheed Wallace was taking left-handed treys in the second half, the Pistons rested their starters in the fourth quarter, and when Detroit had a chance to tie the game with 10 seconds left, Carlos Delfino actually tripped and lost the ball.

Was this a game that mattered, of course, Delfino wouldn't be anywhere near the rock in crunch time ...

Just wanted to take the time to thank Dobber for his efforts on posting these articles... it's one of the first stops of the day.... keeping us all in the loop.

Much appreciated bro

More NBA comics

NBA czar David Stern says Seattle isn't interested in basketball, which begs the question, what is Seattle interested in?

The gift of Magic: Pistons clinch home court

Gifts can come from the strangest of places. Take Thursday night, for example. Achieving the league's best record had been the stated goal of these Pistons since last season's game 7 loss in San Antonio, yet it was the all-of-a-sudden unbeatable Orlando Magic that gave the Pistons the gift of home court advantage [...]

Pistons lose scrimmage to Raptors

The Pistons, playing their first officially meaningless game of the season after clinching the best record in the league, dropped a game to the Raptors on Friday night. Four of the five starters watched at least half of the game from the bench — Ben Wallace, who racked up five blocks in 28 minutes, was [...]

Delfino clarifies statements

The Free Press caught up with Carlos Delfino to ask him about the interview published earlier this week in which he seemed to suggest he wanted to miss the playoffs to play for the Aregentia in the South American Championships:
The report said Delfino wanted to leave the Pistons during their playoff run. Delfino said [...]



Rookie anticipate more playing time in Pistons' final 3 games
by A. Sherrod Blakely

AUBURN HILLS -- The Detroit Pistons' remaining three regular-season games are against teams with losing records. Considering the Pistons have already clinched home-court advantage throughout the NBA playoffs, these games don't really mean a lot.


But don't tell that to guard Alex Acker, one of several Pistons rookies who should get quality playing time this week.


"I'm approaching this like it's my (NBA) Finals," said Acker, who has appeared in just three games this season. "If he (Pistons coach Flip Saunders) puts me out there, I'll be ready. I'm looking forward to these games."





Pistons Lite
James leads Raptors over the reserves
by DANA GAURUDER

TORONTO - Pistons Lite made its debut Friday night. Get used to it for the next few games.

This slimmed-down version of the NBA's top team brings upon a variety of unusual sights. The starters sit and watch during close games in the fourth quarter. The defense comes with a few twists. Rasheed Wallace unveils his left-handed 3-point shot and rookie Jason Maxiell plays center with the game on the line.

With home-court advantage throughout the playoffs secured before they took the court, the Pistons downshifted into neutral and allowed their younger players to gain some experience. The bench couldn't hold a 10-point, fourth-quarter lead in a 108-103 loss to the lottery-bound Toronto Raptors. This was a game the Pistons probably would have won if the starters had remained on the court. But limiting their minutes and keeping them healthy is a higher priority than adding to their franchise-record tying 63-win total. Nine Pistons saw at least 20 minutes of action and no one played more than 28 minutes.


Maxiell getting more minutes
by DANA GAURUDER

TORONTO - Jason Maxiell has been waiting for this chance all season. With home court throughout the playoffs clinched, Maxiell has his chance to make a big impression.

He's got a simple mission.

"That I can play with the big boys," said Maxiell, the team's firstround draft choice last June. "That's what I'm here to do, to show Flip (Saunders) I'm capable of running down the floor with the big fellas, bang down low and get my job done."

Stuck behind Rasheed Wallace and Antonio McDyess at power forward, Maxiell played in just his 23rd game this season Friday night. Unlike some young players in his spot, Maxiell has maintained a positive attitude and continued to go all-out in practice.




Eastern Conference Playoff Chase
by Eric Pincus

The season ends April 19th, but as of the 15th the playoff seedings in Eastern Conference are far from set.

Although the top four seeds are locked, who they will play in the first round is completely up in the air.

[NBA.com]

Turbo Pistons
Some pundits predicted that the Pistons would slip a bit this season without Hall of Fame coach Larry Brown at the helm. That couldn’t have been further from what has transpired.

[New York Times]

Consistency, Controversy and Calamity
(Registration Required) In a season with few extraordinary highlights (Kobe Bryant's 81 points) and few shocking lowlights (Larry Brown's Knicks), consistency (the Detroit Pistons) dominated on and off the court.