43 point 2nd quarters don’t happen often for any NBA team, and when they do they often lead to convincing wins.
When you’re ahead by 25 points mid-way through the 3rd quarter, you assume you’re going to win. The other team usually throws in the towel and plays their bench. It’s a time where Darko Milicic used to see playing time for this team, back in the 2004 championship season.
No lead is safe with this Pistons’ team. I can break out the thesaurus all I want to look for ways to describe last night’s 120-116 loss to the Raptors… but I’ll put it this way: I’ve never been more embarrassed to be a Piston fan in my life, until last night.
Now that that’s out of the way, how about some highlights?:
- Hey Coach Kuester, what’s the point of starting Jason Maxiell if he’s only going to play 9 minutes?
- Oh and while I have your attention Coach – why does Ben Gordon only play 18 minutes last night?
- Ben Wallace with a career night: 23 points (including a 3 pointer!!!) to go along with 14 rebounds.
- Rodney Stuckey is improving, albeit slower than we’d all like to see, he poured in 23 points on 8-17 shooting with a career high 12 assists.
- Jerryd Bayless wins the nightly “Guy you never heard of before, but the Pistons made him look good” award – 31 points on 10-12 shooting (nice defense Stuck).
- Why is Ben Wallace playing 39 minutes when Greg Monroe is available?
- Richard Hamilton – 32 minutes. Ben Gordon – 18 minutes. Something’s wrong with this picture.
- Question for Mr. Dumars: Are we rebuilding or trying to win now? Austin Daye – 4 minutes, Greg Monroe – 24 minutes, Charlie V – 22 minutes.
- Tracy McGrady, who has been playing good as the Pistons’ backup PG only played 9 minutes.
- Leandro Barbosa with 22 points in only 27 minutes.
- Does this Dunk from Will Bynum make you feel better? I didn’t for me after this one.
- 13,000+ fans saw this game live and in person – do they get refunds? That’s dedication if you ask me. Pistons v. Raptors on a Saturday date night?
- No surprise here: Richard Hamilton with a team worst -12 +/-
- I would bet one of my paychecks that Austin Daye would score more than 12 points in the 37 minutes that Tay got.
- Assistant Coach Brian Hill is a well respected coach in the league, and has coached a few successful NBA teams in his career. (hint hint)
Not much else I can say. There is absolutely no excuse for this to happen. It happened earlier this season when the Pistons lost a double digit lead to the Bulls in Chicago. These 2nd half collapses are becoming a habit for this team.
Awful.
I have no words to describe what was one of the worst games I have ever witnessed in person. I’m still recovering!
And there was no way 13 thousand at the game, possible one of the smallest crowds at the Palace in quite some time.
Help us….someone!
im reminded me of something i heard on the show the West Wing a long time ago. “games are won and lost in the last 5 minutes of the game”
if it makes you feel any better i can say it wasnt so much the team that lost, it was after rip, tay, ben, and those guys were taken out that the raptors really got a head of steam. Then the starters had to come back in after mentally thinking they could relax, which is why you saw freak mistakes like rodney stuckeys 8 sec count or Rip missing two shots in a row on one possession.
Plus even though its a loss, i enjoyed watching ben play up until the last second 3 pointer. They should of went to him more down the stretch he was motivated.
The good thing about basketball is that bad teams will often tease you for most of the game and make you think they might have a chance to win. I’m never taking that for granted again, after seeing my hometown Cardinals go completely helpless in football games. At least basketball has a higher chance of promising me competitive games, even with bad teams.
This team stinks and I am a longtime piston fan and it just hurts to watch every game this year….
ugh
Ive been a Huge Pistons fan for as long as i can remember, and i have to fight to hold back tears when i watch them now. that game was THE SINGLE MOSP PATHETIC team spotrs performance in recent history. Joe dumars is the worst GM in pro sporTs hands down. Its Very sad what this once proud frenachise has become. We are the worst team in the NBA, and its not going to change anytime soon
p.s.
FUCK R.I.P. HAMILTON
Hope we get the number one pick..
Dear Nat, I hope you feel better, you’re doing a heck of a job making this site runnin’, I don’t kno if it helps, but I feel the same as you do, we’ll get over it in some time, everything will change, hopefully
The worst thing is that you, me, anyone on this site can’t do a thing to help the team to change…that’s sad
There was a “president” in USSR – Stalin, he once told our hockey team when they were down 3 pucks after the 2nd period, he just called from Moscow and told a coach to tell players they will chop trees in Siberia forever if they lose the game. And they made it a draw, then won in OT. Because every player knew they would indeed have been exiled to Siberia without trial.
I don’t kno what this team need, but they play like they’d play in a backyard with their friends after a relaxing bottle of beer.
Some players play hard, but not everyone.
They get their wage, big one, and they don’t care, everything is fine in their lives.
Maybe they feel that this coach will go soon? Maybe smth else?
But to watch these games is…
is AWFUL
lol stalin “a president” 😛
and the kids didn’t want to give the rabbit any Trix cereal because they wanted to help him with his diet. XD
that tree chopping thing has to be a rumor. It’s pretty funny. Do disrespect, but did that really happen?
Sorry, I meant “NO” disrespect
Sorry for my interpretation. For some reason I thought it would be hard to read who the secretary-general is))) That’s why I wrote “president” inside quotes)))
You won’t get evidences of this because Stalin was a person whos descisions were not allowed to discuss, he was above any laws, becaus, technically, he was the law. But with this hockey game, one soccer game comes in mind, when our national team went to play with England, they were inviteed to Beria and Malenkov who toldin an informal atmosphere that they may not return without victory.
Everyone feared him.
For example, the engeneers who built our car named Pobeda (Victory) were almost jailed because they suggested to name a car Motherland. And when Stalin heard about it, he invited them and asked a question “So, for how much money will we sell our motherland, tovarischi?!” and the name was changed in a day. There are lots of stories like this, he was a huge motivator, motivated people with their life and freedom, so they had no choice but to give everything to the process. Sometimes I wish Stalin were the coach of the Pistons, he’d told our guys how to play. And if they not – he’d bury them alive.
but, but… didn’t i just read a sunny state of the union speech about how great it is to hold out hope for no sensible reason? why should this change anything, just because it’s very possibly the worst loss in a meaningless game in franchise history? i mean, this was beyond comprehension, but it shouldn’t have any impact on anyone who watched the previous 24 games.
my prediction is that the pistons will not get new owners until the end of their season, otherwise known as the end of the preseason. Until then there will be no trade talk or rumors about anything related to changing anything. I do not the Coach is to blame, because I think he just cannot get the rotations that are needed because if Rip and Prince were to come off the bench, then they would give up.
The few bright sides of this season are that Big Ben is playing incredibly impressive, Stuckey is actually showing the kind of growth and athleticism that the Dumars expected when they traded Billups a few years ago, Charlie V is incredible sixth man, and Austin Daye seems to show signs that he is ready to take Prince’s spot.
The bad sides are that Monroe has yet to prove his worth, he seems talented and shows athleticism but he is turning out to be another Amir Johnson (before he got good). Prince is beginning to adopt some of that AI attitude where he thinks he is self-entitled or at least being dragged down by everyone else. if Bynum ever hopes to start he will have to show some PG play making skills or something that makes him look more like a player rather than that short guy who made a dunk.
The pistons have no heart and these are not new problems, but problems that existed for years before they got bad. The same issues that involved every coach after Brown, are the same ones today. The issues gotten worse as the veterans aged and the team lost its spark.
Hate to break the news to you, but even through Hamilton is still inexplicably starting, he’s also already given up. Examining his performances by watching the games and checking the stats, he has performed well in about 1 in 4 games. Prince is at least trying. Stuckey is hurting himself a little by trying too hard at times. That may be Bynum’s problem too. Gordon and Daye are suffering from poor usage and bad coaching. Maxiel is trying but has ceilinged out, the only hope for him is a change of scenery. This team is better than its record but their heads are spinning and I don’t see that stopping any time soon. Fixing player usage would help a bit, but really only another decent center and a good team psychologist is going to get this team headed in the right direction.
Sorry but stopped reading after you said Monroe was “showing athleticism” and was like Amir Johnson. He’s not athletic nor anything like Amir Johnson (well admitedly he’s been surprisingly productive on rebounds/steals/blocks but still he’s a very different player)
you’re right, it has no meaning BUT is HAS a meaning in term of what character our players have, we’re stuck with BG and CV for years, plus some bad contracts – so everything you want to see is your team’s persistence, work ethic, CHARACTER.
If my team loses a lot – and sometimes it does, I run like it’s my last game even if it’s last minute and we’re down 10-15pts. And I want everyone on my team do just that, I demand them to do that!
Every player who has self respect can’t just let the game away, not a game like this! THEY MUST WORK BECAUSE THEY GET PAYED FOR!!!
How can you go on the court at the Palace next time after you lost a game like this?!
Its simple we have a deck of cards lets use them. Bench tay, rip, max, and ben. Start Monroe CV Daye Ben Gordan and Stuckey. If we are rebuilding and we spent money and draft picks on these guys lets see what they can do together. If rip complains have him sit in street cloths theres not a place for him on the team because he’s not the veteran leader that we need him to be. Big Gordan never sees enough time on the court to do anything he is a shooter and a scorer let him put shots up like we watch rip do over the years . Same with CV how are we are going to know if we spent our money well if the players don’t play mins of a ave nba starter. This is a business and if any old starters cry about oh well. It time to start planning for the future now. i get so upset with this team i just want to scream .
If you’re out there Coach Q and Mr. Dumars please read Marcus’ post
before we let them read Marcus’ post, could we request him to correct “Gordon’s” spelling? I’ve read it so many times, not sure if its from the same person.
No offense, but I’m with his idea too. 🙂
By the way they score, I always forget that Rip and Tay have the highest salaries on the team. This season is playing out like Curry’s year, when Rip was not willing to take a seat on the bench behind Iverson. Go back to the archives and look at how many wins in 2008 the team had with Rip injured and Iverson starting (right after Christmas 2008). Go back to the 2009 year at the beginning of the season and see how many games they won with BG starting before BG got injured.
So my point is that the numbers warrant Rip being a 6th man, but Q is afraid of the team mutiny that happened to Curry. Both Big Ben and Tay would jump ship if Rip was benched, and then Joe might have to have to trade all 2004 champs to eliminate the mutiny effect.
So many people trash CV and BG because of their salaries, but they actually can put out numbers equal to their salaries.
Did anyone take note how Big Ben interacted with Ed Davis from the Raptors? I didn’t. I think Davis is the son of one of Ben’s good friends. He probably played one on one against Ben at family picnics.
Yep, I think around the draft time when Davis was one of those the Pistons considered with the 7th pick, he said in an interview that Ben was like a father to him or something like that.
The good news is that the Pistons play Cleveland in around 2 months, so we don’t have too long to wait for the next win.
the worst part about this team is that the fans care so much more about winning thant the players and mgmt. do. its really sad and its become even more pathetic. i cant stand watching our players laughing and hugging after the games they repeatedly get deystroyed in. I just wish they cared, i dont htink thats asking too much considering their salary.and YES clown-RIP nedds to go!!!!
I think they’re laughing because they know they’re getting paid even if they lose.
I think they’re laughing about how the Pistons will suck after they get traded.
they are laughing cause they are thinking “Thank goodness this torture has ended!”
i know I always feel the same way. honestly anyone who thinks ben gordon will get better with more minutes . . . at detroit he consistently is putting up a point a bit more than every 2 minutes, while at chicago he was putting up a point every 1.5 minutes and did that the entire time he was at chicago, even when he only got 25 minutes a game (less than he gets here in detroit).
Ben Gordon can not make his own shot.
Ben Gordon can not take a man off the dribble.
When Ben Gordon receives the ball just under the 3 point line he can not step back one step and make his shot.
When Ben Gordon catches the ball wide open at the three with his feet set and is waiting for the ball, he can catch and release at the three point line shooting 45%
He is the same man he has always been.
However, the Pistons do not have a post scoring threat. Therefore Ben Gordon gets no open 3 point looks.
Watch how he shoots, if he has to take a single step, Gordon is gonna be leaning a bit left or right and it’s difficult for him to make the shot.
Rip Hamilton is much the same, if he has to take a man off the dribble or if he has to take a step after he receives the ball, he has a lot of difficulty putting up the shot. He needs to be square to the basket.
This is why you see Charlie V taking all the 3 point shots, when Charlie is at the 3 point line, he doesn’t care he’s long enough that he can just rise up and take a shot.
Stuckey can take a man off the dribble, he can receive the ball, take a step back or forward, and still make his shot, he can make a shot leaning in or fading away, but Stuckey doesn’t have much range he needs to be close to the basket.
But anyway Ben Gordon’s shooting is the least of our worries. The problem with our Pistons team is 1) they dont run, even though we are supposed to be young and athletic 2) we have no defense and 3) we are mentally soft and fold if the other team intimidates us
dont look at ben gordons shots for why we always lose, look at our soft as a creamy glazed donut for the answer and watch our guys walk up and down the court while our opponents run back and forth like they are on fire.
Detroit Donuts
I agree EDT. We are mentally and physically soft. Stuckey is overcompensating too much for the others lack of intensity. I really think if we benched RIP and Tay their values would actually increase because all they are doing right now is showing people why they shouldn’t consider them as viable trade options.
What a bunch of Starburry’s
LMOA…
“What a bunch of Starburry’s”
I don’t think we can blame this on Dumars yet. Mrs. Davidson has made it clear that she wants nothing to do with professional sports teams, as she immediately sold the Detroit Shock after Mr. D passed away, and is currently selling the Pistons. How can Dumars go and get some more talent when she’s not willing to open up the pocketbook? That’s why this team needs to get sold ASAP to a guy willing to spend (I’m hoping to Illitch). And as soon as that happens, this team needs to get blown into a million pieces (except for stuckey, daye, and monroe), coaches included.
JJ shouldn’t get blown into a million pieces.
I said it before, I will say it again. It is no real surprise that this team gives up these huge leads and ridiculous scoring runs. Why? Because we are a bad defensive, jump shooting team.
We have no pick-and-roll game. We have no post up option. We have no one who can consistently get to the rim and therefore can not get free throws. We have no bread-and-butter play that we know can get us a basket in a difficult spot.
So when the shots stop falling, or we turn the ball over, then the other team takes advantage of our poor defence. Then, it snowballs into a couple of misses, and a couple of baskets for the opposition. Then we freak out, start turning the ball over, while the other team continues to run layup lines. The next thing you know, we are down by 15 and out of the game. Exactly, what happened against Toronto.
This may be contradictory, but I want my team to play with some effort, but I am also at the stage where I want lottery balls.
i’m similar to Marcus:
Tell Kuester to play his cards right.
Start Monroe, let him rebound and make the other team actually defend someone in the post.
Put TMac at the 1 in the 2nd unit.
I’m not even sure if that is basketball out there anymore with this team.
how about stuckey? come on you guys. i told you all, well me and edt did. that stuckey was gonna step it up to where he was putting up all-star numbers. hes the man.
I know it was a horrible game, but before we had the most dissapointing games ive seen in a while, it was nice to see b-wall doing work. He still has it.
I thought they gave a pretty good effort.
NOT!