Key Points

• The crowd at the Palace was great and it was a very entertaining game. The Pistons came to play, starting the game focused and forcing Pop to call an early time out after the Pistons went on a 9-0 run.
• The trade I would have liked to see before the deadline…..Antonio McDyess shipped to a contender.  He’s got more heart and will in his little finger than that whole team does right now. And I’m pretty sure he helps old ladies cross the street when nobody’s looking.  We are sorry Antonio.  Ice for Dyess seems futile now, doesn’t it?
• A great first quarter followed by a second quarter where Detroit was outscored 24-16.  They fought the rest of the way.
• What did Afflalo do to be in his current dog house position? Probably the same thing Maxiell did a while back. Nothing.
• Second time this season they’ve lost four straight at home.
• Allen Iverson led the Pistons with 31 points on 13 for 28 shooting.  He added 7 assists, a steal, a blocked shot and was taking it to Tony Parker like he was invincible.  Nothing was as pretty as this reverse.

Video Courtesy of The NBA, The Detroit Pistons, The NBA and TNT

• “Iverson, who scored 12 in the fourth, including a layup that put the Pistons up 79-78 with 1:21 left, missed his last three shots, including a 3-pointer with 5.9 seconds left that would have tied the score.
  “A play like that matters so much, but just getting to the point where we needed a desperation shot to tie the game is the frustrating part,” Iverson said. “We put ourselves in a bad predicament.” Via The Detroit News
• We all would have loved for Iverson to have taken that shot because Sheed’s 17 footer over Duncan just looked awkward.
• Matt Bonner…really?
• Stuckey, 2 points, 8 assists in 28 minutes.  He may not have lit it up, but remember he only took three shots.
• I wont bore you with the DNP’s.  Curry went with a seven man rotation.
• This Jason Maxiell dunk sent the Palace crowd WILD.  It looked even better on TV.

Video Courtesy of The NBA, The Detroit Pistons, The NBA and TNT

• Jason Maxiell, 25 minutes, 10 points on 4-5 shooting with 9 boards and a blocked shot. And intensity. Max, Dyess and AI came to play.
• NBA.com Higlights of the Game.
• 16% from downtown. Yuck
• When we needed a three wasn’t there a better option than AI?  Just putting that out there.
• Sheed 4-for-17, Rip 2-for-10, Tayshaun 3-for-10. Can’t win like that.
• “I don’t mind playing iso-basketball, but I like to run,” Iverson said. “I don’t want to have to play iso-ball. I would rather us get baskets in the first four or five seconds of the shot clock. That’s the way I want to play. I want to run up and down the court so we don’t have to play against a big defense like that.” Via The Detroit News
• ANOTHER double-double for Antonio Mcdyess with 13 points and 13 boards, a steal and 2 blocked shots.  The man is playing like he’s got the weight of the team on his shoulders.  Good thing because nobody else is taking things to heart like Dyess.  And the man recorded his 1000th career block.
• On just one reason why Michael Curry can be blasted…….From Chris McCosky of the Detroit News. “.. Curry only played two reserves, Hamilton and Jason Maxiell (10 points, nine rebounds). His reasoning: The Pistons don’t play again until Sunday night and with the game on TNT, there were longer timeouts.
• That says it all…..with that kind of logic, Sunday against Cleveland should be a mess.
• Honestly, I think a Ouija board would produce better results than Curry at this point.

As all of you know by now Joe Dumars and the Pistons stood pat at the trading deadline, so beyond the firing of a certain coach it looks like this team will probably stay just the way it is.  Oh wait…it can get worse, did anyone take a look at the next block of games?

Tonight vs San Antonio
Sun 22 @ Cleveland
Tue 24 @ Miami
Wed 25 @ New Orleans
Fri 27 @ Orlando
Sun 01 @ Boston
Tue 03 vs Denver

With the Pistons on a four game losing streak going into tonight’s Nationally televised game against the 35-17 Spurs if they can actually pull off the win tonight maybe, just maybe they can get some confidence going into the next stretch of difficult games.

Just think, if things go the way they have been, by the time Chauncey returns to the Palace the Pistons could be out of the Playoff picture.  I can’t believe I just said that.

Good/Bad News and More

• Curry is still in charge but he did manage to play Zone in the loss to the Bucks and go figure, it worked.  We may see it again.
• Ginobili is out got two to three weeks.
• The Spurs have lost their last two games.
• Don’t get overexcited for Chris Bosh.
• Don’t forget to try to win DIME MAGAZINE featuring Rodney Stuckey.  Leave the word STUCKTACULAR in the comment section of DIME with your correct email address.

Tip off is at 8:00 PM and will be Nationally televised on TNT.  If you can’t catch the broadcast you can listen locally at WDFN 1130 AM or follow/listen to the game at NBA.com.

Leave them in the Comments.

The Pistons will try to get back on track today in San Antonio. The Piston have lost three of their last five game and still look like a team in transition. To make matters worse, coach Curry is calling out his players and had to explain why.

“Curry said Monday that he expects his starters will continue to play fewer minutes than they are used to.
“Young guys haven’t played,” he said. “At the end of the year, guys are tired. Y’all tell me all the excuses — I’ve read all of them over the years. We’re going to play our young guys. If our young guys are playing well, they’re going to stay in the game. They deserve it, they’ve earned it, and that’s what we’re going to do.” Via The Detroit Free Press.

The Spurs have won three in a row at home, but Detroit both their meetings last season and has won five of the past seven matchups.

Tip off is at 8:30 and will be broadcast on FSN with the pre-game festivities starting at 8. If you can’t watch the television broadcast, tune into 1130 AM The Fan. Can’t do either, follow the game on NBA.com.

You know what to do either in the comments or chat.

The Pistons will play the Spurs tonight in Grand Rapids to try to keep their pre-season record perfect. Rodney Stuckey will be starting in place of an injured Chauncey Billups (minor ankle sprain). It would be nice to see Arron Afflalo repeat his the 28 point performance that he put up against the Bucks, but if he can’t I’m sure one of the other youngSTARS will take his place.

I attended the last Grand Rapids pre-season game last season and let me tell you those are some serious and thankful Pistons fans. The place will be packed with a ton of enthusiastic fans that usually make the best of their only chance to see Detroit play all season. Tayshaun Prince also impressed with the fans in GR last season over at Pistons.com (video).