UPDATE:
Pistons 114 Timberwolves 122 (Box Score)

Defense…. We knew it was going to be a problem, and I know it’s the preaseon, but when you score 114 points that is usually an indication that you won the game.

Video Highlights

The 3-3 Pistons host their last preseason game a tonight at 7:30 PM at the Palace of Auburn Hills tonight against (YES) Bill Laimbeer and the 1-5 Minnesota Timberwolves.  Yes I know Bill’s not the head coach nor is he playing, but it’s nice to mention his name whenever I can.  Check out his return video interview at Pistons.com.

The game isn’t on television, but you can listen to it from your radio on WWJ AM 950 or follow the gamecast over at NBA.com.

And if you cant do either…make sure you read a little on one of my favorites Antonio McDyess (Ice 4Dyess).

The season is right around the corner and PISTONS WEEK starts this Sunday at FSN!
CLICK HERE for the Full FSN Schedule.

Team Name: The Detroit Pistons

Last Year’s Record: 39-43

Key Losses: Antonio McDyess, Rasheed Wallace, Amir Johnson, Arron Afflalo, Chauncey Billups (does that still count), head coach Michael Curry (a good loss) and possibly the best loss in Pistons history, the end of Allen Iverson in red, white and blue.

Key Additions: Ben Gordon, Charlie Villanueva, Chris Wilcox, Austin Daye, DaJuan Summers, Jonas Jerebko and Ben Wallace.

1. What Significant Moves were made during the off-season?

The Pistons haven’t had a significant change to a start of the season since Joe Dumars took over as GM. Dumars started cleaning house well before the season started by trading away the Pistons cherished point guard Chauncey Billups for the expiring contract of Allen Iverson. The Iverson experience was a train wreck and by the end of the season it was obvious that big changes were coming.

Dumars started in late June with the firing of head coach Michael Curry. He traded Amir Johnson to the Milwaukee Bucks for Fabricio Oberto who was later waived. With the 15th pick in the NBA Draft Detroit selected Austin Daye of Gonzaga University and later took DaJuan Summers and Jonas Jerebko in the second round.

Dumars then shipped out Arron Afflao for more cap space to secure the free agents he was coveting. Dumars wasted no time in bringing Ben Gordan and Charlie Villanueva to Detroit. On July 1, 2009, the Pistons reached an agreement with the former Bulls guard on a 5 year/$55 million contract, as well as an agreement with Charlie Villanueva on a 5 year contract worth $35 million.

They picked up plenty, but they also lost two of their key players in Rasheed Wallace and Antonio McDyess. On July 5, 2009 the Pistons Sheed to free agency. Wallace signed a two year, $5.58 million contract with the Boston Celtics. Following the departure of Wallace, former Antonio McDyess signed a one year contract with the San Antonio Spurs for the mid-level exception. Though Pistons fans were probably ready to see Rasheed say goodbye, McDess heart and desire will be missed at The Palace.

In dire need of big man, Dumars picked up Knicks power forward Chris Wilcox to do some damage down low. And a surprise that Pistons fans were hoping for, the return of Ben Wallace to Detroit. Wallace, who was waived by the Phoenix Suns signed for the veterans minimum to play for the Pistons this season.

2. What are the team’s biggest strengths?

This current configuration of Pistons should have no problem putting the ball in the basket. With Ben Gordon coming off the bench and Charlie Villanueva added to the starting lineup Detroit will be able to put up points.

They also got younger and faster this season with rookies Austin Daye and DaJuan Summers. Put them in the lineup with Stuckey or Will Bynum at the point and this team will get out and run, something we rarely saw from the Pistons half court style of play.

3. What are the team’s biggest weaknesses?

DEFENSE!

The most glaring and obvious weakness for Detroit is the “D”. Always known for defense first, the Pistons now have an offensive mined squad and a lack of established big men.
The Pistons new addition down low, Charlie Villanueva has a reputation to be allergic to rebounds and has been called “soft.” Look for Jason Maxiell, Chirs Wilcox and Kwame Brown to do most of the dirty work for the Pistons this season.

4.What are the goals for this team?

Better than 39 wins will be just fine for this Pistons team. If Detroit can pull off a winning season, than what happened last year can be somewhat forgiven.
If new coach John Kuester can get this team together they have the talent to do much better than expected.
Will they make the playoffs? Probably.
Will they go far? Unlikely.

5. Will the roster likely stay the way it is?
You can bet that Joe Dumars is working on trying to make a few more moves. The most valuable and likely to go is Rip Hamilton. He’s got value on the market and with Ben Gordon on the team, his offense wouldn’t be missed that much putting Ben in the starting lineup to replace him. If there is a move to make Dumars will do it, we saw it last year with Billups, don’t count anything out at this point.

One thing is sure, they may not be slotted to make the ECF like they used to, but this Pistons team is going to be fun to watch.

Projected Finish: 46-36

As you know I pass my offseason days by watching old Pistons videos whether they be epic playoff battles, championship glory or simple videos.  Today I was reminded of painful memories as a Pistons fan, something I care not get into on this beautiful day in Michigan.  Then I came across this video in my vault and if brought out joy and pain.

Despite the fact that this video was put together pretty recently, it seems like lifetime ago.

Get the Flash Player to see this player.

Video courtesy of The Detroit Pistons and myTV20 Detroit

I would like to get your take on the matter…does it put a smile on your face or cause you pain over what was, and maybe what could have been if things didn’t go the way they did last season?

It’s Official, The Pistons Charlie Villanueva and Ben Gordon are Detroit Pistons.

And Dyess is officially off to get his Ice in San Antonio and I wish him the best.

As we wait for something, significant to happen with the roster there are many things to ponder as Pistons fans. Me, I’m going for the “thanks for the memories” sentiment as I watch what is unfolding during the post season while my Pistons are painfully missing in action.

Team Need4Sheed member Richie Halas turned his thoughts about this season into video.

“We all know that the moves made this year were poor short term decisions, and may or may not be wise long term decisions. This year we’ve blamed Chauncey, Joe D, Iverson, Curry, Lebron, the officials and whatever else we could think of. Perhaps it’s time that we blame ourselves for coveting platinum while spitting on the gold we had. We might as well blame it on the rain.”

While Richie wants to move on, The Fresh Prince of The Blog shows how he (and many other Pistons fans) feels about Cavs fans being invited to the Palace in his video rant.

There are a handfull of teams vying for Sheed and McDyess’s services next season and Joe Dumars is probably on the phone as you are reading this trying to secure some kingd of deal. Its going to be an eventful summer Pistons fans, you may not like change but it’s coming regardless.

So it may not have finished the way we would have wanted. It’s hard to watch your team go out like wounded soldiers with no fight left. It’s even harder to watch your enemy celebrate their victory in “Your House,” but you know what? I wouldn’t trade it for the world.

All good things must come to an end and this Pistons era as we know it just has. We saw the signs, we knew it was coming, it’s difficult, but we will be just fine.  Just ask any fans from “Bad Boys” era.

We watched this bunch grow in front of our eyes and accomplish things we most never thought they could. A team with a traveling point guard that never found a home until he landed in Detroit, a ‘Froed defensive menace that couldn’t knock down a free throw to save his life, a masked man who didn’t fulfill his potential until he landed in the Motor City, a skinny undersized small forward who wasn’t supposed to be an “NBA” because of his body and a “technical” big man that wore out his welcome out West.

Add a coach with a past, a “Memo”, someone Big and Nasty, Elden down low, a Hunter, Mike James (the non lyrical one), and the Human Victory Cigar.

With that….we got this.

Who would have thought?

Pistons Fans!

So maybe they should have won more than just one ring, does that make it any less special?

And so what if those who were left of that special bunch didn’t go out on their best foot, they still made this city proud.

We look forward to new beginnings.

And we feel for those who gave more than their heart.

Photo/Getty Images

Thank you Boys, you have done this city and all its fans proud, whether you get the recognition you deserve as an Easter Conference Powerhouse or not, we appreciate you.

Good Times……

Easily.

That’s not the kind of game Detroit or it’s fans wanted. They came out playing solid in the first quarter and kept the game in striking distance, but any of the fight that Detroit had seemed to get knocked right out with LeBron’s half court buzzer beater to finish the half. The Pistons got within eight with the help of Will Bynum, but the Cavs quickly went back to work to stomp out any hope of a Pistons comeback. The Pistons will have a chance to tie the series up on Tuesday night after the 84-102 loss in game one.

Key Points:

• You can’t win without solid defense. And The Pistons defense was shaky at best. Gone are the days of Detroit used being able to make a an important stop. And from what I saw they couldn’t even get the fundamentals down against Cleveland.
• “Defensively, we just weren’t in sync with each other,” Antonio McDyess said. “When we would go to rotate, somebody wasn’t helping and we’d give up a layup. We just aren’t as sharp defensively as we have been in past years.” Via The Detroit News
• The biggest thing Detroit needed to do to get the win, they didn’t. You can’t take down this team when LeBron scores 38 and get to the line more times than the entire Pistons team. You absolutely can’t deny his game, but it doesn’t make me enjoy it at all, especially his grin after his 40+ foot buzzer beater putting his Cavaliers up 57-45 at the break.
• Counting on Tayshaun Prince to stop LeBron? It didn’t work Saturday afternoon for Tayshaun, Rip or Afflalo. He just made it look easy.
• “We go over things before the game on what we are going to do, but when the game starts it’s not going to play out the same way,” said Prince. “Guys tend to change how they read certain plays and that’s why you saw us communicating out there. It’s not always going to go the way you talk about it beforehand.” Via The Detroit News
• Detroit kept it close in the first half thanks to the play of Rodney Stuckey, who led Detroit with 20 points. He drove the lane in the first half and was quite successful, but he got somewhat cold in the second as did the rest of the team. He was just 7-for-21 shooting with 4 assists and 2 boards.

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• Do you realize that The Pistons are the only team in the Post Season with a losing regular season record.
• Tayshaun scored jut 4 with 2 assists a board and a steal in 37 minutes, but apparently he’s been bothered with lower back pain.
• Another solid game from Kwame who dropped in 5 with 9 boards in 15 minutes.
• Nothing pretty about this one and I couldn’t even pull a good video highlight on the Detroit side. If you missed it, you can watch the Cavalier highlights of the game from NBA.com

• The Pistons turned the ball over just 7 times, but the Cavs even beat them in that department by giving up the ball just 4 times.
• Spark from Bynum in the fourth who scored 6 points with 2 assists in 14 minutes.
• Richard Hamilton chipped in 15 on 6-for-14 shooing with 4 assists. A not so productive Rip, combined with the game Tayshaun had usually spells disaster.

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• “We have to know where LeBron is at all times,” Richard Hamilton said. “When you score 38 against us, we can’t have that and have a chance. We have to figure out a way to stop him.” Via NBA.com
• At one point in the first quarter the Pistons were shooting a whopping 65% from the floor.
• Conspiracy on the LeBron’s Half Court Make? C-Quense makes a point in the comments.“Lebron needs just 1.95 seconds ffor 8 meters. But Carl Lewis wasn’t catching a ball, turning, starts dribbling, jumping and shooting. He was just running. Watch the clock, when he was making that buzzer beater. The NBA is nothing but fake! Catching the ball: 2.00 Seconds leftTurning with the ball: 2.00 seconds left After catching the ball, turning, starting dribbling and running 2 meters. 1.9 seconds left…
• Rasheed Wallace, 13 points on 6-for-10 shooting with 9 boards and 2 assists. Tell me why we didn’t try to go to Sheed a little more?
• 16% from downtown for Detroit.
• Dyess had 10 points and 5 board, but boy does that guy put his heart on the line every game. If you saw his face while sitting on the bench when the starters left the game in the fourth quarter you know what I mean. Ice4dyess
• Michael Curry’s post game presser.

• Best part of this one, all the coaches wearing the CD pin in support of Chuck Daly and his fight with cancer.
• Team Need4Sheed Guest writer Rashid S. Umar over at Hoopsvibe: Going through the motions in Cleveland.
• Next one on Tuesday again in Cleveland. Detroit is going to have to come in with a totally different game plan to try to stop LeBron and the Cavs.
• Don’t give up on this team, they just might surprise you.

After the Pistons fourth quarter collapse against the Bulls Monday night at the Palace they have now locked themselves into the 8th spot for a date with the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Photo/Getty Images

You can be as optimistic or pessimistic as you like, you can compare this team to the one that defied all odds to beat the Lakers in 2004, but as Pistons fans don’t we have to be honest with ourselves at this point? If this team crumbles in the fourth and can’t beat the Bulls in an important game how are they going to defeat a Cleveland team that sits atop the Eastern Conference and has only lost one game in their own building all year long?

Now I’m a glass half full kind of gal, but someone needs to give me some kind of hope that Detroit has a plausible chance to upset the Cavs.

I have my own bright spots here and there like the surprising and refreshing play of Will Bynum, the heart and determination of Antonio McDyess, Rip Hamilton’s return to the starting lineup, the defense of Arron Afflalo and iron man Tayshaun Prince, but all those things just don’t add up to what it takes to beat (and I hate saying this) a powerhouse like the Cavs.

The Cavs are 66-15 and have won 18 of their last 20, and like I mentioned before have lost just one at home. The series starts with the first two games in Cleveland.  LeBron has dominated Detroit in the playoffs and to this day he’s responsible for my worst memory of the Palace (remember that fateful game 5). Add in the Cavs defense, the calls they get and it’s a recipe for disaster.

I would love for the Pistons to prove me wrong, in fact I’m rooting for it, but given their play all season long is the benefit of the doubt good enough?

I’m hoping yes, and the Homer in me says so, but someone has to give me something solid besides my loyalty and faith in the team I love.

Any takers?

The Pistons may be in the “spot” they are not used to, but at least they are in one.  With Detroit’s 100-93 victory over the Nets Friday night at the Palace, Detroit secured their playoff spot.  What spot they will end up in is still up in the air with Detroit are tied with Chicago for the 7th spot and are just a game behind Philly, who are currently in the 6th spot.

Key Points:

• Detroit started the game off solid hitting their first seven shots.
• Sheed was knocking down three’s from the start and finished with 15 points, 4 boards, an assist and two blocked shots.  Sheed sat out the fourth quarter. We even saw a patented throw down dunk from Ra.
• 46 points from the Pistons bench, who surprisingly finished the game up. With just a 6 point lead and plenty of time for the Nets to come back, Curry left Will, Kwame and Maxiell on the floor.
• Defense looked great.
• The Nets Chris Douglas-Roberts was making circus shots and Ryan Anderson went 5-for-8 from downtown and was mostly responsible for the Nets comeback.  Impressed with rookie Brook Lopez, but why the sour face all the time?
• The key to this one, Detroit stopped Devin Harris. He was held to just one points and 2 assists on the night in 20 minutes.  He left the game early in the third and didn’t return due to shoulder soreness.  Defensive shutdown was nice to see after Devin had his way with Detroit this season, especially AI.
• “You know me and Stuck (Rodney Stuckey) put it on ourselves because it has been killing us and we just wanted to go out there and try to be as aggressive as possible on him (Devin Harris) on the defensive end and put more pressure on him on the offensive end.” Will Bynum via Pistons.com
• Another great game from Will Bynum, who led the Pistons with 20 points on 8-for-16 shooting with 4 assists and a board in 27 minutes.  As far as the Palace crowd goes….he’s the new Herrmann.

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• Rob, Pistons fan from Australia and fellow blogger, was at the Palace for the first time ever last night. This is what being a Pistons fan is all about.
• With the season winding down, Curry may be resting the starters a bit more. “If everything is secure (with the playoff seed), maybe we won’t play Dyess in Miami on Wednesday,” Curry said. “The practice (Tuesday) will be aimed more toward the playoffs than just that Miami game.” Via The Detroit News
• Solid Kwame again with 7 points and 7 boards in 18 minutes.  Is there something in the water over there at the Palace? Kwame is tearing things up (in Kwame terms), Will is Bynumite, Dyess is playing like a teenager and Herrmann’s hair is shinier than ever.
• Detroit shot 53% from the floor and outrebounded the Nets 41-31.
• Jason Maxiell always seems to be in the right place at the right time and this putback jam that he took out of Anderson’s hands may be one of his most impressive. Maxiell finished with 11 points, 6 boards, a steal and a blocked shot in 23 minutes.

• Detroit has made the playoffs for eight consecutive years, and 32 times in franchise history.
• Six Pistons in double figures.
• Walter scored just 2, (with 6 boards) but he was out on the floor when the Pistons pulled away in the second.
• 10 for Stuckey, 10 for Rip, 8 for Tay and 11 for McDyess.
• Wondering how Curry will deal with the rotation come playoff time, well there is this from Joanne C. Gerstner of The Detroit News

“Most coaches like to shorten their playoffs rotations, often going to as few as one or two key reserves.

Curry is taking a different tack, planning on using as many as nine players in the postseason.

His logic is simple. He likes having two big men, center Kwame Brown and power forward Jason Maxiell , play. Bynum is the main reserve at point guard.

And depending on the team and game situation, he’d like to give forward Walter Herrmann and guard Arron Afflalo some time, too.

“It’s almost like we said coming out of training camp,” Curry said Friday. “We definitely expect to play nine guys every night.”

• NBA Highlights of the Game

• “Just because the Pistons now know there’s life after 82, they can’t pause to catch their breath just yet. So far all they’ve locked up is finishing no worse than eighth in the East, but if the cards fall their way, they can still climb a few rungs in the standings.” Matt Watson Fanhouse
• A win tonight in Indiana would be great, especially with the Bulls coming to town on Monday.

The Pistons went on a 10-0 run to start things off in Madison Square Garden Wednesday night and never looked back. Detroit’s rare rout could be just the thing to ease them into what they have in store for them come playoff time. The win 113-86 victory puts Detroit in a tie with Chicago for the #7 spot in the East playoff race.

Key Points:

• An impressive 56 points in the paint for Detroit while shooting 53.8% from the field on the night.
• This game brought back memories of “The Pistons”, you know that team we have come to know that dominates games and goes to six consecutive ECF’s. A pleasant flashback if you watched this one.
• Mr. McDyess just doesn’t realize that he’s in the second half of his career. He had about 90 (8 to be exact) rebounds in the first quarter alone and finished with a double-double with 13 points, 16 boards an assist and 2 blocked shots in 29 minutes.
• Rip didn’t get ejected in this one, for some reason Rip’s temper gets the best of him in New York. He had been ejected in 4 of the last 6 games at the Garden.
• Great ball movement from Detroit, who took advantage of the Knicks small lineup.
• Hamilton led the team with 22 points, adding 7 assists and three boards in 32 minutes.  No two points prettier than when he took it left handed to David Lee for the layup.

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• All five starters in double figures.
• 57-33 edge on the board for Detroit.
• Play of the game, a Rasheed behind the back block to Tayshaun for an uncontested dunk. You can see it in the NBA Highlights.

• The Big Men – Dyess and Sheed combined for 27 points and 28 rebounds.
• The Pistons never trailed in this one and led by as much as 32 points.
• Jason Maxiell can wow just about any crowd and putbacks are a specialty. Jason put up 6 points and 6 boards in 18 minutes.

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• The magic number to clinch a playoff spot is one.
• “Whoever is going to play (the Pistons) in the playoffs is going to have some trouble,” Knicks coach Mike D’Antoni said. “They’re big. They’re strong. They run. And our guys got overwhelmed.” Via The Detroit News
• Everyone played in this one, even Walter Sharpe who went 0-for-2 and one of those I’m sure he will be hearing about today from his teammates. Teammates can be brutal when you throw up an air ball.
• A better game for Rodney Stuckey, who looked very comfortable running the floor and making the most of the openings he saw to get the ball to open teammates.  Stuckey finished with 14 points on 6-for-10 shooting with 7 assists, a steal and one board while turning the ball over twice.
• “Three or four times we got the rebound and he pushed the break, didn’t have anything, and he pulled it out and ran a set,” Curry said. “That’s big. That’s game management. That’s the next step in his progression as a player, as he keeps learning how to manage the game. We’re going to need that from him.” Via The Detroit Free Press
• Amir Johnson, 4 points in five minutes with one board.  I know it has been said before about Amir, but not being able to box out when the Knicks are on the foul line and losing a rebound to your man that a resulted in a three point play for the Knicks is a flaw that Amir needs to work on.
• Tayshaun Prince had quite a few easy dunks finishing with 15 points on 7-for-14 shooting with 3 boards, 2 assists and a blocked shot in 27 minutes.  It was nice to see Prince have an easy time of it for a change.

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• Walter Hermann had quite a few highlights himself in this one, it really does amaze me when he goes up for one of his one handed floaters. Walter finished with 6 points and 6 boards in 15 minutes on the floor.
• Sheed started off things right from the start going 4-for-4 with two triples for 10 points. Wallace finished the game with 14 points and 12 boards, adding 2 blocks in 28 minuts on the floor.
• From team N4S member Ryan Collins who was at the game last night: “Lots and lots of Pistons fans in the house. Matter-of-fact, the only time you really heard Knicks fans give it up was when Nate Robinson did something, which wasn’t too often, unfortunately (i love that lil fella.). I know you watched all this on FSN Detroit, but it was a great night to be at MSG (unlike our unfortunate December meeting…) Right when Maxey went in, he had a HUGE dunk that missed, but i wanted you to know that it silenced the entire arena. Even without the points, his presence was felt.”
• Great D from Detroit, who held the Knicks to 36% shooting on the night.
• Kwame Brown still making the best of the role he has been put in. Brown put up 6 points with 8 boards and a blocked shot in 14 minutes on the floor.
• “In five months, Iverson accomplished what Flip Saunders couldn’t in three years. The Answer turned the six-time Eastern Conference finalists into a hanging-by-a-string, eighth-place playoff qualifier.” Jason Whitlock – AI Was Never The Answer
• Get in on your own Playoff Madness over at Pistons Online, where they are giving away a $500 NBA Store gift card to the winner!

Sunday night’s game at the Palace was important for both teams trying to make the playoffs. It may have meant more to the Bobcats, who are trying to knock Detroit out of the eight spot, but thanks to a record-breaking career high from Will Bynum the Pistons are a step closer to locking in on a playoff spot. The 104-97 victory snapped a three game Pistons losing streak and put their playoff magic number at 2 games.

Key Points:

• Pistons again blew a big (17 point) first half lead to make this a close one.
• Bynum was 6-for-6 from the field and 14-for-16 from the line in the fourth quarter.
• Bynum’s 26 in the fourth quarter is a new franchise record, topping the old mark of 24 held by Isiah Thomas and Jerry Stackhouse.
• Bynum scored 12 in the first 6 minutes of the fourth.
• Bynum carried Detroit with his 32 points on 9-for-15 shooting with 7 assists, 4 boards, a steal and just one turnover in 26 minutes on the floor.

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• Bynum Highlights

• From Will Bynum’s locker room interview when asked about his performance. “It’s really not me, it’s my teammates and the coaching staff. I don’t deserve all the credit, it was pretty much them, those guys out there setting the screens and the coaching staff believing in me. That’s who gets the credit for it.”
• No points for Kwame Brown who has been playing great ball in Sheed’s absence, but he did grab 9 boards and blocked a shot in 18 minutes Sunday night.  We don’t need him to score, but we do need him to do what he has been doing.  Nice to see Kwame making the most of the role he’s been put in.
• Pleased and surprised that Curry didn’t substitute the starter Stuckey for the hot Bynum in the closing minutes. “I like to get Stuckey back at about the six-minute mark,” he said. “The way things were going tonight … it was a unique night. Twenty-six points, the most ever by a Piston player in a quarter.” Via Pistons.com
• The win puts the Pistons into a tie with the Bulls for seventh in the East.
• Rip Hamilton ejected after being assessed a second technical foul in the third quarter after scoring 13 points with 3 assists.  With the importance of the game and Detroit’s playoff predicament, I’m disappointed that Rip couldn’t control his temper. It’s bad enough we lost Sheed for the Philly game, but I come to expect a little more from Rip.
• An absolutely SHEEDtastic turn and shoot long range three pointer from Sheed in the second quarter with the shot clock running down. Sheed finished with 12 points on 4-for-12 shooting, with 3 steals, 6 boards and a blocked shot in his first game back in his starting role since his injury.

• Four minutes for Walter Herrmann who made the only shot he took, a second quarter three pointer.
• Looks like we will see Will next season at the Palace, the Pistons can keep him for next season by picking up his $825,000 option.
• Charlotte trailed by just 3 with 13.3 seconds left before Bynum knocked down free throws to seal the victory.
• Nine boards for Antonio McDyess, who finished with eight points in 25 minutes.
• 14 points for Tayshaun Prince who played solid down the stretch with Will Bynum.
• NBA.com Highlights of the Game.

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• Great to see Will put up a game like this especially after his recent fourth quarter struggles.
• Great play from Afflalo with 12 points on 4-for-4 shooting in 24 minutes. Forget about the big baskets, it’s his defense that always shines when the Pistons need a stop. “It’s been a two-year thing, playing when available,” said Afflalo, who made each of his four shot attempts and three 3-pointers. “Mentally, trying to stay tough and smart with the whole situation to where I’m in a situation where the minutes are more stable.” Via Mlive
• You can thank Maxiell for his lock down defense in the fourth quarter, leaving the Bobcats scoreless on six straight possessions in the fourth quarter.
• Detroit won the board war 41-38 and shot 49.4% on the night to Charlotte’s 40.7%.
• The Pistons’ next one, a road game against the Knicks Wednesday night.

The team chimes in on what they think of Sheed’s dance moves in the latest segment of 24 Seconds with.

My Favorite part….the McDyess impression.