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.

Our good friends Bennie and Jeff are back with their first Podcast of the season.  Did you miss their Top five lists, because I did.

We even have a new Sponsor for the program so make sure that you visit our new sponsor “Dwight Howard’s 17 Minute Chicken Shack”

Don’t forget please leave Bennie and Jeff your thoughts in the comments. They are waiting to hear what Team Need4Sheed has to say and “get your flava with Villanueva.”

Team Need4Sheed Podcast – Breaking down the New Pistons

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The Pistons did their best to try to pull out another game without Richard Hamilton and Tayshaun Prince, but the Raptors didn’t cooperate with Detroit’s plans. Detroit went down 99-110 in Toronto after another gutsy effort.

Key Points:

• Another start for Jonas Jerebko and his first NBA points.  Hustle from Jerebko and defensive effort turned into 2 blocks, 3 boards and 8 points.
• Though not a 20 point night, Rodney Stuckey put up a solid double-double with 10 boards, 13 points and 4 assists.
• We have to face facts, it’s clear that Detroit desperately needs front court help.  They can’t count on the guards to do all the scoring.
• I’m getting Ben Wallace DeJa vu.  He’s as closer to the Ben that left to go to Chicago than I could have ever imagined.  Now Kuester needs to limit his time a bit more so this lasts all season.  Wallace finished with 9 boards and 6 points.
• Toronto became the first team this season to score more than 100 points against Detroit. Does that mean the “D” is officially back?  Probably not, but it’s a refreshing surprise.
• Another heroic effort from Will Bynum, who did his best in the fourth to get the Pistons back in it. He tied the game up with this drive and finished the game with16 points, 6 assists and a steal in 33 minutes. I know he prefers “The Thrill” but I can’t help screaming Bynumite, when he does something spectacular like this…

Video Courtesy of The NBA and The Detroit Pistons

• Austin Day looks a lot like Tayshaun on court, especially when he’s blocking people with those long arms. Daye logged 16 minutes, blocking 2 shots, with 3 boards and 5 points.
• Jason Maxiell got 10 minutes of floor time and added a bit of a spark. A nice putback with 3 boards with 4 points.
• By the way….how many “trade rumor” stories did you read after the Orlando game?
• 20 trips to the line for Bosh, that’s big.
• How much do you enjoy watching Ben Gordon? I’m sure I’ll be writing this again but… Ben Gordon put up a career high in a Pistons uniform while leading the team with 30 points. He’s truly putting this team on his back with Rip and Tay out. Oh and I’m enjoying the fact the Bulls fans are sick about it.

Photo/Getty Images

• First official NBA time for DaJuan Summers who saw 40 seconds.
• Pistons shot well, shooting 45% for the game, but needed to get some stops down the stretch and couldn’t.
• Charlie Villanueva played his best game as a Piston against the team that drafted him. A pretty good stat line in all departments with 16 points, 7 boards a steal and a block. He’s looking better in red, white and blue every night.
• Tough to play a back to back shorthanded, especially after the battle against Orlando. You could clearly see the effort, but they just fell flat mid fourth quarter.
• A little more Ben

• Good to see Amir Johnson get some time on court.  He really helped Toronto when the Pistons started making a run in the third.
• A day of rest and a tough rematch in Orlando Friday night. I hope someone bring some more Kryptonite.
• My good friend Ryan over at HoopsAddict got the inside scoop in the Pistons locker room last night.  I’ll quote him, and then send you over for the audio. “Tonight the Pistons locker room was pure jokes, hence Rip Hamilton free styling before the game about “pimpin’ ain’t easy fo’ sheezy” Pre and post game audio over at Hoopsaddict.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

The 1-2 Pistons look to put an end to their two game slide with a win of the 2-0 Magic tonight in Auburn Hills.  They have three important things going against them tonight.

• No Rip
• Dwight Howard
• and Sheed (Dwight Stopper) is balling for Bean Town.

“The Pistons probably will be without Hamilton the next two games — definitely tonight’s home contest against the Magic and likely Wednesday’s game at Toronto.

Hamilton hurt his ankle with 5 minutes left in the season opener at Memphis on Wednesday. An initial X-ray proved negative. The Pistons took another X-ray as a precaution when he returned to Detroit, and it also was negative. Still, there was significant swelling and bruising, and Hamilton was placed in a walking boot because he could hardly put any pressure on the ankle. ”

“Howard is going to get his, so you just got to keep throwing bodies at him,” Pistons center Kwame Brown said. “You just keep having enough big buys to throw at him and foul him in certain situations and send him to the free-throw line.”

Via The Detroit Free Press

The Magic be without Vince Carter (ankle) and Mickael Pietrus (flu-like illness) as well as Rashard Lewis (suspension)

Tip off is at 7:30 at the palace and will locally broadcast on Fox Sports and while your watch use the NBA’s TV Companion. If you can’t watch the game on television, tune into my buddy Matt Dery on the radio at 950 AM WWJ. Can’t do either follow live over at NBA.com.

Since finding out what LeBron has been listening to since he and his Cavs got tossed from the playoffs, plenty of you were kind enough to make LeBron an “On The GO” playlist to occupy his time while he’s looking for a apartment in New York fishing this summer.

1. Suicidal Thoughts – Notorious B.I.G.
2. Bad Day- Daniel Powter
3. Life’s a Bitch – NaS
4. Say Goodbye – Chris Brown
5. All Falls Down – Kanye West
6. Heartbreaker – Led Zeppelin
7. Dazen and Confused – Led Zeppelin
8. Karma Police – Radiohead
9. You Shook Me – Led Zeppelin
10. I’m On A Boat – The Lonely Island-Feat T-Pain
11. Say Goodbye Hollywood – Eminem
12. Same Song and Dance – Eminem
13. Walk and Don’t Look Back – Peter Tosh
14. Cry Baby – Janis Joplin
15. Dead and Gone – TI
16. Move Along – All American Rejects
17. Boulevard of Broken Dreams – Green Day
18. Come Sail Away – Styx
19. New York City Boy – Pet Shop Boys
20. Dancing Queen – ABBA
21. King of Pain – The Police
22. American Idiot – Green Day
23. Human – Human League
24. Big Girls don’t cry – Fergie
25. Black Superman – Above the Law
26. Selfish – Slum Village
27. Bittersweet – Kanye West
28. Its over – GhostFace Killah
29. Losing My Mind – The Black Crowes
30. Misunderstood – Common
31. Someone Saved My Life Tonight – Elton John
32. Waitin’ For A Superman – Iron and Wine
33. Cinders And Smoke – Iron and Wine
34. Ordinary People – John Legend
35. When The Levee Breaks – Led Zeppelin
36. A Conspiracy – The Black Crowes
37. Stop Crying Your Heart Out – Oasis
38. Knives Out – Radiohead
39. Don’t Panic – Coldplay
40. Bullet Proof … I Wish I Was – Radiohead
41. Climbing up The Walls – Radiohead
42. Don’t Cry – Seal
43. Lost My Faith – Seal

What’s on his iPod right now??? Looks like Don’t Cry by Seal!

Thanks to all of you for the suggestions for LeBron, I had a blast adding mine (most of which are at the bottom of the list). Feel free to keep them coming. And in case you were wondering…this really got to Cavs fans.

I got some pretty good inside information from Need4Sheed reader and friend Raul A. Mora aka El Patron Himself (of The Big Denial fame). Apparently he found out what LeBron James’s current iPod playlist is.

Photo/Getty Images

1. King Nothing – Metallica
2. King Without a Crown – Matisyahu
3. Kryptonite – 3 Doors Down
4. Heartbreak Hotel – Elvis Presley
5. New York, New York – Frank Sinatra
6. The Takeover- Jay-Z
7. Sucks to be You – Prozzac
8. Lose Yourself – Eminem
9. Loser – Beck
10. Cruel Summer – Bananarama
11. A New York State of Mind – Billy Joel
12. Help! – The Beatles
13. Close But No Cigar – Thomas Dolby
14. Alone Again (Naturally) – Gilbert O’Sullivan
15. I’m Going Slightly Mad – Queen
16. You Got Another Thing Coming – Judas Priest

I blew up the picture so we could clearly see his iPod and from the looks of it on track 3.

Good job El Patron!

If know of any additions to LeBrons playlist, by all means leave them in the comments and if you didn’t get a chance to read this little piece on the “King”, by Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports….I suggest you do so.

Around the Way…..The what a glorious weekend edition.

• To start off my weekend I ran into Steve Yzerman at Starbucks, and can you believe the place was packed and nobody but myself realized it was him? Besides my stalking charge it made for a beginning of a great few days, especially after two Wings wins!
• Thank you Dwight for not only being a joy to watch, but taking down those awful Cavaliers.  Seeing the Magic stun the World and send the Cavs fishing was just the medicine that this Piston fan needed.
• LeBron….a spoiled sport taking after those Bad Boys . I noticed him bolt off court right after the buzzer sounded and thought the same thing. “It’s hard for me to congratulate somebody after you just lose to them,” James said. (Hat Tip Matt Watson)
• Pistons are the front runners for Carlos Boozer? “Apparently, rising free agent-of-choice Carlos Boozer is telling confidants he’s either going to Detroit or New Jersey — only way the capsized Nets pull that off is by doing a sign-and-trade. Word has it Jersey will have but three assistants next season and all must take pay cuts.” The New York Post (it is coming from Peter Vecesy so take it as strictly RUMOR)
• If the Pistons actually pick up Boozer, can Arnie keep him in uniform all season long?
• Sorry Chauncey.
• Ben Wallace to Retire?
• Walter Herrmann might return to Spain?
• Great Pre-Draft roundup from Dave Dial over at MLive.

There were two big stories in Orlando Friday night. Richard Hamilton returned to the starting lineup for the Pistons and they won. It was a familiar and cohesive looking Pistons team that took the floor and didn’t back down until the job was done. The 93-85 victory over a strong Orlando team on the road could be just what the Pistons need to get them into gear and try to salvage what’s left of this season.

Key Points:

• Tayshaun Prince started things off for Detroit from the tip. He looked to score in this one and he did, finishing with 17 points on 7-14 shooting in 41 minutes on the floor.  He played the role of scorer and defender last night, just 2 assists for a Tayshaun Prince who’s had to run this offense a lot this season.
• Just three Pistons in double figures, while all five of Orlando’s starters scored 10 or more.
• If you were watching the game you saw something quite familiar that we have come to know and love as Pistons fans. DEFENSE! Dwight Howard scored 21 but not many of them came easy.  And holding Lewis to 10 and Turkoglu to 13 was just what the Pistons needed to to to get the job done.
• Rasheed, Maxiell, McDyess and, yes, Kwame Brown did a nice job defending Howard.
• 15 Turnovers for Detroit really would have stuck out more had they lost this one. Ten of those came in the first half.
• Richard Hamilton led all scorers with 31 points on 11-for-18 shooting in 41 minutes on the floor.  Rip was aggressive and looking for his shot all game long.  He added 6 assists and a board and him coming off screens and hitting his shot was a thing of beauty.  Richard Hamilton Highlights.

Photo/Getty Images

• Hamilton again reiterated the comments he made the other day and said he wasn’t cool with coming off the bench unless his team was winning. Something had to change and it did, Rip made sure of it. I think he made it clear by his words and his actions that that’s not going to happen again anytime soon.
• Allen Iverson returned to Detroit to get his back evaluated and wasn’t even in Orlando for the game. He will not be in Boston for tomorrow’s game against the Celtics either. This is just the way my mind works so bear with me. Anyone else think the “injury” (not saying he doesn’t have one) to his back may help him save a little pride going to the bench? Think it may be milked more to help AI make the transition? It was just the first thing that popped into my mind because AI seems to take a lickin’ and keep on ticking, so the fact that he wasn’t in Orlando and won’t be in Boston just made me wonder. I always used to say the only way to stop him from playing was a bullet hole, and my guess is if it was superficial he’d still take the court.
• Chris McCosky – “Curry, who gave Iverson the news Thursday night, said Iverson wasn’t happy but that he expects him to handle it like a pro.” “He’s been trying to play hurt and he’s been frustrated with that,” Curry said. “He didn’t react any different than Rip did when I talked to him about coming off the bench earlier.” “It’s nothing on Allen,” Curry said. “He’s a guy that needs the ball, and because of that it reduces the time Rodney Stuckey has the ball in his hands. That has taken away some of Rodney’s aggressiveness.” Via The Detroit News
• Will Bynum and Walter Herrmann saw extended time, but it was the hustle of Jason Maxiell that stood out most. He may not have filled the stat sheet, but Maxiell made his presence felt. Just ask Dwight.
• Amir Joshnson – DNP
• BALL MOVEMENT!
• Rodney Stuckey looked like the he did the first half of the season.  Whether this game helps him get out of his rut remains to be seen but he looked great in the Pistons’ win.  Stuckey scored 22 on 9-15 shooting with 6 1 assist in 40 minutes.  Great game for Stuckey, besides his 4 turnovers. Rodney Stuckey Highlights.

Photo/Getty Images

• The Pistons outrebounded the Magic by 10, 38-28.
• Haven t heard George Blaha this excited on a broadcast in quite some time. Boy was he animated down the stretch when it looked like the Pistons weren’t going to give this up in the final minutes.
• The Pistons outscored the Magic 28-14 in a dominating third quarter that helped Detroit put the game away.
• FSN Highlights of the Game by quarter.
• All heart from Antionio McDyess who did the dirty work in the Pistons’ win. Dyess scored 8 with 13 boards and a blocked shot in 40 minutes.
• Sheed, 10 boards, 8 points and 2 steals.
• “One thing with Orlando is that if we continue to play Dwight straight up with Rasheed there, it allows us to stay on their 3-point shooters,” Prince said. “And if we can eliminate that, then we put ourselves in good position to get the game.’‘ Via NBA.com
• Friday Rasheed Wallace was fined $25,000 by the NBA for throwing a towel into the stands and another in the direction of referee Bill Kennedy.
• Maybe this is a solid answer to who is really running the show. This is what Rodney Stuckey had to say. “My teammates were getting on me,” Stuckey said. “When the boss man’s getting on you (Joe Dumars, Detroit’s president of basketball operations), you know you have to change something.” Via MLive

Richard Hamilton takes the floor tonight against the 45-15 Orlando Magic in his familiar, and well deserved role as the starting shooting guard for The Detroit Pistons. Allen Iverson, who is likely to be a game time decision because of his strained back, will come off the bench for Detroit. A role that Iverson has never had to play in his entire basketball career.

Sheed avoided the mandatory suspension after two of his techs were rescinded by the NBA and will surely be needed to help Antonio McDyess stop Dwight Howard. I know it’s a relief to most of you who simply can’t imagine Detroit losing a nine games in a row, but Rasheed’s actions in New Orleans were an embarrassment to the organization. What’s worse is he let his whole team down by leaving then to fend for themselves when the game was on the line,  a game they desperately needed to win.

Sure he doesn’t have to serve his suspension for the tech’s yet, but why does he get a pass time and again from the team for his actions?  I know we have come to the end of Sheed in Detroit, but what kind of example does this set for anyone? Blow up in Detroit and you get a free pass.

Need4Sheed or not, there is no need for that on this team, especially now.

Like I mentioned earlier, it’s unclear who exactly is running the show for the Pistons, but whoever it is will likely keep changing things around until the Pistons start winning again. Or at least look better on the court than my high school’s JV basketball team. And just so you know…..I went to an all girls school.

The Good/Bad and More

• Detroit hasn’t dropped nine in a row since a 13-game skid to end the 1993-94 season.
• I’m not the only one who is waiting for Chauncy’s return to the Palace. Mr. Blaha can’t wait either.
• Maxiell – One of the BEST little Big Men.
• Pistons better without AI?

Tip off is at 7:00 and locally broadcast on FSN and Nationally on ESPN.  If you can’t catch the game on TV, or are gearing up for the Oscars, you can listen locally at WDFN 1130 AM or follow/listen to the game at NBA.com.

The comments are yours.

Detroit put an end to Orlando’s seven game winning streak Monday night at The Palace of Auburn Hills by beating the Magic 88-82. Rodney Stuckey led the Pistons, but this was a team effort with everyone contributing. Rasheed Wallace had maybe one of his best defensive games on the season, especially when you consider he was up against a Superman.

Key Points:

• The Pistons are now on a four game winning streak. Sadly, it’s tied for the longest of the season when Detroit started the season 4 and 0.
• Iverson finished with 15 points and another late-game shot to seal the victory with 1:10 left in the game and the Pistons up by 7, 87-80.
• Mannie32 reminds us in the comments that the Pistons are now 7-3 since Mr. McDyess returned to Motown. Maybe he was just what they needed?
• Sheed almost singlehandedly held Dwight Howard to 1 point in the first half. Too bad he came alive in the second.

Photo/Getty Images

• 12th tech for Sheed late in the fourth quarter. He made up for it when he nailed a three to make it 82-77. Rasheed finished with 16 points, 3 blocked shots, a steal and 6 boards. Dare I say…..SHEEDTastic?
• This is the kind of game you love to see as a fan. A hard fought, defensive effort with everyone contributing on the floor and an exciting finish. It’s looking better Pistons fans.
• Richard Hamilton sits out with a sore groin and Detroit wins two. I know plenty of you have been talking about the fact that small ball is difficult on this team. Maybe this is just the proof Curry needs.
• UPDATE: Michael Curry re-thinking small ball. and Keith Langlois talks lineup change. (via Mannie32 in the comments)
• Did small ball just die? DBB
• Jason Maxiell steps on the hardwood and this happens. Bucket – Block – Bucket! He played just 16 minutes and scored 4 but he’s like a Red Bull shot to this team whenever he touches the floor.

Courtesy of The NBA, The Detroit Pistons and FSN

• War of the boards won for the first time in a long time. Pistons 43 boards to 36 for Orlando. Especially impressive when you consider who the Magic have down low.
• Pretty scary when McDyess went down in the fourth after a collision going for a rebound. He looked like he was staying down for the count, but that heart just wouldn’t let him when the game was on the line. McDyess got right back up and helped Detroit seal the deal. I bet Dyess is in some pain tomorrow, his ribs took quite a shot.
• “It was horrible—when I was laying on the court, I was just trying to get my breath back,” he said. “It hurt, but I didn’t even think about not coming back. I knew they needed me.” Via Yahoo
  • Dave in comments
    For those of you who only saw what was on TV: the hit McDyess took was really rough. Afterward, Howard being the veteran that he is really went after him and was banging him around hard. Every time the pistons brought the ball down the court or there was a stoppage in play dice was holding his ribs and grimacing. he may have a heart of a champion but based on what i saw those ribs might keep him out a game or two.
• Dyess was 4-8 on the night for 11 points, 5 assists and 8 boards.
• Just 3 turnovers on the night for Detroit.
• The Pistons shot 42% on the night to Orlando’s 40.
• Anything sound familiar in the FSN Highlights of the game?
• Rodney Stuckey once again led the Pistons in scoring with 19 points in addition to 4 assists, 5 boards and just one turnover plus some pretty nice HL’s. He is seriously making a case for himself as a starter in this league and a very good replacement for Chauncey Billups. I’m not ready to say better, just yet.

Photo/Getty Images

• Forget the stats, Amir again did more than what was asked of him on court in Rip’s place. Johnson scored 2 points in 19 minutes with 7 boards and 2 blocked shots.
• Though Detroit limited Orlando’s points in the paint in the first half, they ended up with 30 down low. You can’t usually stop Dwight all night.
• “Rasheed was playing great defense, and we were able to contain Dwight,” Curry said. “He still had a big game inside, but we didn’t give him a lot of dunks.” Via Yahoo
• A quiet 16 from Tayshaun Prince who had another solid game and did a nice job defending Turkoglu. Prince logged 43 minutes while grabbing 5 boards and 2 assists to go along with his 16 points.
• 27 threes attempted by Orlando, 11 of which they made. Each one of them seemed to bring them right in the game when Detroit was pulling away.
• This one was tied 12 times.
• A New Years Eve matinee with New Jersey on Wednesday, I smell a little revenge.

The 24 – 6 Orlando Magic will take the floor tonight at the Palace winners of their last 7 games. The Magic are playing great basketball right now and are currently at the top of their division. With Superman’s size, along with the rest of the Magic is Curry going to play small ball again?
Chris McCosky – The Detroit News

“I’ve got to make a decision on that,” he said. “I have to take a long look at Orlando. They are one of the teams we’d like to be big against, but we’ll have to see.”

Confounding Curry’s decision is the uncertainty of Richard Hamilton’s health. He missed the win at Milwaukee on Saturday because of a strained left groin. He won’t test it until this morning.

If Hamilton can’t play, then Curry’s decision is made for him. He will have to use his big lineup, and against Howard, he would probably start Kwame Brown instead of Amir Johnson, who contributed 11 rebounds and four blocks in his start Saturday.

….Beside’s Hamilton’s groin strain, Antonio McDyess and Prince needed extra treatment after the game Saturday.

• The Pistons are quietly on a three game winning streak of their own.
• Talk of Rip for Boozer keep floating.
• Amir stepped up on Saturday. It’s obvious he needs more minutes.
• SI thinks Sheed will be gone by the deadline.
• Got kids?
• Did you win?

Tip off is at 7:30 P.M. on FSN and NBATV for those of you who get it. If you can’t watch the broadcast, tune into 1130 AM The Fan where you can catch our friend Matt Dery with the Pre-Game starting at 6:30. Can’t do either, follow the game on NBA.com.

Leave them in the Comment or Chat Live.