The Storyline:
The Magic having lost their last eight meetings withe The Pistons were on a mission. Dwight Howard proclaimed he wanted to “Crush Them”, they even went so far as to put the #8 up on the bulletin board in their locker room for inspiration.
Well the fairytale for the Magic didn’t quite come true. The Pistons made it 9 in a row with a convincing 116-92 win in Orlando.
Key Points:
- Richard Hamilton didn’t make the game, but will play in the home opener on Sunday.
- Arron Afflalo again started in Rip’s place, playing well in his 25 minutes on the floor. He did get Flip Saunders a bit heated when he turned the ball over a couple of times trying to knock down a three in the corner and stepping out of bounds. He finished the game with 8 points.
- Dwight is a Monster, he makes everyone on the court look just tiny. The sound the ball makes when he dunks with authority is deafening.
- Chauncey Billups was Mr. Big Shot with 18 points on 6-for-10 shooting with 7 assists a steal and six rebounds. Did I mention he was perfect from the line?
- The Prince of
The PalaceEverywhere started out the night just where he left off in Miami. Tay put up 17 points on 6-for-9 shooting with a blocked shot and 6 rebounds. He’s also been playing point when Chauncey is on the bench, something I begged to see more of last season when Lindsey was out and Flip didn’t look comfortable at the one. - Sheed, well he was the Player of the Game with 16 points, 7 rebounds and 3 blocked shots. I’m telling you, he’s committed to dominating on both ends of the floor.
Photo/Getty Images
- Mr. Wallace was having a blast all night and being quite chatty. He was talking and taunting all night. “The ball don’t lie” and “you can’t guard me” could be heard for miles. Great thing about it…. no techs.
- Jarvis Hayes came up with some nice baskets and rebounds for that matter. He’s looking really scrappy and comfortable on D. I am a bit concerned at his shot selection at times, I hope that changes.
- Amir Johnson got a few minutes after it was clear the Pistons had put the game out of reach in the fourth quarter. He had 2 points, 4 rebounds and a blocked shot in just 5 minutes on the floor. Noting but good things to come when we are talking about Amir Pistons fans.
- Nazr 4 points and 3 rebounds in 8 and a half minutes. Like Amir, that’s a job well done in very short minutes.
- Sheed threw down a dunk with so much authority that I thought he’d get a tech for it.
- Mr McDyess was solid and is starting to heat up. He had 12 points on 6-for-11 shooting with 7 rebounds. That jumper of his is just so pretty.
- Didn’t I tell you I was on the Flip Murray Bandwagon (by the way I told him that too, and I have video). Flip led the team with 19 points on 8-for-14 shooting with 5 assists, a blocked shot and 3 rebounds. And a breakaway dunk that had Mr. Blaha on the edge of his seat.
Photo/Getty Images
- Arroyo still loves to drive the lane and put up circus shots.
- Game Highlights so you can see a little Sheed domination.
- “I’m out there to play smart, defend and not turn the ball over,” Afflalo said. “I am trying to do some different things until my game comes a little further along.”
- The game was close during the first half until The Pistons started to pull away in the second quarter putting up 36 points. They held the Magic to just 14 fourth quarter points.
- The Pistons shot lights out, 58.8% from the floor. Honestly though, they played even better on the defensive end.
- “Those guys were tremendous,” Billups said of Rasheed Wallace and Antonio McDyess. “To have to open up the season and play those two beasts down there, they did a phenomenal job. They really contested Dwight, blocked his shot and made him make tough shots.”
- Rebounding war won, 42-34.
- Maxiell is getting better and better each game. He’s so much fun to watch, he just doesn’t seem to miss.
- Sunday is the big day, I can’t wait for the fire!
THE DOMINATING DETROIT DOES IT AGAIN!!!!!!!!!!!!
I love Detroit and all of its sports!! Basketball, Baseball, Hockey, and Football. But the problem with that is my roommate is from Chicago, yuck! We just got into a drunken fight about Detroit vs Chicago sports and he threw in my face about the Bears making the Super Bowl and the White Sox winning the World Series in 2005 and that the Bulls have won 6 championships and the Pistons have just 3 and counting. Someone give me some fuel in any sport to smush in his face. GO PISTONS! GO MICHIGAN!! GO WINGS!! GO LIONS!! GO TIGERS!!!
awwwww
richard clay hamilton II
thats ADOREABLE!
So, theres another Rip in this world.
I think im more excited about the baby than the wins, to tell you the truth, haha.
i wished the game was nationally televised -_-; Go Pistons
Flip Murray has monster game, Sheed’ has no technicals, and the Pistons are 2-0 without Rip….What could be better.
The magic suck without Darko. Ha, that sounds funny. But the game that the pistons are really going to need to prove to me that they are for real is by going into Boston, and kicking their butts!!
Check out this jib jab video i made… haha, i think you’ll enjoy. 🙂
http://www.jibjab.com/starring_you/receipt/2478075
Did u notice JMAX isnt the best at free throws… he missed sooo many.. but like all that game was very fun to whatch
CANT WAIT FOR SUNDAY!!!! first home game of 07 08
what a great gamee !!
but i have a question .. did anyone see shaq being a little baby shoving jmaxx who almost fell in the last few minutes of the 4th in the first agme?? whatta babyyy just take the loss and get over ittt!
and woahhh i canttttt believe rip has a newborn baby!!! as happy as i am for him im also pretty sad hes not single anymore :[ haha but its all goooood! i cant wait to have him back! i think this is going to be a great season to remember :]
This was so fun to watch, and Rasheed had so much fun talking noise to the Magic. I could definitely get used to the Pistons playing this way all year long, I am excited about the team, the are showing so much drive, Chauncey was great, Tay was fabulous, Flip was having a ball, I mean what more could you ask for in a game, everything was perfection, I enjoyed the game from the beginning to the end, George Blaha was colorful as usual, Man this is good, Piston fans, this is good, I’m loving it, I know this is too early to be making predictions but this is great, the guys are showing up and showing out, and I hope that they keep this up the whole year!!!
i dont know why people keep saying nazr did his job, anyone could have dnoe what he did, take outof onctrol shots and travel, he looks so uncmfortable out there all the time, give maxiel all of his mins, nazr is garbage, you all have these high hopes for him bt he did shit everywhere he has been,
^^quittt hatinggggggggg
enjoy the victory :]
I am so excited that there is a baby Rip.
Also VERY happy about the Pistons playing. The bench is 10x better than last year. I am not concerned at all about our starters burning out in the playoffs.
NAZR is garbage!
Richard Clay Hamilton II—that is so sweet I’m getting a cavity. lol I love it! Glad he’s having fun with his son but can’t wait to get him back. The only thing is, Tayshaun seems to be playing really well in his absence. I hope he can keep it going with Rip back in the lineup. After all, the All-Star voting is only few shorts months away…
Other than a couple of mistakes on Afflalo’s part and Maxiell being foul-prone, I thought everybody played at least decently. Tay, Billups, ‘Sheed, and Flurray were great and ‘Dyess’ performance was much improved. The collective defense was beautiful and ‘Sheed’s 3 blocks seemed more like 10.
Can’t wait for the home-opener tomorrow! GO PISTONS!
anybody else worried about Amir?? I really dont feel good about his season he missed a lot of preseason and when he came in the other night he wasn’t really rebounding… i hope he can really come back and be effective and i hope flip gives him the chance too. Go stones!
^ Amir was rebounding…he had 4 rebounds in 5 minutes.
Anon 1:59 am,
your roommate sounds like a dork. I have three teams,Wings,shock and demolition.
That is of course if he considers hocky relevant,or womens b-ball and football worthwhile.
Tell him detroits augustslady suggests he stuff his tude where the sun don’t shine.
what happened to the ‘ball dont lie’ shirts? i want one!
james augustine was tearing up amir on the offensive boards