Pistons at Raptors

Tip-off: 7 tonight, Air Canada Centre, Toronto
TV/radio: FSN Detroit/WDFN 1130
Outlook: Life without Chris Bosh (thumb) is not going so well for the Raptors -- they've lost 10 straight. The Pistons are looking to sweep the season series for the first time since 1998. In the last five seasons, they are 15-4 vs. the Raptors.

http://images.art.com/images/-/Detroit-Pistons---NBA-Champions-2004--C10127629.jpeg

VS.
http://radioroadtrip.com/rap_dance.jpg

Yes. This is a dead raptor, according to Google:
http://www.biologicaldiversity.org/swcbd/programs/bdes/altamont/images/raptor-wing-LR.jpg

uhm....yeah.....

please tell me i'm the only one who forgot there's a game tonight? i've been in playoff mode already....forgot there are games to be played. oops.

I'd like to see Maxiell activated and maybe Lindsey de-activated.

We know what Lindsey can do, give Delk and Delfino some minutes at the point.

Flip better fucking play the bench, I don't care if we lose out.

I can't stand watching our starters out there in meaningless games this close to the playoffs.

We know what Lindsey can do, give Delk and Delfino some minutes at the point.
I think delfino at pg would be interesting to try. he has solid ballhandling and passing. This way he could set people up more often than being looked upon to shoot only.

I would like to see Amir get some minutes today.

I expect Bosh to look like the Raptor logo and Villanueva to
raise some eyebrows since he doesn't have any himself.

Other than that I expect us to blow them out
and enjoy our bench putting on a great show!

Will the Pistons set a NEW franchise Record?
Will Flip Saunders play his bench?
Will the Fantastic 5 make it out alive?
Will Billups and Mike James repeat their epic battle?



Tune in tonight
SAME PISTONS TIME
SAME PISTONS CHANNEL.

http://radioroadtrip.com/rap_dance.jpg
If theres one crappy team worth playing for just to get the women. Its Toronto. They are the only NBA team in Canada now and it makes groupies gravitate to them a lil' more in a diverse city like T Dot. I need to go to caribana this year. [smilie=artist.gif]

How is it that Canadien dudes all look fugly, but the women are the best in the world.

Makes no GD sense.

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

How is it that Canadien dudes all look fugly, but the women are the best in the world.

Makes no GD sense.
the universe balancing itself out.

There is no Chris Bosh, and yet we are losing. [smilie=arnold.gif]

Gave up 38 points in the 4th, amazing

Carlos Delfino is officially the worst player on this team after Cato.

Not only does he give nothing on offense, his defense is now non-existent as well.

Mo evans, in all his suckiness, is a better player than Defino right now. It isn't even close. He cant defend anybody one-on-one, but on help-out D at least he makes a nice effort.

The breaking point was when Delfino blew his responsibility on help-defense when lindsey was giving Mike james the dribble, THREE TIMES.

1. Delfino fouls.

2. Delfino stands there with his thumb up his ass and mike james lays it in

3. Delfino is waaaay too late reacting and gets caught out of position for a blocking foul.

Help defense is the most important thing on this team, bar none, and Delfino just flunked his test completely.

I'm sure there's another laundry list of excuses why delfino sucked again tonight, just like there will be after he sucks the next 3 games, and finds himself nailed to the bench.

The sad thing is, Delfino showed more flashes of his ability, which he never ever uses. The one-handed catch and dribble on the sideline, the play where he set up lindsey for the three, but every spectacular thing this guy does is followed by 4 or 5 fuckups, mostly mental ones.

The play where he dribbled himself out of bounds like a 2nd grader to end the game was the epitome of Delfino this season. He dribbles through 4 Raptors like nothing, and then he turns the ball over right at the end tripping over himself.

I hate that delfino makes me hate his ass so fucking much...

On a positive note, Maxiell is a SICK dunker.

Everyone but Cato got some burn on our roster tonight.

I dont think anyone got over 30, but no one got under 10, other than DD

I missed the second-half, can somebody give me recap?

Other than the what happened to Delfino?

Will Flip Saunders play his bench?

yup [smilie=angryfire.g:

I missed the second-half, can somebody give me recap?

Starters owned the 3rd. Bench came in and played decent (well, Delk and Lindsey shot the ball fairly well), but in crunch time Mike James took over and we started getting sloppy and went to one-on-one ball a lot. Delk had a couple TOs in a row that led to fast break buckets. Lindsey hit some tough shots. Maxiell had a MONSTER throwdown in traffic with about 30 seconds to go. But we couldn't deny Mike James the ball at the end and he sank 18-of-18 FTs to ice the game. Carlos had to go full-court on the last possession and ended up losing the dribble. Ball Game.

Maxiell has a ton of athletic ability and strength if he'd start to use it to push guys around instead of getting pushed......

Maxiell has post moves, too. Every time he plays he shows a new move. I like his potential if he ever learns how to put the ball on the floor...

I missed the second-half, can somebody give me recap?

Starters owned the 3rd. Bench came in and played decent (well, Delk and Lindsey shot the ball fairly well), but in crunch time Mike James took over and we started getting sloppy and went to one-on-one ball a lot. Delk had a couple TOs in a row that led to fast break buckets. Lindsey hit some tough shots. Maxiell had a MONSTER throwdown in traffic with about 30 seconds to go. But we couldn't deny Mike James the ball at the end and he sank 18-of-18 FTs to ice the game. Carlos had to go full-court on the last possession and ended up losing the dribble. Ball Game.

How many minutes did they play? I assume that the bench was used extensively.

Got a video of the Maxiell dunk?

starters played entire 1st and 3rd qtrs, bench played entire 2nd and 4th.

I hate it when people complain about minutes. Shut up with the whining. That is all.

Maxiell is a beast. The only thing this man fears is the dreaded free throw.

Someone needs to make some Maxiell quotes.

I think "fearless" is the word that best describes Maxiell.

This guy goes right after whoever is on him. Succeed or fail, this guy is ALWAYS the aggressor, and I think that's what makes him such an awesome fit on this team.

He reminds me of a longer, more athletic Corliss. Maxiell has a very nice vertical and can jump over guys, something corliss couldnt do.

Of course, he hasnt shown quite the ability to handle the ball Corliss had, but he definately has the potential to be a rotation player on this team someday.

Max's attitude and toughness just fits this team so well. This is the perfect place for him to succeed. There's no hesitation on his part. He goes out and kicks someone's ass, or he doesn't. You know exactly where he stands, no coddling or excuses needed. He's a self-motivated player. 2 minutes, 20 minutes, he's going to leave everything he's got out there no matter the situation.

There are so many disappointing players in the NBA that would be all-stars if they had Maxiell's attitude.

http://www.nba.com/media/pistons/DETTOR_060414_011.jpg

Should have been an And-1 to tie the game [smilie=applause.gi:

Max's attitude and toughness just fits this team so well. This is the perfect place for him to succeed. There's no hesitation on his part. He goes out and kicks someone's ass, or he doesn't. You know exactly where he stands, no coddling or excuses needed. He's a self-motivated player. 2 minutes, 20 minutes, he's going to leave everything he's got out there no matter the situation.

What? How do you know what Max is thinking? Just because he throws down a dunk you can come to all of these conclusions?

Come on now, this agenda you have is getting old. Ruining a fine moment from Maxiell by delivering back-handed shots to other players who you assume aren't playing with effort.

What? How do you know what Max is thinking? Just because he throws down a dunk you can come to all of these conclusions?

1. Its not my fault Delfino isnt playing well. At one point in this season I wanted this kid to play so badly I advocated STARTING him. I have since changed my mind.

2. When has anybody EVER seen Maxiell play anything but one way? He has the look of a player that comes out and wants to kick ass. There's 0 hesitation in him, succeed or fail. He doesnt need the coach to give him a hug and tell him he's special in order to play with confidence. He doesn't give a fuck.

And yes, I think the fact he tries to dunk on anybody and everybody speaks of his attitude. He plays like he has zero fear of the guy guarding him. I like that.

And the fact I like Max has nothing to do with what I said about Delfino. I don't even know how effective Max will be over the long haul. All I said was I love the kid's attitude, and I think he has a future as a Piston.

What? How do you know what Max is thinking? Just because he throws down a dunk you can come to all of these conclusions?

1. Its not my fault Delfino isnt playing well. At one point in this season I wanted this kid to play so badly I advocated STARTING him. I have since changed my mind.

2. When has anybody EVER seen Maxiell play anything but one way? He has the look of a player that comes out and wants to kick ass. There's 0 hesitation in him, succeed or fail. He doesnt need the coach to give him a hug and tell him he's special. He doesn't give a fuck.

And yes, I think the fact he tries to dunk on anybody and everybody speaks of his attitude.

And the fact I like Max has nothing to do with what I said about Delfino. I don't even know how effective Max will be over the long haul. All I said was I love the kid's attitude.

Seriously, you don't even know the guy, I don't understand how you can say this stuff? It's not like we ever see him looking all happy and cheering on the team on the bench. How do you know he isn't down about playing time?

Again, I am a fan of Max, but you are coming up to conclusions over nothing. Your idea of him being "aggressive" (and no he doesn't dunk everything. He has about 6-7 dunks all year and 40 shot attempts), also kind of looks like being a black hole to the outside world. He takes a lot of forced jumpers in the post and when he gets the ball in his hands it doesn't leave untill it's headed toward the rim. Is that what you want the other players to do? Throw the ball up every time they touch it? Sorry, but that isn't going to win basketball games. There is a big difference between being aggressive in garbage time and in real time. In garbage time, a chucker looks "aggressive". In real time a chucker looks like a chucker. Simple as that.

That's obviously what Flip (and you) wants though.

EDIT: also, I seem to remember Carlos trying to dunk absolutely everything earlier in the year. Some people actually criticized him for it because he missed a couple.

Seriously, you don't even know the guy, I don't understand how you can say this stuff? It's not like we ever see him looking all happy and cheering on the team on the bench. How do you know he isn't down about playing time?

Does it matter what he thinks about playing time? I never even made any comments about that.

All I said was that Max is a self-starter: He plays his hardest every second he's on the floor.

Do I know if Max likes playing in 2-minute stretches? Of course not. I do, however, see what he DOES in that time. He's always plays motivated by something. I have yet to see Maxiell look uninterested in a basketball game, going all the way back to summer league. That guy always plays like he has something to prove.

I think the way he plays speaks volumes about his attitude. You can disagree, that's fine.


(and no he doesn't dunk everything.

No, but he tries to. You'd be blind not to call him an aggressive player, especially in the paint.


also kind of looks like being a black hole to the outside world. He takes a lot of forced jumpers in the post and when he gets the ball in his hands it doesn't leave untill it's headed toward the rim.

1. I said I like the fact he has zero hesitation in his play. Never said I wanted him to be selfish, nor do I think he is selfish. I think he wants to go out and make an impact on the game any way he can. That's a positive thing.

Secondly, while Max shoots a lot, he doesn't take many bad shots. It would be one thing if he was forcing them over 3 guys and getting swatted. He has been going one on one for the most part, and he's been getting off good shots.


Is that what you want the other players to do? Throw the ball up every time they touch it? Sorry, but that isn't going to win basketball games. There is a big difference between being aggressive in garbage time and in real time. In garbage time, a chucker looks "aggressive". In real time a chucker looks like a chucker. Simple as that.

I just want players to attack the other team with aggression.

-Rip attacks by running his defender ragged all night and constantly getting the best look at the rim he can get.

-Chauncey attack by physically beating up his defender in the paint.

-Ben attacks defensively by defending the paint and trying to swat any shot in that area.

The starting 5 at its best is an aggressive, attacking unit. I think we can all agree on that. They only get into trouble when they play passive basketball.

If Max choses to "attack" by trying to tear down the rim anytime he gets the chance, and by trying to go at whoever's defending him in the post, so be it. He definately has the bulk and the athletic ability to be a force down there.

If he starts going 1 on 2 at some point, then I think we have something to talk about. But what he's doing is what I would hope any player tryign to prove himself would do. I dont think that throwing it to a guy in the post and letting him go one-on-one is selfish any more than I think Dice is selfish for doing the same thing, and Dice shoots 9 out of every 10 times he touches the ball.


EDIT: also, I seem to remember Carlos trying to dunk absolutely everything earlier in the year. Some people actually criticized him for it because he missed a couple.

I miss that Delfino. That was when he was playing his best ball as a Piston. The dunk he had on Okafor was SWEET. But after he got humiliated by Ostertag, I have yet to see him try to dunk on anybody again. He has to realize that just because he got stuffed once doesnt mean that NBA big men are too tall and atheltic for him.

BTW apparently Toronto's TV guys were fuming over our "unsportsmanlike attitude" last night, not really trying to win.

Sheed's left-handed three supposedly sent them through the roof.

Secondly, while Max shoots a lot, he doesn't take many bad shots. It would be one thing if he was forcing them over 3 guys and getting swatted. He has been going one on one for the most part, and he's been getting off good shots.

But would they be good shots if he were out there in real minutes that meant something? No, 66% of Max's shots are jumpshots, and he only shoots 30% on them (82games.com). But you write it off because it's garbage time and it doesn't matter. If the shots meant something people would be criticizing him for those misses.



I just want players to attack the other team with aggression.

-Rip attacks by running his defender ragged all night and constantly getting the best look at the rim he can get.

-Chauncey attack by physically beating up his defender in the paint.

-Ben attacks defensively by defending the paint and trying to swat any shot in that area.

The starting 5 at its best is an aggressive, attacking unit. I think we can all agree on that. They only get into trouble when they play passive basketball.

If Max choses to "attack" by trying to tear down the rim anytime he gets the chance, and by trying to go at whoever's defending him in the post, so be it. He definately has the bulk and the athletic ability to be a force down there.

Thank you. This is what Flip needs to realize. Not all bench players have to "attack" by shooting and scoring a bunch of points. That's how Tony and Dice "attack", but that isn't how Lindsey and Delfino should be showing their aggression. They need to be trapping, harrassing their man, getting deflections, etc. But Flip doesn't see a game where someone plays 10 minutes 1-3 shooting but gets deflections, forces bad shots, grabs a couple rebounds, makes a few nice passes as being productive. He looks at the Points column on the box score and decides the rotations. Why do you think Carlos would say things like he did in that interview about needing to be selfish in order to get minutes? Now all of a sudden, when he's trying to impress Flip for minutes he's playing completely out of character.


If he starts going 1 on 2 at some point, then I think we have something to talk about. But what he's doing is what I would hope any player tryign to prove himself would do. I dont think that throwing it to a guy in the post and letting him go one-on-one is selfish any more than I think Dice is selfish for doing the same thing, and Dice shoots 9 out of every 10 times he touches the ball.

Dice shoots most of the time when he's picking and popping, but when he posts up he's always looking for a good pass as well. Besides, Dice is a very high percentage shooter. This isn't the same deal.

BTW apparently Toronto's TV guys were fuming over our "unsportsmanlike attitude" last night, not really trying to win.

Sheed's left-handed three supposedly sent them through the roof.

Tell them not to look a gift horse in the mouth. If we tried, they would've lost... oh... wait... are they really upset because we caused them to win a game and lose some lottery ping pong balls? Sounds like THAT'S unsportsmanlike conduct to me!

that Sheed left-handed three was pretty funny, though.

Why is it funny?

I think it shows a lack of respect for the Raptors and every fucking fan that paid to see the game.

Why is it funny?

I think it shows a lack of respect for the Raptors and every fucking fan that paid to see the game.

Good.

Its about time the Pistons laid an egg on the road, instead of during one or more of my 10 very expensive home games per year.

What's worse? People in Toronto pay $150 to see their team win at home - or I pay $150 to see my Pistons lose at home?

Like I said - don't look a gift horse in the mouth, Toronto.

disrespectful? probably. i dunno, i still laughed.

did you guys read mike james biting sheed?


It wasn't nothing. It was just a shot," Wallace said.

James didn't mind his buddy having fun.

"He's a trip," James said. "He probably tried to mock us a little bit. I'm glad it was all backboard. It didn't even touch rim."

Asked what his best line to Wallace was, James said: "I bit him. He grabbed me in a headlock and I bit him. It felt so good. I tried to pull some skin off him."

LOL, wtf?

"That kind of upset me," (Peterson) said. "For a guy to take a shot with his other hand, I'm definitely going to remember that. That was something I didn't like."

Biting? Were they fucking around or was it a "legit" bite?

If it's a legit bite he needs to be suspended.

It might be funny to see our team shoot left handed, under handed or bounce it off the team logo at half court but it's not the way the game should be played.

They should just build a lead of 20 and sit down. No need to do stupid shit.

That's just me though - I hate the "lack of effort, try when I feel like it" bullshit.

Why is it funny?

I think it shows a lack of respect for the Raptors and every fucking fan that paid to see the game.

It was 1 left handed 3-pointer, he didn't exactly drop his pants and urinate at 'centre' court. He was having some fun playing an essentially meaningless game for both teams. The bite was clearly in jest. Like Sheed is going to let some guy bite him and just walk off. The two of them were going at it all game.

I respect your respect(lol) for the game Pharaoh, but it's just that - a game. The Pistons already took care of business, now it's just waiting for the damn playoffs to start.

It was 1 left handed 3-pointer, he didn't exactly drop his pants and urinate at 'centre' court.

....no but that shit would certainly have been funnier...

Why is it funny?

I think it shows a lack of respect for the Raptors and every fucking fan that paid to see the game.

It was 1 left handed 3-pointer, he didn't exactly drop his pants and urinate at 'centre' court. He was having some fun playing an essentially meaningless game for both teams.

The game is only meaningless if you think it is.

If I was a player on the Pistons: The game means nothing in the overall standings but as a professional player I would give my best for the fans that paid to see the game.

If I didn't feel like giving it my all I'd ask the Coach to sit me down.

If I was a player on the Raptors I'd want to win the game because losing all the fucking time hurts like a bitch. If I was instructed to lose on purpose to improve our Lotto chances I'd ask to sit out (like Chris Bosh)

It's not fucking meaningless - play to win or don't play at all. It's simple.

The funny thing to me? If we were a shitty team and some smart ass motherfucker did that to us a ton of people would whine about it.

The game is only meaningless if you think it is.
I thought it was meaningless. So did most of the players there. So did the NBA standings.


If I was a player on the Pistons: The game means nothing in the overall standings but as a professional player I would give my best for the fans that paid to see the game.
You're assuming that every fan wants to watch playoff, grind-it-out basketball in a statistically meaningless game for both teams. You're assuming wrong.


It's not fucking meaningless - play to win or don't play at all. It's simple.
That's the thing - the Pistons WERE winning. Since when did having a little fun and winning become mutually exclusive?


The funny thing to me? If we were a shitty team and some smart ass motherfucker did that to us a ton of people would whine about it.
There are people who will whine about everything... what's your point? I couldn't care less if somebody did it to us, and anybody who is truly upset by this needs to get their priorities straight.

Once again, it was 1 left handed three. Iit's not like he did it at the all-star game, or earlier this year a few times. Oh wait he did.

doesnt sheed routinely make lefty threes in warmups and practice? if he never did that before then maybe theres room to bitch, but it was funny and everyone laughed and if toronto wants to bitch then maybe they should try harder in their first 78 games so players dont try that shit. anyway, he missed bad, thats enough punishment because there was as much laughing at sheed as with him.

taymelo: as far as your 10 home games, they are 36-3 at home this year. soooo if you went to all 3 losses your team is still 7-3 for the 10 games you went to.... basically im just not impressed by that statement.

ummm damn, Toronto has had every offensive display and showboat done on them this year. And yet left handed 3 pointers sting more than kobe hanging 82 or your shitty to death defense? Sam Mitchell, great sense of pride you've given these guys you joke. Was a suckass assistant with the bucks and is a suckass coach with the raptors. Nothing worse than a hardass coach who cant win. [smilie=anxious.gif]

Look, I'm just saying I think it's disrespectful.

I don't pretend to speak for Toronto fans, NBA fans in general or the majority of Detroit fans.

This ain't worth worrying about so I'm gonna drop it.

Look, I'm just saying I think it's disrespectful.

I don't pretend to speak for Toronto fans, NBA fans in general or the majority of Detroit fans.

This ain't worth worrying about so I'm gonna drop it.Oh no you ain't, you done riled up da' beast.


I see what your saying Ph., but c'mon man, give the guy a break. Consider the circumstances.

The Raptors, who mailed in the season awhile ago, were getting MAULED at that point, and didnt even want to play. Rasheed gave them incentive.

Besides that, the game is supposed to be fun, becuase, ya know, it IS just a game. I enjoyed it, but that's me. I love when people say screw it, i'm doing my thing for a second.

Rasheed has been NOTHING but the consumate teamate here in Detroit, and has become my favorite Piston of all time. He gets picked on by the refs for everything, I dont think he needs his own fanbase blowing a fuse about ONE SHOT IN 82 GAMES.

I'm not blowing a fuse.

I just find it disrespectful.

Now, when we used to win by 40 people claim that was disrespectful as well, claiming we ran up the score and all that shit.

My reply? "Fuck 'em"

I played hard all the time and I was looking to kick your ass all game. If you didn't feel like playing or were not up to the task that's not my fault.

After the game? I'd have a beer, joke around, smoke bongs with opposing players. It was all good.

But during the game? It's all business.

I'm not hating on Sheed for this. He's awesome, I have a ton of respect for him as a player and all that good shit.

But I wouldn't have done what he did because I think it's disrespectful.

That's it.

The only people making a big deal out of this are the people who disagree with me.

I don't give a fuck - disagree all you like.

Just agree to disagree and forget it. It's not that important.