http://us.news2.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/p/ap/20060323/capt.dtp10603230234.heat_pistons_basketball_dtp106 .jpg
"Foul on number 3, Ben Wallace"

Chatlog: http://www.wtfdetroit.com/chatlogs/3.22.06_heat_chatlog.txt

NBA.com Video Highlights: http://boss.streamos.com/wmedia/nba/nbacom/recaps/recap_1007_miadet.asx

Pistons 82, Heat 73


AUBURN HILLS, Mich. (AP) -- Chauncey Billups had 24 points and 10 assists, and the Detroit Pistons rallied past the Miami Heat 82-73 Wednesday night in a matchup of the top teams in the Eastern Conference.

Shaquille O'Neal (thumb) returned to the Miami lineup after sitting out Tuesday's loss in Minnesota, but the Heat lost his backup, Alonzo Mourning, to a calf strain in the second quarter. As a result, O'Neal played a season-high 43 minutes, scoring 27 points.

He didn't get much help from Dwyane Wade, who was held to a season-low 13 points on 3-for-15 shooting.

Detroit has won 16 straight at home, five short of the team record. The Pistons also clinched the outright Central Division title, and reduced their magic number for the East title to six over Miami.

Miami led 64-62 with 8 minutes to play, but Antonio McDyess and Tayshaun Prince combined for 10 points in less than 3 minutes to put Detroit ahead 72-66 with 4:49 to go.

Richard Hamilton and Tayshaun Prince each scored 17 for Detroit, while Ben Wallace and Rasheed Wallace combined for 20 rebounds.

Antoine Walker added 15 points for the Heat.

The Heat held Detroit to a season-low 35 points in the first half, and took an eight-point lead into intermission. The Pistons shot just 31 percent in the half, including a 1-for-11 performance from the bench.

Detroit trailed by as many as 12 early in the second half, but 3-pointers by Hamilton and Billups keyed an 17-5 run that tied the game at 54.

Wade put Miami back in front with a jumper, but another 3-pointer by Hamilton gave Detroit its first lead since the first quarter. The Pistons led 60-59 at the end of the third. ^Notes: The Pistons became the only NBA team since 1980 to start the same lineup -- Prince, Billups, Hamilton, Ben Wallace and Rasheed Wallace -- in the first 67 games of a season. The 2002-03 Golden State Warriors started the same lineup in their first 66 games. ... Mourning's status for Friday's game against Charlotte is unknown. ... The Pistons have not lost a regular-season home game in regulation since March 28, 2005, against Dallas. ... Miami's 73 points were a season low.

http://us.i1.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/i/us/sp/v/nba/teams/1/80x60/det_2.gifhttp://us.i1.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/i/us/sp/v/nba/players/2005/3174.jpghttp://us.i1.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/i/us/sp/v/nba/players/2005/3330.jpghttp://us.i1.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/i/us/sp/v/nba/players/2005/3621.jpghttp://us.i1.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/i/us/sp/v/nba/players/2005/3006.jpghttp://us.i1.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/i/us/sp/v/nba/players/2005/3149.jpg

http://us.i1.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/i/us/sp/v/nba/teams/1/80x60/mia.gifhttp://us.i1.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/i/us/sp/v/nba/players/2005/3250.jpghttp://us.i1.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/i/us/sp/v/nba/players/2005/3708.jpghttp://us.i1.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/i/us/sp/v/nba/players/2005/3341.jpghttp://us.i1.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/i/us/sp/v/nba/players/2005/3765.jpghttp://us.i1.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/i/us/sp/v/nba/players/2005/845.jpg

http://www.wtfdetroit.com/miscpics/game67pistonsvsheat.jpg

After clinching the Central Division title Monday, Detroit Pistons coach Flip Saunders' next goal is to clinch home-court advantage through the Eastern Conference in the playoffs.

The Eastern Conference-leading Pistons look get one game closer to that goal as they host their closest competition to that goal, the Miami Heat.

Detroit has an 8 1/2-game lead over the Heat and has won six of its last seven home games over Miami.

The Heat may be without Shaquille O'Neal, who is listed as questionable with a sore thumb and missed Tuesday's 100-96 loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves.

The Pistons' starting five have avoided injuries this season as Detroit has used the same starting lineup in all 66 games this season, matching the 2002-03 Warriors for the longest streak to start a year since 1980.

With their same, healthy lineup, the Pistons clinched their fourth Central Division title in five years with a 91-84 win Monday over the Atlanta Hawks.

"First you have to make the playoffs, which we did a couple weeks ago, and then you have to win the division," Saunders said. "Now we have to get homecourt in the East, homecourt in the league, and then we have to win the championship."

Rasheed Wallace had 17 first-half points and finished with 26 as Detroit moved 40 games over .500 for the first time since the 1988-89 season.

"That's crazy," Chauncey Billups said. "This has been one of those special years for us. Hopefully, we can keep it up."

Richard Hamilton added 14 points and has scored 50 points on 19-of-32 shooting in two games against the Heat this season.

Billups has scored just 22 points in his last two home games, but has 59 in his last two games against Miami.

Detroit has a 15-game home winning streak entering this game and has won 29 of 31 home games this season. The Pistons, though, are still well short of the franchise record of 25 straight home wins, established from Jan. 29-Nov. 21, 1989 over two seasons.

Miami's 100-96 loss to Minnesota on Tuesday, snapped a five-game winning streak and a six-game road winning streak.

"We have to come back tomorrow," Heat guard Dwyane Wade said. "We're a team that never quits, we always fight."

O'Neal missed the game because of a sore right thumb he injured on a dunk attempt Sunday, and Alonzo Mourning finished with a season-high 21 points and 12 rebounds in his place.

Wade had 35 points and eight assists, and is averaging 31.5 points on 53.7 shooting in his last eight games.

Wade finished with 37 points and scored the Heat's last 17 points, including the game-winner on a 16-footer with 2.3 seconds left, in the Heat's 100-98 win Feb. 12 over the Pistons. The third-year guard has averaged 35.0 points on 29-for-47 shooting in two games against Detroit this season.

Miami has won 15 of its last 17 games and not lost consecutive games since Jan. 16-20.

Official Game Chat
Starts: 8:00pm EST

Requirements:
1. You must be a registered member of WTFDetroit.com (click here to register (http://www.wtfdetroit.com/profile.php?mode=register))
2. Get the latest version of Flash for your computer (http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer)

Click here to enter CHAT (http://www.wtfdetroit.com/chat/flashchat.php)
(please be aware that the chatroom is logged and monitored, and any funny and/or incriminating stuff you say will most likely be posted here)
[smilie=dance.gif]

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v496/realgm/1SVGcopy.gif

i almost miss Van Jeremy...

[smilie=heat.gif] [smilie=heatsmiley2: [smilie=heat.gif] [smilie=heatsmiley2: [smilie=heat.gif] [smilie=heatsmiley2: [smilie=heat.gif] [smilie=heatsmiley2: [smilie=heat.gif] [smilie=heatsmiley2: [smilie=heat.gif] [smilie=heatsmiley2: [smilie=heat.gif] [smilie=heatsmiley2: [smilie=heat.gif] [smilie=heatsmiley2: [smilie=heat.gif] [smilie=heatsmiley2: [smilie=heat.gif] [smilie=heatsmiley2: [smilie=heat.gif] [smilie=heatsmiley2: [smilie=heat.gif] [smilie=heatsmiley2: [smilie=heat.gif] [smilie=heatsmiley2: [smilie=heat.gif] [smilie=heatsmiley2: [smilie=heat.gif] [smilie=heatsmiley2: [smilie=heat.gif] [smilie=heatsmiley2: [smilie=heat.gif] [smilie=heatsmiley2: [smilie=heat.gif] [smilie=heatsmiley2: [smilie=heat.gif] [smilie=heatsmiley2: [smilie=heat.gif] [smilie=heatsmiley2: [smilie=heat.gif] [smilie=heatsmiley2: [smilie=heat.gif] [smilie=heatsmiley2: [smilie=heat.gif] [smilie=heatsmiley2: [smilie=heat.gif] [smilie=heatsmiley2: [smilie=heat.gif] [smilie=heatsmiley2: [smilie=heat.gif] [smilie=heatsmiley2: [smilie=heat.gif] [smilie=heatsmiley2: [smilie=heat.gif] [smilie=heatsmiley2: [smilie=heat.gif] [smilie=heatsmiley2: [smilie=heat.gif] [smilie=heatsmiley2: [smilie=heat.gif] [smilie=heatsmiley2:[smilie=heat.gif] [smilie=heatsmiley2:

"Get that ugly shiet outta here"

http://www.donyell.net/images/shaq.jpeg

"We ain't losin' to these punkass bitches!!!"

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y264/chrisconcert/rasheed.jpg

Was Shaq faking injury last night (DNP- "thumb") so he could rest for tonight?

Will they hold him out again tonight since they aren't going to catch us anyways and don't want to give us a free shot at "practicing" against him?

Will the alpacas devour Wade's left leg?

I smell blood. [smilie=alpaca.gif]

[smilie=alpaca.gif] http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v496/realgm/Alpacas.jpg[smilie=alpacacall.:

Remember this jam?http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v496/realgm/Owned.jpgBen made this dunk...unreal.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v496/realgm/ShaqFat.jpgLMFAO@Shaquillia

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v496/realgm/HeatTrolls.gifTROLL ALERT!

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v496/realgm/PistonsVSHeatII.gif...Memories.


http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v496/realgm/AGAIN.jpg

Damn, i'm going to miss the first half of this game.

it just had to be head to head with LOST. *shakes head*

We have to win this game. Seriously. I'll vomit if we don't.

Was Shaq faking injury last night (DNP- "thumb") so he could rest for tonight?

Will they hold him out again tonight since they aren't going to catch us anyways and don't want to give us a free shot at "practicing" against him?

Will the alpacas devour Wade's left leg?

I smell blood. [smilie=alpaca.gif]
they are leaving him out for cerebal purposes. they wanna have plenty of excuses for any possible loss to us.

They already have "scheduling loss" in the bank, and I think Cyclone Larry may have something to do with it as well.

They already have "scheduling loss" in the bank, and I think Cyclone Larry may have something to do with it as well.
Miami at this point wants a mental edge. for them its win=see we're way better than these whiners. title in miami.

lose=well we didnt have all of our pieces and its the 4th game in 5 nights. obvious scheduling loss. We showed the heart of a champion by just showing up to play. [smilie=arrgh.jpg]

Just for clarification - The Pistons are the only team that can legitimately lay claim to scheduling losses??

Just for clarification - The Pistons are the only team that can legitimately lay claim to scheduling losses??
nope. for better clarification. no team can. outside of kstat i dont see many posters blaming the schedule on our losses.

The Miami Heat can go suck a fart out of the filthy heat of satan's asshole.

by the way, something to look out for... Riley apparently likes the old Shaq/Zo combo... lets see if Flip can figure out the incredibly creative and complicated idea of countering with Sheed/Dice.. or is the idea of putting Dice at C too much for Flip's coaching acumen?

Shaq+Zo=Sheed wide open every time downcourt.

not only that but if Flip is smart enough to put Dice in, you'll have open shots for both of them.

nothing "smart" about having Dice or Sheed guard Shaq.

Exactly. Shaq/Zo is countered with Rasheed hitting his threes or McDyess hitting his pick and roll or fifteen footer. Rasheed gets too frustrated when guarding Shaq and picks up quick fouls. If Flip was smart only Ben and Dale Davis would guard Shaq, with Rasheed and McDyess splitting time solely at PF.

What's the status of Kelvin Cato these days - is he ever going to suit up for us, he'll need at least fifteen games to get game ready sorta deal.

Sheed always seems to give up when he's got to guard Shaq. he either fouls him on purpose or backs up, hoping to draw a foul. Ben's the only one who seems to try and bang with him down low....or he tries to steal/knock away the entry pass. i don't recalls the moment when/if Dice guarded Snaq.

not that the rest of the NBA is effective guarding Shrek, of course.

Sheed always seems to give up when he's got to guard Shaq. he either fouls him on purpose or backs up, hoping to draw a foul. Ben's the only one who seems to try and bang with him down low....or he tries to steal/knock away the entry pass. i don't recalls the moment when/if Dice guarded Snaq.

1. SHeed doesnt' "give up" guarding Shaq. He CANT guard Shaq.

Sheed is only 230 lbs Shaq has like 100 lbs on him. Sheed simply can't hold his ground against all that weight. If he doesnt try some tricks Shaq will just back him down and dunk on him.

Ben can afford to bang because he's a lot stronger than sheed, and has an extra 20lbs or so to use.

2. Dice guarded Shaq last heat game, and Shaq tore him to pieces. Dice is a combination of too short and too light to guard him. It's horrible.

Ben, Dale, Cato. One of these guys should be on Shaq at all times. Never, ever let Sheed or Dice take him.

i'm saying that the body language between Sheed guarding him and Ben guarding him is totally different. Sheed pretty much realizes he's outmuscled, so he seems to "give up". Ben, OTOH, bangs and tries to poke the ball away.

i'm not saying Sheed even has a chance to being with, nor am i saying that Sheed SHOULD be playing Shaq like Ben does. just an observation.

2. Dice guarded Shaq last heat game, and Shaq tore him to pieces. Dice is a combination of too short and too light to guard him. It's horrible.


I vividly remember Dice having some very strong sequences against Shaq last year in the playoffs. To the point where it made me think he should see more time on him. This year though, he seems less interested on defense and more interested in fouling.

I just hope that Ben doesn't worry about his fouls. I hate seeing Shaq get dunk after dunk, when he can't hit a damn free throw to save his life.

Any chance Cato is activated just to serve up a few fouls? I remember hearing that he was ready to go about a week ago, and that it was up to the coaching staff.

Also, if Mo Evans still plays more minutes tonight than Delfino after what Delfino did against Wade last time I will really begin to question Flip's decision making.

Also, if Mo Evans still plays more minutes tonight than Delfino after what Delfino did against Wade last time I will really begin to question his decision making.

if delfino doesn't get some serious burn over Mo tonight, i'm giving up on expecting Delfino to play in the playoffs.

if delfino doesn't get some serious burn over Mo tonight, i'm giving up on expecting Delfino to play in the playoffs.

Exactly.

Delfino/Hunter = Wade's brakes.

When Rip is taking a breather, we have to sub in Hunter or Delfino and play pressure defense on Wade, make him work every minute he is on the floor. That would tire him out so there would be less chance for fourth quarter heroics.

Any update on Delk's hammy?

He's not listed anymore on the Pistons injury report at pistons.com

one forgotten thing. Rip played excellent defense on wade last game. was able to use his speed advatage to keep him from using that first as much as he likes. I hope that that miami game wasnt a fluke on Rip's improvement defending him.

John Hammond’s Three Keys to Success:

Get the inside scoop from Pistons Vice President of Basketball Operations John Hammond. See what the Pistons need to do to be successful against the Miami Heat.

1. Rebound, rebound, rebound:
One of the Heat’s strengths is rebounding. Led by O’Neal (9.1 rpg), Udonis Haslem (7.7 rpg), and Alonzo Mourning (5.6) inside, Miami currently ranks second in the league for rebounds per game with 43.0. Their opponents on the other hand rank 26th in the league with 39.06 per game. The Pistons must find a way to grab rebounds and limit second-chance shots.

2. Contain Dwyane Wade:
Twenty-four year-old Dwyane Wade managed to carry the Miami Heat to game seven of the 2005 Eastern Conference Finals in his sophomore season in the league. Wade, who earned All-NBA Second Team and All-NBA Defensive Second Team honors last season and a spot in the starting lineup of the 2006 All-Star game, is the biggest scoring threat on the Heat. This season, Wade is averaging 27.8 points (fifth in the league), 5.8 rebounds, and 6.7 assists in 39.0 minutes per game while shooting 50.1% from the field for Miami. The Pistons must also keep Wade off of the free-throw line. The Miami guard accounts for nearly 41% of the Heat’s made free-throws on 78.1 % shooting (549-703). He also leads the league in free throw attempts and has made the second-most shots from the stripe. Containing Wade will be a difficult but important task for the Pistons defense on Wednesday night.

3. Limit Miami points in the paint:
Miami big man Shaquille O’Neal has dominated the middle since he entered the league in 1992. O’Neal’s brief time with the Miami Heat has been no different as he averaged a double-double and shot a league-best 60.1% from the field in the 2004-05 season. The 7-1, 325-pound center will be tough to stop on the low block. Unlike with Wade, the Pistons must get Shaq to the line early and often. At 45.5% from the line, the Pistons must get Shaq to shoot free-throws each quarter that Miami gets into the bonus and Shaq catches the ball in a scoring area.

http://msn.foxsports.com/fantasy/story/5433430


Miami Heat

Shaquille O'Neal missed Tuesday's game against the T-Wolves because of a sore right thumb. He injured the hand on a dunk attempt Sunday and is considered day-to-day. Alonzo Mourning got the start in his place and dominated the paint with 21 points, 12 rebounds and two blocks while shooting 7-for-8 from the field. Zo has been spectacular this season filling in for the Big Aristotle, and still ranks No. 1 overall in total blocks (170) while shooting a career-high 59 percent from the court. O'Neal is currently considered questionable for Wednesday's game against Detroit. The Miami Herald hinted he'd likely be able to play after being such a late scratch the previous night.

Dwyane Wade filled up the stat sheet with 35 points, eight assists, four rebounds and two treys, but it wasn't enough. Antoine Walker pitched in with 18 points as a reserve. … Gary Payton (Achilles') returned Wednesday in logged 25 scoreless minutes. He went 0-for-3 from the floor and was ineffective all night.



Detroit Pistons

Tony Delk (hamstring) was able to play in about half of Tuesday's practice and is expected to play Wednesday against New York (sic, MIAMI --Glenn). He missed Monday's game against his former team, the Hawks. … Rasheed Wallace has 14 technical fouls on the season now. If he commits two more, he'll be slapped with a one-game suspension for each one afterwards. He's vowed not to change his style of play.

No one on Detroit can guard Wade 1on1 on a consistent basis so I expect him to drop at least 30 on us. I still think we'll win by a very comfortable margin.

delfino and Rip did pretty good on him. tayshan and evans were disgusting.

There's also Lindsey Hunter, who did a good job last year. Unlike Delfino, Lindsey does have a reputation around the league as a defensive stopper which (hopefully) means less ticky tack fouls. If we could get a solid 5 mins of Wade guarding from him, and an importantly timed 15-20 from Delfino, i think we could badger Wade into having a subpar (for him) game.

well you do understand that no matter whose on wade. the only guy who will get calls is the first guy to stop him on several consecutive plays. the only to guys in the league who may get a ref love covering him is bowen and artest.

If Delfino gets any less than 15 minutes today, I will have to seriously question whether Flip is intentionally benching Delfino so that he doesn't take away minutes from Evans.

1 hour to go!!

http://img274.echo.cx/img274/6591/pistonssigletsgo22tn.gif

delfino and Rip did pretty good on him. tayshan and evans were disgusting.

Delfino was respectable but Rip was the main defensive player on Wade when he went crazy. He was so bad guarding Wade at the end we had to switch Tayshaun on him, and even Tayshaun stunk it up guarding him.

Looks like Shaq is playing tonight.

If Delfino gets any less than 15 minutes today, I will have to seriously question whether Flip is intentionally benching Delfino so that he doesn't take away minutes from Evans.

We will be seeing Delfino tonight. Bank on it.

We will be seeing Delfino tonight. Bank on it.

Well yeah, he's not dead.....

We will be seeing Delfino tonight. Bank on it.

Well yeah, he's not dead.....

Are you sure he's not?

Flip has literally nailed him to the bench for the whole new year. I think Delfino is starving and bleeding to death from being crucified. [smilie=a.gif]

http://mysite.verizon.net/vze1ldyn/sitebuildercontent/sitebuilderpictures/pilate.jpg

I'll take 15-20 minutes of very little open looks and a few ticky tack fouls over open looks every time down the floor and only 1 or 2 ticky tack fouls anyday. Delfino and Lindsey should be the goto guys.

http://mysite.verizon.net/vze1ldyn/sitebuildercontent/sitebuilderpictures/pilate.jpg

Delfino has to be shopped in as Jesus, while Flip has to be in there as a bad guy.[smilie=antlers.gif]

Shop in random NBA players as the audience and we're cooking. [smilie=army.gif]

what time is it????!?!?!?!

GAME TIME!!!!!

http://www.wtfdetroit.com/chat/flashchat.php

(chat time, too)

:)

[smilie=oobir.gif]

Pistons are looking bad on offense in the 1st half. Lowest scoring half of the season. I honestly can't believe that Miami is playing spectacular defense. We're getting good looks, but just bricking shots we normally hit...

Pistons go into the 4th with a 60-59 lead!!

Pistons gut it out, 82-73.

like i said in the chat.....so long as Fatoine Walker is on Miami....they will NEVER win anything!!

Maurice Evans needs to be put on the inactive list. Period.

Got Detroit Basketball?

props to Tay for being aggresive on offense. he took his requisite jumpers, but he attacked the basket.

he actually took it to the rack hard on Shrek and drew a foul. then, when Wade was in foul trouble, we actually attacked him in the post, with Tay. Wade tried to flop, but Tay ended up dunking over him, LOL.

Tay was the only Piston to shoot 50% FG or better (besides Ben's 2-4 FG)

in the end our team defense beat miami. Mostly from lindsey and the starters.

Is it me or does it looked liked Rip's figured out all wade's moves. he even knows when wade's trynna force him to foul him. Rip's defense this year >>>>>>>>>>>Rip's defense last year.

Yeah, we played like crap, Shrek played about as good as he'll ever play being this old, and we totally shut down Wade to get the W. I'm pretty confident in this team's ability to win it all after I saw their great turnaround in the third quarter to tonight.

magic # to clinch the east is down to 6.

All this "improve the offense to cure our slump" talk can go to a fiery grave. Welcome back defense. Don't ever fucking leave.

10:35 pm [Matt]: oh man, i get happy at the thought of Shaq never reaching the Finals for the rest of his career, due to the Pistons
10:35 pm [Matt]: that would be beautiful
10:35 pm [Kstat]: no franchsie has ever knocked shaq out 3 times
10:35 pm [Joe Asberry]: we ended Shaqs reign
10:35 pm [Joe Asberry]: he should retire fat fuck

10:34 pm [metr0man]: No team with Antoine Walker will ever win a title
10:34 pm [metr0man]: lol
10:34 pm [Matt]: never
10:34 pm [Joe Asberry]: never ever
10:35 pm [metr0man]: he made sooo many bad plays down the stretch, it was hilarious

9 home games left.

9 wins gives ties us with the 96 Bulls for 2nd best home record ever.

8-1 gives us a franchise record for best home record.

I missed the game (watching replay at midnight though).

Other than a Delfino DNP it looks like a decent game looking at the box score.

im surprised theres not more concern over zo's torn calf muscle (out indefinitly). boohoo.

to be fair, this was a scheduled loss for the heat.

it was nice to knock them around a little-30 points in a half is dominant.

It was a scheduling loss - Miami lost their legs in the second half, just like we lost our legs when we had similar four games in five nights back end of a back-to-back sorta deal, and we lost to worse teams. We don't take anything away from this game other than the W in the race for HCA.

Is Zo's calf serious?? I expected it to be a whole lotta nothing. If Zo is out, Miami is toast.

you know what might have been a brilliant coaching move by Flip? he left the bench in for quite a while to start the 4th quarter. Chauncey didn't come in until LATE. that had to have helped the pistons starters have fresh legs, while miami was faltering.

BTW, for those that were in the chat, was I in there?

I tried to get in and it was telling me that I was already in.

im surprised theres not more concern over zo's torn calf muscle (out indefinitly). boohoo.

to be fair, this was a scheduled loss for the heat.

it was nice to knock them around a little-30 points in a half is dominant.

Luckily, San Antonio has a scheduling loss tonight as well..... [smilie=2thumbsup.g:

Chauncey came in with 4 min left, Ben with 3 min left...Lindsey and Dice played pretty well, got us going with Hunters D and Dice jumpers

Luckily, San Antonio has a scheduling loss tonight as well..... [smilie=2thumbsup.g:

Hopefully.

Nice defensive win by the Pistons. Good to see the team able to muscle up when it counts for once this season.

Lindsey and Dice did play well together late, but you can't really put them in with Evans and Ben Wallace also, thats not a good offensive lineup at all.

Lindsey and Dice did play well together late, but you can't really put them in with Evans and Ben Wallace also, thats not a good offensive lineup at all.

Yea, you know when the best ball handler on the floor is Dice that you've got issues. [smilie=arrgh.jpg]

to be fair, this was a scheduled loss for the heat..
no such thing. i dont accept that pussy excuse for us and i'll give no quarter to the heat on it either.

to be fair, this was a scheduled loss for the heat..
no such thing. i dont accept that pussy excuse for us and i'll give quarter to the heat on it either.

That and the fact Shaq didn't even play yesterday?

to be fair, this was a scheduled loss for the heat..
no such thing. i dont accept that pussy excuse for us and i'll give quarter to the heat on it either.

That and the fact Shaq didn't even play yesterday?

And Shaq had a really solid game. Look at the rest of the team - they had no legs left and you could see it in their shots. Take away Shaq's numbers tonight and Miami shot 16-53 or 30%.

I don't accept scheduling losses to Atlanta, Charlotte and NYK's of the world. When you have two evenly matched teams playing, I'm more than willing to accept it. We'll see these two meet in the ECF, so scheduling will not be an issue...

Rasheed Wallace had seven points, 10 boards, two steals and two blocks in Wednesday's win, but hit just 3-of-12 shots.
The Pistons clinced the Central Division title tonight and reduced their magic number down to six for the East title. Devin Harris and Antonio McDyess will see more clock once they take the East title. Mar. 22 - 11:47 pm et

I read this and honestly had to think for a second who exactly was on our team. THEY BETTER HAVE MEANT DELFINO AND NOT MO EVANS. MR O-6 DOING NOTHING ELSE GARBAGE.

Also, if we do decide its not worth it to be in a chase for home court throughout (which i doubt we stop goin for) i would hope that we could use the new IL rules to our advantage. Like say deactivate sheed and rip and activate/bring back amir and alex. Just to give them a reward for tearing it up in the DL. But yea i doubt we stop shooting for homecourt.

I vividly remember Dice having some very strong sequences against Shaq last year in the playoffs. To the point where it made me think he should see more time on him.

Yep, it went how I remembered it... Dice was impressive against Shaq today. He did see him mostly in the 2nd half, but it's not like Sheed or Ben were stopping him in the 2nd half either, so I'd say that Dice did very well guarding him. It just seems like Dice is more willing to lean into him. Ben and Sheed love to just try to draw offensive fouls or pull the chair and get a travel. Dice holds his ground.

Actually I think Ben holds his ground more than any of our big guys against Shaq, while Sheed is the "lazy" defender and doesn't really muscle against him. Dyess is ok but he's no better than Sheed at all. Ideally you want Ben to take him on.

Haven't really seen Davis/Cato on him, disconcerting. [smilie=argue.gif]

And fuck Flip Saunders, Evans fucking sucks.

Haven't really seen Davis/Cato on him, disconcerting. [smilie=argue.gif]

Wasn't Cato activated for this game?

What is the point of activating him if he isn't going to play at all?

Actually I think Ben holds his ground more than any of our big guys against Shaq, while Sheed is the "lazy" defender and doesn't really muscle against him. Dyess is ok but he's no better than Sheed at all. Ideally you want Ben to take him on.

Haven't really seen Davis/Cato on him, disconcerting. [smilie=argue.gif]

And fuck Flip Saunders, Evans fucking sucks.

Ben backs off just like Sheed. He needs to force turnovers or the occassional blocked shot (usually late in the game) to stop him. It's the same thing over and over. Dice usually just leans on him, and forces him to throw up a hook just a little bit further out than he likes. It seems to work. It's definately better than Ben/Sheed's slapaway or "Pull the chair" methods.

Pistons gut it out, 82-73.

like i said in the chat.....so long as Fatoine Walker is on Miami....they will NEVER win anything!!

Someone help me out here.


How many 35 foot airballs did Walker chuck up, with 23 seconds on the shot clock, in the fourth quarter, alone, last night?

Was it like 12?

Or more like 157?

I lost count.

But I think its possible he might have chucked up 2,353,746 and 1/2 35 foot 3 pointer airballs with 23 seconds on the shot clock in the fourth quarter last night.

Haven't really seen Davis/Cato on him, disconcerting. [smilie=argue.gif]

Wasn't Cato activated for this game?

What is the point of activating him if he isn't going to play at all?
i think it was in case of emergency of shaq dominating so much that we were in danger of losing because of him. who knows.

but for the record dale davis has sucked against shaq this year. he's just another body but that about it. i was curious about cato though who is a lil' more heavy.

Miami: 1-8 vs the top teams in the NBA (Pistons, Spurs, Mavs, and Suns). wasn't someone recently saying the Heat might be the team to beat in the East?

http://www.musiq.pl/images/33/The_Pretenders_Pretenders.jpg

they beat us one time and people started swearing that we will lose the east homecourt advantage.~lol~ the heat are the mo evans to our carlos delfino it seems in respect. they win one game against us and get all the love on earth. we beat nearly every top team and sweep the spurs before we get some respect.

Dimesmack


Shaq was all rested up for yesterday’s big Heat/Pistons matchup, but he couldn’t knock off Detroit without Dwyane Wade. Down by a dozen in the second half, the Pistons slapped some fierce D on Miami and ran away with it late. Wade was held to 3-for-15 shooting and a season-low 13 points. Shaq had 27, but got some bad news when Alonzo Mourning went down with what we last heard was a torn calf muscle. The Heat obviously want to keep Shaq fresh for the playoffs, and if ’Zo is going to be sidelined for a while, they might want to sign someone since the next-best backup is Michael Doleac. We know Elden Campbell and 74-year-old Kevin Willis are available. And you know Shawn Kemp is looking for a job. Who wouldn’t wanna see Kemp and Gary Payton back together again?

Elden wouldn't dare, would he?

Dimesmack


Shaq was all rested up for yesterday’s big Heat/Pistons matchup, but he couldn’t knock off Detroit without Dwyane Wade. Down by a dozen in the second half, the Pistons slapped some fierce D on Miami and ran away with it late. Wade was held to 3-for-15 shooting and a season-low 13 points. Shaq had 27, but got some bad news when Alonzo Mourning went down with what we last heard was a torn calf muscle. The Heat obviously want to keep Shaq fresh for the playoffs, and if ’Zo is going to be sidelined for a while, they might want to sign someone since the next-best backup is Michael Doleac. We know Elden Campbell and 74-year-old Kevin Willis are available. And you know Shawn Kemp is looking for a job. Who wouldn’t wanna see Kemp and Gary Payton back together again?

Elden wouldn't dare, would he?

Shawn Kemp seems like a Heat type of guy.

Shrek, Fatoine, AND Kemp???

time to invest in a new franchise in Miami....

http://img.meetup.com/photos/event/8/d/event_141.jpeg

Dimesmack


Shaq was all rested up for yesterday’s big Heat/Pistons matchup, but he couldn’t knock off Detroit without Dwyane Wade. Down by a dozen in the second half, the Pistons slapped some fierce D on Miami and ran away with it late. Wade was held to 3-for-15 shooting and a season-low 13 points. Shaq had 27, but got some bad news when Alonzo Mourning went down with what we last heard was a torn calf muscle. The Heat obviously want to keep Shaq fresh for the playoffs, and if ’Zo is going to be sidelined for a while, they might want to sign someone since the next-best backup is Michael Doleac. We know Elden Campbell and 74-year-old Kevin Willis are available. And you know Shawn Kemp is looking for a job. Who wouldn’t wanna see Kemp and Gary Payton back together again?

Elden wouldn't dare, would he?

God I hope not. I like the fact that there isn't a single likable player on their team. Elden is too much of a good-guy to sign with the scum of the earth.

um if Elden is "available" (to play) why don't we have him on our roster instead of davis or cato?

Shrek, Fatoine, AND Kemp???

time to invest in a new franchise in Miami....

http://img.meetup.com/photos/event/8/d/event_141.jpeg

Don't forget Chuck E. Cheese.

Kemp needs somewhere to drop all his kids off before the game.

Dimesmack


Shaq was all rested up for yesterday’s big Heat/Pistons matchup, but he couldn’t knock off Detroit without Dwyane Wade. Down by a dozen in the second half, the Pistons slapped some fierce D on Miami and ran away with it late. Wade was held to 3-for-15 shooting and a season-low 13 points. Shaq had 27, but got some bad news when Alonzo Mourning went down with what we last heard was a torn calf muscle. The Heat obviously want to keep Shaq fresh for the playoffs, and if ’Zo is going to be sidelined for a while, they might want to sign someone since the next-best backup is Michael Doleac. We know Elden Campbell and 74-year-old Kevin Willis are available. And you know Shawn Kemp is looking for a job. Who wouldn’t wanna see Kemp and Gary Payton back together again?

Elden wouldn't dare, would he?

Shawn Kemp seems like a Heat type of guy.

Do they even have the roster space to sign another guy? Or will they have to cut somebody?