• I didn’t want to touch it anymore, but Matt over at DBB’s couldn’t have said it better about Allen Iverson’s sour grapes.
• A heartfelt letter to Memphis fans from ESPN’s Jemele Hill (a Pistons fan).
• Forget M.J. (as most Pistons fans do)  the Admiral was the one to reflect on (my guest post over at Project Spurs) in this year’s Hall of Fame class. Plus the video’s are a great blast from the past.
• Top 10 Pistons Dunkers over at Life on Dumars.
• Super Dupe in UTAH!
• Good news -- Fox Sports Detroit to air all but 4 Pistons games. Download it here!
• A little Charlie V at Pistons.com.
• Training Camp questions.
• Jonas Jerebko nearly a John Beilein protégé.
• Will they be in the Rafters or not?
• Any suggestions on who should don the first month of the Need4Sheed Pistons Schedule Wallpaper?
• Ben Gordon speaks…

Different uniform but same game. Ben Gordon YouTube Mix

• Defending the D….Literally.

• The Pistons = DRAMA a Team in Turmoil, according to ESPN.
• Another Rodney Stucky breakout article – I hope this season’s peice come true.  Can’t really blame Rodney that much especially since the whole team underachieved last year. Here is to a StuckTacular Season.
• Q&A with Joe Dumars part One – interesting stuff on the acquisition of Ben Gordon.  You can also listen to it over at Posting up.
• Worried about the “D” in Defense for the Pistons….Keith Langlois over at Pistons.com says we shouldn’t.
• Need4Swede over at Slam Online.

I know it’s been slow as far as Pistons news goes but you MUST head on over to ESPN and read the great piece Tom Friend wrote on Chauncey Billups. A must for any Pistons fan.

Disposable Superstar

Thanks to Max, Jeff, Michael, El Patron Himself, Stephen and all the others who made sure I didn’t miss this one. And all of you….pass it on. Go Chauncey!

The Pistons will host the Cleveland Cavaliers this afternoon for what could be their last game of the season. Down three games to the Cavs and showing little or no signs of life, more than just an early playoff exit is at stake for this Detroit team.

Familiar endings and new beginnings.

With the team missing their swagger (as well as their leader) all season long this group will most likely be playing its last game (or games if they can pull it out today) together. So enjoy this game for whatever it is Pistons fans, your favorite players just may be playing their last games in red, white and blue.
Michael Curry

“Guys are down, but that’s anywhere when you’re down like this in a series and it’s tough. The biggest thing is getting just focused on one game. What you tend to do when you’re down in a series is go back over the whole season. So you start looking at things that you have no control over.” Via The Detroit Free Press

Tip off is at 3:30 and will broadcast nationally on ABC. If you can’t watch the early afternoon game, you can listen over at WDFN 1130 AM or follow the game live over at NBA.com.

Feel free to leave your thoughts in the Comments or Chat Live at gametime.

Yes the Pistons are now on the brink of an abrupt end to what turned out to be a painful NBA season. Down 0-3 to the Cavs after their 79-68 loss Friday night at the Palace, they are in jeopardy of a first round Swiffer if they don’t win Sunday afternoon at home.

Key Points:

• This one started out just right, Detroit came to play and even started the game in glorious fashion with this Richard Hamilton steal that lead to a Rodney Stuckey dunk, which led to an 8-0 Pistons run.

Video Courtesy of The NBA, The Detroit Pistons and ESPN

• The Pistons showed some heart, played defense and controlled the tempo of the game and held the lead until the Cavs took a 33-31 lead with five minutes left in the half.
• Yes the Cavs have went to the line a whopping 100 times this series compared to 40 times for Detroit. Don’t point all the fingers at the refs or David Stern, you don’t go to the line when you shoot jumpers, it’s as simple as that.
• Tayshaun Prince played hurt and was responsible for helping the Pistons start the game strong. He finished the game with 7 points, 5 boards, and 2 assists in 33 minutes.
• Rasheed….well Sheed either has lost more than a step or checked out before the series started. Sheed scored 5 points, with 7 boards and a steal. With similar numbers this whole series and for the later half of the season, it’s fair to question if Sheed still has it at all or for this team.
• Though Dyess had trouble knocking down his shot (4-for-10), he still put his heart on the line and was pivotal in Detroit’s third quarter run. He finished with 8 points, 2 blocks and 8 boards.  Unfortunately it looks like No Ice4Dyess.

Photo/Getty Images

• Two Pistons in double figures is disastrous.
• The Pistons are on Life Support.
• This one wasn’t hard to watch, they came to play but are clearly outmatched.  Tied at the end of the third quarter and then settling for Rip Hamilton jumpers in the fourth maybe was a mistake.
• Rip led Detroit with 15 points on 6-for-17 shooting with 6 assists, 8 boards and 2 steals in 41 minuets.
• “This is killing me, I can’t even lie,” Hamilton said. “Knowing how great we were, and then being down 0-3 and being the eighth seed and watching them celebrate shot after shot, it’s hard. It’s a terrible situation.” Via The Detroit News
• This was actually the first time in the series that Detroit was in a position to win the game but a horrible 4th (something that haunted them all season long) was the cause.
• Just 6 points for Bynum in 18 minutes but it was this leaping steal that made me rewind the game about three times.

Video Courtesy of The NBA, The Detroit Pistons and ESPN

• Sick and tired of “Andy” AKA CLOWNFISH getting in everyone’s face. I’m not one for violence but I wouldn’t mind clocking the dude myself. Yes he’s and energy guy bla, bla, bla….he’s a punk. And as Mr. Blaha said, ” Don’t the referees even watch this guy?” He pushed Kwame and Brown gets a tech. Great.
• Speaking of Mr. Kwame Brown, he’s been the surprise of the series. Bringing energy and banging down low ever time he steps on the court. Kwame scored 4 points in 13 minutes with 3 boards and 3 blocked shots. And he won’t let you get in his face either.

Photo/Getty Images

• Something so wrong at the Palace – Who was the genius that decided to get Cavalier phone service to sponsor the thundersticks so CAVALIER is written in bold across the thing?
• “Right now, we have to have a focus that is a game-winner, every possession,” Detroit guard Arron Afflalo said. “Just looking at a lot of the teams in history that are good teams, they played with a certain intensity, a certain focus, and a certain energy level, every possession. And being down 3-0, that’s what it’s come down to.” Via MLive
• What is really more to say, at least they tried. The Cavs are a better team and quite honestly it hurts much less to loose to them this year than it did in 07 when Detroit was the better team. I’m not giving up, but a Sunday home game looks daunting.

The Pistons are down 2-0 in their first round series with the Cavaliers. While things have looked less than inspiring off the court, Pistons fans should do wonders (crossing fingers) for them on the court as Detroit plays it’s first Playoff game of the year at the Palace of Auburn Hills.

It’s actually still not sold out, so if you can muster your way down (or up) to Auburn Hills, you may get a chance to witness see a playoff game on the cheap. Our Pistons can use all the support they can right now.

I have to say this is a must win for the boys in Blue, Red and White tonight. If they go down 3-0 with the fourth game in the afternoon Sunday at the Palace….well, you do the math.

Tip off is at 7:00 pm and will thankfully be broadcast in HD on FSN locally and ESPN Nationally. If you can’t catch either broadcast you can listen over at WDFN 1130 AM or follow the game over at NBA.com.

For those of you who are heading out…LOUD AND PROUD!

Leave your thoughts in the Comments or Chat live during the game.

The Pistons start off their brutal road trip in Cleveland tonight to face LeBron James and his 42-11 Cavs.

“We lost again,” guard Rodney Stuckey said. “I don’t know. I really can’t explain anything anymore. We just keep losing, and now we’ve got some great teams to play.” Via NBA.com

Stuckey has averaged 8.2 points during the Pistons current skid, and has totaled five points in his last two games.

Now they want to be on the road?

“I never say it’s a relief to go on the road,” Pistons coach Michael Curry said. But Curry admits, “this group of guys have had tendencies to not play as well at home, for whatever reasons.” Via MLive

Rip is awe, like the rest of us.

“It’s crazy,” said Detroit’s Richard Hamilton. “If you look at our record, that’s kind of insane to me. “The season is far from over. We have a tough schedule coming. We have to take it one game at a time, and hopefully get a win.” Via MLive

Remember my whole blind date analogy? Well the way Detroit is playing of late a win on the road against the Cavaliers is like a guy waiting for his fix up and Giselle Bundchen walks in hopped up on roofies, picks up the tab and insists on taking you home with her. I know…I’m horrible.

The Good/Bad/and More

• No More ‘FRO, you will see a new look Ben Wallace tonight.
• The Cavaliers, who own the NBA’s best home record at 24-1, have lost four of five to Detroit at Quicken Loans Arena.
• Detroit hasn’t lost six straight since Feb. 3-17, 2004.
• Delante West is back for The Cavs.
• Detroit is one game over 500, a loss tonight gives them a 27-27 record while fighting for the 6th seed with with Sixers.
• Michael Curry may decide to stick with his 7 man rotation since the starters got all that rest because of the TNT timeouts.

Tip off is at 8:00 PM and will be Nationally televised on ESPN and locally broadcast on FSN.  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.

Leave them in the Comments.

Forget the ESPN trade machine, forget what your friend said he heard, noting is really solid until someone makes a deal.  Dave Dial (always good with the numbers) confirms that maybe, just maybe a deal is forthcoming for the Pistons.

“A couple of things bear mentioning. Marc Stein’s numbers are different that Chris McCosky’s, and when checking the Pistons salaries I have something in between both of their figures. The terms of player contracts are not released, officially, by teams. But the media does get this information from either team sources or player agents.

{Update}: The failure to mention that if Stein’s numbers are correct and the trading of Alex Acker to the Clippers does not put the Pistons below the luxury tax threshold, the Stein’s scenario suddenly becomes more likely.

Nevertheless, Stein offers an interesting scenario where the Pistons end up with Amare Stoudemire. Conspiracy theory or not, we will know for sure in a few days. The trading deadline is Thursday, February 19th.” Via MLive

So with that lets give this a vote:

The Pistons are not in an ideal situation today.  No NBA player likes to play the second day of a back-to-back, but the fact that Detroit played a hard-fought overtime game against the Bucks that ended just before midnight and then they had to travel back to Detroit in the early morning hours to play tonight’s game against the Suns at The Palace.  Oh yeah….and it’s Sunday.

With the rumors surrounding Detroit and Phoenix in the Amare sweepstakes, the Pistons have to be all business to pull out a win against The Suns.

Each team currently has the same 27-21 record going into tonight’s game.

Good News/Bad News/and More

• Look for Shaq to take a cheap hard foul on one of The Pistons’ smaller players.  He’s good at that. He took out Rodney Stuckey with a hard foul that got him ejected in the Suns last meeting with the Pistons and leveled Amir Johnson last season.
• Detroit is seeking a third straight victory for the first time since its season-high seven-game winning streak from Dec. 23-Jan. 4.
• Again, it’s Sunday.
• The Pistons had lost 10 of their previous 14 games before winning their last two.
• Amare has pledged to elevate his game.

Tip off is at 8:00 P.M. and will be Nationally televised on ESPN. If you can’t watch the broadcast, tune into 1130 AM WDFN The Fan.  Can’t do either? Follow the game on NBA.com.

Comments and  Chat.

Just when it looked like the Pistons were going to suffer back to back home blowouts something clicked at The Palace. Down 12 early if the first quarter, Jason Maxiell entered the game and sparked a Pistons run in a high scoring first quarter (39 Houston 27 Detroit). Both teams had hot shooting nights, while Houston led most of the way, Detroit made it a game in the mid third quarter but couldn’t force overtime in the fourth.

The Pistons had two chances to send the game into OT after Artest missed a free throw with 10 seconds left. The first on a rushed Rasheed Wallace three pointer and then another from Arron Afflalo. Final score108-105.

Key Points:

• How is this to start things off, with the loss, the Pistons clinched their first losing month since February 2004.
• Yes that Dyess foul late in the game was an And 1, had it counted like it should have thing may have ended different.
• Sluggish right from the opening tip, it took the enthusiasm, athleticism and baby eating to get the Pistons right back into the game.  He played just 18 minutes going 4-for-4 for 8 points, 3 boards and a blocked shot. Babies were had for lunch (via Tate Lowe, team N4S member)

Photo/Getty Images

• The Rockets led by as much as 15 points, Detroit had the lead just once by one.
• Houston, who had McGrady and Artest (who got booed every time he touch the ball) back for the first time in a long while didn’t look like they missed a game between them. Artest led Houston with 24 and McGrady put up 15.
• Houston killed the Pistons from beyond the arc going 12-for-25 (48%).
• Looks like it took just one game coming off the bench for Richard Hamilton to get things going. Rip led the Pistons with 27 points on 11-for-21 shooting in 31 minutes on the floor.

Photo/Getty Images

• Rip coming off the bench means 46 Bench points for Detroit.
• Like it or not, a hot Richard Hamilton left Allen Iverson on the bench for the final minutes of the game. It could mean trouble…can’t make everyone happy.
• “I just feel like I can offer a little more to the team,” said Iverson, who scored 17 points on 5-for-10 shooting. “I can help us do more to win basketball games. When the opportunity presents itself, I’ll be right here to take on the challenge. I’m going to stay positive, stay focused, keep believing in my teammates when I’m not in the game and keep trusting them when I am in the game.”But Iverson isn’t used to being an afterthought after 13 seasons of what likely will be a Hall of Fame career.“Just when I thought I’d seen it all, something else happens,” Iverson said. “That was just different. Via The Detroit Free Press
• Iverson scored 17 on 5-for-10 shooting with 8 assists a steal and 2 boards in 34 minutes. Great numbers for a guy who sat in the fourth.
• With the awful way Detroit took care of the ball in the Dallas game, just 5 turnovers against Houston is promising.
• Rodney Stuckey was in foul trouble and didn’t even play a minute in the second quarter. Stuckey scored 14 on 7-for-12 shooting, with 8 assists and five boards.
• Liked what Rip and AI did on court together when Stuckey was out.
• Why isn’t Herrmann backing up Tayshaun at all? Small ball when Tay was resting. (more…)

The Pistons host the 24-18 Dallas Mavericks tonight for an early 7:00 PM start at The Palace. The Pistons will try to extend their winning streak to three games with a win tonight against old friend Rick Carlisle and the Mavs.

This will be the second game with new sixth man Richard Hamilton coming off the bench for Detroit. So look for him to keep trying to adjust to his new roll coming off the bench. If Will Bynum does anything it’s going to be getting Rip the ball.

Good News/Bad News:

• The Mavs would love to get back on track after being annihilated by THE MILWAUKEE BUCKS 133-99 Wednesday.
• Detroit and Dallas have alternated wins and losses in their last eight meetings at The Palace.
• Mark Cuban may start dancing

Tip off is at 7:00 P.M. and will be locally broadcast on FSN and Nationally on ESPN. If you can’t watch the broadcast, tune into 1130 AM WDFN The Fan, with pre-game coverage starting at 6:00 P.M. with Matt Dery. Can’t do either? Follow the game on NBA.com.

Comments, Chat and CONTEST