The Pistons take on the 60-13 Cavaliers tonight in Cleveland. The Cavaliers are two games head of the Los Angeles Lakers for the NBA’s best overall record, are 35-1 at home this season and have won a franchise-record 12 straight. And don’t forget they dismantled the Pistons in their last meeting.
The Pistons should have Rasheed Wallace back tonight after missing the last 11 games with a strained left calf.
Ben Wallace, who broke his leg remains out, but the Cavs should get him back in time for the postseason.
We know every game counts and a win against Cleveland is a tall as the Pistons remain two games ahead of Chicago in the loss column and three ahead of Charlotte in the chase for the final two playoff spots though the Bulls have played two more games than either team.
Tip off is at 7:00 PM and will be locally broadcast on FSN Detroit and on NBA.TV. If you can’t catch the broadcast you can listen live on WDFN 1130 AM or follow the game over at NBA.com.
April 1, 2009 at 12:20 pm
I respect Iverson’s skills but there is a lot more to basketball than how accurate you are at shooting the ball. Iverson is a shining example of that. Spoutin’ off to the media about how you “can’t believe this and it’s so tough for a guy with my resume”. That doesn’t help the team, that’s not me bein a hater, that’s flat out detrimental to a team’s psyche and progress. Who u wanna pass the ball to? A guy who can do their job and work to accept the cards he’s been given or a guy who complains incessantly about how he doesn’t think he should be dealt those cards?
April 1, 2009 at 3:03 pm
Youd be mad too if you were one of the best scorers in the history of basketball and the rookie head coach of the team you were traded to played you 18 minutes in a game and sat you in the 4th while the rest of the team was stagnant.
April 1, 2009 at 3:12 pm
Curry and Dumars are A$$holes. PERIOD.
April 1, 2009 at 3:34 pm
all the hate man. The problem is that the pistons just aren’t that good this year. ‘Sheed hasn’t been the same as that one year, when the pistons got their rings, in retrospect, chauncey meant a lot more to the pistons that we realized at the time, particularly his ability to knock down those 3’s at the end of the game, and his passing.
But despite it all, if the pistons were winning nobody would complain about AI, or ’sheed or curry. That’s the problem when your team just isn’t good enough. Everyone gets into the blame game, it’s curry’s fault, or rip’s fault, it’s nobody’s.
Can you imagine how great the pistons would be if they had lebron? Not gonna happen, but Detroit has the cap space to pay for him in 2010. Then there’s Chris Bosh, Ray Allen, Amare Stoudemire, Dwyane Wade.
the worst thing about detroit is the same problem that cleveland has, it’s not an elite city, so the big ball players don’t want to have to move here.
Cleveland is so incredibly fortunate that by an accident of birth Lebron James came from Akron. You know that’s the only reason he might stay, he’s a home boy.
But anyway you look at it, Detroit HAS TO MAKE A RUN FOR IT. The reason is that when that 2010 free agent class starts looking at what team they want to play for, the only reason they would go to detroit is if they thought they might win a championship. So it’s critical that we don’t screw this up, and make as long and deep run as possible.
We have to hope to beat Orland in the 1st round, then take Boston to 7 games in the second round.
April 1, 2009 at 3:39 pm
Curry is a retard!!!! how can u bench iverson in the closing minutes nd play him 18 minutes the whole game. i feel iverson. joe dumars needs to go upto curry and ask him why the hell he isnt playn ivo. he was takin ova in the fourth quarter nd then curry takes him out. wat a retard.
April 1, 2009 at 3:40 pm
I wanna make it clear that I don’t *blame* Iverson for our issues; I realize that teams will ebb and flows with their victories. I understand that this year just isn’t our year and we need to retool. My problem with Iverson is that he has done it with as little of class as he could muster without being out-and-out dropped from the organization. I don’t care if he’s one of the most prolific scorers in history, he’s a temper-tantrum throwing child and deserves to be treated as such. It’s not his fault, but like I said, it was the hand of cards he was dealt; a real “professional” deals with what he has and gives max effort and doesn’t complain about it. Never heard Jordan cry about not beating the Pistons back in the late 80s because he “didn’t play enough”.
April 1, 2009 at 3:41 pm
I can’t wait for you Iverson f***ers to hit the goddamn road.
****in’ nomads.
April 1, 2009 at 3:52 pm
I tell you what, in the games that Iverson has played he may score 20 pts a night, but it is at the expense of every other player on the court. Iverson may score a lot but one guy alone can’t take all the scoring opportunities away from a very talented squad and expect to win. And beyond that dude is atrocious on D.
April 1, 2009 at 3:54 pm
Everyone on Iverson’s jock makin’ excuses, what happened to callin’ it like it is? Dude doesn’t fit here and I can’t wait till the end of the season and dude can mosey on elsewhere.
April 1, 2009 at 5:10 pm
Aren’t the bench players supposed to come off the floor in the final minutes of the game. AI in his own admission on Sunday said his conditioning was a 1, on a scale of 1 to 10, so that accounts for the only 18 minutes.
Overall, what more could you realistically expect to happen in that game. The Cavs have the best record in basketball, were 32-1 at home (with only lose being a close game to the Lakers (2nd best record in the NBA), Rip, AI and Sheed just got back from prolonged injuries, have barely practiced and are not in game shape yet.
I think we more than held our own in that game. Las Vegas had us a 10 point underdog and we almost won it outright. Expect a win tonight, even without Sheed.
April 2, 2009 at 11:20 am
This “superstars not getting calls against them” thing is silly.
April 3, 2009 at 6:57 am
MaxiellEatsLittleOnes- I understand your point, but the fact of the matter is the game he played 18 minutes in when he was the only one doing anything late in the game. It didn’t make sense to take him out at that point, it looked as though he was heating up when he scored two straight buckets and the Curry takes him out. It was kinda dumb IMO. IDC if he said what he said in Philly, maybe he felt as though he could’ve done more and helped us come out of there with a W and not a L. Playing someone with as much talent as Iverson has for only a limited amount of time is just kinda stupid. Any other team would be happy with Iverson playin heavy minutes and him producing the way he has been for years, not the Pistons though. We are so set on this system of not having a prolific scorer, do you really think after Iverson any of these big time names are gonna want to come here? Let’s see what Joe D does, but I wouldn’t be suprised if he: A. Left the team alone for a few years or B. Got a mediocre player that is actually is a role player on another team. IDC about the salary cap room, I’m sure plenty of teams are gonna have that to compete with us. Players want championships and the crap play that we display isn’t gonna cut it. I agree with eric taylor though in the aspect of us trying to get as far as possible in the playoffs because that will be the only possibility of us getting anyone these next two seasons.
April 14, 2009 at 9:00 pm
First Of All, It all about pistons they don’t need Iverson what they need is a team effort and they must beat Cavaliers. If they do, they will go to the top and get that trophy.
I BELIEVE IN THEM
Hamilton+Prince+Billups+ R. Wallace+ B. Wallace= Best Starting 5 and championship