The Pistons finally took a game from the Bulls this season. Chauncey Billups and his 34 points led the Sheedless Pistons to a 116-109 victory over a pesky Bulls team that didn’t want to give up a game to Detroit this season. With the win the, Detroit clinches their seventh straight playoff spot.
Key Points:
- Even though Sheed didn’t play, he’s still good for a Ball Don’t Lie and his traditional pre-game dance.
- The Rattler, who started in place of Sheed for the second straight game, has really looked great. This could possibly be one of the best late season pickups in Joe Dumars time as GM. Theo looked like he hasn’t missed a step putting up 10 points, with 8 boards, an assist and 3 blocked shots in 25 minutes. He’s fitting right in with this team, highlight’s don’t lie.
- If Chicago didn’t have enough problems Chris Duhon added to them by going to the North Carolina/Duke game without permission and then missing the team shoot around. He was benched for Sunday night’s game.
- John Salley and James “Buddha” Edwards were in the house. Didn’t know RA was Salley’s favorite player.
- Dyess was just 1-for-10 from the floor with 10 boards. I love Amir, but I’m not ready to have him start in Antonio’s place just yet.
- Billups tied a season high with 34 points, and was 3-for-4 from downtown. Chauncey was not only on his game offensively, but he helped send a hot Ben Gordon to the bench with foul trouble.
Photo/Getty Images
- If it isn’t bad enough that 90% of the population can’t stand Joakim Noah, I think he just added another 5 percent to the list with this quote after the Bulls loss to the Pistons. “I think Detroit’s a great team, but I still think we are better than them, really. I feel like we’re a better team.” Via Yahoo.com
- What’s the deal with Nocioni’s hair? He almost looked a little Ace Venturaish at times. That team has a hair issue with Andres, Amish Gooden and Noah’s frizzy do to contend with. It’s a good thing they dumped that other Wallace or they would clearly go bankrupt with their conditioner budget.
- The Pistons dominated the glass 28 to 42.
- How about Rodney Stuckey playing most of the fourth quarter, keeping the lead up and giving over the reigns with a few minutes left for Chauncey to close out the game. Rodney had a clutch late game basket that helped fend of The Bulls run. He finished with 4 points and an assist in 13 minutes.
- 24 points from the Pistons bench.
- Rip Hamilton made up for his ejection Friday night by chipping in 23 points with 7 assists and 5 boards. Moving without the ball and hitting his open teammates while scoring, you couldn’t ask for a more rounded game from Rip.
- Tay to Amir is just pretty.
Courtesy of The Detroit Pistons and FSN Detroit
- Not only did Amir have some great highlights in his 12 minutes on the floor, he should have had 3 blocks, but clearly got robbed.
- Ben Gordon just didn’t seem to miss. He led the Bulls with 27 points on 10-12 shooting.
- Would have loved for the Pistons to come out strong in the second half, but it seems like it took them half of the third quarter to score a basket.
- The Pistons finished the first quarter with a 13-2 run.
- A whole 49 seconds of Walter, and in those 49 seconds we saw his arms flailing on D like nobody’s business.
- NBA.Com Highlights of The Game.
- Stuckey, Johnson, Hayes and Dixon each scored 4 points.
- Tayshaun gave us a scare in the third quarter when he went down holding his arm on a drive to the lane while getting fouled. Honestly it didn’t bother me one bit, Tay takes a licking and keeps on ticking. I knew he would bounce right back. “I couldn’t feel my hand, and I knew that wasn’t good,” said Prince, who was injured on a third-quarter foul by Larry Hughes. “I thought I was going to have to shoot my free throws one-handed, but I got enough feeling back to make the shots, and then I hit a 3, so I figured I would keep going.” Via NBA.com
- Tay had another solid night in Sheed’s absence scoring 15 of his 21 points in the final 17 minutes. His highlight packed game wasn’t just about scoring either, he added 6 boards and 6 assists in another big game.
Photo/Getty Images
- Jason Maxiell had a great block on Gooden that almost made him crumble to the ground. Maxiell’s energy sparked the Pistons as soon as he stepped on court. He scored 8 points, grabbed 8 boards with a blocked shot and a steal. I almost forgot about his ridiculous jam over Nocioni in the first quarter.
- The Bulls scored 44 points in the paint to Detroit’s 38.
- Since the game was on both FSN and ESPN I always like to hear what the ESPN broadcasters have to say during the game, so fill me in.
- Theo’s only been here for 2 games but he’s already talking about coming back next season.
- Can you believe Sheed doesn’t lead the league in Technical fouls? Kobe does. Now that is Sheedtastic.
- Great ESPN Eastern Conference Roundtable.
Great recap and I totally agree on the Hair thing. What up with that?
I do have to disagree with one thing tough, I think 99% of the population hate Noah already so I don’t know what that quote bumps him up to. Maybe 110?
I didn’t know until the CLeveland/ Chicago game the other day that Noah’s pops was Yannick Noah, but you’re right, that teams hair is something awful.
Congrats to the Pistons on clinching a playoff spot with a little less than a quarter of the season to go.
And people dog this team for being no good…
does anyone think that the pic of tay looks like the jumpman logo haha
does tayshaun have a skin disease where your skin gets lighter? because when he took off his jersey I could see some spots darker than the rest of his body.
Anyways go pistons.
Actually, Rasheed does have that very disease, that is what the spot on his head is.
Last year, Drew Gooden said that the hair on the back of his head was ripped from Sheeds head, and that’s why Sheed has that spot, but that’s just because Gooden is an ignorant ass.
The thing that impressed me the most with Tayshaun was when he dunked over Gooden he signaled time out. That was hilarious.
I’m sure it hurt, but I’ve hit my funny bone before and it definatley hurts but the falling to the floor kicking his leg and the whole thing, seemed a bit exaggerated. Although I wonder where did the blood come from? Was it his?
I’ve actually been annoyed with Tay this year for constantly settling for jump shots and not being that good of a playmaker, but now I know, we have to injure one of the other starters if we want Tayshaun to drive and be a playmaker. Something minor so they’re only out one game. BTW I’m just kidding.
Walter and Arron are getting robbed, in my opinion those two will be left off the playoff roster. I think the only reason Walter played cause FLip once again had to be reminded that injuries can happen and you have to be prepared. Remember Flip Murray last year, like 2 games after he fell out of the rotation Chauncey and Lindsey both were hurt and had to come back into the rotation, I think Flip realized that he couldn’t just rely on Jarvis at the small forward position.
The announcers on ESPN were talking up the pistons a lot (not sure their names, but it was a man and one of the women who usually is a floor corespondent) They made mention of Rasheed and how even though he gets techs he was one of the first to actually go and give out tickets to underprivilledged kids (although they did make a mistake and said Rasheed leads the league in techs, but actually Kobe does.
Theo looks like he’ll be good coming off the bench, and Amir was really great the blocks he makes sometimes are like wow.
Oh and ESPN did something called Dancing with the stars, where they showed different players dancing, they showed sheed in the pregame circle, they showed the football player doing the icky shuffle, and someone else that I forget, it was really funny, but short.
I DONT KNOW WHO I HATE MORE NOW? NOAH OR POSEY….BOTH R OVERATED..BOTH BELIEVE THEY CONTRIBUTE TO THEIR TEAM FAR MORE THAN WHAT THEY REALLY DO….
I think Flip should move Rasheed to the PF and start Ratliff at C. Dyess is just not bringing it. Maybe that’s why Saunders has started Ratliff the last two games, it might be a sign. All I know is, I sure would be happy.This would only work if Ratliff stays healthy though.
Um, Flip is starting Ratliff the last two games because Sheed is hurt. Don’t look too deep into things, especially where Flip is concerned.
“I DONT KNOW WHO I HATE MORE NOW? NOAH OR POSEY….BOTH R OVERATED..BOTH BELIEVE THEY CONTRIBUTE TO THEIR TEAM FAR MORE THAN WHAT THEY REALLY DO….”
Noah irks me but Posey is just on another level. How a bench player can be such a ****head is beyond me.
Nat you’re great, but don’t diss player’s hair like that.
Noah’s hair isn’t “frizzy” just b/c it isn’t super straight.
geez. Have you noticed that people have different hair types??
“I thought I was going to have to shoot my free throws one-handed, but I got enough feeling back to make the shots, and then I hit a 3, so I figured I would keep going.” A big reason Tay is one of my fav. players no where does we say I thought I was going to be out no right in his quote he wants to keepon playing Tayshaun gets a lot of crap but people forget that when he is out there he pays hard for the most part and righ tnow he has been playing great basketball if, and when there has been another starter out he scores and makes plays, if he wasn’t on the pistons he would be an all star however I would rather see him a pistons them an all star and something tells me he would rather be on a piston too….
anyway this was a good game close at times but a good one, Ben Wallace is going to be bragging rights however since we couldn’t win in reg. season this year until he was traded to the cavs, we get to see how well he fixs in with then twice this month…
I can’t believe you left out the part where Tay took off his shirt and the crowd went crazy over it, Natalie. I thought it was hilarious, even Chauncey was laughing.
I hate Noah. He is to the Bulls what Varejao is to the Cavs. And we all know how annoying Varejao is.
LOL Chicago is a better team than Detroit? What a ROOKIE statement. Why didn’t the interviewer ask Noah why the Bulls are outside of the playoffs right now and the Pistons are comfortably sitting at number 2? This fool is in denial.
I was sitting about 3 feet away from the bulls bench facing them and i coudlnt believe how easy it was to get them rattled, keep in mind i am a 100 pd little white girl and i was getting them SOOO pissed at me honestly it felt like they had neevr been made fun of before and seriously didnt know how to handle it. i mean its really not my fault noah loooks like a troll and goodens face looks like a crotch. BEST NIGHT OF MY LIFE, more super fans need to get the chance to sit on the floor i think we woudl always win.
oh yeah and let me tell you noah was the easiest to piss off so we should prolly start thinking of some good chants i mean there were points he was telling the guys next to him that he hated me hahahahah it was WAAAYYYYYY too easy i mean come on you you call yourself a professional athlete and cant handle some hamless heckling? it was all clean and hilarious. we said welcome to detroit and tyrus goes “WHATEVER ITS JUST AUBURN HILLS”- yeah good one?
Seems a though Lilly had blast at the game last night.
Glad to see the ESPN crew were nice to our boys.
Not dissing Frizzy hair, especially since I have my moments with frizz, I go through a heck of a lot of conditioner myself as well as Frizz-Ease.
And Flu…just happy Gooden had a bad night, can’t stand the dude.
Seriously though, Theo is looking like a stud and Dumars a genius.
It’s always a good game when we can beat Da Bulls… I said it in a previous thread, but Noah needs to get off whatever he’s taking to get high. Just because they step it up a notch against the ‘Stons doesn’t mean they’re necessarily better.
Somebody said that basically 99% of the population hates Noah… that’s kinda true. I think that 1% left are a few in Chicago and in Florida… Heck, I think even THE FRENCH find Noah ANNOYING… and that says something right there!!!!
Plus, the Bulls not only suck, they managed to get a collection of some of the most annoying players in the NBA today: Joaklown Noah, Drew No-Gooden-ough, and James Poser! Just for the fun of it, they should trade Luol Deng for Vareijao… and please somebody help me here to find two really annoying guards to support the three stooges of the Chi right there!!!!
I read somebody was mad about not getting love… I said it once and I’ll say it again: It’s cool! RA and the guys play a lot better when there’s no love. ESPN, keep drinking the King James Kool-Aid. Bill Walton, keep dissing the ‘Stones! TNT guys, especially Chuck, don’t put RA in your Five and keep saying that Tay is “trble, trlbe, trble”… Please don’t stop you lovefest with KG… The Pistons always play better when you hate them… and when Sheed, Mr. Big Shot, and my main man McDiggity are raising the ‘Ship… keep hatin’!!!!!!
I’m happy about Tayshaun’s game. But from what I heard Blaha and Kelser say last night was that Tayshaun steps up when a starter is out. When Rip went out with the 2 T’s, Tay stepped up and twice now he has stepped up since Sheed has been benched due to injury. I’m happy that Tayshaun is stepping up, but does anybody else noticed that sometimes that it seems like he needs a…reason…to step up. It was in the past Podcast (“Top 5 Pet Peeves of the Detroit Pistons” I think Tayshaun Vanishing Act was #3 or #2) Seems like that he is just absorbing minutes at times. But I digress…
Good for Rip. Making a strong comeback from the ejection last game, guess he had to make up for the 2nd half that he missed. XD Now can we do that all the way to the final push of the season. You know, when the Zoo Crew get more minutes.
Theo! Theo! Theo! Great pick up, Joe D. That’s all us Piston fans have to say. Welcome Back, Ratter!
Dunk-A-Thon: Need I say more? Maxiell with a Mad Max Munching on the rim over Noci, Tayshaun giving up the lob to Young Amir for the 2 handed put-down, Amir soaring with the one handed jam and Tayshaun driving on a pack of Bulls for the lefty flush. It was packed full of screw loosening dunks. By the way: Did anybody else notice the timeout/taunt that Tayshaun did at the end of the dunk? Was he trying to tell the ref he got fouled? or was that a blow off of the Bull’s defense? I want to know.
That’s how I feel about it.
could you post video of tay taking off jersey and crowd and chauncey reaction i missed it
Sheed isn’t leading in T fouls? I think he is losing his edge, he better get on that haha.
Oh btw Dwayne Wade is out for the season due to his injury. I hope he can recover in time for next year so they can turn their team around and we can beat them in the ecf’s!
Very good game to watch and good recap nat. Any way somebody can post two things?
1. tayshaun’s mean facial on Gooden which capped off a run and then he called a TO for the Bulls
2. Amir’s facial dunk on someone, can’t remember who it was but they got banged on.
Pistons looked pretty crisp start to finish, even without Ra. I was impressed and I hope we can stay in playoff form like this.
Vik, check the links Nat has that covered already. Both of Amir’s jams and Tay’s gooden facial.
Thanks Nat for that GREAT Boston ESPN article lol =P
I dont think i can hate Boston enough though…
– Vin
Connecticut
Great recap as usual! The big surprise for me right now is the confidence I have with Dixon on the floor. I love Afflalo but it might be nice to see a veteran come playoff time, who is probably a better shooter right now.
sportsandstuffonline.blogspot.com
I hope Afflafo is inactive in the playoffs and not Walter. I need my white human victoary cigar!
I hate Drew Gooden, his beard makes him look homeless. Your game write-ups are always great, thought I should remind you in case you forgot.
What a great game – made me proud to be a Piston fan. Chauncey was amazing…. Did they really say that Theo only practiced with the team once? What a great find.
Let’s beat the Cav’s too – just so Ben doesn’t think it was his absence.
Natalie, I thought Pistons clinched playoff spot on Saturday night when Jersey lost to Dallas
hahahahahaahahahahaha
“What ever it’s just Auburn Hills” haha wow i just cracked up…..man Detroit is all over Michigan because when u mention Michigan to people the first couple things that pop up in yo head is
1. Detroit (MY FAV CITY)
2. Sports
3. Michigan Wolverines
….well those are the things that pop up in my head. But yeah i thought they should have handled that more professionally like maybe ignoring Lilly, but Lilly that WAS HILARIOUS….PLEASE FILL ME IN MORE ON WHAT HAPPENED AND WHAT U DID. BECAUSE AINT NO city LIKE DETROIT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
LET’S GO PISTONS AND LET’S GET THAT SHIP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 2007-2008 IT’S OUR TIME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
ALL BOUT DETROIT BABY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Dixon sucks. Bring back Afflalo.
I actually like Dixon! There are only a few players in the NBA who i cannot stand:
–Varajeo
–Gooden
–Noah
–Bogut
–Ron Artest
Why was Chauncey laughing when he took his shirt off? I don’t get it.
i wouldn’t mind experimenting ratliff to start with sheed. i know its too early to make him based on his 2 games, but like i said “experiement” mcdyess has been putting decent boards, but his perimeter shot has been bad. mcdyess has been known in detroit as the best reserves, but despite fewer minutes as a starter courtesy of the zoo crew, i sense a some fatigue in him given the fact his energy and intensity he brings. ratliff and sheed in the court as a starting reminds me of ben and sheed…except rat shoots better free throw. what u guys think?
ric/richard
Dyess has been the most consistant player this season for the Pistons, game in and game out good performances. He’s having a little slump right now, but I wouldn’t bring him out because of the starters, he is the hungriest.
Really liking the Rattler! Kudos once again to JoeD for coming up with that grab… the man is Joe is amazing! Theo looks and talks like he really wants a ring — and he plays like it too. I am impressed. If we can find just a little more intensity, desire, and hunger for the playoffs we are finals bound for sure. Ain’t no stoppin’ the Stones if we can find the heart. Right now it isn’t there quite yet, but hopefully we will see it in a few weeks.
GO PISTONS!!!!
I found the video of Tay taking off his jersey that some of you guys wanted to see.
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=1834038353326900748&hl=en
haha howww cuteee was that with tay and his jersey.. he seemed a little stagefrightened.. lol but then again i would be too in front of all those people.. im hoping for chauncey or rip next game ;]
Moment where Tayshaun had to remove his jersey due to blood: PRICELESS. hahaha funniest thing ever! the way the crowd reacted! so funny hahah it was so cute
since when is sheed salley’s fave?? i rem. for sure seeing a show where he said kobe was by far his fave, and compared him to jordan saying he could retire being better than jordan.. and that was just like a year or two ago at most.. so suprised he said sheed is fave, unless he meant fave in terms of friendship
It probably wasnt him but when i was playing at the Macomb Rec Center, I could have sworn I saw Noah there last year. The guy had the same hair, same size, same face and even the same jumpshot.
i love Sheed on the court and off. Up there saying ball don’t lie, priceless. Did you see how Aaron was looking at him. so funny.