12/01/2006

vs New York
NAT : NBALP
LOC : myTV20
RADIO : 1130 WDFN AM

Isiah Thomas brings the New York wrecking crew to Detroit.

Superstars like Malik Rose, Nate Robinson, Eddy Curry and Assistant Coach, Mark Aguirre, the pride of DePaul University.

tried selling my tickets on stubhub but apparently no one wanted to pay $125 per seat to see the knicks lol

so i'll be there cheerin 'em on

We'll need a HOGCAP tomorrow, with your colourful prose punctuated by amazing action photos.

i'll only have photos if i go home from work before the game. i'm not allowed to have cameras on me or in my possession :O

I'm sure there a SOME places they won't check for contraband. :sssh:

Hmmmm... Telephoto or wide angle?

Hope we don't get carried away with the win at Miami and start playing sloppy offense again. Starters should come into the game and GET TO WORK IMMEDIATELY instead of letting the Knicks hang around. If they can come out strong, the bench will see more minutes than they did last night. And Flip, please play the bench more if we are leading after the 10 min mark in the 1st quarter and play them for the sake of playing them, not because the starters are in foul trouble.

GO TO WORK, PISTONS!!!

Pistons vs. Knicks

http://img365.imageshack.us/img365/5011/marbury80808pa0.jpg

Both touched by Larry Brown. One elevated his game, the other took a step back.

http://img459.imageshack.us/img459/9660/0itdhq7a280x190hn8.jpg

Sheed will have to step it up. Curry's gone 20/8 the past 4 games.

Pistons Tickets Available For Friday Night's Game - ClickonDetroit.com - MSNBC.com (http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/15988533/)

With Ben gone, selling tickets is no longer easy...

http://www.pistonsforum.com/images/picdump/pf_gc_111506.gif

CLICK HERE TO CHAT! (http://www.pistonsforum.com/misc.php?do=flashchat)


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I expect to see more bench. If it wasn't for them in Miami it could of been a blowout fast.

Just a thought, watching the game I just realized, I never knew what Cato looked like.

Well folks, that is now 5-0 on Friday nights and 7-1 when they score 100+ points. If not for CB 4 TO's he would have had a perfect game scoring 22 pts on 8/9 shooting and dishing out 16 assists. Rip hit 11/11 Ft's including 6 straight in the last 60 seconds to chip in 26 pts and Sheed despite his offensive woes, managed to pull down 15 boards and 2 blks.

The star of the night was the Palace Prince :king:who was 6/7 from beyond the arc to finish with 31 pts and at one point midway through the 4th when the Pistons were struggling, matched Jamal Crawford with back-to-back threes.

Around the NBA the hoops were burning as 13 teams so far have hit the century mark tonight:hoops:

I have been touting Tay since last year's playoffs at least and again, the guy is showing a mountain of skills. The more touches he gets in the offense the better. I would like to see more movement around him too.

Our slow starts are the result of going one on one time after time in the first 6-7 possesions with no movement and quick shots. Check the tape of tonight's game. This has been happening over and over. Staff needs to address this issue.

We need a back-up point. Robinson could stay with Hunter so he was even less effective. Guys were not getting the ball in good spots. In absence of a real scorer on that unit, we need a point who can help the other players shine.

I like the streak but I hope that Joe is looking long-term into this issue. This team has too much potential to let an opportunity slip away because we lack minor role players.

i went to the game tay was great. i took my camera this time too. last game they must have stopped me because it was an espn game. i'll have pics up tomorrow.

That was such a bad tech. Rasheed got clubbed in the face. What do you expect a guy to do?

JMax looked rusty missing some easy shots... but that's what happens to guys that sit the bench for a week.

What a showing from the SF position. 8 threes?! The sad thing is that we probably would not have won this game if it weren't for above average 3 point shooting.

David Lee and Eddie Curry were really banging inside.

However, it looked like Sheed's arms grew by about 6 inches since the last game. He is a great rebounder when he gets mad.

With Ben gone, selling tickets is no longer easy...
They have been buying their own tickets just to say they have sellouts.

Last night may have been a valid sellout. It was crowded.

8 in a row. Was not always pretty but they did get the win. Prince tied his career high of 31 points.

Here is your micro-cap, it's been a long time and I'm pretty rusty.

Out of the gate, Eddy Curry, who has been on a tear, looked really impressive. He and David Lee, a player I have on my PF.com Fantasy Sleeper league are a nice one two punch of offense and grit for the Knicks frontline.

The early aggressiveness of Curry and the Knicks got Nazr Mohammed into quick foul trouble as well as a hole with the Knicks storming out to a lead. After the second foul, Nazr picked up a technical foul, which brought Flip Saunders to his feet, loudly yelling "What is that tech for?, What is that tech for?" Maybe Nasty Naz (Rip's new nickname for Nazr) didn't say anything at all. Welcome to the new NBA.

With McDyess in the game for Mohammed, Sheed hit a turn around J from the foul line to put the Pistons up 21-20. Then Dice blocked a Knicks shot which triggered a transition breakout where Chauncey Billups fed Antonio for a driving dunk.

With Delfino feeding Rip baseline for a J in transition (notice all of the transition scoring?) it looked like the Pistons could have 30 point first Q. But that opportunity was lost when Rasheed Walalce missed a 3 point attempt.

End of the first Q.
Pistons 29
Knicks 25
Billups, 9 points, 6 Assists

JMax started the second quarter and immediately called for the ball (hand in the air) on the first offensive play. He didn't get the ball, but I thought it was cute. Or something.

Shortly after Max missed a one handed shot.

But Delfino bangs down a three and we are still in business. I can't say enough how great Delfino has been shooting the 3. If he is open, there's an 80% chance he'll swish it. For a guy who couldn't find his own toes from the 3 point line last year, this is an amazing improvement, because Flip's offense does call for the Small Forward to be able to make that shot.

Flip Murray feeds Delfino in transition for an alley-oop dunk, and it's 36-26 Pistons forcing the Knicks to call timeout.

Maxiell misses a driving baseline, reverse one handed slam while covered by Renaldo Balkman the Knick's rookie defensive specialist.

Maxiell misses one more time, and it's obvious he is not using his size or bulk. He hasn't played in a while, and seems to have lost his edge, trying to score with soft shots and athleticism. Against Balkman, he should be absolutely abusing the defender, improving his position for a move to score.

On the defensive end, Balkman fakes Max out of his shoes (he's clearly flustered now), drawing another defender and dumps off to David Lee for the score.

Back to back 3 pointers by Delfino and Billups key the Pistons strong finish to the first half. Chauncey's triple was basically a walk off trey bomb (2.2 seconds left on the clock).

Billups has a double double in only the first half of the game. Flip calls Max over to talk to him (likely about his nerves or lack of physical aggressiveness).

End of the second Q.
Pistons 56
Knicks 49
Billups, 14 points, 10 Assists

Rip fouls Curry after Nazr gets a push off to his head. At the free throw line, Sheed decides to have some fun with the refs, advising Nazr (loudly) "don't use your face (to defend) next time". Nazr like any good accomplice just nods along with Sheed's act. And Sheed has this look on his face like a little kid who just stole a cookie.

Later down the floor, Curry picks up an offensive foul, likely because of Sheed working over the refs. Sheed got a great block on David Lee but on the offensive possession, Rip gets hammered by Eddy Curry. As he falls down, he hits Curry below the belt, leaving both of them hurt and winded as the teams play on 4 on 4.

Stevie Franchise tried to drive into the trees and Nazr closed the free chili bar, swiping Steve across the face and forcing a jump ball he later wins. Nazr then races down the floor to get the ball back from Billups and get fouled for two shots on the layup attempt.

Nazr shooting free throws, misses the first, Sheed shouts loudly, "I ain't never seen a curveball with two hands!"

Later, Sheed stays at home against Curry while David Lee drives for a layup. Nazr hustles into the picture and foul/blocks Lee. It was awesome.

Nazr turnaround low post jumper, this is the Nazr quarter in my book. He's played well enough to keep Dice who has been spectacular lately, on the bench until the final minutes.

Tay now has 20 points in this game, raining 3 pointers, scoring in transition. He misses an open jumper, recovers his own rebound and feeds Sheed for a one handed dunk.

Sheed gets a tech from Scott Foster, for making the AND 1 motion again thinking he should have received a call. More New NBA, Stern-is-insecure nonsense. The referee received a heavy round of boos, it's pretty obvious that no one likes this type of game management.

End of the third Q.
Pistons 84
Knicks 72
Billups, 14 points, 10 Assists

Dice picks up a foul early in the 4th, off Scott Foster, the same clueless referee who just teed up Rasheed. Foster obviously has a lot of problems seeing the small details of the game, and probably should be sent to a lower league, perhaps in Northern Siberia, to improve his skills. Hello Ratko Varda!

Lindsey Hunter comes in to relieve Chauncey. His achilles tendon is hurting, and I don't understand why he is playing at all. I would much rather see Dupree for Tay, Delfino for Rip and Murray for Billups at this point. Lenz was a whopping -15 in 5 minutes during the first half, he proceeds to go -4 in 3 minutes in the 4th, letting the Knicks get some comeback momentum.

The refs have started calling tick tack hand check fouls on the Pistons, robbing the game of any flow.

Renaldo Balkman is really impressive. He's physical, athletic and has a pitbull mentality. At one point, George Blaha and Greg Kelser compare Balkman to Dennis Rodman, and former Piston Ron "kamikazee" Lee.

http://img400.imageshack.us/img400/3136/ronlee2jd5.jpg

Kelvin Cato gets into the game for the Knicks, and we get to look at our Shaq stopper from last season. The new ball affects Cato's first shot from the line :rolleyes:, but by the time he shoots the second, his skills are sharp.

Pistons get into the penalty early, with 7 minutes to go but with 5 minutes left, New York trims the Piston lead to 4 with Kelvin Cato leading the way.

Only Tayshaun's 3 pointer with 4:37 can arrest the Knicks momentum. It's Tay's 4th trey, and he's playing a masterful game, racking up a big statline without dominating the ball.

If you haven't figured it out, I am totally impressed with Renaldo Balkman, and he actually puts Dice into some kind of Greco-Roman wrestling hold to keep a layup from occurring.

Tay bangs the tramp for the 5th time, but Jamal Crawford comes alive and has been been firing back some 3s of his own.

Then Tay hits his 6th triple of the night, scoring his 31st points and with 2:10 left in the game it looks like lights out for the Knicks.

98-90 Detroit.

A Rip jumper gets the Pistons to 100, and it's all free throws the rest of the way.

Pistons 108
Knicks 100

Player of the Game - Tayshaun Prince 31 points, 6 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 blocks and 1 steal (six 3 pointers made)

Box Score
(http://www.nba.com/games/20061201/NYKDET/boxscore.html?nav=scoreboardhome)
GameFlow (http://popcornmachine.net/cgi-bin/gameflow.cgi?date=20061201&game=NYKDET&rl=16)

http://www.pbase.com/jason_ramon/pistons_vs_knicks

here are some photos from the game. quick and dirty edits but hey it's better than nothing. delfino is the man. hey micro i told you fino could shoot if it's in the flow of the offense. he just often gets stuck with the shot clock running down and he has to take the shot.


jmax looked rusty. maybe there is some truth to the thought process that to get consistency from your bench you have to give them consistent minutes. he was aggressive though and flip pulled him too soon or he should have at least gave him another shot.

flip murray sucks.

Nice picks Jay, thanks. I noticed Steph's foot was on the line. lol

I am sure the NBA referee's union will be emailing you soon to *cough*destroy*cough* that evidence.

Automotion is looking fine, very very fine.

I can't believe the Pistons are propping up this sellout streak. The number of empty seats is embarassing when they announce a sellout. I understand why they do it (sellout streak = more advertising money), but it's getting borderline ridiculous like saying Flip Murray is a PG, or that Nazr Mohammed is a good FT shooter (60%).

Nice pics.I like the one of Delfino going up with everyone just standing there watching.Oh yah the Automotion ones weren't bad I just glanced at those.:cheerleader: :bigeyes:

lol were you at the game (micro)? you did a good job of picking up details. since you put all that stuff very nicely, i'll just add my thoughts...

the knicks are bad. they have the potential to be better than last year, but the pistons didn't take them seriously and you could tell they knew they'd win the game.

eddy curry is mammothly-big. i dunno if he's fat, but i couldn't believe how small nazr looked next to him. he routinely abused nazr early, but by the 2nd half curry was so winded and slow that he was a complete non-factor. reminds me of the current out-of-shape shaq, except curry's gone by the 3rd quarter instead of the 4th. we also played hack-a-curry when the knicks were trying to come back, which worked out perfectly, as the guy was 6/12 from the line, which fits with his career 53% accuracy.

my buddy and i cringe every time delfino shoots a 3 (we were at a couple of his brutal preseason games), and even though he's made so many of them this year, we're both pleasantly surprised when they go in. it's easy to tell when he wants to shoot though (the guy next to me and i called it on a poorly-selected 2-point attempt that was way off).

i'm not as impressed with balkman as micro. he's got some hustle though.

not only is tay aggressive on the court, but in the post-game interview on the floor he was very social and outgoing. maybe he's coming out of his shell in all aspects of life. :D

j-max missed 2 easy shots but it was good that he was able to position himself to get easy shots. i still think the 2nd one was tipped out due to net interference. his 3rd shot was completely ill-advised though, and then he tried to make up for it on the other end and bit on a pump fake. definitely rusty, but still aggressive (got a steal), and tay in the postgame said even though he missed those shots, they really liked the energy he brought.

sheed got 15 rebounds in 33 minutes, tay 6/7 from 3-point range, rip 11/11 from the line, delfino got 16 minutes, mcdyess 9 boards, chauncey 8/9 shooting and 16 assists, some good games all around.

micro thanks for the name of the ref, he single-handedly ruined the game. i'm not even talking about the 2 unnecessary techs (and-1 finger pointing stopped being called 2 weeks ago buddy). i'm talking about the start of the 4th quarter when the pistons got tagged for 2 calls on the first knicks possession, and the knicks were in the bonus after 3½ minutes. the ref called a ridiculous amount of ticky-tack fouls that slowed the game down, removed all flow to it, and allowed the knicks back in the game. mind you, we were getting HAMMERED in the post and that wasn't being called.

this annoys me because by the 3rd quarter we were in a good flow, running smoothly, up by 12, and ready to put the game away, and this one punk @$$ ref decided to make himself bigger than the game and call so much garbage. we woulda been up by 20 in the 4th.

dumars is usually calm but i saw him twiddling his pen very quickly as the rest of us were getting frustrated. har. i dunno if i mentioned this before but he sits in the suite that is half a section over and one row behind me. he also had his glasses on today - he normally goes with contacts. i feel you guys should know these things :O

it seems they do the flames for every game now, regardless if it's on national TV or not. so next time i can take my camera i'll get pics. jay great pics, i'm jealous that you have better seats :O this one is especially funny: http://www.pbase.com/jason_ramon/image/71074205 - looks like the ladies are all checking out the argentina @$$ haha. on a funny note, when carlos makes a shot they often play "don't cry for me argentina", but in a techno-fast-DDR style.

Postgame interviews (audio)

Flip and Zeke

Tayshaun Prince postgame interview

YouTube - Tayshaun Prince Interview (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P1ItJto1uec)

Warthog - Yes that was a very choppy start to the 4th. It all seemed to happen after Sheeds tech, not sure if Sheed said something and the ref decided to take it out on the whole team. Knicks were in the bonus early and the Pistons did not get a few calls.

Not an incident because we won. Do appreciate the bit about Dumars, composing something to the league?

Micro, thanks for the summary. This is an interesting year after all.

I can't believe the Pistons are propping up this sellout streak. The number of empty seats is embarassing when they announce a sellout. I understand why they do it (sellout streak = more advertising money), but it's getting borderline ridiculous like saying Flip Murray is a PG, or that Nazr Mohammed is a good FT shooter (60%).

Got that info from a non-management regular palace employee. So its not official or anything that can be confirmed at this time. I have no reason to doubt it especially given the sparse crowds at some of the games earlier this year. They have stopped announcing sellouts during the games.