Pistons look to Ben to grind out 93-89 win over Portland
By A. Sherrod Blakely

Flip Saunders called it a trip to the dentist, but it wasn't really like pulling teeth.

No, the Detroit Pistons' 93-89 win over Portland Tuesday night was more like teeth grinding. Constantly.

It wasn't pretty, and it wasn't really what we've come to expect of the Pistons, now 20-3 in their franchise-best start to this season. In fact, this was the first time in nine home games that the Pistons didn't reach triple-digits on the scoreboard.

This wasn't typical. Or maybe it was, because when it came time to win this one, the Pistons looked where they so often look. Right at Ben Wallace.

Plan to give Wallace a lighter load Tuesday doesn't pan out
By A. Sherrod Blakely

Truth be told, Detroit Pistons coach Flip Saunders was hoping to play Ben Wallace for about 35 minutes Tuesday night against Portland.
Or maybe he was going to play him for the first 35 minutes, non-stop.

No, that wasn't the plan, not after the Pistons needed Wallace for 56 minutes in Monday's double-overtime Memphis marathon. The plan was for someone else to take some of those minutes Tuesday.

But when Antonio McDyess got in quick foul trouble, and when Tuesday's game became a struggle that ended as a 93-89 Pistons win, Wallace ended up playing a little more than planned. He played 30 of the first 31 minutes and a game-high 40 minutes overall, and the Pistons needed him for every one of those minutes.

Saunders pleased with bench
Coach says reserves have 'given us what we need for the most part,' despite off game Tuesday.
By Chris McCosky

He never shows it, but on some level it has to be exasperating for Pistons coach Flip Saunders.

His team is 20-3, yet invariably after each game he has to answer two negative questions -- is he concerned about the bench, and what about the disparity in points in the lane.

The reserve unit was a bit disappointing Tuesday. The Pistons had won a double-overtime game in Memphis the night before, and the starters played heavy minutes. Saunders would have liked to lean on the bench more against Portland, but for various reasons, no reserve played more than 13 minutes.




By Chris Silva

The Pistons' 20th win of the season didn't come easily.

The Portland Trail Blazers knew the Pistons would be a bit weary from playing three games in four nights, but thanks to some key defensive stops, the Pistons escaped with a 93-89 victory.

The Pistons have been in five games decided by five points or fewer, and they've won them all.
In those games, opponents have committed an average of 15.4 turnovers but have shot 47.1% from the field, slightly better than the Pistons' 43% shooting.

That was the case against Portland, which shot 50% but committed 16 turnovers to the Pistons' eight.




By A. Sherrod Blakely

The Detroit Pistons are the best team in the NBA because players understand their roles.

The same can be said for the coaching staff, with different contributions coming from each to help shape what has been the league's most dominant team this season.

"They all bring something different to the table," said first-year Pistons head coach Flip Saunders. "I have great confidence in every one of them."

That's because each understands that he has a specific role, and never loses sight of that.





Hard Work Pays Off
by Dave Howell

Al Kaline. Gordie Howe. Barry Sanders. Isiah Thomas. Steve Yzerman. All of these men are Detroit sports legends. Their names have become synonymous with success in their individual sports. One trait runs through all of these men...hard work. Joe Dumars, the Pistons president of basketball operations, is another such Detroit sports legend. Dumars went from a small town in Louisiana to the top of the Motor City and the basketball world, as both the 1989 NBA Finals MVP and the architect of the 2004 NBA World Champion Detroit Pistons.

Pistons and Shock Team Up with Meijer To Buy Presents for Underprivileged Kids in Metro Detroit

Detroit Pistons players Rip Hamilton, Chauncey Billups, Antonio McDyess and Dale Davis along with Shock star Swin Cash, will make the holiday season more cheerful for 85 less-fortunate children with a holiday shopping spree at Meijer.

Three-point shots will fly when Warriors face Pistons
By A. Sherrod Blakely

The 3-point shot can be an intoxicating elixir for teams when taken to liberally.

The Detroit Pistons, despite being the league's best 3-point shooting team this season, have resisted the temptation.

However, the same can not be said for the Golden State Warriors, a team that's totally hooked on jacking up as many 3-point shots as possible no matter how poorly they may shoot.

That much is clear based on the Warriors' shooting an NBA-high 657 3-point attempts this season, despite being ranked a lowly No. 22 out of 30 NBA teams in 3-point shooting accuracy.

Pistons-Spurs should be headlining act
By Mike Kahn

We're getting a rerun of the finals for the network premiere of the NBA on Christmas Day as the opener of a double-header.

Strangely enough, there is a problem with that for hoophead purists.

The wise old money men have decided that game only merits second billing.

http://www.profantasysports.com/easy...l.php?PID=1392

Its fantasy basketball oriented but features 3 pistons starters.

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Love those Pistons
This team deserves everyone's attention
By Pat Caputo

Oh, by the way, the Pistons are having one of the best seasons in NBA history. You'd think that after winning a world championship one season and reaching the NBA Finals the next, the last thing the Pistons would have to be concerned about is attention.

But where is it? The Pistons will carry an astounding 20-3 record into tonight's game against Golden State at The Palace. Yet, they are an afterthought.

They seem to do everything right, but we pay much more attention to the Lions, who do everything wrong.

"The Pistons have been so good thus far that their road record is better than any other team's home record, except of course, for the Spurs."

man i love that fact

~New York Sun~

Spurs-Pistons Rematch is NBA's Holiday Gift to Fans
by John Hollinger

For NBA fans of every faith, there's a special treat awaiting this Christmas: Detroit vs. San Antonio. Despite the networks' baffling decision to make this the warm-up game for the tired, overhyped Shaq vs. Kobe melodrama, there is no doubt that the Spurs-Pistons showdown is the main event. The two clubs met in a hotly contested Finals a year ago and picked up right where they left off this fall, dominating the league thus far.

He thinks Santa should deliver some coal to the game schedulers...
Riley Vs Jackson? Who gives a s--t..

http://msn.foxsports.com/nba/story/5191234