If there was ever a haircut that screamed “hey, look at my stupid haircut” Samuel Dalembert has it. He could at least done one of those frohawk fades like Amare Stoudemire sported at the World Championships over the summer. That thing on Sammy’s head is a mess.

Photo: Reuters

Philadelphia’s Samuel Dalembert, sporting a mohawk of sorts, said Willie Green’s barber in Detroit gave him the unique hairdo, complete with “LJ” and “SD” shaved into both sides of his head. “The SD is for strong defense,” he said. “The LJ is for a loved one.” Reggie Evans seemed to pity his teammate. “Willie, that’s your fault,” Evans said. “He’s going to be on the bloopers.” (AP)

I just hope this doesn’t have a adverse effect of barbershop commerce in the D. The economy is flumped up enough.

Photo by Allen Einstein/NBAE via Getty Images

It took us five games to do it, but we’re finally in the driver’s seat in this series. [Box score]

Ok, If the Pistons can promise to play this way for the rest of the series then I’ll pretend the first four games never even happened and just consider us up one game to none in a best of three.

Let’s take a look at how PN-stradamus’ keys to getting the win related to the action last night.

• Make shots: How does 58% shooting grab ya? You think the Pistons have a pretty good chance to win at that kind of clip? Me too. The execution was crisp and the floor spacing allowed the Pistons to get good looks at the cup and most importantly they knocked ‘em down. How about 27 assists? We know how unbeatable this team is when they 25 or more assists. In the games we’ve won we’ve averaged 25.6 assists per, and the games they’ve lost they’ve only averaged 17. And again, if we’re executing and making shots Philly can’t turn the game into a track meet and that does wonders for our defense (i.e. 12 blocks, 8 steals, and Philly shoots 42%)
• Take care of the ball: Well, 17 turnovers is more than we averaged through 82 regular season games. We’ll have to do better on that. To our credit though Philly is one the better teams at forcing turnovers.
• Not just Tay: This is a good one. Like I hinted to, we’re a better team when our main scoring threat isn’t Tayshaun Prince. Tayhshaun had a very respectable 17 points on 8/14 shooting, but it he wasn’t just scoring to keep us in the game. He was an option that Philly had to contend with along with Rasheed (19 pts, 6 rbs, 6 blks), Rip (20 pts, 5 rbs), and the player of the game Chauncey Billups who had a 21 point, 12 assist double-double. It was mighty reassuring to see Big Shot doing 14 points and 5 assists worth of damage in the first quarter. Last night should keep Chauncey’s harbingers at bay for a while. The Bench stepped up as well. They didn’t put huge numbers on the board, but they played great in support of the starters. Stuckey did a good job of finding open teammates for easy bucktets. I particularly enjoyed Arron Afflalo’s effort. Depsite his limited minutes in this series he was ready and came in and did whatever was needed to help the team.
• Urgency: It was there. The Pistons jumped on the Sixers early and often. They were up by 14 after one and had a lead of 26 at one time. They never got lazy and took the foot off the accelerator.

The Pistons and 76ers resume their best of seven first round playoff series tonight at the Palace of Auburn Hills with the series tied at two games a piece. The game tips at 7:00 and can be viewed locally on TV20 .

With the series tied at a game a piece what we basically have is a new 3 game series with 2 games at the Palace. The Pistons are one of the better home teams in the whole league but they cannot rely on that especially against the Sixers who own a regular season and playoff win on our floor.

Here’s some of PN’s keys to winning Game 5, and the series for that matter:

• Make shots! It sounds simple right? If it was we might not have a tied series after 4 games played. Executing the offense and hitting open looks is the key to slowing down Philly’s running attack. If they’re not beating us down the floor off errant shots we’ll be able to better counter our defense to whatever they want to do in the half court set.
• Take care of the ball: We’re turning the ball over much to much in this series. Every time we’re lazy with passing or trying to force the ball the Sixers end up burning us. It’s very frustrating because it’s an area we usually have no problem with, win or lose.
• Not just Tay: Tayshaun has been the man and it’s scary to think about where we might be if he hadn’t. But, we’re not our best when Tayshaun is carrying the offensive load. He should be a threat but not the main attraction. Tayshaun feeds off everyone else’s play. He fills in the gaps. We need guys like Rip, Rasheed, and Chauncey bringing more consistency. We also need the bench to pick it up. They’ve been given opportunities, but have not risen up the way they did over the last month of the regular season.
• Urgency: No more trying to stay close in the first half and trying to blow by in the second half. It’ll be too late. From the jump we need to capitalize on all opportunities to put Philly in the rearview. The more they hang around the more confidence they build and before you know it good players like Dalembert, Miller, and Reggie Evans are playing out of their skull and it’s too late to stem the tide



If you were wondering, it sounds like Maxiell will again get the start and McDyess will come off the bench. This is a move I was campaigning for back in November. Maxy is eventually going to be the starter. As for Dice, read his quote and you can decide which he prefers.

“Coming off the bench is what I’m comfortable doing,” McDyess said.

“Starting? It’s just a routine thing. I feel like now, I get in there … when I start, I feel like a robot sometimes. But when I come off the bench, I feel I’ve got to step up and make something happen.”

Via Detroit News:

Legendary basketball coach Will Robinson died Sunday night at Henry Ford Hospital at age 96. He’d been in a nursing home for more than a year.

Robinson, who lived in Detroit, was the first African-American Division I basketball coach, at Illinois State. He began in 1970 and coached then-All American Doug Collins, who later was the first pick in the NBA draft and coached the Pistons.

Robinson coached in the Detroit Public School League for 26 years. He began at Miller High in 1944 at age 33. He coached basketball and football at Miller.

Robinson’s greatest acclaim came at Pershing, where he led the Doughboys to state titles in 1967 and 1970. The 1967 team, which included Spencer Haywood and Ralph Simpson, is considered one of the greatest high school basketball teams in Michigan history.

He worked as a scout for the Lions and discovered cornerback Lem Barney.

Robinson joined the Pistons as a scout in 1976. He retired in 2003 as an assistant to president Joe Dumars.

This is sad news. I know guys like Isiah and Joe cared for Will very much. I read that Isiah stayed close to Will even after leaving the Pistons and would usually make trips to visit him when he was in town. Will lived a long life but it’s still sad to lose someone you care about no matter what age they are.

Rest in peace.

Detroit Free Press/AP: Pioneering basketball figure Will Robinson dies at 96
Pistons.com: Will Robinson Passes Away

I don’t watch the national broadcasts if I don’t have to, give me Blaha over everyone. So if you weren’t watching TNT’s coverage you probably missed Chris Webber’s take on the Pistons. Luckily The Starting Five has us covered:

Webber on the lack of intensity by the Detroit Pistons: “(The Pistons) are really nonchalant and that’s why I felt we lost last year (in the Eastern Conference Finals). It sounds crazy, but they could care less. That locker room is crazy, disciplined and unruly. Disciplined because they police themselves, they are all veterans, they know they’ve got to be in bed, they know they’ve got to work hard, I’m not talking about on the court. They come from a coach like Larry Brown, they look at him like the epitome of basketball, and they feel they can wait until the last game or the championship and they won’t lose. I’m not saying it’s right, but that’s how it is.”

He’s probably not winning over any of his teammates from last season over with those remarks, true or not. I always thought what goes on in the locker room stays there? The Pistons can be nonchalant, and it has come back to bite them but so did signing Webber. He really underpreformed in that Cleveland series as our starting center. He wasn’t the reason the Pistons lost, but he was definitely a contributing factor.

It would have been nice for him to have just a little more loyalty for the guys he was in the foxhole with. I guess he’s bitter we didn’t pick him up (thank God!).

Again, click over to The Starting Five if you tuned in to the TV20 broadcast, because they’ve also got Kenny Smith’s take and Charles Barkley’s bash on the ‘Stonz.

Through most of the first half I thought I’d be writing a eulogy to our roundball heroes. They looked like they were doing all they could just to keep from being blown out, again. They were down by 14 at one point and I was just sighing thinking what the hell is going on as the Pistons are struggling to score, shooting 38% from the floor. But then they started to pick it up towards the end of the half, turning up the defensive intensity.

The same quarter that was the Pistons undoing in the last game was the catalyst to renewed hope for the Pistons playoff success. The Pistons woke up in the third quarter and turned a 10 point deficit at halftime to an eight point lead by the end of the quarter outscoring Philly 34-16.

The reason the Pistons turn it around in the second half in my opinion is very simple, THEY MADE SHOTS. The only way they Pistons are going to be able to beat these upstart 76ers is to avoid offensive lulls. If they execute (with an emphasis on taking care of the rock) and make their open looks Philly is unable to get out and run and in turn we’re able to set up our defense.

We needed Rasheed to step up and he did. He was fired up after being T’d up in the second for arguing an offensive foul where Reggie Evans flopped. Sheed was actully pretty close to getting himself tossed. I’m glad he didn’t because he made the Sixers pay from beyond the arc hitting three triples in the quarter. Sheed rectified his 2 point game 3 performance with a spirited 20 point 10 board double-double.

The other guy we who got a measure of redemption for the game two nights prior was Mr. Big Shot. Chauncey scored 18 and dished out 7 assists and finally looked like the better PG in his matchup with Andre Miller. It was great to see Chauncey actually look for his game when the opps were there. The Pistons need his scoring and swagger, they feed off of it.

C-Bill’s backcourt mate started out slow but picked it up in the second half scoring 18 of his 20 points. Rip rounded his scoring out with 7 helpers and 5 boards.

Oh, and there’s this other guy who played pretty well last night too. How about a standing O for Tayshaun Prince? If there was ever such thing as a two game MVP Tay would be unanimous choice for the Philadelphia games. Last night: lead all scoring with 23 (11/12 FG), grabbed 6 boards, and 4 thefts. His two game field goal tally is 19/21, 90%!!

It’s not just Tay playing steadily on the offensive side. He’s continued to keep Andre Iguodala’s struggles an ongoing saga for the Sixers. Tay’s long arms are in Iggys head every time he goes to hoist. He’s taking bad shots, either fading away or rushing his jumpers. Tay’s held Iguodala to 10.5 points per on 22% shooting.

While were handing out awards let’s give Mr. McDyess a purple heart! Dice showed us his warrior side coming back strong two days after getting his sniffer broken. I don’t know if I’ve ever seen the Dice man more animated. His 10 points and 4 boards off the bench were pretty inspirational.

(Photo by Nick Laham/Getty Images)

NOTES: Chauncey Billups passed Joe Dumars (1,752) for third on the Pistons all-time playoff scoring. He trails Rip Hamilton and Isiah Thomas (2,261)…Jason Maxiell got the start for McDyess…Pistons had 15 offensive boards…Box score

Bogging it out: Sixers4guidos - Sixers blow a unique chance (Pistons 2, Sixers 2)… PistonPost - DET: 93, PHI: 84 - The Roller Coaster Ride Continues…Detroit Bad Boys - Pistons pull even with Philly…Slam Dunk Central - Prince Leads Pistons Past 76ers 93-84, Series Tied 2-2… Recliner GM - 76ers vs. Pistons Playoff Series: Philly BLOWS Game 4

The Pistons and 76ers resume their best of seven first round playoff series tonight at Philadelphia’s Wachovia Center with the 76ers up 2 game to 1 on the Pistons. The game tips at 7:00 and can be viewed locally on TV20 Detroit, and nationally on TNT.

It’d be pretty aimless to try to break down what went wrong in game three and what the Pistons need to do to insure that doesn’t happen again. That game would have been an embarrassment if it were played in the preseason, let alone the playoffs.

The game plan for today should be to WAKE UP! Stop trying to wait for game #7 of Finals and start playing every game like it’s for rings. That’s what the rest of the teams still playing are doing! Get the split in Philly and make this a best of three with home court advantage. For that to happen we need our two most dynamic players. Chauncey Billups and Sheed Wallace have to step up.

Antonio McDyess update: Chris McCosky says in his Detroit News Blog that Dice is probable tonight. Miggidy-Dice is by his own admission not in any pain one day removed from having surgery to reset his broken nose. If Dice is out there he’ll be wearing a protective mask. In the same blog entry Chris says expect to see more of the Pistons youth in attempt by Flip Saunders to counteract the 76ers energy.

From Chris McCoksy’s Detroit News blog:

Antonio McDyess, who broke his nose in the third quarter Friday, had his nose reset this morning in an operation at Beaumont Hospital in Royal Oak. The surgery , performed by Dr. Gene Rontal, was deemed a success.

The plan is for McDyess to fly back to Philly either Saturday night or early Sunday. His status will be determined most likely after shoot-around Sunday, but the team is listing him as questionable.

It is the third time he’s broken the nose, and the seond time he’s broke it in Philly. Andre Iguodala appeared to swat him inadvertently with the back of his hand.

If McDyess can’t play, Flip Saunders said Jason Maxiell, Theo Ratliff or Amir Johnson could start. Maxiell seems like the logical choice, but Saunders worries about early foul trouble. Thus, Ratliff could get the call.

Will Dice be our third masked man?   Broken schnozolas are no fun, and will most likely effect his play if he’s cleared.

Photo by Jesse D. Garrabrant/NBAE via Getty Images

[Box score] What the hell was that? That’s the worst playoff game I can remember since this team started its run in 2003.

How do I even recap the Pistons efforts? I’m having a hard time not doing this whole thing in caps. They didn’t score a field goal in the 3rd quarter! They missed 17 straight shots. Twenty-three f’n turnovers! Tayshaun Prince (8/9 for 19), Rip Hamilton (9/18 for 23), and Jason Maxiell’s block on Reggie-Reggie-Reggie Evans were the only things positive worth mentioning for for Detroit.

Chauncey and Rasheed played especially shitty. I thought Rasheed was a good post defender? Dalembert ate him alive.

The Sixers had a great crowd and they really fed off it. They had ALL the energy last night. They swarmed like bees to honey and it helped that the refs had loose whistles. But, please don’t misconstrue that as me blaming the refs, I ‘m just pointing out the whistle patterns favored the Sixers frantic play. They got their hands on everything.

I’ve never subscribed to the notion that father time has caught up to the ‘Stonz, but they looked down right geriatric last night. The Pistons tried to play Philly’s style of ball but were unable. The Pistons couldn’t stop the Sixers going to the hoop, and they themselves can’t finish when they try hard drives to the bucket.

I’d like Chauncey to recant his statement he made on 50 Greatest night when he said he’d take these Pistons over the Bad Boys. The Bad Boys actually got up for the playoffs. Where’s the pride?

There’s my vent/recap. Hopefully I can get my glass half full before game 4. Get well soon, Dice’s nose.

The Pistons and 76ers resume their best of seven first round playoff series tonight at Philadelphia’s Wachovia Center with the series tied at one game a piece. The game tips at 7:00 and can be viewed locally on TV20 Detroit, and nationally on ESPN2.

For game three the series shifts to Philadelphia (can’t you just hear that line on one of those NBA retrospective videos?). They’re really excited about these Sixers. Philadelphia is going all out for their surprising heroes:

For this, the first home playoff game in Philadelphia in three years, the city has gone all out. While encouraging fans coming to the Wachovia Center tonight to wear white in order to “Run with Us,” they’ve also come up with a few gimmicks.

For one, I-76, a.k.a. the Schuylkill Expressway, the main highway running into town, has been temporarily renamed, I-76ers. And at noon today gas will be pumped at one local station at 76 cents for 76 minutes.

I’d like to get in on some of that .76 gas, that’s for damn sure.

So, in game one the Pistons mistook the game for the 83rd regular season game and got outworked by the 76ers. Game two they restored their good name for the sports media proclaiming them to be the “same old Pistons”. Now they need to keep up the intensity that they showed they had in them in game two to keep the doubters at bay. I hope they can. I hope they’re able to find the challenge in putting away a team they’re expected to put away.

I look for Andre Iguodala* (which I’m now spelling without looking up) to try to force his game. He’s under the microscope after averaging 10 points in the first two game, that’s down from his 19.9 regular season average. Those numbers are supposed to go the other way in the playoffs. One possible explanation for Iggy’s 5/24 combined shooting might be the defense of Tayshaun “Daddy Long Arms” Prince, even if Tay can’t/won’t explain it himself.

Is tonight the night we see the Mr. Big Shot ‘Playoff Edition’? If Chauncey were to have the two consecutive ho-hum games in the regualr season it wouldn’t hardley raise an eyebrow. He hasn’t played bad enough where there’d be cause for concern, but he just hasn’t looked like he’s stepped up his game for the postseason like he usually does.