So, the musical starting lineups continued with Rip out due to the death of his Grandfather.

Austin Daye – SG
Tracy McGrady – SG
Tayshaun Prince – SF
Greg Monroe – PF
Ben Wallace – C

This lineup is interesting because Stuckey had previously been the replacement for any missing pieces from the backcourt but also since Kuester starts McGrady at the point, while Ben Gordon coming off the bench behind Austin Daye is also kind of a statement about how the coaching staff feels about Gordon.  Anywho, more about the game later…

Last night was the annual “Pistons Care Telethon” in which during the game the Pistons organization solicits donations from the crowd and viewers from home that go to benefit the Boys and Girls clubs of Michigan.  The donations started at 5am and ran all throughout the game, which helped the organization amass $350,110 in donations.  If you happened to donate during the telethon, you helped a great organization that has helped so many children through the years stay on the right path when we all know it’s so easy for them to fall off so… Great job!

• Both teams exchanged awful quarters to close out the game: The Pistons stumbled out of the shoot with a 17 point 3rd quarter while the Knicks closed out the 4th quarter with 15 points.
• Poor Carmelo Anthony pouted his way past the media after the game, and sat on the bus without speaking to anyone.  I’d be mad too if the team I was on was 7-6 (and traded away their young talent) since acquiring me while my old team was 9-3.
• Will Bynum, Charlie Villanueva, and Chris Wilcox pushed this team to victory in the 2nd half.  Wilcox was easily the player of the game who scored 13 and rebounded 12 to go along with a handful of highlight plays including a put back dunk to put the Pistons ahead late in the 4th.

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• Amar’e Stoudemire did have a nice dunk over Greg Monroe but, let’s be honest, he wasn’t really a factor in the game.  He lead the Knicks in scoring and rebounds with 20 and 12.
• The Knicks have no depth – all the Knicks fans that are complaining about the Knicks not winning need to look no further than Toney Douglas and Ronny Turiaf being the first players off the bench to see why the team will not be successful this year.
• lol Jared Jeffries starts for the Knicks
• While the Knicks were running their 8 man rotation out there, the Pistons employed a 10 man rotation with 2 guys playing 30 minutes (Tay and Stuckey), 1 guy playing less than 20 (Bynum) and everyone else playing 20-27 minutes
• Charlie V for threeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee: Villanueva went 4-6 from the long line
• Chauncey Billups with a less than stellar return to Detroit: 12 points
• Carmelo Anthony with a less than stellar game: 6 points on 2-12 from the field
• Who needs consistency?  The Pistons have used 18 different starting lineups this season.  Remember when the starting lineup used to be the same every game for Detroit? Sad, isn’t it?
• The video recap via Pistons.com

[flashvideo file=http://nba.cdn.turner.com/nba/big/teams/pistons/2011/03/19/NYKRECAPmov-1598385.flv /]

This was a solid win for the Pistons, who at this point are playing the role of spoiler in any win they get meaning – they spoil their chances at a better lottery pick while also putting playoff bound teams in a position for a lower seed in the playoffs.

The Pistons now hit the road after this win to take on Zaza Pachulia, Jeff Teague and the Atlanta Hawks in Atlanta for a Sunday afternoon game.  The Hawks have quietly had a decent season after an offseason in which they significantly overpaid for Joe Johnson.

As always, check in to Need4Sheed for the latest updates on the Pistons while also following Natalie on twitter at @Need4Sheed_com