The #Pistons did their best to keep up with the reigning Champions Monday night in Miami, but too many turnovers doomed Detroit and the Heat snapped the Pistons two game losing streak. Detroit kept it close, capturing the lead once and even overcoming a 15 point deficit at one point, but Miami was just too much for them in the 102-96 loss.
Key Points:
- I know we may be hard on Josh Smith at times but missing 15 of his 16 shots from outside of three feet doesn’t help his case. Smith was 5-for-20 on the night for 12 points, so explain to me why Cheeks gave him the last three-pointer to try to get Detroit within 3? He also was responsible for six of Detroit’s 21 freaking turnovers. Not Josh’s best game.
- And while we are talking about Cheeks, why did he let the Heat burn off 20 seconds of clock at the end of the game?
- Andre Drummond got two fouls within the first two minutes and another right when he went back in the game in the second quarter. Despite the limited minutes he still put up 12 and 12 with two block shots. He was putting the heat on the Heat late in the game trying to do his best to give Detroit a chance. No play more evident than the big man stealing the ball and taking it coast to coast for the jam with just 38 seconds left on the game clock.
- Brandon Jennings led the Pistons with 26 points on 15 shots, adding seven assists. Jennings, who’s been playing great lately, has posted a career streak of 20 point plus games.
Photo Getty Images – Editing Need4Sheed.com
- Rodney Stuckey added 20 points with seven boards in 36 minutes. The Pistons needed Stuckey and Jennings to play well to give the Pistons a chance against the Heat and they did. Stuckey is also adding trade value to himself as well as some contract money in his pocket from any team willing to pay him next season. He also doesn’t believe the Pistons are on the same page or have been for quite some time.
- Jonas Jerebko saw time on the floor for Detroit and looked lost at times. It’s probably because he hasn’t had a chance in the rotation in three seasons. Jonas scored two points and added four boards in 10 minutes.
- Blaha mentioned on the broadcast that Jonas was getting time because Josh Harrellson wasn’t available, but I didn’t catch the reason why. Does anyone know?
- MVP Miguel Cabrera was in the house for the Pistons vs. Heat in Miami.
Photo Getty Images
- Credit Greg Monroe for keeping Detroit in the game. With Andre out Greg to the load on himself. Greg finished with 17 points, 11 boards, two blocked shots in 24 minutes.
- Sometimes Kyle Singler looks brilliant, but some times he looks totally out of his element.
- Limited minutes for Caldwell-Pope.
- 21 turnovers for Detroit turned into 28 points for the Heat.
- The refs were questionable in this one.
- 51-44 board war won.
- Despite losing this game it was fun to watch. I felt they always had a chance to win. These are the games that give Pistons fans hope.
- Highlights via NBA.com
- I said this last night while tweeting during the game and it’s legitimately how I feel.
Sometime it’s feels awesome to be a Pistons fan and sometimes it feels like your mother dropped you off at school in her curlers and robe.
- They should win in Orlando on Wednesday night.
the reason josh took that last shot is that miami no matter how much I despise their flopping ref baiting tendencies are a very smart team. They deliberately ran off the other 3 point shooters and did NOT run a man at josh smith, they left him wide open. Josh at this point should have swung the ball one more time or passed it inside but he can not help himself if he is wide open he lets it fly. so that is not really mo cheeks fault it is a deliberately designed defense.
Now except for Josh Smith everyone played great basketball and it makes me wonder just how much of this team’s problem is mental. If they played like this every night then we would be a 4 or 5 seed. This team checks out defensively and chucks up shots when the going gets tough instead of feeding it inside to our big men and defending hard without fouling. That’s a mental problem, because I agree with nat great game by the pistons they were in it for the whole game this time.
I am also ok with the 20 seconds being run off, at that point they were 2 possessions down and if you start playing the foul game it’s too easy to make it 3 possessions.
Cheeks screwed us in the 4th. Can we trade him?
coach mo is a fine coach for this young team. Larry Frank was also a decent coach got run out of town because Joe Dumars needed someone to blame. Kuester sucked, Curry also but we could have kept Flip Saunders with the team there was reason we couldn’t have gone with flip from 2005-2014, give the team some continuity.
But every massive screw up, Allen Iverson, Charlie, Ben Gordon, Josh Smith, extending Rip’s contract at too high a number so we had to undo the contract, Joe Dumars just loses his mind every month or so and does something incredibly stupid and then when it all goes south . . . . we fire the coach.
There is a lot Coach Mo does wrong, but there is also a lot I really like about him. Have you noticed Jennings has developed a layup on the right side with his right hand? Every year he has been in the NBA he would just pull up on the right side and try a jumper because he could not shoot with his right hand. I think Coach Mo should get some credit there. He didn’t throw a live grenade into the best young front court in the NBA with Greg Monroe Andre Drummond and then watch it go off. That was Joe Dumars he sent Josh Smith over to Coach Mo and Josh has been a wrecking ball.
We have been hearing rumors that Greg Monroe is not on the trading block and it is clear we can’t continue to play our three bigs together. You can’t stop Josh Smith from chucking it up every night. But you can play him at power forward where he just happens to be closer to the basket. This means less minutes for Greg Monroe the second best player on our team right now. Our best player right now is Stuckey but of course we know Stuckey’s history he can’t stay healthy for long. I want to see Stuckey healthy long enough for Joe D to trade him but . . .
Coach Mo is a fine coach for this team that’s what I’m saying. It’s time to stop blaming the coach.
i know it facebook and that its credibility is lets just say with a question mark but i see potential trade including JJ and smith for anthony morrow and eric gordon now is there any rumour or just a wiseass speculatons?why am i posting this?cose of my work i couldnt watch no more than 3 games of pistons this season but i get the whole pic from here and i d take this trade any second but yet i see lots of folks rooting noo for that and sayin trade monroe and i cant not to ask myself : wtf would u trade your best player no matter who much he s bad in D and is one of 2 players for the future decade?????who s crazy here me or the rest of the world???
Harrellson has been dealing with some sort of left leg issue.
Thanks!