First look: Jason Maxiell looks a lot like Larry Johnson grabbing that rebound.
Second look: When is Kirk Hinrich going to take his arm out of the air?
Third look: Is Maxiell’s arm really bigger than Tyrus Thomas’ head?
With the Bulls returning to their home floor, Game 3 will almost certainly be the most competitive of the series so far. Of course, I’m not going out on a limb by saying that, as the Bulls could lose by 15 and it’d still be true. Las Vegas doesn’t think that will happen, though, as the Bulls are 2.5 point favorites. Give me Detroit straight-up, but it’ll still be close.
Will it be a nail-biter? Another blow-out? Or (gasp!) a win for Chicago? The ball tips at 9pm on ESPN — leave your pre-game predictions and in-game observations in the comments.
My prediction: Pistons shock Chi-town with 15 point victory!
I am seriously geeked about this game. In the spirit of “new” (new venue for game tonight) I drank out of my newer Pistons mug for morning coffee; two new lids were delivered from the Palace Locker Room store today; and I have new Adidas Piston logo flip flops. This, of course, will translate into victory tonight! I think they smell blood and will attack with a quickness! It will be a closer game, my thinking is Pistons by 11. (want to make it double digit)
Rick Carlisle had some good things to say about Chauncey and Rip on the ESPN pre-game show. I do hope Tirico and Skelator are calling the game tonight, they’re money together!
Wow . . . first quarter was bad ref choices on non-calls and their calls . . . Tyrus Thomas had a goaltend? The Pistons and the travelling calls? Really? Good thing Chicago wasn’t hitting the shots, even some open ones, so far, or this game would be Chicago up some points.
start hitting some f-ing shots! it’s like an inaccuracy infection…
The worst part of this game is having to listen to Mark Jackson. He’s truly horrible.
For the record, I’m not panicking. All we have to do is hang around long enough to steal this game at the end. This might also be a good time to mention that I dreamt that the Pistons lost by 31. We appear well on our way to that result.
10 point quarters are not what we need. I’m not worried though. It seems the refs are swallowing the whistle when the Pistons are on offense. It also seems that the ball is bouncing everywhere a Bulls player is standing. We need to shoot better AND crash the boards.
I’m not worried though. Other Matt, dreams like that you keep to yourself!!
this team didn’t even show up in chicago. they just wrote game 3 off. that’s the detroit team i remember from the regular season, believing their own hype and phoning it in. they better get as pissed off as i am in that locker room.
JackDutch…they’ll flip the switch! If we have it w/i 10 points with 5 minutes left in the 4th, I like our chances.
The refs swallowed the whistle inside - completely. Then Detroit started settling for jumpers (Pistons own fault late 2nd) - and Chicago’s doing 42 percent out there for field goals, and now we’re down by a lot. lol, 33.3 percent Detroit field goal shooting . . . Detroit’s gotta keep forcing the issue inside on offense because if they don’t, Chicago’s D is going to give us very little for open jumpers. It’s a tough proposition though because the bigs are facing 2-3 men on them in the paint, and so on. Detroit loves the jump shot, but they have to get calls, and they won’t get any if they don’t stand up to the Bulls interior defense. Refs put Pistons in that position? Then defy ‘em.
The game is also on FSN Detroit; after that first half, I’m even more glad I have George Blaha to listen to.
Porter’s right (FSN feed) - gotta go inside, attack that basket. Rip’s got 50 percent shooting out there - he’s forcing the issue in there.
HOLY CRAP WE’RE GETTING CALLS AGAIN!
Kill ‘em softly, Detroit. Play smart D.
stop taking three balls!!!!
pound it inside
b-b-b-billups for threeee
I don’t see sheed complaining about playing zone now. They’re alive 44-55
24-second violation on Chicago! Excellent D, gentlemen.
The defense is starting to clamp down… look out bulls.
DETROIT WILL NOT GO AWAY! EXCELLENT TRANSITION AND HUSTLE FOR THE TAYSHAUN DUNK!
tay with the dunk!!!! 12 point run. Pistons within 5. Comon… sustain that defense guys.
why does this team have to make me so damn mad at them before they decide to play competitive basketball? i truly feel for flip saunders.
which may be the most sympathy i’ve ever felt for the guy.
The bulls look nervous and can’t figure out the zone at all. That zone has won us several games this year. Where are all the Flip haters now. I think he’s doing a great job. They need to stay active on the defense and they will have the lead in no time. They are forcing the bulls to work awfully hard for their points.
Antonio’s shot is BROKE!
OOOOOOOOOOOOH! 3-point Billups! Keep it goin’ Detroit! Turnover gained by Detroit! Nice dish Billups to the big inside!
There you go Dice… layup buddy
Hahahaha, “Bullshit” audible on FSN by the crowd. Nice, Chicago - you got it exactly right.
Sheeeeeeeeeeeeed@@@@@@@!!!!!!!!
OH CHICAGO, Rasheed 3 at the buzzer! 30-12 for the 3rd! Whoooooo-haaaaaaaaaaa!!!!
Here’s hoping they have enough left in the tank after that great comeback. All year long they have had trouble getting over the hump. Go DETROIT!
Easy, McDyess, not too much contact on those lost rebounds.
As McCoy told Spock in Star Trek VI “we’ve got a heartbeat!”
Ben is out - time to pound the offensive glass.
Nobody can guard sheed on the block.
You know how — as a kid of the ’80s — sometimes you’d think you pressed pause on the awkward Nintendo controller during Mike Tyson’s Punchout…
and say you were fighting Glass Joe at the time…
But you didn’t really pause the game — it played on. So while you were a) funnelling Kool Aid, b) talking on the phone, or c) destroying a Micro Magic cheeseburger, Glass Joe was having his way with helpless Little Mac?
You know how when you came back to the game, Little Mac had already been knocked down once and his energy level was way down? And maybe he was doing that weird glowing/heaving thing?
You know what I’m talking about?
Well, when you came back to the game, you didn’t press reset, did you? I mean, you were fighting Glass Joe for godsakes. You just grabbed the controller and beat the hell out of him for the remainder of the fight.
And, of course, you probably still won by TKO (or, “eee aaaa uuuu,” in Nintendo refspeak) just as you would have had you succeeded in pressing pause in the first place.
Well the Bulls are obviously Glass Joe (or “Glass Psyche,” in the present case), and the Pistons just beat the hell out of them. My guess is that we’ll still see the TKO.
And there ends my long-winded analogy.
OH HO HO! Tayshaun’s pump fake made Nocioni look straight FOOLISH!
Man the stones are playing with some fire.
Ian Cameron - that was a nice long-winded analogy. Micro Magic burgers - It’s been almost 20 years since I had one of those - as many years since I’ve heard that referenced. Plus!
i can’t even look. i’ve backed myself into a superstitious corner. i just keep refreshing this comments page to get a sense if things are going well. keep up the chatter, kids….
Ian, nice call. You don’t come often, but when you do, you really bring it!!
Babies!!!
For the lead! Take ‘em down Detroit!!!
HA HA HA - suddenly they are calling the contact on rebounding. DAGGERS - DAGGERS - CHAUNCEY, WHOOOOOOOOOOO!
Big Shot… Big Shot!
DAGGERS! RASHEED!
It raining!
72-67, scant minutes in 4th - close the light out on the Chicago hope lamp!
They are starting “meltdown” mode over at Blogabull. Ha ha!
DAGGERS! CHAUNCEY! PISTONS UP SEVEN!
They are everywhere right now.
http://youtube.com/watch?v=dUhW8lPFpRY
Hinrich’s best move is that outside screen where he hits that long jumper - I remember him killing Detroit in the regular season with that - the Bulls, for whatever reason, don’t run that play nearly as much as they used to - it’s good fortune for Detroit.
I’m amazed that Skiles has gone so long without TT in the game. He definitely gives them a spark.
Ian I don’t think he would help them attack the zone though. You need a midrange game for that.
When Tyson’s Punchout had that silly “woo-woo-woo, woo-woo-woo” as the fighters defied physics thrashing left and right . . . that was always so delicious when they’d flail a number of times - and that is the perfect metaphor for Chicago’s response to this second half!
I think the commentors on blogabull have blamed everyone possible on the team. Nocioni for missing, gordon for not shooting enough, hinrich for shooting not enough/ too much (depends if it was game 1 or 2), Pj for not boxing out, TT for being nervous, skiles for being bold and the crowd for not being good enough. Good times.
TAYSHAUN BLOCK! Gee, Ben Gordon, you think driving weak on a 6′9 forward was a good idea?
DRAIN THAT CLOCK!
Nice choke at the line AN.
Nocioni stinker free throws - perfect!
Bad three right there.
This game is a tale of two halfs huh?
Hear the guy yelling sweep in the background?
No reason for Nocioni out there - Skiles’s decision to keep him out there is probably the best argument Bulls fans can have against this game.
Start the bus.
Gee, maybe Pau Gasol COULD have helped Chicago! 3-0 . . . Detroit’s eaten most of their babies.
Sheed must have said “Ball Don’t Lie” about five times after that miss by Deng. This is amazing.
It like they were just toying with them. I’m loving this.
I think this game says more about the bulls than it does for the Pistons. We knew the Pistons were capable of a game like this. But this is a home game for them and they still let it slip away. They are a still a long way off from being a championship contender.
81-74! No need to return Chicago to Detroit! 3-0 . . . let’s finish it in Chicago! Excellent play, Pistons! Zone defense kills teams with lack of big men who can score.
I want to hear what Flip said to these guys at the half. Wow… man. Wow.
I love my pistons…
Now this is what separated the MEN from the BOYS…
Great game, red white and blue!
Now wrap it up on Sunday!!!!
Deeeeetroit BASKETBALL!
58 points on one rim, 97 on the other. Rigged?? I guess they didn’t follow through with their plan to secretly swap rims at halftime!
No kidding, anonymosity!
Well I did say we will “shock Chi-town”.
First they got shoved…
Then they got slapped…
Today they got punched…
Sunday we go for the KO!
If that doesn’t rip the heart out of Chicago, I don’t know what will. Sweet, sweet victory.
I’m surprised that we can pull out a victory in the 2nd round of the playoffs with our bench only scoring 5 and Cwebb going scoreless.
There’s nothing better than making Chicago fans doubt their team’s character. You can make excuses for blowouts, but when your team folds like a sack of crap it’s crying time. Hahaha.
From tonights game:
Jason Maxiell Eats a Small Baby
http://blip.tv/file/225242
and…
Tayshaun makes Nocioni look silly
http://blip.tv/file/225239
I know it’s the playoffs and the bench gets shorter, but in games 1 and 2 of this series they could have rested the starters more. Granted this game was different. I just hope they leave a little gas in the tank for the next few rounds.
For a while I was worried that Tayshaun might get out-Tayshauned by Luol Deng. Deng just might be Tayshaun 3000.
I don’t know what was better…getting home just in time to see their 12-0 run in the third and then them winning, or getting on just now and seeing everyone go silly happy in the comments. Good times.
Great comeback win tonight. Does anyone else HATE that stupid dogtrack camera? I almost had an aneurysm between the pistons poor first half and every time they went to that stupid camera zooming back and forth with the crappy viewing angle ARGGGHHHH!!! makes me mad just thinking about it.
Wow…we really ripped their hearts out tonight. Sweep, here we come again…I hope New Jersey can win a couple against Cleveland so they have to work for it.
YEAH! I’ve been a Piston forever, Fbenwallace we got C-Webber, we make it rain! We make it rain in Chicago, we make it rain!
Matt, quick question–
How did you put the audio of the Nocioni Ballad onto here? Was just hoping if you’d give me some insight.
Thanks
My favorite part? When someone described Tayshaun’s dunk, “Excuse me, I have an appointment with the RIM!”
Maxiell is already earning respect around the league… I think he was booed the loudest last night. Could it have been the “hard foul” on Deng in Game 2?
Boney, I noticed that too. I think while he definitely went from an unknown to a someone this year, I’m pretty sure that the booing stemmed from the foul, not from name recognition. Maybe in another year or two though…
yeah I know it was because of the foul. it would be nice to think it was from the vicious dunks in Game 1, but none of the Bulls fans want to remember that.