The Pistons beat the Magic 100 – 92 in the first game of the 2007 playoffs. Led by Richard Hamilton and Chauncey Billups, the Pistons maintained the lead throughout. While in control most all of the game, the Magic got as close as three points late in the fourth quarter, but the Pistons kept their poise and put them away.
Key Points:
- Rip and Chauncey were both keys of the game; they each put up 22 points.
- Surprisingly, no Flip Murray; he was a DNP.
- Why must the Pistons let teams back in the game late in the fourth quarter? This is a habit I can’t live with. I swear I am getting an ulcer.
- The Pistons did a nice job on Dwight Howard; they put him on the line and he didn’t deliver.
- Pistons fans had NO mercy for Mr. Milicic.
- Tayshaun scored 12 with 6 assists, 2 rebounds and a block. He had some clutch baskets and if the refs had glasses I counted about 3 clean blocks.
- Speaking of the refs, I don’t complain much, but they were horrible.
- Rasheed was money from the tipoff. He scored 16 points with 6 rebounds and a steal. He also hit three clutch treys.
Photo by D. Lippitt/Einstein/NBAE via Getty Images
- Believe it or not Darko was 5-for-6 from the floor for 14 points.
- Human Victory Cigar informs me that the Magic’s motto for the Playoffs is Code Blue.
- McDyess looked very frustrated; he was 2-for-6 from the floor for 5 points. That didn’t seem to matter because his defense was clutch with a block, a steal and 9 timely rebounds.
- Delfino was everywhere again. I would say all of his 9 points came right when the Pistons needed them.
- The Magic had 20 turnovers to the Pistons 9.
- Dwight Howard almost out rebounded the whole Pistons team, he had 19.
- Even though the Pistons controlled the game, they need to close these games out. They can’t do that every night, especially when they are playing better teams.
- Rip had 22 points, 4 rebounds, 4 assists and a steal. Rip was hot to start the game.
Photo by D. Lippitt/Einstein/NBAE via Getty Images
- The Magic started the game with Jameer on Rip so he wouldn’t have to get abused by Chauncey. Instead, Rip took advantage of him.
- Turkoglu always seems to get clutch baskets for Orlando.
- Jason Maxiell made a 3 minute appearance but Darko shot right over the top of him twice and he was quickly pulled. He did manage to score 2 points though.
- The Pistons had 29 assists.
- The Pistons asked me to lend some of my wallpapers to their new FAN WALLPAPER section for the Playoffs. So if you have some skills head on over there and send them your work, you might get featured on Pistons.com.
- The Palace was very loud. I need to stop whistling so loud, I tend to make myself dizzy. Is an Air Horn appropriate?
- I actually saw one Magic fan last night. He looked surprisingly like Dwight Howard.
- Chauncey started the game slow, but carried the team when they needed them. He put up a double-double, 22 points, 11 assists, 2 steals and a blocked shot.
Photo by D. Lippitt/Einstein/NBAE via Getty Images
- Rip played 43 minutes and Chauncey 40.
- Chris Webber seemed to get his groove back. He scored 12 with 5 rebounds and an assist.
- All the Pistons starter were in double digits.
- Jameer Nelson, who thought the Magic could “figure out” the Pistons, scored just 10 points before he fouled out of the game.
- The Pistons defense looked good, but I was surprised to read that the Magic shot 58% from the floor. Detroit can’t let that happen again.
- The charge they called on Chauncey late in the game was suspect.
- Sheed gets it. “I think we may have gotten a little lazy in our execution toward the end of the game, but that’s something we can definitely improve on and make it a bigger, bigger deficit next time,” Wallace said.
- Detroit is the only team with 10-plus wins the last three postseasons.
- Plenty of Tigers in the house last night.
- Game 2 Monday at 7 PM.
The Pistons played pretty well up until the refs started making stupid calls and letting the Majic get back into the game. I really hope that they sweep them to prove the writer of the NBA.com Power Rankings that the Pistons can stay focused. check out what he said.
http://www.nba.com/powerrankings/
I was watching part of the Cavs and Wizards game today and i could have sworn that I heard the Cavs fans cheering ZZZZZZZZZZZZ every time Ilgauskus touched the ball. Wow they really want to be us trying to steal our SHEEEEEEEEEEEED! lol
That guy isn’t the only one who thinks the series will go to 5. Several experts/analysts have stated that they think Detroit will lose interest and let one game go. I hope the Pistons sweep ’em, too. Not just to prove the doubters wrong but also to show Nelson and Howard that their team can’t compete with DEE-TROIT BASKETBALL!
I am glad to here the pistons are finally giving you some notice with asking you to be a guest blogger and not lend some of your work to them. May they will be offering you a job soon??? Well I hope if that happens you will still have this sit up and going
Anyway the game was great I too don;t understand why they let them back in the game so much I think they like it they play better but it gets too risky.
This was a very fun game to watch
I loved seeing Carlos Arroyo, Darko Milicic, and Grant Hill play well. Although it doesn’t seem to be very possible I hope after the season Grant Hill comes back to the Pistons to maybe get his championship.
Anyone see Darko and Sheed laughing together whenever they were next to each other at the foul line?
Delfino is becoming very consistent (I hope that doesn’t jinx it)
Chauncey was nice, and as always so was rip
Rasheed had a monster 1st quarter, he had like 12 pts.
I actually thought the refs did a good job. Not if you look at this game by itself. But I watched the other games and they were officiating the same way so it’s not like they were targeting anyone. But there were a couple of bad calls.
With the Tayshaun blocks a lot of times when he gets some blocks that look clean, the reason the foul is called is because he hooks the shoulder of the shooter with the arm he’s not using to block the shot. Doesn’t matter he can still do alright getting some blocks.
Lindsay was quiet this game but I don’t expect that to be a theme. He also talked about how the Pistons were holding the ball to much at the end of the game, I hope that gets resolved because we need to finish better.
Also I was watching the Rockets UTah game and towards the end the camera showed Tracy Mcgrady wink at the camera and I swear I think he looks like Sunni in I, Robot when he winks at Will Smith. Also I never noticed just how arrogant he is “This is my team. The only reason other players get their open shots is cause I’m the only playmaker” Dude you also got Yao Ming to help you out too.
Let’s go Pistons, it’s time to go to work.
McGrady really said that? Or are you just echoing what you think are his thoughts?
Hey Everyone… Im an AVID Piston fan, and I think we should try and start a trend in the palace. Its really cool to see entire crowds wear 1 color, and I think we should try and start something like that. Whether it be blue or red, doesnt matter to me. But Fan unity might be really cool. CODE RED would be cool, where everyone wears red. I think enough people read this where we can get something started… How about it nat? Wanna try and get something like this started? IF you agree, give me a HELL YEAHHHHHH!!! lol
Nick~~
^^hell NO .. why should we be like other teams?? we are DETROIT BASKETBALL.. we are UNIQUE and will never fit in.. not with the NBA and their one man teams anyways.. we have FIVE players that make up ONE TEAM!
plus i like the way we have three colors to choose and everyone wears them all and it just looks cool from far away hah .. one color is BORINGGGGGGG
“ Hey Everyone… Im an AVID Piston fan, and I think we should try and start a trend in the palace. Its really cool to see entire crowds wear 1 color, and I think we should try and start something like that. Whether it be blue or red, doesnt matter to me. But Fan unity might be really cool. CODE RED would be cool, where everyone wears red. I think enough people read this where we can get something started… How about it nat? Wanna try and get something like this started? IF you agree, give me a HELL YEAHHHHHH!!! lol
Nick~~ ”
Nick,
First off CODE RED was done in by the Heat, so i don’t think we would want to do that. I personally don’t wouldn’t want to do anything like that. The Pistons fans themselves represent more than any other team around. So much so that they are they sell the most merchandise in the NBA.
Also i have spoken to some people at in the Pistons organization and they feel the same way I do. If they wanted to implement something like that, they would have done it already.
Like the person above me said, we are unique, I wouldn’t want to just go along with the Jones… We don’t need someone to tell us to wear a certain color to show our Colors because we wear them every game, playoffs or not.
The heat do the “White Heat” or whatever. THats different. I was thinking we could go with the Red Wings… With red. Thats all, i dont want to copy the heat, TRUST me. If I wanted to copy them i would say white. LASTLY I was wondering if the Palace ever thought of making the floor more like a stage. ( look at LAs floor and New Yorks) Where they darken the crowd and highlight the floor. Its again, just a thought. ANYWAY, I still think we should wear then Red White and Blue or something… Its just an idea. ( i know you say everyone does anyway, but i dont think so ) Ive been to my share of games, since i was a season ticket holder and went to almost every playoff game during the Championship year… Anyway YUP, just my opinion.
I don’t know if they called it Code red or not but they did the Red TShirt thing in the 2005 playoffs.
As much as you want to do it, the organization doesn’t want to, after all that’s how they get people to wear a certain color, they give each person a T-shirt.
Hey guys wat u all thinkin about all the game 1’s then so far, if golden state can take dallas i rekon we can take this title, we know we can take phenix, and denver are up on san an, and we know we can take denver, so im cheering right now, perfect results, if lakers had of beeten phenix i myt of been happier but still