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Detroit Pistons vs Dallas Mavericks
October 18th, 2005 ~ 7:30 pm
Palace of Auburn Hills (http://www.palacenet.com/), built 1998, league leading capacity 22,076
TV: FSN Detroit
Radio: WDFN

Injury Update: Jerry Stackhouse out with a sore knee.


NBA-BoxScore (http://www.nba.com/games/20051018/DALDET/boxscore.html)

NBA-PlayByPlay (http://scores.nba.com/games/20051018/DALDET/PlayByPlayPrint.html)

ESPN-BoxScore (http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/boxscore?gameId=251018008)

PostGame Quotes (http://www.nba.com/mavericks/matchup/postgame_quotes_vs_detroit101805.html)


Max's Notes: Another pre-season lineup twist by Flip mixing in Starters with bench players. Starters on both sides got a lot of time giving this game a more regular season feeling. Except for the end when both coaches wanted to see how the reserves and rookies would finish out a game in crunch time.

Unfortunately our guys had the disadvantage down by 6 going into the stretch and almost pulled this one out closing to within 2 with 25 sec's left by way of a steal and clutch long jumper by Darko. Then a rookie mistake by the rookie Acker bouncing the ball off a defenders foot with 24 sec's left when he forced a fast-break bounce pass sealed the game for the Mavs.

Nice overall effert in the 1st pre-season loss. Highlight of the game was a very athletic slam by Darko over the shot blocker Diop. Sheed lead the way with 12 points and Ben with 8 boards and 3 blocks totally shutting down Dampier in the process.

Billups seemed to be able to get anything he wanted in the post against the weaker Dallas guards and probably would have had a monster game if this one counted and he played his regular mins.

Also notable was Delfino taking it to the rim seeming at will. Very nice hops. Rip and Prince also quietly had double-digit scoring games in their limited time. Evans also had a good game making a choice between he and Dupree a very difficult one. I say Evans has the edge at this point.

goin to the game again, will post a report when i get back :)

Listening on WDFN (over the Internet). I was just thinking that I was very impressed that our reserves seemed to be holding their own against the Mavs' starting unit when Blaha said it.

Milicic is playing with Ben. Looks like Flip is letting DMC play the 4 spot. I think that front court has a lot of potential.

Pistons lose. Scores by quarter: Detroit 24-22, Detroit 47-45, Detroit 67-66, Dallas 94-88.

Let's get the main thing over with ... what you're going to read about, and probably see replayed a million times: Darko POSTERIZED Desagana Diop in the 2nd quarter. Totally.

Account to follow ...

that dunk was NICE. a 7 footer taking his man off the dribble with his off-hand? this kid's got way too much skill. you can't tell me he's not going to be a force.

and Darko ruins his preseason leading average of 4 blocks a game by getting only 2 blocks tonight :P

It's hard NOT to be a Darko fan when he has been playing so well since Summer League.

If he keeps this up during the season, Joe looks like a genius.

...and LB will, for better or worse, have his reputation reinforced (see Amare, LeBron, and Wade in the Olympics) as someone who doesn't know when to give a kid a chance.

I have to say I don't think Darko looks like this right now if LB is still coaching the team. He badly needed a vote of confidence, and a chance to play his game--and he's getting that from Flip.

I was very impressed at the end with the defensive intensity that the reserves showed. Reminded me of what we see in big games by the first unit. They could not convert their offensive chances like I think the first unit would have done, but the near miss was pretty impressive. Darko and Evans were looking good in the last minutes. I hope Evans beats out Dupree - Evans has size and hops that we will need more, despite Dupree's big heart.

In the first quarter, the story was Sheed versus Dirk. Last year Sheed gave Dirk a mild diss after locking him up in an early season game, saying that he was a good offensive player. Both guys still seemed to have that in their minds.

Choppy play early, with both teams going 1 for 11 in the first three minutes. Then Dallas began to relax on defense and Detroit got a couple of turnovers off backcourt traps for easy buckets. After the TO Dirk and Sheed both started raining long jumpers, while Ben was slapping Eric Dampier around with blocks, tip-ins and a pretty 1-handed reverse dunk off a Chauncey pass. (The Wallaces scored 15 of Detroit's first 17.) Rip was making nice cuts and starting to look more in sync with the O, while CBill was drawing Jason Terry blocking fouls pretty much at will. Tay looked better, though still not great; he had a tough matchup with Josh Howard and Howard was the more active player throughout. Detroit lead peaks at 8, ends the quarter at 24-22.

Bench in to start the second, Dice missing a couple of jumpers. Devin Harris looking VERY good for the Mavs, shaking loose for some pretty drives lofted over Darko. You could tell the Mavs were looking for him, but they managed to avoid challenging him directly until Harris took off for a posterizing attempt from WAY out. Darko contested, but the dunk was about a foot short and scraped front rim.

Darko's first score was a left wing pick & fade jumper off a pretty behind-the-back feed by Arroyo. Carlos can really play the two-man game. The second unit (Delfino, Dice, Darko, Arroyo, Delfino) showed nice continuity; they're starting to play as a unit, and overall Arroyo ran the show effectively. He shot well and made a nice layup off a Darko pass. Pistons showed some zone. On offense Dallas reverted to its lax interior defense and Detroit started dribble-penetrating effectively-- particularly Delfino, who made a pretty scoop and some nice kickout passes. Dirk was in but really just settled for the occasional fallaway or turnaround.

Okay, about DARKO'S POSTERIZING DUNK ...

The Mavs have Diop in, a 7 foot shot blocker who is about 270 and not the most agile guy going. He comes out to the foul line as Darko takes a pass and makes a small fake. Diop bites and raises up, giving Darko room to dribble past him down the right side of the paint. You could see a really determined look on our boy's puss as he low-dribbled past a help defender right-handed, switched back to the left hand with Diop on his inside hip and DUNKED THE BALL THROUGH DIOP'S REACH.

Crowd goes nuts. I go nuts. You'll go nuts when you see it later.

After a while Dallas put four starters in, Dirk included. At that point Darko got in foul trouble, mostly aggressive stuff with him trying to swat shots. He drew his fourth for the quarter when Nowitzki attacked him before Detroit could substitute Ben Wallace. But Detroit actually held its own with Ben and four bench guys against four Dallas starters. Detroit ended the second quarter ahead 47-45, thanks to Sheed's nine points and a 22-15 edge in bench scoring. Pistons shot 60% on field goal attempts for the half, but had 11 turnovers.

Third quarter started with a camera shot of Darko actually smiling and kidding around on the bench, though he was still kind of tentative about it. Meanwhile Sheed picked up where he left off in the first quarter ... breaking scoring droughts with a tough inside leaner plus the foul for a 3 point play, as well as a pretty backdoor pass to Rip. He is our most valuable player right now, folks. Anyone who wants to trade him is saying they'd be happy winning 47 games this year.

Dallas was jacking up 3s, notably Jason Terry who scored 8 of the first 10 Mavs points. At one point they were 6 of 10 from downtown, which kept them in the game. Meanwhile the Pistons continued to bully Dallas in the paint, and Ben was relentless in bullying Dampier despite giving up four inches and 30 pounds. Eric finally scored 29 minutes into the game.

Interesting thing: With three minutes left in the third Flip changed his pattern, mixing studs 'n scrubs. Arroyo and Darko came in for CBill and Sheed, and the unit actually played pretty well. Darko fumbled some passes and rebounds; it wasn't his best game. But he did fight for an offensive rebound and trickle in a putback over a couple guys, as well as joining Ben in a double team block on the beleaguered Eric Dampier. His defense on switches was very quick and sure, showing hard on the guard and often forcing a pass away from the point of attack. Team defense was especially good, and Detroit led 67-66 at the quarter.

So, how did they lose in the fourth? The short answer was Devin Harris, who kept penetrating and scoring at will. Man, he was tough. If the first half was highlighted by Detroit's big men dominating, the second underscored just how many good swing players Dallas has ... Harris, Howard and Marquis Daniels all scored effectively, often off (yes, here it comes) dribble penetration. They got into the lane for leaners and floaters without getting too close to our shot blockers. Both Billups and Hamilton got toasted on occasion by the former Wisconsin Badger, and Jason Terry got off a lot of open threes. Not a great defensive night for our backcourt.

Back to the fourth, we had a new lineup: Billups, Evans, Delfino, Darko, Dice. Billups didn't do very well, making some poor decisions and turnovers. Evans also had an absolutely hideous possession where he tried to go one on one in a play that seemed to last five minutes, culminating in a clanked jumper. Evans must have been in Chicago recently, because he got that disease Ronald Dupree suffered from after playing for the Bulls ... a role player who forgot his role.

Long story short, Detroit had a drought. An 0 for 12 drought, and even when Chauncey made a couple of threes it didn't improve the offense. He really didn't work very hard at running the team, I thought. Guys started overpassing - foregoing good shots, freelancing, throwing the ball to guys who weren't expecting it. Meanwhile Harris & the Mavs went on a 13-1 run. Our shooting went from 60% in the first half to like 35% in the second. Ugh.

Still, there were highlights. Delfino threw a gorgeous halfcourt alley oop to Evans, and the scrub lineup actually made a comeback after Dice and Billups sat down around the four minute mark. Maxiell came in and started fighting for offensive boards, getting a free throw and a foul line jumper from a set play. And Darko provided a tantalizing sense that he might actually be a good clutch player, with a steal, block, free throw and then a 20 foot J from a couple steps inside the arc to pull the team to within 2.

Unfortunately, the Pistons lost their chance to tie when they couldn't recover a loose ball poked away under defensive pressure. Three Pistons hit the floor for it, including Darko, but it rolled out of bounds and Dallas converted the second chance. Hometown boy Rawle Marshall converted four free throws, and we tried a lot of foul/time out tactics to no avail. But it gave the young guys good pressure experience, and the veterans were not troubled by the loss ... if one can judge by the way guys were amusing themselves piling stuff on Chauncey Billups' head when he wasn't looking.

Darko line: 9 points on 4/7 shooting, two blocks ... and one very loud posterizing dunk over Diop, who may never live it down.

Just saw the dunk on ESPN news, the dunk wasnt that impressive, what was, was that he got the ball at the top of the key, Diop to his left, and another guy to his right, Darko dribbles BETWEEN both guys with his RIGHT hand (the guy is a lefty), and then switches to his left for the dunk. Dont want to get all hyperbole and stuff, but there arent a lot of centers in the NBA capable of driving between 2 players, with their off hand, from the top of the key, and finishing with a dunk.

thanks muchly for the 'lancap'.

can't wait to see the new darko in action.

OK. It looks like Evans can play perimeter defense (Wade?). Thank you, Joe. His offense is mediocre however. Darko can/will be valuable this year as a shot blocker. An interesting sequence when he and Ben were on the floor. Two roaming shot-blockers. Now that group would not have much offense but some interesting possibilities. Darko's game is not offense at this point in my view. We need to give Delfino the ball at the top, side, wherever and let him create. I am very impressed with this guy.

I want to know why isn't anybody bashing on CA tonight. He only made 9 pts, 2 assts, 2 steals in 18 min. He went from 4 assts to 2!!!! No "he's dribbling too much" or " he pass the ball to the people on the first row" or "he's making a single pass more difficult by looking for the fancy pass". :confused: I guess he's a fast learner. Perhaps he learned how to run the system since last game:P

one thing that stood out for me was that the pistons didn't play well with starters and 2nd unit players mixed together. the 5 man platoon system seems to work better at this early point in the season. the 2nd unit was starting to develop a chemistry and thier own style of play.

also liked the revenge of darko against diop. there was lots of talk of darko not taking it to the guy before. now diop is forever posterized by young darko.

Got to watch the game on Directv tonight. While others have covered the game very well, I have to add how impressive Delfino was. He looks polished and ready to contribute. His ball handling looks much improved. The Ginobili-esque cross over he pulled on Dirk (OK it was Dirk) looked just like the one Manu did to Shaq a couple of years ago. Even if Darko was not improving right before our eyes, the play of Delfino would be enough to add to the excitement for this season. Plus he has really nice court vision. Several times his smart passing led to buckets that he didn't get credit for in the stat sheet, but I am sure that Flip is taking note.

I think that any question about Ben being slowed by those foot problems have been answered in the last couple of games. His quickness is back. He looks like the Ben from 2002/2003. It could just be me, but he looked a little "thinner" out there last year - I know that's relative only to Ben himself. But he looks like he has added back that 10 lbs of muscle in his arms/shoulders.

LanierFan...that "Andre the Giant in a cable knit sweater" comment the other night was classic. I will never look at McHale the same again...

I'm out for tonight. My last post seems to have an adverse reaction and nobody posted afterwards. Go back to post, but remember, I'll be reading your comments in the morning...:eyebrows: :laugh:

I want to know why isn't anybody bashing on CA tonight. He only made 9 pts, 2 assts, 2 steals in 18 min. He went from 4 assts to 2!!!! No "he's dribbling too much" or " he pass the ball to the people on the first row" or "he's making a single pass more difficult by looking for the fancy pass". :confused: I guess he's a fast learner. Perhaps he learned how to run the system since last game:P

I am not going to bash a vet 4 games into the post-season as they are still getting warmed up. Plus he has to adjust to new players.

Arroyo did take advantage of the Mavs swiss-cheese interior defense like a lot of the other players going in for easy layups.

Part of the reason for the 2 assists are the 3 To's which were made by attempting difficult passes.
Overall Arroyo is just not seeing the open players. One play while Arroyo was dribbling around with the ball Darko was wide-open and had a mismatch but Arroyo just did not look in that direction.

Give it time.

Just so puertoricanballer doesn't cry any more about the lack of Arroyo attention, I'll mention that Carlos' playing time last night might have been limited because he rolled his ankle while bringing the ball upcourt (third quarter, I think). Looked painful but not too serious -- he was just walking the ball upcourt and sort of tripped over the halfcourt line. Before that he did a nice job running the O and actually finished a couple of backdoor plays by moving without the ball and taking the return pass for a layup. He actually finishes pretty well for a little guy who can't jump. But yes, he did mess up a couple of fast breaks by trying to force a pass in traffic when the play really wasn't there.

bballjay, a couple of the mixed starter & scrub lineups worked well ... for example, putting Ben or Darko/Delfino in with the other units, probably because they're all familiar with each other. But you're right, some ugly stuff was going on out there.

In time some of it will get ironed out as the guys play together, but the real lesson is what Flip mentioned before pre-season: This offense really turns on Sheed. His size, versatility and shooting touch inside/outside make it go, and when he went to the bench early the Pistons struggled.

Great job again my friend.

Sorry to hear this is your last "lancast". :(

If you could give the players a scorecard for the game what would it be?

Darko - B?
Sheed - A?

You're very welcome.

Top of the Class:
Sheed: A. Making very few mistakes while shooting a high percentage and racking up pretty assists. Defense at a high level for preseason.

Ben: A-. Really beat up Dampier last night while clawing for every rebound. Why opponents don't expect him to go hard in preseason is a mystery. Falling in love with that fadeaway jumper, though, with ugly results. The other guys are going to kill him with all these alley-oops.

Rip: B. I think he's figuring the offense out, and he's done a nice job of letting it come to him. Works well with Sheed. Defense not very good against the Dallas backcourt.

Tay: B-. A little more active and got his points, but Josh Howard had the better of it. Maybe it's the knee. Not getting his post ups and isn't driving or running the break with his usual authority.

Chauncey: C+. Jason Terry couldn't handle him at all, but he also let Terry get off a lot of open threes. Played sloppy on offense in the second half, despite the late 3s. Didn't assert much leadership or structure for the second unit.

Dice: C. Missed some shots, didn't seem to do much but not a liability.

Delfino: B+/A-. Really shredded the porous Dallas interior with drives and made some excellent passes. Outside shooting was mixed.

Evans: C+. I noticed AS Blakely said last night he didn't seem sure of his role, like Dupree when he came back from Chicago. Agree. Didn't stand out on the boards or defensively, and went 1 on 1 in bad spots.

Arroyo: B+. Ran the offense better, shot well and actually got some layups by letting other guys handle the ball. Forced several bad passes on the break. Didn't feed the post. Played smoothly with the starters.

Darko: B-. Not a great game despite the flashy plays. Had the butterfingers on rebounds and passes, leading to second chance points for Dallas. Got in foul trouble really fast. Interesting that in the two crunch time situations where he's played, he's made tough shots to protect a lead or pull the team close.

Maxiell: B. A bull on the boards who immediately began slugging for rebounds the second he came in. Team played well when he was out there. Haven't seen the shot blocking from him that I might have expected, but it's early.

Acker: C. Handles the ball well but hasn't shown the deep shot we saw in summer league. Put on some nice trapping pressure in comeback effort. Defense hasn't been anything special.

Things that were good today: Darko posterizing Desagna Diop, our bench keeping the lead against Dallas's starters, bench showed they are good offensively even down the stretch with Darko, and Maxiell hitting big baskets in the last minute to get us within 2. We had 2 stops, and we were very close both times in tying the game, too bad we came up short.

Bad Things: I know we'll be fine in this area quickly, but we didn't rebound good. Turnovers, and rebounding were the only reason Dallas stayed in that game. The beginning of the 4th was horrible, too many fastbreak oppurtunities. I believe this happened because Darko was in big foul trouble , and he couldn't be as aggresive offensively, but most importantly defensively. Hope we improve today at Milwaukee.

Just so puertoricanballer doesn't cry any more about the lack of Arroyo attention, I'll mention that Carlos' playing time last night might have been limited because he rolled his ankle while bringing the ball upcourt...he was just walking the ball upcourt and sort of tripped over the halfcourt line.



LOL.

They need to install a sign at halfcourt for Carlos -------->:bump:

Just so puertoricanballer doesn't cry any more about the lack of Arroyo attention, I'll mention that Carlos' playing time last night might have been limited because he rolled his ankle while bringing the ball upcourt (third quarter, I think). Looked painful but not too serious -- he was just walking the ball upcourt and sort of tripped over the halfcourt line.

Yes, the halfcourt line CAN be hazardous. Sometimes it just jumps up and bites you out of the blue.

As per usual LanierFan did a great Job. Actually had a chance to attend the ga,e last night and my 'Diva' girlfriend complained that we were not courtside, she doesn't understand that you actually have to be above the floor to really see the play on the court and study. Sh'e there for entertainment, I'm there analysis.

#1) I was pleased with Darko again, he's going to be good in this league. He can do things on the court that his peers (D Howard, AL Jefferson, Tyson Chandler, Okafor, Curry, and so on) just can't do, but the reverse of that is also true. I wish Darko would go after the boards with more intensity, and work on his hands. For the most part Darko is making the normal mistakes a player of his age and experience should make, he's finally on par.

#2) Sheed is a monster, HE DOES/DID EVERYTHING!!!! He's finally showing what everyone knew, he's the best player on the team. He and Darko seem to be 2 players that can score from everywhere on the floor. If you look at their shot charts they've got makes from everywhere.

#3) Delfino looks GOOOOOD, not a stopper on D, but no longer a liability. Great court vision, great penetrator, jumper looks sweet- but never really goes in with any consistency.

#4) I love MoEvans, nothing impressive last night, but he's tough as hell, he'll fight till the end. A few nice dunks as a result of being able to get out on the break. Right now he's the only wing player on this team running the floor well, save Dupree.

#5) Dyess, has me worried, he's seems a little out of sync with the 2nd unit. He seems content to be a role player with the 2nd unit and blend in when we really need him to be a leader and contend for the 6th man of the year award, but it's just pre-season.

#6) I HATE DEVIN HARRIS!!!!!!! http://www.pistonsforum.com/images/icons/icon8.gif No seriously, I have never went to a game where he was playing and seen him lose. Dude looks like he should be playing 14 and under AAU, and he comes out and quietly just kills my teams again and again. :frusty: He totally used to come into Crisler and quietly put up about 21 and win, while I'd be screaming, "HOW AND THE FRICK IS THIS LITTLE SKINNY BABY FACED TWERP BEATING YOU GUYS!!!!!":confused: And he did it again last night.

Also, we need to toughen up on the our defensive glass and take better care of the ball. Our perimeter players have got to start helping our bigs on the glass.

Dice: C. Missed some shots, didn't seem to do much but not a liability.

This suprises me. With Dice's jump shot (water) I would think that he and Rip would be excelling in this offense.

Darko Video of Dunk with instant replays.

Thank Fresh Prince 22 (aka BDM22).

You might need the divx (http://www.divx.com) plugin to watch this video.

I fell asleep randomly yesterday so here's my delayed comments. I also watched a little bit on TV when they replayed it, and you get a much different feel from actually being at the game heh.

Some quick notes...

Dice missed some open shots today but they weren't from his usual spot on the baseline. He got open jumpers on the corners of the paint by the free throw line, and that just isn't his shot. Not worried about him though.

I felt this was one of Arroyo's better games. Yes, he (and the rest of the offense) were guilty of trying too hard pushing the ball up the court for quick baskets, which instead resulted in turnovers at halfcourt. However, he ran the offense much better moving the ball around, and did especially well when he was put in with the other 4 starters.

Darko played well despite the foul trouble - some of which I thought were bogus. Igor Kokoskov was interviewed after the game and said he might be *too* aggressive trying to constantly block shots now that he's seen he is leading the league. He also said he believes that Darko is the Pistons' best pick-and-roll defender (including the starters) because of his length and quickness.

I was not happy with Mo Evans today, because he was trying too hard to score. It's not that he missed a ton of shots that bothered me, it's that he took them playing 1 on 1, or early in the shot clock, or when not receiving a pass from another teammate...just dribbling himself and shooting. He had a Chauncey moment (pull up a J on a fast break when no one else is around) that was completely unnecessary. That said, he was still solid on D and finished a few fast breaks.

Delfino continues to impress, not only with his ability to slash and finish around the basket, but also with his excellent court vision and passing ability. He was comfortable running the point. Sheed was excellent again, and Ben generated a lot of offense purely from his defense. Acker...well again his minutes were limited, but I haven't seen anything from him that stands out. Unless he starts raining 3s constantly, there's NO way he'll overtake Hunter this year.

And finally, it was fun to have a preseason game come down to the wire for once. What was impressive was how well the 2nd unit handled themselves. You might expect them to make mistakes or try to do too much down by 6 with 1:30 left, but they were composed and forced Dallas into mistakes. Darko and Maxiell got to the line which stopped the clock, and the team got 2 steals in the final minute to come very close to victory. Well done.

LOL.

They need to install a sign at halfcourt for Carlos -------->:bump:

This is really funny:laugh: . I can see the halfcourt line tripping CA on purpose.

Lanierfan, Thanks for your leecap... I meant to say recap. I feel better now you took the time to talk about CA. My blood pressure is back to normal and I just threw away the towel i used to wipe my tears.

Darko Video of Dunk with instant replays.

Thank Fresh Prince 22 (aka BDM22).

You might need the divx (http://www.divx.com) plugin to watch this video.

can't seem to get this to work. crap!

You're welcome, though that "Leecap" part was irksome. :) Carlos also got some airtime goofing around on the bench with some sort of printed thing (maybe a team ticket promo), so his ankle must not have been hurting too much.

Just wanted to put my thank-you in as well. I feel like I've been at the game after reading your recaps.

You're welcome, though that "Leecap" part was irksome. :) Carlos also got some airtime goofing around on the bench with some sort of printed thing (maybe a team ticket promo), so his ankle must not have been hurting too much.

That was an honest mistake:noidea: . It was my keyboard's fault. Thanks bro. Just having a good time. Keep up the good work and don't forget to mention Arroyo on your lee... this dam keyboard, recaps, or you're going to make me cry again.

Because it can't be said enough, thanks for the recaps LanierFan. Sorry to hear its over because I've enjoyed them even though I'm not your target audience - i.e. I've been watching the games too. I particularly like the LanierFan, KGREG one-two punch with colorful analysis in both the recap and the added info. Good work! :thumb:

can't seem to get this to work. crap!

got it going. I just needed the latest greatest version of the Player. Thanks!

This loss may be what the doc ordered... can't go into the season thinking you've got it all figured out... Now Flip can roll up the sleeves and dissect/improve on the weaknesses.

The bench has indeed gone from a D- to a B in a very short time.
It was good to see Flip mix/match the 2nd unit with the starters... this makes for a more real situation.... because they will be blending in with vets and often being used as role players.

I've been closely watching Acker to see if he can D up like Hunter... finally saw some nice in your face defense when they were trapping at the end... those long arms can make a difference...
Arroyo has the backup position locked up... but there are certain situations where the match isn't right and Acker may be useful... Devin Harris is one of those situations... Harris simply shoots over Arroyo... and able to easily get around him.... against Acker, Harris has a tougher time getting his shots off.
Acker is a perfect example why bench scurbs can't adjust to extended major pine time... in the SL he was hitting a high % of shots and distributing well.... in the preseason he's still getting the open looks but he can't stick the shot... and he's not as effective at drive and dish because he's trying to prove his worth as an outside threat right away.

Arroyo is finishing better than last year... and still unselfish... that dual threat will open up the floor for others.
Delfino just looks like a natural on offense... and as KGreg said he hasn't been a big liability on defense... I'll have my crow on toast please.

There were times during the game that I was thinking... man Larry would have never put up with this or that... and at the same time thinking it's nice to see more flow on offense.
You're feeling good about what's going on... then you look at the scoreboard and you're down by 8 points.... it's lack of discipline folks!
Quick bad shot selection... long rebounds going for fast breaks the other way... not boxing out properly.
This isn't a diss on Flip (yet)... just that the team needs to understand that freedom does not mean you forget what made you a champion.
Jacking up shots with noone there to get a rebound is for losers.... it also does not wear down the defense and get them in foul trouble.
I like to see the quick shot used as a surprise secret weapon instead of common practice.

Darko don't you ever let a 6'5" gaurd jump over your back to get a rebound again!!!... go after each board agressively

Giving up dribble penetration is a big weakness on our team... we get away with it because of Ben/Sheed/Prince... but it needs to be addressed.
I was watching the Knicks practice yesterday and there's LB instructing them on how to anticipate dribble penetration.

If your thinking Merc's already jumping on Flip for not being LB... not at all...I endorse the change of coaches... as Larry had run his course with the team... but we have to make sure that we don't lose sight of the finer details either.

Pretty losses are still losses

I hear ya loud and clear my man. While watching the game I saw that we are lacking some discipline, MoEvans was the guiltiest party in that dept, but he wasn't here under the last regime so it makes sense. I was thinking to myself that this team is not taking care of the boards like we're known for and it's beacuse we're ACTING like a running team. The guards aren't exactly releasing and running the floor hard, but nor are they hitting the glass and helping the Big fellas. Teams that run, run, and they do so knowing they're going to lose the board war but compensate for it in the transition pts column, this team isn't committed to running, nor do I see it as something they need to do, we do well when we committ to the run off of forced to's not off of rebounds. Had we held our own on the 2nd chance points Dallas would have gotten beaten out of the gym, but we gave up far too many to a team tha's not very physical up front. But hey, it's pre-season.

Anybody have a link to a picture of Darko's full-frontal flush?

I saw the clip and that's definitely NOT the right way to play. DMC looked like a 3 driving to the hoop. Nice.

This loss may be what the doc ordered... can't go into the season thinking you've got it all figured out... Now Flip can roll up the sleeves and dissect/improve on the weaknesses.



Yep. Additionally maybe the newbies will relax a bit knowing that they can go out and give it their best shot without the vets being ticked at them afterwards if they lose.

Lookin forward to any reg season recaps. Nicely done.

No one mentioned it but I thought the most impressive thing Darko did last night was finish the game. Things did not look too good after picking up 4 fouls by half time. Completing the game says two things: (1) He has the self discipline and dare I say recognition to back off a bit and be smart. (2) Best of all, the refs didn’t give him the ziggy on a close play. Maybe he is gaining some respect.

The rest of the team might take note of the fact that Darko dosen’t argue calls.

okay okay, i'm watching the video of the darko dunk and i'm trying to decipher fred mccloud's commentary. this is what i've understood so far:

"Darko goes opposite hand, puh-BLAAAOOOG-DI-UH-FLARMT!!!! Darko Milicic threw it down!!

can someone translate? :)

I think he said: Eat Crow darko haters.

From fans across the boards, there is a general sense of invincibility...a giddiness with our new coach and bench...I guess what Low calls slappiness. Does anyone think the team may be getting overconfident? I am asking as I only have recaps and fan analysises to read.

Nah. Fortunately the team isn't a bunch of dopes like we are. The guy who was probably most overconfident last year was Sheed, and he's certainly not taking anything for granted this preseason.

I don't get that feeling of entitlement that they had last year.

The guy who was probably most overconfident last year was Sheed, and he's certainly not taking anything for granted this preseason.
You know, I thought it was Chauncey myself.

I don't get that feeling of entitlement that they had last year.
That's good because the Spurs are taking their title defense seriously.

You know, I thought it was Chauncey myself.


That's good because the Spurs are taking their title defense seriously.

I've gotta disagree with both of you guys (Micro & Dobber). I thought both Sheed and Chauncy were extremely confident, but not overconfident. Maybe a bit cocky (especially Sheed with the belt), but not overconfident, IMO.

I have to agree with Microwave. I remember getting frustrated last year with Chaunceys postgame "were not worried" interviews after some of those brutal losses to scrub teams. hopefully they realize the narrow margins between top tier NBA teams.

I have to agree with Microwave. I remember getting frustrated last year with Chaunceys postgame "were not worried" interviews after some of those brutal losses to scrub teams. hopefully they realize the narrow margins between top tier NBA teams.

I guess I'm thinking of "overconfident" as more of an internal thing. Like thinking they can just walk in and beat anyone. I think the Pistons knew it would be tough as hell to beat some of those teams but just believed they had the talent to do it if they played their best. I think Chauncy's comments were just more of a "macho" kind of thing than anything else. Kind of like a front for the world, although he was truly confident they could win if they got it together. Like it was just for external purposes showing the other teams they better look out.

Just my opinion though.

I guess I'm thinking of "overconfident" as more of an internal thing. Like thinking they can just walk in and beat anyone. I think the Pistons knew it would be tough as hell to beat some of those teams but just believed they had the talent to do it if they played their best. I think Chauncy's comments were just more of a "macho" kind of thing than anything else. Kind of like a front for the world, although he was truly confident they could win if they got it together. Like it was just for external purposes showing the other teams they better look out.

Just my opinion though.

No Tater you are just wrong!

Chauncy was cocky! Sheed was cocky! And I don't want to hear anything else about the subject!

Understand me? :)

Seriously, the whole team screamed overconfidence every first quarter that they gave away to the opposition. One of the things I will be looking forward to seeing this year is if the Pistons can start off firing instead of building the opposition's confidence for 20 minutes.

No Tater you are just wrong!

Chauncy was cocky! Sheed was cocky! And I don't want to hear anything else about the subject!

Understand me? :)

Seriously, the whole team screamed overconfidence every first quarter that they gave away to the opposition. One of the things I will be looking forward to seeing this year is if the Pistons can start off firing instead of building the opposition's confidence for 20 minutes.


lmfao ...OTAY!!! :eek::behindsof:laugh:

okay okay, i'm watching the video of the darko dunk and i'm trying to decipher fred mccloud's commentary. this is what i've understood so far:

"Darko goes opposite hand, puh-BLAAAOOOG-DI-UH-FLARMT!!!! Darko Milicic threw it down!!

can someone translate? :)

If I remember correctly from the tv last night it was:
"Darko goes opposite hand...GOOD DAY!!!!....Darko Milicic threw it DOWN!! (pause) He's no athlete"

I liked the "he's no athlete" joke, getting back at all the Darko Bashers.

If I remember correctly from the tv last night it was:
"Darko goes opposite hand...GOOD DAY!!!!....Darko Milicic threw it DOWN!! (pause) He's no athlete"


Fred actually said;

"It's too bad he's not athletic!"

And I agree, it was quite funny! :laugh:

If I remember correctly from the tv last night it was:
"Darko goes opposite hand...GOOD DAY!!!!....Darko Milicic threw it DOWN!! (pause) He's no athlete"

:) i was just trying to be humorous! watch the video again and put my phonetics in and laugh...or at least i laugh to myself o_O

I tried that just now and it didn't work...:P . Maybe I have the wrong codec.

I struck me how young AJ looks next to the rest of the pistons. Also, I found it interesting that the loss was spun as a test for the young 'uns. Flip played for experience not victory.

I tried that just now and it didn't work...:P . Maybe I have the wrong codec.

I struck me how young AJ looks next to the rest of the pistons. Also, I found it interesting that the loss was spun as a test for the young 'uns. Flip played for experience not victory.

Hahah, yeah AJ looks like he could pass as Davis' son! My 5 month old daughter looks older than he does.