Photo/Getty Images

• The only thing positive of not from this game for a Detroit fan was the play of Jason Maxiell. Jason led the Pistons with 16 points, 9 boards and a block. Nothing against Maxi, but when he leads the team with 16, that stat pretty much tells the story of the game.
• One thing I am happy about….that Fred McCleod (Ex Pistons broadcaster) is in Cleveland and is as annoying as ever,  just listen to him call the block on JJ. He seems to have turned it up substantially since heading to the land of LeBron and I for one am happy he’s anywhere but here.
• Maxiell Highlights.

Video Courtesy of The Detroit Pistons and The NBA

• At this point, I’m just excited to see more of DaJuan Summers, and Austin Day.
• The Lottery Balls have our name on them. Right now for the the Pistons, it’s all about balls…..the lottery variety.
• New slogan for this season really should be “The Detroit Pistons – We Got Balls”

It didn’t matter however, the Pacers scored the next 8 points and won 102-106.

Key Points:

• I don’t care what you say there is some kind of issue going on with Rip Hamilton.  When I guy like Rip does his best “Kobe” impression by not looking for his shot and scoring ZERO points, something is up.  Rip was 0-for-3 in 18 minutes on the floor with 1 assist, 1 steal and 3 turnovers.  When he was resigned to the bench….he either looked pissed off, or he was sulking.  Let’s keep our eyes on this situation.
• Detroit had 7 turnover in the first quarter, but clamped down and finished the game with 13.
• Limited minutes for Ben Wallace who looked good in his 24 minutes.  Ben scored just one point, grabbed 7 boards, with 3 steals and an assist.  How we did miss the man.
• Ben Gordon scores 17 on 4-13 shooting with 7 boards, 6 assists and 2 blocked shots.  Great game for Ben, but when it counted late in the fourth quarter he couldn’t knock down the shot.
• Sometimes I think Gordon is still getting his check from the Bulls, not the Pistons.
• If this wasn’t a statement from Rodney Stuckey than I don’t know what is.  Rodney was on fire as soon as he checked into the game.  Not only was it good to see him play, he didn’t look apprehensive about anything considering the circumstances.  Stuckey scored 25 in 26 minutes for the Pistons with 3 assists, 3 steals and a turnover playing most all of his minutes at the 2 guard position.   Stucktacular!

Photo/Getty Images

I feel all right,” Stuckey said of his 26 minutes. “The plan wasn’t to play all those minutes, but it was just in the heat of the game. I feel fine, and my wind felt fine. Via The Detroit Free Press

• Detroit shot a shocking 50% from behind the long line.  Only bad thing about that was Indiana shot 53%.
• Jerebko with 10 points, 6 boards and 3 steals.  You can count on him each game with numbers like that or better.
• Best thing I can say about Charlie Villanueva is that he’s been a disappointment this season.
• Nine points for Will, with 4 assist in 21 minutes.
• What a miserable 3 quarters for Detroit, I was almost happy FSN didn’t broadcast this game in HD.  Who wants to see all that blood?
• We just bettered ourselves in the Lottery standings!  The Pistons are tied with the Pacers for the fifth-worst record in the league.
• Give DaJuan Summers some minutes!  Summers scores 12 points in 17 minutes on 4-7 shooting with 4 boards and a blocked shot.  Just check out his highlights.

Video Courtesy of The Detroit Pistons and the NBA

• Cavs again Sunday.

Key Points:

• Worst officiating I have seen since…well I can’t remember.  It’s one thing to give LeBron a continuation on a foul he jogged in from about the free throw line, but to miss this blatant goal-tending when the Pistons were in the ball game was horrific.  LeBron gets away with murder.

Video Courtesy of The Detroit Pistons and the NBA

“They know it’s a bad call,” Pistons coach John Kuester said. “They know that. It’s a shame. That was a momentum-breaker. So we had it going, but, hey, that’s the NBA.” via NBA.com

• I caught Will’s post game interview after he was told the refs admitted it was a goal-tend, his answer “it’s too late now.”  Yeah it is…
• It’s enough that you have to deal with probably the worst fans in the world when the Cavs come to town, you also have to deal with the cockiness of the team, especially Mo Williams at the end of the game when he hit those late threes, he was jumping around like a fifth grade girl.
• Give it up for Jason Maxiell who was eating Ohio babies all night long.  His steal on LeBron for the dunk what a highlight but his late game basket and blocks help this team be competitive all game long.  Jason with another double-double, 10 points, 15 boards, a steal and 2 blocked shots.  It’s official he’s back.

Photo/Getty Images

• Jonas Jerebko played well in his 27 minutes, but everyone else seemed to get hot which limited his minutes.  He had a couple of really nice hustle plays (not like that’s unusual), just wished he was out there when Cleveland went on a few runs.  Jonas finished with 10 points, 3 assists, 3 steals and 5 boards.
• Didn’t think we would see Tayshaun Prince at all, let alone for 44 minutes.  Prince was clutch all night long whether he was playing the point, playing defense or knocking down the shots.  Tay finished with 15 points, 8 assists, and 7 boards.  Just happy his injury wasn’t serious.
• Tayshaun Highlights

Video Courtesy of The Detroit Pistons and the NBA

• Nice work from Charlie Villanueva, who had some clutch three’s when the Pistons really needed them.  Charlie played 21 and scored 16 points with 4 boards a steal and a blocked shot.  Add that and a little paint presence and things would be all good.
• Huge three from Austin Daye, who never seems to be afraid to take a big shot.  He was a presence in his nine minutes on the court.
• Six Pistons in double figures.
• Out-rebounded 48-40.
• This game had 10 lead changes and 21 ties…that tells you something.  The Cavs biggest lead 12, Detroit’s 6.
• They let LeBron go off in the second half.  He scored 29 total, 5 in the first half.
• I still hate Anderson Jarejao.
• Rip Hamilton led Detroit with 24 points and his hot hand started early.  He’s playing the way he is accustomed to, coming off the screens and knocking down shots.

Photo/Getty Images

• Horrible, horrible officiating.  When you have to count on Bennett Salvatore as your savor, that says quite a lot.
• Just frustrating to see the effort one night and the total non effort another night.  Does this mean this team has underachieved because of heart?  Not all season, but id has come into play.
• Will Bynum finished with 12, with 4 assists 3 boards and just one turnover. He’s turned it up since he’s been put in the starting lineup and is really helping his free agent status.  I sincerely hope Joe D shows him the money.
• Highlights of the Game via NBA.com

• Not an easy week for this team.

When you see my name and picture at the beginning of a post, I guess that means it’s been another lopsided loss in a season full of disappointment for the Detroit Pistons.  So far this season I’ve covered perhaps 2 of the worst losses of the 2009-2010 season for the Pistons, and this game will make it 3.  At the beginning of the season, when I looked at the schedule I knew that this 3 week stretch of games (Washington, Utah, Cleveland (2x), Boston (2x), New York, Atlanta) could make or break this Pistons’ season.  Who knew that not only would the Pistons not be in position to make the playoffs, but that their only win will likely come from beating the lowly Washington Wizards?  Let’s get to the “highlights” shall we?:

Final Score 93-119

Key Points:

• The game was over after 12 minutes.  After scoring only 15 points in the first quarter, and losing their starting SF (Tayshaun Prince), Coach Q might as well have thrown in the towel.  Tay went down hard from a blow to that back from Jason Maxiell’s knee.  The doctors evaluated him on the spot and said it didn’t look like it had anything to do with his prior back injury but it looked awful nonetheless.

Photo/Getty Images

• Rajon Rondo’s stat line (3pts, 6ast, 4stl) doesn’t show how tenacious he was on the defensive end.  He was up in Will Bynum’s jersey all night and poking at the ball and creating turnovers for Bynum, Hamilton, Prince, and Gordon.
• I can’t remember the last time I saw Rasheed Wallace attempt only 1 three pointer.  He scored 8 points and had 4 rebounds in 17 minutes on the floor.  He has lost a few steps this season but, he still has my respect for helping this team the way he did from 04-08 (he didn’t do much in 09).
• Jonas Jerebko was in foul trouble early, but it’s to be expected when he’s guarding veterans like Paul Pierce and KG who are able to get whistles from the referees.  Jerebko, although he had 10 points with a couple of nice dunks when the game was out of reach, was virtually a non-factor all game.
• Ben Gordon’s best play as a Piston came on a baseline drive where he took Michael Finley off the dribble, but when he jumped up for the teardrop, Big Baby Davis stepped in front to draw a charge.
• I’ve got a question for the Boston fans: How does a man, wait “man”, who is listed at 289lbs, fall down so easily when a 6′3 200lb guard hits him?  Didn’t BBD play football at one point in his life?  I don’t want to say the man flops but, the man flops.
• Rodney Stuckey and Ben Wallace were out again, with injuries.  Stuckey took part in the afternoon shootaround, but as was reported during the game, the medical staff has a heart rate monitor on him and they are monitoring his every move by keeping his workouts light.
• Charlie Villanueva was nowhere to be found on either end of the court tonight.  The past couple of games I’ve watched (or really the entire season) he just looks like he doesn’t care.  He’s making $7m per season (average) and is lucky to see 20 minutes a night, and honestly I believe that’s only because Ben Wallace is hurt.
• The first half looked like a layup drill for the Boston Celtics.
• Kwame Brown allowed 2 easy layups by misreading screen and rolls.  That’s what Kwame is here for right? Defense?
• Will Bynum was quiet and could not establish a rhythm all night as the paint was locked down and Rondo, as mentioned earlier, was basically wearing his jersey all night.

Photo/Getty Images

• Richard Hamilton played with what looked like 0 enthusiasm all night.  He was a team worst -22 in +/-.
• You know, I didn’t really want to say anything but… DaJuan Summers was likely the only one who played solid basketball off the bench tonight.  He scored 12 points on 4-5 from the field (2-2 from 3), and played solid D against Pierce and Garnett.  I’ve been personally calling for DaJuan to get some minutes the entire season.
• Paul Pierce played 17 minutes and had 15 points.  With Tayshaun out early, and the game out of reach as well, Boston was able to sit their starters for over half the game (except Rondo).
• Old man Michael Finley bested his career ppg numbers (14.7 ppg in 36 minutes per game) against the Pistons by scoring 15 tonight in 14 minutes of action.
• Kendrick Perkins picked up his 15th technical on the season by getting tangled up with DaJuan Summers in the first half.  Nate Robinson picked up a technical for hanging on the rim at the end of the game after a dunk.  No techs for Sheed though.
• Coach Q speaks (from AP): “They were good. We were bad.  It was one of the few games that our energy wasn’t the way it should be, and I’m disappointed with the way we played.” – I’d say that of the 3 games I’ve guest written for, that all 3 games had the same amount of energy or less.
• No reason for Tony Allen to throw a lob off the glass to Nate Robinson when up 20+, with a minute to go in the game.  Nate picked up a tech for hanging on the rim, but they both would’ve picked up a forearm shiver in the throat if the old Bad Boys had any say in it.
• This team is bad.  This team needs a few pieces, and to build a new identity.  Right now there’s nothing.  They’re one of the worst offensive teams, one of the worst teams defensively, they’re a shell of their former selves.
• Game Recap from NBA.com, where you can also she how Tay went down.

I’m sorry if I’m like the Grim Reaper of the game recaps, I don’t mean to pick games that Detroit will get blown out in.  I figure by picking an Indiana, New York and struggling Boston team that they would’ve won at least 1 of the games.  Tonight’s game reminded me of those old Harlem Globetrotter highlights against the Washington Generals.  Aside from Jonas Jerebko’s 2 sorta highlight worthy fast break dunks, none of the Pistons did anything that will jump off the highlight reel or stat sheet.  It’s hard to even really say the talent is there at this point, because without the backcourt having a big game night in and night out, guys like Jerebko and Maxiell can’t produce in the paint.  Unless the effort is there on the defensive end, they simply can’t outrun and outgun teams for some reason.  The names on the score sheet have put up solid ppg stats their entire careers, but for some reason this season it just hasn’t clicked even when they’ve all been healthy.

Thanks again to Natalie for letting me give this game a writeup.  I hope I get to do 1 more before the end of the season because, win or lose, this is fun and it’s fun to read all your feedback good or bad.  You can follow me on twitter (@iamboney) or email me at boneyinbox@gmail.com.

Game Highlights via NBA.com

• Since many of us didn’t get to see this one, the highlight will just have to do. Although if you’re a Pistons fan I doubt if you would consider them high-lights.
• One thing that stood out for me in the box score, the Pistons allowed the Hawks a season high 63% shooting percentage. Another telling sign as to what Ben Wallace has been to the team all season long.
• Every Piston, besides DaJuan Summers who played just 1 minute, were in the minus on there +/- stat.
• Bynum and Kuester with techs.
• 16 turnovers…ugh.
• Detroit was down by as much as 28.
• Go Jason, Maxiell scored 11 of his team high 19 in the second half.

Photo/Getty Images

• After building a 28 point lead at halftime, the Hawks watched the Pistons pull to within nine points early in the fourth quarter.
• Maybe this was a good one to miss.

Key Points

Disclaimer – This will be a Bynum filled recap.

• Things just started good in this one, Will had a handful of assists in what it seemed like a few minutes and Rip was on fire.
• Regardless of the fact the Washington is not a great team, this team looked great and Will just dominated.
• One of those pretty Rip to Tayshuan alley oops that reminded me of the good old days.  You can thank Maxi for it too!

Video Courtesy of the NBA and the Detroit Pistons

• Speaking of Maxiell, he seems to be back! A double-double with 10 boards, 12 points, a steal and 2 blocks.
  Haven’t had that much fun at the Palace in quite a long time, thank you Will.
• Tay and Rip both finished the game with 18 points.
• I’m amazed every game with the amount of fans gained by Jonas Jerebko.  18 points for the Swede with 3 steal, 8 boards and a heck of a lot of swagger when Singleton got in his face.  That’s the kind of technical foul I like.  Jonas = he anti Sheed.
• Will just looked like he had eyes in the back of his head and made a point of getting the ball to his teammates in any manner that he good.  The career high 20 assists where the most from a Detroit Piston since Isiah Thomas on April 12th 1985.
• “That means a lot to me,” said Bynum, a Chicago native like Thomas. “I grew up watching Isiah play, and to do something that he did is huge.” Via The Detroit Free Press

Photo/Getty Images

• Will’s Bynumite Highlight Reel.

Video Courtesy of the NBA and the Detroit Pistons

• Can’t tell you how excited the crowd was, we knew something special was going to happen as soon as he hit his previous mark of 14.  The crowd went nuts after each one…I almost lost track.
• Even the few points Bynum did score were pretty.
• When will was at 18 the bench never sat down and when he kept feeding DaJuan Summers and he was missing it we all could feel the pain.
• I really didn’t think he was going to pull off 20, but Ben Gordon finally made Pistons fans smile when he knocked down the last shot.  Here is the last play of the game, Will’s 20th assist.

Video Courtesy of the NBA and the Detroit Pistons

• Love how Maxiell handed him the game ball.
• Will Bynum post game interview.

Video Courtesy of the NBA and the Detroit Pistons

• At the end of the first quarter, I thought I had a chance to get Kevin Porter’s (team) record of 25, but I don’t think the coach and I had the same mindset,” Via The Detroit Free
• A meaningless game just turned into something special for Will and a whole lot of Pistons fans. Something tells me if you leave Will a message in the comments, he might just see it.

Key Points:

• Another game without Ben Wallace and another game that shows just how much the man anchored the entire defense.  Besides the Swede, we look as soft at the Pilsbury dough-boy.
• Nice to see Stuckey on the bench in street clothes.  He’s missed dearly, just hope he really is ok.
• The Pistons second unit is NOT getting it done.
• The Utah streak against the Pistons now stands at 10 in a row.
• At one point during a run, the Jazz were shooting close to 70%, while they held the Pistons to 31%.
• Yes, it really was that bad Jonas.

Photo/Getty Images

• Never noticed this lineup, which Kuester showed in the third. Tay, Daye, Ben Gordon, Charlie V and Jonas.
• It just has to be in Ben Gordon’s head at this point. He can’t hit a shot for anything. Ben shot 4-for-11 for 11 points…it will come.
• Utah is a very good team.
• Charlie Villanueva led Detroit with 19 points on 8-for-18 shooting in 26 minutes on the floor. I know he played ok, but it’s like a Sheed deja-vu ——POST UP CV!
• Detroit allowed the Jazz a 56% shooting night and seemed to contest absolutely noting in the paint.
• At this point, more A Daye and DaJuan please.
• Another start for Will Bynum who wasn’t hitting much either. Will went 4-for-10 and took some ill advised shots. He was clearly outmatched against Deron and he wracked up just 2 assists.
• Double-double for Jason Maxiell with 11 boards and 10 points. He’s doing what he can to pick up the slack for Wallace.
• Looked like the Pistons were all playing one on one basketball until they got into trouble and either jacked up a bad shot or passed it away when getting trapped. No semblance of any types of plays or organization offensively or defensively.
• Jonas Jerebko 13 points, 5 boards and three steals. I’ll not even going out on a limb when I say he’s currently the fan favorite at the Palace and it really shows.
• Best part of the game, The Need4Sweed putback jam.

Video Courtesy of The Detroit Pistons and The NBA

• Oh and BTW, did anyone notice the Need For Sweed custom jersey in the crowd!

Key Points:

• No Ben Wallace again, but it didn’t stop him from getting a technical foul from the bench.
• Will Bynum started in place of Rodeny Stuckey.  Will with a Bynumite double-double, putting up 12 points, 11 assists, 4 boards, 2 steals and just one turnover on the night. Will was impressive in his start, feeding the ball when he saw someone was hot and knowing just when to take his own.
• Jonas with a near double-double, 16 points, 9 boards, a steal and 3 blocked shots……yes 3.  This kid is reinventing what it means to be a rookie in the D.  It’s like he steps up in every department, right when the Pistons need it.  Need4Swede indeed!

Photo/Getty Images

• Ben Gordon…..I think Joe Dumars wants that money back.  Six points on 1-for-7 shooing in 25 minutes.  This season is a wash for Ben, lets hope he is the old BG next season.
• A little better from Charlie Villanueva, who got very hot at one point in the first half, hitting a shot followed by back to back threes.  CV scored 15 on 6-for-13 shooting in 22 minutes.  We could use a few boards now that Ben is out CV…Jonas and Maxi can’t do it all.
• Aaron Brooks scored 25 and has that blow by gear that makes him so difficult to stop.
• Tayshaun Prince with not only a season high 29 points, it was his two back-to-back dunks that got Detroit right back in it with a little over a minute left in the game. Clearly a TAYrific game from prince.
• Tayshaun  Highlights

Video Courtesy of The NBA and The Detroit Pistons

• Tayshaun has sure silenced a lot of Pistons fans, including myself, with his play of late.  Good to see him healthy and back to playing the way we know he can.

Photo/Getty Images

• I’m convinced the only way that Jason Maxiell will be who we want him to be is if he gets consistent playing time.  Jason has really stepped up!  He scored 6 with 16 boards, and a steal that was one of the reasons Detroit won this one.  The Baby Eater is back….lets keep it that way please.
• Austin Daye with a quick appearance.  Daye went 2-for-2 for 4 points in just 8 minutes, but got 3 quick fouls and didn’t return.
• Board war won 50 to 43.
• Louis Scola’s hair usually looks mighty stupid with the girly headband, but he sure made Kwame Brown look like a fool with this pretty move.

Via NBA.com

• This one was tied 10 times with 14 league changes.
• 22 for Rip Hamilton, who started the game off in Red (what looked like Jordan’s) shoes and then suddenly had white one one.  Don’t know when it happened, but I ‘m sure glad his show was as hot as his shoes were.
• Highlights of the game via NBA.com

• Still wishing Rodney well.

You know the speech every parent gives their child when they get involved in sports? The talk to ensure their kid that, “It’s just a game,” and they’re right. What happened at Quicken Loans Arena tonight was more than just a game of men banging bodies and exchanging baskets, it was a game that gave way to a situation that can put things in perspective for anybody.

• First of all, thoughts and prayers go out to Rodney Stuckey, as well as his friends and family. To see him slumped and hunched over on the bench in Arnie Kander’s arms was disturbing, and to see him wheeled out on a stretcher was unsettling to say the least, I could only imagine the mindset of Stuckey’s friends and family, not to mention his Pistons’ teammates after the twelve minute break.
• As Natalie mentioned, it wasn’t about basketball anymore, and a loss is the last thing the Pistons will be concerned about.
• When ESPN sideline reporter Heather Cox reported that officials thought Stuckey had a seizure, I couldn’t help but think of former Detroit Red Wings’ defensemen, Jiri Fischer.
• Yahoo! Sports writer Adrian Wojnarowski recently was told by team officials that it wasn’t a seizure as initially reported, but instead that he was, “…  lightheaded and couldn’t get his bearings, but he never lost consciousness,” which contradicts the early reports Heather Cox was relaying during the game.
• Updates revealed Stuckey was in stable condition and breathing on his own again, which is a relief, but remember, Stuckey had missed a couple games last season in November because of dizziness as a report by the Detroit News reminded me.
• Excerpt from NBA Fan House article in regards to the November 2008 game against Boston:

“…he was suddenly overcome with feeling dizzy and lightheaded. Moments after the halftime buzzer sounded, he dropped to his knees as he was walking off the court before being helped off by trainer Arnie Kander.

They got as far as the tunnel leading to the locker room before he leaned against the wall and eventually took a seat on a chair to gather himself. He eventually made his way all the way back to the trainer’s room, where he stayed for the rest of the game.”

• Stuckey played well in his only three quarters of play, notching eight points and ten assists, while Dick Bavetta missed a couple of blatant fouls as Rodney was hacked at the rim a few times tonight.

Photo/Getty Images

• Ben Wallace still out with a sore right knee he suffered in the Celtics’ game on Tuesday. His injury led to a small-ball lineup of Jonas at the five, Max at the four, Tayshaun at his natural three and Hamilton and Stuckey rounding out the backcourt.
• There was a reason the Pistons jumped out to such a nice lead in the first quarter… The Cavs’ defense and focus was about as loose as the sleeves on those Snuggies their fans were wearing en route to setting a record for the “largest gathering of people wearing fleece blankets” with 20,562. Glad to see our opponents still take us seriously…
• That lead got as big as 21 points, which is the largest deficit the Cavs had faced at the Q all season, but in the end, the Cavs pushed past a distraught Pistons squad, 99-92.
• Easy to get out to that 21 point lead when the Pistons shot 50% from the field in the first half, and the Cavs shot only 42% and 0 of 5 from deep in the first half, and couldn’t manage to knock down a three pointer until there was 6:40 left in the 3^rd quarter.
• Pistons’ old timers showed up big tonight, especially in the first half. Tayshaun went 6-9 from the field in the first half, and finished the game with 23 points on 10-17 shooting. Rip added 20 on 7-14 shooting, but had 6 turnovers and three fouls (two offensive) in a minute span during the middle of the third quarter which coupled with the loss of Rodney, gave way to the unraveling of the Pistons’ lead.

Photo/Getty Images

• Anatomy of a comeback: Pistons’ had seven turnovers in the first half, but Cleveland forced them to cough up the ball seven times in the 3^rd quarter alone. Pistons had 17 assists in the first half, but only had five assists after Rodney Stuckey left the game in the 3^rd quarter. And of course, easy to mount a comeback when LeBron James is on your side and he has the home crowd to feed off of.
• I went to the Boston game on Tuesday and pointed out to a friend that Charlie V is looking to shoot every time he gets the ball, and it doesn’t matter where he gets it. Face up on the wing, on the block posting up, it doesn’t matter. Tonight in Cleveland? Chuck had ten touches in the front court and shot the ball nine times. There’s a reason I said ten front court touches. When he had to help out on an inbounds on the baseline in the backcourt, he got a hold of the ball, and I was wholeheartedly waiting/expecting for him to turn and heave it from our free-throw line.
• Jonas was held scoreless for the game, going 0 for 5, but his impact on the first half at the defensive end (as is the cast most often), was tremendous. Jerebko had 8 rebounds in the first quarter – ending up with 12 for the night – but his hands were constantly active in the passing lanes as he deflected passes while the Pistons were in the 2-3 zone and even blocked a couple of shots for good measure.  SWEDEtastic!  For the most part…
• Jonas must have felt he was watching his home country Sweden play hockey in the Olympics because LeBron put him on skates at the 9:24 mark in the 1^st quarter as he blew past the Swede for a layup. If I had a gripe about Jonas at this point, he is playing pretty flat-footed in the paint, and he got caught doing a lot of this tonight as Varejao scored layup after layup on way to providing 16 points on 8 of 10 shooting off the bench for the Cavs.
• Speaking of the bench, Detroit’s pine players outscored Cleveland’s 32-28, but the combination of West and Varejao just flat outplayed Gordon and Villanueva.
• Maxiell did his best Ben impression again tonight, scoring 9 points, grabbing 8 rebounds, and a swat for good measure (while adding authenticity to the rendition by going 1-3 from the free throw line.)
• You can only hope Gordon will hit his stride (which he seemingly was in his first ten contests with the Pistons by averaging 21.9 PPG while shooting 49% from the floor) and find his niche soon after missing a good chunk of the season with that ankle injury.
• Anyone notice Tayshaun’s demeanor in his halftime interview when ESPN’s sideline reporter Heather Cox asked him to comment on a quote that Kuester made before the game? Heather asked Tayshaun, “… the last ten games, you’ve been playing as aggressive as he’s [Kuester] has ever seen, how’s your mentality changed over that span?”
• He cocked his eyebrow when she finished her question and the look on his face kind of said it all. Tayshaun answered after a slight pause and said:

“Well I would say that the last ten games is the first time I’ve been healthy all season, so, you know, it always plays a factor when you’re healthy because that’s when your confidence rises, when you’re not healthy, your confidence goes down low, so, it was an unfortunate situation earlier this year, but the past is behind me and I’m just trying to finish the season off strong.”

• He just seemed genuinely annoyed by Kuester’s remark as he walked to the locker room.
• Speaking of Kuester beef, why was he calling timeouts when the Pistons were down by eight with 14.8 seconds, knowing not only the game is over, but of the situation with Rodney Stuckey? Anyone notice that inbound play by the way?
• Player and human being of the night goes to LeBron James who had 40 points on 16 of 27 shooting, with 13 rebounds, 6 assists, 3 steals, and 2 blocks.
• And by human being of the night, I mean the class act that LeBron exemplified tonight. To call his teammates back out and share a prayer at mid-court with the Pistons, you ultimately have to look past him for being ‘over competitive’ and not shaking hands in the Orlando series. Hey, as much as the guy has torn me apart as a fan and left me demoralized, no one can pass judgment on that gesture.
• Well, I didn’t expect my first article for N4S to have the words ‘Snuggie’ and ‘seizure’ in it, but I didn’t foresee something like this happening either.
• This game was just plain difficult to watch. Especially since just last night, ESPN was commemorating and celebrating the life of the late and great Hank Gathers, and the 20^th anniversary of his far too premature passing. It just goes to show that the game of basketball, or any sport for that matter, is just a game.
• With that, I speak on behalf of Pistons’ fans everywhere who hope Rodney Stuckey makes a safe and speedy recovery.

Highlights of  The Game

Video Courtesy of The NBA and The Detroit Pistons

More Links

• Stuckey seems well after collapse on bench – Detroit Free Press
• Stuckey Doing well after collapse – AP
• Pistons shaken - Detroit News
• Hospitalized Stuckey doing well – ESPN.com

When I was asked to do another guest post at Need4Sheed, I jumped at the opportunity. When I was asked to pick a game, I naturally chose the Knicks game because they can’t possibly beat the Pistons right? No? So for guest post #2 of my N4S career, I am stuck writing a recap of the worst loss of the season. Earlier, if you’ll remember, I wrote about the Pistons disastrous loss to the Indiana Pacers on the 22nd of January. So, whether you want to remember or not, here we go:

Final Score Pistons 104 Knicks 128

• Jonas Jerebko is above and beyond the player of the night: 15 points (4-9 fg, 2-2 3pt, 5-7 FT) with 13 rebounds (4 offensive) in 34 minutes.
• Only Austin Daye had a positive plus/minus (+6) for the Pistons, everyone else was a negative (Richard Hamilton was a team worst, -22).
• With the Pistons down 20+ with a little over 2 minutes to go DaJuan Summers, Chucky Atkins and Kwame Brown got some burn. I guess being down by as much as 27 at one point doesn’t mean that perhaps another group could provide a spark huh Coach Q?
• Actually since you’ve been reading this, the score is now 134-104 as Al Harrington has hit 2 more 3 pointers.
• At least the Maxiell did what he could in place of Ben Wallace.

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• I remember when I played basketball, they taught me to put my hands up on opponent’s shot attempts. The Knicks shot 55% from the field, 52% from 3. The Knicks made 6 more shots than the Pistons on 4 less shots. Where’s the D?
• Newly acquired Bill Walker scored a career high 22 points on 9-13 shooting. So tell me Rip, Tayshaun, Daye, and whoever else guarded 2nd year SG/SF Bill Walker who couldn’t see any time in Boston… how does Bill Walker absolutely embarrass you like that?  This dunk didn’t help.

Video Courtesy of The NBA

• Tracy McGrady with a near triple-double (21 points, 7 rebounds, 8 assists). The man is playing on one leg.
• The New York Knicks did not start a point guard.
• The only players on the Knicks that shot under 50% on the night were Sergio Rodriguez and Toney Douglas.
• 4 Knicks scored 20 or more. 0 Pistons scored 20 or more.
• Poor ball movement – 19 assists on 41 field goals made for Detroit.
• Remember New York didn’t start a point guard? They had 33 assists on 47 field goals made.
• Ben Wallace out after injuring his knee against the Celtics. Jason Maxiell started in his place and played 30 minutes, scoring 10 points and securing 8 rebounds.
• Awful game. Just awful.

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• Why is Tayshaun Prince playing 33 minutes in a 20+ point blowout loss and Austin Daye only playing 10 minutes?
• Why is this team as bad as they are? They have 7 road wins. 7. They’ve played 30 road games.
• Al Harrington usually does not play well against us (12.2 ppg career) but he exploded for 26 points on 10-17 shooting with 8 rebounds.
• Thanks again to Natalie for allowing me to write this re-cap. Nothing positive came from watching this game, writing this re-cap or thinking this team has a chance against cellar dweller teams anymore. The Detroit Pistons are a bad team right now.
• The High-Low lights

Video Courtesy of The NBA and The Detroit Pistons