At Phoenix March 16th, 10:00 PM
TV -20 Detroit (Local) NBA TV


The Pistons will try and tame a three headed beast in Phoenix, (Nash, Amare and Marion) and stay undefeated on this west coast swing. The Suns are coming off a 2 OT win for their 50th of the season against the white-hot Mav`s on Wednesday night. In that game they shot 55% from the field, Nash had 16 assists, Amare dropped 41 with with 10 boards, and Marion had 15/12.......

Impressive indeed!

Whoo hoo, I'm going to this game. I scored 5th row center court seats from a ticket broker. It even includes a free buffet and beverages in the Lexus Club, (a perk for season ticket holders with great seats). I was trying for seats close to the Pistons bench so I could backseat drive on Flipper but somehow I got upgraded to center court. So I'll do my best to represent Pistons.forum and I'll take notes. I'm pretty prejudiced when it comes to Delfino but I'll try and contain myself.

So I'll do my best to represent Pistons.forum and I'll take notes. I'm pretty prejudiced when it comes to Delfino but I'll try and contain myself.
Any observations you have are appreciated. Even if they are Delfino-centric. :thumb:

I was trying for seats close to the Pistons bench so I could backseat drive on Flipper ...

It would be pretty funny to sit right behind the Pistons bench and yell for Flip to do everything that you know he is going to do anyway.

As the first quarter nears to an end...
"Flip, put in Delfino. You suck. Put in Carlos What's the matter with you?"

Then, when he does, you can really start getting inside his head.
"Flip, good job with Delfino. Now sub Flip Murray in for Chauncey. There you go. I could do your job. Why don't you go to a zone?"

WE WANT NAZR

Another ho-hum road game. Hopefully our starters find a way to motivate themselves so that we can give the bench some burn.

Whoo hoo, I'm going to this game. I scored 5th row center court seats from a ticket broker. It even includes a free buffet and beverages in the Lexus Club, (a perk for season ticket holders with great seats). I was trying for seats close to the Pistons bench so I could backseat drive on Flipper but somehow I got upgraded to center court. So I'll do my best to represent Pistons.forum and I'll take notes. I'm pretty prejudiced when it comes to Delfino but I'll try and contain myself.

OK lapeapod, I'm not putting any pressure on you, but don't leave your westcoast pfkarma at home or in the car. Take it into the arena with you and spread it out among the crowd. We really need this baby. Look forward to your victory recap:thumb:

NOW WE TALKIN BALL

I have a bad feeling that their runandgun is going to run us right off the floor.

O wow---ESPN must be really enjoying this ratings bone-anza putting Figure Skating on their primary channel and skipping this game altogether, It's on NBA tv tonight.

I'm amped up about this game. I like Steve Nash a lot, and I like the Pistons a lot.

Should be a blast!!!!!

I'm amped up about this game. I like Steve Nash a lot, and I like the Pistons a lot.

Should be a blast!!!!!it rained all day in Raleigh today , so i feel like a wet puppy. I took a shower and got in the bed (at 7:30 PM) with a large glass mixed with Light Rum, tequila, Haiann punch, Orange Juice and mango margarita mix...IM either gonna be so fired up in the chat tonight or as placid as Professor's houseslippers!!!!GO PISTONS!!!

it rained all day in Raleigh today , so i feel like a wet puppy. I took a shower and got in the bed (at 7:30 PM) with a large glass mixed with Light Rum, tequila, Haiann punch, Orange Juice and mango margarita mix...IM either gonna be so fired up in the chat tonight or as placid as Professor's houseslippers!!!!GO PISTONS!!!

I'll take the rain. It's raining ICE in New England right now. ICE, ICE, BABY.

Let`s hope Sheed, Tay CB, C-Webb EVERY DAMN BODY.........take the Suns on the block and get them in foul trouble, because if we even act like we want to run with them it`s over in the first 8 minutes of the game!!!

I'll take the rain. It's raining ICE in New England right now. ICE, ICE, BABY.
dont take the rain..TAKE THE RUM!! see ya later, bro:pound:

Chat's open early tonight, with March Madness on before the Pistons game. Someone just airballed a tech FT in the game I'm watching!!

The game is on NBATV and is supposed to be HD, but what channel is the HD game on??

On my system, I usually get NBATV HD games on the INHD channel.

I'm watching Delfino (amongst others) play an amazing game, and can't help thinking about lapeapod at the game. Hope you had fun!

Flip Murray is our point guard of the future.

It would be pretty funny to sit right behind the Pistons bench and yell for Flip to do everything that you know he is going to do anyway.

As the first quarter nears to an end...
"Flip, put in Delfino. You suck. Put in Carlos What's the matter with you?"

Then, when he does, you can really start getting inside his head.
"Flip, good job with Delfino. Now sub Flip Murray in for Chauncey. There you go. I could do your job. Why don't you go to a zone?"

:pound::pound::pound::pound:

and I like the Pistons a lot.

Really? I didn't know that about you. :P

Just when you think you know a guy....

Wow, what a game!! Who would have guessed. Rewind that baby and watch it again.... and again.

MVP MVP MVP FLIP MURRAY!!!


I thought we were dead when CB went out. Anyone figure out what the crap was the T on Sheed for this time??

Unbelievable win by the Pistons tonight. Lowering the boom on Phoenix in their house like this is certainly the most surprising big win of the season, I'd say. The big story was the greatest game in the history of Flip Jr., 12-16 from the floor for 25 points, and with 6 steals! He was absolutely en fuego in the third quarter, and I think he even outscored Nash in that period (he did for the game, 25-20). In the open floor, and going to the hole, HQ's least favorite player flat out destroyed the Suns. CWebb spun and rolled to the hoop around everyone, 8-12 from the floor, and Sheed was 4-6 on 3s. Delfino had a huge game off the bench, 5-6 from the floor and 7 boards. Pistons only had 9 turnovers, but the Suns had 22 (!), which was why this game got out of control like it did.

The big concern is Chauncey going down with a groin pull, which is what allowed Flip Jr. to channel the ghost of World B. Free, as gazoo said in chat. Not sure what his status is yet for the next few games. Obviously we can't count on Murray playing anywhere near this well on any sort of consistent basis, but there were a couple of things the Pistons did tonight that you can't take away from them: active hands and good rotations on D, and CWebb exploiting the Suns' weak interior D. Those two factors will be huge if we end up seeing these guys in the finals.

wowwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww!! and that enzyte is something else!!! but i digress,......

nash...8/9 fg's 20 pts
diaw 5-5 fg
amare 24 pts/15rebs

and we win by 70 pts!!!:pound: :pound:

despiTe:
Rip 40 minutes and 6 pts
Tay 7 pts
Chauncey 13 minutes = pulled groin

this is why SHEED has to realize how important he is to this team. The one I hate was great tonite,but the MBP on both sides of the ball waas SHEED..

MVP MVP MVP FLIP MURRAY!!!


I thought we were dead when CB went out. Anyone figure out what the crap was the T on Sheed for this time??SHEED said SON OF A BEACH but threw his hands to the ref after his big 3, and u JUST CANT DO THAT..if he just wouldve shaddup...........

Wow. A slaughter of Phoenix making it a 5-0 road trip out west, something the Pistons have not done since 1992. Way to go Flip Murray, Sheed, Webber, Delfino. Dyess scored plenty too. I am sure Rip got some points in there somewhere. CB did some scoring before coming out mid 2nd quarter with a groin injury. By the look on Billups face, he seems quite dejected about the injury, so I am guessing it will a while before we see him in a game again. Good. We need him to sit a while and rest anyway. No I am not glad he got injured. I would much rather of had the coach give him some rest so the injury would not have happened.

Flip Murray made one bad shot on his way to at least 25 points. He also had about 5 steals, several rebounds, some slap aways that he will not get credit for in the stats. Except for maybe a trip or two, he played pretty good D on Nash too. Absolutely Flip Murray's best game as a Piston, probably his best since long ago in Seattle when had that really good streak. So who played backup point to Flip in the 2nd half? Nobody. Flip only came out for just over a minute. Delfino maybe ran about two plays during that time and Prince one I think. Now, when Flip came back in the game, they did have Delfino and Tay each run a play, probably to get him just a bit more of a break. Worked out pretty good as we went from 11 up to putting the game totally away a few minutes later.

Remember me mentioning Delfino getting into a habit of knocking down a three early 4th? He knocked down two of them in this 4th quarter, plus a few more buckets besides. Rebounding, coming up with loose balls, knocking the ball away. Hardly any missed shots from him. One of his misses was on a fast break where Murray cleaned up the miss. And as always, sound defense.

Dyess hit maybe one shot with range with the rest of his points coming close in. I think he ended up with about a dozen?

Chris Webber, if he made his free throws, would have yet another 20 point game. He fell short, not by much on double digit rebounds too. What a road trip for him. His only game with light scoring had him down for 8 assists. He had several more assists tonight. Oh and even if he does miss some free throws, he sure was getting Phoenix into foul trouble.

Sheed hit about 3 triples, scored inside too. Three blocks. We managed to keep them in a halfcourt game and Sheed was something fierce inside making them think twice the next time. Phoenix was reduced to a bunch of bad outside shots for the most part.

Flip got his scoring on good finishes off steals, a few outside shots where they left him open, and some good drives to the basket. A very under control game for him.

No Maxiell except for garbage time. Seems odd since Phoenix has no real center. But oh well, Delfino got plenty of time. As long as its not a trend I can live with it.

Sheed got a tech for absolutely nothing. He nailed a key three in the 4th that kind of put the game away, and pumped his fist a couple of times while running back. And some high fives as Phoenix called timeout. Totally bogus. Hope that gets rescinded but hey, they did not rescind the one for "ball don't lie." Is the league out to get Sheed or what. Funny, noone in the league can suggest such a thing without a fine. Some system.

Thats 3 straight games for Flip Murray playing well, and this his best ever as a Piston. After tonight, even I am starting to hope Flip Murray has changed. Lets all hope, we could use him in the playoffs if he truly has. That means never slacking on D, and not taking shots that are not there.

Delfino had one pretty nifty shot driving inside where he went under Stoudemire's arm and flipped it in off glass.

Webber got his posting up mostly, but did hit one outside shot with range, and twice just drove right on in and dunked on them. His reverse slam on one of those drives was really something. What knee surgery? GO PISTONS!!!!!I forgot to give props to Billups for running a very good game in the first half, keeping the game at our tempo-half court. That is in the end what won it for us.

Missed the first half, but second half was so great I am not sure if I want rewind the dvr or not to watch the first. Great game, great chat GREAT win!!

On this five game western road trip the Pistons discover their defense, their bench, their perpensity for points in the paint (which has allowed them to shoot over 50% in the last four games) and yes that they had fans on the west coast who show up in droves to support them, and oh yeah that Flip Murray can really shoot when the other team plays no defense:)

I know it's premature, and the fact that both the Cavs and Heat are undefeated this month, but I think if the Pistons run the table the rest of the month which would include W's over the big four in the west, Flip garners another coach of the month award (despite the three L's). That would show the Mavs, Suns and Spurs that we can beat them in their own crib and a finals matchup is not going to be another potential west walkover...as all media is predicting (like they did in 04):stirthepot:

Nice Leecap Lee.

I'm in awe of Flip Murray's performance tonight. Not that he isn't capable... we all heard that he is a streaky scorer... but this guy has been left for dead. Benched while they were openly trying to trade him. He had a wonderfully lazy look to him tonight like a pro golfer in a zone. A relaxed confidence I'll call it. And it wasn't only the made shots. It was the shot selection, passing, steals, and poise when the team really needed it. I am going to make a mental note of this and hold my proverbial tongue when he struggles again.

It's not just this game, but I want to reiterate my contention that all of these guys (Flip, Delfino, Nazr, Dale Davis, JMax) should be given consistency if nothing else. No matter how little playing time they get, they should be aware that their next chance is always coming and that they will be used to their strengths. I believe all 5 of them can contribute in meaningful ways if used correctly. We had the goon squad breakout, the steady emergence of Delfino, and now Flip Murray has made a deal with the Devil. Nazr is next.

And in conclusion, let's give some props to Mr. Flip Saunders. This was one of the first games this year that looked like we had a superior game-plan. Phoenix shoots > 50% and gets blown out? We slowed it down beautifully. We kept them from shooting 3's. When Nash drove into the paint, we didn't freak out and over-collapse on him. Our players looked like they were well prepped and motivated.

Chauncey... what's up with this guy's muscles? Kander is going to have a busy fortnight massaging another man's groin.

Chauncey... what's up with this guy's muscles? Kander is going to have a busy fortnight massaging another man's groin.


Let's hope that now that they are flying home tonight, his wife can take care of that this weekend:sssh:......:)

I couldn't believe my eyes when I read on SI.com: Pistons blow out the Suns

:gun1: :winner_first_h4h:

Yes, baby. You all knew what this team was capable of. This Piston team is one mean machine when it is tuned up. Webber in the offense. Sheed animated. A real bench. Dysss looking young. Delfino now confident enough to bury shots.

And then there was Flip Murray. I watched those last two games and said: Is he for real? I asked you all on this very board. Did he learn to run the offense watching Chauncey?

I think we have found a back-up to Chauncey finally. His name is Flip Murray. Only one wild shot. Ok, the offense isn't quite as crisp but the guy can hit shots, big shots. He finishs better than Rip or Chauncey. I think we can find him some minutes for our back up.

I'm in with the Pistons for their third finals appearance in 4 years. Who said the east was weak?

"They did a great job of playing inside-out," Stoudemire said. "That's good old playoff basketball they played out there tonight, and we just stooped down to their level. We didn't have too many fast-break points. We didn't attack like we needed to."

Check out these photos from the game:

arizona sports news - phoenix sports - arizona sports teams - azcentral.com (http://www.azcentral.com/sports/)

What a wonderful game. This could be the most perfect match of the season given the circumstances.

Its great to feel the positive vibe emanating from this win...and the road win streak. Some of those Sithy dudes even applied for a Jedi license.

"and you are...."
"the DARK LORD of DISCONTENT"
"and you want to become a jedi because..."
"STFU and sign the application. We're winning!"
"Thats not really a peaceful attitude...ackkkkkkk!"
"I get to use this force choke thing until you hand me my green lightsaber."
"out...of....g-green..."
"funny thats what mr. D said when I asked him about signing Ben Wallace."

Classic slippy.

Exhilirating win. Fantastic road swing by the boys. They played well in all 5 games.

What's up with Tay? He has not been looking very sharp.

:pound: @ Slippy's Sith trip to the Jedi DMV.

I dont know what's worse, Slippy.....Turning in my sith card or faking the funk so my nose won't grow!:pound:

Whap! That’s my one word description of how much the Pistons dominated the Suns last night. It was such a fun night and boy if someone told me before the game started that Flip Murray was going to torch the Suns for 25 points and be player of the game I would have asked him to put the crack pipe away. I had fantastic seats (4th row center court behind the media table). I drove up to the game from Tucson with a friend of mine that is also a Pistons fan and he was very hesitant about wearing any Pistons gear. No worry on that front, there were plenty of Pistons jerseys representing, especially #1 Chauncey Billups. I was wearing my Carlos Delfino jersey and in the sea of season ticket holders in the primo seats we did stand out a bit.

I got in my seat about 40 minutes before tip-off and the Pistons were doing some last minute practicing. It’s almost surreal seeing the boys up close and they are an incredibly tight-knit and loose group. Chauncey uses this time to do some mentoring with Jason Maxiell, which warms my heart. At the half-court line, DD, CWebb and Sheed are all jacking up shots. Surprisingly DD’s shot doesn’t look half bad, I think he could make a few of those if he was in ever thrown in that position. Chris Webb on the other hand can hardly get that shot to even get near the basket with the weak stuff he was throwing up.

My attention was diverted by Greg Kelser smoosing with some of his buddies at the media table. I walked up to the area where he was standing and told him I was doing a write-up for the Pistons.forum and that Delfino was my favorite player. In that sing song voice of his he said “Delfino is very good, isn’t he?” Yah Baby! No argument from me on that account.

The U.S. Airways Arena is rocking. When did basketball become a sport for the attention deficit disorder poster children? There is so much going on with the dancers, players practicing, coaches milling around, blinkie neon lights and fan buzz. Going up my aisle to take his seat a few rows behind me and to the left I spy Jerry Colangelo (heee... I have better seats than he does). I pretty much laser beamed my attention on watching the Pistons but occasionally I would look over at the Suns lay-up line and Steve Nash is all business. He’s giving his guys encouragement and watching their lay-up line is a thing of precision. On the other hand the Pistons are doing their best imitation of the bad boys sneaking out of study hall and practicing lay-ups. Delfino puts crazy spin on his flip-up nonchalant toss in and little did I realize that’s a designed shot that he’ll he make later in the game.

The game is about to start and the Suns game announcer starts pumping up the volume and it’s quite the show introducing the starting line-ups. I was just thrilled to see in person the Pistons reserves during their circular war-dance (though Sheed was not in the middle whooping it up as he often does).

The game finally starts and as usual the Pistons let the other team get ahead and the two floor generals (Nash and Billups) are doing their best to dictate the flow of the game. I can read Chauncey’s lips as he’s dribbling up the court, “slow it down”, it’s evident the Pistons are going to try and impose their will on this team. Now I’m a big fan of the Pistons style, half-court grind it out but the Suns hate playing that way. I can feel as the flow of the game goes the Pistons way the atmosphere in the arena becomes less almost lethargic. The Suns just can’t run and gun and they start getting impatient. I’ve never seen so many traveling calls in my life and that’s because the Suns are in such a hurry to get something going and they just can’t figure out why they are open one minute and the next there’s someone contesting their shot. The Suns just haven’t run into a team that plays the style of Detroit and it really shows their weakness. Barbosa might be one of the fastest players in the NBA but in a half court game that speed doesn’t get you anywhere. If anything, Flip Murray looks to be the one that’s the “Brazilian Blur”, he’s everywhere with those fast hands stealing the ball. If anything I’m now convinced that Flip Jr. does now belong in the line-up, and not just because of last night’s game. He can get his own shot and he absolutely got any shot he wanted last night.

Other observations. In the 3rd quarter with a Flip Murray substitution in, Tay was on the floor and he thought that Flip was substituting for Delfino. It turned out he was being the one to sit and he instantly put a dark scowl on his face and went to the bench clearly annoyed. Flipper immediately walked down to the end of the bench where Tay was sitting and mouthed, “I’ll get you back in very soon”. The Pistons were up by 10 and then went on their crushing run and never looked back and Tay never got back in the game. I hope Tay moves on and doesn’t lock horns with Saunders over his playing time but it wasn’t pretty seeing that look.

This made me laugh: Mike Abdenour is just such an important cog in the wheel. The players rely on him to keep their uniforms and equipment where it should be. Players were peeling off their jerseys and tossing them at Abdenour like he was their Cub Scout den mother. He absolutely rules the little ledge area where the talc dispenser and Rip’s mask sit. I saw Carlos walk up to him near that ledge area asking him about something. Mike said “no, I don’t have” and then Carlos nodded and selected an object from the ledge and it was a stick of gum. So Abdenour is the keeper of Carlo’s chewing gum and he was out of his favorite flavor.

Last observation: Heading out of the arena with the very dispirited Sun’s fans I kept hearing this loud yell of, “Detrooooit Basketbaaaaalll” and that was the perfect way to end my evening.

Wow, lapea! What a re-cap! How great was it to have awesome seats for a Pistons road beat-down of the team with one of the best records in the league, eh?

I love the stuff about the warm-ups. Also Abdenour and Carlos' gum. :laugh:

Sprocket belatedly says (sorry, just couldn’t stay up late enough)…

On New Year’s Eve the Pistons lost to Phoenix with Chauncey Billups out with a bad wheel. Last night the Pistons only got thirteen minutes from Billups who injured a groin muscle at the 4:50 mark of the second quarter and left the game for the duration. What they did get last night though was a brilliant game from Flip Murray who shot twelve for sixteen from the field (only taking three three-point shots) and added six steals on his way to a team high twenty-five points. Add in a strong game from Carlos Delfino (5-6 FG, 2-2 from 3, 7 boards, and a steal) and you get the Phoenix announcer observing at the four minute mark of the fourth quarter “36 points from Murray and Delfino, how can you win?”.

The Suns edge out early, holding a four point lead for most of the first quarter, broken only by a late Pistons 9-2 surge (following an 8-0 Suns run) that cuts the quarter ending margin to two. The Pistons commit five of their whole game nine turnovers in the first quarter and both teams show how they want to play. Phoenix doubles Webber quickly in the post, not allowing him to just stand with the ball and survey the floor. Billups pushes the ball to the hoop against Nash, either off the dribble or from the post. The Pistons do not commit a foul in the quarter. Flip had a nice sunburn going most likely from a couple of days on the golf course.

The Pistons start the second strong with a Webber reverse dunk capping a five to two run over the first couple of minutes. The Suns come back with Stoudemire hitting a very tough double clutch jumper over Sheed after a Hamilton three. The Pistons begin to steadily outscore the Suns, pushing the lead to four, then fix until Billups injures himself on a crossover dribble at the three point line. He leaves the game immediately holding his thigh and a collective shiver falls on the faithful. The Pistons hold the five point lead they have when Billups leave for the rest of the quarter. Delfino gets away with a walk and Flip Murray, back in the game for Billups, starts to feel it (four for six in the quarter).

The Pistons score twenty-four in each of the first two quarters, but hold the Suns to seventeen (on 5-15 shooting) in the second to take a five point lead at the half. The Pistons shoot 53% in the first half and the Suns 49%. The Suns cannot get it going from behind the three point line and end the half one for nine. The Pistons by and large eschew the three, taking only five in the first half and making two (both by Sheed who shoots two for three from behind the line).

The third opens much as the second ended. The Pistons five point margin, which they first gain around the middle of the second quarter holds until fairly late in the third then they break out for an eleven to four run to take a nine point lead at the break. Inside the third it’s all Flip Murray who shoots six for eight with a three, one assist, two steals, and no turnovers, playing all but the final possession of the quarter. Hamilton and Prince are three for eleven in the third, adding to their three for eight first half. Wallace and Webber carry the load though, shooting ten for eighteen over the first three quarters.

The fourth is all Pistons as runs of five to nothing, eleven to two, and seven to nothing put the Suns away for good. All Pistons that is except for the mystery tech called against Sheed around the eight minute mark. When Delfino tips in a missed shot around the six minute mark to complete his shooting night five for six, a Phoenix announcer yells “who is this guy?”. The Pistons shoot 59% in the fourth after a 50% third to end the game at 54% from the field (57% from three, though only 47% from the line). Sheed gets a bit angry toward the end and takes it out on the Suns, stealing the ball near halfcourt and dribbling in before an over the head pass leads to a Flip Murray dunk. By the time the Suns’ human victory cigar (Burke) enters the game at the 4:49 mark it’s all over but the shouting.

In the end, it’s a pretty simple game if you hit shots and don’t allow the Suns to run. The Pistons have eight turnovers in the first half, but only one after the break. Few of the nine enable the Suns to run though as most require them to take the ball out of bounds. Murray and Delfino befuddle the Suns most of the game, and some new defensive schemes befuddle them the rest of the time. Saunders outcoaches D’Antoni and all that’s left is to remember that it’s just one game.

Nice recap lpod. I love the live ones.

The Suns just can’t run and gun and they start getting impatient. I’ve never seen so many traveling calls in my life and that’s because the Suns are in such a hurry to get something going and they just can’t figure out why they are open one minute and the next there’s someone contesting their shot.

Yep, good observation.

Other observations. In the 3rd quarter with a Flip Murray substitution in, Tay was on the floor and he thought that Flip was substituting for Delfino. It turned out he was being the one to sit and he instantly put a dark scowl on his face and went to the bench clearly annoyed. Flipper immediately walked down to the end of the bench where Tay was sitting and mouthed, “I’ll get you back in very soon”.

Not the only time this has happened. My POV is that Prince is the main guy who plays too many minutes, and he always pouts when he gets taken out.

Post game Audio

Mike D'Antoni

Flip Murray

Flip Saunders

Great recap of the Suns game and greaaaat win.

My only concern, looking at yahoo sports on line, Did Flip kep the starters in the game too long even after it was obvious that this was a blowout.

It appeared that D'Antonini start bringing in his scrubs at the 4 minute mark of the 4th qtr. Webber, Sheed, Hamilton and others were not taken out of the game.

Lets save a freak injury if this was the case Flip.

Any feedback would be greatly appreciated if Flip in fact left his starters on the floor too long.

Hope I didn't watch the game last night through rose colored glasses, but I could not see much wrong with the Piston activities. Of course, I did not want CB to go down but Flip played extremely well. He will get a chance to get some minutes now, which should be good. CB will be fresher when he returns in plenty of time for the post season.

Phoenix could not get much going, really, and showed their impatience. The good minutes by Carlos and Flip were welcome.

I can't get one of the stations that broadcast the Pistons up here, my Dish does not carry it and it is HiDef, anyway. They do not broadcast in a way that I can get. So, I don't get all the games, but I think the Pistons are ready right now. Hope they do not get stale in the next few weeks.

Nice caps all...and thanks lapeapod for yet another first hand cap by the Pistons out-o-town faithful. :)

I didn't see the game when first broadcast, but caught some of TV20's replay at 1am while dozing on & off. Jr had a GREAT night. It was nice to see him drive to the rim in transition...something we don't see much from CB. Granted, it was against a porous D, but still a refreshing change of pace. He also played some great D. I was expecting the worst after CB went out, especially considering we're also without Lindsey until after the SA game, but Jr really stepped up to plate. And, as was said before, it wasn't just because of a great shooting night...he looked very much in control across the board...not something we're used to seeing. He should get some more extended minutes with CB probably being out for a few games, so let's see if he can keep last night's rythym with some consistency.

I don't know if yall caught his postgame interview, but he seemed almost sheepish about sitting there with Kelser & Blaha...for probably the first time this season. My take is that he didn't get a big head after having a great game and knows he still has a lot of work to do to gain respect from Detroit fans. That is his challenge and I hope he makes the best of it coming up to the playoffs...he could be a valuable piece if he wants to be.

When was the last time the Pistons swept a 5+ game West coast trip? I think it was back in the early 90's.

It was a great accomplishment to go out there and do what they did after losing those 2 at home. All about the bench last night and that was great. We did not have a bench 2 years ago.

Not only to win them all, the only close game was at Seattle. Go out there and sweep the superior West and end it by blowing out their fully healthy best team. Definetly going to make the Suns think twice if we do see them in the Finals. Suns have not been in the Finals since 1993 so thats going to play in if that series happens.

About time Flip Murry had a game like that. Kept hearing that he was capable of that and he finally was able to step up and deliver. If Hunter was active Murry never would have had that game.

Correction looks like Dallas has the best record in the West now. As it happends we get to see them this Sunday...

Berbs...go to NBA.com and sign up for League Audio Pass. Its about $20 for the entire season and playoffs and you can listen to every NBA game. You do need broadband, however.

Fantastic recap Lpod!!!! Really enjoyed reliving that awesome win thru the eyes of a Piston Fanatic in Phoenix. I totally envy you!!!
Great observations of our guys. We've been lucky enough to have awesome seats at the Palace for some important games, but I've always wanted to visit opponents homes in my Piston gear! Way to go!!

Probably the best Piston win we've seen all season. I honestly thought we were in for a beating down by this quick paced team, but I give both Flip Jr. AND Sr. a lot of credit. Suns were forced to play our way at our pace. I was also a bit concerned about leaving some starters in late after Phoenix obviously conceded the win, but they were hardly expending much energy on the court up over 20 points at that point in the game.

Way to go Pistons!!!! Hope Chauncey's groin injury isn't too serious, but Flip Jr. sure as hell was able to step up when needed.......hope we see more of that down the road!!:cheerleader:

Thanks for all the kind comments, I really enjoy being in my rookie season here at the Pistons.forum. A few more things about the game that are worth commenting on. One is Sheed's technical. As I said I was really close and could see all the action and it was after Sheed had made a great shot and Phoenix had called a time out. A tech was called and Flip Saunders was on the floor getting ready to talk to his team and he initially thought it was on him. He was yelling out to the officials and putting his hands up in a questioning manner saying "what was that for" and Violet Palmer the official closest to Flip put up her 3 fingers and then six fingers to indicate Sheed was the culprit. Sheed did not even protest and if it was for responding to the crowd, well I was one of the crowd and he never even looked at us the whole game. There was one obnoxious Suns fan who had been drinking too much beer that kept yelling out to Sheed "why don't you go back to rehab" and other such nonsense and you could clearly hear that all the way on the court and Sheed did not dignify that with any response.

Being at a game live is so intoxicating, and just a treat to watch these finely tuned athletes in action. The Piston coaches are so nurturing and involved with the players. At one timeout I saw Dave Cowens go down to talk to Carlos very intently about how to position himself when he was on the floor. They kept pointing down to the end of the court where Carlos was working on guarding his man. Also Flip Jr. wears his emotions on his face, when he got burned by Nash at one point you could see the dark cloud start to come out. He immediately got a pep talk by Terry Porter at the next timeout and that seemed to calm him down.

The one obvious thing to notice at the line-up announcements is how Phoenix is really short on big men. Stoudamire is really a power foward playing in the center position, and the Pistons never fell into playing a smaller line-up to try to match up to Phoenix, they went with their biggest line-up and made Phoenix pay in the end. At one point our line-up was CWebb, Sheed, Tay, Flip and Delfino -- and that was the group that put alot of hurt on the Suns.

Arizona is a haven for ex-Michiganders, and they have very active Michigan clubs both in Tucson and Phoenix. I would get very nice comments from the other Pistons fans in the concourse when I walking to my seats and we were badly outnumbered in the cheering for our team but I did hear some love for the boys when a good play was going down.

Chauncey was smiling and seemed really happy during his time on the bench so that seems to be a good sign on his groin injury. So reading the Freep this morning it appears this has been ongoing and he just kept it under wraps. I think Mr. Big Shot's days of breaking ankles with a killer move are probably best behind him so he needs to ichsnay on the fancy footwork and stick with the basics.

congoman, thanks for the tip. I do not have broadband and have been considering it. However, I am so pi$$ed at NBA League Pass for blacking out the Piston games that I will not give them another penny. Just because the Pistons air their games over a hundred miles from me, NBA decides I am not worthy of hearing them on LP.

Stubborn old f@rt, I know, but I have had enough. I am not even going to get LP for almost $200. next year.

Hopefully, FoxSports will carry most of the rest of them so I can get them. And in the post season, we have networks.

Lapeapod, I did not have to read any press article to know Billups was moving slow, and needed some time off. Too bad it had to go this way instead of the coach simply limiting his minutes until he healed.

this was our best game of the year. best-coached, best-disciplined, best-executed. saunders AND the team stuck to the game plan. if murray's been able to humble himself and stop all of the 'i've always been a scorer, i can't do anything else' crap, he just might be useful...

As a fan of both teams I was hoping for a great game. Instead it was a Pistons beat down after the half. Which is fine, but still, when my 2 favorite teams slug it out I'd like a somewhat classic game :D.

Either way, the Pistons played amazing D, they hit their shots, the post up play was awesome. Cwebb is really what this team needed, a guy who can get to the rim, throw it down, and clean up the offensive glass. He may not be young anymore, but he is playing like an All Star on this team and looks happy doing it.

Sheed is just amazing when he is feeling it, he drained his 3's played awesome D, and pretty much made Stoudamire a non factor despite his double double.

That being said, Chauncey's injury may not look serious but its not the best thing when you want to make a stretch run to keep the best record in the east and gel things together before the playoffs. I think we should sit him 2-3 games, and then make a push.

Flip Jr. played pretty damn good. Now, I assure you this won't happen anytime soon, but he definately abused Nash and had quick hands. Hopefully he can play at that level with Chauncey possibly out, but I sadly am not counting on it.

As a Suns fan, I can also say the Suns were really off tonight. The 3s werent falling, Amare looked tired, and Nash obviously couldn't dictate tempo. Don't take this win as an indication we could destroy them in a 7 game series, the Suns are dangerous, but if their game isn't on they will lose. Unlike a team like our Pistons who can survive an off night with good D and 5 guys who can score 20+ on any night.

But, this win proves we can hang with the best of the west, as we have beaten Dallas in their place once this season.

Go Pistons, and I'm hoping this is the finals, Det. vs. Phx, it would be a hell of a series.

Flip Murray is playing smart and running the offense. He will get playing time if he keeps this up.

Exhilirating win. Fantastic road swing by the boys. They played well in all 5 games.

What's up with Tay? He has not been looking very sharp.

My mom kept saying that Prince guy should drink coffee before the games LOL. He does look lethargic lately. It's funny b/c when he was taken out, he was pissed telling Flip "I'm not tired" . . .

Wow. What a fun game. I just got to see it. Its day and night with Webber on the team. This team is fun to watch when they go inside. Sheed workin' it. Webber making sweet passes. People actually cutting. Loved watching the guys on the bench cheering the team on.

Wow. What a fun game. I just got to see it. Its day and night with Webber on the team. This team is fun to watch when they go inside. Sheed workin' it. Webber making sweet passes. People actually cutting. Loved watching the guys on the bench cheering the team on.

Webber has got this team to play to it's strengths. I did not think C Webb would do THIS good here.

this was our best game of the year. best-coached, best-disciplined, best-executed. saunders AND the team stuck to the game plan. if murray's been able to humble himself and stop all of the 'i've always been a scorer, i can't do anything else' crap, he just might be useful...

I won't say best coached, because a good coach is always preparing for the playoffs. Leaving JMAX out of the rotation for this game is a bad coaching move, which mars an otherwise fine job of coaching.

Other observations. In the 3rd quarter with a Flip Murray substitution in, Tay was on the floor and he thought that Flip was substituting for Delfino. It turned out he was being the one to sit and he instantly put a dark scowl on his face and went to the bench clearly annoyed.

I caught that on tv and thought something was up. You could see Tay shaking his head as he sat on the bench and was saying "I'm not even tired" to whoever was sitting next to him.

Nice recap lpod. I love the live ones.


Agreed.

There is no such thing as a perfect game.

Full marks to Flip for having his team prepared, Murray and Delfino put in a position to succeed and a game plan to beat one of the 5 best teams in the league, on the road no less.

There is no such thing as a perfect game.

Full marks to Flip for having his team prepared, Murray and Delfino put in a position to succeed and a game plan to beat one of the 5 best teams in the league, on the road no less.

Nobody is talking about perfection. Just best of season. This game was not. I will more likely give kudos to Flip Murray for staying ready to play.

Just a side note. Was interested in how the Suns would fare going to the Nuggets tonight and ---------- WOW!!!!!!!! NUGGETS DESTROYING THEM.
They were up over 30+ points in the 3rd qtr and have not let up!

Championship team??? I don't think so.

OK lapeapod, I'm not putting any pressure on you, but don't leave your westcoast pfkarma at home or in the car. Take it into the arena with you and spread it out among the crowd. We really need this baby. Look forward to your victory recap:thumb:


Westcoast representing again!!! Great recap lapeapod, you done us proud in this west coast close out game with another "live account" of the game, the scenes from the seats and player-human element. And of course a pf body was in the house, so of course another W for the road warriors,...Good job!!:cheerleader:

I caught that on tv and thought something was up. You could see Tay shaking his head as he sat on the bench and was saying "I'm not even tired" to whoever was sitting next to him.



Agreed.

Tay is my favorite player. But he was tired. 1 rebound for the whole game for him. He had just missed an easy layup. Besides, what, he does not think the bench needs developing? He does not think Delfino needs playing time? Its not about this game at hand. Its about winning in the playoffs. Someone needs to get a message to Tay to straighten out his priorities. I just reviewed the Cleveland game. Both Tay and Rip were left playing to start the 4th quarter with Delfino not getting to play that quarter. We all know the result. We fizzled out by the end of the quarter, then a tired group of starters scored just 4 points in overtime. I bet you can attribute that bit of ugliness back to this same selfishness.

There is no such thing as a perfect game.

Full marks to Flip for having his team prepared, Murray and Delfino put in a position to succeed and a game plan to beat one of the 5 best teams in the league, on the road no less.

More bad stuff. Having your team prepared means knowing who is injured and giving them extra rest. Billups needed time off, not an opportunity to further injure himself. We don't need that at all this late in the season. A guy has a nagging groin injury, so what do you do when faced with a stretch of 3 games in four nights? You rest him in the middle game. That is anything but having the team prepared. And Tay, most minutes on the team. No way he can handle these kind of minutes. One rebound for him for the game. Quite unprepared. Where was Rip? 3rd game in 4 nights, thats where he was. A coach who most decidedly does not prepare his team.

How did we win. Two players did well. Webber, who sat much of this season, and so has not had the opportunity to be run into the ground by Flip-yet. And Sheed, who recently sat 3 games, 2 for another ankle injury and one for a suspension. He was rested.

Then you have your bench. Dyess is not getting overplayed. Neither is Flip Murray nor Delfino. Rested players, thankfully we had some. Of these, only Dyess can be credited to Flip Saunders for having ready to play. Dyess has played the right amount for him. Plenty enough to be in shape, at the top of his game, and yet not too much to wear he is pushing that surgically repaired knee of his. But Flip Murray? He has been out of the rotation for quite a while. His preperation was all himself getting the extra practice he needed. I will give Flip some credit for tough love, that made Murray improve, but thats it. And Delfino, you got to be kidding. Delfino should be getting way more minutes this season. Nothing Flip Saunders can do in one game makes anything good out of that situation.

My only concern, looking at yahoo sports on line, Did Flip kep the starters in the game too long even after it was obvious that this was a blowout.

It appeared that D'Antonini start bringing in his scrubs at the 4 minute mark of the 4th qtr. Webber, Sheed, Hamilton and others were not taken out of the game.

Lets save a freak injury if this was the case Flip.

Any feedback would be greatly appreciated if Flip in fact left his starters on the floor too long.

Flip did leave his starters in a couple of minutes after the Suns started their garbage time. But it was only a couple of minutes. There was one sequence where we got 2 steals in the backcourt in a row, just embarrassing their scrubs.

I caught that on tv and thought something was up. You could see Tay shaking his head as he sat on the bench and was saying "I'm not even tired" to whoever was sitting next to him.


Reminds me of being a little kid when your parents tell you to go to bed, and in a rather sooky voice you're like, "but i don't waaaaaant to go to beeeeed. i'm not tiiiiiiired." haha

But really Tay was only ok in this game, I didn't even notice he wasn't put back in at the end, he hit a couple of post-ups and a 3, but Rip was the one with the terrible game. If not for all those missed shots Rip was pretty much invisible. Looks like his game has gone the other way on the road trip while everyone else's improved.

But that's the only complaint on an otherwise brilliant day. I just love watching road games when the guys hit the big shots and silence the crowd, and they get the towel waving going on the bench, really going to work with each other.

Flip looked great, that full length drive to the hole was amazing after he picked up the loose ball in the back court. Play of the game I think. As someone else mentioned, you wouldn't see CB doing that. We need some way to capitalise on fast break opportunities.

It's funny that whenever you see the Suns score it always looks like an easy basket like a free layup or an open jumpshot, yet you look at the score and see they are still 10 down. Weird thing that.

Never saw so many travels called in my life. What a joke. Seemed like Violet set herself a precedent on the first travel call and couldn't go back, so she had to keep calling them. The one on C-Webb was a flat out joke though.

And Sheed's T... Nothing to say really. Stupid decision from that referee, I can't wait to see that one rescinded. Hmm, so Sheed starts smiling and having fun and you just keep hassling the guy. It makes me angry.

Did anyone get to hear Eli Zaret on the radio? I didn't, but I could imagine it being quite a boring broadcast.


Bring on the Mavs tonight! Another early game, yay!