Magic vs. Pistons

Mike Bianchi of the Orlando Sentinel: (http://www.orlandosentinel.com/sports/orl-bianchi1308may13,0,3105568,full.column) "Can we unanimously agree that the Magic accomplished far more this season with Stan Van Gundy as coach than they would have with Billy Donovan? I know it. You know it. And, most of all, Billy Donovan knows it. 'As far as getting that team to take the next step, I don't think there's any question Stan Van Gundy was the right coach for the job,' Donovan said from his office in Gainesville. 'You have to have a level of humility in this situation and face facts. And the facts are Billy Donovan has never coached an NBA game in his life. There was obviously going to be a learning curve for me. The job Stan has done this year has been phenomenal, and the job he did with the Miami Heat doesn't get talked about enough.'"
Tim Povtak of the Orlando Sentinel: (http://www.orlandosentinel.com/sports/orl-povtak1308may13,0,2766385,full.column) "Rasheed Wallace is in Detroit this morning, quietly laughing to himself. Dwight Howard has more technical fouls than Wallace does in this Pistons/Magic series, which is why it is expected to end tonight. Despite his history of coming unnerved, despite a well-deserved and career-long reputation for controversy, and despite opposing crowds that always try to incite him, Wallace has been the stabilizing influence for the Pistons in both this series, and in Detroit's long-running success."
John Denton of Florida Today: (http://www.floridatoday.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080513/SPORTS/805130337/1002/SPORTS) "Orlando Magic coach Stan Van Gundy has seen the footage of Hedo Turkloglu's final shot in Saturday's Game 4 -- more than a few times to say the least -- and he's convinced that a foul would have been called had the play not come in an end-of-game situation. And what absolutely infuriates Van Gundy is that referee Mike Callahan, positioned along the baseline, seems ready to whistle Detroit's Jason Maxiell for a blocking foul for having one foot clearly inside of the restricted area, but inexplicably drops his arm and makes no call at all."
Mitch Albom of the Detroit Free Press: (http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080513/SPORTS03/805130362/1051) "Prince's ascension this postseason is welcome news for the 6-foot-9 forward, who wasn't happy with the way last season ended. His numbers dwindled in each of the four consecutive losses to Cleveland, and in the season finale, he had just one basket in 10 tries, as LeBron James triumphed. 'The thing that has stayed with me is how we lost,' Prince said. 'I think we were too concerned with how we were going to defend LeBron and not what we were going to do on our offensive end. Going into these playoffs it's been on my mind to be concerned about what we have to do and make them have to defend us.'"
Rob Parker of The Detroit News: (http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080513/OPINION03/805130310/1127/SPORTS0102) "When Prince was asked Monday which clutch play in his career did he relish the most -- the 2004 block on Reggie Miller's shot in Game 2 of the conference finals or Saturday's winning basket in Game 4's huge road victory in Orlando -- Prince didn't hesitate. 'I'll take that block anytime of the day,' Prince said after practice. 'It's more special. I don't care if the block was Game 1 of 82 games, the last game of 82 games or in the playoffs. That's more important than anything to me. It's satisfaction to get a defensive stop to win the game.' It's for that reason Prince often is overlooked and not as big of a fan favorite as other players. Defense might win you championships, but fans always will take offense."
A. Sherrod Blakely of Booth Newspapers: (http://www.mlive.com/pistons/index.ssf/2008/05/billups_faces_mental_physical.html) "Richard Hamilton is on the verge of becoming the franchise's all-time leading scorer in the playoffs. Making the record all that more improbable is the fact he has been able to do it in just six postseasons. He needs just 10 points to tie Isiah Thomas' franchise record of 2,261 postseason points. 'To me, it's crazy,' Hamilton said. 'Zeke is Detroit. If you get an opportunity to pass him ... I don't even feel as though I've been here long enough. It's a great honor, a great accomplishment. I wouldn't be able to do it without winning games. That's the great thing about it.'"

God damn, Van Gundy is a total cooze.

He REALLY is. Doesn't the way he's acting remind anyone of 2005? He's a good coach but loses his balls in the final moments of the game and doesn't seem to have the nerve to force his players to get the ball back inside. He loses all control and his team just about self-destructs. And if they lose, he whines.

But if I'm Miami, I still keep him over Pat Riley any day of the week. Pat Riley is the most overrated coach in NBA history.

Misuse of the good/well distinction is a pet peeve of mine. You with me, Zek?
I am entirely with you.

Engrish is my 2nd language so all you analEnglishmen need to take it easy on me.

My only pet peave is when peeps pronounce 'wash' as 'warsh'

But if I'm Miami, I still keep him over Pat Riley any day of the week. Pat Riley is the most overrated coach in NBA history.
Phil isnt that great a coach imo either. they are neck and neck imo. Both opportunistic when they saw a situation for a title run. With that said, i woulda took either guy over Flip back in the day. Though Flip has improved slowly as a playoff coach as of late. Still has lapses in judgment imo.

"Can we unanimously agree that the Magic accomplished far more this season with Stan Van Gundy as coach than they would have with Billy Donovan? I know it. You know it. And, most of all, Billy Donovan knows it. 'As far as getting that team to take the next step, I don't think there's any question Stan Van Gundy was the right coach for the job,' Donovan said from his office in Gainesville. 'You have to have a level of humility in this situation and face facts. And the facts are Billy Donovan has never coached an NBA game in his life. There was obviously going to be a learning curve for me.
izzo fans take notice. And hope the bulls sign him to further their own futility.

no billups tonight.

fuck rodney! last game i can say at least 2 of those calls against you were bad calls. tonight you made 2 stupid fouls in less than 4 minutes! come on kid.

Stuck, trying to be a hero?

beautiful alley from rip to prince!!!!!

OT...I missed The Hills last night so I'm missing some of the Pistons game.

^^Gay.

HA! Evans throws it OB.

isn't it ghosder with a 'D'...?

It's actually Gosder... Just a running joke I have with myself and my roommates.

My only pet peave is when peeps pronounce 'wash' as 'warsh'
What about Pellow and Melk?

dick stockton has alzheimer's or dementia or something. or he's just a complete moron.

So I take it we'll see a lot of Hunter this game...

Even if they just said Flip doubts Hunter will get that many minutes tonight.


NICE O-Board by Max, giving Prince the second chance bucket after his miss.

He's just a moron.

lol- oh, OK.

Jarvis Hayes is in , hoorah.

Jarvis Hayes is in , hoorah.
I was just coming to bitch. He comes in and the guy he's guarding immediately gets a wide open 3

Promptly gets schooled on a 3.

Dooling makes a three then, tie ballgame.

Jarvis dribbled three times before shooting. Raise your hand if you knew that wasn't dropping.



*Raises hand*

"travelling called, no basket." uh, dick.....? the ball didn't go in anyway. JACKASS!

Wow, this Pistons have never led after 1 quarter in this series?

Maxey almost with a sweet finish.

I like that they immediately started the 2nd with an alley-oop try, even if they grabbed him from behind for the foul.

Sheed with 5 boards in teh first quarter? Impressive.

Howard with 7.......more impressive


Man, that block looked clean on the replay. I guess he may have gotten some body.

Season 4 is going to be awesome.

Sheed bricks another trey...

STUCKEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEY

Wow we are shooting like shit right now.

Man I hope Stuckey works on his distance game in the offseason. If he starts drilling those and further out with consistency, he's going to be scary good.

And yes, Zek, we are shooting like shit right now, as is Orlando. We need to take advantage of their shittiness with less of our own shittiness in order to reach a non-shitty end.

Walter with a nice drive but he put it off the glass WAY too hard.

GAWD Walter's O is no good.

How was that wild shit a nice drive? He never had an opening.

sheed's got 'gor-twat' on him and he's floating on the 3 line shooting 3's! come on sheed! take that cracker on the block and bust his ass!

rip's shot is way off tonight too. we really need to find a hot hand or they're going to start building a lead on us.

Just the fact that he drove the rim and got a shot, if he didn't put it up so hard he'd have had it. I didn't say it was pretty, it was just nice to see someone get in the paint. Haven't seen that since I turned the game on.

Yeah... Stuckey... please be assertive without fouling in order to allow us to score some points.

kthxbai

Sheed on demand, Gor_Twat!

There we go Sheed, take that bitch down low!

Sheed down on the low block two plays in a row, gets the basket on the first, gets the foul on the second.

Gortwat is promptly taken out.

And of course, they switch Lewis to him and he immediately floats back out to the top.

We need to start makin' some buckets.

Yack 'em!

They have 10 turnovers and they're beating us by 6? What is this shit?


Make that 4, nice turnaround Sheed, keep going down low!

Sheed is all day, all night.
Until the 4th and it's close

Evans back in, now's the time to heat up Rip!

Rip! Hellzhea!

That's right!!!!

Rip is only 1 point away.

Did they just show Arroyo in street clothes?? Or is that just a black warmup?

There you go Kstat, just made 2 free throws. The record is his.

Sheed is all day, all night.
Until the 4th and it's close

Cept for the last 1 minute in the 4th. ISYWT

CONGRATULATIONS TO RIP HAMILTION, THE #1 PLAYOFF SCORER IN DETROIT PISTONS HISTORY!

I like seeing Rip going after Evans. Exploit the mismatches.

Individual stats don't mean shit tonight

^ till after the game

LH!

btw.. I'm just messin with ya, Kstat...on the Rip thing.

My roommate left to go on a bike ride with some friends, one of the guys decided to stay here and watch the game. Guy has no idea what he's talking about, just keeps babbling, I'm about to kick his ass.

^ DO IT!

I'm in a shitty mood today. If my sister-inlaw were my brother inlaw, I'd have punched her in the face today.

UGLY possession, but we end up with the ball back?

If your sister-in-law were your brother-in-law, would they really be over watching sports?

Sundown and suuuuuuuuuunnnset

sorrydrunk

What does punching my sister in-law if she was my brother in-law have to do with watching sports? Mr Cleveland!

I don't know what his stats look like, but Theo is doing a nice job of running down loose balls and rebounds tonight.

I like Theo.

Yeah, he's displayed good hustle...

Who the fuck watches the Bill Engvall show?

And I get pissed every time I see that "My Boys" ad. What the hell is Gaffigan thinking.


Hey, I like that show!

Come to think of it, if you like/watch any original TNT/TBS programming (non-sports), then you are prolly a douchebag.

And yes, that includes "The Closer", Zekyl.

Hell, I forgot the Tigers were playing.

Score?

I can't be bothered to turn the channel or look that shit up myself.

I'm looking forward to the Hornets/Spurs game, too.

Prolly fall asleep at halftime, though.

Evans is such a douche.

Rip! Nice easy drive!

Fuck a Nelsonleprachaun.

Rip might get 40 tonight.

Sheed is way off on his threes. Just keep takin' it on the block big fella.

Lead down to 2...

Did Lesley Visser leave Dick Stockton yet or are they still married?

Dickie overachieved there.

I'm assuming they're back. Ok, done with The Hills reruns and FoxNews election coverage.

This is the first time I've read the name Leslie Visser in a really long time.

If it was your brother-in-law that would mean they were gay, and hence (based on stupid stereotypes I was making a joke about), would not be interested in sports.

Last game I was having a talk with my dad about the stupid "The Closer is the highest rated cable TV show ever" and he pointed out that they added "cable TV show". Good point. I honestly dont know anyone who's ever watched that show.

HA! Howard trying to figure out what to do with the ball before he has it.

Nice steal RIP!

Stuckeyburger to the RACK!

Fuck yeah Stuck!

Putting Howard on his ass!

It seems like we should be up by 15+ right now

Then again, we did miss about every three we took in the first half..

If it was your brother-in-law that would mean they were gay, and hence (based on stupid stereotypes I was making a joke about), would not be interested in sports.

Last game I was having a talk with my dad about the stupid "The Closer is the highest rated cable TV show ever" and he pointed out that they added "cable TV show". Good point. I honestly dont know anyone who's ever watched that show.

My bad...Zek. I want you to know you are the ONLY good poster from Cleveland, imo.

Wow, that was a close call on that block.......

By block, I meant foul.

And thanks. That means a lot to me Tahoe.

not close- it was definitely a CLEAN BLOCK.

love stuckey taking it straight at howard.

SWEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEET RiP!

OK boys, up 7. let's stretch this lead and put this team away. no sense dragging this game out more than we have to.

I hate the fuckin Howard

Dirty som bitch

I think that was a clean screen by Howard. Lets see the replay.

Still looked kinda clean to me but I'll take it.

RASHEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEED WALLACE!

beautiful pass from stuckey to sheed for the dunk!

still just a 6 point game though and with this team that's nowhere near enough. we need to stretch this to double digits quick. we should be up that much anyway considering all their turnovers and missed FTs.

I think that was a clean screen by Howard. Lets see the replay.

Still looked kinda clean to me but I'll take it.

This the OMag, not Cleveland Zek. You don't have to defend the OMag. Save it. also j/k

Why does the NBA advertise the NBA playoffs during a playoff game? Obviously if we're watching, we're interested. You don't see shows like House advertising House during the show. Its just stupid.

I'm out guys.

Go Pistons and Hornets. And Tigers, I guess.

beautiful pass from stuckey to sheed for the dunk!

still just a 6 point game though and with this team that's nowhere near enough. we need to stretch this to double digits quick. we should be up that much anyway considering all their turnovers and missed FTs.

Hey, they are facing elimination, not us. They are the team that needs a lead here. I'll take a 3, 4, 5, 6 pt lead till the end.

How can you let Hedo get that offensive board TWICE?!

we need someone other than rip to start hitting some shots. i'm looking at you, sheed and prince.

MAD MAX WITH THE STUFF!!!

Nice block by Maxiel!

obviously tahoe. but i just mean that a three here or there and all of a sudden they're right back in it or maybe even in the lead.

they have been known to hit 3's in bunches. i don't feel comfortable until we have a bigger lead.

i never seen a team so bent on shooting 3's.

Damn...

What


The


Fuck

obviously i spoke too soon because look who now has a 1 point lead.

if we lose i'm blaming glenn's premature preference thread.

obviously tahoe. but i just mean that a three here or there and all of a sudden they're right back in it or maybe even in the lead.

they have been known to hit 3's in bunches. i don't feel comfortable until we have a bigger lead.

Down 1 suddenly.

Sheed puts us back up.

i don't like how things are going right now. we need to move the ball better on offense.

NO FEAR! We might lose another game to these squirrels, but we are better than them and won't lose 3 straight.

Fuck this shit. We need to win now.

down 3 at the end of 3. man, i was hoping this would be the home game where we finally pour it on and bury this team.

looks like we're in a dogfight just to get a W. come on guys! if we lose this game i'll be super pissed.

NO FEAR! We might lose another game to these squirrels, but we are better than them and won't lose 3 straight.

Let's put them away now and give Billups some rest.

i don't want to bother with anymore games with these kids after tonight. i want to close out and be done with this series. too dangerous letting it drag on longer than it needs to.

Werd, let's do this shit. Tay, I'm looking at you.

a juan dixon sighting....?

Scratch that... Team, I'm looking at you. Let's go.

atta boy dice!

There we go, Mickety mickety mic mac dyess!

McDyess en fuego!

Tay with a nice drive to draw the foul.

DICE

(i may or may not be about a min behind..)

I don't know who is going to step up for us, but someone will.

dice is a beast right now!

Did I hear that right? Is Dixon in the game?

j-max with the rejection/!

What the hell is Tay doing shooting a runner? He never makes those

Come on guys, WIN THIS THING!

Just need to go on a big spurt here and put this thing to rest.

Rodney "Rodney Stuckey" Stuckey with the drive and the bucket!

McDyess doing some damage to Turkoglu. He used to start for the Spurs?

Dice just turned and walked away. Love it.

Damnit, all the hustle lately and still only up 1.

I want a replay, I think that was a no call either way. McDyess and Howard both going for the rebound.

Dice just turned and walked away. Love it.
Wish we could see more of that.

Pistons in the penalty! NICE!

Sheed with a beautiful steal. Magic over the limit, every foul is free throws for is from now on.

Wish we could see more of that.

Obviously this is not a hockey thread. :)

We've got to take advantage of this, exploit mismatches and get them to foul.

Fuckin Stuckey is amazing. What a dish!

Nice Pass.

Nice dish Stuckeyburger to TAY for 3!

I thought he meant when Dyess didn't jaw at the official after the call, just walked away. I get sick of seeing players bitch about every call, even when they're obviously the right one.

BEAUTY of a drive and dish by Stuckey. Drove, got Nelson off balance, stopped on a dime, pulled Hedo away from Prince then threw a behind the back pass to Prince for the wide open 3.


Thought I'd give a rundown for those not watching.

stuckeyburger is on the list of banned stuckey nicknames along with stuckeybuns

Watching Stuckey leave his feet for a shot and then pass at the last second is mind-boggling. it's such a bad fundamental decision I don't know where to begin, and yet he keeps getting away with it.

It's like watching Favre throw a football off of his back foot time and time again.

A basket here would be huge.

The difference with stuckey doing it, is that he probably knows where he is going to pass it. So long as you know exactly where its going, its not an issue if you leave your feet.
It only matters if you jump and THEN try to find someone...

stuckeyburger is on the list of banned stuckey nicknames along with stuckeybuns

WTF Translator: hate hate hate hate hate hate hate

Shiiiiiiiiiiet my brother! Stuckey gets open looks for our guys all the time.

Watching Rip leave his feet for a shot and then pass at the last second is mind-boggling. it's such a bad fundamental decision I don't know where to begin, and yet he keeps doing it and throwing it away.

It's like watching Favre throw a football off of his back foot time and time again.
Fixed

Fuck Hidayet Turkoglu.

Watching Stuckey leave his feet for a shot and then pass at the last second is mind-boggling. it's such a bad fundamental decision I don't know where to begin, and yet he keeps getting away with it.

It's like watching Favre throw a football off of his back foot time and time again.

what was the result of said play?

Stuckey, you've got to hit them both.

Did they really count that?

How in the hell did McDyess make that?! Make them pay big fella.

Dammit, didn't count. At least he gets free throws.

^ Nope. I was wishin though

McDyess has 10 this quarter? If we win, he gets the game ball.

Hey, JJ Redick on the bench. How's it going little guy?

Maybe stuckey does, no turnovers??????? thats big.

^ I wish BBall did what hockey does. 3 stars of the game. I just hate to try to decide sometimes.

JJ would fit in well on a team like the Suns, where he just has to catch and shoot 3's all day.

Or the Knicks, since D'Antoni is their coach now.


FUCK, STOP GIVING THEM 3'S

Fastbreaking to 3's...my goodness

Shit, only up 5 with about 3 min left to go.

what was the result of said play?

A Tayshaun Prince 3-pointer.

How is Reddick dressed for the game but Arroyo isn't? Is Carlos really that bad? Does JJ have something on the coach, did he sleep with the coaches wife and take pictures?

http://usversusthem.files.wordpress.com/2007/09/jj_redick.jpg

Man I'll be happy to be done with this bullshit IF we get out of this one. I just hate teams who run to the 3 point line w/o any decent set play execution.

How is Reddick dressed for the game but Arroyo isn't? Is Carlos really that bad? Does JJ have something on the coach, did he sleep with the coaches wife and take pictures?
Actually arroyo is dressed too i think. but he's not a 3 point shooter...thus he gets canned

Yikes, gettin' scary here.

Nelson loses the ball. No one really challenged him
Right after Sheed slaps the ball away from him. Idiot.

oh what a shot by stuckey over howard! that was HUUUUGE!

I love how Howard shoots free throws.

Badly.

Stuckey with another beautiful drive. He's starting to get the hang of it. If he works on his midrange and outside game that's just going to open right up for him.

682 Yep!

yeah dick also noted how turkoglu (sp?) started for the spurs. he played for the kings dick, you DICK!

i can't believe he gets paid to call these games.

GOD DAMMIT! REBOUND THE FUCKING BALL!

great shot by stuckey. i thought that one was going deep into the stands

our defense is unbelievable tonight. i love it

yea that guy is an idiot.

Magic got very lucky with those Howard botched FT's resulting in a lucky 3 from the lucky leprechaun.

I actually asked about that Spurs thing. I was so confused.

Loose ball fould on Howard? I couldn't tell


In between the Pistons defenders
He was standing next to Stuckey..........and no one else. This announcer is a dumb ass.

OK magic fans- don't want to hear any more cries about that billups 3 after the clock got stuck.

because that ball bogans saved was obviously out of bounds, and it led to a huge 3 by the magic. without that we're pushing a bigger lead but that cut it to 4 at a crucial time.

oh well, that's the breaks...

now time to put the finishing touches on this victory.

yeah dick also noted how turkoglu (sp?) started for the spurs. he played for the kings dick, you DICK!

i can't believe he gets paid to call these games.
He's been blasting the crowd all night. Cheap shots never ending.

^^Yeah. Idiot.

I'm tired of DICK talking about how the OMag won't go away. I mean, what the fuck? They won their division and their facing a fairly embarrassing exit, imo, that they don't want. Of fucking course they are gonig to keep fighting.

Shit, only 3? WTF?!

come on pistons. need 90 to close this out.

btw.. they did win their division, didn't they?

Shit, only 3? WTF?!

btw.. they did win their division, didn't they?

man, this is still too close. we need both of these rip, and then we need to defend against the 3.

I love that the announcer just got corrected by the color man. He was saying how Van Gundy was screaming that it was a foul, color guy (somewhat sheepishly) corrects him saying Van Gundy was saying they had to foul.

Yeah, they won their division.

Rip doesn't miss. There will be no rebound.

Lovin this shit!

put in jarvis hayes! lol

Rip sinks both, nice!

Highwarrior, you'd better edit that to green text before I kill you.
Just kidding, but seriously, Jarvis shouldn't be allowed to even losen the strings in his warmups at this point.

i hate that they even have a CHANCE to tie the game right now...

on the edge of my seat....

edit it to green? maybe i don't spend enough time here to know what that means.

I have to piss but I don't want to get up

oh my LORD what a block by prince!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! UNBELIEVABLE!!!!!!!!!

BLOCKED BY PRINCE!!!!!!!! RIP GOING TO THE LINE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!

Tayshaun!!!!!!

Block of season!

TAy mother fuckin shaun fuckin prince babay

game, set, match. bring on the ECF

WHATABLOCK!

I fuckin' love Tay right now.

ECFs once again fellas.

Congrats to all you for supporting a great team.

Up by 4, if he makes the next one we just have to keep them from shooting 3's. Give them a 2 with a 5 point lead, then they have to foul and we have to make 1 of 2.

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

that block was absolutely ridiculous!

if i were a player and i beat tayshaun prince off the dribble, i think i'd just throw the ball out of bounds to avoid that type of embarassment.

TAY> hedo

TURKOGLU! Man, he just keeps messing up. I almost feel bad for the guy.

The only team to take care of business in the second round.

Good TO call by Flip.

They had 4 guys on our side of the court.

WTF are we calling a timeout for? up 5 with 12 seconds to go. it's over baby. just inbound and shoot FTs.

The Block is the result of Hedo getting overzealous. He could hook, fade, and shoot over Tay all game. But he decided it was time to stuff it on him. And he got what he deserved.

Nice game by Stuckey too, filling in well for Chauncey and making it count.

Great game!

MVP this game: Stuckey, Tay, Dyess, Rip, Sheed

Highwarrior, green text means sarcasm.

WOOOO!!!

I was never a doubter, but now I'm a believer in Stuckey. He only misses a couple FTs the whole series, is getting better at being smart when he drives, and that pass to Tay with about 6 left in the 4th that whole play was just sick. I don't know if I've ever seen a drive, pause, rise up, behind the back pass in the fashion he did that ever.

Time to rest up and watch Boston and Cleveland beat up on each other. Chauncey should be past any real possibility of reinjuring his leg and a few of the other guys are playing better than I expected.

players of the game (in no particular order)

stuckey- can't say enough about him. he became a MAN tonight. no turnovers, solid D, directed the offense well, some nice assists, and decent scoring output- one of which was a clutch bucket when the magic were making a run in the closing minutes. he looked very confident in everything he did tonight, and he did it well.

dice- looked 25 years old out there. all over the boards and loose balls, giving us 2nd shot opportunities. not to mention his J was falling and he gave us a good scoring punch.

rip- carried the offense again even though he struggled early. played great D and got a bunch of steals it seemed. clinched the game with his FTs.

prince- solid all around once again. a huge 3 to stretch the lead when we needed it badly. the block on the turk was not only unbelievable and highlight film worthy, but it basically closed the game for us. if he hits that (and he's damn good at those running layups) it's a 1 point game and we have to hit FTs just to stretch it enough so they can only tie. then who knows what would've happened. tay ran the point at times, rebounded, and defended extremely well.

sheed- pissed me off early and did not really get his outside jumper going- shocking he never hit a 3. but he did make some real nice fall away J's late and his defense and rebounding were huge, as usual. he stripped howard on 3consecutive posessions when we made our run to get the lead back after they had gone up 5.

What a huge difference Stuckey makes this year. In past seasons we'd have tanked without Chauncey.

OK, i did not know that! wouldn't it be easier to just have an icon with the little smiley dude rolling his eyes or something? you could just stick that at the end of any sarcastic statement you make. then again, i guess that would be too easy. (insert rolling eyes icon) lol



Highwarrior, green text means sarcasm.

The Block is the result of TAY.

fiqused

A Tayshaun Prince 3-pointer.

Eggzachery!

stuckey is the greatest #3 to ever wear a pistons uniform. well, OK i got ahead of myself on that one.

players of the game (in no particular order)

1. Team play

stuckey- can't say enough about him. he became a MAN tonight. no turnovers, solid D, directed the offense well, some nice assists, and decent scoring output- one of which was a clutch bucket when the magic were making a run in the closing minutes. he looked very confident in everything he did tonight, and he did it well.

dice- looked 25 years old out there. all over the boards and loose balls, giving us 2nd shot opportunities. not to mention his J was falling and he gave us a good scoring punch.

rip- carried the offense again even though he struggled early. played great D and got a bunch of steals it seemed. clinched the game with his FTs.

prince- solid all around once again. a huge 3 to stretch the lead when we needed it badly. the block on the turk was not only unbelievable and highlight film worthy, but it basically closed the game for us. if he hits that (and he's damn good at those running layups) it's a 1 point game and we have to hit FTs just to stretch it enough so they can only tie. then who knows what would've happened. tay ran the point at times, rebounded, and defended extremely well.

sheed- pissed me off early and did not really get his outside jumper going- shocking he never hit a 3. but he did make some real nice fall away J's late and his defense and rebounding were huge, as usual. he stripped howard on 3consecutive posessions when we made our run to get the lead back after they had gone up 5.

I agree completely

What a huge difference Stuckey makes this year. In past seasons we'd have tanked without Chauncey.
the truth.

Also the best lie Flip ever told of all his pre playoff lies was him claiming that he was not playing young guys and shortening the rotation in the playoffs. In a close game everybody on the bench played at some point.

There were, and still are, times when I much rather have Stuck with the ball (instead of CBill) cuz CBill will dribble time away up top thinking he can hoist a 3 from up there.

Stuck knows that if he did that, he'd be on the bench.

not trying to complain, but one thing i worry about is us having TOO MUCH time off. we often feel too good about ourselves and come out and play 'lazy' after such layoffs.

don't get me wrong- i wanted us to close out and have extra time off. but what i mean to say is: the main thing we will battle when starting the next series is the struggle to maintain our intensity and rhythm.

i sure hope we do it because it would suck to start out slow in the next series. we need to take advantage of this extra time to practice hard and get FOCUSED- physically and mentally- on the task ahead.

there can be no excuses of dead legs this year. the only way we can lose a series is if we don't focus and play to our potential IMO.

when is the earliest and latest date the next series can start anyway?

Hey, I didn't make up the green text, there are other colors that mean other things but I can't remember them.

Normally I'd be against a long layoff, but let's face it: Chauncey needs the rest.

Flip deciding not to shorten the bench (aside from Amir) has really energized us at this point late in the year. Unbelievable.

That Flip decided not to shorten the bench, that is.

I think this game was huge for Stuck because it helps build his confidence going into the next series. He was driving and hitting shots against a 7-footer known for shot blocking. That's huge.

There were, and still are, times when I much rather have Stuck with the ball (instead of CBill) cuz CBill will dribble time away up top thinking he can hoist a 3 from up there.

Stuck knows that if he did that, he'd be on the bench.
dont agree with this. now we are getting over zealous. billups is still our best pg and my main guy to look for down the stretch.

Normally I'd be against a long layoff, but let's face it: Chauncey needs the rest.

Yup. Flip just needs to get on the guys and not allow them to get too comfortable. They need to stay focused and energized during practice. Don't fatigue them, but keep them ready to play. It's a fine line.

Dyess grandmother passed away? condolences to him.

who the hell is billups? oh yeah, THAT guy. lol

stuckey is one damn good player now. but the sky truly is the limit for him. it's easy to see that he'll improve the range on his J over the next couple of years- that comes to young players as they mature in the nba. and he already has great form on his shot and is a solid midrange shooter.

then all he really needs to do is work on finishing in traffic. you can see flashes of that ability, but i think it's still an adjustment for him going against nba big men. he didn't face big guys like that in college. so at times he sort of panics a bit and adjusts too much rather than just taking it right to the hole.

but i can see him being a really, REALLY good player for us down the line. great b-ball IQ too which is huge. i hate the comparison but he is like a tougher, stronger but slightly less athletic d-wade. sort of a wade/billups combo.

by the time the next series starts, billups will have had about 2 weeks off or so.