At Indiana Dev 29 7PM

tv: WDIV

2nd game of the set being played in Indiana.

A home and home against a division rival. It will be difficult to take both these games, however, the Pistons could win them both. I look for a split, each team winning at home.

A home and home against a division rival. It will be difficult to take both these games, however, the Pistons could win them both. I look for a split, each team winning at home.

Tend to agree with you on this esp we do not play well on Saturdays. Hope we are wrong and keep the winning streak in tact.

jz, I took a quick look at the schedule--oddly enough, the Pistons have played only one game on a Saturday so far this season. They won by 16 in Milwaukee back on Dec. 1st.

jz, I took a quick look at the schedule--oddly enough, the Pistons have played only one game on a Saturday so far this season. They won by 16 in Milwaukee back on Dec. 1st.

What bout last season?

I just hope that Flip continues with strategy of giving bench minutes and keeping starters off the floor as he has done as of late.

I just hope that Flip continues with strategy of giving bench minutes and keeping starters off the floor as he has done as of late.

I think Flipper likes his job so I am not too worried about him having an attack of recidivism.


recidivism
noun
A slipping from a higher or better condition to a lower or poorer one:
recidivism: Definition, Synonyms and Much More from Answers.com (http://www.answers.com/topic/recidivism?cat=biz-fin)

:hoops:

I think indiana will respond better in the second game. Let us see what game adjustments would Flip make (especially during the game), to counter respond.

the second quarter of the first game was a explosion of Javis who had been sloppy for a while, let us see if he would have another good game as well.

Still see a win, but the question is: is it going to be another blow out?

Go Pistons

I think indiana will respond better in the second game. Let us see what game adjustments would Flip make (especially during the game), to counter respond.

the second quarter of the first game was a explosion of Javis who had been sloppy for a while, let us see if he would have another good game as well.

Still see a win, but the question is: is it going to be another blow out?

Go Pistons

We are favored again tonight but not by near as much as the Belacheats are.

:hoops:

No one was hotter in the first half for Detroit than Jarvis Hayes, but the food poisoning that sidelined him during practice on Thursday caught up with him when he got ill during halftime. He finished the game with 13 points in 12 minutes on 5-6 shooting.

He was in good spirits in the locker room after the game, though, and I'd have to imagine that he'll be ready to go for Saturday's contest in Indiana. He'll probably be real careful ordering any food on the way down – he blamed an order of sliders on the plane for his current state of health.


http://www.plateoftheday.com/food_blog/burgerJoint.gif


The Burger Joint - Sliders (http://www.plateoftheday.com/157/)

On the way to my co-worker’s apt for Poker night last week, we stumbled upon a small chalkboard sign on the sidewalk for The Burger Joint advertising $1 sirloin burgers. Ok why not? The burgers are sliders, you know those White Castle (http://www.plateoftheday.com/132/) mini burgers. But these guys at Burger Joint are pretty serious about their burgers and they taste a hell of like better.

Plate of the Day Food Blog - The Burger Joint - Sliders Food Reviews Info (http://www.plateoftheday.com/157/)

HOOPSWORLD | NBA News, Rumors and Information (http://www.hoopsworld.com/Blogs/CourtsideBlog.asp?GAME_ID=21399&LEAGUE_CODE=NBA)

:hoops:

Chat is open!

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

I'll be a little late, have some stuff to take care of first.

A lot tighter first half this time around. Indy keeps scoring in the 2nd quarter.

I don't think Flipper knows how to defend his own play book.

:hoops:

Pistons had an unusual thing of late, a close game...they closed it out 98-92 over the Pacers after being up only 1 with about 2 minutes left. Some good clutch D, CB going to the hole for a big layup, and Rip hitting a clutch 3 were enough to overcome a desperation Indy 3 and a bad Pistons turnover in the final minute.

Rip and CB led the way with 24 and 17 points. Dice and Sheed threw up a lot of bricks, but they played good D down the stretch on Jermaine. JMax had a big 12 points, Jarvis stayed hot with 9 points and actually outrebounded Tay (Hayes had 6 boards in 17 minutes), and Stuckey made a big impact in the 2nd half in particular, leading a big run near the end of the 3rd quarter to give the Pistons a 6 point lead going into the 4th.

AA got lost in the shuffle with only 4 minutes in the first half...it probably would have been better to get him back in there for Rip near the end of the first half. Rip had a great game but played almost 39 minutes. But the good sign of Stuckey's impact on the rotation is that in a game that was close all the way, CB played only 34.5 minutes.

I don't think Flipper knows how to defend his own play book.



Saunders has the Pistons playing as good as any team in the league right now.

8 in a row for the boys from motown. A close one all the way until the Pistons defense stepped up and the Pacers missed about 7 buckets in a row down the stretch.

28 points from the bench as Flip went to an 8.25 man rotation with Alf getting 4 mins and Max, Hayes and Stuckey getting 16 mins plus. Difference in the points were at the ft line where the Pistons shot 28-34 to the Pacers 21-26. The rest of the shooting stats were almost even. This was the type of game that we were losing to Cavs last post season.

Good win as Pistons continue their dominance over the eastern conference and the Pacers fall 2 games back in two quick days.

I know we won, but this game was awful.

Flip's rotations were way off. We got killed by quicker players that Afflalo was handling but inexpicably got taken out, and never put back in. I get the whole wanting to have Stuckey out there with a vet which was fine even though Rip is not exactly the 2nd ball handler you should be going to, but then when Billups came back in, Rip stayed in.

Indiana made adjustments. Yes, they gave a better effort, but they did alot of things we had no answer for. And the 4th quarter play-calling wasn't good. Shades of the ECF of the last 2 years.

I'm probably being harsh, but the only other game i can recall this season in a tight 4th quarter was BOS, and we almost choked that one away. Flip still has yet to prove he can coach in a tight game.

Saunders has the Pistons playing as good as any team in the league right now.

What?

How did you get there.

O"Brien has Flipper's play book.

How many points did we give up against the Pacers (over 96.5 game) in two games vs all the other teams (in the low 80s) during our win streak?

So I repeat myself: Indy averages about 15 points more a game against us than the other teams that we have beaten during the winning streak, therefore, I maintain that Flipper doesn't know how to defend his own play book which O'Brien at Indy is using.

:hoops:

I know we won, but this game was awful.

Flip's rotations were way off. We got killed by quicker players that Afflalo was handling but inexpicably got taken out, and never put back in. I get the whole wanting to have Stuckey out there with a vet which was fine even though Rip is not exactly the 2nd ball handler you should be going to, but then when Billups came back in, Rip stayed in.

Indiana made adjustments. Yes, they gave a better effort, but they did alot of things we had no answer for. And the 4th quarter play-calling wasn't good. Shades of the ECF of the last 2 years.

I'm probably being harsh, but the only other game i can recall this season in a tight 4th quarter was BOS, and we almost choked that one away. Flip still has yet to prove he can coach in a tight game.

Flip hasn't had that much practice this year in close ones as they are beating their opponents handily, but he is 2-1 in games decided by 3 points or less.

I know we won, but this game was awful.

Flip's rotations were way off. We got killed by quicker players that Afflalo was handling but inexpicably got taken out, and never put back in. I get the whole wanting to have Stuckey out there with a vet which was fine even though Rip is not exactly the 2nd ball handler you should be going to, but then when Billups came back in, Rip stayed in.

Indiana made adjustments. Yes, they gave a better effort, but they did alot of things we had no answer for. And the 4th quarter play-calling wasn't good. Shades of the ECF of the last 2 years.

I'm probably being harsh, but the only other game i can recall this season in a tight 4th quarter was BOS, and we almost choked that one away. Flip still has yet to prove he can coach in a tight game.

I think that tonight is a game that AJ could have played. Dyess should not be getting 37 plus minutes in the second game of a back to back. So AJ should have played 5 - 7 minutes tonight. This however, is not putting him in the regular rotation but only using him in special situations, besides garbage time.

:hoops:

Flip hasn't had that much practice this year in close ones as they are beating their opponents handily, but he is 2-1 in games decided by 3 points or less.

The two we won don't really inspire much confidence.

Although the defense at the end of games has been better. The offense is still confused.

I thought the offensive execution in crunch time tonight was pretty solid. CB's dumb turnover in the last minute certainly wasn't Flip's fault.

We won and are now at 8 in a row. Looking good to me.

:hoops:

They say its hard to beat a team twice back to back. Kind of like the playoffs. For some odd reason, what made the game so easy last night, going inside a lot, was abandoned for this game.


Dyess, according to the announcers, was having this great game checking O'Neal. Its not like he was doing that poorly, but Sheed and JMAX each did far better when they checked him. Meanwhile, Dyess was settling for long jumpers, which he was mostly missing, getting few rebounds. And when he went into the post, he shot and missed a fade. Not very impressive. I won't blame it all on him though. He played way too many minutes in this game. He especially got way too little rest in the first half due to some foul problems.


In contrast, JMAX was a beast in this game. All Indiana could do was foul him to stop him, and JMAX kept making his free throws. Just imagine if anyone decided to give him some help, Indiana would have been in serious foul trouble.


Stuckey got to play major minutes in this game. He only played point in the first half, with Afflalo spelling Rip for 4 minutes between the 1st and 2nd quarters. The most obvious observation about Stuckey - he is making his jumpers. He makes them whether he pulls up or takes a set shot. His triple and another jumper were part of that flourish to end the 3rd quarter. I guess we can forget the scouting report that says he has weak jumper. This is great news, as it makes his drives inside just that much more effective. Now, he got blocked a couple of times going in, but he kept driving in and got some good results. A made layup. A dish to a teammate under the basket. A foul drawn to end the 3rd quarter, and of course he made his two free throws. Afflalo did not play in the 2nd half as Stuckey played most of the 4th quarter. (Out a the 5 minute mark about) and spelled both Rip then CB. I don't recall Rip getting hardly any rest in this one altogether.


Hayes hits some shots early to give us a boost in the 2nd quarter. That was about it for him.


Billups did great on scoring, three times catching them asleep and laying it up, and he kept hitting his jumpers. Some of these over a defender off the dribble.


The hero though was Rip Hamilton. Thats Rip HAMilTON. Remember yet again, Rip led the league in 3 point shooting in 2004. Man can he shoot the ball. A timely 3 from Rip put this one away with about a minute to go. Rip was also murder off the dribble in this game.


Can't remember Tay doing a whole lot offensively. Sheed just kept shooting outside shots, making very few.


To sum, youth was served a bit at least. Stuckey is getting the time he needs to help us in the playoffs. Hunter again was not dressed; Fabio was. Amir did not get to play. Afflalo had his minutes cut to 4. They plan to send Samb down again to the D-League soon. Yeah, sure, its 8 in a row. Great. More could have been done in this game to prepare for the playoffs. 1) Rip could have been rested more by Afflalo. 2)Amir could have played a bit so that Dyess had some rest to improve his play before he came back in in the 2nd quarter. On a scale of A to F, I'd give Flip a C for this one.





GO PISTONS!!!!!

I thought the offensive execution in crunch time tonight was pretty solid. CB's dumb turnover in the last minute certainly wasn't Flip's fault.

The team still seems to have trouble getting into any offense as soon as the defense starts pressuring late in games. That has been the problem in the ECF the last 2 years. Guys start holding the ball, and they end up forcing up a tough jumper at the end of the clock.

True, but that didn't really happen tonight very much at the end. Bad execution near the end almost cost them the Boston game, but tonight, the Pistons went on a 6-0 run after Indy got within 90-89 with 2 1/2 minutes left.

Nuttin better than a double header sweep!

Could not agree more. Dice was even missing badly from the FT line. he is playing way too many minutes and it will reflect in the playoffs. This reminds me of C web. He was a shadow in the playoffs and i think dice will soon be a shadow as well. He needs to play less than 30 mpg.

2)Amir could have played a bit so that Dyess had some rest to improve his play before he came back in in the 2nd quarter. On a scale of A to F, I'd give Flip a C for this one.





GO PISTONS!!!!!

The team still seems to have trouble getting into any offense as soon as the defense starts pressuring late in games. That has been the problem in the ECF the last 2 years. Guys start holding the ball, and they end up forcing up a tough jumper at the end of the clock.


Both teams played tough defense down the stretch and yeah the Pistons held on to the rock a little longer than they should, but at least they were able to score when the Pacers couldn't. Blowouts do allow the younguns to learn, but they need games like this to learn how to execute at crunch time come playoff time.

Could not agree more. Dice was even missing badly from the FT line. he is playing way too many minutes and it will reflect in the playoffs. This reminds me of C web. He was a shadow in the playoffs and i think dice will soon be a shadow as well. He needs to play less than 30 mpg.

Agree, Flip should have played Aj and Primo in the first half as well as giving AA more minutes in this back to back situation. No need to burn folks out now. Dice was definitely off tonight and he needs his rest for the Bucks game and the new years eve party afterwards at the Palace.:party2:

If you trap DET's screen & rolls you can give them trouble. I watch Stuckey play and think if Flip Murray were 22 he would be this forums most popular player. They're the same player to me except I've never seen Flip get blocked like that.

Thanks for the recaps folks. I am out of town and missed both Pacer games. Didn`t think the Pistons would take them both!

Boy I miss my NBALP!!

8 in a row for the boys from motown. A close one all the way until the Pistons defense stepped up and the Pacers missed about 7 buckets in a row down the stretch.

28 points from the bench as Flip went to an 8.25 man rotation with Alf getting 4 mins and Max, Hayes and Stuckey getting 16 mins plus. Difference in the points were at the ft line where the Pistons shot 28-34 to the Pacers 21-26. The rest of the shooting stats were almost even. This was the type of game that we were losing to Cavs last post season.

Good win as Pistons continue their dominance over the eastern conference and the Pacers fall 2 games back in two quick days.

That wasn't exactly the type of the games we had against Cavs. Indiana plays no D and Cavs are very solid defensively.

If you trap DET's screen & rolls you can give them trouble. I watch Stuckey play and think if Flip Murray were 22 he would be this forums most popular player. They're the same player to me except I've never seen Flip get blocked like that.

Have you ever seen Flip play defense like Stuckey?

Have you ever seen Flip play defense like Stuckey?

The question is: Have you ever seen Murray play defense period?

Only if you count his occasional steals.

Comparing Murray to Stuckey is well......

Just come back in 3 years and lets compare them.

:hoops:

The question is: Have you ever seen Murray play defense period?

Only if you count his occasional steals.

Comparing Murray to Stuckey is well......

Just come back in 3 years and lets compare them.

:hoops:

I think we can do that.

I watch Stuckey play and think if Flip Murray were 22 he would be this forums most popular player. They're the same player to me except I've never seen Flip get blocked like that.

The problem with Flip is that he could never put it together off the bench. Start him, and he's a solid offensive player. Bring him off the bench for 15mpg, and he's flat out bad. On top of that, he doesn't have the size to defend the SG spot, so you couldn't consistently start him there. And no team wants to make him their starting PG, because he can't run an offense. You end up with the perfect storm of a theoretically great scoring punch off the bench, who can't play off the bench.

Stuckey solves a number of those issues. He's taller and stronger, so putting him in at the SG spot is no problem. Yet he can also play PG off the bench. I probably wouldn't want him as my starting point guard today, but he has played 5 NBA games in his career, and he's coming off a 2-month injury!!!. So, he still has a great chance at developing the extra nuances of the PG game that Flip never did. And even this early in his career, he looks more consistent than Flip has every been off the bench.

I'm not sure what some people expected from him this early. He's already helping us win games.

Nice win, but I would've loved to seen more of Amir out there for McDyess last night.

That way, he'd be prepared to help us in the Playoffs in a few months.

The problem with Flip is that he could never put it together off the bench. Start him, and he's a solid offensive player. Bring him off the bench for 15mpg, and he's flat out bad. On top of that, he doesn't have the size to defend the SG spot, so you couldn't consistently start him there. And no team wants to make him their starting PG, because he can't run an offense. You end up with the perfect storm of a theoretically great scoring punch off the bench, who can't play off the bench.

Stuckey solves a number of those issues. He's taller and stronger, so putting him in at the SG spot is no problem. Yet he can also play PG off the bench. I probably wouldn't want him as my starting point guard today, but he has played 5 NBA games in his career, and he's coming off a 2-month injury!!!. So, he still has a great chance at developing the extra nuances of the PG game that Flip never did. And even this early in his career, he looks more consistent than Flip has every been off the bench.

I'm not sure what some people expected from him this early. He's already helping us win games.

He can also make his free throws at a very high rate which is very important for a guy whose offensive game is dependent on getting to the free throw line.

Murray on the other hand is a career 71% free throw shooter, which is terrible for a guard.

For their careers average free throws made per 40 minutes.

Stuckey----5.5
Murray ---- 3.0

Stuckey is just getting his feet wet. I expect that his free throws made per 40 minutes will go up from 5.5.

One can not minimize that difference for a number of reasons.

Not only does it mean more points per game at the free throw line which is a good thing

but also by being able to get to the free throw line and make your free throws

it opens up the opponents defense and makes your whole offense better.

It is also more likely to get a key player on the opponents team into foul trouble which is a very good thing.

:hoops:

Fair points all, but something tells me if Murray played the 3-8 shooting would be the issue. Maybe I am not paying attention, but I haven't seen any great D coming out of the new # 3 unless fouling everything in sight counts. I think Flip has played well this year and his ability to get inside and finish is rare on this team.

Fair points all, but something tells me if Murray played the 3-8 shooting would be the issue. Maybe I am not paying attention, but I haven't seen any great D coming out of the new # 3 unless fouling everything in sight counts. I think Flip has played well this year and his ability to get inside and finish is rare on this team.

I agree about the D. He seems like he wants to play D, but right now he gets caught off-guard sometimes. He has given up a number of open 3's in loose-ball or transition situations. These things should improve pretty rapidly. He has proven he has the ability to get a lot of deflections and steals though. He's got 6 steals in his last 3 games (46 total minutes).

As for the shooting... He had that bail-out shot where I believe Chauncey passed him the ball about 27 feet from the basket with 2-3 seconds on the shot clock. He also got swatted twice by JO (the 2nd of which would have likely been called a foul if he weren't a rook). As he builds confidence and learns to pick his spots, his efficiency will get better. I'm not sure if he'll ever be a really high percentage shooter though, but then again, Chauncey has never been a high percentage shooter either. Chauncey makes up for it by getting to the line. Stuckey will probably be even better than him in that regard.

2 years in college and 5 games in the NBA. He's looking pretty solid considering that.

If his ability level froze right now, then I think we'd be better off with Murray. However, Stuck will likely improve a lot before year-end.

It seems like all of his fouls are getting picked up in the full court pressing defense. Those experienced guards are just bumping him when he gets too close and since he's a rook, they all get called.

I agree about the D. He seems like he wants to play D, but right now he gets caught off-guard sometimes. He has given up a number of open 3's in loose-ball or transition situations. These things should improve pretty rapidly. He has proven he has the ability to get a lot of deflections and steals though. He's got 6 steals in his last 3 games (46 total minutes).

As for the shooting... He had that bail-out shot where I believe Chauncey passed him the ball about 27 feet from the basket with 2-3 seconds on the shot clock. He also got swatted twice by JO (the 2nd of which would have likely been called a foul if he weren't a rook). As he builds confidence and learns to pick his spots, his efficiency will get better. I'm not sure if he'll ever be a really high percentage shooter though, but then again, Chauncey has never been a high percentage shooter either. Chauncey makes up for it by getting to the line. Stuckey will probably be even better than him in that regard.

Good post. For sure, a guy just getting his feet back under him can't be judged on his D. He has a lot or things to get straight in his mind. Absorbing that road map called the NBA game. Its better to look at summer league, and preseason, since we have a quick comparison to make, Stuckey to Afflalo. What we saw there: Mejia was far and away the best defender. Afflalo was pretty darn solid though, with Stuckey good but not on Afflalo's level by quite a bit. Here is the two chief things I look at, effort, and the simple ability to stay in front of your man. Stuckey has these, and he has good height and ups to go with it. Rebounding is part of defense too and Stuckey won't be lacking there. Altogether, I think Stuckey is going to just fine on defense, not to mention the fact he will end up fouling his competition out so often it would not be much of an issue anyway.

Fair points all, but something tells me if Murray played the 3-8 shooting would be the issue. Maybe I am not paying attention, but I haven't seen any great D coming out of the new # 3 unless fouling everything in sight counts. I think Flip has played well this year and his ability to get inside and finish is rare on this team.

I don't agree with your assessment of the Stuckey or Murray at all, especially with regard to Stuckey's defense.

If fact I find all of your negative posts regarding Stuckey as very puzzling because I haven't read negative stuff about him any place else. Some criticism of his game yes, but not what seems to me to be just outright negativism toward his game and his ability to play in the NBA. Strange indeed.

I could of course be entirely wrong, it wouldn't be the first or last time, though my experience tells me that in this case I am correct.


:hoops:

Anyone who refers to 'himself' as a 'slow adult' not only mocks himself, but shows a insensitivity to all those out there who actually have to live with that handicap.

..nuff said