What Happened:
The Pistons shut off Chris Paul at the pressure valve, got to the line and destroyed the Hornets on the boards en route to an overtime victory that was closer than it should have been.
The Good:
All around, the Pistons seemed ready for this offense. Chris Paul was taken out of the game until the end, when he got on a tear and brought his team back.
Frankly, the Hornets had to make some impossible shots to stay in this one. Detroit was on top of its game, and had New Orleans resorting to fouling just to stay on pace.
Ben Wallace had one of his best games as a Piston. I'd be interested in seeing the list of 35 year old players who have grabbed 20 rebounds in a game. Is it more than 50 players? I bet it's not.
The Bad:
The fouling thing almost worked, as the Pistons missed six free throws in the fourth quarter. Rodney Stuckey was terrible prior to a heroic OT performance. That said, it was a pretty damn heroic OT performance.
The Fats Domino Unsung Hero:
Austin Daye. Great plays late in the game are fun to watch, but if he hadn't stepped up in the 2nd quarter, there would have been no late game heroics.
The Takeaway:
The Pistons had the right game plan to beat this team. They made Chris Paul put the ball on the floor. They made the Hornets pay for playing the perimeter (10-2 OReb advantage), and they had much more balanced game than the previous victory.
This should also put to rest any notions that the return of our best players is a hindrance to this team. If the Pistons are going to make a playoff push, they will need contributions from Rip, Tay, Gordon etc...
Make more comments for the happy times!!