Detroit Bad Boys - Pistons vs. Mavericks: Detroit drubs Dallas, 108-95, to win 7th straightA community of Detroit Pistons fans since 2005https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/community_logos/48119/detroitbadboys-fave.png2015-01-08T11:40:24-05:00http://www.detroitbadboys.com/rss/stream/72746682015-01-08T11:40:24-05:002015-01-08T11:40:24-05:00SVG: 'This group is rocking'
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<figcaption>Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
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<p>Stan Van Gundy pleased with effort just as much as results during Pistons winning streak.</p> <p>What a difference a month makes.</p>
<p>In early December the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.detroitbadboys.com/">Pistons</a> were sitting at 3-15, losers of nine straight, and head coach <span>Stan Van Gundy</span> was talking about his team being "messed up." Even worse, he was at a loss as to how how to explain his team's struggles.</p>
<p>Now, Van Gundy is all smiles. His team has won seven straight and talk amongst fans has switched from tanking to taking one of the final playoff slots in the East.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.nba.com/pistons/news/postgame-quotes-january-7-2015">Van Gundy's postgame comments</a> offer a perfect encapsulation of his team's mindset right now, emphasis mine:</p>
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<p>"But one of the things I really liked tonight is we finished with almost an entirely different group than we finished with last night. At one point with 4:40 to go I turned to my assistants on the bench, <b>I said, ‘Do we want any subs?' And I had Brandon (Jennings) and Andre (Drummond) standing up going, ‘Hell no!' </b>You know this group is rocking. So that's what we've got right now attitude wise it's different people every night and nobody seems very concerned about it, they just want to try and win games."
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<p>He followed up by noting, "everybody we put in makes a contribution and that's why we are playing well right now."</p>
<p>That's about as far a cry as can be from <a href="http://www.nba.com/pistons/features/leaky-3rd-quarter-d-sends-pistons-spiraling-9th-straight-loss">what he was saying in December</a>, again, emphasis mine:</p>
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<p>"We played harder in the preseason when the games didn't count. I certainly thought we played better together when the games didn't count. It's the same thing in practice. We play harder in practice than we do in games. We move the ball better in practice than we do in games. So what's the answer to that? I asked them; they didn't have an answer.</p>
<p>"My answer is there's no dilemmas in the preseason. <b>Nobody cares how many shots they're getting. Everybody knows everybody's going to play a little bit, so everybody's spirits are up. You're not worried about stats</b>. There's no dilemmas. There's nothing else on your mind. There's a purity in what you're doing and now, all of a sudden games count and there's, I guess, pressure to perform.</p>
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<p>"It's not a lazy team. I see them in practice every day. We saw them in the preseason. I understand the games don't count, but that's what's mind-boggling. The effort was better when things didn't count. We have enough talent to win games but we don't have enough talent to overcome lack of effort. I don't think it's laziness. I think there's too much (clogging their minds) and I don't know how we get out of it. They're going to have to take care of that themselves and just go out and play."</p>
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<p>And <a href="http://www.detroitbadboys.com/2015/1/8/7512755/rick-carlisle-on-streaking-pistons" target="_blank">other coaches are noticing</a> that this is an all-new Pistons team:</p>
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<p>"It was a wipeout. Start to finish, they just outplayed us. It's no accident that they're on a seven-game winning streak and they're beating some good teams. They're playing at a high level, and tonight, they were just better."</p>
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<p>If you are looking for alternative theories to the Pistons' success the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.peachtreehoops.com/">Atlanta Hawks</a> broadcasters have you covered. <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/nba/2015/1/7/7511943/hawks-broadcasters-subtly-troll-josh-smith/in/7275304">As Mike Prada mentions</a> the duo expertly trolls former longtime Hawk Josh Smith in the process.</p>
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https://www.detroitbadboys.com/2015/1/8/7514243/svg-this-group-is-rocking-they-just-want-to-win-gamesSean Corp2015-01-08T01:02:59-05:002015-01-08T01:02:59-05:00Rick Carlisle: Right now, they're one of the best basketball teams in the NBA <blockquote>
<p><p>"Right now, they’re one of the best basketball teams in the NBA just with the way that they’re playing together and how hard and the kind of energy they’re playing with. You’ve got to admire what they’re doing."</p></p>
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<div class="source"><p><a href="http://www.nba.com/pistons/news/postgame-quotes-january-7-2015" target="new">NBA.com post-game quotes</a> serves us this gem from one of the most respected coaches in the association. The Pistons are for real right now.</p></div>
https://www.detroitbadboys.com/2015/1/8/7512755/rick-carlisle-on-streaking-pistonsPackey2015-01-07T23:42:48-05:002015-01-07T23:42:48-05:00Pistons are rolling<h3 class="link-title"><a rel="nofollow" href="https://twitter.com/NBAonTNT/status/553035534973415425/photo/1">Pistons are&nbsp;rolling</a></h3>
<div class="description"><p><p>More Brandon Jennings bench dancing here during the Dallas win.</p></p></div>
https://www.detroitbadboys.com/2015/1/7/7512597/pistons-are-on-a-rollPackey2015-01-07T23:39:57-05:002015-01-07T23:39:57-05:00Monroe has breakout game vs. Mavs
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<figcaption>Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
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<p>With Drummond running on fumes it was finally time for Monroe to step up, and Moose was more than up to the challenge.</p> <p>Since releasing <span>Josh Smith</span>, the <a href="https://www.detroitbadboys.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">Pistons</a> have won seven in a row and played terrific team basketball night in and night out.</p>
<p>But even as <span>Stan Van Gundy</span> has played a deep rotation and spread the offensive workload around pretty evenly, individual players have found ways to shine. <span>Andre Drummond</span> has looked like a budding superstar, <span>Jodie Meeks</span> is hitting nine 3-pointers in a game, <span>Brandon Jennings</span> is hitting game-winners. Everyone has had their moment to shine ... except <span>Greg Monroe</span>.</p>
<p>That all changed Wednesday night in Dallas where <a href="http://www.detroitbadboys.com/2015/1/7/7512427/pistons-at-mavs-seven-straight-for-detroit-win-108-95">Monroe powered the Pistons to a 108-95 victory</a> with 27 points, 18 rebounds and six assists -- on the second night of a back-to-back.</p>
<p>The Pistons weren't expected to win this game. They hadn't won in Dallas since 2006, were facing the NBA's second-best offense and were playing on the second night of a back-to-back after going 12 rounds in a win against the <a href="https://www.poundingtherock.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">Spurs</a> the night before.</p>
<p>Many of the players just didn't have a full tank of gas tonight. You could tell with some of the jump shots they were settling for and the lack of explosiveness from Drummond that the team was running on fumes.</p>
<p>But Monroe stepped up when it counted. He scored 11 points in the first quarter to stake his team to an early lead that they would never relinquish. Monroe was making smart, assertive moves with the ball, hit cutters for easy hoops at the rim and found teammates when defenders tried to double him. He hit all of his team-high five free-throws.</p>
<p>During this winning streak, Monroe has often been a bystander down the stretch as Van Gundy has used Drummond and a perimeter threat such as <span>Jonas Jerebko</span> or <span>Anthony Tolliver</span> to put teams away. But it was obvious that tonight just wasn't Dre's night. He had nothing left to give after his transcendent performance against the Spurs. Against the Mavs, Drummond was just 3-for-11 and didn't attempt a free throw -- a telling sign that he just wasn't as aggressive as usual (though he did still manage to grab 19 rebounds).</p>
<p>Monroe had carried his team offensively for three quarters and was out there in crunch time in the fourth grabbing key rebounds, hitting a couple key shots and providing a secondary threat as a very angry <span>D.J. Augustin</span> took over and put the game away.</p>
<p>It was a great performance for a player who has consistently seemed lost in the shuffle in Detroit. Too much losing, too much Josh Smith as well as having to deal with the long shadow casts by Drummond. People assume Monroe wants out as soon as possible, and also think that Van Gundy doesn't want a non-shooting big alongside Drummond long-term.</p>
<p>Maybe they're right.</p>
<p>But Monroe is a tantalizing young talent in his own right, and against the Mavs you could see why the Pistons might just want to keep him around. The 24-year-old big man has the ability to score in the post, find open teammates and make sure the Pistons have a chance even when things get a little messy. And if the winning continues, Monroe might just have a reason to want to stay in Motown and see if he can be a part of something special.</p>
https://www.detroitbadboys.com/2015/1/7/7512495/pistons-vs-mavericks-greg-monroe-has-breakout-game-in-win-vs-mavsSean Corp2015-01-07T23:01:39-05:002015-01-07T23:01:39-05:00Seven straight for the Pistons!
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<figcaption>Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
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<p>Pistons took their six-game winning streak to the hottest team in the West and came out winners.</p> <p>With eight minutes to go, <span>D.J. Augustin</span> was hit with a bogus offensive foul, then was offered a technical foul after expressing his displeasure. The officials didn't do Dallas any favors.</p>
<p>D.J. got mad.</p>
<p>The Dirk Nowitzki free throw closed the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.detroitbadboys.com/">Pistons</a> lead to just four points, but Augustin responded with two straight three pointers that effectively shut the door on the Mavs attempt at a comeback.</p>
<p>Augustin played the closer for the Pistons with 17 fourth quarter points, but it was yet another gutsy team win for a group that has been playing some of the best basketball in the league. After winning six-straight games, the team currently sitting at third in the Western Conference never led once against the Pistons.</p>
<p><span>Greg Monroe</span> was absolutely dominant with his best game of the season, posting 27 points, 18 rebounds, and 6 assists. Despite looking like he was sporting some heavy legs and facing a tough matchup in <span>Tyson Chandler</span>, <span>Andre Drummond</span> still managed 19 rebounds.</p>
<p>The Pistons rebounding edge was critical as they finished with a 60-43 advantage. They were also back to their scorching ways from behind the arc, making 10-of-21 attempts.</p>
<p>After beating the defending world champion <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.poundingtherock.com/">San Antonio Spurs</a> and <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.mavsmoneyball.com/">Dallas Mavericks</a> on the road, skeptics are out of reasons to not take the Pistons seriously. As mentioned by <a target="_blank" href="https://twitter.com/Keith_Langlois/status/553033002549125120">Keith Langlois on Twitter</a>, the last time the Pistons won at San Antonio and Dallas in the same season was the 1996-97 season. The win tonight was the Pistons first win in Dallas in nearly a decade, since 2006.</p>
<p>With this win, the Pistons are just three games out of the final playoff spot. Hell, injured <span>LeBron James</span> and the <a href="https://www.fearthesword.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">Cleveland Cavaliers</a> might even want to start worrying, as the Pistons are only 6.5 behind them for the fifth seed.</p>
<p>Next the Pistons head back to The Palace to face the top team in the East, the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.peachtreehoops.com/">Atlanta Hawks</a> on Friday.</p>
https://www.detroitbadboys.com/2015/1/7/7512427/pistons-at-mavs-seven-straight-for-detroit-win-108-95Steve Hinson2015-01-07T22:26:55-05:002015-01-07T22:26:55-05:00Charlie Villanueva making it rain!<iframe class="vine-embed" src="https://vine.co/v/OpO9pQxD05H/embed/simple" width="600" height="600"></iframe>
<div class="source source-img"><p><p>#believeincharlie</p></p></div>
https://www.detroitbadboys.com/2015/1/7/7512285/charlie-villanueva-making-it-rainPackey2015-01-07T21:47:31-05:002015-01-07T21:47:31-05:00Pistons vs. Mavericks Second Half GameThread
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<p>Pistons are holding their own on the road with the league's other leading winning streak. Can they keep it up to pull off another tough road win?</p> <p>The Pistons used some hot three point shooting and an edge on the boards to go into halftime with a 54-49 lead. The league's second best offense has yet to really get rolling so as Devin Harris leads the Mavs with 10.</p>
<p>Greg Monroe and Andre Drummond combined for 19 first half rebounds, though Dre has looked tired at times. Monroe has been Moosey though with 13 points and 9 rebounds. He also came through with the last second tip to extend the Pistons lead as they head to the locker room.</p>
<p>We've got another one worth staying up for. Now your thoughts.</p>
<p><a target="_blank" href="http://www.detroitbadboys.com/2015/1/7/7511563/pistons-vs-mavericks-gamethread-game-time-tv-schedule-radio-stream">First half GameThread</a></p>
https://www.detroitbadboys.com/2015/1/7/7512123/pistons-vs-mavericks-second-half-gamethreadSteve Hinson