Chicago Sunday night 8PM

TV - FSDHD, ESPN

Injuries:
Detroit - Sheed day to day
Chicago - Sefolosha day to day

Bulls are 11-22 on the road and are 4-6 over their last 10 games.

Chicago rolls into the Palace. A little less climatic without Ben Wallace on the team but hopefully they will be easier to beat this time. I will have more on the game over the weekend.


"We know they are really tough," Chicago guard Ben Gordon (http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/players/profile?statsId=3820) said of the Pistons after that game. "Thing is, we have a lot of respect for them, so we come out and try to play our 'A' game."
....
ESPN - Chicago vs. Detroit - Preview - March 09, 2008 (http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/preview?gameId=280309008)

It should be a 8.1 DR. But since they've beat us 3 straight with or with-out BBen the head game makes it a 9.1.
101 to 89 Pistons

- Detroit Pistons Basketball: News, Blogs, Photos, Audio, Schedule & Stats - MLive.com (http://www.mlive.com/pistons/index.ssf/2008/03/rasheed_update.html)

Sheed should rest. Start Max or Theo. Rest him til we meet the Spurs.

- Detroit Pistons Basketball: News, Blogs, Photos, Audio, Schedule & Stats - MLive.com (http://www.mlive.com/pistons/index.ssf/2008/03/rasheed_update.html)

Sheed should rest. Start Max or Theo. Rest him til we meet the Spurs.
I agree. No need to take chances with one of your key players on a regular season game. Theo could use the practice anyway.

- Detroit Pistons Basketball: News, Blogs, Photos, Audio, Schedule & Stats - MLive.com (http://www.mlive.com/pistons/index.ssf/2008/03/rasheed_update.html)

Sheed should rest. Start Max or Theo. Rest him til we meet the Spurs.

http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080309/SPORTS03/80309005/1051

Maybe Dyess should rest too. :bored:

Pistons forward Antonio McDyess' rhythm off | Freep.com | Detroit Free Press (http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080309/SPORTS03/80309005/1051)

Maybe Dyess should rest too. :bored:

Let`s just hope the entire team doesn`t decide to rest!!

Let`s just hope the entire team doesn`t decide to rest!!

They may decide to rest and run their mouths, a la Rip.

Sheed is out. Ratliff to start again.

Chat is open, see you cats soon!

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

No Ben Wallace to contend with and the Pistons finally beat the bulls...However we couldn't stop Ben Gordon as the leagues most potent six man outscores the Pistons bench 27-24. (Their bench puts up 43 points total.)

Second straight game without Sheed, but once again Tay comes up big 21 points, most of them after he got a funny bone tickle and then bared his chest much to the delight of ladies in the stands...

CB was hot in the first half scoring 20 points while most of his team mates were still looking for the hoop. he finished with 34 and some timely threes int he first half. Good second game from Theo Ratliff who had 10 pts, 8 brds and 3 blocks...which made up for Dyess' 1-10 shooting. Dice did grab 10 boards, but he needs to play closer to the hoop while he is in this shooting drought and look for layups or short pops.

The bench did enough little things here and there to help win the game.

Pistons 4-1 in March so far, but I still have some concerns. They have given up 97+ points in four of the last six games. Three of those to such lottery scrubbers as Seattle, NY and Chicago. Hopefully with both Sheed and Theo in there, we can get back to where we should be, but then again as some have indicated maybe it's the transfer of PT from Alf to DonJuan Dixon??

Remember Flip...Defense wins championships!!

Finally a win over these losers. The triple threat of CB, Rip, and Tay led the way with a combined 78 points, and although no one played any D in the second half at all, it was enough to pull it out in the end. Ratliff filled in very ably with 10 pts, 8 boards, and 3 blocks; looks like Joe scored a really nice pick-up by getting him off the waiver wire. Dixon, not so much. AA looks definitely looks like the better bet as the 4th guard, or 4th/5th if Lindsey comes back.

Good job Stones!!!! Forgot to tune back in in the second half, glad to see we contained the Bulls mini-run and that Theo seems to be playing well. Let's hope he keeps up the good work when needed, he's providing much-needed relief to Sheed right now. Hopefully Amir continues to get enough minutes, looks like today was a little flukish for him with 0 rebounds on the box score I saw? Funny to see Rip and Tay both get more assists than Chauncey. These guys are playing well, and I am looking forward to the playoffs! I will be on an internship with Toyota out by Cincinatti this summer, so I am looking forward to enough of a break from school to be able to actually watch the playoffs this year. Both the West and the East are shaping up to have a great playoffs. Could we have imagined such an exciting NBA season last summer when the whole Donaghy issue was blowing up? I sure didn't! Let's hear it for the Pistons!!

DEEETROIT BAAASKETBAAAALL!

a little related to Dre's post. I posted this in the Amir Johnson thread regarding AA;

He's pretty critical to our defense though i agree he's not the sole reason we win games. I didn't catch most of the 4th. We were up 7, and then i came back we were up 1. Amir was not in the game after he was killing it in the 4th. I turned it off. I plan on watching it later, but we gave up back to back 30+ quarters and Ben Gordon LIT us up. From the looks of it Flip didn't even try Afflalo who IIRC shut down JJ when Rip couldn't as well as bothered AI.

We gave up 109 points. If the Original Zoo crew had entered the game when we were up 11, i'm almost positive this would've been a blowout. Sheed's absence is a factor, and Amir didn't play nearly as much as he should, but Dixon was awful in that short stint. I counted 10-12 points he gave the opposition. This isn't going to fly against better teams. It would've have been a loss had CHI not sucked so much.

------

I'm going to go back and watch the rest of the game, but i feel like i should start diagraming Dixon's bad defensive possessions. Having both Hayes/Dixon play is killing us defensively.

Also did Amir get taken out b/c of foul trouble or Flip stupidity? We were rolling with him in the game when i stepped away.

It's scary how again one person can almost beat our whole team. Obviously our perimeter defenders aren't cutting it so the solution is to start playing an even weaker one?

Heavy min 3 games in a row for Tay.

Also i remember Flip saying he was going to cut Dice's min. Obviously he needs it (1-10). I like Theo. I'm excited about him, but not if he takes min from Amir. Max is still playing ahead of Amir sometimes inexplicably. Theo needs to take Dice's min, and today it looks like he cut into Amir's. What happens when Sheed gets back?

edited to add;

I love agressive Tay. I wish there was a button so we could keep him that way.

There is no need to whine about Amir mins : he committed 5 fouls in 13 min

Yeah, Amir picked up tons of fouls in a short time. And if it looked like we were rolling when he was out there, the stats say otherwise; he was -11, which ended up being even worse than Dixon's -7.

We have finally beaten Chicago, but not Ben Wallace. This Chicago team was very weak on interior D. Yet Dyess still managed to take 10 outside shots, even though he only hit one. Did his 10 rebounds make up for it? I guess, but you can't call that a very good game for Dyess. Pretty much the last thing the team needed was him bricking a ton of shots. If he had gone inside, and still missed 10 shots, and picked up a few fouls, that would have really helped. CB had them in some serious foul trouble just on his own efforts to a large extent. Man, he could have used some help.


CB had a great game, picking up 10 points in each of the first 3 quarters. Don't fret. Its not like he had a bad 4th. Stuckey played most of that, doing just fine, handing Billups a lead (about 8 points) when Billups finally returned with about 4 minutes to go.


Rip and Tay also had 20 point plus games. A lot of fire power. Theo looked good chipping in 10 points himself with plenty of rebounds and blocks. Just a ton of fire power, and yet this was a close game to the end. CB had to win this one three times over. Why is that? Dixon was allowed to play for some reason. He did hit one shot in each half but otherwise was nothing more than a hole in our defense. We had a double digit lead in the first half that evaporated largely from Dixon's bricks and his non-existant D.


Hayes also hit a shot in each half. Fortunately for him, they were mostly picking on Dixon tonight.


Tay was getting his points inside and out. Rip mostly midrangers. Billups was getting to the line a lot and nailing triples. Theo did his damage mostly with hook shots. Nice to see an inside game. Kind of strange though not seeing him shoot jumpers. Anyone still remember all those in the lane jumpers he use to bury for us? Well, now they are all hooks.
Amir played plenty. His highlights were a pair of dunks. One on a fast break and one on a half court set. Jason played even more than Amir and had a fine night both scoring and on the boards. I think all his work was inside tonight. Can't remember him taking an outside shot.
In case anyone missed it, Sheed sat out with that ankle sprain again. They say he will be back Wednesday vs. Philly.


Tay went down from what turned out to be a funny bone injury. Somehow it got yanked on while the ball was being scraped out of his arms. All it really seemed to do to him is hone his shot from that point.
We had a couple of calls go against us, including an Amir block that was called a foul.


So how are we doing on getting ready for the playoffs? Amir playing. Check. Maxiell still getting all the minutes he can handle. Check. New guy Theo playing and looking good. Check. Stuckey still getting lots and quality minutes. Check. Afflalo. A huge not checked. Bad news. I can hardly belive we managed to win this one without Afflalo playing. But hey, with several of our players on fire, we can actually win without playing any D. I would not suggest it as a routine.

There is no need to whine about Amir mins : he committed 5 fouls in 13 min

Not to argue, but some of those were nice hard "no free cheese" type fouls on people driving inside on us. If he was needed to stay in longer, he could have let some of those go.

It will quite interesting what happens next game when we have both Sheed and Theo playing. If its Maxiell and Amir who get their minutes cut, we are in deep trouble.

Lee, That's four out of five. Flip is not going to play Afflalo no matter what he does in the season.

Lee, great recap. I like it when you're upbeat like you've been recently. I see there are things to improve (Afflalo hopefully forcing Flip to give him more minutes, etc.), and I like your suggestions. Go Lee!

and

GO PISTONS!

Agree with your post Lee...Dyess is in the catch and shoot mode and unfortunately he is open 20 ft from the hoop that is where he is shooting it from. I know you can't stand in the lane, but at least keep moving in and out of it so you can be available to receive a pass under the hoop and maybe get to the line.

The defense has been suspect since they came back form the west coast and Alf has only averaged less than 2 mins a game. Got four straight home games coming up, need to get that defense in order before their next venture out on the road on 3/19 vs the Cavs.

Yeah, I'll agree with the other guys. Mostly good points man.

Bulletin Board material from Noah (although it's kinda irrelevant since CHI sucks so bad right now)

HOOPSWORLD | NBA News, Rumors and Information (http://www.hoopsworld.com/TheWireStory.asp?id=10485)

"I feel like we're different but I feel like, at the same time with our style of play, there's no reason why we shouldn't have beat that team," said Bulls forward Joakim Noah, who scored 15 points. "I think Detroit's a great team but I still feel like we're better than them, really. I feel like we're a better team

Bulletin Board material from Noah (although it's kinda irrelevant since CHI sucks so bad right now)

HOOPSWORLD | NBA News, Rumors and Information (http://www.hoopsworld.com/TheWireStory.asp?id=10485)
I just read that exact same quote in the yahoo box score and I was just about to post it in this thread!:pound:

Theo is presenting his case game by game that he should start. The evidence is mounting...

Joe has done his job and given this team the piece that it needed. Joe did not bring in a pine sitting 5th big off the bench in Theo. Yes, he still has game....Very encouraging for the playoffs.

This broadcast tonight was hosted by who?
Who is Doris?

Ok, I admit it, with candle in hand, I venture out in media land with canary in hand from the darken caves. This Doris:

has the best cognitive grasp of basketball of any analyst working prime-time. She has:


historical knowledge
expansive relationships via entry points into the game
player personality and development via experience within the league
updated knowledge of team dynamics
movement of player personalities in relationship to team placement, experience and value additions
Bias pronouncements (judgments) based without the histrionics of media-superstar (organizational) dynamics and the observance of group-mesh (personality) that will not intrude into organizational embarrassmentsIn short, I hope too hear more of this analyst (read finals) who clearly knows the game of basketball and brings much more beyond the game of hoops.

The game ended closer than it seemed. The Pistons were always in control, whenever Chic started to close the gap the Pistons drove it back up again. No Sheed either so that says something. Few misques between Theo and the guys but that will work itself out.

Noah is a punk for saying something like that. He has no idea what it takes to win in the post-season or even being on a team with a winning record yet. There is more to bball than saving your A-games for one team. Ben Gordan said before the game that he always plays better against the Pistons, play like that always and maybe then the Chic fans and writers will get off your backs about mailing in the season after receiving your big contracts. Friggen shame how they have let down the Bulls fans and management this year.

Sorry just had to write something about that. I hope we see those clowns in the post-season so we can sweep them this time but I doubt if they will even make it.

well the only way to find out is that they make it to the seventh spot. I don't mind that at all. Noah is a punk for saying something like that. He has no idea what it takes to win in the post-season or even being on a team with a winning record yet.

This broadcast tonight was hosted by who?
Who is Doris?

Ok, I admit it, with candle in hand, I venture out in media land with canary in hand from the darken caves. This Doris:

has the best cognitive grasp of basketball of any analyst working prime-time. She has:

historical knowledge
expansive relationships via entry points into the game
player personality and development via experience within the league
updated knowledge of team dynamics
movement of player personalities in relationship to team placement, experience and value additions
Bias pronouncements (judgments) based without the histrionics of media-superstar (organizational) dynamics and the observance of group-mesh (personality) that will not intrude into organizational embarrassmentsIn short, I hope too hear more of this analyst (read finals) who clearly knows the game of basketball and brings much more beyond the game of hoops.

Just watch the WNBA. It's no secret that to WNBA fans that she's a good analyst. Perhaps she'll do more NBA games as well.

Ah, another one of those Pistons wins where the outcome is actually in doubt until the end as far as the scoreboard goes, but you'd never guess it from watching the game. Funny thing is the Bulls coulda completed the season sweep if Rip and Chauncey weren't shooting so well in the 4th quarter.

For the most part I liked what I saw from Ratliff, especially the hustle to keep offensive boards alive and looking to score inside the paint. He's a bit slow, though, so hopefully we won't see too many occasions in the playoffs where he and Dice are holding it down. He also bobbled a few passes on offense that I hope is just him getting used to the other guys.

One thing that baffled me was the stretch in the 2nd quarter where all of the starters were resting and it was just the bench out there. What was the point in that as far as preparation for the playoffs - was Flip working on the garbage time rotation? That just seemed odd...I expect him to try some different rotations but have them involve at least a couple starters...

Having both Hayes/Dixon play is killing us defensively.

They were together previously as teammates on a "no defense" Washington Wizards squad.

This broadcast tonight was hosted by who?
Who is Doris?

Ok, I admit it, with candle in hand, I venture out in media land with canary in hand from the darken caves. This Doris:

has the best cognitive grasp of basketball of any analyst working prime-time. She has:

historical knowledge
expansive relationships via entry points into the game
player personality and development via experience within the league
updated knowledge of team dynamics
movement of player personalities in relationship to team placement, experience and value additions
Bias pronouncements (judgments) based without the histrionics of media-superstar (organizational) dynamics and the observance of group-mesh (personality) that will not intrude into organizational embarrassmentsIn short, I hope too hear more of this analyst (read finals) who clearly knows the game of basketball and brings much more beyond the game of hoops.

Doris Burke (http://www.espnmediazone.com/bios/Talent/Burke_Doris.htm)


Doris Burke. Last name rhymes with homework. She does hers. She's good.

ok, ok. Sorry to dis you mom.:sssh:

ok, ok. Sorry to dis you mom.:sssh:
Nah, I still couldn't stand listening to her. I need the stupidity of a Mark Jackson, with the eclectic candor of a Jeff Van Gundy, interspersed with the self-aggrandizement of a Bill Walton.

Nah, I still couldn't stand listening to her. I need the stupidity of a Mark Jackson, with the eclectic candor of a Jeff Van Gundy, interspersed with the self-aggrandizement of a Bill Walton.

I second that.

I'm afraid Rattler will take Amirs lunch. But it isn't a real bad thing. All other vets will see more time too so Allfallover is out to.
-
Max he played the bench as a unit? How many times have I begged for that? OMG let them run.

Aggrandizement???? PERFECT! (IIIII) <----Walton smile

I'm afraid Rattler will take Amirs lunch. But it isn't a real bad thing. All other vets will see more time too so Allfallover is out to.

Then we're in trouble.

Then we're in trouble.

According to your posts, we're ALWAYS in trouble.

According to your posts, we're ALWAYS in trouble.

That's not true. We were doing good for a long stretch there. :)

I guess we'll see in the playoffs.