If nothing else this was a entertaining game to watch.  The second unit got a chance to strut their stuff and although they gave up a sizable lead in the third quarter there were still plenty of good things to be excited about. {box score}

The goal for this game was to get the younger Pistons some extended minutes.  Curry gave Rip and Rasheed the night off and Dice, Chauncey, and Tayshaun didn’t see any  second half minutes.

The Pistons first unit gave the young guys a 24-15 cushion after one period of play.  Eleven of those first quarter points came from Tayshaun Prince.  It’s good to see him finally scoring the ball after struggling in the first six preseason games.  Chauncey, who like Tay didn’t play after the first quarter, led the Pistons 5 assists.

The second and third quarter saw the Hawks and Pistons exchanging runs.  The Hawks peeled and 14 point Pistons third quarter lead down to 3, 68-71, by the end of the quarter which set up and back and forth duel in the fourth quarter with the Hawks prevailing by one point.  The Pistons would have gotten a better look at a game winner had Alex Acker called a time out after grabbing a Hawks miss, but instead settled for a  hurried last second shot by Stuckey beyond the 3-point arc.

Arron Afflalo, who started in place of Rip Hamilton, led the Pistons’ scoring with 15 points on 7/13 shooting to go with 6 rebounds.  Eleven of Afflalo’s 15 came in the Pistons third quarter run.  Arron was also solid defensively as usual.

Alex Acker made the most of his 19 minutes last night.  Acker scored 11 points on 5/6 shooting to go with 5 boards.

Mike Curry didn’t like all the points for Atlanta down low.  Despite not having Rasheed, Kwame Brown, limited Dice and Amir, M.C. did like his team getting outworked in the paint 54-32:

“Fifty-four points in the paint, I don’t care what we’re playing, that’s unacceptable for how we’re going to play basketball,” Curry said. “That just shows that we have some more work to do.” - milve

Two guys that didn’t play as well as I’m sure they’d have liked to are Amir Johnson and Rodney Stuckey.  Amir couldn’t stay out of foul trouble.  Amir managed to collect 6 fouls in just 15 minutes of play.  Stuckey just had a real bad shooting night going 3/18.  We know Hot Rod is better than 16% shooter, but I have a feeling fouls might be an ongoing problem for Amir Johnson.

Flip Murray (18 points, 9 boards) can never be accused of not having excellent one-on-one skills.  Flip got to the rack whenever he felt like it.  The other former Piston, Mo Evans, also had a good Palace return with 14 points which included this sick dunk over Cheikh Samb.  The irony of that dunk was that the two were traded for each other on Draft Day ‘06.

GAME NOTES: … Walter Sharpe fouled out in 15 minutes of play … Maxiell: 13 points, 8 boards … Pistons finish up preseason play with a 6-2 record … Peach Tree Hoops recap … Kwame’s strained shoulder kept him out again, but he is expected to be ready for the Oct. 29th opener … Wallace’s shooting doesn’t bother him …

LeBron took the night off.  Beating a Lebron-less Cavs is like that whole “if a tree falls in the forest and no one’s around…” thing.  Especially in this case though.  It was a preseason game with no local TV coverage.  The whole forest could have been leveled and know one would have really cared. {boxscore}

The game was played close in the first half with the two Central Div. rivals going into the tunnels knotted at 40.  The Pistons then turned up the D and ran away from the James gang in the second half outscoring them 57-39.

Tayshaun  finally had a game worth mentioning with 17 points (7/10 shooting) in 29 minutes.  This is the first game Tayshuan has scored over 12 in the preseason:

“Tonight, I got a lot of open looks in the corner, and I was able to knock some of them down,” he said. “I was just taking the shots that came to me.” -AP

Rodney Stuckey led the Pistons scoring with 20 points on 8/12 from the field.  Rodney also had 5 assists in his 24 minutes off the Pistons’ bench.

GAME NOTES: Walter Herrmann returned after missing 5 games with sore ribs.  Walter scored 5 points and grabbed 2 boards in 7 minutes … Kwame Brown did not play (right shoulder strain) … Walter Sharpe DNP-CD … Amir Johnson: 8 pts/ 6 rbs / 4blks / 24 min … Pistons shot 54.1% with 26 assists … Pistons Kids Night vid …

Wow!  Did you see that?  I didn’t because I don’t have NBA TV.

The Pistons trailed by double digits for most of the game but were able to outscore the Mavs 36-19 in the fourth quarter.  But, let’s not get too excited.  It turns out in the final 12 minutes it was our starters (sans Amir, + Maxiell) against Dallas’ end of the benchers.  A fact that Coach Curry makes no apologies for:

“I played the Dallas Mavericks,” Pistons coach Michael Curry said. “Whoever they put in the game, that’s who we play. I don’t see no one say anything when we put our reserves in, in the first quarter. We play our reserves. They play their team, we play our team.” - via mlive

A look at the box score shows the Pistons weren’t too proficient on offense shooting 31.7%, which is actually an improvement over last game Tuesday’s game when they shot just under 28%.  Assists too were up from last game (16) thanks in large part to Chauncey’s presence, but this team is only at it’s best when the dime total is north of 20.

It would seem that Chauncey’s ankle is just fine.  CB scored 16 and dished out 7 assists.  He and backcourt mate Ripster (17 pts) led the Pistons fourth quarter charge.

Another positive was young Mr. Amir Johnson.  Amir got a little more aggressive on the offensive end last night.  Amir scored 10 points on 4/8 shooting.  And, from a look at his shot chart you’ll notice some jumpers peppered in there.  Amir still had time for the little things in his 19 minutes of action.  He pulled down 7 boards, dished out 2 assists, 2 steals, and a block for good measure.  Here’s what Amir had to say about socring the ball last night:

“I was wide open, and coach has been stressing that if I am wide open, shoot the ball,” Johnson said. “I finally got the courage to take my shot.” - via Detroit News

GAME NOTES: Curry planned on using the regular season rotations for this game ( Acker, Bynum, Samb, Sharpe - DNP CD) … Jason Kidd premiered his yun dong’s …  Walter Herrmann still has too much pain in his ribs, though all tests are negative … Jason Maxiell recorded 5 of the team’s 8 blocked shots … Video recap at NBA.com … Rip logged 37 minutes …

I feel bad for the sellout crowd for that showed up for the 5th annual Meijer’s basketball classic in Grand Rapids last night.  Even by preseason standards it was far from classic. {box score}

I don’t think there’s anything to be concerned about from an ugly preseason loss, it’s just that it’d been nice for the west-siders to have gotten a better show.

The Pistons started out by digging themselves a 11-0 hole and despite pulling within 2 scores never really could mount a consistent offense.  The  offensive numbers on this game are just brutal.  27.8% shooting with 8 total assists.  Surprising just 10 turnovers which just points to poor offensive execution.  No one was hitting shots.

Just like last season, the Pistons’ offense struggles when Chauncey Billups (sprained right ankle) is out of the line up.  Rodney Stuckey may be the man but he’s yet to figure out how to control the offense like Mr. Big Shot.

Will Bynum led the Pistons with 10 points to go along with 3 boards.  While those aren’t huge numbers I thought Will made the most of his time on the floor and was a bright spot in a pretty much unwatchable game.

If you’re a state of Michigan basketball fan than you could appreciate the two Mitten products, Malik Hairston and Desmon Farmer, both having nice outings for the Spurs, both of whom are trying to make San Antonio’s roster.  Detroit’s Hairston collected 8 points, 7 boards and 3 blks.  Flint’s Farmer stood out with 13 points, 3 boards and 3 dimes.

NOTES: Still no Walter Herrmann, out with sore ribs … Not in action for the Spurs: Tony Parker Longoria (sore Achilles), Michael Finley , Roger Mason , Manu Ginobili (ankle), Salim Stoudamire (ankle) and Kurt Thomas (hamstring) … Spurs top tired Pistons … The Pistons are 3-2 in preseason Grand Rapids play … George Blaha interviews Afflalo …

For the second time in three nights the Pistons thumped the Bucks.   Arron Afflalo again led the charge as the Pistons won easliy 111-99 in Milwaukee.  Our guy A² has really found the touch against Milwaukee.  Arron scored 28 points in 25 minutes.  He was 10/12 from the field which included 2/2 from beyond the arc.  Flo also had 2 boards, assists, and steals.  Not a bad outting huh? {box score}

Now, not to take any shine away from Arron, but I feel an obligation to spend the rest of this recap cracking Richard Jefferson.  For whatever reason I’ve never liked the guy, so when I was bumping around checking out the game pics I was cracking up at how the photog’s seemed to be clowning RJ.  I think they were intentionally trying to create “caption this” pics.  I really wish this game had been televised locally.

Bucks forward Richard Jefferson was ejected with 4:22 remaining in the third quarter. Jefferson, who got a technical foul in the first half for jawing with Afflalo, ran into a backcourt pick from Antonio McDyess. Jefferson was whistled for a foul and screamed in protest. Referee Violet Palmer quickly ejected Jefferson, who had to be restrained by his teammates. -ESPN

Arron and R.Jeff got double techs in the first half.  It was a rough night for Jefferson.  Arron tries to cheer him up with a hug and a smoochy poo. (AP)

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No local TV coverage last night, so what we didn’t see is the Pistons surge in the second half to defeat the Wizards in D.C. for their 3rd consecutive preseason win. [box score]

Michael Curry went 14 players deep last night playing everyone who didn’t have sore ribs (Walter Herrmann).  Three  of the biggest contributions came from Pistons who used to ball in the District.  Rasheed Wallace led all scores with 12 points to go along with 5 boards.  Former Wizards’ 2001 #1 overall pick Kwame Brown didn’t let the boo birds at the Verizon Center effect his play.  Kwame racked up 9 points and 3 steals in just 15 minutes of play.  Rip rounded out the bygone trio with 8 points.

Kwame is joining the Coach ‘Sheed movement: “It was fun and it was easy,” Brown said. “‘Sheed makes it easy for you. He’s such a crafty veteran, he keeps you dialed into the game.

“A lot of times I’m just trying to find my way and learn the offense. He just keeps you in tune, he’s talking to you the whole time, and he makes you talk. So when you’re talking, you’re more into the game.” -Via Detroit Free Press

NOTES: The Pistons never trailed in this game …  No Wizards in double figure … The Pistons are now 3-0 in preseason play.  Their next game is tonight @ Milwaukee … Washington was without Antawn Jamison (bruised right knee), Brendan Haywood (right wrist), Juan Dixon (right calf), Nick Young (sore left knee), Gilbert Arenas (knee) … Cheikh Samb got his first PT of the preseason. Cheikh scored 2 points and grabbed a board in 6 minutes of play …The Wizards next 2 games will be overseas Vs. New Orleans The games will take place in Berlin and Barcelona Oct. 14 and Oct. 17 … Injured Brendan Haywood could not view the game from the bench due to not having a sports coat  …  Bullet’s Forever: Detroit Pistons 73, Washington Wizards 62 … If you can’t appreciate DeShawn Stevenson’s Fresh Prince box fade there’s something wrong with you …

[Box score]The preseason is used largely to see what’cha got.  Most of the Pistons are a well known commodity, but I’m betting we’ll be seeing many more facets to  Arron Afflalo’s game this season under Michael Curry.

Last night A², usually known as an adroit defender, showed his ability to score the ball in a come from behind victory over Milwaukee.  Afflalo led all Pistons with 15 points on 6/7 shooting, which included a 3/3 performance from 3-point land.  Arron also grabbed 5 boards in his 24 minutes on the court.

“I’m going to go out there and defend, but I’ve got to be able to hit open shots,” Afflalo said. “I’m going to find ways to take advantage of what I can do offensively.” - AP via ESPN

NOTES: Walter Sharpe looks very athletic out there.  I’m liking that pick by Joe…Kwame Brown picked up 5 fouls in 13 minutes of play with 2 turnovers…Pistons use 3-guard offense in exhibition win…Acker/Samb/Herrmann DNP-CD…Coach Curry starts 1-0 at the Palace…National City is the new presenting sponsor of the Detroit Pistons…Among Curry’s 16 rules: Don’t whine to refs…

The Pistons looked like they were going to blow the game open in the second quarter but they weren’t able to keep Boston off the boards or the whistles off their back dropping game 5 102-106. [Box Score]

This series continues to go back and forth with no team able to win consecutive games. You got the feeling early that it’d be the Pistons who’d finally do it by stifling defense. But, the Pistons couldn’t keep Boston off the glass. It doesn’t matter how good defensively you play, you get out rebounded 42-25 you’re going to lose more often than not. Credit Kendrick Perkins (16 rbs) for really hurting the Pistons on the glass despite how much of a doofis he may look like.

Another troubling thing is that the Pistons good agressive defense was rewarded with a lot ticky-tack fouls. A lot of guys had to play with foul trouble which also helped Boston back into the game. Boston attempted 25 of it’s 30 free throws in the second half. Rasheed Wallace, who is one technical away from suspension after picking up his 6th last night, had some strong words on how the game was called:

“All that bull (bleep) calls they had out there, with Mike (Callahan) and Kenny (Mauer) — you’ve all seen that (bleep),” Wallace spewed afterwards. A lot of them phantom calls, cats are flopping and falling all over the floor and they’re calling that (bleep). That (bleep) ain’t basketball out there. It’s all (bleeping) entertainment. You all should know that (bleep). It’s all that (bleeping) entertainment.” - ESPN

(AP Photo/Michael Dwyer)

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(Photo by Nathaniel S. Butler/NBAE via Getty Images)

The Pistons led wire to wire in the 4th game of their best-of-seven Eastern Conference Finals winnning 75-94 to tie the series at two games a piece. [Box Score]

Why bittersweet you ask? (caution, rant ahead) It was a great win for our guys but it really smarts to realize we could just as easily be up 3-1 in this series. There’s nothing the Pistons did last night that couldn’t have been done on Saturday. The fans that attended game 3 got ripped. I have to go on record with respectfully disagreeing with a far more popular Pistons blog that decreed those who booed the home team that night were not true fans. A couple playoff tickets, gas prices north of $4, parking, and concessions can easily have you in the $400 neighborhood. For a team to not even show up is a slap in the face. It was not a mid-January game against Memphis, it was an Eastern Conference Finals game against a storied rival AT HOME. Those things alone should have brought out the best in our guys, but it didn’t. Just because this team has given us so much over the years doesn’t take away a paying fans right to voice their frustration. It’s not like fans were booing the team’s total body of work. The boos were for the total lack of effort that night. [/rant]

Like I predicted in the game 3 recap the Pistons came out blazing to the tune of a 10-0 start (8 of them by McDyess). What changed? Well the defense was intense, and the Pistons actually looked to take the ball to the cup instead of settling for the jumpers. The Pistons also got much better ball movement which is so key to this team oriented offense.

The game remained close through out despite the final score. Foul troubles really kept the Celtics from being blown out. The Celtics converted on 82% of their 39 free throws. The Pistons ended up attempting 13 less freethrows.

Antonio McDyess came and played like a man on a mission notching game highs in scoring (21) and rebounding (16). Dice has been the most consistent Pistons in this third round averaging a double-double (14.5pts, 10.8 rbs). I guess he’s tired of waiting for his teammates to win him a ring and has decided to go out and get it himself.

“You only have so many opportunities, and they’re limited, especially for me,” he said. “I’m at the end of my career, and I just feel like leaving everything out on the floor.” - NBA.com

Chauncey (10pts, 7asts) was more assertive like everyone said he needed to be. With Mr. Big Shot running the show the Pistons moved the ball so much better. They ended up racking up 27 assists. Again, you can see he’s not 100%, but he doesn’t really have to be in order to be effective.

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The only thing you can say is that the Pistons did not show up, and that’s pretty inexcusable for an Eastern Conference Finals game IN YOUR OWN GYM. The Celtics weren’t dominant, this was a very winnable game. The Pistons got down 11-0 to start the game and made a nice run in the first quarter to briefly get the lead. From that point unfortunately they played the rest of the game uphill being down as many as 24 and in the end losing 94-80. [Box score]

We got next to nothing from 3/5 of our starting line up. Dice (8 pts, 8 rbs) and Rip (26 pt) were the only ones who looked interested. I have to think there’s more to Chauncey’s injury than we’ve been led to believe because it seemed as he tried to run the offense from beyond the 3pt arc. He didn’t look to cut or force the defense’s hand, he was seemed very tentative out there.

A hat tip to Rodney Stuckey (17 tps, 4 asts) last night. He was the most aggressive player on the court, the only one looking to take the ball straight into the teeth of the Boston defense. I think the vets owed a little more to Stuck then what they gave last night. Stuckey’s a rookie, and it shouldn’t be up to him to try to keep us in the game while the others watch.

So, here we are again. Down in a series with our backs against the wall. I have no doubt the Pistons will come out blazing and take game 4, it’s just frustrating that that’s the way it STILL is with this team.

Photo by Elsa/Getty Images

The Pistons played A LOT better last night, but I would definitely not go as far as to say that they played at their highest level as they handed the Celtics their first home playoff loss 103-97. [Box Score]

Like a veteran team that they are the Pistons took advantage of Boston’s miscues, especially when Boston found themselves over the foul limit.

And like they talked about before the game the defense had to be better, which it was. The rotations were quicker and they were able to crowd the Celtics all night. The Pistons forced 12 turnovers, 9 of them off steals.

Chauncey too was better, but still not as good as he can be. Even though Mr. Big Shot scored 19 and dished out 7 assists you can tell there’s still some residual rust he needs to work out. Enter the rookie from Eastern Washington. Rodney Stuckey introduced himself to basketball fans last night scoring 13 points in 17 minutes off the bench. Rodney’s timely buckets and acrobatic drives had the ESPN crew singing his praises, and rightly so. Rodney single handedly outscored Boston’s reserves 13-8.

The Pistons balanced attack was paced by Rip who scored a team high 25 and was one of six Pistons in double figures. The Celtics on the other hand got 75 from their big 3, which if you do the math doesn’t leave much for the rest of their green and white coiffed chums.

Now the Pistons are the ones with the home court advantage. This definitely put us in the drivers seat but we can’t just say we’ve got this wrapped up because the Celtics can’t win on the road. I don’t know why the Celtics couldn’t win any games in Cleveland, let alone in Atlanta. They’re better than that, so the Pistons need to stay focused.

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The Pistons just seemed like they couldn’t sustain any rhythm in game one of the Eastern Conference Finals, losing the game 79-88. [Box Score]

The Celtics played good defense and like they did during the three regular season meetings were able to disrupt what the Pistons wanted to do on offense. But it wasn’t all Celtics D that did the Pistons in last night. Two numbers that jump out at you and let you know that the Pistons just couldn’t get in sync were the uncharacteristically low assist total of 15 and the un-Piston-like 13 turnovers (7 of which came in the 3rd quarter alone).

Those two numbers also are pretty telling that our floor leader, Chauncey Billups, has been effected by the time off recovering from the strained hamstring. Chauncey wasn’t able to take advantage of his match up with Rajon Rondo. Billups numbers tell the tale, only 9 points, 2 assist, 2 turnovers. He didn’t have his same explosiveness or swagger. But, let’s not go so far as to say Chauncey when fully back into the swing of things is going to dribble Rondo like a basketball. Chauncey is with out a doubt the better of the two guards, but I’ve reluctantly come to realize that the Celtics point guard (who bares a strong resemblance to Earthworm Jim of Sega Genesis fame) is a formidable foe.

Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images

[Box score] The Pistons will be playing in their sixth consecutive Eastern Conference Finals (opponent TBD) after dispatching the Orlando Magic in five games. The Pistons conference finals streak is the longest since the Los Angeles Lakers went to six straight Western Conference Finals from 1984-89.

Last night’s game five was a tight one, although many numbers pointed towards a Piston’s blowout. The Magic seemed to hit just enough shots to stay within striking distance, but in the end the Pistons just out muscled the Magic’s hopes of extending the series.

The Magic are a young upcoming team but right now the Pistons are too strong physically and mentally for Orlando to take the next step with their current group. They’re sure to have a busy off-season with a plethora of free agents on the roster, but they’ve got a nice nucleus with Howard, Hedo, and Lewis to build upon.

The Magic woes last night included committing 21 turnovers (12 off Pistons steals), 27 personal fouls, 57.1% free throw shooting, and again Dwight Howard being almost completely neutralized. Like I said, it’s amazing this game wasn’t a blowout.

Another game without Chauncey Billups gave a chance to further the maturation of Rodney Stuckey. Rodney came up big with clutch assists and drives late in the game. Stuck scored 15 points and dished out a team high 6 assists. Rodney also committed ZERO turnovers. The Pistons as a team actually set a new playoff record with a mere THREE turnovers the entire game, and none after the first quarter.

Tayshaun’s playoff defense legend continues to grow. Tay blocked a Hedo Turkoglu drive with under 25 seconds to play to help secure the series. The impressive thing about the block is that it wasn’t Tayshaun chasing down Hedo from behind. It was a straight face-to-face mano e mano mid air swat. The timing was a thing of beauty.

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No Chauncey looked to be a big problem in the first half. The offense didn’t have much flow. We also missed Chauncey on the defensive side of the ball. Rodney Stuckey, who started for Billups got himself into foul trouble early not being able to react quick enough to the more veteran Magic guards.

Luckily for Stuckey there’s a 14 year veteran PG who was activated for the game. Lindsey played really well when you consider his age and just how much he hasn’t played this season. He was tenacious as ever and helped to keep the Pistons in the game.

It kind of looked like with out our floor leader we were going to have to concede a second loss to the Magic in Orlando and prepare to go back to the Palace and hold serve.

Things started to turn around in the second half. The Pistons started the third down by 11(44-55), and not too long into the quarter the deficit grew to 15. That’s when the team that Pistons’ fans love emerged. The Pistons defense started clamping down. A 15-0 run put Detroit even with Orlando at 63 and we again had ourselves a ball game.

The Pistons were able to contain Dwight Howard all night. The Piston defenders did a great job of pushing Dwight away from the basket and not letting him get any close looks. Howard scored a personal playoff low 8 points, with no field goals after the first quarter, to go with his 12 boards.

The fourth quarter was a good old fashion playoff battle with the lead going back and forth. Rasheed (16 pts) who was invisible in the first half combined with Rip (32 pts) and Tayshaun (17 pts) to help carry the Pistons.

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[Box Score] The stars were all aligned for Orlando last night. Chauncey slips, does some crazy splits and strains his right hamstring just four minutes into the game. Rasheed Wallace is limited to just 28 minutes because of foul troubles. The Magic find their home court very conducive for their shooting touch as they hit 54% from the field, including 46% from beyond the arc. Rashard Lewis comes alive after two subpar games at the Palace scoring a game high 33 (5 ast, 6 rbs).

Even though the Pistons fought hard it was just too much at once to overcome.

From what I’ve read the Pistons are hopeful Mr. Big Shot will be able to go in game #4, but will be listed as day-to-day. Chauncey’s status is most likely going to lead to the activation of Lindsey Hunter or Juan Dixon, or possibly both. It’ll also be the perfect spot for Rodney Stuckey to really step up and make a name for himself. Tayshaun Prince (22 pts, 7 rbs) would also be a guy to keep your eyes on because of his propensity for increased production when we’re down a starter.