Detroit gets a much needed win Wednesday night in Philly to snap their 3 game skid. The Sixers gave Detroit a fight, but just couldn’t get it done dropping 13 of their last 15 games against the Pistons. Final score of this 86-78.
Key Points:
- Rip Hamilton led the Pistons with 21 points on 9-12 shooting.
- Chauncey and Rip didn’t miss a shot in the first half, going 11-for-11 between the two.
- Amir Johnson in the first and second half of the game. I almost had to do a double take. Flip Saunders made some post game comments about talking to Joe Dumars about getting Amir in the rotation. Flip said he made the call, but it seems more likely that Joe had more to do with this than Flip. If the coach isn’t playing a certain player does he go to the GM and tell him he’s not going to get playing time? Probably not right? So why would he have to announce that he was going to start playing Amir at this point? There is obviously something we don’t know.
- “I called Joe and said we had to establish another big in the rotation. The way Amir had practiced and the things he had done – his length, keeping the ball alive, blocking shots I said I think he’s a guy we’re going to start giving minutes and see what he can do in the right situations. I thought he was dynamite tonight. He really did a lot of things.” Either way I’m happy Amir made the best of his time.
- Chauncey Billups finished with 19 points, and 5 assists. He started the game off hot from behind the arc making 3 0f 3 but cooled off considerably missing his next 4. Thirteen of his 19 points in the first quarter.
Photo/Getty Images
- Amir made the most of his 15 minutes. He went 2-for-5 from the floor for 5 points, 5 boards and 2 blocked shots. It was his hustle and defense that really made an impact for The Pistons. He really wants to make the most of his time, because he realizes how precious it is. You can tell by the way he talks in his post game interview.
- It really wasn’t a pretty game and most of us would have liked for Detroit to have dominated Philly, but a win is a win and right now I’ll take it.
- I had mentioned a few days back that I thought Sheed gets his strength from his hair. Unfortunately he got his annual Philly shave and a haircut. Note to Sheed: 15 (points)-15(boards) with hair – 7(points)-6(boards) without. Sheed did however have pretty good night on defense with 3 blocked shots and a couple of key plays down the stretch to make sure the Sixers didn’t get close late. Ra also added 6 assists, and I’m not including his assist on Young Chris’s Single.
- The Rebounding War was a massacre, it was just ugly to watch. 47 for The Sixers and 33 for The Pistons.
- Detroit’s own Willie Green, loves to play the Pistons. He led The Sixers with 16 points in 27 minutes.
- The Pistons Bench finally had a nice night, they scored 15 points in the first half alone but added just 2 more the rest of the game. Amir’s first basket was nice, he ripped away the board and turned and put in a reverse dunk.
Courtesy of The Detroit Pistons and FSN Detroit
- 36 points in the paint for The Pistons.
- NBA.com Highlights of The Game.
- The Pistons biggest lead was 14.
- Has Jarvis Hayes fell out of favor after his inability to knock down shots? He played just six minutes on the night. No complaining here considering what Amir and Arron did.
- 45% shooting on the night for Detroit while Philly shot 43%.
- The defense had some serious lapses in this one, especially grabbing boards.
- Dyess has been quiet lately. Antonio put up 6 points, 8 boards and 2 takeaways.
- Maxiell short minutes in favor of Amir? Just 9 minutes on the floor for Maxie with 4 points, a rebound and a blocked shot.
- Arron single handedly sparked and 18 to 5 run to finish of the first half and give the Pistons the lead. He finished with 6 points (all of them coming within that run) in 15 minutes.
Photo/Getty Images
- Just three Pistons in double figures.
- “What he brings, we really need it, we need somebody that’ll keep that ball alive on the glass, put-backs…that’s what he does. He’s just blessed enough athlete that he can do that.” Chauncey on Amir Via MLive
- Tayshaun put up 16 points on 6-for-10 shooting with 2 assists, 2 takeaways and 4 boards. Did anyone notice how Mr. Blaha and Mr. Kelser were defending Tay’s play before tipoff as if to calm all the trade talk and negativity about Tayshaun play of late? Or was that just me reading into things a bit too much.
- “It’s cool,” Wallace said of his minutes being cut for Amir. ‘Him getting confidence in himself when he’s out there, and knowing that every little thing he does, is not a mistake … but once he gets established and calms down while he’s out there, he’ll be alright.”
Via MLive - Had The Sixers not truned the ball over 18 time they might have won this game.
- McDyess on WDFN – Stuckey’s hand still hurts.
The boys and the fans really needed this one. It’s good to see Amir do his thing. I’m happy with this win and I loved Antonio’s interview. What a class act!
WHEN AMIR IS IN HE CONTRIBUTES..HE IS THE FUTURE OF THE PISTONS…I KNOW THEY HAD A 3 GAME SLIDE BUT I CANT WAIT TO SEE WHERE THEIR AT COME PLAYOFFS…WE HAVE JUST AS MUCH OR MORE POTENTIAL THEN ANY YOUNG UP AND COMING GROUP IN THE LEAGUE….
nat, i’m pretty sure this dudes name is just Young Chris, not young chris f. the “f” stands for featuring, as you might already know.
go blue.
This ended up being a fun game to be at. I really cheered up Amir, let those Sixers fans know hes the future. I met Chauncey, Tay, Herman, and Blaha before the game. Are Chauncey and Tayshaun always so grumpy? Walter and Blaha were some very nice guys and took pictures with me, the other 2 wouldnt even really talk, and Rip strait up blew off the fans. Hotshots. Still love em though.
Mike
Sounds like a good time, don’t worry about the players they usually aren’t big on chatting before games or at least that’s what I have heard.
We want Pictures Mike…
Fanpictastic.com is the perfect place for them.
Loved the Amir interview vid. That must have been Sheed or Lindsey whistling most of the time in the background… seems like one of them would be doin that.
i loved the amir vid too! the best part was rip’s little comment at the end. that man cracks me up.
i agree something sounds kind of fishy with the amir/flip/joe thing.
this could be flip officially taking a stance that he’d rather not have webber back.
or that he’s going to give amir a legit chance to show something before joe makes a move for c-webb.
or he may have been told what’s up already from on high and is just being proactive to make it look like his idea.
but like you said, either way amir played well and i’m happy for him. he looked confident and purposeful throughout and made some really good moves. if he’d dropped those two hooks he tried he might have been the player of the game.
Fun game to be at. Had amazing seats, first row right behind the Piston bench. Blaha said he’d even announce our names during the game.
And Billups has always been a class act. I’ve been coming to Piston games since I got my license six years ago, and not one game has Billups walked by without saying hello.
I’ll try to post some pics later Natalie.
Also, anyone know where I can get a copy of the game Blaha commentated on?
Thanks
Aaron, I will see what I can do about the comment, but I would have to go through the whole game again so give me some time. If I knew when he said it would be a bit easier.
Good times
Let’s just hope Amir continues to get minutes. I really don’t want any of these guys to go anywhere. No offense, but Brezec can be moved because he brings absolutely nothing and I’m sad to say that. I think they need to reactivate Flip, but we have to many guards as is. So I want to continue to see more Amir, and Arron but PLEASE FLIP!!! learn how to put Amir, Max, Arron, and Stuckey in the game so that they all can get significant minutes. Keep in mind that Max is our main bench guy so don’t shut him off just because your trying to develop Amir. I’m loving the young guys. Also, Arron did more this night in my opinion than anything Stuckey has ever done. Stuckey needs to just chill and work on his game because from the games I’ve seen he’s just not producing and comfortable enough yet. I know he’s young and it will all come with time, but right now he just doesn’t have it. Arron does so let’s play him a little more. :-)GOD BLESS!!!
Ive been reading some comments in past blogs and, where’s all this venom coming from for Tayshaun???
How soon did we forget that he played during the summer and he played the most mins than any of the “superstars” on that team until he got hurt. What does that tell you idiots!!!!!
Billups didn’t…so he’s fresher.
There are a lot of people on this forum that don’t know what in the world there talking about.
Oh Oh yeah Talk Radio Consensus is the way to go.
Please…..
Nice to see you again Amir!
ITS FUN TO BE RIGHT, if u saw nat’s blog “Piston vs. Magic” my comment was………..”heres an idea…is it necessary to give all the minutes to hayes behind prince? i know amir is a PF, but since it seems that hes behind maxie, whos behind wallace//mcdyes, why not get him behind prince.”
as it turned out, maxie and ESPECIALLY hayes minutes went down, coz of amir burning in minutes, and the result??? i don’t need to explain it, the boxscore speaks for itself. so do i get any positive credibility now??? HAHAHA! just kidding. what’s more important is, its a WIN.
It just goes to show that This Coach still has alot to learn about Choaching! If I’m wrong then I’m wrong! But anybody can c we need shot blockers on the floor. McD needs to be coming off the bench again! BECause, lets face it. McD aint what he was. Yeah, from time to time he is. But thats y we got young legs out ON THE BENCH! We’re trying to win another Ship Right?!
When Cheick Samb 7’1″ gets back to the US, he needs to be out there, because he’s a shot blocker too!
Hell, I could Coach this team! If Flip dont get this learning rotation down, I’m sorry to say, We want be getting a Ship this year!
Peace!
THOR
i feel like sometimes people give too much credit to coaches…and at the same time they can put all the blame on coaches. The fact that Doc Rivers is the all-star coach of the east…just goes to show that when a teams winning everybody loves the coach, but when their not doing so hot, they wont them gone. kinda makes me mad that just about everyone in Boston wanted Doc gone last year, and now they get a few superstars in the off season, and Doc is now a great coach.
WHen are they announcing the all star team?
anonymous 12:17 PM
they will announce the all star team tonight, I think during the TNT telecast
Mike, I don’t really blame Rip, Tay and Chauncey for not wanting to talk to/ put up with fans. After all, they were on the road, on a 3 game losing streak, and probably sick of people being on their backs for the last week. From what I hear, Chauncey has a reputation for being particularly nice to fans.
Of course before game, players are trying to focus, and during game’s they’re busy and after games, they’re tired. During crew parties they’re foced to sit in one place and sign autographs/make small talk for 2-3 hours at a time so I don’t think most of us ever get a chance to see the guys when they’re really in an ideal mood.
tayshaun is the biggest dick in real life get ust to it.
Many people said Chauncey is a very nice guy and I’m not saying he’s not, but he didn’t seem like a nice guy when he showed up at the event of T-Mobile last December. He was late 40 minutes and so many fans had to wait in line outside of the store. It was freezing like crazy on that day. Maybe he is a nice guy but not punctual? But if he was considerate to fans who were waiting for him under the crazy cold snowy weather, he would not have been late that much. There were soooo many fans who got there more than half hour before the event started. It took me freezing 1.5 hours to get his autograph in result… I still love Chauncey though.
Love that Amir got some quality playing time finally. Even more than that, I loved what he had to say in the post game interview. I know the kid has always had a great attitude — wanting to listen and learn and be patient — but I was a little worried that he’d become frustrated and lose a little of his motivation while spending so much time on the bench. It was good to hear that it hasn’t happened and he seems to still have the same attitude that hard work and patience will eventually pay off for him. It has to be hard to have to sit night after night watching guys that just became part of this team get minutes while he gets none, but he seems to be dealing with it in a positive way and his attitude doesn’t seem to be suffering from the lack of minutes. I believe that the mental part of the game is almost as important as the physical part and even though he is young and talented, he has a great great handle on the mental part. He looked so happy during that interview and I was happy for him too. I hope he gets more chances like this one because I think he’s a great kid with a lot of potential and a good head on his shoulders. Keep working hard Amir!!
Listened to the Dyess interview also and I love his attitude — of course I always have loved his attitude. Trying to help out Stuckey and doing whatever it takes to get to the next level. He doesn’t care if he starts or comes off the bench. He doesn’t try to make excuses. He just wants to win games. He is a class act and he contributes in so many ways. Great guy… I hope to meet him someday. Liked what he had to say about Lindsey — and not just because I agree with him. People said at the beginning of the season that Lindsey should have retired after last season, but it’s easy to see that he still has a hell of a lot of game left in him and I actually would like to see him stay for at least one more season. I don’t see it happening, but I would like to see it.
I am going to be at the game tomorrow for our victory over the Magic…
GO PISTONS!!!!
ok tayshaun is not a jerk hes just quiet and he doesnt talk to people sometimes people just arent super friendly thats his personality hes shy and he doesnt talk to ppl he doesnt no that doesnt make him a jerk thats just his personality get over it and everyone always says his nice chauncey is God forbid one day their not in a good mood and everyone jumps on them CHILL OUT
I’ve been going to Piston games for the past seven years, and it might be different in away stadiums since there are less Piston fans, but Billups, Prince, and Rip have always been very good to the fans, stopping to sign autographs and take pictures. The bench players are always very welcoming, probably since not many acknowlege them on the road. Herman last night was great.
Sheed, and at time McDyess, have been the ones to run past the fans.
Blaha is the best. Every game he stops by and has a conversation with me and my girlfriend. And the nicest of all, John Hammond was a class act yesterday.
And Natalie, you don’t have to search through the game. I was just hoping there’s a link somewhere for the game.
nat how do we know if you recieved an email from us?
If your talking about the contest… email me your address at need4sheed@gmail.com and I will verify that I received your entry for you.
I didn’t think it necessary to respond to each entry but I would be happy to check for you.
These guys are inundated with BS from people…everyone wants a piece, even if its just a small one, a hello, or a smile, or an autograph, i’m sure its tireing and burdensome. The desire to meet, and talk to, and shake hands with these guys is stupid. Watch the games, enjoy the games, thats really all we should ask of these guys, after all, their basketball players. This whole, NBA cares, we are the world bullshit is exactly why the pistons are so refreshing. They don’t fit the mold, their surly, and tough, and indifferent to all the cookie cutter plasticity of the NBA. It’s gameday, and they should be about buisness, not putting on airs for you.
hey guys, our most hated nba player got bounced from a club last night. check TMZ for the video
Billups signed a good bit of autographs actually. He seemed kind of nice, but just not in the mood. Walter Herrmann got to chatting with me a little bit, jumped up to my 7th favorite piston for that. Blaha took a picture with me to, it was sweet. Tayshaun though signed maybe 2 autographs, and didnt speak a word. Im sure that it was just a road game, and didnt feel like chatting. Im putting some pics up by the way Nat.
-Aaron, i was front row, behind the sixers bench on the floor, i would bet you saw me run down during the game tryin to get a picture of the pistons bench in my tayshaun jersey, probably blocked your view, but security moved me.
I just want to clarify that I am not expecting Richard Hamilton to come over and start an actual conversation with me, im not tryin to ask him how his baby is doing or nothin. But it would be nice if there was a little acknowledgement to the fans. The fact that Chauncey and Tayshaun actually signed stuff for me is great, i was just stating that they seemed a little grumpy, and would have been nice to hear them say hello or something. Still love the guys though.
umm its the 24th and they were supposedly going to announce the all stars today .. has anyone heard anything about any pistons???
Well you’re partially right, Gabe. It’s follish for fans to expect all kinds of friendly antics from their players all the time. I totally agree there, however, the NBA cares process is a very good thing. If you have money and influence you might as well use them to make a positive impact. I don’t know why you think the Pistons don’t paricipate in that kind of thing. Rip runs a Thanksgiving dinner for the homeless every year, ‘Dyess does charity clothing drives, Rasheed has his own foundation commited to helping kids learn to read. Jarvis, Maxi, Amir, Tayshaun and Rip all have sections in the palace that they purchase season tickets for so that underprivalaged kids can enjoy their games free of charge. Tayshaun’s section is a suite just for gets with cancer. The list goes on but the point is you’re way off by cosidering them a surly group that doesn’t care.
Chauncey was just on Jim Rome today on espn it was a great interview and chauncey wants webber back.
Mike,
I was first row, right behind the bench of the Pistons.
I’ll be at the same seats before the next game in April. If you’re there, come up and say hello. I’ll be with my girlfriend, we’ll both be wearing Billups jerseys.
And pretty interesting side story. The Piston bench was getting into it with a number of Philly fans. Flip Murray and three fans started going at it, then another fan started yelling (he was on the large side) so McDyess said go eat a doughnut fat boy. Line of the night was Primoz yelling after McDyess’s comment, “You go do that!” He was trying to talk trash, but it just didn’t work out too well, haha.
i’m BUMMED i didnt get to watch that interview of Chauncey on Rome Is Burning 🙁 Anybody watch it?
I was at work during Chauncey’s interview, and my sister watched it but didn’t record it. She told me all about it, but if you have the video, Nat, that would be awesome!
Nat, did you say you were checking if you recieved our email for the contest? If thats the case I would like to know if you recieved mine.
^I sent it twice just to be sure! 🙂
O yea Aaron, I got to all the Pistons games in Philly. I wont have the same spectacular seats i had at this game, but ill be sitting on the floor along the baseline a few rows back. Ill still run over pre-game and try to get some autographs, and say hello to Blaha.
Mike,
Do you live in the Philly area? I’m a Jersey guy, but I’m going to school in Philly.
chaunceys interview with rome is on espn.com..click nba and its in the videos..oh by the way this is the ass that everyone hates but ur welcome.
Yea Aaron, im from Pottstown PA, a little outside of Philly. Im a senior in high school, ill be goin to Kutztown U next year, what school do you go to?
hey everyone, allstars starters are voted. And as expected, no Pistons are in the starting lineup. The reserves will be posted next Thursday.
http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/news?slug=ap-all-starstarters&prov=ap&type=lgns
anon 10:02
I am not sure if everyone hates you — you’re just a little too abrasive with your comments. I don’t hate you… I don’t even know you, I just don’t like the way you express your thoughts. There is a way to criticize a person (or a team, or their fans) without being so obnoxious about it. You are probably a very nice person — there is good in everyone, and you just proved it by helping out some folks who were looking for the interview. Try using that approach more often and it will probably get you much farther in life. My advice — take it or leave it. Thanks for the tip by the way.
GO PISTONS!!!!
All the starters except ‘Dyess were in the running for the allstar team. I am kind of glad that they don’t have to play because honestly, I think they all need a little vacation time to rest their minds and bodies. I am sure as heck thankful for my winter vacations (Cozumel here I come!!) and they probably will be too. I have much love for this team and I know they are allstars, but I say give them a rest so they can be refreshed for the race to the finals.
Mike,
I just graduated from Albright this past year, but now I’m at Villanova Law.
Best of luck with the rest of the school year, we’ll meet up in April.