I just wish I had the soundbyte of the old announcer from "The NBA On NBC".

PISTONS!! BLAAAAAZERS!!!


Portland (6-12) at Detroit (11-6)

By KATE HEDLIN, STATS Writer

The Detroit Pistons' longest winning streak of the season ended against one of the worst teams in the Eastern Conference. They now look to begin a new winning streak against one of the worst teams in the West.

The Pistons try to bounce back at home Tuesday when they take on the lowly Portland Trail Blazers.

Detroit (11-6) was averaging 102.6 points per game during an eight-game winning streak, but after playing three games in four nights, the Pistons seemed to run out of energy in a 97-89 loss to the Charlotte Bobcats on Sunday.

Rasheed Wallace scored 19 points and Tayshaun Prince added 17 for the Pistons, who scored the game's first nine points before the Bobcats took over.

"It hurt us a little bit," guard Chauncey Billups said of the quick start. "It came so easily. Most times when we're playing a really young team and we're an elite team and then we jump on a lead like that, most teams could pretty much give up. They didn't, to their credit."

The Pistons shot just 40.7 percent from the field -- their lowest total in 12 games.

"They outplayed us," said Billups, who scored 14 points to pass 9,000 for his career. "We didn't play as hard as we've been playing. We could never get into a flow. That's how it is some nights."

Following Tuesday's game against the Blazers, the Pistons play back-to-back games against the Dallas Mavericks and Orlando Magic -- teams with two of the league's best records -- during a four-game road trip that begins Thursday.

Detroit has won five of the last six meetings against Portland (6-12). The Blazers enter Tuesday's game struggling, having lost five straight including a 107-96 loss to the Atlanta Hawks on Sunday.

Zach Randolph was the only Portland starter to score in double figures, with 30 points on 11-for-18 shooting. Martell Webster added 18 points off the bench.

Portland failed to take advantage of playing six of the last seven games at home, losing five of the six contests there.

"For a month we were scrapping and doing some things," coach Nate McMillan said. "And now, as young guys, I think we're searching."

The Blazers, who are 2-6 on the road, are beginning a six-game stretch away from Portland. Jarrett Jack, who scored just nine points Sunday after averaging in double figures the previous seven games, said the team is going to have to start playing better defense.

Blazers' opponents have scored at least 105 points in four of the last six games.

"Defensively, the coach says it's up to the players. We need to dig down and make some defensive stops," Jack said. "He sees it in glimpses, like earlier in the season. We need to get back to doing that."

Wow the Piston threads and chats have slowed around here. Wassup wit dat?

^^ Early in the season? I dunno. That back-to-back situation sucks. For tonight I have an army of 50 alpacas backin our boys up and I predict Sheed goes off for 25 and 14 against his old team.

I still have a Tigers hangover

Its odd how quickly we're back to the Pistons. First it was the Pistons who let us down, then the Wings and Tigers a little, then UofM and now we're back to the Pistons.

Speaking as a (mostly) one-sport bleed-Pistons-blue kinda guy, it's felt like fucking forever to me!! I can watch and enjoy the other sports, but I'm not tracking every game, not inspired to post on boards about them. Contrast with the Pistons, where even when I don't want to pay attention, like at the end of the Charlotte game where we were spectacularly sucking, I just can't help it.

I think we win tonight, but it will be closer than it should be.

Tay with a new career high. :theclub:

LOL@Rip doing the intros

No more techs for Sheed and Mr. Prince of the Palace

Gurantee a win tonight.

If I could have figured out how to put ALL my alpacas on tonights game, I would have. Try as you might Zack.

I'm getting the Portland feed, but Sheed did them last week and it was funny then too.

I think it was Hollywood Hamilton, and Compton Kid, type stuff.

This game is over. Up 4 only 4:51 left.

TAY gets a T?!

64-64 end of 3rd

Zack should have been T'd up right there. 1:59 left in the 3rd.

Tied at the end of the 3rd.

Sidenote: Blazer announcers said something like...The Bobcats were pissed cuz the Pistons didn't even do a shoot around before their game(couple days ago). Said they felt somewhat disrespected cuz the Pistons didn't even do their normal pre-game routine for them. Don't know how the Blazer announcers got a hold of that one.

Oops 71-68 Portland 6:24 left in the 4th. TIVO got me.

i'm a little worried about our reliance, still, on the three point shot.

good things came from Tayshaun and Chauncey attacking the rim.

(btw, Uncle Mxy, i sent you a PM :) )

MR BIGSHOT Puts us ahead 1 with a half a minute left.

Mr. Big. Shot.

he was going to take that shot the whole time.........

ouch.

That was Zacktastic...for them.

100 Alpacas says its RW down low unless Prez comes in.

HOW CAN THAT NOT BE A FOUL?

DAMN!!!

Chauncey had Sheed wide open on the wing :(

Why did CBill hold that so long? We're down, we should have went earlier, imo.

GuaranNotgonnahappen on my part.

DAMN!!!

Chauncey had Sheed wide open on the wing :(

WIDE open when Prez doubled him.

crap......Rip w/ three chances to win or the game.

who was that open in the corner, who Tayshaun was pointing at? whoever that was, he was also WIDE open.

I leave this thread red faced.

This was the game to send us off. I guess they're planning on doing it the hard way.

Tough game. Blazers scrapped hard all game and deserved to win it tonight. Not much more I can say, but "both teams played hard."

Well, damn.

billups held the ball at the end and why???? so he could be the hero???

dwayne wade did the exact same thing vs the pistons the other day, what are these guys thinking??

Can someone tell me when Jarret Jack became a superstar? How else could you explain all of those superstar calls? I didn't know putting your head down and charging at the basket is a legal move now.

Pistons SUCK (right now) and I fucking HATE THEM (today).

Same old problem at the end, we have nobody that can (or is willing to) score in the post when the game is on the line.

Down one, you have to send Sheed into the post and get him the ball where he can either score or get to the line.

I get so sick of seeing them swing the ball around the perimeter looking for the open jumper.

When they finally tried getting the ball into the paint down the stretch, they send Rip on a suicide mission into three defenders, including one (Pryzbilla) that is about twice as tall as he is.

Flip Saunders sucks balls, and Joe Dumars failed in his attempt to get a "slasher" that can score in the paint.

I'm very upset right now. I just took somebody's head off for not refilling the paperclips when they took the last one.

I'm very upset right now. I just took somebody's head off for not refilling the paperclips when they took the last one.

In the land of cubicle-filled offices, this is a decapitable offense. (I think I either created a word or killed one there.)

I agree this game shows our need for a physical presence in the post. The Blazers worked harder and had their way with us down low. Dale Davis looked better than anyone, but he's getting old and we could really use his fresh legs in the playoffs, not a season-worn version. The most frustrating part is we have an answer on the bench. I'm not saying Maxiel is the second coming (he's much better than that!) but he's a physical bruiser who hustles and works hard. To me, that's what we needed last night to grab a couple of those boards.

I still stand by my statement that the Blazers deserved to win more last night. They are the tough, hustling team we should be.

Did anyone else think that Nate McMillan called that 20 sec timeout 1:30 into the game just so he could chew out Randolph for that horrid jumper he took?

Randolph looked like he was being restrained by a teammate on the sideline.

I think Kelser and Blaha were playing dumb too (MSU?) because all they said is that he called the timeout "to discuss how they wanted to play defense". Don't you think that's the wrong time to be discussing your gameplan? It was pretty evasive/shady sounding to me.

It was clearly because of his dumbass jumper. but after me declaring the game was over with a 4 pt lead in the 1st quarter, I wouldn't bank on much of anything I say.

RE: Pistons That was some pathetic end of the game execution.