Game Recap, video highlights, and boxscore (http://www.pistonsbball.com/content/view/471/108/)

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[smilie=alpacacall.:

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The All-Star break didn't prevent the Detroit Pistons from showing why they are the best team in the league.

After many of its players keyed the Eastern Conference's victory in the All-Star game, Detroit takes an NBA-best 42-9 record into its first game of the second half against the Atlanta Hawks.

Sunday's midseason showcase in Houston had a distinct Detroit flavor, with Pistons coach Flip Saunders leading an East team that included four players from Detroit's starting lineup.

Saunders inserted Chauncey Billups, Rasheed Wallace, Ben Wallace and Richard Hamilton off the bench together, and the Pistons teammates helped stifle the West's offense in the second half as the East rallied for a 122-120 victory.

"I think it says a lot about the league, that you don't have to come out and try to dominate the basketball and dominate the game in order to have individual success," said Ben Wallace, who had eight rebounds, three steals and two blocked shots.

The four Pistons were the most on one All-Star team since the Los Angeles Lakers had four in 1998. The Detroit All-Stars honored their one starter who did not go to the game, Tayshaun Prince, by writing his number 22 on their shoes.

"They deserve it -- and Tayshaun probably should have been here," said Indiana's Jermaine O'Neal. "Those five guys are a big reason why they have the best record in the NBA. I think it's a huge thing for the league. I'm for any story that makes the NBA look good."

The Pistons were not playing their best heading into the break, going 5-4 over their last nine contests. But Detroit defeated New Jersey 85-71 last Tuesday to end the season's first half on a winning note.

Despite the recent rough patch, the Pistons lead the Miami by 10 1/2 games for the top spot in the conference.

"I told the team that it is always a good sign when you get to the break with a single-digit loss count," Saunders said. "When we come back (Tuesday), we'll be on the downhill of the season, and it will be going 85 miles an hour like the Olympic luge."

One of Detroit's recent losses came at Atlanta, 99-98 on Feb. 7. Coming three days after a 93-85 defeat at Indiana, it marked the Pistons' only consecutive losses this season.

The Hawks, who have the NBA's youngest roster, may be starting to mature. They entered the All-Star break playing some of their best ball of the season, with five wins in their last eight games.

The run of solid play included the victory over Detroit and a 114-110 win over the Lakers at Los Angeles on Wednesday.

Josh Smith matched career highs with 21 points and 15 rebounds. Joe Johnson added 20 points and a career-high 15 assists as the Hawks snapped a 23-game road losing streak to Western Conference opponents.

Atlanta shot 55 percent from the floor and 87 percent from the free throw line.

"We have had a couple good road wins, but this is by far the best," Hawks coach Mike Woodson said. "Our young kids did it tonight and you need to tip your hat to them. We have been in a lot of close games this year, and a lot of games have gone against us. Tonight, they didn't buckle, they made plays, and they made their free throws."

This is the first of four games in five nights for Atlanta.

http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/preview?gid=2006022108

Official Game Chat

Starts: 7:15PM EST (15min before gametime)

System requirements: Latest version of Flash (http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer)

Link to OGC: http://www.pistonsbball.com/chat/flashchat.php

be there or be square
http://images.amazon.com/images/P/B0000687BQ.01.LZZZZZZZ.jpg

Roll call, bitches.

I'll be there.

Section 101, Row BB.

Any of you suckholes wanna come up here and try to knock me down?

http://tommcmahon.typepad.com/photos/uncategorized/hulka.jpg

I will be there too. Time to get back on track and eliminate the idea that Miami fans have about "the Heat actually being on the same level as the Pistons."

Time to get back on track and eliminate the idea that Miami fans have about "the Heat actually being on the same level as the Pistons."

I'm sure you aren't saying that beating the Hawks accomplishes this, right?

I wish Blaha was doing this game, I'm having withdrawal.

Actually it wouldn't matter, I'm going to miss most of, if not all of this game because of a work event tonight.

Damn.

Roll call, bitches.

I'll be there.

Section 101, Row BB.

Any of you suckholes wanna come up here and try to knock me down?

http://tommcmahon.typepad.com/photos/uncategorized/hulka.jpgLawyers and their rich asses. [smilie=anxious.gif]

I'm sure you aren't saying that beating the Hawks accomplishes this, right?.
Beating the hawks by 70 might come close to getting it done.

Time to get back on track and eliminate the idea that Miami fans have about "the Heat actually being on the same level as the Pistons."

I'm sure you aren't saying that beating the Hawks accomplishes this, right?

I wish Blaha was doing this game, I'm having withdrawal.

Actually it wouldn't matter, I'm going to miss most of, if not all of this game because of a work event tonight.

Damn.

How can you got to the work event tonight when your car was towed for being illigally parked in a fire lane and you cant get it back till tomarrow? [smilie=antlers.gif]




Hawks are gonna get whoooooooooooooped tonight.

Do you guys think Darko will get 10 mins tonight?

Game chat: http://www.pistonsbball.com/chat/flashchat.php

anyone hangin' around for the game?

[smilie=alpacacall.:

btw, if you need audio, head to the chatroom and send me a PM.

So what did I miss the first 3 quarters?

If Flip does this every game, our starters are going to be DEAD come playoff time.

Delfino should see no less than 18 minutes each game. And I'd like to see why Dumars is so high on Alex Acker, because Lindsey Hunter flat out SUCKS.

Somebody explain to me why Delfino only played 8 minutes while Evans played 16 minutes?

And why were our starters on the floor late in the 4th when we were up by 15 points?

Somebody explain to me why Delfino only played 8 minutes while Evans played 16 minutes?

And why were our starters on the floor late in the 4th when we were up by 15 points?
I don't think explaining that is possible.

when it comes to handle rotation minutes Flip is certainly no upgrade to LB...

Somebody explain to me why Delfino only played 8 minutes while Evans played 16 minutes?

And why were our starters on the floor late in the 4th when we were up by 15 points?
I don't think explaining that is possible.
Well Kilo tried, to his credit. But this new and improved Flip we were told of still looks the same to me. evans is so bad on defense his help cant even save him as fast as he gets burned.

Also the lindsay hunter experiment needs a lil work. But he didnt suck. In fact the guy who did the most silly shit off the bench was Dice. He calmed down in the second half though. But Delfino is our 10th man if we acquire harrington. That would suck something serious. Its already retarded that he's behind evans.

when it comes to handle rotation minutes Flip is certainly no upgrade to LB...

Atleast LB could say that he didn't have much bench help outside of Hunter and Dyess.

when it comes to handle rotation minutes Flip is certainly no upgrade to LB...

Atleast LB could say that he didn't have much bench help outside of Hunter and Dyess.
And LB played a healthy Delfino. Delfino would be getting the most minutes off the bench under LB playing defense like he is(one on one defense at that).

With that said, Flip has done alot of good things for us. But his rotation skillz make me wanna stab him with a rusty blade.

Dumars needs to sit down with Flip or stop lying his ass off to the media. And the damn media need to grow some balls and ask the tough questions, they ask it and know they are being snowed, however accpet it because they don't want to be cut off from access...

Dumars needs to sit down with Flip or stop lying his ass off to the media. And the damn media need to grow some balls and ask the tough questions, they ask it and know they are being snowed, however accpet it because they don't want to be cut off from access...
Tom Wilson and crew have turned the Detroit media as soft as butter. They give them courtside tickets and passes, give them access to practice, spoon feed them some rumors, everything. No Detroit media man is going to play hardball with the Pistons. He doesn't want to lose his privileges.

Its like this with every team except the Lions.

We need an injury scare to happen late in games when Flip insists in leavingin the starters so somebody will ask him the tough questions. Maybe Ben hurts his knee and it could be a big deal, but turns out to be nothing and he misses a couple of games or Chauncey rolls an ankle when left in a game when we are up by 15 with three minutes to go in and at the time of the post game presser, the extent of the injury is unknown.

I want to see Flip's reaction when the season flashes before his eyes because of his stupidity and stubborness.

Flip is really starting to piss me off with that. AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!

It's not only stupid for leaving your starters out there in case of injury, it is telling your bench players that you don't have faith in them to close out games when we are up by 17 with 3 minutes left.

Does Flip really think it's fine to play the starters 42-44 minutes in a blowout against one of the worst teams in the league? I have been very patient with him, but this is getting absolutely ridiculous. He is going to blow our season one day by leaving Ben in and having him get hurt in garbage time.

Wasn't that his forte in Minnesota? Didn't he always go 10 deep?

Not sure what the hell his problem is.

And LB played a healthy Delfino.


I actually had to check that because I didn't believe that Carlos got more minutes under Brown... but he did. I don't know why but that shocks me.


Also Carlos has already made me change my mind about Evans being better. I'm hard headed as fuck once i get to thinking a certain way, so I don't see how Flip could possibly continue to give Evans more push.

I used to think that Evan's body type would make him able to handle more banging from bruiser SFs, Delfino showed that he D's them up better though. I still like Evans from 3 better than Delfino but he never shoots 3 now so it doesn't matter.

I like both of them though, so it's not that bad of a problem to have. I'd trade either one of them and whatever else I could for Josh Smith though.

And LB played a healthy Delfino.


I actually had to check that because I didn't believe that Carlos got more minutes under Brown... but he did. I don't know why but that shocks me.
[smilie=rofl.gif]

Dumars needs to sit down with Flip or stop lying his ass off to the media. And the damn media need to grow some balls and ask the tough questions, they ask it and know they are being snowed, however accpet it because they don't want to be cut off from access...

You just aren't going to see anyone in that organization taken to task by the media unless something bad happens (a garbage time injury, playoff upset, big losing streak, etc) to provide an excuse. Their success over the last 2 1/2 seasons makes them effectively bulletproof. Right now there is no question they couldn't easily deflect with "43-9, bitch"

Flip always points to the Lebron James, Kevin Garnetts, Dwyane Wades and Kobe Bryants minutes and says all-stars play big minutes, and we have four All-Stars sorta deal.

does anyone here NOT think that Delfino is going to leave when his contract is up like everybody who barely gets playing time here? I think if he gets an even moderatly ok offer from a team that doesn't blow, he'll take it. Maybe a bad team that will even start him.

Greg Anthony has been talking Delfino up, i've seen 2 espn shows where he's made specific points about Delfino's contributions, his name's getting out there.

does anyone here NOT think that Delfino is going to leave when his contract is up like everybody who barely gets playing time here? I think if he gets an even moderatly ok offer from a team that doesn't blow, he'll take it. Maybe a bad team that will even start him.

Greg Anthony has been talking Delfino up, i've seen 2 espn shows where he's made specific points about Delfino's contributions, his name's getting out there.

Needless to say, Flip's rotations are an absolute joke. Playing Evans twice as much as Delfino is absurd. The guy must really hate players who play defense.

We'll probably just ship him out for capspace anyways. [smilie=annoyed.gif]

Maybe Flip doesn't like Miami Vice?

Ever think about that?

Fuck flip and his shitty rotations. Dude has a nice playbook, but has no clue how to manage a rotation. At least with LB you knew who was coming and going and when. And he'd even let the bench in with 8 or 9 minutes left in a blow out. Ben and Sheed never even came out at the end yesterday.



Does anyone in the press question him about this?

Does anyone in the press question him about this?
No one has the balls to say it. and the ones that do want to see us fail*IE drew sharp*, have no desire to bring this up to him. They are saving it for a rainy blog day.