Think of Detroit’s road trip out west like a great big meal: Wednesday’s game in Sacramento was the appetizer, last night’s game at Golden State was the dinner salad, and tonight’s game against the undefeated Lakers is easily the main course.
And not just any entree, either — we’re talking about the “Ole 96er”, right out of The Great Outdoors. Can the Pistons eat the whole thing, right down to the gristle and fat? We’ll find out. If they do, they won’t win free t-shirts for the whole family but will grab the attention of everybody in the league.
It’s another late one, but hey, you’re not working tomorrow, right? The ball tips at 10:30 PM on ESPN — join your DBB brethren by leaving your thoughts (and random John Candy references) in the comments.
http://www.metacafe.com/watch/212131/the_great_outdoors_1988/
oh good god!
I was never a Candy fan, but I remember this as a kid:
http://www.retrojunk.com/details_articles/23/
This is the first game in years where I’ve felt confident of a big Piston’s loss. The Laker’s are peaking and the Piston’s are, um, valley-ing.
spread’s 9.5 tonight btw. i’d be surprised if we don’t lose by double digits. i’ll be shocked if we win the whole damn thing.
lakers play much zone?
I say we play up to the competition and make a game out of it. But I don’t know if I can make it to 1:30 am again. Oh who am I kidding? Of course I can.
They do now. Phil Jackson is the best coach in the game (he is– get over it with your “he had superstars” shit) and you can be damn sure he saw how much the zone flustered us.
“I’m a mog. Half man, half dog.”
The team can’t afford godawful quarters like it’s had in the last few games if it wants to stand a chance. We’ve had strong moments but it would probably take four quarters of sustained play to get the win tonight. The Lakers have been ridiculous.
“Larry Bird doesn’t do as much ball-handling in one night as you do in an hour!”
Man these guys are good. Hopefully prince d’s kobers up like it’s june 2004. And ai steps over small bitchass guards after he j’s in their face like it’s 2001.
Four of our 3rd quarters from last night would do it, but I don’t expect that to happen for at least a couple of months.
Man Chauncey just took out one angry-lookin turkey. Go Nuggs, go CB!
This game is the start of a brutal 4 game stretch. At LA, at Phoenix, home Cav’s, at Celtics. If we can go 2-2 in that stretch I’ll be pretty happy.
Now this Denver win tonight? That’s impressive.
Were those Celtic fans chanting “Let’s go Lakers?”
They were chanting, “We want Samb!”
Go Chauncey!
WOW, Nuggets kicked some Celtics asses tonight. Miracles does happen. Let see if the Pistons can beat L.A.
Great start!
Great shot by Kobe. He didnt even let Rips standing still with his arms straight up and not touching him while shooting stop him!
Nice start for the Pistons. Bad start for the officiating.
wow great start by the pistons… first time ive said that in a while lol… lakers are catching up, but that’s expected… they’re a great team… but at least pistons put the pressure on the lakers to play catch up and not the other way around
and the defense is looking nice… have no idea how nice that is to say again… let’s hope they keep it up
Sheed’s holding in “3 seconds!” yells right now
Kobe getting away with everything while Rip picks up 2 quick fouls for nothing.
Nice pass Stuckey.
Sweet shot AI!
Great shot AI
WOW… big steal and shot by iverson to end the quarter
man that is probably the sweetest shot ever made IMO. Go AI.
For one quarter we outplayed the mighty Lakers, only five games into the AI era, on the second night of a back to back, and on the road. I declare the evening a success!
That running one handed floater to beat the 1st quarter buzzer by AI was awesome.
I loved that posession where AI fed Sheed in the post. When the double came he kicked it to the opposite corner, who kicked it to Stuck, who fired it in to the Kwamster who managed to lay it in. Awesome ball movement.
Sheed is awesome
Free Amir!
sheed be killin it… i give him the green light to shoot the 3 when he’s facing a centre like bynum… force him to come out and guard u… that being said i hope he doesnt fall TOO in love with it… cuz 3-pointers will eventually average out to a lower percentage shot
but that’s the strength of sheed, he’s spreads the offense… get the bigs out to guard him when he’s hot from the 3-point line, which will then open up the middle for the like of will bynum, iverson, and stuckey… all good drivers
so much fun to watch. I have been the biggest AI homer for years. now that he is in pistons blue I can’t help myself. I just love what joe d has done. imagine signing him to 4 years with a 5th year option for like 40m… he will average 20 a yr until he is 38…
Rasheed can shoot as many open threes as he wants. I just don’t care for the step-backs and the covered threes.
Man are we good?
Am I allowed to say I called it at 7:39 pm?
Stuckey with the hustle!
Garrett you stayed up? I’m shocked
i absolutely love what im seeing… the diving for loose balls, they look like they’re out to prove a point
Gasol is on top of Stuckey. Get a room you two.
Garrett, it’s 11:22pm right now on the East. DAMN YOU and your west coast time.
I like what I see, but there’s a long way to go with this game. I hope our boys can keep it going!
Haha, yeah, the wife went to bed and I’m huddled around my computer with a Diet Coke and some photos to edit. Yee haw Friday nights at the Elliott house hold!
HB: Nope, it’s 11:22 pm here too. I’m near Toronto.
Zzzzz…
THAT’S the Jason Maxiell I know.
JMax is a brutal, brutal man. He just threw the Plymouth Rock at Kobe
He just ate Kobe’s baby. And he also took a small bite out of Odom’s baby.
Whoa. Michael Curry and Maxiell are about the same height?
Pistons basketball easily keeping me awake…5.30am over here
Three seconds anyone?
This is a great game of basketball from an objective point of view. These two teams are battling. This is freakin’ awesome.
Rasheed’s defense on Gasol has been just outstanding. He is so good against guys who can’t athletically overwhelm him, b/c no one can out-technique him on the block. I’m looking at you Duncan and Gasol.
Rip is slackin, if he keeps this type of play up, stuckey should be getting more minutes.
Clearly that NBA2K commercial is completely fabricated. KG is controlling Detroit.
And how does Gasol have just one turnover and one BA? Sheed has stoned him multiple times.
“Here’s a quarter. Why don’t you go downtown and have a rat gnaw that thing off your face.”
Pistons playing well on a back to back but they are livin off the J right now. I can’t see them sustaining 62 percent all game.
okay…so AI passed it to Kwame, who predictably muffed the pass. Then…how did AI get the ball back??? That was amazing, the Pistons did NOT have anyone quick enough to get possession of their own flubbed pass before the trade. Crazy!
Also, Rip is terrible.
It’s nice to see the refs let them play a little. I’m so used to seeing an automatic foul called any time someone jumps near the rim in a crowd of people, this is a welcome change.
Tayshaun totally padded his stats on that play. Great hustle and long arms!
Excellent half, let’s do another one just like it
Couldn’t ask for a much better half then that.
Good half……and….Rip is terrible.
Did ya’all heard Wallace? He said he’s not looking forward to Sunday. That’s no way to talk about the Suns. WTH Wallace?
Rasheed just yelled “yo mama” at someone in the crowd. He remains my idol.
also, this is the year:
http://pistonsnationblog.com/2008/11/01/obey-tayshaun-for-all-star/
Maxiell is much better at eating babies than Kwame Brown. Curry needs to let him munch on Bynum’s unborn babies for a bit in the second half.
Kwame Brown has worse hands than Braylon Edwards.
The same Rip who is the primary reason Kobe is 5-13 sucks? Really? I understand he’s shot poorly for a few games early in the season. But let’s give our perennial All-Star more than 8 games before we turn on him; he’s a unique offensive player getting used to a new system. Rip’s underhandedly extended contract is stronger than your doubt!
(Moreover, he’s 0-2, not 0-10 — his offense is not helping or hurting that much today).
I hope all those DBBers who were saying “I dunno, I think the Lakers are going to kill us tonight” are shaking in your panties.
It is FAR too soon to celebrate, especially against a team that has continuously overcome large half-time deficits. I am guardedly optimistic, but if this keeps up, I’m going to start searching for crow recipes for a handful of fairweather fans here…
Those who predicted a Piston’s win are only two good quarters from being geniuses, and I am only two good quarters from being a very happy fool. So far this game has not even been as close as the score would indicate.
Ok, I have just got online after being stuck out with the wife and kids. Recap?
Avery Johnson’s voice belongs in the basketball hall of fame
Hey Laughton — stuck out with the wife and kids? Don’t they know the game is on? http://www.justin.tv/boxerfacejr
I see your point but……Rip is terrible.
Get your priorities straight Laughton!
Laughton - best sustained D we’ve played all season, AI playing great within the offense and generating several steals, Rasheed getting open threes due to penetration and locking down the paint on the other end. Only concern is jump shot luck evening out - it’s not like we’re never getting in the paint, but it does feel like we’ve been lucky with shooting. Several Tay covered jumpers as the clock wound down come to mind. Lead would be bigger if Amir were protecting the defensive glass.
Garrett: Cheers mate, but I’m already watching that one!
Shinons: I did, I just dragged everyone home after cracking the shits
Recap: We’re finally shooting well, AI’s all over the place, Sheed from three, Maxiell eats babies.
Sweet. Looking forward to the next half. Go Stones!
What time is it in Australia?
I love watching that clip of Shaq pushing guys all over the court. What a goon.
@Garrett:
“He just ate Kobe’s baby. And he also took a small bite out of Odom’s baby.”
Totally brutal, man. My sense of humor is as dark as it gets, but I’m going to guess you haven’t heard about Odom’s son…
Wow MP I had never heard that, just googled it. That’s awful.
Mike Payne: Nope. What happened?
Also Rip is still daydreaming about those crisp chest passes from Chauncey.
Ah, also just Googled it. Brutal.
kobe is gonna come out much stronger in the second half, he’ll try to bring the lakers on his back… being the best player in the world, he can do that… so pistons need to the collectively be the better team, and withstand whatever onslaught kobe has in store for them… mentally they’ll have to take the crazy shots and assists he makes… and gut out a win
Stuckey has been effective in the the game at driving to the lane, Rip is just not making smart basketball play, Im not saying give up on Rip forever obviously im just saying Stuckey has been more effective give him the minutes along with afflalo.
Also, its nice to see Sheed hit last year’s season average in one half…
It is 1:49pm here in Albany, Western Australia.
G’day, throw another baby on the barbie eh?
Also, not to be talking smack, but DBB fantasy league watch out. Mike D’Antoni has turned my boy Jamal C into a badass. Consider yourselves pwned.
@Garrett, Forty:
I know, Jason Maxiell is an asshole…
/went there, ticket seat to hell please.
Avery Johnson sounds like my grandma.
Daytime Pistons sounds awesome
@Forty,
I ain’t scared ‘o you unless you drafted Tayshaun Prince. He’s a fantasy STUD this season. STUDDDDDD. I’m actually considering trading Dirk Nowitzki for him in another league.
How often do you think Avery is going to watch Devin Harris over the next few years and slit his wrists? What an awful, awful trade.
It’s only awesome when not working or on weekends. Or even when not shopping with the wife and kids
I’ll just say that I’m pleased with Dwight Howard’s basketball playing abilities.
GDay Laughton! what exactly is a “barbie”?
Just kidding.
Shinons: I was just thinking about Dwight as I watched the highlights. Imagine if he was on our team? We’d be like 2004 only scarier.
“I hope all those DBBers who were saying “I dunno, I think the Lakers are going to kill us tonight” are shaking in your panties.”
Nope, and IMHO that’s the fucking problem…
The Pistons are beating the UNDEFEATED LAKERS by 9 at the half and I honestly don’t give a flying f*$k….
I hate this version of the team so much that I don’t even care if we’re winning. They are devoid of soul, jerky, impossible to watch, Rip isn’t even trying, Sheed is pissed, I think the new coach is an idiot, I hate how Iverson’s game mixes with out starters (see not at all), Dyess is Gone, Smooth is gone, the idea that my “Team” was somehow better than the NBA system of putting “Stars” and “Roleplayers” together is gone, and now Kwame Brown is our starting fucking Center… let me repeat, KWAME BROWN IS OUR STARTING CENTER…
So I wish I were shaking in my panties… I really do… but I’m not, I can’t summon up the will to give a flying f*$k….
Yay!
Did Kwame start?
Tracy Morgan can really crash the offensive glass!
It’s really nice to hear that our opponents biggest half time adjustment is to stop our dribble penetration. That would never happen pre AI.
@Garrett - You mean you’d take Howard over Kwame??
Note, I probably shouldn’t have read that Chauncey interview before turning on the gamecast… I realize this now but too late.
@PG4L - At least there’s still the Lions and Wolverines.
Fellas, please. Don’t let them back into it.
Shinons……owch
Kobe is good. LBJ might be better now, though.
Shinons: Who needs Howard with that Kwame Brown finesse move for the And-1?
Graceful basketball at its finest! The POISE of Kwame Brown, able to make the finish under duress!
Tayshaun!!!!!!
Nice Dunk Tay!!!
Kwame is playing well-ish.
That was an awesome dunk. Amir, take note (and also read Boney’s 47-page laminated brochure about taking it to the rim).
Look at Kwame! That body! That skill! Able to get into the lane! He has to be the greatest top draft pick of all time! throw it down!
nasty jam byu prriiiiiiiince
AI has me sold. I like is Nice! High Five!
I do enjoy our team getting superstar calls. Peace to PG4L, but that is certainly helpful.
That call AI just got is one that Rip would never get in a million years.
Rob, peace back man, I really REALLY want to feel better about this…
I keep hoping it’ll happen because obviously they aren’t going to Veto the trade on my behalf…
So much peace in return brother, let’s hope I find a way to come around before the Playoffs…
Cool?
I wish I could switch places with Kwame for a day, like Fred Savage and Judge Reinhold in Vice Versa (sticking with the old school theme). I’d score 60 points on 30 dunks against anyone.
@Michael: That call AI just got is one that Rip would never get in a million years.
Rip would have goten the call…a charge.
PG4L: Michael Curry has done only one thing wrong this year - we need more luscious locks in the lane!
joe dumars must be smiling wide right now
if they can keep uo the defensive intensity, this could be a very good pistons team… and could go down as a great trade for both teams (denver cleary much much better since they acquired billups)
the offense i knew they could figure out, what worried me the most about this trade if the perimeter defense they lost… but this game iverson seems to be doing a pretty decent job… lakers isnt a team that relies on its PG offensively, as they use the triangle… the defense looks great cuz of sheed and tay guarding kobe and gasol so well… the pistons will be tested again when they face teams with pgs like tony parker, chris paul, devin harris…
Kwame’s doing great.
We should trade Amir for Thaddeus Young, while Amir’s value is still high.
Look, PG4L. I love the Temptations with David Ruffin. Hated ‘em with Dennis Edwards. But it happened. I know how you feel.
Sometimes, I listen to “Papa was a rollin’ stone” and smile, though. Things might not be so bad.
Lakers are indeed stacked. I hate them. I hate them?
Is this a night of magic?
SHEEEEEEEEED!
Kwame has looked great in pnr d today…
no way Sheed!!
LOL at sheed and his 3… loved his smile after haha
Love Tay’s aggressiveness.
Is it wrong that I always get a bit nervous when Kwame makes a nice defensive rebound and then turns to outlet the ball to someone?
Kwame with the block on Gasol! Take THAT, Los Angeles!
@Garrett, no, because he throws it too far. Kwame with the block! Damn!
Fuck Yeah! I am enjoying this shit right now!
Wait are we good? Does Michael Curry understand more about rotations than we do? A douchebag once said: “ANYTHING’S POSSIBLE!”
Kwame is playing pretty well tonight…just had a nice block on Gasol. I thought he would play terrible tonight.
Why be nervous? Kwame’s channeling Dikembe Mutombo right now, are you kidding me?
Man does not fly……..in the house of Kwame.
kwame playing well in front of his former team tonight… he also played well in front of washington haha… i see a pattern
Do you mean near double double in 24 minutes Kwame Brown?
Wasn’t it ‘Anyone can cook?’
Hang on, thats from a movie. Anyway Kwame is cooking a big old baby cake for Gasol.
@Keegan - Kwame’s holding up one butter-covered index finger and wagging it!
Your team is playing with great spirit and confidence. It just shows that any team with some defensive chops and patient, efficient offense can compete with these overhyped Lakers.
This is a night of magic.
Lol TripleOT, you’re not biased here are you
if this game was coached by flip saunders everyone would be on his ass for keeping amir in the dog house lol… funny no one has mentioned that (at least from what i saw) amir hasn’t played yet… double standard with michael curry
but yea i think he’s showing amir some tough love… making him prove himself back into rotation… hopefully will only make him better rather than discourage him
I want to hear Final Countdown!
TripleOT: Get outta hear with your “defensive intensity” and “brotherhood” and your “intensity”! We don’t need it around here! Gon n git!
lol
Finger Wag for Kwame! +10,000 to whoever made the Dikembe comment!
Kwa-Me!
KWAME BROWN WITH THE D?!??!>!?11231243
Kwame seriously just wagged the finger!!! No you di’in’t, Kwame!
The enemy of my enemy is my friend.
SHOWBE IN THE HIZZY GOTTA KEEP TYPING IN CAPS!!@!111!!!
Anybody else see Afflalo and Kwame both talking the entire time to AI to let him know when the pick would come? We are communicating on D, making great weakside rotations, helping the helper, insert defensive cliche here. I know it’s a better matchup for our D b/c they are more triangle, less pnr. But still a really positive performance through 3.
TripleOT: what’s the word in Boston about McDyess? We want him back; is he still being pursued there? Are fans chanting his name? You can’t have him!
COME ON KWAME!!!!! GET THAT SHIP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Mannie, you may get your Amir appearance yet.
The Pistons own the Lakers like the Celtics own the Pistons.
Keegan: I lol’ed at that.
If we win this year, does Jod D get exec of year for the Kwame signing? There may have been a few other personnel moves, but that’s the one that’s standing out.
Yay! WDFN “slappy” reference in a user name! Get the cornbread!
“We look human tonight.” Yes, the gods are being challenged by these upstart “Pistons”
Kwame has morphed into a basketball player.
I think the Celtics are still the best team in the NBA - I’d take the C’s in 5 or 6 over these guys. And New Orleans or Utah could get them too IMO.
This is indeed a night of magic.
1 more board and Kwame has a double double… Seriously, WTH?
Rob G.
I hear that Cassell is in contact with Dice, and KG is making noise about how much he’d like to play with him and now they share an agent, Andy Miller, and Miller’s clients are like a family.
Now that the Cs bench bigs have strung a few sub par performeances together, the Dice pursuit might heat up. I heard Ainge on sports radio this week, and although he wouldn’t speak about dcie specifically, he said ‘the Celtics will pursue aggressively any FA that they think will help the club.”
Vujacic is that annoying guy at the Y who you hate to play against because you’ll probably land on his foot and sprain your ankle.
I can see LawyerBoy walking around, chest puffed up, wagging his finger at us all tomorrow.
TripleOT: I don’t know if you have Ainge’s email but tell him about the bum knees and also Dice is a Republican. Boston wouldn’t want him.
Put it away Max. Its empty.
Vujacic is the kind of guy at the Y who you hate to play against because you’ll probably trip on his skirt and sprain your ankle.
Ugly few minutes for Vujacic there
After this game Sasha will vow to not wear anything with the colors blue, white and red in it.
I hate Vujacic so much.
Look at our box score and tell me we have a superstar. We have a balanced attack tonight.
Put the foot down and blow these chumps out. I want Hollinger to explain this bitch with numbers!
I like the chick in the front row who’s sitting, literally, 1′ from the court… getting irritated at the basketball player that lands in her lap. If you dont’ want front row seats… I’ll take em!
Iverson has significantly outplayed Kobe…
Brad - I thought EXACTLY the same thing when I saw the replay. I was like, oh pardon him for playing the sport your rich boyfriend paid to watch.
Brad - she’s irritated that sexy, sexy Herrmann isn’t in her lap
Vuja-bitch
Lamar Odom flavoured bullshit. Mmmm Delicious!
What the hell was that?
Vujacichk is the Western Conference version of Varejoaow
Vujacic used his spaz powers to sprain his own ankle! Unprecedented!
Header don’t lie
Garrett +1
Dagger!
TTTTTTTAYSHAUN!!!!!
Tay is much less of an emotionless robot, which is wonderful to watch! Awesome 3.
@ Rob G - like Andy V but without actually getting all the stupid calls. Varejao got away with it in ‘07 against us. Ah bad officiating, you make names like Boobie a household name (OMG 30 points against the Pistons after the “LeBron game” OMG OMG OMG).
Supaman dat ho!
LA born NBA players seem to love to torture the Lakers at Staples. I haven’t been a big Prince fan, but he seems to be benefitting by more or an isolation offense than the Chauncey-led share the ball all the time scheme.
Sideshow Bob has a girlfriend? And she plays for the Lakers?
Inconceivable.
ATTN: DBBers who thought Detroit was going to “get killed” tonight. I can’t wait to call you bitches out.
Take that, LA Stars! We have Kidd Rock! Recognize.
Stone the witches MP
I’d love to see the Laker message boards right now!
Trade Kobe? Phire Phil?
The D is awesome tonight.
@TripleOT: you mean “Compton born NBA players”
Afflalo has played some great defense on Kobe tonight.
I wonder what Adande’s gonna say about his…. OBVIOUSLY the end of the LA era!!!!11
I’d take Pierce in a knife fight over Tay though…b/c he’s been in one! (oh i went there Paul)
greeeeat game
makin me believe again
I was thinking about Pierce too, who’s from Inglewood. When will the NBA pundits learn that Eastern Confwerence teams play real defense and Western Conference teams usually don’t?
Damn Forty you made beer shoot out my nose
Free Amir!!!!!
@Triple OT - umm the Spurs and Rockets?
The great Andrew Bynum got outplayed by Lkers castoff Kwame Brown, who had 3 assists besides his D-D. Pistons had 5 guys with 3+ assists — doesn’t happen that often.
Sorry Kobe, but I think it might be all for nought. Nice try though.
Lol at Lakers fans - you’re down 16 and about to lose your first game of the season. But enjoy the block.
how is that not a foul…. you see a person barely touch an elbow and THAT gets called… but Kobe flying THROUGH Rip doesn’t. The NBA… Its Rigged-tastic.
@Forty:
Your Pistons Purity is as deep as it comes, you’re on the winning side, my friend. Can’t say the same for the rest of these folks.
F U Kobe.
I taste bullshit…
If there were any chemistry problems before, this should cure it.
@Forty - yeah they play some D, but to me Boston, Detroit and Cleveland play a much tougher and mroe consistent brand of defense than the Rockets, and the Spurs are too old and injured to be a threat anymore.
Allen Iverson is a good basketball player.
Oh yeah Roscoe!
The only thing I like about the Lakers is how they light their home court.
The Lakers are playing like we’ve been playing the last few games. Missing shots, poor D, lots of fouls.
SHEED.
Man Fisher is really locking down the perimeter D…not
Thats what AI is for. Yes it is.
@Laughton; your country is about to be famous! There is this movie called “Australia”! It looks kickass! Is that how things really are down there?
WTF is Quiznos? Do they also produce allergy medicine?
Iverson is like “oh THIS is what having teammates is like”
@Laughton: Quiznos produces botulism.
SUPERSTAR CALLS AND STELLAR DEFENSE!!!!
Kobe got called for a foul? Against us? Yes. Oh, god yes.
And I’m like “so THIS is what it was like to be a Heat fan in ‘06″
Kwame Brown with the double-double… we just need to play him against his old teams.
Kobe Scissorhands gets away with it again. Looked very Game 5ish.
Rob G: Yeh its exactly like that. Well maybe not in Sydney. Hugh Jackman has the fakest Aussie accent ever.
How was that not a foul? Thats the 2nd rape Kobe has gotten away with.
PG4L: you gotta like the fact that Curry calls timeout. Right?
Dear refs, we’ll trade you the ridiculous call on Kobe the prior possession for the ridiculous non-call on that last one.
Cheers,
Forty
Is Will Arnett doing voiceover for Phil?
Is it just me or does Phil Jackson’s voice sound cartoonish?
@Laughton: Come on! This is a five thousand dollar suit!
Phil Jackson: I think we made a huge mistake.
Rip is slapping him like he’s his Vuja-bitch!!
Lakers need to take it like a man and STOP FOULING.
Games over, go home Jack.
Argh. Vujacic totally just did a KG, trying to grab the ball from Rip after the whistle to start the play. I HATE when guys do that. HATE IT. And KG is the king.
We should trade Rip for Andrew Bynum.
I don’t think you can let a player punk you like that. Someone needs to take Vujabitch out.
Phil Jackson: How do we win? With ill-uuuuusions.
give the lakers a lot of credit for playing right down to the wire… wow
Agreed Garrett, he and KG are two of the least classy players in the NBA. See ball-spike against McDyess.
So much for sharing the minutes! Iverson is dominating.
some funny shots by the lakers
Can’t wait to be at the Garden Thursday night. Battle of the Lakers Killers.
Did anybody just see Vujacic try and draw a T on Stuckey. What a fucking douchebag. You gotta take a guy like that out. Seriously, lay him the fuck out.
We’ve scored 100+ in each one of our wins….iloveit
It’s like 1989 all over again…
classy post game interview iverson!
Q: How did you manage to put 106 points up on the board?
A: Just attack.
Amen, Iverson. Amen.
What’d he say Sean? Us folks on FSN got the Sheed interview
What did Sheed say?
Lakers 95 points on 95 shots, with Kobe scoring only 29 points on 30 shots. Efficient Pistons scoring 106 points on only 69 shots. 1 point per shot against 1.5 pps. is a buttkicking.
AI said: “AI has got to be the best AI he can be. AI can only do what AI does.”
Those that predicted that the lakers would “kill us” need to seriously suck on some crow. you are faithless bastards, I can’t wait to call you out.
We hang our hats on playing good D and have for the last 7-10 years and that being able to use Kwame makes us a very versatile team.
I’m not going to jump on the Kwame-Wagon yet. Let’s see how he does against the big boys in PHX.
Great win overall though.
Mike P: Vindictiveness does not become you. Welcome them back into the fold. Show your mercy unto them. They were led astray. The sheep shall return to the flock.
Quote of the night from Chauncey: “We have some defensive philosophies that I’m not really used to…”
Translation: “Nobody plays D here and I’m not used to that.”
Agreed, mercy, MP. We sacrificed Amir’s playing time for their sins today. Let he who is without Sheed cast the first three as the clock runs down in Pau Gasol’s grill.
Haha, Garrett, I lol’d when he said that
i was sure this game would be ugly. psyched to be wrong. feeling good!
Hell yes!
It showed up months before I expected, but the play in the last six quarters are why it’s reasonable to hope for a championship for this group.
@Mark B: When asked about how satisfying it was to come in to Staples and beat the only undefeated team, he responded by saying that nobody expected them to win all 82 and that if it wasn’t the Pistons eventually it would be someone else. His main concern is continuing to improve as a team.
the crow tastes pretty damn good!
@Rob G:
I’m not a natural at this, all I know is that I have zero love for faithless, weak fans that don’t have our best interests at heart. I’ve seen a LOT of that here lately. It ain’t my job to be the Pistons Police, so maybe I should back off. Mercy, however, is not a natural quality. I’ll do my best, as long as the fans here can do their jobs and stay positive. This team makes it easy, after all…
MP: My prediction is at the top of these comments. I am thrilled to eat my crow.
That said, seriously– do any of us old-timers have any respect for the hater fans that predicted a lakers blowout? They should work in sports media. In 2004. When we shattered their predictions.
Don’t look now, but we’re tied for the fewest losses in the East. Reports of the Pistons’ demise were wildly exaggerated it would seem. We just kicked the shit out of a team that was beating people by 20 a game, in their gym, on the second half of a back to back.
Our November schedule is total murder and we’re 7-2. Gotta love two back to backs where the second game is on the road against a team in last year’s finals…in the same week. Oh and we play Cleveland the night before Boston.
Game ball goes to Amir.
Like the Lakers in 2004, I’m out.
MP: I have seen the fear in the doubters’ eyes that would take the heart of me! And some day, the world of the Pistons will fail. But it is not this day. It is not this place.
And AI looks like he could play another game tonight. Things are coming together.
The Chauncey quote was hilarious.
I said the team would need sustained strong play without horribly sloppy stretches, and did they ever deliver. Between this and Chauncey/the Nuggets beating Boston at home, this was a great night for basketball.
@Michael:
you’re a solid guy, your honesty is what makes Pistons jersey’s blue. i’m no pistons policeman, but if I had anything to say, it’d be what Michael Corleone said to his brother Fredo when Fredo took a position against the family in Vegas…
Point is, we’ve ALWAYS had the Lakers number. Just like the Jazz have always had ours. We can honestly SCHOOL the Lakers, but the Jazz hurt us bad… That said, the Lakers are nothing to us.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HM4-qJUGEN0
@Rob G:
are you my long-lost brother???
an example of a fan negativity is when a stadium of angry jets fans booed chad pennington louder and louder with each frustrating possession in a a game i was at last year against the bills. they actually contributed to the loss. the jets might have won if the game was in buffalo. but the fans literally assisted the bills.
that is fan negativity
MP: We are all brothers and sisters under the Great D whether we know it or not.
Good night. I must finish this Heineken mini-keg now.
What I liked about this game is that we only saw a glimpse of the playbook. When we ran set plays through Iverson, we were devastatingly effective, but we had a lot of sloppy possessions that won’t be replicated come playoff time.
Kwame let the cat out of the bag as far as D and rebounding. Curry has every reason to expect this caliber of performance each game.
From Starter To DNPer: The Amir Johnson Story
MP
- I had that same thought about us owning the lakers earlier. Honestly, I was nervous about the game, just not stupid enough to predict we lose on our own fan site. Anyways, I was feeling a little nervous at work and then I thought, “Shit, we might just kick the Laker’s asses tonight” That being said, I think we’re improving steadily, but it could still be bumpy in the near term. I wouldn’t be surprised by mini winning and losing streaks. But the more I think about us owning the Lakers and the Jazz having our number, the more I realize it doesn’t make any sense. I mean, we’ve been whooping on the lakers since 04, but their team is completely different now. We shouldn’t still have their number. It’s illogical, but completely undeniable and awesome. I am going to sleep well tonight.
Just finished listening to Lakers postgame. Lots of talk about how Kwame outplayed Bynum and made him uncomfortable by getting physical with him.
Talk about physical, Sheed harrassed big softy, pau gasol, and even put him on the deck a couple times. Prediction for sunday: we go small and make the suns try to defend us… we kick there ass.
I was one of those that predicted a loss (more because it was a road game on the tail end of a back-to-back). It’s shocking how much more the Pistons hustled after the heavy minutes they logged last night.
Rumor has it that Kwame had Olivia Newton John on his Ipod before the game.
LET’S GET PHYSICAL! PHYSICAL!
I heard he had NKOTB on his Ipod:
“hangin’ tough / hangin’ tough / are you rough enough?”
that’s it, off to bed 3.12am
It’s amazing how many more easy shots the Pistons get now. Sheed especially gets a lot more lay-ins which can only help keep him involved in the game.
COnsipiracy theory: Phil Jackson lost on purpose to give his team a reality check and not get too cocky. Lakers did not look like they were playing hard during that game.
Curry has to get Amir in the game,he’d be great running the floor with our quick guard unit than runs five deep. Throughout the night I wanted to see the combination of three out of the five guards with Tay and Amir. Quick defense on top with leaps and length at the 4 and 5.
I don’t know about all these minutes for the core group. Herrmann, Max and Amir have to get clock if we want to be playoff deep. Hopefully we get ‘Dice back, obviously a huge addition if we had him for the playoff run.
Go Pistons!
How would Phil Jackson making his players not play hard teach them a lesson?
Phil Jackson isn’t Yoda. His team got flat beat.
So far it looks like Sheed, Kwame, Afflalo, and Tay are playing better since the trade and Rip, Herrmann, Max and Amir have taken a step back. Stuckey I’ll give an incomplete since he’s been hurt.
Coach Curry is seems like he really knows what he’s doing from both a X&O standpoint and a motivation standpoint. I feel good about the players who are lagging or regressing with adjustments coming around in the long run. In the short run, we just beat the team with the best record in the league on the road on the back end of a back-to-back. So the short run looks pretty damn good.
Note: The Golden State thread got 100 more comments than LAL? It must be because it was a Friday night.
Bynum plays soft for his size. Guys his size and weight or close to it can neutralize him pretty easy.
Sheed can defend Gasol one on one as long as the refs let em play like they did last night.
that game was a big FU for all the experts predicting a 5th or 6th seed in this years playoffs
we still here
lovin it
“GOTCHA, SUCKAZ!”
19 points and 17 rebounds for Luc Richard Mbah a Moute. Granted it was an overtime game, but damn that’s good for a second round pick a couple weeks into the season.
Any body else read this from Simmons? Since when has Joe D said Stuckey is going to the Hall of the Fame and the Pistons have the inside track on Lebron?
http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/story?page=simmons/081114
Great game last night. What is up with Hubie Brown referring to AI, Tayshaun and Rasheed as the Pistons’ “Big Three” multiple times? What about Rip?
Is Amir’s banishment permanent? Its one thing to be taken out of the starting lineup, but he didn’t play at all last night. At one point HB said something about him not being ready to play in the NBA. Hopefully he improves as the season goes along. Either way, we really need ‘Dyess back.
Bill Simmons is funny. He accuses Barkley of mailing it in when anybody who reads Simmons (I do, he’s good) knows he’s been using the same jokes and references for his entire career. He threw his hometown team under the bus a thousand times when they sucked and now he wants to be a proud Celtic fan? And badmouthing Joe Dumars just for giggles? Unlike the Celtic franchise that had zero pride and tanked a season to get a high draft choice the Pistons under Joe Dumars play to win every season.
What does Simmons mean when he says that Dumars “badly misjudged Mehmet Okur”?
Also, is this the same guy who predicted a second round ceiling for the Pistons last season?
Ditto, Simmons is a so-so writer, a bandwagon fan and just an overall flake.
Also Kwame doesn’t project his emotions as much as other guys, but he had to feel good about exceeding expectations against a Phil Jackson-headed lakers.
Los Angeles who?
@Rob G:
I love it when a plan for a plan coming together comes together.
QD: it looked like a scheduling loss to me too, especially since they looked so sloppy in beating GSW the night before. Vegas had the Lakers -10, I can’t say I could argue with the line.
Re Simmons: He’s funny, which is why ESPN pays him to write. But his knowledge of basketball is equally laughable. Tough guy to take seriously. Regarding his opinion about the Pistons, he writes like the Celts fan he is.
Let’s see:
Botched Darko pick: yup, in retrospect
Hired Flip: Best available (unfortunately)
Overpaid Nazr: Best available FA center, had to replace Ben, didn’t do bad getting value for him when he got rid of him.
Delfino: Currently highest paid player in Europe
Brown: C’mon Bill…lol LB was being LB and that act had gotten old.
Okur: Utah overpaid, Pistons weren’t going $3M over the cap.
Ben: Chicago overpaid, look what happened afterwards
If Simmons had as much knowledge of basketball as Dumars, or God forbid, even Rick Sund, has in their pinkie fingernails, he’d write a lot more intelligently. I just accept him for what he is, a funny guy, and not much more.
I mean, this is pretty funny:
Q: Am I the only one who can’t get over watching Kumar coaching the Heat?
– Sleepy, Oakland, Calif.
SG: OK, so we have Kumar coaching the Heat, Shooter coaching the Bulls, Jim Carrey coaching the Mavericks, Ron Jeremy coaching the Magic, Stanley Roper coaching the Bobcats, Terence Howard coaching the Wizards, John Lithgow coaching the Nuggets, Nic Cage coaching the Grizzlies, Tony Soprano coaching the Clippers, Maverick’s mentor from “Top Gun” coaching the Knicks, the star of “Hang Time” coaching the Kings, someone coaching the former Sonics whom a reader just described as having gotten his glasses from the windshield of a ‘68 Catalina, and someone a reader just described as “wear-your-skin-and-dance crazy” coaching the Spurs. And this ISN’T the best NBA season ever?
I think I’m too much of a homer to like Bill Simmons. I went from thinking he was a funny, irreverent writer to basically thinking he’s kind of a D-Bag. His pop culture schtick gets pretty old if you’re like me and don’t give two shits about the Hills or the Surreal Life. And while he is funny, he’s got some balls to nominate himself for John Hammond’s job and then write about how Joe Dumars is overrated.
I just got pretty worked up writing that. I hope AI shatters Rondo’s ankles next time we see Beantown. F U B.S.
I am working on publishing on my laminated sheet of “inspiration” to hand to Amir the next time I see him..
only problem is, it’s gone from 8 1/2″ x 11″ sheet to 11″ x 17″ in 1 game…
Don’t forget Woody Harrelson coaches the Milwaukee Bucks and Russel Simmons coaches the Celtics. lol
This was the best I have seen the Pistons played all season..this is what i thought was gonna happen when Allen Iverson came to the Pistons.
and Huey Lewis used to coach the Pistons.
its twitch to be square.
@boney: your inspirations will benefit from pithiness. Think more bumper sticker than manifesto. Keep in mind, Amir is a kid; he’d rather be playing video games than reading manuals on how to improve his game. Keep it short and sweet. My recommendation? “Play more like Max.”
Rob G
Could you imagine a genetically engineered player that had the brute strength and explosive baby-eating capabilities of Max mixed with the length and rebounding prowess of Amir. Jesus. I would be ascurred to watch.
Colin,
He doesn’t even need to eat babies like Max… just be fearless to the rack like Snowflake and Amir would be unstoppable.
Colin - looking over the scientific literature, I’ve found that scientists have actually created such a man. But the project had to be scrapped by order of Stern: “This would destroy the League,” he said.
Boney: Can I contribute to the foreward?
I think Colin is describing Amare Stoudemire on a good night.
Bill Simmons is a funny writer who clearly watches a lot of basketball. He’s not terribly knowledgeable and frequently writes ridiculous things (anyone remember the article where he suggested the suns just needed to move amare to us for sheed but it’s the “no balls association” so they didn’t?). But I’m pretty sure his job is to be entertaining, not 100pct objective.
Amare on a good night + Defense.
That Morrow kid from Golden State that played well against the Pistons just dropped 37 on the Clippers.
…and I picked him up on the DBB fantasy league when he had already dropped 32
here’s to hoping he gets big minutes going forward.
Simmons hates Motown. Dunno why, though it’s probably either rooted in its non-Vegas-ness, or the Detroit-Boston games of the 1980s, when Detroit finally played harder, rougher, and meaner than Boston had been playing.
Read his schizophrenic columns written around the 2004 finals… now, that’s some funny cognitive dissonance rationalizing and madness.
Re:Colin
“Could you imagine a genetically engineered player that had the brute strength and explosive baby-eating capabilities of Max mixed with the length and rebounding prowess of Amir. Jesus. I would be ascurred to watch.”
The Man you speak of is Kwame Brown with hands and a brain
The Lakers radio broadcast mentioned this argument between Rip and MC…
“One of the problems the Pistons had late in the game was the play of Richard Hamilton, who finished with 12 points but missed seven of his 10 shots from the field. After he turned the ball over with 45.9 seconds to play, Curry decided to take him out and put Rodney Stuckey in. Hamilton wasn’t pleased with the decision, and made his displeasure known to Curry.
‘It really was nothing,’ Curry said. ‘He was sitting over there with the refs, we’re getting unrattled. I expect the veteran guys to make sure to make sure things were alright. I didn’t want a tech. A good way to get the ref’s attention off someone is to sub somebody, that’s all.’”
It’s good to see MC lay down the law.
QD - do you have a link to that story? I’m not done obsessing over this win.
http://www.mlive.com/pistons/index.ssf/2008/11/iverson_pistons_hand_lakers_fi.html
Garrett,
Sure.
I don’t just claim to know talent when I see it but, I really feel if the kid had a mean streak in him he’d be one of the better big men in the league.
Honestly, I don’t think Amir will ever get a technical foul the way things are going. It seems that frustration never enters the kid’s mind. Instead of getting angry he gets down on himself, it’s not worth playing a kid who has all the talent in the world who does not want to fight for that inch.
/turning off “Any Given Sunday”
/going back to watching UFC
I seriously think if this fucking kid dunked on someone he’s “not supposed to” that the statement would be made.
Right now, he’s content with not going up strong and laying it in rather than possibly blowing a thunderdunk with 2 hands because he might hurt someone’s feelings.
I want the kid to prove all the doubters wrong, he’s got the chops to do what we need him to do. Throw it down on someone’s head young man… stare someone down… talk about someone’s momma… get T’d up for no reason… do something to let us know you’re there
Amir doesn’t have a mean streak?
Man, this Justin.tv site is seriously bad for my work production. I’ve never had access to so many games at once and it’s blowing my mind.
LB: I’d say… no. He’s been pushed down (most recently by Mikki Moore) and he just kinda bounces up like… this:
http://www.carnivalsource.com/images/products/IN280.jpg
Rob G: Not only did Amir just take it, but so did the rest of the team. Amir took a two fisted shiver to the back into the backboard stand and nobody batted an eye.
Amir puts forth an attitude sometimes like he’s just happy to be there.
Own that shit young man, own it
Rob G, that story was on mlive.com
Damn, I can smell those fires here in Hollywood.
mp, i’m a dbb old-timer and i didn’t believe the pistons would win this game and i posted as much (see comment 4.) we’ve had 3 or 4 really good quarters out of the 4 games preceding the lakers game since the trade. i just didn’t see it. i don’t know how anyone did outside of blind faith. kwame brown is going to outplay andrew bynum? really? if that was the corner, it was a hairpin turn. fantastic. they got every shot they wanted against the #1 ranked defense in the nba. i don’t know how everybody can’t be on board with this trade after last night. even bill simmons’ dad.
To be fair to those who predicted a loss, we know these Pistons. They have a history of playing up (or down) to their competition. MP, you could give the people who predicted a loss a sort of “get out of jail card,” redeemable when the Pistons lose to a team like the Grizzlies.
@JackDutch:
“i don’t know how anyone did outside of blind faith”
I don’t think it was blind faith at all. We’ve always had the Laker’s number. Even in light of a big shakeup and slow-going adjustments, if anyone was going to end the Laker’s streak it was going to be the Pistons.
Yes, the new team wasn’t clicking yet, we had played poorly since Iverson’s first and the Laker’s dominance couldn’t be written off. A lot of the game was decided between Bynum and Brown. But those two aside, we always own the matchup with the Lake Show.
Kudos to Princess Hands though, he’s starting to earn his salary. A few more games like that, he’ll start to earn respect, too.
qd: imagines how it smells in burbank.
mp: good for you. based on how we had played, how they’ve played, and my belief that what happened in ‘04 has little bearing on what happens in ‘08, i didn’t think it would happen. i don’t think this makes me less of a fan though.
all: have you guys seen on nbatv the “nba top 10 games of the week”? i’m trying to wrap my head around it, but it looks like an nfl replay-esque 5 hour block of the best games of the week. cut down to no frill.
ok, i’m going to try your mobile dbb site, matt, from the sports bar today. it better work, nerdlinger…
Rob G: I was being sarcastic about Amir. I have been calling him soft for a very long time. Now many of his staunchest supporters are finally agreeing with me. I want Amir to succeed, but if I feel he’s not cut out for it, I’m not gonna blow smoke. There’s a little bit of schadenfreude for me in the DBB Amir reversal, but above all I really wish the guy would just get a clue.
Good for Curry for sitting him too. He should demote Rip too, if he keeps turning in these clunkers. Maybe getting yanked from the starting lineup, getting pulled in Oakland after :33 and getting subseuently called out by Curry on national TV will teach Amir what the stakes really are. Plenty of players show up in preseason, or summer league or in the D-League, but it takes a different caliber to show up each night in the NBA. It’s probably a lot mental.
Simply put, Amir isn’t there yet and Curry isn’t going to waste his time waiting for him to get there while we have games to win. He gave him a shot in the starting lineup, and Amir didn’t deliver. Amir’s 21, it took Tyson Chandler until he was 24 and got a change of scenery. Maybe that’s what’s in the cards for Amir. I just really wish Curry had been coach when we had Nazr.
JD: Not exactly a white flag in this prediction either: http://www.detroitbadboys.com/archives/2008-11-13/the-pistons-are-in-golden-state/#comment-150917
re: the fires … Insane is about all I can say. So much land. So many people. Sad.
never before have I wanted a fire to burn down someone’s house so much… or at least burn up an internet connection or computer
TRADE AMIR!
/submitting new shirt design to DBB
@LB:
8 games at 17mpg is too soon for an “i told you so”. Especially when this trip’s matchups favor Kwame.
Per 36, the kid is a rebound shy of outperforming Ben Wallace at 22 across the board. For what is essentially his rookie season, your postmortem is a bit premature, just like your return to DBB.
@LB: sorry, the sarcasm didn’t come through. Moreover, I cannot tell all the people who comment here on DBB apart. That is: who loves Amir? Who thinks he’s overrated? Who hates Curry? Who thinks he’s the man? Who has fantasies about Herrmann? etc. Perhaps I should pay attention.
Or, perhaps we need a batch of subgroups - the I Heart Amir Club; The Detroit Piston Society to Bring Flip Back; The Fraternal Order of the Knights of Kwame Brown; etc, each with open membership. Then we can sponsor debates.
Will somebody real quick dub me First Knight of the Venerable Kwame? I even liked him when he was on the Lakers, for the same reason that Corky was everyone’s favorite character on “Life Goes On.”
I’m the treasurer for the Walter Herrmann Ladies Coats Aren’t Just for Ladies Club.
I’m head G for “P-Dawg Brez-X’s International Gangsta Collective.” Our theme-rap shall be titled “Primoz in da hizzy what” and we will wear headbands that denote our rank in the “crew”. Y’all can fetch my Starbucks now.
Re: Ben Wallace
He’s having his best season in 3 years I think. The reports I see out of Cleveland suggest he’s the healthiest he’s been (did he have nagging back trouble?) and playing solid, if unspectacular ball. His offense isn’t hurting them so much because he never shoots anymore. It’s for the best that he just kicks out every offensive rebound and then just acts as a picker and hangs weakside so that his man can’t double when LeBron drives to the hoop. Big Ben can still dunk a bunny.
I’ll always love the guy no matter how he plays. He’s like an NFL running back in a lot of ways, you can only take so many hits before you lose your explosiveness and then all of a sudden your 4.4 yards per carry is 3.4 yards per carry and you aren’t an every down back. If it’s 3rd-and-2 or 1st-and-goal at the 3, you still have a role to play. Keep on ballin’ Big Ben!
I’ll be the secretary of the “Thank god LB isn’t our GM and I hope he falls down the stairs and there are sharp knives at the bottom” gang”.
Amir will be fine, he just needs a mean streak.
Using mobile site. From Hollywood. Somehow it does smell worse here than Burbank.
Kill the Suns!!!!!!!!!
How’s that for optimism, MP? Or at least blind hatred of non-Detroit bball teams….
gee, boney, you really know how to make a guy feel at home, don’t you.
I wish we could get Ben back, him & Sheed & Dyess are fantastic mentors to the young bigs in my opinion.
Skylar, I love Ben, but at this point I think Kwame is more valuable than anything Ben can offer as a mentor.
I just threw up in my mouth a little.
As a Piston fan, I’m ready to do the unthinkable.
Sweep the West Coast! Dun Dun Duuuuuun!
If we get another 300 comments for the Suns game in this thread my head is going to explode from scrolling down.
With Nash out with a suspension and Barbosa away on bereavement leave (his mother passed away, he’s in Brazil) the Pistons are going go small and run, run, run. Phoenix will be trying to slow the game down but I don’t think it will work. Amare can get 35 and it won’t be enough. A vintage Shaq game is all that is standing between Detroit and a win.
Nash is actually back for this game. The suns will still be without Barnes and Barbosa though.
joejoejoe…Nash is playing today, he only had a 1 game suspension and served it when the Suns played Sacramento. Barnes is out though since he got a 2 game suspension, as well as Barbosa.
Up until last game, Amir had outplayed Kwame. One game does not a season make.
@JackDutch:
Hell yes! I’m with you, my man
Man oh man, I sure hope someone posts a link to the Suns game either in this thread or in the eventual “Pistons are Taking on the Suns” thread…
that sure would be swell…
This DET-PHX stream looks good.
http://www.justin.tv/joebtv
Suns game thread is (finally) up …
finally we’re on the same page, mp! see you in the other thread…
Colin,
I do my best.
I am the resident irritant to LB and anyone else from Bloomington, Indiana or any surrounding areas.
I am convinced that people from Indiana do not have a sense of humor.