Archive for the 'Polls' Category

“Stack Diesel” powers the Mavs

Published by Matt Watson on June 12, 2006 in 2006 Playoffs, Former Pistons and Polls. 4 Comments

Jerry Stackhouse is all smiles after Game 2The Mavericks dominated the Heat in Game 2 of the NBA Finals last night, and in case you didn’t watch the game, it was former Piston Jerry Stackhouse who blew the game wide open in the final minute of the second quarter. With the Mavs nursing a modest six-point lead, Stack simply took over, draining three three-pointers and hitting a foul shot in the span of 77 seconds to single-handedly power a 10-0 run, giving the Mavs a 16-point lead heading into halftime.

Stack finished with 19 points (6-11 shooting, including 4-5 from three-point land) in 30 minutes, second behind Dirk Nowitzki’s team-leading 26 points. The Mavs went on to win by 14, but considering they were nursing a 27-point lead at one time, it was more of a blowout than the final score suggests.

Aside from watching Stackhouse explode, what was most fun was watching Shaquille O’Neal relegated to an afterthought in Miami’s offense. Facing a barrage of double-teams everytime he touched the ball, the big lug was held to five attempts, and as a result scored a career playoff low five points with six boards in 28 minutes. Erick Dampier, often the victim of Shaq’s barbs over the years, came off the bench for Dallas to chip in six points and 13 boards. Is Shaq upset at his lack of scoring opportunities? Probably, but we can’t say for sure considering he ducked out of the locker room early to avoid talking to reporters — drawing a $10,000 league fine in the process. (As an aside, this isn’t the first time Shaq has been punk’d)

With Dallas holding a 2-0 lead, the series moves to Miami for the next three games. Do you think the Heat will win at least two games to send it back to Dallas, or should the Mavs pack to champagne and plan for a South Beach championship celebration? Vote in the poll on the right and tell us in the comments.

Mavs 99, Heat 85 box score [ESPN]
O’Neal, Heat fined after he skips postgame interview [AP]
Shaquille O’Neal Gets Punk’d [Hoops Addict]

Should Rip Hamilton sit out Game 3?

Published by Matt Watson on April 28, 2006 in 2006 Playoffs, From the news and Polls. 2 Comments

A lot of fans seem to think so, but Flip Saunders doesn’t agree. From the Free Press:

“I hear everyone talking,” Saunders said at practice Thursday. “Sit him, and all that. I didn’t know we had so many doctors in Detroit that understand this.”

Hamilton sprained his ankle when he came down on a Milwaukee player’s foot Sunday in Game 1. He sat a few minutes on the bench but finished the game.

On Monday and Tuesday, Hamilton received treatment and did not practice. Then Wednesday in Game 2, he started and played well, but jammed the same ankle in the second quarter. Once again, he returned to finish the game.

Saunders is relying on the advice of his medical staff, who seem to think Hamilton won’t risk further injury to himself by playing. But even though strength and conditioning coach Arnie Kander and trainer Mike Abdenour have forgotten more things about treating sprained ankles than I’ve ever learned, I can’t help but think the Pistons would be best off erring on the side of caution. Why risk things? His injury may not be as bad as Chauncey Billups’ was a few years back, but it can’t be a good sign that he’s tweaked the injury in consecutive games.

Perhaps Saunders feels he owes it to Hamilton to let him play as long as he’s healthy, but the way the first-round is structured with such long layoffs between games, this is a unique opportunity to rest him and get him healthy for the long haul. What do you think?

PISTONS CORNER: Flip not planning to sit hurting Rip [Detroit Free Press]

National consensus: Bucks bagged in 4

Published by Ian Cameron on April 21, 2006 in 2006 Playoffs, Around the Internets and Polls. 3 Comments

Now I don't mean to suggest that there is no chance, but...No one should be surprised that I’m calling for a Pistons sweep over the Bucks in round 1. Despite my occasional rants on all things Lindsey or Ben’s abysmal offense, I still walk the line of confidence/cockiness when it comes to the Boys in Blue.

But I was a bit surprised as to how many hoop heads from the national media and blogdom have joined me in breaking out the brooms for this series (especially given the outcome thus far in our DBB poll, where — at the time of posting — close to half of you are still sandbagging).

Here’s just a sampling of what those around the Internet are saying about this series.

Sean Deveney of The Sporting News:

This is just not a good matchup for Milwaukee. Detroit’s defense can shut down the Bucks, but the Pistons can play up-tempo with Milwaukee, if necessary. Take Detroit in a sweep.

David Dupree of USA Today:

The Pistons in four games. It’s all business now, and they have a point to prove.

Chris Sheridan of ESPN Insider:

Detroit’s experience will be the determining factor in each fourth quarter, but the Bucks have the right combination of size, speed and shooting to keep up with the Pistons. Detroit in 4.

Tony Mejia of CBS Sportsline:

Despite having an opportunity to be seeded much higher as April began, Milwaukee floundered and ended up with the matchup nobody in the Eastern Conference desired. Ultimately, that will be its downfall, although taking a few lumps from a trend-setter won’t hinder its development. Detroit has magical chemistry, set a franchise-record for wins and knows how to avoid any postseason letdowns. That will likely spell trouble for the Bucks. [Pistons in 4]

Bill Simmons of ESPN (our lone dissenter):

Pistons in 5.

[Sadly no extensive commentary from Simmons on this matchup. I would have loved to see how he could have worked Larry Bird, Jessica Simpson, and/or some 1980s pro-wrestling reference into this discussion, since he does so in every other. For the record, I’m on the fence about Simmons. I used to like his stuff a lot; now, I’m luke warm. But when he, in a moment of pure genious, combines two of my greatest loves — the NBA playoffs and Pearl Jam — as he did in today’s Playoff Preview column…well, he’s moving back towards my good side again. I’m sure that means the world to him.]

So, after witnessing the love that the Pistons are getting from the national folks, are you feeling confident yet? Are you ready to join the sweep side? Give us your thoughts on the series in the comments.

More playoff coverage to come…

East Matchup: No. 1 Pistons vs. No. 8 Bucks [Sporting News]
16 teams take shot at title [USA Today]
We’ve got the winners [ESPN]
Series: Pistons vs. Bucks, Mejia’s Take [CBS Sportsline]
State of NBA, love & trust [ESPN]

Poll results, potential victims, and putting an end to the Pacers

Published by Ian Cameron on April 19, 2006 in Polls. 3 Comments

As further evidence of the withering rivalry between the Pistons and Pacers, Detroit Bad Boys readers did an about face in our most recent poll, which asked you to choose the most desireable first-round opponent for the Pistons.

While Chicago received the largest portion of votes (45%), probably due to the Pistons’ 4-0 record against the Bulls during the regular season, a large number of you apparently would like to see the Pistons to put the final nail in the Pacers’ coffin (32%, second most in the poll).

I gotta say, I’m with you on this one. Nothing quite beats a downtrodden Jeff Foster. But this desire to stomp the Pacers is in stark contrast to the mood around here last month, when the Pacers were voted as the toughest of the potential first round matchups. Methinks the newfound confidence stems from the Pistons’ 98-73 beatdown of the Pacers on national TV. Or perhaps my repeated “nobody in the Eastern Conference has a [freaking] chance!” tirades are finally gaining some traction.

Either way, I’m secretly very happy that we won’t have to see Gilbert Arenas and the Washington Wizards before, at the earliest, the second round (if at all). With the ‘Zards win over the Bucks last night, they have removed themselves from the running for the 8 seed.

Here’s the current standings leading into tonight’s regular season finale:

5. Washington (41-40); 1 game remaining, tonight at Detroit
6. Indiana (40-41); 1 game remaining, tonight v. Orlando
7. Chicago (40-41); 1 game remaining, tonight v. Toronto
8. Milwaukee (40-42) Regular season is finished

Rather than strain my over-caffeinated brain, I’ll let Blog-a-Bull explain the tiebreak situation from a Chicago fan’s point of view:

    If Bulls win (Bulls guaranteed higher seed than Milwaukee):

AND Washington wins AND Indiana wins:
Washington is 42-40, Bulls/Indiana are tied at 41-41
Indiana wins tiebreaker (division record)
Bulls are the 7th seed

Washington loses, Indiana wins:
Bulls/Indiana/Washington are tied at 41-41
Bulls win tiebreaker (highest winning percentage in games among the 3 teams)
Bulls are 5th seed

Washington loses, Indiana loses:
Bulls/Washington are tied at 41-41, Indiana is at 40-42
Bulls win tiebreaker (head-to-head versus Washington)
Bulls are 5th seed

    If Bulls lose (Bulls guaranteed lower seed than Washington):

Indiana loses
Bulls/Indiana/Milwaukee are tied at 40-42
Bulls lose tiebreaker (lowest division record)
Bulls are 8th seed
I cry myself to sleep

Indiana wins
Indiana at 41-41, Bulls/Milwaukee tied at 40-42
Bulls lose tiebreaker (lower division record)
Bulls are 8th seed
I cry myself to sleep

So, from a Piston fan’s point of view, the most important take-away from Blog-a-Bull’s explanation above: Bulls fans want no part of the Pistons in the first round, what with all the “cry myself to sleep” stuff. But what we can also decipher is this:

If you voted for the Bulls as the Pistons’ first-round opponent, then root against the Bulls tonight.

If you voted for the Pacers, root for the Bulls and against the Pacers.

And if you voted for the Bucks, well then you’re just throwing your vote away.
(All 12 of you.)

All tomorrow’s parties [Blog-a-Bull]

Update: Who would you rather the Pistons play now?

Published by Ian Cameron on April 17, 2006 in Polls. 9 Comments

The weekend brought some clarity with regards to which 8 teams would be competing in the Eastern Conference playoffs, but there is still some jockeying for position going on for slots 5-8. While the Pistons await the results to discover their first-round oppenent (the 8th seed), we want to know who you would like to see them play. We asked a similar question previously, back when things were still a bit unsettled. This time around, your choices are:

    a) Washington Wizards

Pistons season record against: 0-2 (with one game left to play on Wednesday at the Palace)
Most memorable moment of the season series: Matt and I watching the ‘Zards stomp the Pistons at the phone booththe former MCI Center turned Verizon Center in Washington, DC, and Matt’s subsequent post, displaying an almost eerie foresight into the ‘Zards playoff fate (achieved using a free t-shirt and Microsoft Paint).

    b) Indiana Pacers

Pistons’ season record against: 3-1
Most memorable moment of the season series: Jermaine O’Neal claiming that he wanted a piece of the Pistons in the first round of the playoffs. O’Neal’s statements are humorous on so many levels: 1) he was basically advocating slipping into the playoffs (injuries or not, you have to shoot for higher than .500 ball); 2) Flip’s subsequent shrugging off of O’Neal; 3) the Pistons statement-making smackdown of the Pacers last weekend as the regular season wound down. Meanwhile the Pacers’ making the playoffs probably delayed this team’s implosion by about ten days.

    c) Milwaukee Bucks

Pistons’ season record against: 3-0 (with one game left to play, tonight in Milwaukee)
Most memorable moment of the season series: Aside from the Pistons’ frantic second-half comeback on March 31, the Rasheed Wallace/Andrew Bogut back-and-forth (and-back-and-forth-and-back) with the guys over at Milwaukee Bucks Diary (our favorite Milwaukee Bucks blog) was entertaining as the season wore on. The discussion was one born of boredom, but it is always interesting to get an intelligent enemy perspective of the Boys in Blue.

    d) Chicago Bulls

Pistons season record against: 4-0
Most memorable moment of the season series: The war of words between Bulls coach Scott Skiles and Flip Saunders, Rip Hamilton, et al, following a chippy 95-87 Pistons win in Chi-town on February 24. The game featured an awkward shoving match between Kirk Hinrich and Rip — two guys who should never be starting shoving matches with anyone other than each other, as well as Skiles saying the following about the Pistons:

“They literally complain about every call all night long,” Skiles said. “They are having a great year doing it. I’m not sure what that says.”

Good times.

Have an opinion on the topic that requires more than a simple mouse-click to express? Pick up the discussion in the comments.

Poll results: the Detroit sports spotlight is shared

Published by Ian Cameron on April 9, 2006 in Polls. 1 Comment

Okay, okay, we get the point — based upon our recent poll, it appears that the Red Wings are still somewhat relevant on the Detroit sports landscape. But by no means do they dominate the scene. The Pistons’ sustained excellence deserves recognition as well.

Althought 46% of you felt that “the Pistons are the top dogs now” and another 17% of you took the extreme stance, questioning whether “people still play hockey?”, this is a Pistons site, and we’d expect at least the inverse were the poll conducted on a Wings site. So — with the remaining 37% of you proudly proclaiming that “Detroit will always be Hockeytown!” — Matt and I must admit that the Detroit sports stage is a shared one.

Fortunately for fans, with the Pistons and Wings leading their respective leagues down the stretch, celebrating championships in basketball and hockey is not an either/or proposition. I’d hope (even expect) that we all will be cheering on both teams in the playoffs. Perhaps best stated by Detroit Bad Boys regular Deho75, should the Pistons and Wings both bring home the hardware, fans of each can “buy each other a cigar and puff away.”

Are we getting greedy here? Nah...

Poll results: Bill Laimbeer still beloved for being Bad

Published by Ian Cameron on April 3, 2006 in Polls. 2 Comments

No, Bill. It was you.Special thanks to all who participated in our most recent Detroit Bad Boys poll asking the rather difficult question, “Who was your favorite Bad Boy?”

Well (with 135 total votes), the results are in, and I’m a bit shocked to report that your overwhelming choice — with 30% of the final tally — is my personal choice: Bill Laimbeer. Why shocked? Well, after running close with Laimbeer for the first couple days of voting, I expected Joe D to get a bump from his announced selection to the Basketball Hall of Fame. But alas, his backcourt mate and (let’s be honest here) probably best Piston player of all-time, Isiah Thomas, made a late run to steal the second spot behind Lambs. This shouldn’t be a complete surprise. Despite his attempts of late to sabotage his own great legacy, I have a hunch that more than 22% of Piston fans during the run of the Bad Boys would have listed Zeke as their guy. It remains very sad that Isiah is not a part of the organization in some manner, though Piston fans have to be extremely grateful that Joe D — and not Isiah — is their current team President.

Other notable trends:

Back when he was simply a baller.After receiving roughly a single vote over the first day of tallying, fans seemed to remember Dennis Rodman as he was in the Piston Blue, the lanky, energetic, tattooless second round draft pick out of Southeastern Oklahoma State. The Worm — before the multi-colored hair, before the cross-dressing, and before the movie “Double Team” (with Jean-Claude Van-Damme), perfected the art of rebounding and abhorrent foul shooting far before Big Ben made it cool. And he held a place in our hearts for his hard work on the court and his shyness off it. Some also might remember with glee that he literally gave Scottie Pippen headaches. Good times…

Sadly, neither Rodman’s “X-Factor” partner John “Spider” Salley (anyone remember their crossover high five?) or Mark Aguirre received a single vote from the selection committee. As for the “others receiving votes” footnote: Vinnie Johnson and Rick Mahorn both made respectable showings, taking in about 7% of the vote each.

I got your back, Buddha.Finally — in the spirit of full-disclosure, I feel compelled to admit that I voted twice in this poll (once from work, once from home), which enabled me to split my vote between Laimbeer (obviously) and James Edwards. (My vote ended up being the only cast for Buddha.) Even though he annoyed me by joining the legion of former Pistons to take up with Jordan and the Bulls for a title run, Edwards was an amazing anomaly — a 7-footer with a sweet fadeaway and a fu manchu mustache. While it had to be tough to replace a fan-favorite like Mahorn in the Piston starting five after Mahorn was selected by the T-Wolves in the ‘89 expansion draft, Buddha gave the team a low-post threat to start every game. His impact on that 1990 championship team is often understated due to the overall collection of talent, but he definitely brought his own style and flair to the Bad Boys.

Was there anyone on that team who wasn’t a character?

Vote on your favorite ‘Bad Boys’-era Piston!

Published by Ian Cameron on March 31, 2006 in Polls. 4 Comments

As much Laimbeer-pimping as I’ve done around here recently, my favorite former-Piston should be obvious. But we’d like to know your favorite of the Bad Boys-era Pistons.

Granted, this is similar to asking someone to choose just one favorite ice-cream (Chocolate Fudge Brownie), or just one favorite Bill Murray movie (Ghostbusters), or even just one favorite Shaq album (definitely, the Kazaam soundtrack), but here are your choices, nonetheless:
The Bad Boys.

Mark Aguirre
Joe Dumars
James Edwards
Vinnie Johnson
Bill Laimbeer
Rick Mahorn
Dennis Rodman
John Salley
Isiah Thomas

So, have at it. Vote for your favorite in the poll at the right of the screen. (And apologies to the legions of David Greenwood fans, who may feel a bit slighted.)

It’s official: the Pacers make DBB readers nervous

Published by Matt Watson on March 27, 2006 in Polls. 4 Comments

Last week, we asked, “Who would pose the toughest first-round playoff matchup for the Pistons?”

We didn’t expect the results to be nearly this close: out of the 122 people polled, the vast majority chose the Pacers (43%) and Wizards (41%), with the Celtics (7%), Sixers (5%), Bulls (3%), and Bucks (0%) nothing more than distant afterthoughts. (I’m a bit surprised the Bucks didn’t recieve a single vote — not because I think the Pistons have any reason to worry about them, but because they’re currently slotted for the seventh seed in the East, above the current No. 8 seed Sixers, as well as the Bulls and Boston, who are on the outside looking in were the playoffs to start today. )

Personally, I voted for the Wizards — I know they’re inconsistent as all get up, but they’ve beat the Pistons at home and on the road this year, and I witness in person just how hot their shooters can stay for an entire game. The Pacers? Sure, they’re a decent team, and I’m sure any series with them will be a grinder, but (and I can’t believe I’m saying this) they’ve kind of lost some of their edge now that Reggie and Ronnie are gone. But I’m not surprised the Pacers won this poll — after all, they’ve been dubbed our most hated rival, and people tend to dislike that which they fear.

Granted, this is a moot point — the Wiz and Pacers are currently slotted fifth and sixth in the East, and, barring a collapse, won’t be facing Detroit in the first round. But with Gilbert Arenas and Jermaine O’Neal both on the record as saying they’d like a crack at Detroit in the playoffs, we had to include them as options.

Explaining the Delfino/Evans rotation

Published by Matt Watson on March 21, 2006 in From the news and Polls. 3 Comments

Chris McCosky addresses Carlos Delfino’s declining minutes in his Burning Questions feature in today’s Detroit News. He goes more in-depth in the actual article, but for the sake of brevity here are the quick answers:

Q . Can you explain Saunders’ reluctance to use Carlos Delfino?

A . I don’t think it’s reluctance on his part. I think he is genuinely uncertain as to how and when to use Delfino.

The way Saunders explains it, he wants to match up Delfino with the bigger swing men (like Al Harrington on Monday night and Dwyane Wade on Wednesday). He wants to use Maurice Evans against smaller swing men.

Is it me, or does it seem odd to label Wade as a “bigger swing man?” The guy is 6-4, 212, which, by NBA standards, is actually a bit short for a shooting guard. (Rip Hamilton, for example, is 6-7, 193.) Maybe Wade is big in terms of strength, but if you put Delfino and Evans next to each other, I’d say Evans looks like the stronger of the two, even if Delfino, at 6-6, 230, has an inch and 10 pounds on his teammate.

And Al Harrington, incidentally, is a 6-9, 245-pound power forward — I’m not sure just how much time Delfino spent guarding him last night, but they were only on the court at the same time for about three minutes. What’s my point? I don’t really have one, I guess, except that I’m not sure I really buy this explanation at face value.

Q . Is Delfino getting Darko’d?

A . If getting Darko’d means he is, like Milicic, a young, talented player whose development is being suffocated by a coach’s unwillingness to play younger players — then, no, he’s not.

Here’s the thing about Evans: Right or wrong, he is Saunders’ guy. Saunders brought him into the league. Saunders has helped nurture his career. There is a certain trust and comfort level.

To be honest, I had pretty much forgotten about the previous Saunders-Evans connection, but it’s true: Evans’ first year in the league was back in 2001-02 with the Timberwolves. Granted, he played just 10 games and averaged only 4.5 minutes, but I guess Saunders could still have lingering loyalties. I’m not just worried about Delfino getting Darko’d, where he’s never given a real chance to play — I’ll probably be even more upset if he ends up getting Memo’d, where he proves himself to be a valuable player but still isn’t retained.

In any event, this article seemed like an appropriate way to end our poll. We asked, “Who do you want to see in the rotation?” Of the 64 people who voted, 84% indicated Carlos Delfino, while 16% went with Mo Evans. Make of that what you will.

Delfino is a victim of numbers [Detroit News]

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