Pistons vs. Wizards: Chance for redemption

A pair of blowouts resulted in some locker room drama, as Josh Smith had some thoughts to share with the media after he was benched for the second half of Saturday's loss to the Wizards in D.C.

It's an honor for me to play, you know what I'm saying? So when anybody challenges -- or anything about the fact that, you know, about me not wanting to play -- then I take real offense to it.

On the bright side, that's the first real offense we've seen out of Smith all season! Get it? Anyways.

Smith had more to say and you can read it in David Mayo's story here. Mo Cheeks responded here with Vince Goodwill, showing he can speak quite well when need requires.

Moving on.

The Situation

The Pistons and Wizards are each teams looking to take control of the wide open 3 seed in the Eastern Conference. Washington dominated in their meeting on Saturday night, taking control in the first three minutes and controlling throughout.

Detroit has struggled the past two games, being out-shown on the boards and especially the defensive end. After back to back games, Mo Cheeks called a practice yesterday with the emphasis on the team's defense.

After today's game, the Pistons are off until Sunday when they host the Memphis Grizzlies. Despite the poor showings, you'll want to watch tonight before the extended layoff.

Keys to the Game

Defense: Defense, defense, defense.

Home court advantage: SteveNYC posted a nice FanPost about the Pistons better play on the road than at home. Definitely recommended reading. But the Pistons really ought to be playing better on their home court, especially after being blown out the past two games.

Andre Drummond: Dre had one of his worst two game stretches of the year on Friday and Saturday. As much praise as the young star has already received, one thing that has rarely been mentioned has been his consistency. There's really no point this year where he has had something that could be considered a slump. Hopefully we'll see the usual dominant Drummond tonight.

Question of the Game

Let's play a game: the happiest daydreaming Josh Smith trade scenaio. Offer up your most optimistic, somewhat realistic trade Taller, Not Fatter Iverson Josh Smith idea. Mine: Philly gets Omer Asik and Donuts, Houston gets Josh Smith, Detroit gets Thad Young.