It was an exciting night at the Palace. Chris Webber made his debut in a Pistons uniform and Chauncey Billups returned after an 11 game absence due to a calf strain. The Pistons looked like they were going to win this one, they led by as much as 13 points, but the hot hand of Deron Williams and Mehmet Okur were to much for them. Billups, who led the Pistons with 26 had a chance to win the game with seconds on the clock but just couldn’t knock down the game winner.
Key Points:
- The Pistons offense looked so much better now that Chauncey is back.
- The Pistons were 0-for-7 to start off the game but their defense kept them close.
- Chauncey looked fine out there, he didn’t look bothered by his injury.
- Dale Davis is still in the starting lineup, but I am sure that will change very soon.
- Nazr Mohammed didn’t play.
- Richard Hamilton fouled out of the game.
- Rasheed got a technical foul late in the fourth quarter. Had he not, we would have went into OT.
- I think that’s 11 on Sheed.
- Chris Webber entered the game for the first time in the second quarter.
- Dyess is playing his heart out.
- Webber, 2 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists and 1 blocked shots in 17 minutes.
- Lindsey Hunter defense almost won the game.
- Once again an opposing teams player has a career night against the Pistons. Deron Williams scored a career high 31 points.
- The Pistons were up by 12 points in the second quarter when Flip Murray entered the game and and Deron Williams blew by him continuously and scored easy layups. Lead gone.
- Flip Saunders doesn’t know when to call a time out!
- The Pistons shot 41% for the night.
- The Pistons rank #1 in merchandise, maybe it’s because they sell just about everything with a Pistons logo on it. Did you know you can get Pistons Thongs? Just in time for Valentines day too!
- The thing that really bothers me is the inability to close out games, something I never worried about before.
- Rip scored just 10 points.
- McDyess scored 16 points and pulled down 9 rebounds.
- Billups was 4-for-7 from downtown.
- Webber looked a bit nervous.
- Flip Murray played just 4 minutes.
- Delfino, 18 hustle minutes.
- The Pistons look like they are trying to embrace their new teammate.
- Pistons fans gave Webber a nice ovation.
- The Pistons got out rebounded.
- My friend Ryan bumped into Fatima Wallace and Piper Billups and took their picture. He said they were extremely nice.
- The Pistons Defense looked great, in stretches.
- Is it just me or do you think Flip Saunders could be gone if he doesn’t start winning?
- Jerry Sloan scares me. He was rocking a hot pink tie tonight. Which kinda made him look like this.
- No Maxiell again, but that’s because Dyess has been on fire.
- Webber can pass.
- Golden State Of Mind says the Warriors are looking to trade for Nazr Mohammed.
- Webber’s stat line doesn’t give a good indication of his impact in the game.
- I could hear just about every word Sheed said on court.
- The Jazz went to the line 33 times to the Pistons 20.
- I think Delfino gets a haircut every week, he’s mantastic.
- Saunders was pissed when Sheed got called for the tech.
- Lindsey scored 12 points in 13 minutes. He knocked down a 3 that got the Pistons within 1 at the end of the game.
- Tayshaun silently had 17.
LOL The Jerry Sloan comment and picture is funny as hell, I literally laughed out loud. and yeah Fatima and who I think was Piper, were very nice and great lookin.
The main point you made was the fact that Saunders does not know when to call a timeout. I was at the game with a buddy and we both couldn’t figure out why he let Utah go on such a big run. I remember when we had Carlie. This fool wouldn’t let a team get nothing but a 6-0 run going before he’d call a timeout. It got annoying at times but overall its the right thing to do. Oh and by the way, All you fans at the game who tried to be funny and make timeout/webber jokes, your stale and the shit wasn’t really that funny. Worst one of the night -FUNNY GUY-“It is a stipulation in webbers contract”
STUPID FRIEND-“What is?”
FUNNY GUY-“That he CANNOT call timeouts. HUH HUH HUH
F**CKING DOUCHBAGS
I was at the game too Junior, I didn’t hear any comments like that, but if I did I would have been pretty pissed too. The standing ovation for him was pretty cool though.
Sheed needs to stop beefing with Flip, or else he’s going to singlehandedly prevent the Pistons from going anywhere this season. I’m hoping against hope he’ll get it together.
Oh, that Sloan “LURCH” impression is just too much! *LOL*
Well, I certainly didn’t expect them to win tonight, but they could have. The refs sure did enough to gift-wrap that one for Utah. Yeah, it’s tough now, but I sense attitudes are getting right, while this new transition is just beginning. This is going to work out, and you can bet that the new bench pieces are going to fit this time; Joe D. has the luxury of waiting for what he wants now.
I’m hoping the plan is for Maxiell to spell Tayshaun down the road. I don’t think there’s any chance of McDyess getting dealt, and I hope any offer for Davis is resisted also. Nazr is so disenchanted, he has to be the one to go; he isn’t helping himself with pouting.
The way Hunter’s playing, it is easing the need to jump at just any PG offers; just the right one. I think I’d still like to see Lindsey’s minutes limited, so he stays fresh; we still need a good backup PG. While Lindsey and Billups played great, McDyess is playing possessed. He seems to making a statement that he doesn’t want to be the one to leave.
I keep wondering about Delfino getting minutes backing up Chauncey, so Mad Max could get some minutes with Davis and Dyess, along with ***the mystery man to-be-named later***. Mix Hunter into that, when it’s time to step on a throat!
This was the kind of game that the Pistons won’t be losing in the near future. They are shaky now, while Saunders is working on gaining their respect and trust, so that they take the floor with confidence again; a tough job with all that’s going on. Dumars doesn’t look too worried, so I guess we shouldn’t be either.
Being in Louisiana, I “watch” most of the games via play-by-play on Yahoo Sports–thus I do not see any action, only read it when it scrolls by. Good news–we didn’t lose last night to a sub .500 team; bad news–we were in control of the game and let it slip away. What happens in the locker room at halftime? We seems to be outscored almost all the time now in the 3rd quarter. Good news–down by 7 or 8 late in the game and had a chance to win it at the end; bad news–missed shot and of course “Sheed’s T” was the 1 point difference. How many points in the paint did we give up last night? Seems like I was reading “layup by …” for Utah on almost every shot. If this is some master plan by Saunders that needs time to develop and we start not losing games we should be winning, then OK, I can endure this current streak of inconsistency. You all see the games–does it look like Saunders is in control and knows how to handle our guys; does it look like he is developing a master plan? We are near the halfway point of the season and instead of getting better–gelling as a team–we seem to be on the decline. I’m a Piston fan for life, but unless I see some improvement real soon, I am losing confidence in Saunders as coach.
The fact that the players do not seem to like flip gives ggod reason why he should be let go. First it was Ben last yr as well other plays openly expressed differences with him and now this yr its sheed could this mean anything??? I would say so Flip doe not know how to win his record shows that. I really beleive that Flips lack of winning is the reason why things went so bably last season. I know that the past is the past and this yr we all were going to give him a chance and well he is doing even worst this season. I hope the pistons can turn it around and I have faith they can but tehy need to start winning games for that to happy and i just do not see it with Flip. I know winning means nothing until the playoffs but we need to know how to win and work on our game in order to beable and close out a team in 5 or 6 games in the playoffs. This game lst night was close and the pistons for some reason can not beat the jazz but I hope things turn around.
I think Nazr should have played instead of Davis. Nazr plays well Flip benchs him. Remember he came here to score not to rebound and now we have given up on him. I hate to see nazr leave but it will be best for his game.
Balls dude we played so well, if Rip stayed in the game we would hav won, chauncey played great love him! man our back court is tyt, and i love McD hes da man i think he is great
I think Tay does not get enought credit. one point you missed was be blk 3 shots. I wish he got more credit but I think he likes being behind the sences. I do however think he is starting to play again and well and needs to get the credit that is due to him. Tay plays his heart out even when his shot is going. There are not many nights when you see him giving up. He does not let things get to him and I like that about him. He is a great player and I wish he would get the credit he is due. I hope he makes the all star team this year if not I will be very upset. You hear so many coachs say that tay is a hard player and hard to defend. If that does not tell you something I don;t know waht will.
almei… and had the Pistons won that narrowly missed game at the buzzer, without the benefit of one practice for C-Webb’s “welcome home”, and the adjustments necessary for Chauncey’s “welcome back”, would you be hailing Saunders as a “genuis”, or would all credit have gone to the players? Flip Saunders is too easy of a scapegoat for this one. How many games have the Pistons lost lately due to them not biting their lip, and avoiding a “T”? This team needs to buckle down, work hard, and avoid distractions, while allowing themselves to be coached.
This team is more in preseason mode now than anything else, with the addition of Webber, the working of him into the starting lineup ~ not a bench piece, while we all wait for the final roster moves for the new second unit to be put in place, so Flip knows what players he has to deal with in creating some chemistry, harmony, and confidence. They have none of that at this juncture, but they will soon; they have the time, and nobody is running away from them in the standings. In no way can you characterise this team as one that’s been together for half a season! It ain’t so today, and it may be weeks before the malcontents are shipped out, and the new faces brought in. It’s impossible to click on all cylinders, when the rest of the team hasn’t had their invitation sent out yet. Saunders coached them to 64 wins last season, didn’t he? Exhaustion and insubordination highly contributed to their lackluster play in the playoffs last year. Dumars is working on acquiring the components to have a strong bench, and the players must decide how bad they want to win it all. C-Webb will help in the chemistry area. I’m not worried about Tayshaun, Chauncey, Rip, and McDyess, or Rasheed for that matter; Sheed is Sheed, but he wants to win too. If he displays more of an embracing to the ever-evolving Saunders plan, this will happen much quicker; this isn’t a time to panic. If you’re losing confidence at this point, how much have you had to start with? BELIEVE IN THE DETROIT PISTONS! Believe in Joe, Flip, and the pride that resides in the core players of this team. They will get it togther; trust that!
I’m all in favor of bringing Bonzi in for Nazr; too bad that there probably isn’t a chance of swapping Flip Murray for Jalen Rose. Rose would be my main Chauncey backup, but there’d be a problem dishing enough minutes out to Delphino, Wells, and Maxiell. I’m sure Dumars is trying to work a plan to keep his starters minutes all around 30-35; this will be a true team if he can accomplish that, and a dynamic one. Most of the pieces are there already; it’s the roles that aren’t yet!
I’m confident that all our hopes will be restored before March ends. Try to focus one the good things that are starting to develope – they are there, and the W’s will come.
nazr for barnes and Sarunas Jasikevicius .
Where did you hear that Matt, I can’t find anything about it…
Pistons better not trade McDyess or I’m going to be upset. He’s a good try and is really playing with a lot of effort lately. Joe D, if you are reading this, PLEASE DO NOT TRADE ANTONIO MCDYESS! He is a good player, wants and deserves a ring too.
why would joe D be reading this?
you nincompoop.