It’s not that exciting, but I just couldn’t bear to post this one. In any case, I’ll be at the Palace tonight (7:30, TV20) covering the game for HOOPSWORLD. As usual, post your thoughts on the game in the comments.
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Basketbawful and Hardwood Paroxysm just did a new “Powerless Rankings”
http://hardwoodparoxysm.blogspot.com/
we’re last in the east (which means we’re the best team), and this is how Hardwood Paroxysm described the current state of the Pistons:
“Dear Opponents: You won’t know you’re dead till you feel the steel. Love, Sheed.”
if that ain’t great, i don’t know what is.
Great start, Detroit… *sigh* Playing a weak team is not a vacation.
Awful loss…..and were gonna get hammered by Boston tommorrow.
WTF how do you let the worst team in the NBA (or one of the worst teams) score damn near 40 points in the 1st qtr?
Sometimes I think they want to fail as a franchise
this team really knows how to lay an egg. and then after the loss, saunders will talk about how that first home game after a road trip is always a let-down game.
of course, knowing this, he still was unable to do anything to prevent it.
kevin calabro (seattle feed) is the best play-by-play commentator in basketball
It’s official! The world is coming to an end! Jarvis Hayes just stuffed Damien Wilkins.
An ode to the Return of the Rattler
A tale of two quarters.
Prophecy, that’s just crazy talk.
That was a stupid chuck by Sheed
Rattler’s a better signing than Double D. The guy can still play when healthy. Like it.
I can’t wait until Theo pulls up lame sometime this week.
Stuckey really put us back in it.
And then J-Max proceeds to be an idiot.
Think Flip is gonna draw up a play for Walter?
Nice way to close out the half.
Our second quarter defense was great, we just couldn’t convert on all those turnovers. We should have had a solid 5 or 6 point lead if we didn’t miss all those bunnies.
agreed rj h, i look forward to every seattle game because of calabro. he’s fantastic - not a homer, legitimately loves basketball, has a great voice, very insightful, etc.
question: at this point, would you trade brandon roy for kevin durant straight up? i’m not convinced portland pulls the trigger there…i think durant has a bright future, but i don’t think he’s as can’t miss as people say…i value him below roy or gay, for instance, which i think was sacrilege before this season started. at a minimum, i don’t think it’s completely obvious that you take durant…
Maxiell with all time Pistons top 10 block right there… swat that baby to the sideline… GET THAT WEAK SAUCE OUT OF HERE DURANT!
Glad I went to the gym during the first half and grilled burgers during halftime. Why hasn’t sheed been in at all it seems in the second half-such poor play-or just getting him well rested for tomorrow?
Anyways, the youngin’s are playing very well. : ) That last 3 by Chauncey seems like a tide turner, in conjunction with the monster block and general defensive lock down by the stones.
Much closer than it should’ve been, but I’m extremely glad Amir and Maxey got some late-game burn.
Yup, Maxiell ate three babies tonight. Get that mess outta here, rook!
Poor management of the basketball down the stretch by the Sonics and clutch shooting for the Pistons gave us this win. I hope we don’t start off like the way we did this game against the Celtics or we might be able to make a comeback like we did today.
Hells yes I likes me some JMax and Amir late in a game.
the first thing that saunders should say in the locker room after this game is “starters, you owe us one tomorrow night.” the +/- difference between the starters and bench was ridiculous. the bench shouldn’t be put in that position. so much bitching from the starters in the 1st quarter. hope they’re not expecting those calls tomorrow night, because they ain’t coming, boys.
let me know ahead of time, “best starting five in the nba”, if i should tune in tomorrow evening, or if you’re going to walk into boston like a bunch of arrogant assholes who think they don’t have to work for Ws in this league.
JackDutch, that last paragraph: bravo.
I didn’t see the first half, but I’m not sure if there’s a team in the NBA, veteran, successful, focused, or coming off of a championship, that wouldn’t be looking ahead to a game with their only real in-conference rival. I was hoping for an easy win or a blowout loss because this game really didn’t mean a whole bunch. Bravo to the bench for the W. I just can’t fault the starters for not bringing their A-game against a non-conference joke. I don’t see this as a case of the flip-the-switch-itis that has plagued the Stones, but rather a realistic guage of where their minds are. On Boston.
Which is not to say they need to win tomorrow to send a message or to have a chance in the playoffs, just that to them it’s a little bigger game than the first two of the season. It’s getting late and this will be a good test of their ability to play well on the road before a hungry crowd and a hungrier Garnett. This will be a playoff atmosphere game, a nice test for the youngsters. I don’t know how I’m going to sleep tonight…
Pistons v. Boston: It’s like Christmas, hunting season, draft night, and New Year’s all wrapped up into one day!
The more I think about it, and the more I review these comments, I gotta say: what’s wrong with you people? This is a game that the Pistons would have lost last year, because of the infamous “switch” mentality. They would have mailed this one in, even in the Palace, all the while looking forward to the next game. The starters would play half-ass ball and then make a lackluster attempt to win it in the fourth. This year, we have a bench that can actually play us back into the game. That’s a huge improvement! Why are we complaining?
Rob G: We are complaining because we shouldn’t need to. Yes, our bench won this one, and that makes me a happy, happy man. Seeing Amir get 20+? Priceless.
Thanks to Joe’s mandate that Flip play our bench, and Flip’s resulting bench confidence, we won this game. But that doesn’t mean we’re not going to be critical. Should our starters (with the exception of Tay, as always) shown up and given a little more heart? Without a doubt.
“What’s wrong with you people?” I’m one of those “people”. I’m proud of our bench for winning this game. But our starters mailed this one in, and if we lost it you’d likely be singing a different song.
Actually, Jack, the starters owe two, Boston and a makeup for that CBA-like perfomance against the Knicks (who might be rid of Isiah by the weekend).
Reading the recap on espn.com. I see Flip did a little coaching, letting Max and Amir play down the stretch. While that’s so un-Flip-like on many different levels, because it was a really impressive decision.
We talk much about the genius of Joe D. Although I’m not completely sold yet, he’s certainly grown Flip into a much better coach now than when he was when he first came here.
Oh God. Complimenting Flip on playing Amir and Maxiell through the second half is like complimenting a 7th grader on being able to read. It should be expected. These kind of decisions shouldn’t even have an after-thought… but with Flip they do. When your starters are laying a pile of pooh on the court, and you have the deepest team in the league, you SHOULD yank your starters!!! Its not rocket science!! Especially when your average starting age is over 30 years old. This is the oldest our starting lineup has been in 7 years.
I like Flips quote: “The best way to find out and to prepare them for the playoffs is to let them play,” …ummm, DUUUUUUH!!! That’s what every fan has been bitching about all season. But I especially like how he says this a week after Amir got a DNP next to name.
Boston hasn’t played since Sunday. If the starters come out flatfooted again, they’ll have a really tough time winning against the rested Celtics.
I knew someone would find a way to take Flip’s decision to play Amir and Maxiell at the end of the game (like many of you have been clamoring for) and spin it to make him look bad.
Ya, the only reason its impressive is that it’s Flip and you have such low expectations for how he manages his rotation that you actually think he did a great job. I will agree that he did a great job relative to his normal decisions.
Nope. He did a great job. He is DOING a great job. Name an egg Flip laid this year. Name one. I can name some games the Pistons themselves botched, but not Flip. Maybe the Utah game? But even that was a close loss…
The true test being, of course - the playoffs. But until that time, we have to reserve a bit of judgment. For THIS season, he is doing extremely well.
“Oh God. Complimenting Flip on playing Amir and Maxiell through the second half is like complimenting a 7th grader on being able to read. It should be expected.”
Not really. I’ll cite Chuck Daly in the Freep: “If I was coaching, and I had that starting five, I would try to win now” - which means, ride them starters 35+. Look at Don Nelson’s short rotation. He’s a great coach, right? He might be, but compared to Flip this season, he’s doing a terrible job with the rotation.
It just seems so fairweather around here lately. If the Stones lose, people instantly call for Flip’s head. If they pull out a win - y’all call for his head. Name another coach, available now, that you’d like. Let’s get real about this.
I really have taken over for PG4L, haven’t I? Except she’d take 600 words to write that Flip can’t manage his timeouts, whereas I write 600 words on why he’s doing very well.
Do you realize that when we won our championship, it was the youngest starting lineup that we’ve had over the last 7 years? The average age was 26.6 and the average mpg was 34.42. This year our average starter is a creeky 30.6.
Our starters are playing the least amount of minutes since we had Cliff Robinson and Michael Curry were in our starting lineup. I don’t think its a coincidence that we’re having our second best season with the bench playing more minutes.
As far as eggs being laid… you only have to go back to last week. Utah! Amir DNP… 18 point lead. Pistons loss. Flip admitting that was a mistake… any of this ringing a bell?
Winning now doesn’t mean ride our starters til they drop. Winning now means getting enough good young talent so that your starters don’t HAVE to play 35 minutes. Dumars has done that.
Yes. Utah rings a bell. Because I said it. Please reread what I said.
How can the Boston game not be on national tv tonight? Agh. Living in DC has its disadvantages… (but, then again, it’s sunny and mid-50s right now).
The tiny channelsurfing.net pop-up viewer is not enough for this game!
Couldn’t really agree more than I already do with everything Rob G said in this thread, as well as QD’s post. I was thinking exactly what Rob G said re: losing last year w/the “switch” mentality when we started to clamp down in the 4th. We would have lost this game last year, I’m certain.
Everyone is so reactionary to Flip and it’s so damn tired. Brad, comparing Flip making these decisions to a 7th grader being able to read is just not accurate at all. I said at the beginning of this season in a post that the reason I like Flip is because he doesn’t have a huge, meddling, ego (*cough* Larry Brown *cough) which has spoiled our chemistry/focus in the past. You think Larry Brown would take that directive from Joe? He’d tell Joe to stick it. And Rick Carlisle probably would’ve been pretty opposed as well. Flip is great if for the simple fact he’s not so stuck in his ways. He’s willing to change. And so, Flip takes the order and executes it without complaining. Flip has shown tremendous growth this season.
We have an amazing record, we’re getting amazing play from (I’m gonna say it) the DEEPEST bench in the NBA this season, and Flip is managing the ship BEAUTIFULLY (any in-house fighting this season? no, didn’t think so). Those of you still calling for Flip’s head are acting like Prophecy was at the beginning of the thread. He called the game over after the first and look how that turned out. You’re doing the same with our season, dooming it because Flip hasn’t gotten the job done in the past. Plenty of championship coaches were doubted every step of the way UNTIL they actually won (ie: Tom Coughlin w/the Giants this year). I would argue that given the way things have gone this season, this year might just be Flip’s Tom Coughlin-esque ascendancy.
Now let’s lay the boots into the Celtics tonight.
Mixed blessings, b23 … I live 30 miles from Boston, so I can watch the game. But I have to hear Tommy Heinsohn!
I’ll reiterate what I said…Flip was a total claimer as a coach when he fist came here, but I have a lot of respect for both Mr. Ds (Dumars and Davidson) and their collective judgment is nonpareil…Joe D has done a good job developing Flip into a halfway decent coach. But he’s no Phil Jackson, or Chuck Daly, or Gregg Popovich, or Larry Brown. Or even Scott Skiles.
I’d take him over Mike Brown or Doc Rivers, that’s for sure.
What’s Scott Skiles ever done?
Rob G. - “whereas I write 600 words on why he’s doing very well”
It serves as a nice counterpoint.
Can’t have a counterpoint without a point. Get better, PG4L!
V:
NBA Finals Appearances: Flip Saunders - 0 Scott Skiles - 0 Mike Brown - 1
Conference Finals Appearances: Flip Saunders - 3 Mike Brown - 1 Scott Skiles - 0
I like Flip Saunders, but you’ve chosen to take Flip over Mike Brown (okay, though I’m not sure I would. I like both, a good amount)? But on top of that, you’re going to take SCOTT SKILES over Flip Saunders who you’d take over Mike Brown? Skiles is a solid coach, but he’s a (way) less effective Larry Brown. What has he ever done? Oh that’s right, NOTHING. He’s taken a good team, rode them like cattle about as far as they could go and then when they started to tune him out they took a nose dive (sound like C-Rate results of Larry Brown tactics to me).
B23, I’m heading to the Crystal City Sports Pub to see the game. DC in the HOOOWCE.
Look, I’m not gonna write all the reasons I hate Flip again, it gets boring to write and read. Its very long you know.
This paragraph will be dedicated to my tempered praise of Flip. Flip might have turned a corner last night. I’ll give him the benefit of the doubt that he wasn’t looking towards tonights game when he kept Maxiell and Amir in the game. Flip took a [small] leap of faith. That, in all honesty, was a HUUUGE step for Flip. Mutiny has been avoided this year because Flip has compromised about playing the starters so much. That is the best decision he’s made since he’s been here.
Let me follow that by the praise I give Joe D. Joe D created such a deep team that no coach could screw this up. Really, the only way a coach could screw this up is if he overplayed his starters like 35+ minutes or something. Or if the coach refused to play the most athletic guy on the team with no real explanation, except that it was a mistake. Joe D filled the bench with youth so that the coach HAS to play young guys. Bravo, Joe D, Bravo!! Joe also talked to Sheed in the offseason and made sure he set him straight so that there would be no descension on the team…. even if the coach makes idiotic decisions from time to time. Again, BRAVO JOE, BRAVO!!! Joe D also babysits his coach from time to time, and reinforces that his blankee(aka starters) is just a false sense of security and that eventually you have to move on. Joe D: GM, Baby Sitter, Philanthropist, Messiah. God, thy name is Dumars.
Brad, I agree with your praise of Joe D. If the Lakers refer to Chick Hearn as “the greatest Laker of them all.” I say that Joe D is the greatest Piston of them all.
That being said, Joe hired Flip and stuck by him after many thought he’d be fired. I trust that if Joe thought there was someone better out there (like he did when he fired Carlisle for Larry Brown), he would have done it.
You can basically count on QD and me to be on the same thought level but for QD to say it concisely and more insightfully and not need to hear the sound of his own voice. Well done, QD.
Everyone ought to get off Flip’s back, especially for the DNP-CD Amir got against Utah. The guy had a serious head cold. Some starters would take a night off with that (and we’d probably mock them). Flip showed last night that the Utah Jazz game was the exception to the rule (the rule being that he can stick w/Amir, like in the Sonics game, despite Amir racking up 4 fouls, most of which came off stupid “rookie” overzealousness by Amir). Last night, Amir played well (in spite of his penchant for picking up dumb fouls) and Flip coached well. Let’s appreciate that.
I agree that we shouldn’t be too hard on Detroit. They had ONE bad quarter last night, when — yes — they were probably looking past the Sonics to Boston. And give some credit to Seattle for making some good plays — you don’t score 41 points in a quarter just because the other team is a little off. But it took over 2 1/2 more quarters for Seattle to get another 41 points.
I was amazed Flip didn’t at least to some offense-defense switching with ‘Sheed and ‘Dyess down the stretch, but hey, Amir scores a big hoop and live is good.
And let me say it now: tonight’s game is NOT the be-all and end-all of the season. Yes, it will be hard to get the #1 seed if we lose, but it won’t be the end of the world.
“do some offense-defense switching” I meant to type. . . .
You’re just blowin’ smoke about this game not meaning anything. I have $4000 on the Pistons to win. If they lose, I don’t know where I’ll get the money.
Just kidding.
Or am I?