Hey Matt— personally, I’d love to hear about your experience covering these games, not just the coverage itself. For example— where do you sit? What access do you have to players/coaches/staff? How does the whole procedure work? Beyond the pre-game, tipoff update, half-time and post game, I think it’d be fun to hear a journal about YOUR take on the experience itself. No trade secrets, just “getting through security was a bitch today… i got hit in the face by a towel that Rasheed threw after the game… i’m three feet away from Bill Walton and damn, that dude stinks! take a shower…” You know, that kind of thing.

Maybe its just me, but it might be fun to hear your “best of” in covering these games thus far.

I don’t know if I’d call it revenge, but I think it’s definitely on Sheed’s radar. After the preseason game, Sheed and Gooden exchanged quotes. I’m paraphrasing, but Gooden said something like “All we do is keep beating these guys.”

In reality, I don’t think Cleveland is the better team, but I think they’ve been outsmarting us (Mostly Sheed and Saunders.) When Sheed gets irritated by the talk, the officials, or whatever… he gets in this “I’ll show this punk.” mode and drops in the post. He then has tunnelvision like Flip Murray and all the Cleveland players know it, so he gets triple teamed, and then something bad always happens. Whether its LeBron blocking the shot, a bad non-call, or a PG coming in to steal the ball… you can count on it being something bad. Since Sheed was already tettering on the edge, you can bet he’s off the deep end at this point.

Saunders, what can I say, he was outcoached(again) in the ECF.

Pistons and Cavs: revenge, or just a regular season game?

It is just a regular season game. We really can’t make a big deal about this game, we are still in November and our team is still not healthy. Lebron might put up a 100 points tonight but im not making a big deal about it, especially if Rasheed is out again.

Also, Varejao is not even worth half of that, I don’t blame the Cavs for holding out on him. He needs a reality check, seriously.

I want it to be revenge where the pistons just splatter the cavs beating them like 100-9 or something (Those 9 cav points are from Daniel Gibson getting star calls and free throws) but it won’t be. So in my opinion its not another game but its not a revenge game either. Its a big game but in the long run it won’t matter much.

I think it is MORE than a regular season game, but LESS than revenge because that will happen in the playoffs.

I get home from work last night, flip on NBA TV and felt the strangest sensation…actually ROOTING for the f’ing Celtics against the Cavs. Nevermind that KG is on my fantasy team, I actually wanted Boston…the hated Celtics to win. No I didn’t have happy hour before going home!

I’ll be watching the first half hour from my desk…League Pass Broadband don’t fail me now!

Q Dog

I’m sure there are people out there that would be grateful for a link to the free league pass games. I been seeing a fair amount of people who aren’t close enough to watch the Pistons.

Between Lebron and Boobie, I’m sure the Pistons are going to get frustrated with the foul calls. If we start racking up the fouls, then we ease up on defense to avoid fouling out or getting benched. We have to make sure we don’t leave to many guys open shots while doubling Lebron. There’s a decent chance of Sheed flipping out this game if we are down late with Gooden here.

Is anyone watching on League Pass that can provide a link? It would be appreciated by Pistons fans far and near. Well, more by the Pistons fans who are far, but you get the idea…

Bad call on Hayes when Lebron charged him. Lebron barely ever gets charges called on him.

The refs are just witnesses, what do you expect them to do?

See, much better when Murray is out there not as PG.

Lebron charges Prince this time and you guessed it……blocking foul on Prince.

Thank god Rip is back… I was getting worried for a while.

would appreciate a link to watch if there is one…

Did I just witness Lebron crying?

Sheed barely tapped him too, crybaby.

Hopefully they keep attacking the paint next half.

Kevin S.:

Try this one.

(totally kidding- hahahaha)

no lebron?!?!?!?!?!?!?! Its now basically Pistons vs dleague team.

He’s fine. They are just saving face, now the the Cavs lose because Lebron is gone, even though we’re already winning. Lets just not start playing softer because Lebron is out.

I hate watching and listening to the Cavs broadcast crew: ML Carr just said, “…missing one guy can make a huge difference, everyone has a very important role.” Ha ha, really? You think LBJ has an important role!! Left index finger, not going to return says the other dude on the announcing crew.

“Yeah, yuk it up. We’ll see what happens come March. We’ll see what happens come April.”

Yeah, I love Cleveland TV commentating…

eeep… I MEAN Austin Carr!!

The Cavs are crashing bad without Lebron. Our bench can beat the Cavs without Lebron.

Cleveland has the worst TV announcers ever… Austin Carr slurs his words like he’s been drinking all night…

Amir Johnson in the game!

TV20, so we got Blaha and Kelser here. :)

The Cleveland announcers are hilarious. I loved the “yuk it up” comment. It was the quintessential “Yeah, laugh at me now, but just wait ‘til I take karate lessons, then see who’s laughing” moment.

Son, there ain’t no TV20 in the PDX!

what happened to LeBron? is he going to be out for a while?

I think everyone that saw this game tonight realized that without LeBron that Cavs ain’t sh*t

My wife says LeBron is a pussy.

Just throwin’ that out there.

Lebrons MVP case in a gift-wrapped box.

I’d have to agree with your wife.

I hate tolerance.

Now that baby, THAT was Dee-troit Basket-ball!

Seriously only a beatdown like that can make me go all Vitale on the internets :)

Notice how the Pistons kept ramming the ball inside even AFTER it was clear that the Cavs weren’t coming back? 32 fourth quarter points in a game that was already over? Don’t think for a SECOND this team has forgotten the Eastern Conference finals.

Btw, off topic… when I say “The Pistons played down to their opponents level tonight” after western conference road games we lose by 5, THIS is why. Because on nights like tonight we get to see just how dominant Detroit can be if they stay inside their own game. I know Lebron was hurt, but thats the point… for ONCE just because they “should” win wasn’t enough, they wanted to win by 50. THAT’S Bad Boys right there yo.

Great game, only because we won by a lot.

This was an exhibition game starting with the 3rd quarter.

Did anyone else think a sprained finger was rather odd reason for LeBron to sit on the bench, in the 2nd half, in street clothes?

I say this because I’ve watched Detroit basketball players play regular season games suffering similar bangs and bruises. Also, returning to the bench in street clothes signals to everyone that Cleveland concedes the game.

The Cavaliers . . . Detroit’s greatest rival . . . according to ESPN.com’s sportsnation vote?

If it really is a sprained finger, isn’t LeBron capable of playing more careful basketball to insure that he doesn’t make it worse?

Bring on Boston.

I’ve played with broken fingers, so I’m pretty sure I could play with a sprained finger. Especially if I was really big and strong and fast. Especially on my non-shooting hand. Especially if my team needed me. But that’s just me.

Looks like I also have to agree with my wife.

“A win is a win,” said Richard Hamilton, who led Detroit with 18 points. “LeBron is a big part of their team, but they’ve still got five guys with an NBA jersey on the court.”

No sh*t! Ha ha ha!!

"A win is a win" hmmm…Chauncey said the same thing…coinsidence?

I’m glad Detroit destroyed the Cavs tonight, i said before this shouldn’t be a game to be concerned about and i guess i was right.

That’s what I’m sayin’ Garrett!

WHOOOOOOO! :D

Uh guys … Fred McLeod was OUR announcer (albeit our 2nd stringer behind Blaha) for quite some time (like 15 years maybe?), so let’s not treat him like a second class citizen with no name now that Gilbert has bought him off. As an announcer, he is however, clearly a homer for his squad as evidenced by him accusing Chauncey of tripping Drew Gooden when Gooden clearly tripped over his own feet. Other than that, I have nothing but love for former WDIV-4 stalwart, Fred McLeod.

Here are my bullets point on the game:

- Couldn’t agree with PG4L more about the nature of this squad. Had LeBron been back in the second half, we’d still have dominated them. Excellent execution from just about everyone tonight, from the players to Flip Saunders who showed great timing with his substitutions when the end result was still in doubt in the first half.

- Maxiell owned the glass (and played quite well on offense too) so much that McLeod called him a “Glass Eater”. Anyone catch that? DBB faithful say: Baby Eater, McLeod says Glass Eater, coincidence?

- Flip had two post ups on Boobie in the 2nd quarter where he made him look like Debbie Gibson. That’s always reassuring to see after all the Boobie (why does McLeod proudly refer to him as that? Ew.) hype last May.

- Amir should’ve crushed Eric Snow on that one play, not struggled to get an and one. Amir is raw though, so if he starts developing in the next couple seasons, he’ll be great.

- Who had PA duty tonight and where was Mason? All I want for Hanukkah is to hear “Miggity Miggity McDyess”.

- I am convinced that from beginning to end in this game, the Pistons squad that played tonight is the best team this season in the NBA. If we can play like we played tonight throughout the playoffs, I am convinced that someone is going to be getting the ’04 Lakers treatment courtesy of the Stones.

“- Who had PA duty tonight and where was Mason? All I want for Hanukkah is to hear “Miggity Miggity McDyess”."

Uh guys … Ken Calvert was OUR PA guy for quite some time, so let’s not treat him like a second class citizen now that Mason has replaced him …

I kid, I kid! From what I gather, Mason had a week off, that’s all. I imagine he’ll be back on Sunday.

Well played, Matt Watson, well played. I couldn’t tell if it was Ken Calvert or not and I hate to make such an egregious error as to sully the legacy of K-Cal. Big ups to this HoopsWorld gig that lets you be on top of this stuff, as I was really curious to know who it was.

On the McLeod front, there were at least a couple references in this thread to the Cleveland announcers on a whole, not just Austin Carr (I thought McLeod’s partner was Scott Williams, but what do I know?), and growing up with McLeod on WDIV, I feel compelled to give him a shout out. Not giving him a shout out would be tantamount to claiming that Chris Hansen’s work on WDIV wasn’t why he got the To Catch a Predator gig. We all know he kept a beat on the streets of the D. Seriously, I always liked McLeod even though I now am fully aware that he’s a blatant homer.

Two other thoughts I forgot about earlier: Sasha Pavlovic played really well tonight, but he’s really streaky, so a real solid game for him isn’t going to change much about who he is. And also, Rip had (for me) a really quiet 18 and 6. He seems to be getting back into the swing, little by little.

OT: Nice job breaking the story of the Young-Garza trade to me through FanHouse, I did not know that you wrote about baseball as well, so kudos to you Mr. Watson.

Crap, looks like another two weeks before we get to see Stuckey in action. I’m as excited about him as everyone else is about Amir.

Didn’t see the game but it was nice seeing everyone in the positive in the +/- column (except Lindsay with -1). Not surprisingly, Lebron was the best Cav with -2.

All the articles on the game, said that there was a lot more motion in the offense. Music to my ears. With 9 players capable of scoring, this offense will be almost impossible to stop when players are cutting and screening off the ball.

okayo okay okay..here are my opinions..

OKy Y did LeBron leave the game….if i’m mistaking Tayshaun has 2!! sprained fingers on his SHOOTING HANd..come on Lebron give me a break, if u can’t play a game because u can’t dribble the ball with you OFF shooting hand….please, nice tay 4 showing people how tough u really are

Thank u Nazr for that foul on Lebron (wait where were u in the ECF, i wish u played because u seemed 2 be tired of people driving to the lane. stands up and claps)

the minutes on the Pistons were great. the most a starter played was i believe 33 minutes, at MOST! i was soo impressed with flip and making sure that the Cavs couldn’t come back in the game

if the bench and add/keep a lead (HUGE LEAD) in the game, the we would be extremely successful during the game

Very nice that everyone on the team played and scored…very nice

I was soo happy about this victory that i watched it again @ midnight and then caught rip’s interview @ 3 in tha morning , lol!

oh snap i forgot to put my signature….

LET"S GO PISTONS AND LET"S GET THAT SHIP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1 2007-2008 IT"S OUR TIME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

ALL BOUT DETROIT BABY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Dear Coach Saunders,

Should you have the pleasure of playing against the Cavaliers in the playoffs this year, please add to your playbook, “Activate Ronald Dupree: Operation Sweep The Leg Johnny”

I saw some things I liked last night. First, we coralled LeBron. Granted he still made some great shots and abused Hayes, but I liked the zone D with everyone’s left eye on LeBron. We need to tweak it, though. The Pistons have to realize that Pavlovic thinks he’s next the next Earl the Pearl when he plays Detroit. Every chance he gets he drives. We should be stopping that even with LeBron on the floor.

Other than that, high marks for everyone… even both Flips and Nazr. Well, except Amir. He needs to WORK in the post if that’s where he wants to be. Fight for the block. He still needs to gain some weight.

1 other note: Where was Samb? I’m just hoping that we’re using Flip’s and Nazr’s playing time to convince (snake oil) other teams that they’re viable players. Hello Charlotte and Washington… Have we got a DEEEEAL for you!!!

three things:
1) about the announcers, they were sure feeding of each other. they showed a replay for james getting injured and were like
“he got a lot of ball but must have hit him in the hand”
“yeah he cliped him in the finger”
“yeah and he got a piece of his face”
thank god they didn’t go on any further
2) if they asked me if i’d like to be an NBA player for just one game i’d jump on the chance. I wouldn’t be so quick to do it if i though i’d look like boobie did tonight
3) why play the starters at all on the 4th?

Trade rumor…

Amare for Sheed and J-max.

Thoughts?

-WBN

I’d do it.

in a heartbeat.

i can’t imagine they’d really want him though. can you imagine if Sheed had been on the team during the Spurs series? He would’ve been tossed from almost every game.

There are 2 problems. 1) What’s the status of Amare’s health (knees)? 2) He’s perfect for the Phoenix run & gun system, not that wack offense we run. Remember when Sean Elliont came to the Pistons in the Rodman trade. He went from being an All Star to an avg player on our squade cause he didn’t match our system. If he’s totally 100% healthy then maybe. Cause you are left very thin without him. Your front court becomes Amare, Dice, Nazr. (We all know Amir is not ready yet, so don’t bring him up). Wait a minute, doesn’t Amare have a max contract? Around $18 or $20M. Sheed makes about $13M and Maximus around 3. Doesn’t compute does it? I don’t know if its my head or my heart that won’t let me say a definite yes.

First of all, it’s the Phoenix offense that’s wack. There is no offense without Steve Nash. Their offense is put it in his hands and run pick-and-roll (which, of course, isn’t a bad idea when you have him).

Sheed is better than Amare. Amare can’t play defense and has no post moves. His offense consists of jump shots and rolling to the basket off a screen (granted, he’s better at this than just about anyone).

The Sheed we’re seeing this year is FINALLY justifying being the highest paid player on the team. He’s been nothing short of dominant on both sides of the court.

I was calling for his head after last year. But, I’ll take two years of this Sheed and then take my chances with Maxiell, Amir, Cheick Samb and whoever else we draft.

I’ll take Sheed, blemishes and all. I’d ride him into retirement. He’s a baller plain and simple. Plus his head seems to be in the right place this season.

It’s one thing to have a guy who battles the refs game-in game-out, it’s another thing to battle your own teammates and coaches. We don’t need a self-centered player like that.

WBN, please, get professional help for that crack problem.

Phoenix would have to hand us about 5 players to even get that trade to stop looking like pure lunacy.

As I recall, we have another player - McDyess - who put up better 2nd half numbers last year than Amare did.

cavs suck they had a lucky year its all over go pistons!