Long awaited Season opener against the Heat in Miami.

Just when you think Rily has lost it he goes off and pulls a trade adding Ricky Davis and Marc Blount for almost nothing, if you don't consider Antoine Walker as still being of much value that is.

This opener gets top billing as the Nation tunes in to see if the Pistons and Heat have rejuvinated their rosters enough to re-take the East. Should be a good one. Heat have been slow starters and they have more key pieces to integrate this year.

tv : TNT

Wade is still out, recovering from his off-season knee surgery. He won't be suiting up for the first month or so of the season.

Wade is still out, recovering from his off-season knee surgery. He won't be suiting up for the first month or so of the season.

Wasn't it shoulder surgery?

Actually, it was both. I think he had them on the same day. That play he got hurt on last season when they ended up wheeling him off the court was a shoulder injury, but it turned out that he was having knee problems as well.

He hurt his shoulder with his knee, hurting his knee in the process. :nerd2:

The guy's a mess.

The guy's a mess.

The way he plays, this is just the beginning. More injuries to follow. He will probably be like G Hill but at least he has a ring.:ohwell:

I read something yesterday about how those close to him say that the shoulder is healing much slower than they had hoped. I'm wondering if he really did sacrifice his future a bit to play through the injury in the playoffs.

Shaq, Heat believe start of this season is crucial

MIAMI (AP) -- On the eve of his 16th NBA season, even Miami Heat (http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/teams/mia/;_ylt=AhDyYGhF_WvTMU1ZL.LA0gSLvLYF) center Shaquille O'Neal (http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/players/847/;_ylt=AkDhhAoV40q_41rHUFCispWLvLYF) sees extra significance in opening night.
Standings-wise, it's just the first of 82 games, the start of the grueling six-month march toward the postseason. But to O'Neal, opening night merely represents the first chance to get into first place -- which may explain why he's only been part of two season-starting losses in his long career.

He'll look to improve that record Thursday, when the Heat host the Detroit Pistons (http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/teams/det/;_ylt=AoyAfzXF0yCAoGLOD_vWHuKLvLYF).

"It's very important," O'Neal said. "You always wake up the next day and see 1-0, not 0-1.
You always want to be 1-0 and at the top of your standings, not start off at the bottom. It's been a long summer, everybody's been waiting anxiously for us to be back, so we'll try to give them a good show. And we will."


Shaq, Heat believe start of this season is crucial - NBA - Yahoo! Sports (http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/news;_ylt=AhIi4Y9h8AcJuhAzWy4hmtW8vLYF?slug=ap-heatopener&prov=ap&type=lgns)

:hoops:

Thanks Budda.

Last year the Heat lost their 1st game and home opener 108-66 to the Bulls. Both Shaq and Wade played.

Thanks Budda.

Last year the Heat lost their 1st game and home opener 108-66 to the Bulls. Both Shaq and Wade played.

Shaq is old for a 325 pound athlete. He can be run off the court very easily.

All you have to do is up the tempo against the Heat and keep it up while Shaq is on the floor and he will ask for relief, start walking only 3/4 court like Kareem did at that age, or at the very best start coming up short on his shots and lose mobility on defense.

Shaq is no longer a factor as a starter who is supposed to play 30 minutes a game effectively.

Shaq would be more effective at this time in his career if he came off of the bench for 15 - 20 minutes a game.

:hoops:

Ego would get in the way of that...

Nov 1 is my BDay, and I will be in chat. I just don't know for sure I will have the game on TV. The schedule trending towards Fox Sports Net really sucks for Canadians.

Ego would get in the way of that...

Nov 1 is my BDay, and I will be in chat. I just don't know for sure I will have the game on TV. The schedule trending towards Fox Sports Net really sucks for Canadians.

About a dozen or so games will be on the new HD channel if you get that and have a HD tv.

About a dozen or so games will be on the new HD channel if you get that and have a HD tv.
We don't get American cable or satellite here. Do they broadcast HD over the air? I know the major media stations in Detroit do.

We don't get American cable or satellite here. Do they broadcast HD over the air? I know the major media stations in Detroit do.

I don't know but that I believe that channed is owned by Fox Sports, their HD version. I don't even have an HD tv so I will be out of luck as well for those games.

Why wouldn't you be able to see the HD games, max? On my cable system, whenever a station has an HD version as well as a standard-def version, they come in on two completely different channels. My system doesn't have the Comcast Sports Net HD channel that shows Wizards games locally in HD, but I still get all of them on the standard-def version of that channel.

IT'S HERE!!!! FINALLY!!!! we can watch games that mean something again. and happy birthday roscoe.

I must admit that if I had only one game tonight that I could watch I am not so sure that I would watch the Pistons - Heat game rather than the Suns - Durant show especially since it is the home opener for the Sonics.

It would be a tough choice. I think that the Suns - Durant show will be more entertaining. Durant had 18 last night on the road. 30 + tonight? I wouldn't bet against it.

:hoops:

Afflalo to start out the Season..

(http://www.mlive.com/pistons/index.ssf/2007/11/hamilton_out_against_miami.html)Detroit starting shooting guard Richard Hamilton will not be playing in tonight's opener against Miami so he can tend to a family situation involving his child. As of right now, Hamilton is considered probable for Friday's game against Orlando.
In Hamilton's place, rookie Arron Afflalo will be making his first NBA start. (http://www.mlive.com/pistons/index.ssf/2007/11/hamilton_out_against_miami.html)

Source: MLive.com: Everything Michigan (http://www.mlive.com/pistons/index.ssf/2007/11/hamilton_out_against_miami.html)

No AJ,
No Rip
No Hot Rod

What a way to start the season.

Now, for sure I would rather watch the Suns - Durant show.

:hoops:

There are still some interesting things happening here.

Dyess and Afflalo get to start.

Maxiell should get heavy minutes.

Hopefully Miami is just going to be horrible, we can get off to a good start and leave .500 in the dust.

There are still some interesting things happening here.

Dyess and Afflalo get to start.

Maxiell should get heavy minutes.

Hopefully Miami is just going to be horrible, we can get off to a good start and leave .500 in the dust.
I'm all for it.

Ego would get in the way of that...

Nov 1 is my BDay, and I will be in chat. I just don't know for sure I will have the game on TV. The schedule trending towards Fox Sports Net really sucks for Canadians.


TNT tonight baby. Happy Birthday!

Now, for sure I would rather watch the Suns - Durant show.

:hoops:
I thought you were a big Lalo fan!

Ego would get in the way of that...

Nov 1 is my BDay, and I will be in chat. I just don't know for sure I will have the game on TV. The schedule trending towards Fox Sports Net really sucks for Canadians.
Happy Birthday Roscoe :gift:

I thought you were a big Lalo fan!

Sorry but I don't know what Lalo stands for?

:hoops:

Sorry but I don't know what Lalo stands for?

Arron Afflalo

Happy Birthday Roscoe :gift:its a good thing I already knew what u looked like, Dre. I thought Halloween was yesterday! OHHHHHHHH!:pound:

Arron Afflalo


Seems like it is easier to call him Alf

http://ia.imdb.com/media/imdb/01/I/23/05/29m.jpg (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0090390/photogallery)

Sorry but I don't know what Lalo stands for?

:hoops:Wasnt it a song by eric Clapton???????????????:sssh:

I am still shocked that Afflalo is starting instead of Murry. Hope its not one of those deals where Murry will still play more anyway.

Should be a good game.

I am still shocked that Afflalo is starting instead of Murry. Hope its not one of those deals where Murry will still play more anyway.

Should be a good game.

Me too.

All I can say is Joe D must have lit a fire under Flip`s %$#@!!!!!!!

ESPN podcast: Chad Forde talking to Dumars.

On NBA main page:

ESPN - NBA Basketball Teams, Scores, Stats, News, Standings, Rumors - Pro Basketball (http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/index)

Mahorn said today that he looks for the Pistons to go inside outside right off to wear down Shaq. I hope Sheed can handle the banging, and not lose his head!

Wasnt it a song by eric Clapton???????????????:sssh:

The most famous Lalo of all is the one who wrote the Mission Impossible theme, among many other famous TV and movie assignments (Enter the Dragon being one of my faves):

Lalo Schifrin - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lalo_Schifrin)

Chat is open, see you guys around 8:00-ish!

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

I am still shocked that Afflalo is starting instead of Murry. Hope its not one of those deals where Murry will still play more anyway.

Should be a good game.

murry will back up mr big shot. so he has to come off the bench, I think if stuckey was playing tonight murrey would have started.

Wasnt it a song by eric Clapton???????????????:sssh:


Layla Lyrics
» Eric Clapton (http://www.lyricsdomain.com/5/eric_clapton/)

What'll you do when you get lonely
And nobody's waiting by your side?
You've been running and hiding much too long.
You know it's just your foolish pride.

CHORUS:
Layla, you've got me on my knees.
Layla, I'm begging, darling please.
Layla, darling won't you ease my worried mind.

I tried to give you consolation
When your old man had let you down.
Like a fool, I fell in love with you,
Turned my whole world upside down.

CHORUS

Let's make the best of the situation
Before I finally go insane.
Please don't say we'll never find a way
And tell me all my love's in vain.

CHORUS

CHORUS



http://www.lyricsdomain.com/5/eric_clapton/layla.html

:hoops:

Well, that sure wasn't pretty...Miami's offense without Wade is all kinds of brutal, and the Pistons without Rip were throwing up a lot of bricks as well. Tay led the way with a career high 34 points and 12 boards, and CB chimed in with 19 points and 11 assists. Those two combined for 16-17 on the line, more then Miami's 9-15 for the entire game. Smush Parker was hilariously bad for the Heat. Miami cut it to 4 by the end of the 3rd, but the Pistons dominated the 4th as the Heat went over 6 minutes without scoring a single point.

Arron Afflalo

I don't recall him being given that nickname when he was with the Bruins or by any of the Pistons players, announcers or beat writers.

Sorry.

:hoops:

use whatever nickname you want.

Pretty good win by the Pistons. Tay set a new career high with a late 3 pointer. Also matched his career high in rebounds and had at least 6 assists. Rip should sit out more often... :nerd2:

Dice looked bad, Nazr played not too badly and Hayes didn't get much going.

A great win to start the season, totally beat up on the Wade-less Heat in the fourth Q.

Boxscore
NBA.com: Pistons at Heat Game Info (http://www.nba.com/games/20071101/DETMIA/boxscore.html)


Recap
NBA.com Prince carries Pistons past Heat in opener, 91-80 (http://www.nba.com/games/20071101/DETMIA/recap.html)


http://img149.imageshack.us/img149/958/roscoe0019dy2.png

One item of note is that JMax played big minutes in the second half after not playing much in the first. He was out there for Dice for most of the 4th quarter, maybe the entire period. JMax's numbers weren't all that big, but he definitely had a more positive impact on the game than Dice, and Flip stuck with him down the stretch as a result.

Didnt watch the game, just saw the box, what happened to cutting the starter's min?!

Rip should sit out more often... :nerd2:


Nice to see you have a sense of humor so late at night.

:hoops:

Yep, got to love the unit that played most of the 4th. Hayes was hitting his shots in the 2nd half (better shot selection compared to the first half where he missed a few questionable shots), helping on the boards a lot, and not hurting us on D since Miami does not have a particularly quick small forward.


The backcourt was Billups and Prince in the 4th, our two scoring stars for this night. Of course Prince had his career game, 34 points and 12 boards. Billups was busting it inside most of the game and scoring at the line over and over.


And the bigs, my favorite combo, JMAX and Sheed. Sheed hit some threes, and did damage inside too. Between Sheed, Tay, and Billups, we ended up having one strong inside game after a very slow start in that regard. We were at the line all night, and conversely, Miami players, like Shaq, were on the bench in foul trouble all night.
Om all, this unit could score at will, and could barely be scored upon. And gee, we get Rip Hamilton to add to the mix tomorro night.
For Miami, Shaq was scoreless in the first half, only playing 11 minutes due to foul trouble. And they even called an offensive foul of his an offensive foul. Yep, really hard to believe. D. Wright did some damage early for them, and Ricky Davis heated up pretty good for a while (with Murray guarding him.)


Of note, something happened tonight that never happened last year. Mohammed scored in the post against a center. He actually decided not to fade on his shot, but instead just took it up strong and over Mourning. Well, thats once, lets see if its a pattern. Otherwise, Mohammed did ok around the boards, but did very little overall in a whole lot of minutes.


Flip Murray had a decent moment or two. One good defensive play. A drive in and score when he first came into the game. And one time pushing the ball up and dishing it off to an open shooter. But other than that, we just got poor D from him, poor ball handling, and several questionable shots.


Afflalo played solid D when in, which was about 12 minutes total. He came out due to foul trouble after 4 minutes of the first, and played maybe 8 minutes of the 3rd quarter. Afflalo hit one triple, and that is the only shot I remember him taking. The announcers mistakenly said he got out too late on the shooter once, but corrected that later showing the play from a better angle.


Tay played a ton in this one. He was our starting small forward, and our chief backup point guard. What a game. Inside all night, and then when we were well ahead he helped keep the lead with some hot outside shooting. Got to love that one sequence where we held the ball to run some clock and then Tay buried the 3.


JMAX missed a dunk or two that would have really made this game for him. Good D. Good active feet. He cut a guy off trying to drive the baseline on him and drew the charge. He made half his free throws, did not hit an outside shots. (I know he took one. Maybe that was all.)


Oh yeah, Dyess is on the team. Dyess limited his game to an occasional jump shot, and he made about 3 for the game. Him being in the starting unit makes the starting unit look bad. Our worst play by far was when Dyess and Mohammed teamed up to provide zero interior D. That was ugly, and fortunately short lived.

lee357 (http://info.detnews.com/redesign/forums/pistons/lettersindex.cfm?username=lee357), flint, mi

Nice to see you have a sense of humor so late at night.
Oh, I'm a lot more humorous late than I am early. :MusicBigGrin:

For Miami, Shaq was scoreless in the first half, only playing 11 minutes due to foul trouble.
lee357 (http://info.detnews.com/redesign/forums/pistons/lettersindex.cfm?username=lee357), flint, mi

Shaq is washed up and a non factor. The Heat will be lucky to make the playoffs even after Wade returns and the addition of Davis and Blount.

My guess for the year Shaq will average about 12-15 points and 6 or so rebounds. Not exactly the kind of numbers you want from your starting center.

:hoops:

Didnt watch the game, just saw the box, what happened to cutting the starter's min?!

Without Rip and with Stuckey and Amir still sidelined, I wouldn't expect there to be much relief for the remaining starters, who all logged big minutes. Flip Jr. playing 21 minutes while CB still logs 39 is not likely to be a frequent pattern.

Without Rip and with Stuckey and Amir still sidelined, I wouldn't expect there to be much relief for the remaining starters, who all logged big minutes. Flip Jr. playing 21 minutes while CB still logs 39 is not likely to be a frequent pattern.

Rip will eat up a lot of those minutes including some of the 40 plus that Tay logged tonight because Hayes won't have to play the #2 when Rip returns like he did tonight.

When Hot Rod returns the minutes will flatten out among the rotation players and Tay probably won't play much if any point guard like he did tonight.

I hope I am wrong but I believe that AJ will be a non factor for quite a while this year and maybe the whole year.

:hoops:

Shaq is washed up and a non factor. The Heat will be lucky to make the playoffs even after Wade returns and the addition of Davis and Blount.

My guess for the year Shaq will average about 12-15 points and 6 or so rebounds. Not exactly the kind of numbers you want from your starting center.

He really did look bad tonight. Aside from one stretch in the 3rd quarter where he strung a few baskets together, he was completely ineffective. I think he can still be good on occasion when Wade is in there to draw most of the defense's attention, but maybe not. We know that Shaq certainly doesn't get better these days as the season goes on and he gets more worn down.

Thanks for the recap lee.

Loved the shot clock violation out of the timeout. Good thing we have such an offensively gifted coach.

It amazes me how few times DET goes into the post during a sequence. They have players in the block too.

43, 38-39 and 37 miuntes for Tay, CB and Sheed. It's a new year, but I guess you can't change the stripes on a cat.

I think Jim Abbott has a better pair of hands than Dysse. I wonder if Nazr makes fun of him for those things?

It did seem like they switched their O up a bit, especially in the 1st half.

43, 38-39 and 37 miuntes for Tay, CB and Sheed. It's a new year, but I guess you can't change the stripes on a cat.


We had 2/3 or our guard rotation out what would you expect.

As far as Sheed goes I agree he will probably get more minutes this year, but that might only be in selected situations, like tonight against Shaq. Sheed did a good job on him.

P.S. Durant is filling it up tonight.

:hoops:

The boyz looked a little razzled there in the 3rd quarter, but overall they played like a team missing their leading scorer (Rip). Tay stepped up big, but we are going to need more production out of Sheed and Dice in the starting lineup if we expect to stay competitive and build any leads in the first qtr.

The extra minutes may be affecting Dices's defense too. I am wondering if we should go with JMAX starting or even dare I say, Nazmo, so that Dice can play with Alf, Hayes and Flip jr. in the second unit and maybe he's a little fresher... Then again other than SHeed being out there, the whole interior defense is suspect and we still don't know what Amir will deliver on the defense....

Nice road win vs a struggling team. Worst thing would be to lose to a Heat team with out wade and an over the hill Shaq and Zo...Let's see if they can do the Florida two step and take out the Magic tomorrow. :sweeping:

ArmyGirl will be in the house so that gives the Pistons some Karma.

Go Pistons and Army!!:cool:

Saw the game. And probably one of the few Pistons games I'll see over here.

Observations:

1. Hayes IS a good pickup for even just his offense. If he plays with hustle and some decent D he would be the pickup of the year for me other than Boston's kidnapping of KG.

2. Billups. When he's aggressive, he rules. He was the captain of the ship tonight.

3. Prince. What can we say? Those 34 points 12 rebs say it all. He can turn it on when he's in a rhythm and when he needs to.

4. Rip and Stuckey. Were missed. The offense looked a bit weird without the masked guy and Stuck would have shredded the Heat defense and given Wade a mirror.

5. Dice. Should be back to the bench

6. JMax. Should be starting. He looked good beyond what showed up on the boxscore and missed some dunks by looking to eager to ram it through. Did a good job with the time he guarded Shaq.

7. Afflalo. Good pick. Good player. Good defense. That three looked good with a hand in his face to boot.

8. Nazr. Looked awful to me, but looked better than Dice. Travelled. Got blocked by Mourning. But made that shot over Zo as well.

9. Murray. Forgettable. Ok, I think.

Overall, good win.

Go DETROIT!!!!:nerd2:

Buddahfan, I'm afraid that Rip being back would only cut into the bench minutes. I don't think it would impact Rip and CB much. We've seen the same thing for 2 years.

I know Dysse will come around. This is how he starts out. It just gets frustrating to watch DET play good D or make a steal only to see early season Dysse come bounding in and watch the ball go of his hands while he makes the Dysse face. The only thing missing is a thought bubble saying, 'Did I do that?'

I really think DET could improve a lot if they simply threw the ball into the post during their sets. It doesn't mean they have to shoot from there.

Hope this is a break-out year for Tay that we all have been waiting for.

Dice just looked overmatched. We still have a problem at center.

P.S. Durant is filling it up tonight.

:hoops:

G Hill is starting and logging on the most minutes for the Suns now...

No need to point out the total domination by Tay and CB, so I'll just provide a few random observations:

Maxiell looks much quicker this year. The weight loss was a great idea. Also, his free throw form is better. He must have worked on it.

Sheed- There were a couple moves from the post that proved that he can get an easy shot if he feels like it. Good job on D and rebounding.

Hayes is going to be a consistent scorer. It's obvious. He doesn't shy away from the action after a bad start. And the rest of his game? 5 rebounds and 4 steals. The entire Heat team had 4 steals!!! Jarvis is an athlete.

Weak game for Afflalo, but it was his first NBA game, so it is totally excusable.

Murray, not a great game, but he was tied for 3rd on the boards behind guys who got a lot more minutes than him. 2 assists, no turnovers, and he and Hayes led the +/-.

Alflalo and Dyess were last in that category at -9 and -8.

We led the Heat in almost every category (rebounds, steals, assists, free throws).

Nice start.

What I did like about Pistons is them going inside and they looked like they cared. I only hope they can keep doing it throughout the season. Tay got some free chili and J-Max should've had more had he not missed a couple of dunks. Sheed's head was definitely in the game. Also, once Hayes gets the plays down he should knock down more shots. All-in-all a good win, not great but good.

A few final observations..the disturbing -9 stat for McDyess. Wonder if he will he will be able to stop Howard or Lewis tomorrow defensively? He took six shots and most appear to have been the of the catch and shoot variety. I know that is his game, but as he starts to age, he needs to play closer to the hoop and post up more.

The reunion of the players that led Orlando to the 1995 NBA finals, Penny and Shaq produced a same type of wimper they did then when they were swept by the Rockets back then...:sweep:

Hayes missed a few early shots, but hit two from downtown. The stat that stands out are the four steals. Don't know if it was because he was playing a bunch of scrubs, but if this is a regular part of his game that we were unaware of then we can start chanting Delfino who? right now:whoo::rockon:

Billups played his usual solid game, (except for the miscalculated 3 balls) just hope the absense of Stuckey does not keep those minutes up at 39>>.I realized that Rip was out and Alf had a couple of early fouls, but geez Flip... :rolleyes:

There's not much to take from this game long term. The Pistons started slow against a bad team, and eventually took control except for a long chunk of the third. After that, they pretty much had the game locked up.

Tayshaun was able to have a career game like that because Miami didn't give him a challenge matchup to defend. Tay is good enough to be a great offensive player or a great defensive player. I don't know if he's good enough to lock down the Kobes and Lebrons of the world and still contribute a significant amount of offense.

I'm not going to worry about minutes when a starter and the 6th man are out. I hate to say it, but Flip sort of gets a free pass until Stuckey gets back, although Maxiell better get consistent minutes, Spellcheck better play pretty much every game, and Amir needs to get a little run as well. But that doesn't add up to a significant reduction in starters minutes yet.

Without 2 of the top 6, the Pistons got a convincing victory. Nothing more you can ask for, good work guys.

I enjoyed that game. Nice classic Easter Conf type of defensive game to start the season. After that one Orlando should seem fairly easy to score on.

Tay was brilliant. Totally taking advantage of whatever matchup he had out there. Setting a career high in points and tying his career high in rebounds.

Front court? I liked how both Maxiel and Mohamed were unaffected by Zo. Zo swats away their shots and they were both back in there challenging him. Thats the way to play against a shot blocker. Also great rebounding. Non-factor type of night by Dyess. Nazir seems to have found his niche comming off the bench and Dyess looked just as uncomfortable out there as a starter. Not sure what to do about that.

Afflalo made a lot of mistakes out there. Misques, not getting back on D, not closing out the shooter. Rough start for him. I am sure Riley focused part of his game plan on taking advantage of the rookie so probably made it a bit more tougher on him.

Good win to start the season.

Rip will eat up a lot of those minutes including some of the 40 plus that Tay logged tonight because Hayes won't have to play the #2 when Rip returns like he did tonight.

When Hot Rod returns the minutes will flatten out among the rotation players and Tay probably won't play much if any point guard like he did tonight.

I hope I am wrong but I believe that AJ will be a non factor for quite a while this year and maybe the whole year.

:hoops:
I really hope so- no one of us wants CB, Tay and Sheed to play that much as last night.

As Lee stated, I think we need to give Flip credit for going with the Sheed - J Max front court for the entire 4th quarter. Its good to see that he recognizes a bad rotation (Dyes - Nazr combo) and goes with the best unit to end the game rather than whoever started. I was pissed when they gave Dyess that big extension and I have not wavered on that opinion form this game. Out there with Sheed Dyess looks completely lost and can't find his role / spacing. With Sheed you need the other big guy to stay down low and just get hustle points and such to make the offense work. Dyess needs the ball too much. The good thing is we haver those types of guys in AJ and Max, just a matter of Flip changing this. Hopefully, there isn't any pressure to keep this starting lineup intact.

What I did like about Pistons is them going inside and they looked like they cared.

Yep, and...

CB actually ran down the floor, not like he just wanted to get to the other side, but with purpose. The Pistons PUSHED the ball. Holy <insert expletive of your choice>!! And they got easy baskets because of it. Take those away, and this is a tied game with two minutes left and the score in the high 70s.

And Tay played the point. And did it well. We've only been asking for that for about ten years (or however how he's been in the league).

A bit ugly at times, but the team showed some good stuff out there.

They shot horribly. Period.

Probably under 30% when you take away the dunks.

Pathetic offense against a lottery team, won't get it done over 82 games.

Having Rip back will help a lot, but last night both teams stunk, we just stunk less.

:hoops:

Hayes missed a few early shots, but hit two from downtown. The stat that stands out are the four steals. Don't know if it was because he was playing a bunch of scrubs, but if this is a regular part of his game that we were unaware of then we can start chanting Delfino who? right now:whoo::rockon:

I think it was largely a function of Miami's dreadful perimeter game sans Wade. They had long stretches where they could barely generate any decent looks, and whenever they managed to get one they would miss.

good game plan - eliminate shaq and make everyone else beat us. dice still looks horrible (how many wide open passes are you not going to expect and how many balls are going to bounce off you??), but good job flip staying with sheed/jmax in the 4th. it was funny seeing shaq guard max on offense, and realizing just how massive shaq really is.

afflalo looked already, although made a few rookie mistakes, like not closing out on the shooter (the result of a double-team which the pistons won't use much of anyway), but when he played man-to-man defense he was solid. his shot looks fine too. flip murray and nazr did their jobs adequately, nothing special, but didn't hurt us.

hayes was fantastic in this game. i don't mine the 3-9 shooting...he made a couple timely 3s, played very good defense, and got a couple steals from shaq as he tried to go into the lane. he and tay also sucked in one-handed rebounds that reminded me a little of ben. i have a feeling hayes will also be backing up rip vs. afflalo/murray, which is fine with me. also, most of his missed shots were when he was forcing it, shooting on the run, etc., basically dumb shots. once he settled down he was fine.

anyway, congrats tay, congrats rip on the baby boy, and congrats pistons on the W.

At this stage, if Dyess is going to play poorly, he may as well do it with the starters in the first half. At least he won't drag down our new players and make Flip doubt them.

As long as he doesn't play in crunch time when he's having a tough night, then I think it's a good way to use him.

He will have plenty of good nights too. Maybe not with consistency until the 2nd half of the season.

At this stage, if Dyess is going to play poorly, he may as well do it with the starters in the first half. At least he won't drag down our new players and make Flip doubt them.

As long as he doesn't play in crunch time when he's having a tough night, then I think it's a good way to use him.

He will have plenty of good nights too. Maybe not with consistency until the 2nd half of the season.
It's most likely going to take some time for Dyess to get into the top playing shape, I just hope it happens sooner than later. He'll contribute, always does.

They shot horribly. Period.

Probably under 30% when you take away the dunks.

Pathetic offense against a lottery team, won't get it done over 82 games.

Having Rip back will help a lot, but last night both teams stunk, we just stunk less.

:hoops:

i could care less what we shoot aslong as we win, remember detroit basketball is about winning and not putting up pretty numbers... how many times did we win quarters 12-10 and the like in 04.

we just have to make sure we play 1 point better then the other team, and there is going to be alot of ugly this year with the young kids.

i could care less what we shoot aslong as we win, remember detroit basketball is about winning and not putting up pretty numbers... how many times did we win quarters 12-10 and the like in 04.

we just have to make sure we play 1 point better then the other team, and there is going to be alot of ugly this year with the young kids.
Maybe the best post on the game and season thus far. Who could ask for anything more, be 1pt better than the opposition while we transition new players into the mix. KUDOS

i could care less what we shoot aslong as we win, remember detroit basketball is about winning and not putting up pretty numbers... how many times did we win quarters 12-10 and the like in 04.



I hear you, however, this is not `04 and we don`t have the same players who played that ugly, winning basketball.

Our current Piston team plays a different brand of ugly ball, not always resulting in wins!!

I hear you, however, this is not `04 and we don`t have the same players who played that ugly, winning basketball.

Our current Piston team plays a different brand of ugly ball, not always resulting in wins!!

oh those days for the pistons and the nba as a whole are long gone, with player changes and rule changes those type of scores probably won't happen. what i was trying to say is that it might not be pretty day in and day out, but as long as there giving a good effort and are winning along the way i don't care how ugly it looks. I can see us making alot of rookie mistakes (two stepping out on the side line in the first quarter tonight for example) but i can live with that.

Review of Miami game.

The most glaring mistake I made in my report after the game was saying Davis scored a lot of his points with Murray in the game. Not true. Mind you, I made that statement knowing that Davis scored very little with Afflalo guarding him. But anyway, the only time Davis heated up was against a backcourt of Billups and Tay.


Murray was part of a 22-6 run for us in the first half, and part of a 12-0 run in the 2nd half that put us in control of the game. Murray did not come out of the game until about 7 minutes left in the game with us up 12. We played our best defense while Murray was in the game, and Murray himself played just fine on D.


Some people think that Afflalo failed to close out one time on Davis. This is not true either. What happened is we sent 4 guys down around Shaq, a Miami player screened off Afflalo down there while Shaq passed the ball out to Davis.That play was just part of our strategy of not letting Shaq beat us. The strategy worked very well with the Pistons continually scrambling to cover open shooters from the double teaming of Shaq. Just can't cover everything every time. The most scoring Davis did do with Afflalo in the game was on a pair of fast breaks, neither of which involved Afflalo in anyway.

It takes a big man to own up to his mistakes and correct them. Thanks lee. I haven't been heavily scrutinizing the games as much, relying on a quick second re-watching.

What I am liking is that everyone seems very aggressive with their strengths, except McDyess who always seems a little tentative at times.

This is shaping up early to be a very good squad. A lot of energy and determination. And I think the minutes in the second game of the back to back were handled super responsibly.

Some people think that Afflalo failed to close out one time on Davis. This is not true either. What happened is we sent 4 guys down around Shaq, a Miami player screened off Afflalo down there while Shaq passed the ball out to Davis.

lee, i get what you're saying, but i don't think that's what the announcer meant. he meant that afflalo should've ran hard at davis to at least make him put the ball on the floor and not get that open look. now yes, that would mean he'd have to overrun davis and wouldn't be able to challenge davis's next shot, but that next shot probably wouldn't have been a wide open 3...it'd just be a wide open 2...or with putting the ball on the floor he'd have to make a decision which might be not shooting it.

if that made any sense lol