[box score] Ok, you’re Jim O’Brien and the Pacers. You’ve studied the game tapes and you know the Pistons will keep it close for a half and then try to put the game to bed in the third and you’ll try to guard against that. If only it was that simple. The Pistons went to kill mode a quarter early last night putting up a season best 40 points and for all intense purposes squashing the Pacers hopes of leaving the Palace with a win.
The Pacer’s new run-n-gun style apparently doesn’t allow for much defense as the Pistons got most any shot they wanted. The Pistons shot 66% in the second quarter.
Jarvis Hayes who had been sick and was questionable for the game came out and got ill on the Pacers in the second. He scored 13 points on 5/6 shooting (3/4 from beyond the arc). Jarvis didn’t return after playing the entire 2nd quarter because he was throwing up at half time. The culprits, Hayes revealed, were some bad sliders he ate on Roundball One on the trip back from New Jersey. (via: Pistons.com)
Rip Hamilton scored a very efficient team high 23 points. Rip shot 10/17 which included 3/3 from 3 point land where the Pacers didn’t feel need to recognize him in the corner. Rip also had 9 assists and 4 steals. All in under 30 minutes of play.
The Pistons bench got some extra burn in light of the large leads including the first Pistons’ minutes for Walter Herrmann who had a nifty Dr. J up-and-under scoop shot. Rodney Stuckey seen his most minutes (18) to date scoring 10 points.
The Pistons won by 13 but it wasn’t even that close.
Game Notes:
- With Walter Herrmann being activated it sent Lindsey Hunter to the inactive list which opened up more minutes for Rodney Stuckey
Flip Saunders wanted Jim O’Brien on his staff in ‘06 and gave him a playbook to study which O’Brien never gave back (and apparently never studied).- Check out Jeff Foster jamming on some air violin
- 101-114; not your typical Pistons/Pacers score
- 6 Pistons scored in double figures
- With all the feel good Mike Dunleavy career year talk did anyone else forget how Tayshuan has a propensity to abuse him, badly?
- Rodney Stuckey: 3 assists, 3 turnovers, 3 rebounds, 3 steals for jersey #3
- Chauncey 8/8 from the line
- 29 team assists. Way to share.
- How about the 7 footer Brezec diving into the bench for a loose ball in a blowout?
Also see:
- IndyCornRows: Pistons 114, Pacers 101: Is Pistoning a Verb?
