• 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.

Forget the fact that Detroit let a 19 point lead against the Bulls shrink to just one. Rodney Stuckey put Detroit on his back to pull out a much-needed win on his way to scoring a career high 40 points Tuesday night at The Palace in Detroit’s 104-98 victory.

Key Points:

• Detroit Led 58-45 at the half only to let the Bulls go on a 20 to 2 run to cut the Pistons lead to just one.
• The Bulls never led.
• I still don’t like Nocioni, but I got to give it up to him for pushing his teammates when they weren’t playing well. Did you see him get in Tyrus Thomas’s face?
• Sheed started the game on fire again scoring Detroit’s first seven points but got cold later going 5-for-14 on his way to a 11 point 4 rebound game.
• Rasheed also earned his 11th tech of the year that he was called for during a timeout. Seriously?
• Was Rodney trying to prove something against rookie point guard Derrick Rose?
• The Bulls had no answer to Rodney Stuckey who looked like an All-Star getting whatever he wanted on his way to a career-high 40 points.

Photo/Getty Images

• First lava ball of the season by the way and I’m glad it went to Stuckey after the effort and heart he showed last night.
• Stuckey scored 17 by the half.
• It almost seems like a distant memory when Rodney Stuckey was having trouble with his jumper. This starting lineup business is suiting him well.
• Antonio McDyess and Tayshaun Prince each put up a double-double. Antonio with 10 points and 11 boards and Prince with 14 points and 11 boards.
• Richard Hamilton 14 points and no ejections!
• No Brown, Hermann, Johnson or Bynum.
• FSN highlights by the quarter.
• 10 straight games with a Pistons Tech, no wonder Tayshaun is pissed.
• This is why Jason Maxiell should never have a DNP Coaches Decision.

Video Courtesy of The NBA, The Detroit Pistons and FSN

• Though he played just 14 minutes, it was all fire and baby eating. Jason had 4 points, 6 rebounds and 2 blocked shots in short minutes. Watch this stretch of Maxiell greatness.
• No, I am not happy that they lost a 19 point lead, but as soon as it got to one they started to take over. Clearly this is a Pistons team we are not used to seeing, or maybe we are?
• Derrick Rose just 10 points in 23 minutes with foul trouble.
• Blaha and Kelser had a fantastic time with the way Stuckey was playing. The kid got whatever he wanted and made it look like butter.
• Five Pistons in double figures.
• 42 points in the paint for The Bulls and 42 for The Pistons.
• Forget the fact that his stat line was 40 points on 15-for-24 shooting. His defense was great, he managed to rack up 4 steals and grabbed 2 boards with 4 assists.
• Did I mention he was responsible for the play of the game? But that’s a given.

Video Courtesy of The NBA, The Detroit Pistons and FSN

• A few Stucktacular Highlights.
• Weird to see Lindsey Hunter in a Bulls uniform with a clean shaven head.
• 15 turnovers for the Bulls to Detroit’s 9.
• Allen Iverson just 24 minutes after he went down with sore left groin. He still managed 8 assists and 5 points. Take note of the behind the back pass to Afflalo in the Maxiell highlights. This could be Iverson’s first game as a pro that he did not score a field goal, all of his points came from the line. Ryan in the comments “By the way, on ESPN, it said that on April 2nd, 1999, AI went 0 for 7. He played 12 minutes that game after a feud with Larry Brown”
• Iverson is listed as day to day, but I can almost guarantee he plays on Friday. It’s just how he rolls.
• Another solid outing from Arron Afflalo
• The Pistons shot 42% from the floor to The Bulls 47%
• On their way…outrebounded by just 2. The Bulls pulled down 46, the Pistons 44.
• 7 games as a starter and shooting 60%….Rodney Stuckey’s Post Game Interview. He keeps playing like this and he is going to be an All Star.
• This is one of those performances that you just have to watch again. Great way to start off a Holiday!

The Pistons continue to go through their growing, slowing, showing or blowing pains….take your pick. After a semi-solid three quarters of ball at the Palace of Auburn Hills against a Sixers team that was minus their All Star, Detroit let a 15 point third quarter lead turn into a demoralizing loss. Another struggling team comes into The Palace and takes down the home team.

Key Points:

• 38 points in fourth quarter for The Sixers pretty much says it all.
• 96-91 Final Score, Detroit didn’t really even have a chance in the closing minutes.
• When does Sheed come to play and when doesn’t he? It’s not about talent because from an outsiders point of view he looks like he puts forth effort when he feels like it. The Timeberwolves or the Sixers aren’t good teams so he doesn’t show? I knew it was going to be one of those nights when his first shot was a ridiculous hook that I cant recall him ever attempting since wearing red, white and blue.
• Put as much effort into the games as you have for North Carolina basketball and Detroit will win it all Rasheed.
• I’m putting much of the blame for the loss on Coach Curry. Like The Fluidics said in the comments, he would rather sit a player to prove a point than put his best team on the floor. I’m not saying that happened last night but you can see his mistakes are costing Detroit games.
• Webster buried us with a three. It doesn’t get much worse than that.
• Was it just me or was Kwame Brown doing a hell of a job on the defensive end in the first half and then Curry didn’t use him when Detroit’s defense was breaking down in the fourth.
• A Maxiell dunk has to make you smile if you actually read down this far…enjoy. (more…)