Key Points:

• Glad to see Arron Afflalo starting for Denver and truly making a difference.  I know we are guard heavy, but we gave him up for next to nothing .  He’s making a difference on both ends of the floor for the Nuggets.  He’s a starter in the NBA…it would be nice if they updated his profile picture in his Denver uniform. NBA webmaster fail.
• A monster game from Jason Maxiell, who put his athleticism and strength on display.  Maxiell went 7-for-9 for 16 points, a blocked shot and 8 boards in 24 minutes.  Denver didn’t know what to do with Maxi.
• On the other side of things… Charlie V 5 points 0n 2-for-6 , 7 boards in 18 minutes.  At least he’s grabbing boards when his shot inst working.
• Do we get alarmed with the way Ben Gordon’s season has turned out or do we blame injury or playing time?
• Some key baskets again from Rodney Stuckey, who scored 19 with 7 boards and six assists.  Was he trying to show Chauncey up?  I would be trying to if I was him, but what his stat line does suggest is that he’s turning into a complete player.

Photo/Getty Images

• Jonas Jerebko can’t get a call to save his life.  When will this kid get some respect from the refs?  The whistle was going against the Swede all night long and his playing time was hampered by fouls.  Just 18 minutes with 9 points on 4-for-5 shooting with and assist and 2 boards.  How great was it to see Jonas shirts and horn in the crowd in Denver.  The Need4Swede is everywhere.
• The Pistons really played a good 48 even though they didn’t come out ahead.  Board war won 50 to 38 and they had 21 assists on the night.
• Little disappointed in Detroit’s free throw shooting lately.
• Chauncey with 25 on the night with 2 assists and 4 turnovers.  The man is still Mr. Big shot no matter where he is.
• I caught Chauncey’s post game interview and noticed something funny sitting in his locker.  A white lunch bag with different colored hearts all over it,  I think his wife Piper must have packed him a post game snack.  My guess PBJ and a Capri Sun.
• Plenty of Blocked shots in this one.  Detroit blocked 5 and Denver 7.
• Chris Wilcox and Kwame Brown not active for this one because of health reasons.
• Highlights of The Game via NBA.com

• Anyone else notice Jason Maxiell’s jump shot has been money lately?
• Rip led the Pistons with 20 on 5-for-17 shooting with 5 assists and 6 boards.  He’s looking better and better ever game.
• Bynum just doesn’t look right lately.
• One points shy of a double-double for Ben Wallace, who scored 9 with 10 boards a steal and 2 blocked shots.  Where would this season be without him?
• So…can we officially say we are going for the ping pong balls now?
• Tonight against the Warriors.

Key Points:

• Detroit started off slow, but dug deep, got back in it and were within one at the half 56-55.
• Monster game from Dwight Howard, who is just plain fun to watch.  Howard put up 33 with 17 boards and 7 blocked shots.  He had almost as many Dunks as the Pistons did last night against Minnesota.
• Did Charlie Villanueva get his minutes taken away?  Three minutes and 16 seconds for CV31.
• Ben Gordon was ejected after he got clocked in the face by Redick.  The refs, who were extra bad last night, of course missed it and when Ben challenged the non call he was tossed.  He finished with 6 points in 21 minutes. He is slowly getting his game back.
• Will Bynum with 5 assist and zero points and an assist.  Was it me, or did Will look extra slow?
• Putback jam from Ben Wallace, who finished with 5 points, 6 boards and a steal.

Video Courtesy of The NBA and The Detroit Pistons

• As always I’m impressed with the hustle of Jonas Jerebko, but when he set a screen and took a football tackle from Matt Barnes (flagrant one) and got up smirking, I appreciated him just a little more. Jonas with 13, 2 steals, a blocked shot and 3 boards in 34 minutes.
• Win or lose, I love it how Detroit always brings it when it comes to the Magic.
• Rodney Stuckey scored 11 points on 4-for-13 shooting with 6 boards and 7 assists. So what if his shot didn’t fall, he was doing whatever he could when he was out there.
• Rip Hamilton with his most impressive game since he was injured. Game high 36 from Rip on 12-for-18 shooting with 3 assists, and 5 boards. It was nice to see everything going right for Rip, while playing the way we are used to seeing him play.

Photo/Getty Images

• Anyone catch how upset George Blaha was with the Refs?  It was hilarious.
• Detroit stepped up their Defense to get back in the game in the second quarter, but lost their way after the half.
• Tayshaun Prince keeps looking better, not perfect, but it will do. Prince scored 13 on 5-for-14 shooting with 8 boards and 3 assists.
• 42% shooting on the night for Detroit and 51% for the Magic.
• Outrebounded by just one 39-40.
• In my book it doesn’t count as a “no look pass” if you turn away an pose dramatically Jason.

• We have until 3PM Thursday to see if the Pistons make a move.

Key Points:

• I lost count after about 5, but this was the most dunk filled night ….ever?  (Blaha counted 12)
• So many, that the plays of the night were all the Dunks.

Video Courtesy of The Detroit Pistons and The NBA

• This game was dead even at the half at 52.
• Pistons ran out of the gate as soon as they returned from the locker room and never looked back. They were clearly in command even before the third quarter ended. Detroit was up by 20 when the third was over.
• Sharing the basketball was an understatement, and it started off that way.  The Pistons with 37 assists on the night.
• Oh my, Jonas Jerebko kick started the night with point after point for Detroit.  He was one short of tying his career high at 21 on the night.  Why did he miss his career total? The Pistons pulled ahead and he only had to play 20 minutes on the night.  Jonas added 2 steals, 3 boards in one of his best performances of the season.  And that’s saying a lot for the guy who’s been the spark of the season.  Rip to the Swede for the Jam….priceless.

Video Courtesy of The NBA

• Rip Hamilton, sharing the ball like he was a point guard. Rip finished with 12 points. 7 assist and a steal in 28 minutes.
• The Pistons were shooting 57% in the first half and the game was tied.  The defense helped that effort once the second half started.
• Stuckey with 10 points, and 6 assist in 20 minutes.  Nice game for Rodney, who didn’t have to carry the load for once.
• Ben Gordon with 8 points on 4-for-11 shooting…for a shooter, that’s still not good enough yet.
• Ben Wallace simply amazes, he put up 8 points (all I think were dunks), with 8 boards 2 blocked shots and a steal.  I don’t know what he did during the break, but he shook the floor with this dunk like he was drinking Hulk juice.

Video Courtesy of The Detroit Pistons and The NBA

• I got my hopes and dreams back for Jason Maxiell and since I have he’s done me right. Jason looks like the guy we know he can be, 10 boards, 6 points and a block that I’m counting that was a bad call in my book. The Baby Eater is back.
• Charlie Villanueva with 11 points, 6 boards, a blocked shot and 2 assists in 23 minutes. I hate to criticize when we blow out a team (which rarely happens these days) but please Charlie do you really need to take 6 threes?
• Tay with 11 points, 3 assists, 5 boards and a blocked shot in 31 minutes.  Prince was a +34 for the game.
• BYNUMITE – Will with a career high 14 assists on the night adding 6 points and a steal. Will still looks like his ankles are bothering him, but he’s still over producing.

Photo/Getty Images

• We were even treated with a nice windmill jam from Chris Wilcox.
• Board war won 38-44.
• Detroit shot 53% on the night.
• A Daye treat,  Austin with 9 points on 4-for-7 shooting in 7 minutes.
• Yes this was the Timberwolves, but the way Detroit came out and played really shows you what they can do if they put some heart and effort in for a full 48.
• Finally a fun game to watch.
• At Orlando Wednesday.

Key Points:

• How do you lose a game when you have 30 assist on the night? It’s rare, trust me.
• No Ben Gordon or Will Bynum.
• Tayshaun Prince in the starting lineup, JJ off the Bench.
• If you didn’t know it by now there is a Need4Swede at All Star Weekend.
• Tayshaun showing some signs of life with 12 points, and three boards on 6-for-15 shooting in 33 minutes. Should he really be playing 33 when he’s clearly not 100%.
• Austin Day – Did not play.
• Combined 21 assists between Rip and Stuckey.

Photo/Getty Images

• Rodney led the Pistons with 17 points, 11 board, 2 steals and 5 boards. Stuckey had just on turnovers on the night, but 2 bad passes in the closing seconds of the game that could have given the Pistons a chance to tie the ball game.
• But this…this in your face dunk will make it all better.  Well maybe not all better, but it was pretty sweet.

Video Courtesy of The NBA and The Detroit Pistons

See it again and again and again, full clip of the Stuckey Dunk. Gotta love the Blaha call.

Video Courtesy of The NBA and The Detroit Pistons

• A very sparse crowd at the Palace.  I’m talking pretty empty.
• Let’s just praise Ben Wallace for grabbing 9 boards and putting up 14 points, and adding 2 blocks.   His tip in for 2 points in crunch time was probably the play of the game.  How he keeps surprising us with his play is just short of miraculous.
• The most Jason Maxiell has contributed in a ball game to actually make a difference in at the last 50 games he played in. Maxiell sparks the Pistons fourth to tie the Grizzlies and take the league.  Jason finished  with 12 points in 17 minutes  with 4 boards and a steal.  Why he wasn’t in the game (of JJ for that matter) at the end of the game was surprising.

Video Courtesy of The NBA and The Detroit Pistons

• Charlie Villanueva with 13 points on 5-for-8 shooting with 7 board s and 3 blocked shots on the night.  He was the only Piston with + (5) besides Maxiell for the game.
• Good game from Rip, who really is impressing me with his assist totals lately.  Rip put up a double-double with 16 points, 10 assists and just one turnover.
• This is why Jonas Jerebko is in the Rookie Challenge..because he’s everywhere all the time and it’s more than rare that a play ever gets called for him. If I’m coaching, I make sure this guy stays in the starting lineup. The Swede finished with 8 points and 7 boards in 20 minutes on the floor.

Video Courtesy of The NBA and The Detroit Pistons

• Chris Wilcox started and put up 1 point in his 13 minutes.
• Anyone else remember the last time Kwame was in there?
• Outrebounded 44-39.
• Zach Randolph had 23 points and 19 rebounds, what got into him this season?  I remember when he played this well then things just fell off.
• Free throws cost us in this one, Detroit was 11 for 19 at the line.
• Another one on Friday at home against the Heat.  Want to go with me? You have till 11 AM tomorrow to enter for the pair of tickets.

The First Annual, once in a decade Pistonees vote has come to a close and we have tallied up the winners and are ready to open the envelopes.

Who did you vote for?

Did your pics go home with the statue?

Bennie, Jeff and yours truly announce and dissect  the award winners that you picked.

Here are your  the Pistoneee Winners.

Bennie, Jeff  and Natalie with the Pistoneee Winners – The Best of The Detroit Pistons

Key Points:

• Though Ben Gordon, Will Bynum and Tayshaun Prince were all listed as questionable, none of them took the court for Detroit.
• David Lee (26) and Danilo Gallinari pack (27) pack quite a punch.
• Lively crowd at the Palace, especially at the end when the game was on the line.
• The best game for Chris Wilcox who’s been really contributing since he’s been in the starting lineup.  Wilcox put up a doubl-double with 14 points, 10 boards and a blocked shot in just 16 minutes on the floor.  How about another Rip alley oop to Wilcox for the game.
• FYI the Palace store has absolutely no Wilcox merchandise available.
• With the help of Nate Robinson off the bench, the Knicks went on a 24-10 run to take the game down to the final seconds.
• After Friday night’s heroics in the fourth quarter and a trip to the hospital for Rodney Stuckey (to get his fluids replenished), Rodney led the team with 20 points, 4 assists, and three steals. Forty two minutes for a guy who could barley walk the night before and he leads his team to victory two games straight.

Photo/Getty Images

“I will just fight through it,” he said. “When (Ben Gordon) and Will (Bynum) get back, maybe I’ll get some rest. But for now, I have to keep fighting.” Stuckey Via Pistons.com

• I feel like a broken record when I talk about Jonas Jerebko and yes maybe I am a JJ slappy, but I love it that he works hard for every single opportunity he gets.  Not only does he make plays for himself, he does whatever he can to involve his teammates.  Jonas finished with 8 points, 5 boards and a steal on the night.
• Rip with 15 on 5-for-18 shooting with 5 boards and 5 assists.  He seems to be making an effort to get the ball where it needs to be.
• Board war won 51 to 39.
• The Pistons were outscored 30-17 in the fourth quarter.  Not Fun!
• As for Jonas fouling Gallinari on the tree point try, I didn’t watch the replay of the game but that didn’t look like a foul from where I was sitting.  In fact that looked like Jonas got a piece of the ball.  How Jonas felt after the call…let’s just say he had a word or two to the officials about what he thought.
• Another good performance from Charlie Villanueva.  Charlie scored 19 on 7-for-20 shooting, with 10 boards, 2 blocked shots and a steal.   Love that he’s putting up numbers, but don’t know if I want him going 1-6 from downtown.  I understand he was huge from three the other night, I just would like to see him get the bulk of his points down low.
• I feel like that was a Sheed deja vu.

Photo/Getty Images

“Guys are having fun,” Villanueva said. “Starting to see a little bit of chemistry out there and guys are kind of gelling together. We’ve got to keep it going.” Via Pistons.com

• Though  Jason Maxiell didn’t fill the box score, he helped contain David Lee (as much as you can contain him).
• You could clearly see that Ben Wallace and Rip Hamilton were tired after the OT win against the Hornets the night before.  Maybe they should have went with Rodney Stuckey to the hospital and got a little jolt themselves.  I don’t know how Rodney did it, but he did.
• I have to say I LOVE the antagonizing way Mason says Rodddddneyyyy Stucccccckeeeeey after a basket.

• I hate that Ben Gordon is sitting dressed on the bench…it’s such a tease.
• Special K and George with their thoughts and some Rodney Stuckey and Villanueva Highlights.

Video Courtesy of the NBA and The Detroit Pistons

• Working in the paint again, Pistons with 42 down low.
• The thing that impressed me all night was the great teamwork and ball movement.
• Back to Back thrillers just might be a way to keep this team in the W column.
• A MLK Matinee with the Knicks on Monday should prove interesting.  Three games in 4 days, with NY gunning for revenge.
• You should head on over to The Knicks Blog and check out Anthony “Rice Balls” Donahue talking Knicks and Pistons on his show.
• Curious to know what impressed you the most?

Stucktacular

Key Points:

• Still not Will Bynum, Tayshaun Prince or Ben Gordon.  Gordon sat dressed in his uniform on the bench, but did not enter the game.
• The Pistons started like gangbusters, outscoring the Hornets 31 to 16 in the first quarter, but Chris Paul started heating up and with him his team.
• Team work was evident, Detroit finished with 27 assists on the night.
• 42 minutes from Jonas Jerebko who seems to have a clone on the court when he’s out there. Jonas is  everywhere all the time.  J.J. finished with 13 points, 8 boards a blocked shot with 2 assists.  I don’t know about you, but it seems to me that when he’s in the starting lineup good things happen.
• Though Chris Wilcox played just 12 minutes, scoring 3 points, it was this assist to Ben Wallace for the reverse jam that was really impressive.

Video Courtesy of The NBA and The Detroit Pistons

• Oh my goodness,  Ben Wallace with 21 boards on the night, surpassing his season high while adding 13 points.  Another double-double for Ben, who’s constant control of the glass and the defensive end helped the Pistons control the game.   At this point in the season, it’s hard not to put Ben at the top of the list for team MVP.
• Charlie Villanueva with 13 points, 7 boards and 2 steals.  I know he’s been hot and cold all season long, but I’m hoping the Pistons current play will help him out of whatever funk he was in.
• Austin Day was great in his 14 minutes on the court.  Daye finished with 12 points and assist and a rebound.  He’s not afraid to take the big shot, and it always seems like he’s hitting them.  Is he our new 3 point go to guy?  Day was 2-for-2 from downtown.
• Rip Hamilton led all scorers with 32 points, 10 assists, 3 steals and 3 boards. If Detroit ever needed a double-double from Rip it was last night. Rip, stepped up and helped control the flow of the game with Rodney feeling far from 100%.

Photo/Getty Images

• It may have been upsetting to watch Detroit let their lead slip away in the fourth, but this time they didn’t fold when their back where against the wall.  Had they not have broken their losing streak before this game, their spirit may not have willed them to fight for this one.
• Detroit had the ball for the last shot in regulation, but couldn’t convert on a Rip Hamilton jumper. Nothing to knock Rip’s fantastic night, but he took the ball up for the last shot and fell short. That’s where we miss Chauncey most of all. I wanted the ball in Rip’s hand, but not that way. Coming off a screen and getting the ball for the last shot is where Rip is money.
• With Rodney not feeling well and not having a great game, it was most likely that we would have seen more of Chucky Atkins down the stretch, but Atkins fouled out and back came a hurt and very tired looking Rodney Stuckey. I don’t know what got into Stuck, but he put his team on his back in OT converting two three point plays, helping Detroit secure the win. Check out Rodney’s fire.

Video Courtesy of The NBA and The Detroit Pistons

• Six Pistons in double figures.
• 30 points in the paint.
• Board war won 46-34.
• The Pistons biggest lead was 18 points at one time.
• Check out the Highlights via NBA.com with the ridiculous Charlie Villanueva slam.

• Another night, another game. Tonight against the Knicks.

That may sound silly to you, but it’s true, as I sat and watched the Pistons beat the Wizards 99-90 with a considerable amount of Pistons fans in the Need4Sheed Live Blog, we almost celebrated as if it were a playoff victory.

That’s what a 13 game losing streak does to fans, I can only image what it does to the players and the coaches.

Key Points:

• Ben Gordon dressed for the game, but did not play. Will Bynum and Tayshaun Prince were still in street clothes.
• Thank you Detroit Pistons for playing a complete 48 minutes of hustle and heart. Finally!
• Chris Wilcox stared at PF and Jonas Jerebko started the game place of Prince.
• The Pistons led most of the ball game, but control was slipping in the third when Jamison started getting really hot. Antawan scored a game high 31 points.
• Can’t believe I can say this – Clutch 4th quarter from the Pistons, who shot 67% to make sure they didn’t let this one slip away.
• Need4Swede is a bundle of hustle, making some huge shots late in the fourth quarter when the game was on the line. Jones played all 42 of his minutes like the Energizer Bunny. JJ scored 13 points on 5-for-9 shooting with 7 boards an assist and a blocked shot.

Photo/Getty Images

• Thanks have to go out to Ben Wallace for his extreme hustle and heart throughout the losing streak. He even went as far a blaming himself for the teams woes, when he was clearly one of the bright spots. Wallace finished with 4 points, 2 steals, 6 boards, a blocked shot and an assist in 31 minutes. I had a very good feeling when this happened that the Pistons were actually going to win.

Video Courtesy of The NBA and The Detroit Pistons

• The Pistons biggest lead was 12, while the Wizards had an 8 point lead at one point.
• Rodney tied a career high with 11 assists. That was huge for Detroit who racked up 23 assists on the night.
• Teamwork.
• Despite 19 points from Rip Hamilton, he looked off most of the game. He was 8-23 on the night with 7 assist and 4 turnovers. At one point most of us watching the game just wanted him to stop shooting.
• Chuckey Atkins did his part by hitting some huge three’s. Atkins went 3-5 from downtown with 2 assists and 3 boards in 22 minutes on the floor. Each shot he made came right when the Pistons needed something big.
• Eighteen minutes for Maxiell, who didn’t fill the box but had a solid game.
• Huge night for Rodney Stuckey, with 19 points, 11 assist, a steal and 6 boards. You can’t ask a guy to come close to a triple-double every night, but he really did what he had to do to get his teammates involved.



Photo/Getty Images

• Defense – the Pistons held the Wizards to a season-low 11 points in the second quarter.
• 23 for Charlie V! Huge, huge game for Charlie Villanueva who knew he had to redeem himself after the poor shooting performance against the Bulls. A ridiculous 5-for-6 from downtown with 9 boards in 29 minutes while stepping up on the defensive end. Timing for Charlie V was everything, like Chuckey, clutch threes held the Pistons together.
• We said Charlie V’s Mask was good luck didn’t we? Charlie got hit in the nose in the 2nd and returned at the half with the Mask on. It may just turn into a superstition like Rip.
• I don’t know who was more excited, Special K or Blaha. I sure did miss…Don’t look now but the Pistons are up 10 with 2 minutes to go.

Highlights via NBA.com

“Somebody had to win tonight — and we just wanted it to be us,” said Hamilton. “We knew when we came in tonight, we could only worry about us.” Via The Detroit Free Press

• With the losing streak behind the Pistons, they still need to recover from their injuries and try to get some kind of flow going.  It’s by no means over, but a lot of people are going to sleep a lot better. I know I will.

Bennie and Jeff had a brilliant idea to hand out Pistoneees. What are Pistoneees? Well they are the Pistons Decade awards voted on by you …the people.

Listen to the Nominations and then make your final decisions and vote.

Vote – The Best of The Detroit Pistons Decade

Bennie and Jeff with the Pistoneees – The Best of The Detroit Pistons

Like Bennie and Jeff mentioned, we will be announcing the awards later in the week, so get to voting.
I will put up a link to this post at the top of the page for easy access to voting.

Who is most deserving of a Pistoneee? You decide!

Key Points:

• Losing aside, it was nice to get Ben, Rip and Tayshaun back.  Because of the suspensions to Daye and Jerebko on opening night, this was actually the first game all season long at full strength.
• Pistons started this one strong in the first few minutes of the game, but Toronto slowly pulled away leading by as much as 20.
• Fantastic third quarter where the Pistons outscored the Raps 28-13 to give them a chance in the second half.
• The Pistons still winning the board wars (40-36), and still not winning games.
• Huge game from Chris Bosh a 16 rebound 25 point double-double in 38 minutes.
• Chucky Atkins deactivated and the box score listed DaJuan Summers with a strained left knee.
• The thing that the Pistons have been hanging their hat on has seemed to disappeared in the past few games. It’s not just the pick and roll defense that’s suffering either.
• After being out 8 weeks with a back injury, Tayshaun Prince looked pretty good.  Prince scored 9 on 4-for-8 shooting with 3 boards and  3 assists in 26 minutes.

Photo/Getty Images

• Gordon looked a bit rusty to start, but caught his groove in the second half finishing with 15 on 4-for-15 shooting with 5 boards.  I’m guessing he’s back to his usual self by Tuesday.

“We had our chances tonight,” Gordon said. “With all the injuries and guys coming back, I still thought we had a chance to win the game. We just didn’t convert on plays that we needed to.” Via The Detroit News

• Five Pistons in double figures.
• A decent 40% shooting percentage compared to the twenty something they put up last time against Toronto. However the thing that may have done the Pistons in was it’s 33% shooting in the third quarter while allowing the Raps to shoot 62%.
• With BG, Tay and Rip back and “The Swede” starting at PF I was surprised the Pistons didn’t rest Charlie Villanueva.   Charlie scored 8 on 2-for-7 shooting with 2 boards, a blocked shot and 4 turnovers.
• The Raptors really have the Pistons number this season.  This may be one of the best Raptors teams I can remember in quite some time.
• The Pistons seem to have trouble getting to the line lately they were 23-for-33, while Toronto was 32-for44.
• Rodney Stuckey’s high…..high glasser had to be the shot of the night, this thing bounced off the top of the backboard and fell right in.

Video Courtesy of The NBA, FSN and The Detroit Pistons

• Rodney scored 13 on 5-for14 shooting with 8 boards, 5 assists and a steal. Solid all around game for Rodney.
• Detroit trailed 74-69 after three thanks to a (as Blaha said) a “man sized third quarter” from Jonas Jerebko. Prince got the Pistons to within 85-84 on a turnaround jumper with 5:47 left in the fourth, but that’s as close as it got.
• Just 9 turnovers for Detroit.
• A Bynumite ankle breaker.
  
• Will Bynum finished with just 4 points, 2 boards and an assist in just 14 minutes on the floor.
• Clearly Jonas Jerebko was the player of the game, enormous hustle all game long and dunks and consecutive three pointers in the third to get the Pistons back in the game.

Video Courtesy of The NBA, FSN and The Detroit Pistons

• Need4Swede, despite the return of Prince in the starting lineup, started the game at PF. Jonas finished the game with 14 points with 7 boards, 2 steals and a block shot before fouling out on a bogus call in the fourth quarter. I hate to say it, but had Jonas not been called for that last shot, thing may have ended just a bit different.
• Rip, Ben and Tay back but Jonas was the difference maker.
• Happy to see Chris Wilcox being the guy I thought he was going to be when he got to Detroit. Six quick points in 12 minutes with 2 boards and a blocked shot. That’s nice production in short minutes.
• Highlights of the game via NBA.com
  
• Can they get things together for their next game at home against the Knicks? My guess it that the losing streak ends Tuesday.
• Apologizing it was a long time coming, but Mr. Atkins is not tooned.  I also have a bit of a surprise with a couple new additions to the header of the site.