At Cleveland February 4th, 2:30PM
TV - ABC


The Pistons travel to Cleveland to face the Cav`s in the first of their five Sunday nationally televised games on ABC. Both teams are struggling within the Central Division, the Cav`s are 4-3, the Pistons 3-4.

Despite their records, at the time of this posting the Pistons are tied with the Wiz for first place in the EC, with the Cav`s one game behind.

I will be home from the desert, to watch this game. Yes, I am more excited to this game than the Superbowl. Oh, yeah, I do want to see those dang commercials. DLPHD baby!!!!

Finally i manage to get one Piston's game on TV. I hope they make my sleepless night worth it.

Rookie Daniel Gibson is now the starting PG for the Cavs, replacing Eric Snow. He's a shoot first player, with some hustle and speed.

It will come down to how well CB plays.

I'd like to see us exploit the inside with Sheed and Webber early. Zydrunas Ilgauskas and Drew Gooden are foul magnets.

According to the Detroit News, Chris Webber will be mic'd up for this game. I hope we can catch some Rasheed Wallace soundbytes.

Rookie Daniel Gibson is now the starting PG for the Cavs, replacing Eric Snow.
Wow. Gibson, Hughes, James, Gooden, Ilgauskas - Mike Brown can preach team defense all he wants, but that's probably the softest team in the NBA. You can isolate any one of them all day long.

I particularly don't understand the benching for this game, given that Snow completely shuts Chauncey down.

According to the Detroit News, Chris Webber will be mic'd up for this game. I hope we can catch some Rasheed Wallace soundbytes.

Probably not, they will be rated R from Sheed.............:sssh:

Nice Sunday first this game then the Superbowl. The Pistons will have to shut out Lebron if they want to win. Also, I think Detroit should take advantage of the Cavs being last in the league in free-throw shooting. ( For example, Lebron's free throw shooting in clutch time sucks. )

Pistons need to take the opportunities the Wizards keep giving them to put a little bit of distance between the best record in the East and the second best record and win this game. Doesn't hurt that a win also pushes the Pistons out one more game in front of another team chasing the best record. The Cavs haven't been playing well, and I'm hoping that they don't opt for Super Bowl Sunday to reverse that trend.

I think this game could be a good showcase for how CWebb will really fit in as the starting C of this team. He's facing a quality back-to-the-basket C in Big Z, and if the Cavs are smart, they test CWebb's post defense early and often. I'd like to see CWebb respond on the defensive end, and I will also be interested to see what type of shots CWebb gets in the offense. I think it unlikely that Big Z will venture out past 10 feet to try to stop CWebb from shooting the 15-18 ft jumper, but I also hope that the offense does not settle for that shot too often. If Big Z isn't going to come out that far away from the basket, CWebb should be able to free up CB and Rip for shots from those distances if he sets some solid screens.

I'd also like to see a steady dose of Sheed in the post against Gooden...Sheed should be able to get just about any shot he wants down low in that match up.

Big Z should abuse CWeb in the post.
Good point about the Cavs shooting themselve in the foot by not starting Snow against Billups.
We need to get inside early and often on this team... likely the worst interior defense in the league.

I'm out here delivering and installing HD cable boxes today, so I'll be watching like oldskool on tape delay, like the good ol days. Itll be a good battle in the middle with Lanier battling his old rival , Jim Chones. Look for Rowe and Bing to have easy goings vs Austin Carr and Bingo Smith's defense. Look for Jim Cleamons to take Bing late....:nerd2:

I'm out here delivering and installing HD cable boxes today, so I'll be watching like oldskool on tape delay, like the good ol days. Itll be a good battle in the middle with Lanier battling his old rival , Jim Chones. Look for Rowe and Bing to have easy goings vs Austin Carr and Bingo Smith's defense. Look for Jim Cleamons to take Bing late....:nerd2:
Yeah that nasty Laimbeer guy keeps hacking Phil Hubbard... but I'd trade the two.

Yeah that nasty Laimbeer guy keeps hacking Phil Hubbard... but I'd trade the two.In my world,Laim is still at Notre Dame, though.....

Big Z should abuse CWeb in the post.


I think we'll see some Dale Davis back in the mix today to help shut down Z.

Chat is open and will stay open through to the Superbowl.

http://www.pistonsforum.com/misc.php?do=flashchat

Please stay friendly and have fun.

Who else here enjoyed that thrilling ice skating action?

What a fabulous warm-up for the new NBA.

I dislike the dancing dolls opening routine, Michelle Tafoya makes me want to claw my eyes out, and Mike Breen is a horrible announcer.

Lucky us that they have Mark Jackson. Count those small blessings...

I remember when I thought that it was unacceptable to force Rasheed to have to cover for McDyess's woeful defense.

That was before I saw McDyess trying to cover for Webber.

NBA.com: Pistons at Cavaliers Boxscore (http://www.nba.com/games/20070204/DETCLE/boxscore.html)

Nice road win. We played the starters too many minutes.

Sheed silences his detractors with a 15/13 game and a lot of aggressive paint play.

I'll take a win everyday but Flip Saunders is reverting back to his old ways and playing the starters down to a nub. Rip was almost injured in this game (running into the brickwall of LeBron) and Flip puts him back into the game the first chance he gets. Maxiell has a beast of a game just a few nights ago and he's back to 5 minutes. Isn't this what sunk the Pistons last year? I'm liking the defense though it looked pretty good today and Lindsey can still be a junk yard dog guarding his man like his life depended on it.

Good win. Even though it wasn't a blow out, it reminded me of the 04-05 Pistons that won with defense and just kept the lead in the 8 to 12 point range for the whole game with no threat of the other team even coming close.

CB tried to show case court his skills on national TV with 18 pts and 10 dimes, but also had 4 TO's. The good is only took two 3 ball atempts. When is the last time Rip only took 8 shots in a game? 46 games this season now scoring in double figures. Just got that 10th point however in the last minute on a FT.

Webber looked good in the first half with 13 points to help Pistons to the 7 point halftime lead. 15pts, 13 boards and no techs for Sheed as he played a very good game down low.

Dice was the spark off the bench with 12 points and Hunter who dragged the offense down in the first half with three 3 point bricks, played some good defense in the second with 3 steals.

First in the conference with 1 game leads over Wiz and Bulls. Now 4-4 in the division, 15-9 on the road. 7-2 with Webber starting.

So far Flip is the coach of the month for February with Mike Mitchell of the Raptors:)

With five straight home games coming up, time to take advantage of the home cooking vs Celtics, Lakers, Raptors, Clippers and Spurs. Only the Celtics game is a gimme, but if they win all five then the team is BACK

Yep, looked pretty easy, as it should. Cleveland is not all that. They never have solved their point guard problem, and using an inexperienced rookie vs. Billups just shows desperation. James, not a factor, being held to 2 points in each of the middle quarters, and just human in the other two despite the attempted buildup by the national announcers.

Well, Webber got 15 and it just seems natural at this point. Got to love 7 for 10 shooting, with just enough rebounds for his minutes played you can't quite complain. Webber made another outside shot, but everything else was post scoring, what a sight for sore eyes.

Sheed did a lot of damage in the post himself, showed he is very capable of shutting down Ilgauskas, and cleared the boards all nite to boot.

Dyess was huge off the bench, hitting a bunch of outside shots. Delfino knocked down a couple himself and helped check Bron a bit in the 2nd quarter. (He did not do so well on that other guy-Pavolic (sp)) No Delfino in the 2nd half, nor Maxiell except for the last seconds of the game. But I won't complain, as Davis, Maxiell, and Delfino all got decent playing time in this one. With Hunter doing very well on defense, and Dyess being so effective, thats 5 bench players contributing, giving energy. Which makes it easier for the starters to maintain their energy level thruout the game.

Tay, if anyone did not notice, is above his career best scoring average, and continued to knock down his outside shots. Remember a bit earlier in the year when people complained about the misses-I said that was practice for later in the season. Prince developing his game. He has. He must be address on the perimeter, making his drives in, and all our inside play, easier.

Rip just continues to hit his shots. I wonder just how much of an improvement from last year there is. I'll check that after this post.

Billups is clearly hurting out there, and hurting us on D because of it. But he is running the offense pretty well-for the most part. He needs rest, that leg is nowhere near right.

Good to see Dale out there, but hey Pistons, do not leave the guy out to dry when Ilgauskas has good post position on him. Don't spectate, somebody come over to help a bit.

Despite the hype about James, this was over with about 5 minutes left in the game. We played stall ball for much of the last 4 minutes, perfectly good strategy when you are that far up. GO PISTONS!!!!!

A good win. The Pistons offense reminded me of running water. Whenever the Cav's tried to stop them, the Pistons just flowed right around. If it wasn't CB distributing, it was Webber. We had a variety of people get down on the low post. We had different people hitting the 3. The defense seemed pretty transparent but the commentators were talking about how the team defense kept lebron from attacking the basket. It seemed pretty easy for Pavlovic who ran layup drills on the Pistons D 3 times in a row.

Rip: The engine of the pistons machine...still. Didn't shoot as often as usual but boy was he active and all over the place. On one sequence he ran into a stationary JAmes and went down for a couple of minutes.


billups: I kinda think it was the lack of a dominant PG for the Cavs but CB basically controlled the whole game. He aslo made some good defensive plays on Big Z early on. He also got to the line a lot which points to a more active role in the offense.

Webber: I remember him outletting early while his man got a rebound and a put back. But otherwise, he rebounded ok. He really helps the offense. He had some great passes that never got converted. Tried to grab offensive rebounds...came away with 2. Took Full advantage of the opportunities presented.

Sheed: I saw him work the post consistently. Controlled out defensive rebounds and had a sweet putback jam. He took 3 3's which is good. 5-7 is too many.

Prince. I didn't really notice prince so much. it didn't seem like Tay was any more successful at containing lebron than anyone else which isn't to say he did a bad job. He did convert 66% of his 3's.

Mcdyess. You know I turn my head and when a I look back at the TV the ball is sailing in from mid range...Dyess!!! He's really been doing well for us.

Hunter. Say what you want...lins got 3 steals and didn't over dribble too much.

Delfino played 10 minutes. hit his outside shots...the best thing was the extra passes made to him.

Maxiell got 5 minutes. I heard he got a dunk but he whole stint was when I was in the little boys room. damn. I missed it.

The defense is still susceptible to slashers who are not Wade and Lebron. It seems we are able to focus on one person and discourage attacking the basket but anyone else...today it was pavlovic...can get in easily and either score or dish off for a score.

However, we did play scrappy enough and came away with loose balls and turn overs.
Lets get amir involved!

the first time I saw CWebb;
my impressions:
he's extremely slow and I wonder if he can still dunk
his jumpshoot- technique is horrible, but who cares, he drains them at a nice %.
Good passer, as everybody knew.
With the current style of playing, he can help any team in the league for at least 2 more seasons since he doesn't rely on his athleticism (which is good). The saddest thing was seeing him boxing out Ilgauskas who just knocked the rebound away because Cwebb couldn't get his butt up in the air more than one inch.
Besides;
Tay plays way too much, there are many moments you don't notice him being on the court. Delfino played decent in the minutes given and still didn't get more. Why is that?
JMax had a sweet dunk and would have deserved some more minutes too. He lost the ball once when being under pressure by several Cle players in the zone.
Davis didn't look like an experienced vet when Ilgauskas easily faked and made the shot for a possible 3pt- play. The fake even wasn't that good.

Best thing they did today was to finish quarters - dominated in the last two minutes of all four.

It would have been nice to have seen a bit more bench. This is a pattern from last year - play the starters into the fourth trying to make a big run and force garbage time, and when the run doesn't come you're stuck with playing the starters most of the second half. Rip or Tay has to start coming out of the game about the eight minute mark of the second and third along with Sheed or Webber. That at least gives the coach some options.

Seemed like a lot of unforced turnovers today. This isn't a team that plays well in the early afternoon.

This Pistons team does not only have 5 players that you have to defend, but they have 5 players who make each other better.

Chauncey Billups- Solid game. Made the right decisions, got the ball inside. Ran the pick and rolls very well.

Rip Hamilton-Solid as well. Didn't score a lot, but got to the line. He's added that to his game over the summer.

Tayshaun Prince-Very good game. Made LeBron pay for poor defense, and helped stop LeBron every quarter.

Rasheed Wallace-Dominance inside. He shot outside jumpers well too, but this time he went inside first.

Chris Webber-Solid. Good at communicating on defense based on the mic.

Dice-Good spark off the bench.

Lindsey-Great defense, and hustle

Dale Davis-Good job at controling the inside

J Max-Didn't play much, but had a nice dunk

Delfino-made open shots

Dre and Lee,

I would call this game as winning with a quiet dominance. We put them in the Piston grinding machine as we did Dallas. Good to see that it is still there--I was beginning to worry. Stern may not like it but who cares? Less than 90 points usually does the trick in the regular season.

Right all, with Chris, I don't worry about us getting bogged down in the offense as much. We saw a further glimpse of just what a Chris-Sheed tandem can do offensively. Watch out!

I still cringe when I see Hunter and Delfino on the floor together--we often do not generate enough scoring with that duo. Everyone likes Delfino but he has to learn to finish better. I could see Hunter's value when he was on the floor with Chauncey and he could focus on defense.

Good to see Dice take those jumpers. That is his game. He shoots jumpers at a good percentage and can do it against the good teams. He does not convert as well inside. Good to see players used to their strengths.

Maxiel would have been huge. Too bad he didn't get enough minutes.

I don't know. The starters want to be out there more in a game like this. Besides 5 guys did play off the bench.

Its mainly those Tuesday night road games against the Hawks that can really wear down a team if the starters play too much. In a playoff type game like this Flip would have had a hard time sticking to the plan. Would you guys have really wanted to see a closer game or the Pistons lose because Flip wanted to limit the starters mins.

Nice win. Total dominance, won every quarter. Won every stat except for one extra block and offensive board by the Cavs. Won total rebounding by 7.

What was up with that lame "DETROIT TUNROVER" comment by the Cavs PA announcer? Total bush league - He needs to get his own gig. Thats one thing about the Palace staff, they will never make fun of a teams home court bit.

Fun game to watch.

A few late notes:

1. The Cavs involved Webber in as many screen situations as they possibly could, eventually leading Flip to bench him in favor of Maxiell at the end of the game.

2. Maxiell played adequate defense, but his defensive rebounding remains subpar to atrocious. One uncontested rebound in light traffic that came right at him in the final minutes of the game slipped right through his fingers.

3. With Snow on the bench in favor of some rookie, said rookie got torched. Excellent game from Billups.

4. Terrible game from Rip at both ends. Still managed to play 37 minutes...

5. ...as did all the starters except Webber. Flip went with his seven-man playoff rotation.

Nice win. Total dominance, won every quarter. Won every stat except for one extra block and offensive board by the Cavs. Won total rebounding by 7.

Too bad it wasn't a CBA game. Detroit would have gotten some extra points for winning those quarters. :MusicBigGrin:

Would you guys have really wanted to see a closer game or the Pistons lose because Flip wanted to limit the starters mins.
While I don't have any problems with Flip playing the starters in a game like this, this particular justification just doesn't hold water. None of the bench players except Davis played badly in their time in the game, so you can hardly excuse Flip by blaming them - particularly with Rip having one of his worst games of the year.

While I don't have any problems with Flip playing the starters in a game like this, this particular justification just doesn't hold water. None of the bench players except Davis played badly in their time in the game, so you can hardly excuse Flip by blaming them - particularly with Rip having one of his worst games of the year.

Yes but there has been so many games when Rip bounced back late in the game and made a difference. This game we did not need that. He also made a difference on the defensive end.

I have heard both Billups and Rip comment on how they are focusing on not playing long stretches of games this year. Not so much total mins, rather not leaving a guy out there too long. In a game like this with the long timeouts you can play Hunter or Delfino for a 3-4 min stretch add in a timeout and you have a nice 10-12 minute break for a starter.

today it was pavlovic...can get in easily and either score or dish off for a score.
Pavlovic only scored three times in the paint on successive layups. The first was a screen-roll situation where Delfino correctly played him left into the screen, and backside help never came (hint: McDyess and Webber were the bigs at this point in the game).

The second and third were isolation drives from the free throw line area where Delfino and Hamilton gambled wrong and backside help never came from either McDyess or Webber.

It could be that Flip had instructed the Pistons to allow layups from anyone except LeBron, but I think it's more likely that McDyess and Webber are just extremely slow.

Pavlovic created nothing when those two were not in the game together. I don't care how good a perimeter defender you are; in the modern NBA you cannot guard 3-on-5.

A nice win indeed.

This win tells me more about the Cav`s than the Pistons. They (the Cav`s) are not ready to contend for the EC or the Final prize!!

On the other hand the Pistons did exactly as they are supposed to do against an opponent like the Cav`s; not let up and play to win. Sheed had a very good game. For the most part he was very active. (15 points and 13 rebounds).

Just watching Sheed the last couple of games I sense a change of attitude in him. Asking Flip to take him out of the Milwaukee game and his post play and rebounding in this game leads me to believe he has realized his value to the team and how successful the Pistons can be with him playing at a certain level. Well, it may be too early to tell, however, the next two weeks will prove me right or wrong.

I`m looking for a blowout of the Celtics, and at least 3 wins out of four at home against the Raptors, Lakers, Spurs and Clips in the next week 1/2.

but I think it's more likely that McDyess and Webber are just extremely slow.

Pavlovic created nothing when those two were not in the game together.

BINGO...........They are extremely slow........

I`m looking for a blowout of the Celtics, and at least 3 wins out of four at home against the Raptors, Lakers, Spurs and Clips in the next week 1/2.

Maybe they overlook the Raptors and they surprise us eh?:noidea:

A nice win indeed.

This win tells me more about the Cav`s than the Pistons. They (the Cav`s) are not ready to contend for the EC or the Final prize!!

On the other hand the Pistons did exactly as they are supposed to do against an opponent like the Cav`s; not let up and play to win. Sheed had a very good game. For the most part he was very active. (15 points and 13 rebounds).

Just watching Sheed the last couple of games I sense a change of attitude in him. Asking Flip to take him out of the Milwaukee game and his post play and rebounding in this game leads me to believe he has realized his value to the team and how successful the Pistons can be with him playing at a certain level. Well, it may be too early to tell, however, the next two weeks will prove me right or wrong.

I`m looking for a blowout of the Celtics, and at least 3 wins out of four at home against the Raptors, Lakers, Spurs and Clips in the next week 1/2.

I have been busy defending Sheed over on the other board. I won't go into all the details except to say this: I review the games. Any time Sheed is said by someone to have slacked off on effort, I look a little closer at Sheed's play. The result: Not one game so far where Sheed took a game off. Instead, I see him covering for other's lack of intensity/ or ability. (mostly ability in Mohammed's case, mostly a choice to sit out defense in Flip Murray's case.-and yes, lately some lack of ability on Webber's part. Oh, and CB is hurt, not covering his defensive assignments-Sheed is covering that up a lot too.)

I have been busy defending Sheed over on the other board. I won't go into all the details except to say this: I review the games. Any time Sheed is said by someone to have slacked off on effort, I look a little closer at Sheed's play. The result: Not one game so far where Sheed took a game off. Instead, I see him covering for other's lack of intensity/ or ability. (mostly ability in Mohammed's case, mostly a choice to sit out defense in Flip Murray's case.-and yes, lately some lack of ability on Webber's part. Oh, and CB is hurt, not covering his defensive assignments-Sheed is covering that up a lot too.)

Lee I don`t review the games like you do, and maybe that`s why I don`t see what you see. According to what you say above, Sheed is the only player playing defense.

His defense kind of comes and goes during a game, IMO. I am saying the last couple of games his overall play on both ends of the court has improved, not to mention his BBall IQ looks much better.

Sheed lacks the athleticism to play that roaming, quick, shot blocking big man (Ben Wallace) we were so accustomed to seeing; that in addition to C-Webb and Dyess`s lack of speed = poor interior defense at times.

I disagree that Sheed doesn`t take a day off from time to time. Didn`t he say himself that the regular season doesn`t mean anything?

Locker-room material for Ben Wallace. Interesting comment from James:

"When Ben Wallace (http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/players/3149/) was there, you could kind of relax on the offensive end when he was on the floor," James said. "But now they have five guys that can easily score 20 points. They are a much better team with him (Webber)."

Artest, if I recall, said the opposite.

LBJ is a Nike clown anyways. His opinion is worthless.

I hope Ben blocks him back to 1987.

LBJ is a Nike clown anyways. His opinion is worthless.

I hope Ben blocks him back to 1987.

I agree. I don't think the team is better with Webber over Ben. Not at all.

Our bigs, however productive, are slow. Yes. Sheed is the only big with some mobility but as mentioned, he is no Ben. Sheed is by far our best defensive big. Davis does move some. But can he do anything with Shaq and will they play him this year?

Pavolvic getting that easy into the lane for whatever reason points to the need for a perimeter defender before the trading deadline. That would help out a bit for our front line.

We went with Webber for the offense. Fine. We do need a back up point-- but even more--we need to get better perimeter defense for the big run, phoney Stern rules or no phoney Stern rules. We are not going to outscore teams consistently.

We need to continue to develop Maxiel as he does seem to have some quickness of foot on the defensive end and can be used in a situational way as Lindsay was today.

With Eric Snow being relegated to the bench...

Nazr for Snow?

With Eric Snow being relegated to the bench...

Nazr for Snow?

Throw Flip Murray in, too.

With Eric Snow being relegated to the bench...

Nazr for Snow?
Snow = Hunter

Webber and Davis are gone next year (not to mention really old). Trade Nazr and we have no centers on our roster. This type of move will require Cheick Samb moving into a McDonalds restaurant until training camp.

I remember when I thought that it was unacceptable to force Rasheed to have to cover for McDyess's woeful defense.

That was before I saw McDyess trying to cover for Webber.


LOL LOL

I still don't get why Flip can't wrap his head around the concept of bringing in the bench EARLIER. By the 4 minute mark in the 1st and 3rd quarters we should have 3 (at least 2) bench players in. That gives the bench enough time to get a rhythm, and if they mess it up, the starters have plenty of time to mop up the situation. Instead, he waits untill the 4th quarter, at which time he puts them in for 2 minutes (if that), and throws the starters back in because it's getting close to crunch time. It's frustrating to watch happen over and over.

I thought it was good use of the roster... Sheed was used as he should (inside then out)... Webb looking for the cutters... CB distributing AND getting inside... Delfino handling the ball more when matched up with Hunter.
Of course everything is easier with the Cleveland swiss cheesers... but a nice sign non the less.... now can they do this in consecutive games?
The player of the game IMO was Sheed... it was a flashback performance... no deragatory statements tonight... now please take note of how you can help this team and repeat.

The efficient offense made it easier to get back on D to prevent easy buckets (a key against Bron).

IMO, Big Z is very overated... watching him and Cwebb go at it was like a visit to the cement plant.

Let's see what they do against an energy team now.

This is how you want to play on the road. Blowing everyone out by 20 points at halftime isn't realistic. Cleveland is not a great team, but they are clearly one of the more talented squads in the East.

We kept it close and slowly pulled away in the second half.

I'm very happy with the pace and style of this win. Not only are the Cavs copying the Pistons entire routine, but now the Pistons are in their heads. These guys are questioning if they can beat us, get past us.

Champions instill fear on the road. Flip Saunders did a decent job tightening up the rotation for a game that does have value. Now lets see if he relaxes again as we face the tanking Celtics.

yeah, plus with all of the TV timeouts and longer regulat timeouts for national TV, the extra minutes aren't as big of a deal.

the rip/webber combination continues to excel, and our offense hasn't felt as bogged down or as prone to droughts.

delfino had a few mistakes but knocked down some key shots, and overall we played relaxed and focused the whole game, with excellent defense. it was a playoff-type win.

i was surprised they treated lebron fairly, instead of giving him wade-like calls. and i'm also glad that varejao looked as bad as he really is, and even got called for the illegal screen he always sets. thankfully only one of his usual flops resulted in an offensive foul against us.

Snow = Hunter

Webber and Davis are gone next year (not to mention really old). Trade Nazr and we have no centers on our roster. This type of move will require Cheick Samb moving into a McDonalds restaurant until training camp.

I see Snow as a real point guard, able to really run an offense. Not sure I can say the same about Hunter.

Center depth next year could be a real problem, but Snow could rest CB, keep the team on the straight and narrow for 15 minutes a game, and put them one step closer to getting to the finals. Worry about next year next year.

Ok, I'll buy that approach.

One of the Cav's beat writers live blogged the game (think one man game chat).

Cavaliers Blog: Cavs vs. Pistons (http://blogs.ohio.com/cavaliers_blog/2007/02/cavs_vs_pistons.html)

The end comment is great...

That's five straight losses on national television and all have been pretty undressing in one way or another. It's no wonder the Cavs don't get much respect, they haven't earned very much. This is another game where the Cavs' flaws were displayed. Today they were simply outclassed, from the superstar on down. They have a lot of work to do and a long way to go. We knew this before, we still know it.

It's funny how high our expectations are for the Pistons. When we roll over a team on the road, their local media hangs their heads while we obsess over Carlos Delfino's minutes. Oh, how good we have it!

Finally King James kneels before his subjects.

yeah, plus with all of the TV timeouts and longer regulat timeouts for national TV, the extra minutes aren't as big of a deal.

the rip/webber combination continues to excel, and our offense hasn't felt as bogged down or as prone to droughts.

delfino had a few mistakes but knocked down some key shots, and overall we played relaxed and focused the whole game, with excellent defense. it was a playoff-type win.

i was surprised they treated lebron fairly, instead of giving him wade-like calls. and i'm also glad that varejao looked as bad as he really is, and even got called for the illegal screen he always sets. thankfully only one of his usual flops resulted in an offensive foul against us.

About that illegal screen, they get thrown all the time. They are not illegal at all if the defender does not make an attempt to go thru the screen. Credit Delfino for alertly cutting thru that screen before it was set.

lee, what i mean about varejao is a little different. last year in the playoffs lebron would start the play at the top, and varejao would come to set a screen. that would normally be okay, but as the defender tried to fight through it, varejao would turn his body and pivot his feet in whatever direction the defender went. that is completely illegal and blatant.

"Jason Maxiell may be the best two-handed dunker in the NBA after Shaq"

i liked that comment in the blog

I sort of feel like he dunks with one-hand too much.

I was :confused: at Bron's comment as well. To me its him trying to cover up the fact that his team is no good.

And as for the hated one, he was awesome yesterday; he made Ilgaulkas and Marshall his *****.