The Pistons took down the Magic 78-89 Monday night on the Palace for their second straight win. This has to be the best showing form the team this season. And if you watched this one, you saw a Pistons team that didn’t look anything like the first games of the season.
Key Points:
- Monore with 2 quick fouls, Maxiell with another 2 in goes Ben Wallace. The Pistons couldn’t handle Dwight without committing fouls.
- It’s getting very difficult to watch Rodney Stuckey drive the lane and not finish. He needs to start passing that ball if he can’t convert.
- The Pistons did a good job taking away the three from Orlando.
- Looks like Austin Daye can’t seem to get his stuff together. Back to the dog house for him.
- The Magic’s Ryan Anderson is now a Top Ten scorer in the NBA…who would have thunk it.
- Bless him, but Stan Van Gundy looks like he should be making my Pizza and Antipasto
- Jerebko is pure hustle. His foul
blockon Anderson looked pretty good to me. - Charlie Villanueva with his first minutes of the season, entered the game late in the second half when just about everyone over 6’3 was in foul trouble.
- Ben Gordon was the Ben Gordon that once played for the Chicago Bulls. Great to see him knocking down his shot all night long. I just hope he can keep it up. Ben led the Pistons with a season high 26 points with 6 very nice assists and 3 boards in 38 minutes on the floor.
- Great game by Maxiell on Dwight, his Block on Dwight was nasty. Best showing for Jason Maxiell in more days than I can count.
- Brandon Knight got knocked down by a killer screen from Glen Davis. He folded like an accordion right to the floor. BK is going to be feeling that one for days.
- Ben Wallace still has some D left in him, for spurts at a time. He really did wonders on the D when Monroe and Maxiell
- Proud of what Detroit did to Dwight Howard. They contained the beast with only 7 boards when he averages 17. He fouled out in the fourth after putting up 19 points.
- Another killer game from Jonas Jerebko, who continues his hard play. Jonas was everywhere finishing with 8 points and 11 boards in 36 minutes on the floor. His help on Dwight was invaluable.
- The Magic with guy on their squad that I didn’t even know were still in the NBA. Quentin Richardson, Larry Hughes and Chris Duhan…no wonder Dwight is a little upset.
- Knight is still getting his feet wet in the league, but he is showing flashes of “WOW.” He finished with 8 points and 3 assists in 20 minutes.
- Is CV in the doghouse with Day, or is he just that bad?
- He didn’t get a double-double, but what Greg Monroe did against Dwight and the Magic was awesome. Monroe with 10 points and 9 boards in 22 minutes.
- Prince knocking down shots right when the Pistons needed them. Tay with 14 points, 5 boards and 2 assists in 36 minutes.
- The Pistons won the board war 28-20.
- By the way, Kings say they wont trade Cousins.
- Detroit shot 50% on the night.
Highlights via Pistons.com
[flashvideo file=http://nba.cdn.turner.com/nba/big/teams/pistons/2012/01/02/Jan2ndrecapORLmp4-1952539.flv /]
- The Pistons pulled away for good as soon as Dwight Howard fouled out. No better way to top off this win with a breakaway dunk from Greg Monroe.
- Bring on Rip and the Bulls Wednesday night.
- That was fun.
*Brandon Knight got knocked down by a killer screen from Glen Davis. He folded like an accordion right to the floor.. lol… ** cmon I know I’m not the only one who was like “ouch” but laughed. You know its bad for CV when a team who needs size don’t need it bad enough to sub you in… and Daye someone needs to let him know the season has started- played better in preseason maybe a little less tweets and more working on his shots.just sayin… Good game good win we’re getting better Its good to see a stable lineup( even if I hate stuckey at point charging like a bull)
Nat, I don’t know why you are upset at Stuckey he played brilliantly. He shot 2 for 8, while putting 7 fouls on Orlando. You want to know why Pistons got howard to foul out, it’s because Stuckey ran at him and put two fouls on superman. Stuckey also had 4 assists, 2 turnovers, for an assist to turnover ratio of 2, while Ben Gordon had 6 assist and 5 turnovers for an assist to turnover ratio of about 1.
There’s a reason you can have Ben Gordon shoot the lights out and still lose the game, he handles the ball like it was a greased pig.
Stuckey also put all those fouls on Orlando while comitting zero fouls himself, so Frank was able to play Stuckey the whole game.
I don’t care who you are, when you have a guard that is able to put fouls on superman, that is just as valuable as having an extra big to throw against Howard, because fouls not only can take howard out of the game, if you put two fouls on him early you can limit his minutes too.
Anyway, I thought Stuckey played a great game loved watching him run the court.
Now we both know Stuckey can play like a fool. He runs up to the hoop, gets his dumb self blocked, and the other team runs back for a score. That’s not what happened tonight, he was putting the fouls on Orlando and it was great.
I also suspect this was part of Frank’s game plan.
I don’t care how hot Ben Gordon shoots, if he doesn’t defend, we won’t be able to win. I really liked how he was mixing it up with Paul Pierce the other day.
Oh, there was one thing that made me cringe that Stuckey did, and that was shoot the three. He should not be shooting the three period. We got Prince, Jonas, Ben Gordon, the only starter worse at the 3 than Stuckey is Greg Monroe, so he should just not be taking that shot, pass it to Prince for some Tay-So-lation if you can’t make your own shot, don’t hoist up a 3, we got other guys to do that.
he is getting better at it though. not quite sure of his numbers this year but it seems to me hes making a lot more.
That’s true, but he made 4 in the first 4 games. Not bad. I say if he’s wide open, go for it.
stuckey was ok, but the reason he was ok was that he didnt shoot the ball a lot. But we all know he can never be that guy for a full season. You’ see it once every 3 games. then he will try to pad his scoring stats the other 2 games.if we want to beat the heat and other fast break teams we need to play through our bigs, but stuckey will never allow us to play through our bigs.
that being said i like franks rotations. I think he is actually preaching defense and following through by not playing daye and CV, i think this game showed we don’t need a stretch 4 as much as we need someone who stays down low. jonas and monroe are beasts. This game reminded me of how memphis beat san antonio last year. just put the ball inside and let your big men get some points. I want more blocks from our bigs that is for sure and more assists from our guards, but i think the familiarity we have with orlando allowed us to get under their skin and get this much needed win.
make no mistake this is how they should play every game (Stuckey included) so many awesome plays on the defensive end i had hearts around my eyes 🙂
I think coach Franks knows how to get the best out of Stuckey. Stepping up the tempo and taking it to the basket is his strong point.Sometimes he does it too much, but he was on his game for the most part of Mondays game. He also got the ball to red hot Ben Gordon these past couple of games. I think coach Franks is Stuckey’s dream coach and could bring out his best. Also until he practices his outside shot more, leave that 3 for Tay, Jonas or BG.
Frank needs to have Monroe do some damn pick and rolls with Stuck though. Those two could be dangerous at it.
I can’t really help the way I feel about Stuckey. No doubt that he’s a great player, but sometimes it’s just difficult for me to watch him force shots. He goes into spurts where he plays well and then there are games where he just wants to get his own.
No doubt he’s a good player and I’m betting if he was playing at the 2 instead of the point I would feel better. Maybe it’s just his attitude and the incident(s) he had last season that soured me.
I also felt this way about him for quite some time. Don’t just throw up a shot to get one up if you have an open teammate.
I hope he changes my opinion.
well said.
Hey I understand you. Ben Gordon makes me feel the same way.
Let’s both change our minds at the same time. I’ll start cheering for Gordon if he learns how to play defense and quits being a head case and releases the ball no matter what, and you can start cheering for Stuckey when he charges in for contact and takes less shots.
If this miracle happens, Frank should be up for coach of the year.
Deal
I couldn’t catch this one, but when I saw the final score I almost cry… Honestly, I thought Pistons wouldnt be able to stop Superman, but they did. Great JJ and great BG. Keep it up guys!
Man, woke up in the morning and saw the score… The whole day is gonna be a lot better now. 🙂 Keep up the good work guys.
I’m still a little worried about our point guards’ shooting. Stuckey seems to have lost most of his confidence from the floor (not the free throw line though) and Knight still seems a little raw and too scared to shoot anything that’s not a 3-pointer.
The Stuckey haters must cease, you all forget he came into camp late. So he still has to get use to the system, but considering all of that Frank is still playing Stuck because of what he brings to the table. Give the guy a chance, he didn’t ask to be the poster child for the Pistons. This is the first real coach that is going to be able to get the best out of him as well as the other players. Oh yeah, believe it or not he’s going to find a way for CV ,Daye plus Bynum to going. It just takes time. I hope I’m wrong but Chicago is going to win on wednesday but it’s going to be a gooooood game.
Hey Nat, Although it’s still early I told you Frank was going to be more than what he looks. You got give Stuck some love too, he may even improve some more it we all show him a little more love. LOL
Take Care Yall
I am impressed with our Pistons getting 2 Ws in a row against good competition.
Jonas and Monroe are capable of a double/double every night.
Stuck is getting to the foul line alot.
BG is shooting like he did with the Bulls.
Prince is playing better despite the sore knee.
Knight is solid coming off the bench as our 6th man.
Big Ben, Maxiell and Wilkins are a shot clock violation waiting to happen but at are working hard on the defensive end.
CV, Bynum and Daye are in the doghouse.
Coach is sending a message that you either play D or you don`t play.
Keep it up Pistons!
Orlando has some big holes on defense (yes Hedo I’m looking at you). On the other hand, they play really good transition defence so it was hard for the Pistons to run. More than once, they had to pull it out and go to a set because Orlando was back. But the good news is that the Pistons (Stuckey and Gordon especially) were responsible and did that. And forcing Orlando to play that way tired them out. This is the way the team needs to win. And I think winning will be infectious and the Pistons will surprise people. Finally, yes the Pistons were fortunate to catch Orlando on the second day of a back to back. Last year, however, the Pistons were fortunate to catch Orlando with only eight players, but they lost anyway. Early going but still room to improve, I think.
People look at the stats and say man bg killed it. BG puts the ball in the bucket and then lets his defender drive past him and do the same. We cant be trading buckets and expect to win. Why do you think the bulls had so many chances to win that serious against chicago? It was ray allen and bg trading buckets. Stuck keep doing what youre doing i love it and it will continue to get better. the bigs are looking great. keep them ft moving and use the body not that arms. Ps howard has done nothing to improve and it shows each year.
Ben Gordon is definitely trying harder on defense. The problem with Gordon is that he doesn’t like contact very much, and defense requires it. He wasn’t as physical against Orlando but against the Celtics I saw some really encouraging play by him.
A bad defender will get beat, then chase his man and then arm foul him. A good defender will use his feet to get in front of his man and if he fouls he uses his whole body to foul.
Watch the fouls BG is getting.
If he’s getting a foul by grabbing the other guy with his arm that’s no good. If he’s getting blocking fouls or getting tangled up with the other guy and pushing him to the floor, that’s what we want to see.
Gordon sure is old though, so don’t expect him to be more than a below average defender, but even that would be a vast improvement from last year.
if jerebko is still eligible to play in the sophmore all star game i think him and greg monroe should both go 🙂
This was my first Piston game I have ever attended! Came down from the U.P and boy it was sure worth it! The Palace looks great with all the new lights and such. Got some great pictures and even got a few autographs ( Jonas, Max, BG.) The introductions were just crazy, the flames shooting out were way sweeter than what I thought they were! HOT! I was hoping we would get a win and sure enough, we got it! Sharp shooting by BG and good defence down low was key. Nice to see Knight get in and get the tempo going. It seemed like hustle was a problem though, especially Tayshaun. He seemed to be lacking but his veteran presence was nice. Overall great first Piston game! Deeetroitttt Basketballlll!
P.S The cheerleaders and dance team = hot damnnnnnnnnnn
Best Pistons basketball in years
The most impressive work was done on boxing out.
the Pistons are rebounding as a team (the guard are more involve)
& Stuckey needs to learn how to kick the ball out while driving to the hoop
Happy new year Pistons fans
stuckey is a good aplayer but I dont think he fits here, trade stuckey, bynum, try to get a big. No rebounds , No wins.
Go Pistons.
It was a really good game. I just think that they need to pull trigger on a trade. I mean the pistons have young talent but its difficult for me to see that we would be able to pull off a win in Chicago. I have not been too impressed by Daye this year. I mean he is good in our eyes but is he really got that much potential. I do not think he will ever amount to anything more than a gunner from the 3 and a role player off the bench. He’ll improve but I do not think he is going to be the small starting forward of our future.
agree. go for cousins
Anyone notice how there’s no love for the Pistons on ESPN or NBA.com? Orlando losing isn’t even mentioned. That’s a shame, I think it’s a pretty big deal
No coverage on SportsCenter either, which spent the first half hour talking about strictly football. Ugh.
By the way, I think what has improved for Ben Gordon is other players have adjusted to him. BG needs to have the ball in his sweet spot, and Jerebko, Monroe, Stuckey are now delivering the ball to a smaller target for him. Last year, BG had to reach out with his arms more when he did this he got off balance and would not be able to shoot with his feet square to the basket. Against Orlando he was able to catch with his arms closer to his body, and this meant when he released he was square.
I doubt BG has noticed this, but I definitely have.
Rip Hamilton by contrast does not require such a sweet pass, he can catch and release no matter how the ball is passed to him.
I think this is a case of addition by subtraction. Without Rip on the team, everyone else is forced to play for Ben Gordon’s sweet spot. When Rip and BG were on the same position, Ben Gordon never was able to have the ball passed to his sweet spot, because the rest of the team played both shooters the same . . . . and they need completely different treatment.
Ben Gordon has range, but needs to be square, needs to catch in rhythm and requires a smaller target to catch in rhythm, Rip Hamilton lacks range, but requires only that the ball be passed to him with speed.
I knew Duhon was still in the league, if just for his defense, but I definitely agree with Larry Hughes. Can we add Redick to that list? I’m honestly really surprised he’s still with Orlando after all this time.
good observations edt.
And Cousins is obviously a crybaby, who in their right mind would WANT him after he goes screaming for a trade? That’s like him saying “I don’t want this ticking time bomb, anyone else want it?!?” I wanted to draft or trade for him at first like everyone else, sure, but Monroe sure ain’t bad at all! It’s work ethic not talent that really takes you deep in the end and if Cousins is going to be that immature then he won’t be that great- and will make the team pay for it too
i like his passion. the crybaby thing is immaturity, but i think thats correctable. he has all the stuff you cant teach. Maturity is something you CAN teach
If next years draft is full of talented big men, unless I can get Cousins on the cheap (not gonna happen) screw him. I’d rather wait for the next Moose than to get a immature jacka**. See what that Macklin guy can do. I think we’ll be fine.
Well cousins is more entertaining but i agree, i would not give up our pick in the draft unless we can somehow get a pick from some other team another way
hi nat can you upload a video of maxiell’s block over howard? thanks im so proud of my boy JMAX blocking howard’s attempted dunk.
Sorry…I got in some hot water with FSN about Videos. Can’t really do it anymore :(.
Everyone takes the fun away from me
yeah the whole internet censorship thing is starting to really get out of hand. i think they even have a bill in congress about internet censorship too. i think its nicknamed “the justin beiber bill” or something like that lol
They fought me hard for years about the videos, always thought it was unfair because of all the youtube stuff. At this point I just had to give up. It’s all about Pistons Basketball anyways.
You can always link us to it. Does this also mean it’s going to be hard to do Need4Detroit mixes on Youtube?
Difficult for me to take that much time for me to not be able to put them here on the site. Don’t expect much from me as far as Videos are concerned. I am however revamping my old archive.