Ok so the Pistons tied the series up with the 76ers at two games a peace. Am i supposed to be happy about that? Happy that the Pistons got beat by 20 points, and missed 17 straight shots? Happy that just like the last couple years, the Pistons have looked apathetic, and disinterested? Nope sorry, I’m not that happy. What would make me happy is if the team with the second best record in the NBA during the regular season, would decide to take every opponent they play seriously. I would love to see that. Can the Pistons play with hte Celtics? Yes. Can they play with any team out west? Yes. will they give themselves a chance to prove it? Not unless the team brings anything less then their A game, or maybe their B game, any game that would get me a passing grade in Algebra at least. If the Pistons make it out of this first round series (yea I said if) then hopefully the adversity will be good for them. Maybe it will take a nice kick in the teeth by a far inferior team to wake them up to the reality that THIS IS THE PLAYOFFS!. Here’s to hopin.
Not a good way to kick off the playoffs for the Pistons. Shockingly the team decided to lay a big fat pile of stink on the palace floor, losing to their first round opponents the Philadelphia 76ers in game one. T Pistons blew a early fifteen point lead by basically missing every shot they needed to make. Who would have thought Reggine Evans would come come up more clutch then Mr Big Shot Chauncey Billups at the free throw line? Not I, but Chauncey ended up missing three straight from the line, despite being second in FT% on the season. It would be an understatement of enormous proportions to say that the Pistons didn’t show up to play On Sunday Night. If they don’t come up with a good ole fashion but whooping Wednesday night, we will be seeing a all too familiar sight. Early vacation.
Get it right boys!!!
Just a quick note that the playoffs are just around the corner. It looks as though the Pistons will be in a pretty good position because Boston and Cleven may end up duking it out against eachother before roling into Motown. It always pays to be extra causious though, since the last couple years looked like a clear path to the NBA finals, but didn’t turn out that way for the Pistons. At least the first round shouldn’t be much of a problem. The Pistons dispatched of the Raptors on Sunday, showing that Toronto matched up well with them, but not quite well enough. On a humerous side note, I always enjoy watching Carlos Delfino jack up three pointers and not even coming close to the rim. Man do we miss that guy on our team?
The answer is no we don’t!
Since the Pistons have enjoyed elite status, the last month of the regular season has become quite enjoyable for me. This year is certainly no exception. With the Pistons pretty much guaranteed the second seed in the Eastern Conference, it gives the team a chance to rest starters for the upcoming playoff run. This means ample playing time for the young bench players. Tuesday Night, Rasheed Wallace, Rip Hamilton, and Chauncey Billups, all sat out the game against the Minnesota Timberwolves At first it seemed that the Pistons Bench could not hold their own playing against an equally young Minnesota Timberwolve starting core. The team fell behind by 22 points in the first half, being dominated in every facet of the game. A late run however, cut the gap going into the third quarter, giving the Pistons a chance. This is all they would need as they pulled out a very gratifying, and encouraging 90 to 88 victory. Rodney Stuckey set himself apart, scoring a career high 27 points, and shooting 6 of 12 from the field. He did so in a variety of different ways, capitalizing on his ability to get to the basket and either convert, or draw a foul. Stuckey also showed vast improvement in his jumpshot, inching him closer it would seem to becoming a complete point guard. Although not putting up numbers that jump off the stat sheet, Amir Johnson also played well, scoring five points, and grabbing three offensive rebounds in 20 minutes. Not only did this game provide rest that hopefully will hope valuable for the Piston starters, it also demonstrated, at least for one one game, that the Pistons have more weapons in their arsenal then a power starting five. All in all, this game was a blast to watch. Basketball at its finest.
