(It was either this video or the insanely awesome interview Oden did with Miss Gossip, which I’m 99% sure already graced the pages of this site.)
Oden may be lost for the season but the Trail Blazers have surprised everyone by staying in the playoff hunt. They won 13 in a row at one stretch but have cooled lately, playing about .500 ball for the last few weeks. Their MVP has clearly been Brandon Roy, who’s emerged not only as the team’s leader but also a bona fide star. Unfortunately, Pistons fans won’t get a chance to see him, as he’s back in his native Seattle dealing with a death in the family. You still can’t count the Blazers out, but I wouldn’t be surprised if they come out flat.
The ball tips at 8pm (FSN), and I’ll be at the Palace filling pre-game, halftime and post-game reports for HOOPSWORLD. As usual, feel free to leave your thoughts in the comments.
If Amir gets 2 minutes and then, after the game, Flip complains about everyone’s energy level like in the Miami game, I’ll scream. I’m not a huge “play Amir for the sake of playing him” guy, but if you yank Amir after 2 minutes (who made no evident mistakes) and then mope about energy…
What a Samb performance last night: 4 points, 4 blocks, and 6 fouls in only 7 minutes. Did anyone watch it? How are there even enough possessions in 7 minutes to get 6 fouls and 4 blocks?
I kid, though, he’s actually been decent at staying out of foul trouble.
Chauncey is going to work on the Blazers.
Amir! Bring those energetic tip-ins!
The dog-days of the NBA schedule must carry over to this board. Where is everybody?
a simply amirzing put back. not sure about that sheed fellow though, quick fouls and all that.
We should trade him for Dwight Howard.
The young guns are killing the Blazers, i love it.
I’m furious!!! I’m missing Stuckey-Amir alley-oops ’cause I’m at work watching this on Yahoo Gamecast! AAARRRRGGGHHH!
HELLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL YEAH
that is some beautiful play by the bench. If they can give 50% of this type of performance on a consistent basis (which I would say they are working towards, successfully) detroit will without a doubt win in the playoffs.
IFs are my favorite.
GO STONES!
With 8 points in the second quarter, Stuckey has been incredible so far. This may very well be his first TRUE break-out game.
AMIR with Hustle! Stuckey with the assist to Sheed for the 3 ball!!!
Good to see the Pistons beating up on a weaker team like they should. Stuckey’s game is getting better and better.
Minnesota likes to compete with those Celtics. They’ve got the lead at halftime.
the last four games have been breakout games for stuckey. he’s gotten better in each and is getting frighteningly good. chauncey has slimmed down and is much faster, making him able to more often take advantage of our usual defensive greatness. stuckey is taking that aspect of it to another level and blowing them off the court. i love that lead dribble he does. he probably get that stolen from her on out, but i like it.
*he’ll probably get that stolen from here on out*
Nice show from the bench!
Well-wishes to Roy’s family . . . I read the blurb about a death in his family.
The back-to-back Rasheed shots were great.
And this is why Steve Blake is considered a journeyman.
Somebody give me the quick synopsis on this game. I just got back from dinner (late because of the truly atrocious service, nothing pisses me off more than being at dinner for 2 hours because my waiter is incompetent). I got on the Michigan-Miami hockey game for now, which is #2 Michigan 4, #1 Miami 0 with 5 minutes to go in the second period for any Wolverines out there.
DAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAMN!
I fell out of my seat. Rip to Prince - niiice dunk. Sweet and light, no sugar added.
Other Matt -
Portland’s missing Brandon Roy. They’re not playing horrible, but it was bad luck to be missing him today. Detroit came with a ton of energy, and they’ve got 2 full units trading off like Wings shifts. It’s a rickroll night, and Portland’s getting the Astley.
Pistons up big, Portland trying to keep up.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oHg5SJYRHA0
ok, chauncey came out blazing with 17 in the first quarter
they started feeding the bench in with three minutes left. maxy was already in cause sheed got two fouls in the first five. stuck ran them off the court. amir was a beast. sheed came back in and killed. we’ve been up 25.
Piston fans who complain about Nazr… just think, Dumars called Pryzbilla too!
OOOOOHHHHHHHHHH SHIIIIIIIIIIIII
Rip 2 Prince - AGAIN! More authority on this dunk!
Sauce isn’t going to be a fan of this game… Amir actually is playing well, and possibly showing some potential.. PUT HIM ON THE BENCH!
woooooooooooooooooooooo go stones. this is just plain fun to watch.
They’re all playing well, Boney. I expect to see “AMIR LEADS THE TEAM TO VICTORY” tomorrow!
and it should be said that maxy is bulldozing those kids out of the lane for fine position. he’s playin’ dirty.
nice block by Jmaxx
Consider that baby eaten!
if Amir can dominate LaMarcus Aldridge, it’s safe to say he has a future in the league… not because Aldridge is all that great but because he’s a #3 overall pick whose making bank and playing at a high level right now and Amir is still getting his feet wet.
it doesn’t matter… Rasheed will be long gone and you’ll still want all the youth riding the pine while 33 year olds carry the weight of the squad
Raef LaFrentz is being guarded by Jarvis Hayes… my how he has fallen
I know Stuckey has played some good games but I think this is definately his break out game.
Boney, if you can’t take a joke, then at least I got you guys to be the hornets’ nest you need to be.
GOOOOO DETROIT AMIRSTONS!
And there it was: an Amir Johnson post-game interview.
Admittedly, when the entire bench was in, especially with Herrmann, the Blazers were closing back in. Put when you mix and match starters and the bench, good things happen.
I don’t know if there will be any more games that Amir, Afflalo, and Stuckey will each get more minutes than every starter besides Tay. The score got closer, but letting the starters have rest like this will always make me happy.
Don’t worry Boney, Sauce just likes to root for guys born no later than 1977.
*But
Well, the T-Wolves are up by 2 with 38.7 left. They blew it last time in Boston, I really don’t have faith in them to pull it out, but since it would be Boston’s 1st loss to a western team, I’m really hoping it happens.
And Rondo pulls a mid-range jumper out of his ass to tie it with 28.9 left. Way to go Minnesota, let them get the 2 for 1.
Sauce I can take a joke, but when you only want guys who were born before 1970 to play to win then there’s something seriously wrong with you… that’s all. we’re all hoping for the same thing, but success down the road means playing the youth!
Minnesota is pathetic, Boston really seems to benefit from teams collapsing in the last couple minutes, or in some instances, the last couple of seconds to pull out a win. Gotta be the least dominant, dominant team I can think of. Well, besides the Patroits that is!
You can’t read either, Boney . . . not a surprise!
Man, I’m going to see if I can download this game. Sounds like a good all-around effort, and I haven’t seen a full Pistons game in a while (hence my absence; anyone miss me? Anyone…? Bueller…?)
come on now, I’m good at reading comprehension!
Well well well Boney, that made me chuckle, you cheikhy bastard!
Great interview with Amir after the game. He’s smiling the whole time and talking about how when the bench comes in, “They like to run. You know those older guys (starters), they don’t like to run, but we like to run. . . “
Great game. They needed that kind of effort after the heat game. Nice to see
what has CLICKED in rodney stuckey? he has had a fantastic stretch. whatever you’re eating/drinking/rubbing yr bball jones with, stuck, keep it rolling. he was a little star-struck with his “idol” (cringe/gag/vomit) dwyane wade the other game, but other than that, solid.
i loved that 2nd Q line-up with sheed as the lone starter. my suggestion would be to use it again sometime soon.
This is where stuckey was on track to be before the injury. This is also why we paid amir. I love it.
If God and Joe D. got in a fight who would win?
Trick Question. Joe D. is God.
Also Congrats to Chauncey. nice game.
I liked how sheed was facilitating while the kids where in
TEN players with more than 20 but less than 30 minutes?!? Nice work Flip!
Note to bench: Don’t get outscored 25-10, even in a blowout.
25-10 in the 4Q…
hmm. great zoo crew tonite. gonna see a lot of them in april… looking at the sched.
but much of the fourth they were without a starter. it’s still not good, but i wouldn’t expect them to do particularly well completely on their own right yet. especially when you start using combinations that they’re not particularly used to.
zoo crew action tonight. just finished watching the game. stuckey is doing his thing but i’d like him to pass more. Amir doing everything but getting no respect from the refs (i mean some of those calls…).
nice game, lots of energy.
Also, Matt, just reminding you about the plane ticket to the game
I’m just saying i can be packed and out the door on my way to the airport in like 10 minutes if need be…
What’s encouraging is that’s where the young guys are now. It makes one excited to see how they develop not just 4 months from now, but a year or two. Stuckey has an “impose his will” quality that shines through here and there.
Amir earns many of his calls, but there was one I remember where they called a Martell Webster travel right afterwards as if to say, “sorry.” Joe D seems very convinced that Amir will be a great defender, judging from a radio interview Thursday, but Amir’s still got a ridiculous frame that will take some time to grow into.
Its quite possible my eyes turn into giant hearts when I watch Miss Gossip.
Oh and…
AMIR LEADS THE TEAM TO VICTORY!!!!!!!
I missed the game. I also missed Garrett. Welcome back. Where are the leather gang jackets we talked about a while back?
Sauce, I don’t get the concept of being “RickRoll’d”, but anything Rick Astley related is entirely worthwhile to me (especially the reference to him an episode of “Family Guy”). My friend might be considered a dead ringer for Mr. Astley and another one of my friends has the “Whenever You Need Somebody” vinyl framed. Astley is truly a special man.
On the basketball tip, looks like all is well with the Boys in Blue.
Good game by the bench (despite the 4th quarter), which is very encouraging. The worst part of the night was switching over to see Minnesota blow what could have been their second victory over Boston.
LB, it’s a net-fad.
Ex.
“ZOMG KOBE AND KIDD TRADED TO THE CAVS FOR NOTHING IN RETURN!1!!”
One provides the link to the Astley song instead.
Rick-rolled, punk’d, et cetera.
LawyerBoy- If you want to watch the game, here is a url to a stream of it http://tinyurl.com/2ylcgn%3C/b%3E%3Cbr%3E%3Csmall%3E%5B%3Ca%20href=
OT: Downloading Pistons vs Lakers 1989 finals game 4. I’m not old enough to have seen it, so it’ll be interesting to see what Isiah, Joe, Laimbeer, Mahorn and the Microwave were like in their prime. I can’t wait.
Ok, I have watched the game and the thing that most impresses me with this team is its poise. Starting unit pretty much, its a given. The bench however has obviously been watching closely because they were in complete control even if they were outscored in the last. I have a really good feeling about this team.
LawyerBoy: Awww, thanks. Just for that you get 10% off your wedding photography.
Well hopefully a victory like this will give the bench guys some more confidence going into the last half of the season. If we can hit our stride and keep pouring on the pressure for the playoffs, we should be golden.
Oh, and thanks for the streaming link Matt G. I’m watching it now. Afflalo really moves his feet well on D.
no problem Garrett. As long as the game isn’t on national television its really easy to get a link like that the day after. So if anyone wants a link just say so and I’ll probably read it here and post it. Either that or go here http://golf.cautela.nl/showthread.php?t=12680
Did I say I wanted Webber back? Um, I meant DON’T want Webber back. Yeah.
Warriors vs. Kings:
C.Webber C 14:18 FG 0-1, 3PT 0-0, FT 2-4, +3, REB 5, AST 1, PF 1, ST 1, TO 0, BS 0, PTS 2.
Looking for Detroit to beat Charlotte today without going to overtime. Hopefully the bench continues its strong play.
Spurs and Celtics are on early. I’m really getting disgusted with Boston getting calls. Everytime I’ve watched them besides the first game against the Pistons, they’ve recieved love from the officials. You know when Powe is getting the benefit of the doubt against Tim Duncan, something might be up.
Jeff Van Gundy and Mark Jackson were arguing whether or not Pierce’s number should be retired in Boston. Van Gundy said that up to this point, it shouldn’t be while Mark Jackson was convinced it should due to Pierce’s scoring. Van Gundy argued that winning is a large part of it and that Boston is generous when it comes to retiring players numbers. Van Gundy ended his point by saying that if they retire Pierce’s number, they should retire Antione Walker’s number as well. I found that to be pretty funny.
Was this up here yet?
http://ballhype.com/video/rip_hamilton_shoting_lights_out_from_downtown/
I’m actually getting kinda excited about this years all-star weekend. Lots of trash talking going on.
I’m now rooting for a t-shirt with Rip shooting three’s with More Tramp Ball written on it.
OT: My thoughts on Shaq trade. I give Steve Kerr a lot of credit for having the balls to make a blockbuster trade when his team had the best record in the West. Not sure how it’ll work out but it was clear to me that the Suns were not a championship caliber team.
Boston, on the other hand, is for real. They are a great defensive team. As of now, I think Boston and LA are the favourites. I know, I know…
Fel, I saw that clip. Problem is, it’s obviously edited and Sheed stated after this happened that Rip doesn’t have a quick enough release. Those last two racks were butter though.
QD, I agree that Kerr made a move that at least gives them a chance to win a title. It’s a big gamble and could easily blow up in his face, but they weren’t going anywhere anyways. I also agree that Boston is for real, but they do get away with some of he body checks, moving picks, etc…, that’ve really helped them out in close games. If they get the calls against us like U think they will, I’m not happy about Detroit’s chances to get back to the Finals.
*U = I
I don’t mind the refs letting Boston play physical, I love physical teams that play good defense, as long as their opponents are allowed to do the same. If all things are equal and we do lose to Boston in the playoffs, at least Pistons fans will be able to say the better team beat us unlike the last two years. I still believe that the Pistons are a deeper team that executes better down the stretch. Pistons in 6, that’s what I’m predicting.
I don’t get what’s up with all the Laker love? Bill Walton was saying they’re a championship calibre team. Really? LA doesn’t scare me one bit. They’re like Boston only worse. They have no bench, and their Big 3 isn’t even a big 3 because I don’t think Lamar Odom is consistent enough to be considered a serious threat.
I disagree Garrett. Kobe is kobe, Gasol can easily be an 18-8 guy with this team, Bynum is a young guy whos been great (13-10 with 2 blocks is nothing to snub), and Odom can be the guy that feeds the ball and doesn’t have to be a big option anymore. Add in a good defensive, shooter pgs in Fisher and Farmar, athletic sf to do the little things in Ariza, Walton to be a shooter and solid passer, Vlad to hit the occasional 3, Turiaf to hustle and rebound and Vujacic to shoot 3’s and solid D, I think they have a really good bench. I think they have a really good chance at being there in the finals.
If the NBA isn’t fixed, then it has to be heavily influenced by someone the fans aren’t seeing. LA gets Gasol for nothing, and yes, I mean NOTHING. The Celtics dish off their garbage to acquire two superstars. Funny that happens right in time for the opening of Boston’s new arena. I’ve tried to not let myself get swept up in NBA conspiracy theories, but I’m over it. The more thought you put to it, the less likely it seems that the NBA lets all games get played out fairly, it would constitute bad business. Until a guy that has actually played basketball runs the league, I’ll be skeptical.
These recent trades have made this league look like a circus. Memphis makes that trade to LA so the owner of the team can make a better case for selling the franchise.
Now, as a fan, I find myself facing a paradox; how do I root for an NBA team if I feel that the results of games might be affected by an invisible influence? It’s a tough question, but a fair one. I’ve read posts from others on this site that feel point spreads are affected by obvious officiating bias’. That doesn’t mean these people want to stop watching the NBA, it just makes it harder to fully appreciate what the league offers its fans.
There are many things people can cite to contradict what I’m saying. One point would be that San Antonio has been winning titles even though it belongs to a smaller media market. However, most of the NBA’s successful franchises (LA, CHI, NY) belong to large markets that bring in large revenues.
Besides, if the NBA is on the up and up, someone will have to explain Miami’s title a couple years back. That Finals could be some of the most damaging evidence there is to suggest the outcomes of NBA games are decided by off-court factors or business interests. Let’s not forget, while the Heat are awful now, those Dwayne and Charles commercials have been a great marketing campaign for the NBA and Verizon Wireless. Would we have those ads without Miami experiencing the short-lived playoff success that they did?
Just some random thoughts fueled by another sloppy Celtics win. If everyone wants to dismiss me as paranoid and bitter at Boston, I’ll accept that, but I know I can’t be alone in thinking there’s been some changes in the NBA that defy common logic.
Damn this Pistons game needs to start already!
I agree Matt, the Lakers have a solid squad now. Just pisses me off that they go from middle of the pack to the team to beat in less than a week. I know that the NBA has struggled with ratings these last few years, but DAMN!
To add on to what Matt Gibson said…
And they lost Kwame Brown which also makes them a better team.
To me, they were the 3rd best team in the West before the trade. And then they swapped Gasol for Brown. That’s about as good as the Sheed trade.
I still think San Antonio, Dallas, Utah, Phoenix, and maybe even New Orleans are better than the Lakers. They’ll probably prove me wrong by going on a 15-game win streak or something…..
The Lakers haven’t playing the kind of defense needed to go on a 15-game winning streak.
WLM1: Oh, and also about your conspiracy theories… imagine the NBA execs getting all worked up over the prospect of Kobe vs. Shaq in the playoffs again? ABC hinted at it already today, by saying that Phoenix had eliminated the Lakers in the last two years. Now add the Shaq/Kobe dynamic to the mix and you’ve got yourself a plot.
Good point Garret, good point. Good to see I’m not the only one noticing these things.