Phoenix March 24 7:30PM

let us see... if we lose the game... it is not a statement game... but if we win it, then it is an important game that we had to win. What is common in both cases? Rip will play 42 minutes and AA will have the honor of DNP.

Phoenix will measure their progress against us this game. We beat them by 30 points last time out and they will guage their progress since adding the Big Cactus. They'll expect our "A" game since we're at home and the playoffs are near. Flip will keep his word and nobody plays for more than 31 minutes except for Max. However, Sheed is not into the game as he is more focused on how Syesha does on American Idol. Look for the Pistons to wait another game to crack 50 wins.

Let's see if Flip remembers how we won the 1st game or Amir gets 6 min and AA a DNP and we play Theo/Dyess extensively.

Which one is the likely scenario?

It boggles the mind how a coach can be so clueless about his OWN team. Seriously after awhile you would think he would get that 2 + 2 = 4.

Seriously, coach knows with his staff his team more than all those fanforums altogether...You're posting here just your wishful thinkings, nothing more, (me too). It is basically desire vs reality. Ok, I'd like to see AA/AJ more but if coach do not play them according to my wishful thinkings, I do no label coach as "clueless" or whatever.

And I'm not beliving in those theoris like "all of our PO success depends on pair of rookies". Last year and year before at ECF only Rip played from starters as supposed to play, Dice Sheed, Billups and Tay were bad or horrible.

Be careful. Just because you feel you know so little, does not mean the next guy is so void of knowledge.

YES Grasshopper, but he who carrys a big wallet is also endowed with small change!

This will be pick n roll city in this game.

Last night the pick n roll for Detroit was terrible. When Shaq is in the game I would run that play to death, find the open man quickly - 2 points!!

Shaq is very slow at recovering on a pick n roll and other than Amare the Suns defense is not very good.

Its not so much the "pair of rookies" as it is the reduced workload on the starters that playing the "pair of rookies" provides.


But hey, perhaps Flip does know more than us.....and Joe D. Seeing as how PT seems to be something Joe isn't always happy with Flip about either, perhaps some of us may be on to something.

I just wanted to point out that based of our small knowledge (e.g. desperately try to find "hidden messages" from PR messages) we use very harsh words or labelings, that's all. Ok that's fanforum but some perspective is still needed.

when they are off, they are off, when they are on they are on.( And so in PO-s.)

Great win tonight! Neither Rip nor Dixon played, I guess they were both late scratches. Apparently Rip had a hip problem, and Dixon had something with his calf. AA started, kind of struggled in the first quarter but played much better in the second. The bench was great late in the 3rd and early in the 4th, even with Lindsey making his first appearance in forever (+5 in 9 minutes). Stuckey had an unusual game; he wasn't converting on his drives, but he was hitting almost every J! And when it got to overtime, CB and Sheed were totally money. Very gutsy performance from those two.

The officiating was pretty dreadful all around, with the Pistons maybe a bit fortunate to get the benefit of the calls late in the OT. CB had an and one that was called a block on Nash, but it looked like it could easily have been a charge, and there can't be any doubt that it would have been a charge if it was Stuckey driving to the hole.

Wait 'til next loss...For this forum losses are important, wins aren't

I think you have to put an asterisk next to this game. With Hamilton and Dixon, the Pistons would have won by 20!

Wooohooo!

Good game. Happy Day. Looks like the Easter Bunny just came in late for the Stones. Cactus sucks. Nash's D is really, really bad. Mike D'Antoni having a fit is hilarious.

Very good game from Stuckey, and AA's defensive game was good as well. Excellent close by Sheed and Chauncey as well, they carried this win home.

Slightly OT: Anyone see that sign Sheed made to Amare late? (I think near the end of the 4th) that was priceless.

Whew! what a nailbiter after everything said and done. Stuckey got away with that foul on Shaq. Pistons seem to always lose the OT games. I hope this is a trend starter going into the playoffs. Whatever Flip did in rotation worked against this club.

GHill was tremendous. Almost carried them to a win. Love the matchup he had here. Also loved the Sheed/Amare matchup. Sheed really worked to take it to him this time.

What sign? I didn't see.

That was a great game, great fun to watch.