Update:

Final Score:
Pistons103 Magic 110

Due to a lack of time and technical difficulties I’m not recapping this one but after reading Patrick Hayes over at MLive I would have to say I agree with him for the most part.  Good to see Charlie V finally put it together and impressed with Day and Jerebko.  Also just like Patrick, waiting on Chris Wilcox to prove me right on my X-Factor pick of the season.

Oh, and let’s talk about giving up 40 first quarter points to the Magic…that was a mess I didn’t think they were going to pull themselves out of.

Highlights from the game:

A win for Detroit tonight would make it six in a row against the Magic.

With all the success Dwight had in Detroit he decided to sponsor Need4Sheed by promoting his new business venture on the website.
Listen to the commercial for

Dwight Howard’s 17 minute Chicken Shack.

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Tayshaun Prince and Rip Hamilton will not play again for Detroit and Vince Carter may not play for Orlando. John Kuester’s starting lineup will likely be Rodney Stuckey and Ben Gordon in the backcourt, with Jonas Jerebko, Charlie Villanueva and Ben Wallace up front.

Tip off is at 7:00 PM and will be locally broadcast on Fox Sports. Can’t catch the game on television? Tune into the radio at 97.1 The Ticket or follow the game on line of at NBA.com.

The Pistons handed the Orlando Magic their first loss of the season Tuesday night at the Palace of Auburn Hills.  Not only where the Pistons without Richard Hamilton again, Tayshaun Prince finally missed a game after starting 496 straight.  Great guard play all around for Detroit led by the gutsy play off Will Bynum after he returned from a poke in the eye from Marcin Gortat and made some key plays down the stretch to lead Detroit to a 80-85 victory.

Key points:

• Though the crowd was sparse at the Palace, the Pistons had the crowd rocking from tip to buzzer.
• 17 minutes from Superman, who finally fouled out on in the fourth on a Bynumite drive.
• 63 combined points from Gordan, Stuckey and Bynum.
• When did white chocolate land in Orlando?
• Jonas Jerebko who became the first Swedish born player to start and NBA took Tayshaun Prince’s spot in the lineup.  Jerebko was 0-for-5 but grabbed 5 boards and was hustling all night long.
• Things got scrappy in the second half when both teams got physical with their fouls.  Could it have started with the Stuckey throw down on Dwight that sent him to the locker room? Possibly, but how can 50 Cent hurt Superman…really.  Hard fouls back and fourth, especially one  from Jameer Nelson on Will Bynum. Even J.J. Reddick got into the mix.
• If your counting that’s 4 straight wins against the Magic.
• It’s getting a little better for Charlie V. Villanueva scored 12 with an assist and grabbed 8 boards.  He’s looking like he’s really getting used to Detroit Basketball.
• First NBA points  for Austin Daye in his 4 minutes on court.
• Prince will be sidelined for at least three games before his status is re-evaluated this weekend.
• I can’t tell you how many times we are going to hear “Rip and Tay or just Tay or just Rip…..should be traded”  just stop now. It’s one game and we are 4 games into the season.
• Great night for Rodney who was one rebound shy of a double-double. Stuck put up 20 points with 9 boards, 3 assists and a steal.

Photo/Getty Images

• Don’t worry about Rodneys’ assists… though the ball movement was ok at times, the Pistons only had 8 total all game.  Will this team have assist issues all season long…probably not.
• Ok, I did read this stat right: Orlando was 10-for-35 from three point land… that’s a ton of threes.  Meanwhile the Pistons were 0-for-6 on the night.
• No play at all for Jason Maxiell, is he in the doghouse with Kuester too?
• By far win or lose and despite the absence of Rip and Tay, this was the best the Pistons have played in a long, long time.  I’m talking current or past lineup.  Hard fought, gritty basketball was the key and Detroit did everything they had to do to pull it out.
• On a night that I thought the bigs would have had to step up, it was the guards who had big nights.  They not only put up big numbers, they got the Magic in foul trouble.
• Ben Gordon was great again, leading the team with 23 points, 5 boards, 3 assists  and a steal.  He’s stepping up and taking doing what he’s got to do when the Pistons need buckets.  And guess what …he makes ‘em. He was 6-for-10 from the floor and 11-for-11 from the line.

Photo/Getty Images

• Eight total points from the Piston Bigs on the night.
• Pistons went to the line 38 times and made 31 to Orlando’s 12-for-16 from the line. Thank the Pistons guards for driving the lane all night long.
• Great play from Ben Wallace again, who scored just 2 but grabbed 10 boards with 2 steals and 2 blocked shots. Best of all he was fired up…just like old times.
• I have to say I really like Dwight Howard, but he’s defiantly one of those players who’s face always looks like he never committed a foul in his life.
• Orlando led 41-38 at the half but the Pistons (finally with a good third quarter) made a game of it the rest of the way.
• I am not kidding you when I tell you the last few minutes of the game was electrifying at the Palace. When it was clear that we were going to pull it out I was simply WOWed.
• Not only did Bynum come back, he drove the lane hard on Dwight, sacrificing his already bruised body (eye) and forced Howard to foul out.  With his 20 points on the night he clearly was the player of the game, especially what he had to do to get it.  His basket in the closing minute was the dagger.

Video Courtesy of The NBA and The Detroit Pistons

• Crazy hand for Will Bynum who came back from a horrible poke in the eye from Gortat. He looked like he wasn’t even going to be able to stand up at first, let alone come back in the game. And looking at the replay when I returned from the game it was worse than on Palace Vision. That’s what I call Superman!
• Oh, and was that a tackle on Will, Jameer?

Photo/Getty Images

• Rebound war won 44-41.
• Great win, things came together and the team gave Pistons fans something to cheer about.
• Thanks go out to my Twitter followers who (in a matter of seconds) let me know why Tayshaun didn’t start last night and what exactly happened to Will Bynum when he went down.  Love going to the games, but when you have no idea what Blaha and Kelser are saying it can be frustrating.  I know you have my back, so thanks.
• Highlights from the game

As always, The Detroit Pistons 2009-2010 Detroit Pistons Introductions followed by a very heartfelt dedication to Pistons owner and Member of the Basketball Hall of Fame Bill Davidson.

Ben Wallace with a HUGE ovation and being there I can tell you that he had to have felt the love in the building.  Ben Gordon, who started in place of the injured Richard Hamilton got a nice ovation, but overall I was impressed by the love for Will Bynum….BYNUMITE.

No Sheed, no post intro dance, that I missed.

• The Ben Wallace to the Pistons speculation is gaining ground.
• New assistant coach Brian Hill on board in Detroit.
• Don’t miss the Pistons summer league wrap up on Sunday Night July 26, at 8 & 10 pm followed by a must see Special on the one and only Chuck Daly at 8:30 & 10:30 pm on Fox Sports Detroit.
• Eli Zaret caught up with Chris Wilcox when the Pistons inked his contract.  Get to know him in if you already don’t.
• For all of you who keep inquiring…Ben Gordon, Charlie Villanueva, Austin Daye, DaJuan Summers, Jonas Jerebko and the voice of the Pistons John Mason have all been Tooned. Wilcox is on his way and the sidebar with the faces will be changed once the full roster is set.
• And by the way…you may not have been the only one who missed the Charlie Villanueva Toon….he asked me himself when he was getting one.  Little did he know he missed it…and FYI he liked it.
• I was pretty sure Will Bynum was going to come after me with all the photoshop fun I had with his interview, but he actually loved it.  Thank goodness, I thought I was going to have to go into basketball hiding, which I would assume would involve me going to Memphis and covering the Grizzlies.
• Summer League Video Highlights Austin Daye.
• Summer League Video Highlights of DaJuan Summers.
• Summer League Video Highlights of Jonus Jerebko.
• Deron Washington is doing his best to make the Pistons.  Plus another YouTube classic from my friend Elie Seckbach with Deron.
• Austin Daye let us know via Twitter that he signed his contract with the Pistons.  “@Adaye5: Just signed my contract haha great day about to head to Spokane fir a lil and see some friends…” If you were following Austin or myself you would already know.
• Um…why didn’t I play in George Blaha’s High Hopes Golf Invitational? Pairing up with the Microwave would have been awesome. (Photos)
• Chris Weber gives us his Fab Five Pistons.

Via ESPN.com

“The Detroit Pistons have agreed to a two-year deal with free agent Chris Wilcox, a source told ESPN.com. The deal is for $6 million over the next two years according to sources.”

Exclusive Photoshopped Need4Sheed Photo Chris Wilcox in his Pistons Jersey

The skinny on Chris Wilcox
Born: 03-Sep-1982 (27 years old by seasons start)
Height: 6-10 / 2,08
Weight: 235 lbs. / 106,6 kg.
Position: Center
College: Maryland
Years Pro: 7

From ESPN’s Mark Stein

“It’s believed that the Pistons, as of Thursday, have Rasho Nesterovic and Chris Wilcox ahead of Drew Gooden as their next free-agent targets, since it appears that they can’t assemble an offer sheet rich enough for Glen Davis to keep the Boston Celtics from matching.”

My thoughts..they are Centers, a position Detroit desperately needs to fill.

97.1 The Ticket is reporting that The Pistons have Drew Gooden in their sights. Whether they pick up Gooden or the other big men they are looking at it’s just something we are going to have to wait on.

A. Sherrod Blakely of MLive

“Detroit is giving strong consideration to a handful of frontcourt players, including Glen Davis, Drew Gooden, Rasha Nesterovic, former Piston Ben Wallace and Chris Wilcox.”