Last nights overtime win against the Phoenix Suns was satisfying in every sense of the word. The Pistons snapped a ugly two game skid where they performaed subpar at best against the Cavs and Wizards. Besides the win, other bright spots aren’t too hard to find. Rodney Stuckey finally showed some improvement in his jump shot, and better judgement going to the rack. Chauncey Billups said after the game that this was by far Stuckey’s best game. Not that my opinion matters all that much (except on here of course right?) but I tend to agree with Billups on that one. Stuckey showed glimpses of the complete player he can most definately become in the NBA. It was exciting to watch. The win also was impressive because the Suns were on a hot streak (pun intended). They had one seven straight, finally showing the chemistry they needed to show after making the deal for Shaq. The game wen’t back and forth all night, but key defensive stops were the difference in this one. The Pistons made the, the Suns did not. Even with the absence of Rip Hamilton, the Pistons also were able to keep up with Phoenex offensively. When the Pistoms play like a complete team, these are the kind of performance they are capable of. Let’s hope games like these are not few and far between come playoff time.
P.S. I apologize again for the long delay between post. But hey, it builds suspense right?
Sunday at 1 p.m. the Pistons face the New Orleans Hornets and Chris Paul. Chauncey Billups against one of the top three point guards in the NBA and a legit MVP canidate this season. The contrasting styles (Paul’s run and gun tempo, against the more methodical, shoot first Billups) should make for a intriqing match up. Piston fans sit back relax and tune into ABC for this one. A more detailed breakdown of what goes down after the final whistle will soon follow.
Until then I bid you adeu
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The Pistons got beat by the Boston Celtics 90 to 78 on Wednesday night. Prior to the matchup, radio personalities from The Sports Inferno, discussed whether the game really mattered in the grand scheme of things. Well, according to how NBA writers from ESPN.com reacted to the outcome of the game.
It mattered.
Questions arose about whether the Celtics were “hungrier,” then the Pistons, and remiders were made of how the Pistons have let up on their opponents when it counted. To be honest, I am annoyed by how every bad perforamnce by the Pistons against another elite team, is seen as nothing more then a sign of the team’s lack of desire to win. The Pistons played terrible on Wednesday, they only scored 13 points in the first quarter, and after making it close early in the fourth, finished equally as poor as they started. Does this mean however, that the Pistons are merely going through the motions and on their way to another premature playoff exit? No, of course not! The Pistons should be held accountable for their past mistakes. They had no business being beaten four straight games by the Cavs in 07, nor were they they ready to play against the Heat in 06. But these mistakes should not be c0nsidered the sole reason for every bad game the team plays down the stretch. Let the Pistons prove the skeptics right, 0r wrong, come playoff time. Until then, each game should be judged as one 48 minute performance, not an omen for the future.
