Pregame
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VS
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http://www.wtfdetroit.com/ogt/game78pistonsvscavs.jpg


The Detroit Pistons can match the franchise record for victories in a season and move one step closer to securing home-court advantage throughout the playoffs when they host LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers.

The Pistons are one victory shy of the 1988-89 team that finished 63-19 and won the first of back-to-back NBA championships. Detroit has already clinched the top seed in the Eastern Conference, and is trying to hold off San Antonio and Dallas for the best record in the league.

The 1988-89 team also holds the record for home wins, going 37-4. This year's squad has won 21 of its last 22 at The Palace of Auburn Hills and is 35-3 there this season.

The Pistons beat Indiana 98-73 on Sunday for their fifth straight win at home.

"All of our guys, we sense what's coming," Detroit coach Flip Saunders said. "We know what's going to come here in two weeks, and you have to have an edge. You have to not only have an edge, but from an individual standpoint, you want your game and the things you do to be at top form."

Detroit dominated the Pacers for three quarters. The Pistons grabbed the lead 13 seconds into the second quarter and didn't relinquish it the rest of the game. Three bench players scored in double figures, Ben Wallace grabbed a season-high 22 rebounds and the Pistons held Indiana to 36 percent shooting.

"When we come out with that type of focus and energy, it's tough for teams to beat us," said Wallace, who grabbed 20 or more rebounds for the third time this season. "When we play like that, we make it look easy."

Cleveland, which has already secured the fourth seed in the East, won for the 11th time in 12 games when James hit a jumper with 0.5 seconds left to beat New Orleans 103-101 on Monday night.

"That last shot is exactly what we want. We wanted to spread the ball and we wanted No. 23 to make a play," Cleveland coach Mike Brown said. "I don't care what he does with the ball because I know nine times out of 10, he's going to make the play to win the ballgame."

Cleveland might look to rest James more in the final five games. He is averaging 42.9 minutes, second-most in the NBA.

"But when we get into a game like this, I want to play," said James, who scored 32 points to snap his nine-game streak of scoring at least 35. "Games like this I want to be in down the stretch because I feel like I can make plays for our team."

Center Zydrunas Ilgauskas sat out his third straight game with a sprained right ankle but may be back for Wednesday's contest.

Detroit has won 12 of the last 14 at home against Cleveland.

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[smilie=llama_banan:

postgame

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http://www.avatard.com/albums/Simpsons/thumb_simpsons_sideshow_bob.gif

lol

Hopefully we can play like we did vs the pacers

105-87

Fuck the Cavs

Tays gonna own Bron
...
He's gonna have a career high too

I'm not really looking forward to this game at all for some reason.

Maybe it's because Cleveland doesn't really have anything to play for (they are locked into the 4 spot), and we sometimes play like we don't either in situations like this.

If the Cavs don't show up for some reason, Flip has got to get the bench in there. I would be interested in seeing Maxiell, Cato, Davis, Delfino, etc. getting a lot of PT if the game is not in question.

I know, it's a pipe dream.

Let's just not get any of our starters hurt, mmk Flip?

We have to win 2 games.

Until that happens, I have no interest in screwing around with the rotation...

So, as I mentioned in my post, if we're blowing them out, you want to keep the rotation the same and play our starters even if we are up, 20-30 points? Just for the sake of not "screwing around with the rotation"?

I don't get that at all.

Pistons focused = Loss for everyone else.

I'm super fired up for this game. The wifey scored seats 8 rows up from the floor, centre court. The good news is that I go to about 8 games a year and I haven't seen them lose at home in 4 years. The bad news is that Cleveland is hot right now and we'll be playing the bench a lot more.

I still like our chances.

For those who want to see the game on the internet :

http://www.tvmix.net/fichas/4-13-2:00-51945.html

Damn Walton's an idiot.

"LeBron with the spread eagle dunk, posterizing the imaginary defender. The guys at Pixar couldn't have created a more perfect human move" or something along those lines. No shit, Sherlock. This is real life, not an animation.

The game is on FSN

The game is on FSN

And then?

He was bitching about walton, I was giving him another option



Anyone hear one of the cavs yell "Hell No" when Dale Davis took that shot attempt. ROFLMAO!

He was bitching about walton, I was giving him another option



Anyone hear one of the cavs yell "Hell No" when Dale Davis took that shot attempt. ROFLMAO!

I am amused by national commentary is all. I switched to FSN when they started showing other games, though.

Goddamn that game sucked.

But at least it was a sucky win.

as Kstat would say, the magic number is now 1.

1 win or 1 Spurs loss, and we've got homecourt locked up.

did anyone watch Sportcenter's Top Ten today? #4 was Sheed before the game, during warmups. he nailed a halfcourter with his right hand and then one with his left, lol.

Mad props to Automotion... or was he talking about Delfino and Cato?

http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/recap?gameId=260412008


"Flip outcoached me and their players outplayed us on both ends of the floor," Brown said. "Even their cheerleaders did a nice job."

Damn, I miss having a dedicated human victory cigar to light up. Maybe Dale Davis should try shooting more threes, just for laughs...

Watching this game, as I expected, made me nervous as hell.

I thought Flip stayed with the starters WAY too long. I was holding my breath each time one of our guys came down from a rebound attempt. I kept thinking about Ben's ankles, Chauncey's ankle, etc. Then Lebron went down and I really got anxious ( [smilie=anxious.gif] ).

Without Maxiell being dressed, Flip had to go with no PF for much of the bench time, (Lindsey, Delk, Delfino, Evans & Davis) because Cato is obviously so out of shape that he can't play more than 3 minutes right now.

Good win though, although when the Cavs actually have something to play for it might be a little more hotly contested.

http://us.i1.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/i/us/sp/v/nba/players/2005/3847.jpg

He looks like Sideshow Bob

"Flip outcoached me and their players outplayed us on both ends of the floor," Brown said. "Even their cheerleaders did a nice job."HAHAHAHAHHAHA!!!! Props to MB. That's the shit.

http://us.i1.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/i/us/sp/v/nba/players/2005/3847.jpg

http://www.avatard.com/albums/Simpsons/thumb_simpsons_sideshow_bob.gif


http://us.i1.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/i/us/sp/v/nba/players/2005/3847.jpg

He looks like Sideshow Bob


It's early out there in L.A., huh?