Coliseo de Puerto Rico, San Juan
Oct 10th 8:30 EST
TV 20 & NBA TV

The first preseason game. A chance to see the new acquisitions against the team that knocked the Pistons out of the playoffs.


Comments?

Can't wait. It's only about a week away.

BEN.?...COUGHCOUGH..:confused: .....BEN?..........:cold: WHERE'S BEN?

I don't think Nazr is gonna start just because of the fact that it's only week 1 of training camp. It's been stated in many times that he doesn't really know the sets and plays.

Are we crazy enough to do game chat for exhibition games? Do I even need to ask? How about it, Roscoe?

It's going to happen.

Sweet! All hands on deck! :pirates:

I wouldn't miss a chance at ruining you guys' game experience...:thumb:

They'll probably sit Shaq out of pity...

I think this is going to be more competetive than a typical pre-season without a lot of calls because PR does not want to see a free throw shooting contest in their only NBA game.

Question will be which coach is going to blink 1st and put in the scrubbs in an attempt to pretend that the game does not matter.

I think this is going to be more competetive than a typical pre-season without a lot of calls because PR does not want to see a free throw shooting contest in their only NBA game.

Question will be which coach is going to blink 1st and put in the scrubbs in an attempt to pretend that the game does not matter.
Yeah we might want to take the over/under on starters minutes...
Tay 10
Sheed 10
Rip 10
Chauncey 10
Nazr 5

Or is Taz (short for Taser) gonna be our starter?

Are we crazy enough to do game chat for exhibition games? Do I even need to ask? How about it, Roscoe?

It's going to happen.

Sweet! All hands on deck! :pirates:

Aye Aye Mateys!

Wow, it seems like just yesterday we were in chat talking about Dallas getting NBA'd by the officials. LOL. We have to make sure all our chat regulars know that it's Opening Pre-Season Chat Night.

We have to get our fingers and our multi-tasking skills up to speed. Make sure the furniture is arranged properly so that we can watch and type at the same time easily without a crook in the neck (ouch:( ). By God, we've got to get in shape!

Big game tomorrow night folks. Chat will open at 7:30 PM to accomodate both the Pistons and Tigers (ALCS) games.

I wish this would have happened when Arroyo was on the team. I was hoping to go but I'm working, so I gave my tickets to my cousin. bummer.

I can just see the Heat players now; they will be so cocky I will not be able to stand it. And it`s` just a preseason game!!

Gary Payton and Zo have a ring, I still can`t believe it.

Gary Payton and Zo have a ring, I still can`t believe it.

Man..say it was all just a bad dream..

This has to be one of the most meaningful preseason games to the Pistons in a while. I hope it's good.

The first preseason game. A chance to see the new acquisitions against the team that knocked the Pistons out of the playoffs.

Every game the Pistons play is a chance to see the team that knocked the Pistons out of the playofffs.

Man..say it was all just a bad dream..

The bad dream is just gettin ready to start my friend...:help2:

Glad to be back fellas, I have been out for over a month colling my head getting ready for a long season of what is going to happen in the NBA this year.I'm really excited about how this team is going to look like going into the new year.Tonights game is going to be the only preason game that I will really be into because both teams know that it will be the Heat and Pistons again going at it in the conference finals and you can put that in the bank as the vthomp this I now for sure.Glad to be back with the syber friends here at PS.GO PISTONS!!!!!

Welcome back vt. I'm looking forward to your picks.

Hey roscoe I will chat with you tonight at game time, its good to be back I miss all the action the last month or so the forum looking good.

This game should be 'bout as vanilla as it gets... no hand tipping this early... look for about 3 basic sets.... these guys already are very familiar with each other
I'm just lookin' forward to seeing the new guys.
Tigers & Pistons = split screen

Game Notes PDF (http://www.nba.com/pistons/news/notes.pdf)

Pistons / Chat Split Monitor Screen, Tigers on the tellie. :D

there is a decent chance this will be on P2P TV. i'll be crossing my fingereses

ITS TIMMMMEEE!!!! Its just good to see the RWB back on the court. I think i can make it through without too many BEN comments. UNTIL..I just got through watching Game 7, Pistons-Heat 2005 on NBATV. I miss the old days. I'll have the game on DVR, but I will join the chat AND EVERY chat this year. Right now, my heart is in Oakland and my spirit is in chicago. This team must earn my trust this year...1.e., Nazr and Murray!:rolleyes: Jeez, we were just throwing these guys under the bus 6 months ago.....love yall!,,,,btw, I am now Darth HQ..please change my name, Roscoe, as my sunshine has gone "Broken Arrow", the dark side....

So is this like: May the force be down Witcha...my Bruddah? or like something else entirely.

http://img281.imageshack.us/img281/3288/freethebrahmajp3.jpg

http://img281.imageshack.us/img281/3288/freethebrahmajp3.jpg
What the HELL is that behind him..?:confused:

That sign is gr8. lol
Looks like Rodman behind.

I was thinking more Oliver Miller.

I am in Dallas tonight scouting the Mavs, I mean on business, at a hotel that doesn't have NBA TV. Of course so my DVR will do it's job back at home so I will watch the Pistons-Heat game on Thursday. In the mean time I will watch the Tigers in action toninght on FOX and pop into the chat room to see how the Pistons are looking.

JMax eating up the Heat's fouls to give.

I really like this kid. He might never be anything special, but he's just fun to watch and cheer for...

Sloppy game tonight? 45 turnovers total. Glad to see Delfino got a lot of burn. Hopefully, it'll translate into some regular-season time.

Nazr- B+ (considering who he had to check)
Delfino B (would have been better if he didn't stray off his assignment)
Flip- C+ (everything as advertised)
Jmax- B- (decent ft % would have improved this)
Amir D (disapeared)
Blalock C- (nice moves little results)
Starters incomplete (we know what they bring)


Overall the Heat had a hard time getting inside.. the lanes were quickly closed.
Nazr looked active on the boards and made Shaq move his feet.
Flip has a nice cross over this should help us get more inside ops.

As expected sloppy play by both sides... nothing more than a chance to see new/young players in RW&B

Tonights Box score (http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/boxscore?gameId=261010014)

:frusty::frusty::frusty:

Holy crap! I can't believe I forgot about this game!!

I was planning on watching and chatting when I got home from work and then got completely side tracked with family stuff.


Edit to add:
Was Dupree really a DNP - Coach's Decision?

They played everyone else, including Rickert and some dude I've never heard of before but not Super Dupe? Sup with that? Is he already in Flip's dog house?

Yeah Delfino is obviously holding him back :pound:

Just enjoying the irony... my guess is they'll rotate the bench guys so they can get decent minutes when they do play

The game was a little sloppy, but not careless. Both teams tried pretty hard for the first preseason game. Most of the turnovers came when the guards threw passes to players who weren't expecting it.

The starters were fine. Dyess wasn't looking for his shot much.

Nazr seemed a little hesitant at first, but he got it going quickly. He has good fundamentals and gives a lot of effort. I am now convinced that given financial considerations, it was the right move to go with him.

Brahma- he should have been working on his FT's all summer long. He needs to convert if he is going to be valuable, b/c he really does get fouled every time he makes a move.

Delfino- Appeared very comfortable. I feel like he has a bit of a swagger from the playing time he got in the FIBA games. To me, he is the true 7th Piston as this point.

Flip Murray- as advertised. I think that he provides a little bit of what Delk did when he was playing well. It is hard to tell if his D is effective from this game.

http://img281.imageshack.us/img281/3288/freethebrahmajp3.jpg
Where is he having that sign from? Is it true or is somebody really good with photoshop? Do I witness the first "official" nickname that was given by a member from this forum and that translated into the stadium? Will he be the Brahma in the Palace as well?

It was a good start. Rust on both sides and the Starters on both sides did not look to do much. Notable exception for Mohammed who appeared determined to get off to a good start. If his religious diet is a problem at this time of year then he certainly did not show it. I liked everything about him except for a few dropped passes in the post. I can see how this was a problem in SAN. Comming from SAN he did play in a pretty good program and you can see that in his D. Very smart defender, not a great one but an opportunistic one. Good at deflections and forcing TO's.

I also liked how Sheed is playing closer to the basket. Kelser said something about that he is expecting to see Sheed play closer since Ben is no longer here to grab his missed 3's. The entire team seemed more focused on the glass so thats a good sign.

It was a battle of the bench for the most part and the Pistons easily won it. Maxiel/Murry provided the spark. Maxiel started off great and tailed off in the 4th quarter. I would definetly stick with the guy as he will get better as the season goes on. Maxiel may even be giving us more than McDyess eventually. He always looks to go inside which is what we need. Points in the paint were always a problem last season.

I am not convinced on Murry being a big part of the rotation. He was able to take advantage this game and is quick on the drive but he never saw a shot that he does not like. This could be a problem. Delfino is the smarter player and can give us everything Murry can plus some added D.

Thought we would see more of Johnson. Not sure why Flip went with that hack over Johnson in the 4th. One thing about the pre-seaon. I would rather see guys who need the time get it than giving chances to players you know do not have a shot in heck of making the team. Just wasting everyones time.

Not a great game by Miami so its tough to tell from this. Miami kind of mucked it up with some sloppy physical play.

The second unit looked good which is more than you can say about last year when there was no second unit.

Good start. Nazr had 16 points, 8 boards, 2 blocks, and 4 steals. He didn't get as many boards as Ben would, but Sheed put his mind on rebounding as well as he got 8 as well. Tay looking at the boxscore didn't do too well, but he was more agressive. The bench did great. A possible 10 man rotation.

I don't believe that I missed the chat last night, I got so tied up in the Tigers game, I simply forgot. I was really, really. looking forward to our first official Pistons chat.

From what I can tell by the news reports, Nazr came to play, good offensive moves, tighter team defense, zone caused a lot of turnovers and JMax is coming into his own.

I am really geeked about the upcoming season, contrary to what others may be feeling, the Pistons are for real this year, good things are going to happen. In the words of my grandmother, "If you don't believe my smoke, just look at my fire".

GO PISTONS

We kind of just proved that our 2nd unit can open a can of whoopass on their 3rd unit. Kapono in the house!! Gotta give props to my fellow Hawaiian.

Still, they showed that given the opportunity, they can take advantage of it and not step on their own foot so to speak.

delfino is the man. he is a great rebounder. he will provide lots of spark and glue from the bench this year.

nazr made me forget who that other center we used to have was.

Loved that Nahzeeeee. It seemed so nice to have some scoring under the basket. And how about Naz scoring over Shaq?

First off, this was a preseason game, between two teams with no starting positions up for grabs, mostly set rosters and nothing to prove.

I'd hesitate to take anything from the score because the Heat didn't try to win, basically protecting their starters.

We saw a lot of zone, particularly in the second half, and to be honest it looked decent. Against a team like the Heat, this could be an effective change of pace. In fact, I'd like to see it against a team like the Cavs during a "must score" situation.

The halfcourt offense of the Pistons looked to be much of the same, with a new emphasis on feeding the post. Perhaps they wanted to make a point about Nazr replacing Ben, and perhaps it was simply an exercise i developing that portion of the playbook. If it was about making a statement regarding Ben Wallace, it was ballsy and successful. Nazr answered the bell.

No, he's not the second coming of Wilt Chamberlain. But he worked hard, got physical, fought for the ball and showed some serious touch. And on defense he played much the same. As linwood put it, "He's no Ben Wallace, but he's OUR no Ben Wallace".

The other standouts were Chauncey with several slick moves and passes, Tayshaun showing a very solid jumper with what appears to be a faster release, and Will Blalock running the offense well particularly the break.

McDyess, Sheed and Rip all floated, not really contributing and from my vantage point, played to avoid injury.

Jason Maxiell was the youth movement standout of the day. His free throw shooting is bad, but not Ben Wallace bad. It seemed that almost every time he touched the ball on the baseline or low block, a foul was drawn. The fouls were initiated by JMax, but he got the calls. The irony of Dwyane Wade sitting on the Heat sideline was not lost on me.

Flip Murray showed the mid range, slash and attack game he's known for. Working his way into the paint, dancing laterally for pull up jumpers and running the break, he's fast, aggressive and if his jumper is falling (it was a little spotty last night), very dangerous.

Delfino was very effective slashing to the hoop and running the break. His jumper is still suspect, and with teams likely to pack into a zone to test the Pistons' shooting, that will have to be corrected this season. Carlos was the best rebounder on the night. That and the transition game is where he will have to make a consistent mark.

Flip Sr. looked very stoic on the sidelines, and Dave Cowens made a serious bid to be the hallway coach during an interview with Eli Zaret. He sounds a lot like Ray Romano's brother on Everybody Loves Raymond, Robert Barone (Brad Garrett).

nazr made me forget who that other center we used to have was.

You must mean that guy from Serbia, right?

At the risk of being branded a kool aid drinker, I have to say I enjoyed Nazr's offensive skills. And his rebounding.

The Brahma is just too much fun too watch. I'm pulling for him on every free throw. He wasn't atrocious in college, right? So maybe this will improve as he settles in (to a situational role off the bench perhaps?)

I fell asleep during the 3rd quarter but I wasn't unhappy to see, as Slippy put it, our 2nd unit open up a can of whoop ass on their 3rd unit because getting the 2nd unit comfortable seems like a smart use of preseason time.

The three major concerns were being addressed:
Agressive trapping defense
Feeding the post
Playing the bench

Not that all three will transend to the regular season but at least these concerns are being recognized.

I'd hesitate to take anything from the score because the Heat didn't try to win, basically protecting their starters.


While its true that bad opponents make your team look GOOD, this a good starting point for the new guys. At least they didn't trip over their own feet when they got out to run (figuratively).

If we have a defensive focus and its zone, I'll be alright with that. Its better than no defensive focus at all. It seems as if flip and delfino are the same type of player...penetrating, break running, streaky shooting...It will be a nice change to the mid range jumpshooting offense. Hopefully when flip or delfino penetrate, they can kick it out to billups or rip instead of each other. flip drives...kicks to delfino...that defeats the purpose really.

At least this time around we are not fighting over darko's work ethic. I wouldn't say Nazr vs. ben but nazr vs. darko. I like darko but I feel more comfortable with Naz in there -lower ceiling and all.

Dave Cowens made a serious bid to be the hallway coach during an interview with Eli Zaret. He sounds a lot like Ray Romano's brother on Everybody Loves Raymond, Robert Barone (Brad Garrett).

Yes! Thank you Roscoe! I was nagged by the familiarity of his voice but couldn't place it.

what I liked especially about Cowens hallway coaching manner was that he was more or less laughing while he was doing it. maybe he recognizes the absurdity of the function. and if that's so, then he's already several pegs higher on the IQ scale than any of his soberly vacuous-cliche-spewing predecessors.

his soberly vacuous-cliche-spewing predecessors.
Sweet,... Prof gets quote of the day.... hooked on phonics baby!

Another sign from the audience:

http://tacosalad.lssu.edu/~jdoe/junk2.jpg

Where is he having that sign from?
amarillo.com | College Sports: Cincinnati survives DePaul to win tournament, 55-50 03/14/04 (http://amarillo.com/stories/031404/col_depaul.shtml)

Is it true or is somebody really good with photoshop?
Macromedia Fireworks. I'm ok with it. :)

Will he be the Brahma in the Palace as well?
We can only hope.

If we get the best pre season record does that mean we will collapse during the regular season? :nopompom:

amarillo.com | College Sports: Cincinnati survives DePaul to win tournament, 55-50 03/14/04 (http://amarillo.com/stories/031404/col_depaul.shtml)


Macromedia Fireworks. I'm ok with it. :)


We can only hope.
Ha! Obviously you're ok enough to cheat a naive 2xRalphi- in the first moment I was like "wow, he's not only supporting his forum- nickname but also the entire phrase about him"?
Should've taken a closer look at the Cincinnati jersey, but one never knows what the guys wear during exhibition games...

Another sign from the audience:

http://tacosalad.lssu.edu/~jdoe/junk2.jpg

That looks like Dennis Rodman over the Brahma's shoulder.

At least, it looks like Dennis would without makeup.

Thanks for the box link, Merc.
Nazzzzzzzzzz!