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All Daye in Pistons loss to Miami at the wire

by Natalie Sitto on January 26, 2012

Despite a career high from Austin Day the Pistons took the Miami Heat down to wire, but just couldn’t up with the win. The youngsters battled the entire game keeping it close and finally gained the lead late in the fourth quarter only to give it back to the Heat after sending LeBron to the line. Detroit went on a 12-0 run in the fourth quarter to wipe out a 10-point deficit and led 98-95 with 1:33 left, but lost 101-98.

Key Points:

No Ben Gordon, no Tayshan Prince (family), no Will Bynum and no Charlie V.
It didn’t matter that Austin Daye didn’t even get the start in place of Tayshaun Prince. You knew he was going to have a special night when he hit his first three shots that just happened to be three’s. Austin continued to play the best basketball of his NBA career putting up a career high 28 and some great defensive plays. He even had a chance to tie it up in the closing second, but it just didn’t happen.
Daye scored 18 points in the second quarter alone.
Congrats to Daye, lets hope this was more than a jump-start to the player he can be. Post game interview via Pistons.com

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Detroit started strong and so did Chris Bosh. Bosh finished with 27 points for Miami and made it clear of this after the game. “We played terrible, this wasn’t us.”
Jonas Jerebko blew the house down when he knocked down an open 3-pointer with 1:19 left in the game to put the Pistons up by three. Jerebko finished with 7 points and 6 boards.
LeBron James gets to the line 6 times in the closing minute to basically win the game for the Heat.
Detroit took advantage of every play and every turnover. This was a hard fought scrappy game that was exciting to watch.
Moose with one heck of a game. Monroe was all over he place with a 20 and 10 double-double. Monroe had a chance to give the Pistons the lead in the final seconds with a shot in the paint that just wouldn’t go do. He is the truth.

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Brandon Knight a career high 41 minutes on the court scoring 17 points with, 5 assists and 4 boards. Brandon was taking it to the hole and taking charge all night long. He sure didn’t look like a rookie. The future is bright.

Via NBA.com

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Great clutch defensive stops from Detroit, especially late in the game.
Brandon Knight missed two free throws with 1:26 left that would have put the Pistons up five. Wilkins fumbled a ball out of bounds on their next possession, and Austin Daye traveled with seconds on the game clock and the Pistons down three. That what happens with young teams, the clutch factor hasn’t kicked in. Let’s hope it does.
I have to admit I haven’t been that excited watch a game for quite some time.
They still need to take care of the ball better. Detroit turned the ball over 17 times.
Solid and aggressive game from Rodney Stuckey who finished with 15 points on just 5 shots with, 6 assists and 4 boards. Rodney fouled out with about 3 minutes left in the game.
Ben Wallace had three blocks in the first quarter.
Is it just me or has anyone else noticed that Greg Monroe has been having a hard time keeping his hands on the ball?
First time I can remember that Mason shouted DEEEEETROIT BASKETBALLL loud and proud at the Palace this season. Likewise for the Final countdown with about 30 seconds left in the game.
Highlights via NBA.com

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That this quote away from the game and things look brighter.

Lawrence Frank: “I thought our guys showed great fight, spirit and resolve,” he said. “There were plays to be made on both sides – we had some empty trips – but you’ve got to look throughout the course of the game. It’s disappointing to lose. There’s not a consolation prize. But the spirit, the fight, the heart being in the right place for the right reasons – if we can establish that as part of our DNA, you’ll put yourself in position to win a lot of games. It can’t just be because it’s Miami. There was great resolve. There were plays left to be made, but sometimes you have to look at the bigger picture.”

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The Pistons vs. The Heat

by Natalie Sitto on January 25, 2012

The 4-14 Pistons are at home to host the 12-5 Miami Heat at the Palace of Auburn Hills. Dwyane Wade traveled to Detroit with his team, but it’s still unknown whether he’ll take the court for the Heat. The Heat look to avoid a fourth straight road loss as they try for a sixth consecutive road victory over the Pistons.

The good: Um…T-Pain if you’re a fan?
The bad: Um…getting throttled by the Thunder in convincing fashion Monday night. No Ben Gordon, no Will Bynum and again no Charlie V.
The unknown: Um…how bad will it be?

Kidding aside, it’s going to be a rough one for The Pistons. The Heat have held the Pistons to 85.6 points per contest during a five-game winning streak at The Palace and have won four in a row and nine of 10 overall versus Detroit.

If you’re going…enjoy the show. The T-Pain show at the half, because it’s highly doubtful that your Pistons will have much success tonight. And I assume if you’re one of probably the biggest crowds at the Palace this year, it’s because you’re there to see LeBron and the Heat.

Tip off is at 7:30 pm and will be broadcast on Fox Sports. If you can’t catch the game on TV, catch it on the radio over at 97.1 the Ticket.

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After Nearly 30 Years of Watching, 2011-12 Pistons May Be the Worst Ever

by Rashid Umar on January 25, 2012

By Rashid S. Umar

Transition in sports can be tough. After years of being amongst the elite, old age and a stale mix of players can lead to a mediocre product, which is later dismantled in an attempt to rebuild. This is something that Detroit Pistons’ fans have seen before.

At the end of the famed “Bad Boys” era, the Pistons found themselves looking up at the rest of the Eastern Conference falling to the depths of the 60-loss club in 1994.

Before that season, management had decided to trade a disgruntled Dennis Rodman to San Antonio for fan favorite Sean Elliot. The move was looked at as a positive one considering that Elliot was young and athletic. However, with an aging Isiah Thomas and Bill Laimbeer – both would make that season their last – rookies Lindsay Hunter and Allan Houston, mainstay Joe Dumars and Terry Mills, and others, the team would finish 20-62. It is still the franchise’s second worst record ever – the worst was 16-66 in 1980 — and fortunately, no team has challenged it since…possibly until 2012.

This year’s edition of the “Motown Sound” offers a collection of young talent, mixed matched players, a new coaching staff, and a new owner. The only issue is – other than the 4-14 start after being beaten like a drum in OKC – is the fact that the roster is comprised with guys who not only lack offensive ability, but also a lack of defensive and rebounding awareness… among other things.

After finally finding a new owner, firing a overmatch and under qualified coach after two awful seasons, and buying out a team legend who’d become more of whiner than a winner; the team has for lack of a better phrase regressed… more.

The team currently is 30^th in the league in scoring at 84.9 a game, only three more than the all-time low of 81.9 by the 1999 Chicago Bulls. They are 27^th in the league in point differential at -10 a game and are second to last in opponent’s field goal percentage at .477.

The ’94 team was second to last in scoring, and point differential.

The team’s lone bright spots are their cornerstones of the future in Greg Monroe and Brandon Knight. As for the others, Rodney Stuckey and Ben Gordon remain enigmas, Charlie V. hasn’t contributed much due to injuries, Tayshaun Prince’s resigning remains a mystery, Ben Wallace is too old to bring it every night, and Austin Daye seems lost. The others… well… Jason Maxiell and Jonas Jerebko are bigs who struggle to make an impact, and Will Bynum shoots too much.

Add the fact that coach Lawrence Frank is trying to implement a new system that requires effort and accountability on both ends of the court – something that was lost during the John Kuester era – and you have a roster that is easily exploitable.

Not to be lost here is the fact that the lockout had only hindered the opportunity for teams like Detroit to work through some of its perceived issues. Teams like the Heat, Bulls, and Thunder have a more stable setting with players who have played together and rely on defense and rebounding to win games.

Now I must admit that as a diehard fan, I can’t turn away. In addition to the ’94 Pistons’ season, I have the 2009 Detroit Lions season (0-16) and 2003 Detroit Tigers (43-119) to claim as a product of my emotional investment.

As a longtime Pistons’ fan – and I’ve been one since 1984 – I have had some great times and some not-so great times rooting for this team. I must admit that I didn’t think we would ever be subjected to another year like ’94. However, every team at some point – even the Lakers: 1994 and 2005 – and it’s just our turn. But, who expected it to be this bad?

There is however hope.

After another trip to the lottery this summer, the Pistons should be able to grab an impact player in a draft that is being billed as the best since 2003, when the likes of: Dwyane Wade, Lebron James, Chris Bosh – all are currently on the same team interestingly enough – and… Darko…

But still, did we think it would be this bad?

Rashid Umar is a guest writer for Need4Sheed.com. He can be contacted via Facebook email at inquires@rashidumar.com, or visit his website at http://www.rashidumar.com.

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Forget Thunder that was a crippling storm

by Natalie Sitto on January 24, 2012

The Thunder rolled over the Pistons in convincing fashion Monday night in 79-99.

Key Points:

Detroit was down by 17 in the first quarter.
You knew it was going to be bad when Westbrook gave the Pistons an IN YOUR FACE dunk within the first few minutes of the ball game.
Despite the 20 point differential, the Pistons this game was sadly further out of reach than just 20 points. Detroit was light years away.
Rodney Stuckey tried to take this one on himself from the tip. Stuckey finished with 12 points on 5-for-11 shooting.
Brandon Knight started once again alongside Rodney but had some trouble handling the ball against a very fast Thunder team. Brandon led the Pistons with 13 points on 5-for-9 shooting with 2 turnovers in 32 minutes on the floor. Brandon’s +/- was -23.
Russell Westbook and James Harden could have taken down the Pistons themselves.
The Pistons shot 17% in the first quarter. Worst in a quarter all season…I’m hoping in history.
Too bad Barry Sanders was in the house and had to see this game.
The Thunder are a fun team to watch, the Pistons…not so much.

Photo/Getty Images editing Need4Sheed.com

Greg Monroe know about hard work. Despite being down more than 20 in the third quarter Greg was diving for balls like it was a one point game. These are the things you like to see coming from the future of your ball team. Monroe finished with 12 points on just 3-for-14 shooting with 7 boards and 2 assists.
Yes, I watched the whole thing even if it was garbage time for almost all of the fourth quarter. Why you ask? To see the Vernon Macklin and Walker Russell show.
Austin Daye 19 minutes with 9 points on 3-for-10 shooting. Austin recorded his first three point of the season.
Anyone notice that Knight’s three point shot is getting better each game?

Highlights via NBA.com

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Outrebounded 51-38.
The Pistons need to capitalize, the Thunder turned the ball over 19 times. Detroit with 9 of them on the night.
You know things aren’t going well when you have Ben Wallace backing down trying to get his shot in the paint and then throwing up a baby hook.

Jonas Jerebko: “When we go on the road, especially against a good team like OKC, we’ve got to come out with more energy than them. They hit us first and we just went down. We’ve got to get back up. We’ve got no excuse for not coming in with energy. We didn’t play yesterday and so we’ve just got to be better than this. We’ve got to learn to play together. OKC is a good team, so you can never let them come out like they did in the beginning.”

Talk about not starting things right, the Pistons made just two of their first 14 shots.

Lawrence Frank: “Look we had shots at the rim, in the first quarter we had I think nine shots within three feet and we missed them all, they were either blocked or led to their fast breaks. It’s very disappointing to put forth that type of performance.”

Wednesday night at the Palace against the Heat…that should be fun.

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The Pistons vs. The Thunder

by Natalie Sitto on January 23, 2012

The 4-13 Pistons are on the road to take on the 13-3 Thunder in Oklahoma City. The Thunder, who are currently atop the West will go for their sixth consecutive victory against Detroit, while the Pistons try to end a 14-game road losing streak to West opponents.

The good: Again, more learning on the job for Brandon Knight. No Gordon or Bynum means you may see a lot more of “The Walkman.”
The bad: Gordon, Bynum and CV31 did not make the trip to OKC. Since relocating from Seattle in 2008, Oklahoma City has won all three times the Pistons have come to town.
Who to watch: Kevin Durant, Westbrook on the O and Perkins and Serge Ibaka on the defensive end. Look for Rodney Stuckey to try to do what he did against Portland.
The unknown: The Thunder are scoring 103.1 points per game, while Detroit has yet to break the 100 mark this season. Will they do it tonight?

Check out T-Pain and the Heat on Wednesday night with a special offer for Need4Sheed readers directly from the Pistons. These are Great Deals, so get your tickets now.

Tip off is at 8:00 pm and will be broadcast on Fox Sports. If you can’t catch the game on TV, catch it on the radio over at 97.1 the Ticket.

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That just happened

by Natalie Sitto on January 22, 2012

Pistons 94 Trail Blazers 91, it’s not a typo. Detroit took down the Blazers in a gritty win Saturday night at the Palace. If had a chance to see this one, you wouldn’t recognize the Pistons team that took the floor. That’s a good thing.

Key Points:

The Pistons went from 25 turnovers on Friday night to 11 on Saturday. It’s really simple, when they protect what’s there’s they give themselves a chance to win.
If Walker D. Russell isn’t the feel good story of season I don’t know what is. Russell in his second NBA game showed poise and leadership on court in his limited time. He put up 3 points with 2 steals in 12 minutes on the floor. I’m wondering when they are going to start printing “The Walkman” t-shirts up at The Palace.
We saw defense from Detroit (that worked) all night. Example in the second Frank when with Walker Russell, Wilkins, Jason Maxiell and Jonas Jerebko and Prince. Down 27-26 after one, that bunch played suffocating defense as the Pistons went on a 12-2 run.
Don’t think this one was simple either if you check the score and saw that the Pistons were up by 16. After a Rodney Stuckey 3-pointer with 7:13 left in the third quarter gave them a 16-point lead, Detroit scored only two points over the next six minutes, during which time Portland outscored them 16-2 to cut its deficit to two points. They let that lead slip but kept at it by never folding and making defensive stops.
That was what you call a Basketball game.
No Ben Gordon (sore shoulder) or Will Bynum. Austin Daye recorded another DNP and let me remind you again that I’m not going to mention CV31 until whatever is wrong with him is gone and we find him on the court.
Jonas Jerebko, who got clocked with an elbow late in the game, scored 11 points, with 5 boards and 2 blocked shots. The bloody mess that was Jonas face didn’t send him to the line, it got him the foul call which everyone on the Pistons bench wasn’t happy about. It looked bad, but Arnie fixed him right up.

Photo/Getty Images editing Need4Sheed.com

Rodney Stuckey was the star of the night leading the Pistons with 28 points, 5 assists, 4 boards in 37 minutes on the floor. By far the best Rodney showing in quite some time. If Stuck can put up games similar to this when the Pistons need him, he will silence all the critics, including this one. And don’t forget the sinister dunk!
And how about another solid game from Rookie Brandon Knight who started right along with Rodney Stuckey, a combination that really looks good in my opinion. Knight with 14 points, a blocked shot, 3 assists and 3 boards.

Brandon Knight: “I can play off the ball and he can play off the ball. We can play off of each other. It’s a great way to play and something I’m sure we’ll look to exploit later on. It’s definitely good having two ball handlers that can both attack and create for the team.”

Jason Maxiell is just a hard worker, sometimes his match-up works and sometimes it doesn’t. One thing is he’ll always be out there scrapping. Jason grabbed 7 board and helped significantly on D. And then there was this.
Via NBA.com

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Tayshaun Prince with 17 points on 6-for-14 shooting with 3 blocked shots on the night. With the way Tay has been playing of late it really looks like he’s getting his legs back.
It’s really is hard to believe that they won this game, in fact if you asked me before the game I would have said they had no chance. And if I bet on sports you can be sure that I would have taken Portland in this one. Kudos for making me wrong, we appreciate it.
Out-rebounded 38-34.
Tight till the buzzer with the Pistons leading by three and neither team having a timeout left, Frank ordered Knight to foul Raymond Felton. Felton made both free throws, but Portland was forced to foul again and Stuckey made both free throws. Felton lost the ball on the Trail Blazers’ final possession and Greg Monroe’s expression on his face was priceless.
I’ll just revel in in this victory, it was a long time coming. Or it just really seemed like it.

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Yes…they really won

by Natalie Sitto on January 21, 2012

No recap just now, but I felt the need to post this before I celebrated. That felt like Basketball!

Rodney was Stucktacular!
Via NBA.com

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Enjoy Pistons fans, you and this team needed this one.

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The Pistons vs. The Trail Blazers

by Natalie Sitto on January 21, 2012

The 3-13 Pistons are at the Palace again for a back-to-back game against the 9-6 Trail Blazers. Portland looks to make it seven consecutive wins against the Pistons when they close their six-game in Detroit.

The good: More time on the floor for Brandon Knight, who ran the show for Detroit in a losing effort against the Grizzlies.
The bad: The Pistons! They are not the league’s lowest-scoring team with 84.8 points per game, averaging only 40.8 in the first half.
Who to watch: LaMarcus Aldridge, who put up a season high 33 points and a career best 23 boards the other night. The last time Portland faced Detroit, Aldridge put up 36 points on them.
The unknown: Who will the Pistons we with or without in tonight’s contest? It’s unclear right now whether Stuckey or Bynum will be a go. And at this point I’m going to stop mentioning Charlie V till I see him on court.

Go to tonight’s game or to Check out T-Pain and the Heat on Wednesday night with a special offer for Need4Sheed readers from the Pistons. Great Deals so get your tickets now.

Tip off is at 7:30 pm and will be broadcast on Fox Sports. If you can’t catch the game on TV, catch it on the radio over at 97.1 the Ticket.

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