Billups Injured In Pistons Loss To Pacers

Now this one was just a heartbreaker of a game. After the Knicks marathon I almost couldn't stand what was happening at the Palace last night. It was bad enough sitting through the ups and downs of last nights game against the Pacers but to lose Chauncey with a calf strain for at least 10 days is another thing.

Chauncey led The Pistons with 23 points and a career-best 12 rebounds in 40 minutes. Rip added 22 and the slumping Tayshaun just 10. Rasheed played just 21 minutes and only seconds of the fourth quarter because of a stomach illness.

Key Points

• I clearly heard boo's last night when Flip Murray entered the game.
• Chauncey Billups must be friends with Pacers Al Harringtion. They had about a five minute conversation at half court during pre-game warm-ups.
• Nazr Mohammed had a couple of nice blocks early in the game.
• Delfino again played well but his game ending foul that gave the Pacers the win is all anyone will remember.
• I kept wondering why Sheed wasn't playing in the fourth quarter, I hate not knowing important details when I am at the game.
• Stephen Jackson is an angry man.
• Chauncey's 3 point buzzer beater at halftime gave life to the Palace.
• My stomach was in my shoes when this happened.

• The Pistons were 35-for-83 from the floor. The Pacers were 34-for-84.
• Maxiell was a monster again.
• When will the Pistons learn how to NOT blow a big lead?
  
• The Pistons allowed the Pacers to get too many easy baskets.
• I was a little confused as to why Nazr played so few minutes.
• Will Blalock start in Chauncey's place?
• I hope so.
• Where is the defense?
• Will Amir Johnson see a minute or two while CB is gone?
• Tayshaun is still slumping.
• It seemed like it took the Pistons 10 minutes to score after halftime.
• 19 is just way too many turnovers.
• Chauncey couldn't hit anything in the first quarter. He eventually went 7-19.
• The Pistons looked great when they were up 12 in the second. It was all downhill from there.
• Chauncey again missed a crucial free throw at the end of the game.
• This was awesome.

• Lots of T's in this one.
• I was so upset after the game I didn't realize I didn't park in my usual place. It took me 15 minutes to find my car.
• We have to be thankful that Chauncey's only out for 2 weeks.
• What's Tony Delk doing right now? Matt informs us he's in Greece.....Bummer.
  
• It's going to be tough against the Suns without Chauncey.
• Rasheed bairly broke a jog the whole game.
• Maxiell is not scared to take the shot.
• Sometimes we don't pass the ball enough and sometimes we make too many passes.
• Someone is happy about the Pistons-Pacers game.
• I am not a fan of Jamal Tinsley.
• Pistons out rebounded the Pacers 55-42.
• McDyess is still inconsistent but he's hustling on every play.
• Let's hope the Pistons can figure out how to win without their floor leader.

Carlos Delfino Wallpaper

New Carlos Delfino desktop background wallpaper located in the Wallpapers section of the website. Available in Standard and Widescreen resolutions.

Around The Way

The Holiday Edition of The Carnival of the NBA #39 is up at Bullets Forever.com, so grab your eggnog and settle in.

• It's Camo Night in Memphis!
• Jason Kidd was fined 20,000 for his Three Blind Mice remark after the Pistons-Net game.
• Slam's take on the Knicks - Pistons Marathon.
• George Blaha talks Isiah Thomas.
• Reggie Miller on Dancing With The Stars?
• Although not my style and I will never wear them, I think I have to order these.

Both Teams Played Hard: Knicks Beat The Pistons In Triple Overtime

Someone had to lose this one and tonight it was the Pistons. Carlos Delfino's three with 5.3 seconds to play sent the game into it's first overtime. Channing Frye's buzzer beater sent it into a third overtime, but it seemed like it was all Jamal Crawford's game after that as the Knicks beat the Pistons 151-145.

Though the Pistons lost, some good things came out of the game at the Garden. Richard Hamilton set a career high 51 points, Carlos Delfino had his best game in a Pistons uniform, Nazr continued his clutch play and Dyess seems to be coming out of his early season cloud.

Key Points

• The Pistons had 27 offensive rebounds.
• Stephon Marbury scored 41 in the best performance I have ever seen from him.
• The Knicks shot 56% for the game. At one point they were shooting almost 65%.
• The Pistons defense was nonexistent for lapses during the game.
• Chauncey Billups had another off shooting night going 3-13.
• Rip was perfect from the stripe.
• Chauncey missed a key free throw in overtime.
• Does Steve Francis even play anymore? The only time I remember him out there was when he caused a delay of game that sent Isiah into a rampage.
  
• The Pistons were 7-for-25 from beyond the long line.
• Though it was a loss I sill have to commemorate Richard Hamilton's milestone.

• Joe Dumars is probably looking for Flip Murray's replacement as we speak.
• I didn't think Channing Frye's shot to send it to the 3rd overtime was going in.
• Crawford was key for the Knicks in overtime, the guy just couldn't miss.
• George Blaha says David Lee is to the Knicks as Jason Maxiell is to the Pistons.
• Tayshaun Reggie Millerd Renaldo Balkman.
• Rip was hot, after 31 minutes he had 35 points.
• Tayshaun is still in a bit of a slump.
  
• Delfino was clutch.
• The Knicks played great the whole game.
• Dyess looked good in the second half of the game.
• Nazr is fitting in well, 18 points, 14 rebounds, 2 blocks in 30 minutes.
• I would have liked to see if Maxiell could have stopped Curry.
• Dyess had a really lucky tap on a Sheed missed three.
• It wasn't Rasheed's best night, 9 points, 9 rebounds in 36 minutes. He fouled out before overtime started.
• Tayshaun was just 4-for-16 and 1-for-7 from beyond the arc.
• Jason Maxiell played just 2 minutes while Delfino played 30.
• I think Sheed read my comment yesterday about the way he tucks his jersey in his shorts. They were clearly more noticeable tonight, add some suspenders and he looked almost Urkel like tonight. So I guess you could call him Sheed Urkel.
  

• You have to appreciate a hard fought game like that no matter which side you are rooting for.
• Good thing Flip has been using the bench lately or the Pistons would have run out of gas during the first overtime.
• It was nice to see Pistons fans in the crowd. I wonder if one of them was Vin (a fellow Sheedologist).
  
• I learned at halftime that Lindsey Hunter has a clause in his contract that will allow him to be part of the Pistons management after he retires.
  
• Poor shot by Chauncey at the end of the first overtime, I don't understand why he took that long three.
• Chauncey fouled Marbury, who was shooting a three, at the end of the first overtime. Marbury made all three and tied up the game and sent the game into a second overtime. Had Chauncey not fouled him, the Pistons might have won the game right there.
  
• I was waiting for Rip to get T'd up in the closing seconds.
• For going into triple overtime, the Pistons only had 10 turnovers. Three of them belonged to Flip Murray, who just played 4 minutes.
  
• Will Blalock continues to get minutes.
• Flip Murray doesn't.
• I really thought the Pistons had it put away in the second overtime.
• Delfino redeemed himself after the New Jersey game.

The game ran so long I am probably forgetting key points. Feel free to comment on anything I left out.

No Shame in Sheed's Game

Most of you have already seen Rasheed and the rest of the crew's Grammy like rendition of Jingle Bells. What you didn't get to see was their fellow teammates reaction to the video as it played on the giant screen at the Palace. As you can see from the video, even Sheed gets a kick out of his own silliness. Too bad they didn't get shots of the Hawks bench, because they enjoyed it just a much a the Pistons did.

Click here to watch the Bench Reaction.

Pistons Squeak By The Nets

If you're a Pistons fan you had beef with the officials the entire game except for the last few seconds. If you're a Nets fan, you believe the game should have been yours after the non call against Rasheed in the final seconds of the game. Either way you look at it you can say the officiating was questionable.

Rasheed and Rip led the Pistons with 21 each in the 92-91 win against the Nets at the Palace. Mr. Big Shot was Mr. Big Not, going just 1-for-10, but his late drive to the hoop that garnered two free throws put the Pistons over the top to hold on against New Jersey.

Key Points

• Rasheed was ThreeTASTIC in the first quarter.
• The bench had an awful night.
• Rasheed, Chauncey and McDyess all got called for technical fouls.
• The Pistons argued foul calls most of the game.
• There was no flow in the 2nd or 3rd quarters, because of the ticky tack fouls being called.
• The refs decided to put the whistles away in the fourth and let them play.
• Rasheed chatted up Vince Carter every time the two were lined up for a free throw.

• I am shocked it took so long for Sheed to get called for a tech.
• Lawrence Frank, along with a NJ assistant coach went ballistic after the non call. Frank had to be held back.
• I think I need to get a Maxiell Jersey.
• Sheed said the call could have went either way.
  
• Jason Kidd spent the entire time out, with 1.6 seconds left, talking to the refs.
• I still don't like Richard Jefferson.
• Flip Murray kicked the basketball right in Eddie Houses face. If that were me I would have surly teared up.
• Delfino was horrible in the 6 minutes he was out there.
• McDyess was no better, playing just 9 himself.
• Nazr was solid and had a few key rebounds in the closing minutes.
• Will Blalock had 2 steals and 2 assists in 9 minutes.
• Chauncey Billups favorite Christmas present was a Incredible Hulk Big Wheel.

• The Nets shot 38 free throws to The Pistons 28.
• Dale Davis collected 7 rebounds in 15 minutes.
• I wonder if Jason Kidd will get fined for this. "We come to work, and we work extremely hard at this, only for the officials to screw us," Jason Kidd said. "We fought, but that doesn't mean anything when you have the officials take over the game like that. You go with the Three Blind Mice, and it's just sad that Tom (Washington) screwed up that game for us."
• Billups was 0-for-5 from downtown.
• Someone commented that they heard the crowd boo Flip Murray when he was on the floor, I myself didn't notice anyone doing it around my section.
• Hey we're movin on up!
  
• Prince played 41 minutes.
• Rip rarely has had an off night this season, yet he is still way behind in all-star voting.
• I am convinced that Rasheed tucks his jersey inside his shorts like this to irk Mr. Stern.

• It was a good game to be at the Palace, the crowd was loud and loyal.
• My heart sank when Tayshaun tripped and fell on the last play of the game, while trying to defend Carter.
  
• I don't understand why Flip took Sheed out when he was on fire early in the game.
• The Pistons interior defense was non existent for the entire third quarter.
• I got THIS awesome present for Christmas.
• The crowd cheered loudly for Maxiell when he entered the game.
• Flip Murray, not so much.
• The Pistons have won 5 in a row.
• I hope everyone who celebrates Christmas had a merry one, if not I hope you had a nice day off.

Jingle Bells: From Rasheed and Company

I was all set to send my holiday greetings your way, but after seeing this, what I had planned didn't quite compare.

Here you have it, a Pistons rendition of Jingle Bells. Featuring Will Blalock, Jason Maxiell, Amir Johnson and the oh so jolly Rasheed Wallace. Now I happen to be partial to the Remix, but that's just me. When they played this during a time out at the Palace, the whole place erupted, including the entire Pistons bench.

Happy Holidays and enjoy this video. This one is truly SHEEDtastic!

Bad Boy For Life: Bill Laimbeer

I was pleasantly surprised a few days ago while leafing through a stack of mail. In a pile of junk mail and holiday cards I found a magazine I didn't quite recognize. It was called 48322 and on the cover was a larger than life Bill Laimbeer proudly displaying his championship rings. The article gives some insights on Bill past and present, from how he met his wife to his days with the Detroit Shock.

Under normal circumstances I would point you to the online article so you could check it out, but this seems to be a local magazine highlighting residents and businesses in the area. So rather than give you a summary of the piece, I decided to scan it for your reading pleasure. If you are not a Pistons fan I am sure you hate the man, but if you are a Piston fan for life, like me, you have nothing but love for man everyone loves to hate. I know at least one person that will really enjoy this.

Bonzi Talk

"A more likely deal I could see going down closer to the trading deal is a straight-up swap of Flip Murray for Bonzi Wells. It's no secret that the Pistons have loved Bonzi for quite some time now. If he would have opted out of the final year of his contract in Sacramento, Detroit was prepared to offer him a multi-year deal worth more than $30 million. And this summer, had Ben Wallace returned to Detroit, a similar deal to the one the Pistons offered Nazr Mohammed, would have been there for Wells to take. It's pretty clear that Murray's just not working out in Detroit, and Bonzi's issues in Houston have been well-documented as well. There's nothing to do this right now, but like I said earlier, do not be shocked if talks begin to heat up as we move closer to the Feb. 22 trading deadline." Via A. Sherrod Blakley @ MLive

Around The Way

• Human Victory Cigar has a great interview with WDFN's Matt Dery.
• Rip Hamilton Video for the new NBA Street.
  
• The Basketball Jones is giving away DVD's.
• Amen Kelly.
• Again Ron Ron?
• I am not the only one that loves Jason Maxiell.
• lowpost.net has some great interviews with Jeff of Celtics Blog.com and Howie from NBA Basketball and Other Unrelatedness that I have neglected to mention until now.
• HoopsAddict Podcast with Rus Bradburd about his book "Paddy on the Hardwood."
• The Nugg Doctor is anxiously awaiting A.I.

Billups Fourth Quarter Surge Helps Top The Cavs

Chauncey Billups was just 1-9 until he caught fire in the fourth quarter to help propel The Pistons past The Cavs 87-71. Chauncey hit three jumpers, two of them 3-pointers in the first minutes of the fourth as the Pistons went on a 14-3 run to open a 71-58 lead in the fourth quarter.

The score was close, and it looked like it was going to go down to the wire, but The Pistons defense and their hot shooting helped pull them away in the fourth quarter.

The Pistons defense forced The Cavs into shooting a horrible 18% in the third quarter and 34% for the night. Collectively the Pistons did a nice job shutting LeBron down, especially in the second half. But he still led the Cavaliers with 26 points, going 9-20 from the floor.

Key Points

• Rasheed returned with 9 points, 6 rebounds in 25 minutes.
• Tayshaun Reggie Millered The Cavs Daniel Gibson.
• Will Blalock played 10 minutes and did a fine job backing up Chauncey.
• Carlos Delfino played great D against LeBron.
• LeBron is immune from Techs, I can't remember how many times I saw him complain about an AND-1. For some people that results in a T.
• The Cavs fans booed Sheed every time he touched the ball.
• The Cavs fand booed their own team in the fourth quarter when it was clear they were going to lose.
• I have been to, and have seen hundreds of Pistons games. I have never witnessed Pistons fan boo their own team. Not even in the teal days, and that's saying something.
• I like Kenny, Charles and Ernie Johnson. I will take TNT over ESPN any day.
  
• Steve Kerr and Marv Alpert were gushing over Mad Max, even more so after this happened.

• Surprisingly they interviewed Maxiell right at halftime. They told him of the comparisons he was getting to Charles Barkley. Good for him.
• "They are still a Powerhouse" said LeBron James after the game.
  
• I still want to unload my nephews paint ball gun at Anderson Varejao. I might just use this as target practice.
  
• McDyess had his breakout game of the season, a double-double, 11 points and 11 rebounds. Although his season high is just 11 he looked like the Dyess of old, which is a good sign.
• What's the deal with the patch of hair on the back of Drew Gooden's head? Did Stevie Wonder give him a haircut?

• Tayshaun had his best game in while, going 8-11 with 16 points 8 rebounds, 3 assists and that Reggie Miller block.
• Mr. Mohammed had a solid game.
• Ilgauskas looks like he joined The Club over the summer.
  
• Flip Murray played just 9 minutes and was 0-3.
• Rip had an off shooting night going 4-10 in just 29 minutes.
• Flip Saunders is using the bench well. For now at least.
  
• Big Z is soft.
• The Shins new single, Phantom Limb is really good. I have been listening to it on replay as I write this.
• Super Dupe got some playing time.
• Maxiell scored 11 points in 16 minutes.
• Kid Rock was in the house.
• The Cavs had just 9 turnovers, The Pistons had 10.
• I was pleasantly surprised when The Pistons shots started dropping in the fourth quarter.
• What happened to Webster, he barely played and when he did he was nonexistent.
• Scott Pollard has nothing better to do than get a mowhawk.
• The Pistons are now a game and a half in front of Chicago for 1st place in the Central division.
• It was nice to have breathing room at the end of the game.
• I laughed when someone left me a comment after the game that read "SPANK YOU VERY MUCH!"
• GO Pistons!
  

Pistons - Cavs TNT Showdown

The 15-8 Pistons take on The 14-10 Cavs in a battle of Eastern conference supremacy. It looks like Rasheed will be making his return tonight against the Cavs. I will be surprised if Sheed plays more than 25 minutes, unless he's having a monster game, which might be the case because as you all know Rasheed likes to play the villain and there is no better place to put on his mask than in Quicken Loans Arena.

"I love it," he said. "It just gets me more riled up and fired up."

Don't be surprised if you see a few "Rasheed Must Bleed" signs in the crowd, in reference to Sheed's hard foul on Ilgauskas last season. Even on gimpy wheel, you can bet Sheed will be all over Varejao if there is any kind of trouble.

Tayshaun is downplaying the battle saying that the Cavs shouldn't measure themselves against a Pistons team that isn't playing their best basketball.

"I don't think this would be a good time to measure yourselves against the Pistons right now because we're not playing our best basketball," he said Wednesday before his team made the short flight to Ohio. "They probably feel they're not playing their best basketball, too, so that's not the right time to do that." Via Daily Tribune

The wannabe Pistons Cavs just might take offense to that statement by Tay. I hope Tayshaun isn't using that as an excuse if the Pistons have a bad night in Cleveland.

Fellow Sheedologist Dominique Wilford has the Matchups for this one, although I have to say I can't agree with him on the Tayshaun - LeBron matchup.

"The Goon Squad" (Davis & Maxiell) should get some minutes to give Sheed some rest for his ailing ankle and knee.

The Pistons are on the national stage tonight, the game is being broadcast on TNT. Make sure you catch the first interview with Allen Iverson since his trade to Denver. Coach John Thompson sits down for a one-on-one interview with "The Answer". Here are a few excerpts from the interview.

Iverson on his infamous "practice" comments: "It's just blown all out of proportion. That was a day I wish honestly never happened. I didn't mean it like 'I don't care about practice' or anything like that, I'm just saying we are having a press conference and all you all want to talk about is practice and we should be talking about your (Iverson's) future is still being here (in Philly). I couldn't have accomplished the things in my career if I didn't practice, and the worst part about that whole thing is when a kid comes up to me and says "Allen I don't like practice, either". I've got to straighten that kid right then. I didn't mean what these people are putting out there, that every time you see that one clip you see "I'm talking about practice". I didn't mean it like that. I just want kids all over the world to know you have to practice to be any good in this game, it's too hard. When you are not practicing someone else is getting better...I don't get enough credit for the practices I HAVE been to in the past ten years (laugh)."

Thompson: "Are you a thug?"

Iverson: "A thug? Man, I'm 31 years old and a husband with four kids, I hope I'm no thug. I hear all those negative things and don't hear anything positive. I think that's all those people feel...that way that's all they hear about when you hear Allen Iverson did something negative or something. And when it's about something negative, everybody wants to rush to get it. I'm not going to be the same as I was when I've made so many bad mistakes. If I'm not getting older and more mature at 31, then something's wrong."

I am anxiously awaiting both.

Rasheed Wallace Has Charisma

Another reason to love Sheed you say. Aren't there too many to count already? Yes, but here is another. Local Pistons affiliate myTV 2o Detroit has had the Pistons starters doing the team introductions from time to time. Nobody shines more than Rasheed does as he announces his fellow teammates with style and flair, including himself of course.

Video courtesy of myTV 2o Detroit

Roscoe you ask? Yes, that's Sheed's nickname he got from a fellow teammate in Portland simply because Rasheed looked like a guy he once knew named Roscoe. Now that one would only stick in Sheed's world.

Seattle Wants Dale Davis

Seattle is looking for a veteran center and they are staring right at Dale Davis.

Who Says that? Sheed does!

There are many reasons why I take time out of just about every day to work on this website, most of which I am sure you can understand. It all boils down to the love of the game and the love of this team. But some people ask me why I love Sheed so much. Is it because he's on the Pistons? Sure. Is it because he's a part of the reason The Pistons won the championship in 2004? Yes. Is it because he's fun to watch? Definitely. But the real reason is what I like to call the "Who says that?" factor, and sometimes the "Who does that?" factor. (see below for examples)

Many people outside Detroit haven't had the chance to see the whimsical side of Mr. Wallace, the fun loving dominating power forward who enjoys the game with all his heart. Sometimes he's clowning with his teammates. Sometimes he mocks NBA sportscasters behind their backs during live broadcasts. Sometimes it's his Sheedisms that entertain us. And sometimes it's just the things that come out of his mouth...WOW!

Video courtesy of myTV 2o Detroit

Right there is a prime example of the "Who says that?" factor.

Wubble U - O - Wubble U

Now that's what you call FELONIOUS.

Maxiell - Davis Deadly Combination

The Pistons made it two in a row last night beating the Sonics 97-93 thanks to a 10 footer with seven seconds to go courtesy of Mr. Maxiell. The Pistons, behind Rip's 24 points and Chauncey's 21 had no easy task against the Sonics.

The highlights of the evening came from Dale Davis and Jason Maxiell who once again shined in Rasheed's absence. Over and over we see Maxiell get "the max" out of his minutes, no matter how many they may be. Davis again played like he is in his 20's, clogging the lane and grabbing every rebound in site. They both add a spark to the team when they are on the court.

You know of my fondness for Maxiell, I have been pushing for him to get more time all season. After the past two games and the effectiveness of Dale Davis and Jason Maxiell, I am hereby officially campaigning for each of them to get permanent spots in the rotation. They are both scrappy, big, fearless and they seem to be solving our rebounding problems. Did I mention the added D?

So here you have them Davis - Maxiell '07 Get On Board

Other Key Points:

• Maxiell got his first double-double of the regular season 17 points and 12 rebounds.
• McDyess looked lost again. He was 0-for-5 with no points and 3 rebounds.
• Chauncey hit back to back 3's late in the fourth to pull the Pistons ahead.
• Although Will Blalock didn't score he played a solid 11 minutes and really needs to back up Chauncey instead of Flip.
• Rashard Lewis is underrated.
• Tayshaun is still in a shooting funk but his defense wins games.
• I hope Flip Saunders rethinks his rotation.
• A fellow Sheedologist thinks Maxiell is going to replace Mohammed in the starting lineup by the end of the season.
  
• Davis and Maxiell had 25 rebounds between them.
• I want to punch Gwen Stefani square in the mouth (her video plays while I write this and I can't find the remote)
  
• Nazr played well with 9 points and 8 rebounds in 21 minutes.
• Delfino needs to take it to the hole.
• The Pistons had 54 total rebounds.
• The Sonics Glyniadakis was a Pistons draft pick from Greece who never made the team.
• Chauncey trusted Maxiell enough to give him the winning shot.
• My Pen came yesterday....more on that later.
  
• "Max ... Mac ... Maxwell, whatever his name is, he out rebounded our whole team," Rashard Lewis said. "Every time I turned around, he was coming out of nowhere. I don't think we put a body on him all night."
• Detroit's 26 offensive rebounds were the most in the NBA this season, and was one more than Seattle's defensive-rebound total.
• Flip talks about Flip's future in the rotation.
  

VOTE OR DIE

No Sheed - No Problem: Pistons beat the Nets on the road

The Sheedless Pistons pulled out a 90-82 win Saturday night against the Nets. The Pistons were led by Chauncey Billups, who had double-double with 27 points and 11 assists and Richard Hamilton who added 26. Though the Pistons guards were key, the bench also shined in the win.


Key points

• Will Blalock played in his first regulation NBA game and also scored his first 2 points.
• Maxiell is a beast.
• Sheed was screaming loudly from the bench the entire game, I think they could hear him across the river in NYC.
• The Pistons pretty much shut Vince Carter down, throwing a number of different bodies on him. He was just 5-21.
• Dale Davis is playing like he's 20 years old, 9 rebounds 3 steals and 2 blocked shots.
• Maxiell is FEARLESS!
• Saunders had a lot of different combinations on the floor.
• Thank goodness the starting back court of Rip and Chauncey combined for 53 points because McDyess and Mohammed combined for only 10 points in Sheeds absence.
• Tomahawk jam from Maxiell drew ahh's from the crowd in NJ.

• Richard Jefferson bothers me.
• Tayshaun Prince was just 3-for-12.
• Krstic had 27 points, I wonder if that would have happened had Sheed played.
• Rip needs to stop complaining about the foul calls he's not getting and get back on D.
• George Blaha makes watching the Pistons a pleasure.
• The Pistons shot 10 three pointers and made just 2.
• The game was tight throughout.
• The Nets were 95% from the foul line.
• The bench was holding it down and allowed the starters to rest most of the fourth quarter. The starters finally returned with about 5 minutes left in the game.
• Flip Murray as we know runs hot and cold. It was chilly in New Jersey, he was just 1-for-8 with a turnover.
• I am happy that Kidd only went to the line once because his kiss routine gets old fast.
• Maxiell is a spark plug.
• I am surprised nobody got called for a tech for this.

• Chauncey and Rip were money the entire game.
• Sheed is a really enthusiastic cheerleader.
• Maxiell had 3 timely blocks.
• Davis and Maxiell each logged more minutes than Mohammed.
• The Pistons defense looked great again.
• Detroit shot 45%.
• Maxiell takes advantage of every opportunity.
• Tayshaun shut down Carter at the end of the game to help the Pistons win the game.
• There were 8 lead changes and the game was tied 7 times.
• Lawrence Frank looks like he's constantly on the verge of tears.
• New Jersey fans actually booed their team in the closing seconds of the game, now that's harsh.
  

Around The Way

• Meet the genius behind one of my favorite blogs Wizznutzz in The Washington City Paper.
• FSN Detroit will be featuring a special on Tayshaun Prince Sunday the 17th at 10p.m.
• 3ManLift.com are list happy again, this time with the top five power forwards in the NBA. Sheed has got to be on that list. Right?
• Indy Cornrows informs us that Pacers Darrell Armstrong is calling himself mini Sheed.
• Rasheed was on Quite Frankly with Stephen A. Smith last night. For those of you who missed it I will have the video up soon.
• Pistons help make a child's Christmas a happy one.
  

Joe Dumars talks with Chad Ford on the Daily Dish

Joe talks about how close he was to acquiring Allen Iverson in 2000 and why there hasn't been a trade for him yet. It's a great Podcast with Joe D speaking very candidly throughout the whole interview.

ESPN's The Daily Dish Podcast

Sheed Out With Ankle Injury

"Pistons president Joe Dumars announced Friday morning that forward Rasheed Wallace would not play Saturday at New Jersey or Sunday against Seattle at The Palace.Wallace has been bothered with a sore right ankle for more than a week and the Pistons don't want to take any chances. The plan is to rest Wallace for a week, and then re-evaluate his status before the Pistons play at Cleveland on Dec. 21. Wallace initially sustained the injury last May in the conference semifinals against Cleveland when he rolled it over the foot of Anderson Varejao. Either Dale Davis or Antonio McDyess will start in Wallace's place." Via The Detroit News

Bad news for the Pistons, but lets hope the rest helps Sheed. This is a sad day for Need4Sheed, we certainly aren't feeling very Sheedtastic right now. I guess we are going to be seeing a bit more of Mr. Maxiell.

Tayshaun Lends A Hand To Make Others Warmer

Tayshaun lent his celebrity and his acting skills for this commercial to help support a good cause. The Pistons are collecting gloves and mittens for the less fortunate in the Detroit area. So if you are going to attend a Pistons game at the Palace, take a few minutes and a few dollars and lend a hand to keep others warm this winter.

TNT Speculates about Iversons future

I received an email from a employee of TNT's Media division about the future of AI.

"Thursday evening during TNT's coverage of the San Antonio Spurs @ New Orleans/Oklahoma City Hornets game, NBA Insider David Aldridge reported on the latest developments in the Philadelphia 76ers quest to trade superstar guard Allen Iverson. Also commenting were TNT analysts Doug Collins, John Thompson (Iverson's former college coach at Georgetown U.) and Reggie Miller." Read MORE

Around The Way

• Great piece at HoopsHype on what's wrong with NBA officials and the way they call the game now. Link via Truehoop
• A. Sherrod Blakley say Rasheed has been bothered by his ankle, the same one he tweaked during the playoffs last year. Keith Langlois also touches on the subject.
• YaYSports is temporarily on hiatus but a fantastic new movie trailer just surfaced.
• Human Victory Cigar.com has a complete breakdown of the Pistons first 20 games.
• Sports Illustrated's list of the most Overpaid NBA players and Most Underpaid players.
  
• 3ManLift.com is making lists again, this time they are doing the top five small forwards in the league. I wonder if Tayshaun made the list?
• Pistons are behind in All-Star voting. I hope you are remember to place your votes daily.
• Hoopsaddict.com as a piece on Lebron: King James False Hoops Royalty
• Tigers Pitcher, Rookie of the Year Justin Verlander makes an appearance on AOL's Sports Bloggers Live.

He's got his own model Nike AF1: How do you NOT know who Rasheed Wallace is?

Nike's Air Force 1 basketball shoe is celebrating its 25th anniversary. To mark the occasion Nike threw a big party in NYC, guest list included Spike Lee, Jadakiss, Jeezy, Ciarra, Paul Pierce, Q. Rich, Patrick Ewing, Queen Latifah and Rasheed Wallace. If you don't already know the history of the shoe, Air Force 1's changed the game of basketball.

In 1982, Nike changed the game of basketball by introducing a shoe that literally changed the game. Want to know the real reason those old-school players wore such big, thick socks? It was for cushioning. Pre AF1's, there was no such thing as shock absorption or arch support. Playing ball was murder on an athlete's feet. The AF1's shined a light on Nike's breakthrough technology -- they used the word "air" because that's what was inside the sole of the sneaker. When Moses Malone became the first unofficial "ambassador" of the sneakers, he didn't just get some kicks. He got more endurance, more stamina and more support. All thanks to Bruce Kilgore and the rest of Nike's blossoming Research and Development team. Via Baller Status.com

Since then there have been even more technological advances in the basketball shoe, but our good friend Rasheed Wallace still rocks the AF1's on court. The shoes have become a cultural phenomenon, with limited editions and classic models, some even selling for thousands of dollars. But that is a whole other story in itself. Sheed has been wearing them for years now, before they became the shoe to be seen in. Rasheed wears them simply because he's old school. He even has his own model the AF1 Sheed, but come to find out most people wearing them have no idea who Rasheed Wallace actually is. Sad isn't it.

For the silver anniversary of the Air Force Ones, Nike has assembled the "New Six" team to represent the best selling Nike shoe. The "New Six" team includes the top NBA players currently signed to Nike Basketball including; Kobe Bryant, LeBron James, Rasheed Wallace, Vince Carter, Amare Stoudemire, and Tony Parker. Via NiceKicks.com

Pistons still struggle with sub -.500 teams

Once again the Pistons can't seem to beat teams with losing records. The Pistons lost to the Pacers 101 - 90 Wednesday night in Indiana. Though there were some bright spots at times, Detroit couldn't seem to put a large enough run together to beat the struggling Pacers.

But let's give credit where credit is due, the Pacers, led by Jermaine O'Neal's obscenely large forehead 26 points and 14 rebounds, played a great game. This one I blame on the Pistons defense or lack there of. It seemed as though the Pistons just couldn't get stops when they needed them and it didn't help that they shot just 39% from the field.

So if the Pistons know that they have a problem getting up for these teams, why don't they do something about it? FSN Detroit even did a piece on just this issue in their post game show. Click here to watch the Video.


"There was some frustration with some things, but I'm not airing things out now," he said. "That's for our locker room. It's part of it. There are going to be nights when players get frustrated. There's going to be nights when coaches get frustrated with players and vice versa. There's going to be nights when fans get frustrated with players. It's all part of the game."

When asked if the team and coaches still were on the same page, Wallace said, "Oh yeah, we're still on the same page. There aren't any different pages in the book." Via The Detroit News

Lil Rip and Chauncey

Chauncey with fro and Rip actually sitting still, thats what happens you get when you get a glimpse of the past. I would bet that Rip was a bit of a troublemaker when he was young.

Courtesy of TNT

Pistons State of the Union: Joe Dumars Question and Answer Conference Call

I was lucky enough to get selected to participate in Joe Dumars state of the Pistons address to season ticket holders. It was basically a conference call with Joe Dumars, who made a brief statement about where the team is at this point and what he was expecting from the team for the rest of the season, followed by a question and answer segment. For me it was even more special because Joe Dumars is my all-time favorite NBA player (sorry Sheed).

I will break it down to you.

Joe gave a quick overview of the first 20 games. He thought the Pistons where right where he thought they would be at this point in the season, although he thought there were a couple of close game that they should have won. He said he would rather be 13 and 7 then 17 and 3 playing 10 or 11 guys, extending the bench and not wearing out the starters. It's really not important for the Pistons to have the best record in November and December, what is important is to be healthy, deep and have everybody focused and ready to play come April and June. They like where they are right now and they feel the team has been their best the past three years. They feel like they are prime to get right back to the finals this year and everyone is ready and excited to do that.

Questions submitted by season ticket holders, asked by Pistons Keith Langlois.

Q: Any truth to the rumor that the Pistons are in the mix for AI?

A: No, the Sixers are looking out West first and if they can't get something done out there then they will look to the east. But as of right now the Pistons aren't in any of those talks.

The Next 2 questions were actually submitted by me, so I am going to give you the audio for them. The second one was announced as someone else's question but they must have made a mistake when they announced it because it was the question I asked word for word, so sorry Cory Ward from Oxford if you didn't get your question answered.

Q: Do you have any plans on getting Ben Wallace back?

A: "It would probably be tough to do with the number that Chicago signed him at. Once Ben decided to take that deal with Chicago it put the Pistons financially out of reach as far as what the team was willing to do. So I don't foresee that happening."


Q: What would it take to get Kevin Garnett in a Pistons Uniform?

A: "It would probably take three or four of our starters to do that, but we wouldn't do that. Those deals are not easy, the deal we made to get Rasheed here was not easy. We where very fortunate, we were in the right place at the right time." It takes core players to make a deal for a guy like that and you usually have to break up a team to do that and Dumars is not willing to do that.

Q: Will Amir Johnson be playing more?

A: "Yes, it's a long season and they are going to try to find minutes for Amir." They think Amir has an incredible upside and they want to get him on the floor more this year.

Q: Do you believe Chauncey is a max salary player?

A: "What a guys number is, is whatever you negotiate. Whether he's a max or not it's irrelevant."" We are committed to keeping Chauncey here."


Q: What's wrong with Rasheed, why won't they give him the ball in the post?

A: "That's a two way street. Sometimes he has to get there and call for it. Sometimes Rasheed doesn't get there and demand the ball in the post. So sometimes that is the issue as much as the guys not getting him the ball in the post. Rasheed is not a guy that you're are going to get the ball and throw it in the post for 48 minutes. He's not that type of guy, he is going to float out to the three point line, he's going to pick and roll, he's going to pick and pop he's going to do all those things. He is going to move around a lot on the floor. Me personally, I would love to see him down on the block a whole lot more, but I also understand that you have to allow a player to play and feel comfortable on the floor. Usually what you see is when the game gets tight in the fourth quarter or when it's tight and we really need a basket you can rest assured that he goes down there then. He understands how good he is in the post, he just doesn't want to have to play that position the entire 48 minutes. He usually gets down there when things are really tight though."

Q: What criteria besides win loss record do you review in determining whether a coach is effective and the timing in which you need to make a change of the head coach.

A: "Win loss record is a huge part of it, but also connecting with the players. Are they helping guys get better, do you have the team interests first and foremost." Make sure the connection between coach and player is still there because when it's not, that is when you run into major problems.

Q: How soon do you expect contributions between Cheick Samb and Alex Acker?

A: "Cheick Samb is going to be in Barcelona this season and next season, It's going to be a couple years before he gets here. Alex Acker has the ability to opt out of his European contract after this year and could come back next year. We could see Alex back next year."

I basically covered everything except when Joe D was asked what his biggest accomplishment was. His answer, his two children. Class act, very humble and one of my favorite people.

Straight Outta Compton, Tayshaun Prince's Favorite Things

Did you ever want to know the innermost feelings of Tayshaun Prince? Well, I don't know those, but I do have a video of some of Tayshaun's favorite things. Click on the picture of Tay to watch it. And remember, Tay is having a great season so vote for him daily and get him on this years All Star team.

Will Blalock Interview

My good friends over at Pistons Forum.com went to painstaking measures to record and transcribe the WDFN Interview with Will Blalock. Among other things, I found out that Will is a die hard Celtics fan. Go check it out.

Leather is on its way back!

NBA commissioner David Stern, in a stunning reversal, has decided to shelve the new microfiber composite basketball after just a few months of use and switch back to the old leather model for all games starting Jan. 1, according to sources close to the situation. Via ESPN thanks to a link from Truehoop.

Grant Hill Pistons Video Tribute

I do miss those days. He's a class act, I am happy that Grant is having such a good year. Well I am happy as long at it doesn't interfere with Pistons domination.

The Carnival off The NBA # #38 and more

The Cavalier Attitude is hosting the latest Carnival of the NBA. So grab some refreshments and head on over to the Cavalier Attitude for one of the most thorough Carnivals to date.

3ManLift.com rated the top five shooting guards in the NBA, check it out and see if our good friend Richard Hamilton made the list.

Yao Central thinks the Zero Tolerance Petition is a good idea.

This just makes me laugh.

Ben Wallace is now saying that the headband incident was just a ploy to get his team to play better. Really Ben?

Flip Murray likely to bolt after the season ends. Why? He wants to be a starter of course.

Up in the club

Now I don't know how happy he is to be there dancing with strangers, but here is Rasheed Wallace at a club in Puerto Rico. I just want to know why the other party goers feel the need to flip off the camera. Is that a cool thing to do now days?

If I saw Sheed in the club I would probably buy him a drink and ask him a few questions, like what if feels like to have a group of 23 thousand people screaming Sheeeeed every time he touches the ball, or maybe ask for his thoughts on the return of the McRib sandwich. I love the internet. Sheedtastic!

Thanks Eric

Sheed Says....

"The new ball sucks. Dictator just went on and threw it out there [without] asking guys and testing it. That ball sucks. They had some Spalding guy create quote-unquote microfiber and all that. You got guys who never played the game before who want to change the ball."

Q: You had four technical fouls after four games and you've had only three in the 15 games since. Have you adjusted to the way refs are handing out Ts now?

"No, I didn't make no adjustment. It's because the league knows what's coming. They knew the players' union was going to file a grievance [about] that. So they're trying to tone it done themselves now."

More at ESPN.com

Chauncey is the star in more ways than one

Not only was Mr. Big Shot the star against Orlando last night in the Pistons 87-83 win, scoring a season high 31 points, but he's also bound to score a leading roll in a Hollywood flick after this performance.

Video courtesy of my20 Detroit

Other notes on the Pistons win Orlando

• Chauncey plays well hurt.
• Rasheed gets mad.
• Rip has a double-double, 14 points and 10 rebounds.
• Dwight Howard is awesome.
• Rasheed is pushed from behind.
• Rasheed gets his 7th tech.
• Flip Murray was key, 13 timely points a key steal and 3 assists.
• Darko looked intimidated by his old team.
• Carlos Arroyo had something to prove but was just 2-7.
• Although Delfino didn't score he played 12 solid minutes defensively.
• Jason Maxiell got 17 minutes and the Magic had to foul him to stop him.
• Dyess got a tech.
• Nazr played just 13 minutes after getting into early foul trouble.
• Tayshaun had an off shooting night with 6 points but dished out 6 assists.
• Sheed was 2 for 3 from downtown, one he called glass on. "glass glass"
  
• Orlando has a lot of point guards. Nelson, Arroyo, Dooling.
• Pistons are a game ahead of the Cavs for first place.
• I am happy for Grant Hill.
• Dwight Howard is getting superstar calls.
• I laughed really hard when Billups backed down Arroyo in the lane and Arroyo tried to flop to draw the foul. While Arroyo was pleading his case from the floor, Chauncey calmly knocked down a three.
  
• Sheed's block on Nelson in the last seconds of the game was just what the Pistons needed.
• Rip took advantage of Magic turnovers to seal the deal in the closing seconds.
• Who makes the schedule? Back to backs then 4 days rest.
• Billups scored 16 points in the third quarter.
• Although I like Jameer Nelson, he looks tiny.
• Darko still making rookie mistakes but to be fair you could say this is like his rookie season.
• Defense has looked good in the past two games.

Billups hurting, could sit tonight

Chauncey Billups tweaks hamstring.

Pistons have a Sheedtastic night in Dallas

Now that's more like it. The Pistons looked good from the start in the 92-82 win over Dallas. They had their swagger back Thursday night in front of the TNT audience. Early on game the Pistons were even shooting a ridiculous 59% from the floor. Tayshuan Prince was the Pistons leading scorer with 20 but it was Rasheed Wallace who dominated for the boys in blue.

Sheed was on FIRE from downtown going 5-for-8, but it was a stretch in the third when he took three 3 point shots in four possessions and made them all. To top that one even came off the glass and of course Sheed called it. He looked good from the start getting 10 in the first quarter and pulled down nine boards and two blocked shots. He played great, he took charge, he carried the team at times and had a blast doing it. These are the games I love to watch. When Sheed is playing well and having fun nothing can be better than that. Sheedtastic!

POW!

Chauncey is still struggling with the uncharacteristic turnovers and it doesn't help that Flip is not taking care of the ball lately either. Chauncey had five turnovers but also added five steals, Flip had three turnovers in 20 minutes but he made up for them with five rebounds, four assists and three blocked shots.

Tay was solid again, and vying for his spot on the all-star team. Prince 1-for-1 from beyond the arc with three steals, seven rebounds, a blocked shot and a assist to go along with his 20 points. Tayshaun has been a rock the whole season for the Pistons. I am a bit worried about all the minutes he's been logging lately. I do actually trust Delfino when Tay is resting but Saunders is still a bit wary about putting him on the floor (again).

It's was funny watching this game. It makes you wonder how this team can lose the games that they do when they can beat a great team like Dallas in their own building. The Pistons played fantastic defense, they took good shots and they actually wanted to win this game. They are now a half of a game ahead of the Cavs for first place in the Central. Lets hope they take this win into Orlando and play with the fire they had in Dallas.

FYI...
In Mark Stein's ESPN Insider piece on the Pistons after the Mav's game he says this.
"All they wanted to do Thursday night, after their finest 48 minutes of basketball since Ben Wallace left them, is run back to the locker room to catch the Phoenix-New Jersey highlights."

"Lawrence Frank is not going to be happy scoring 157 points and losing," Rasheed Wallace bellowed, referring to the Nets' coach.

After watching what seemed to be an endless flurry of uncontested shots for Nash, inside and outside, 'Sheed loudly wondered: "Is anybody going to play any f@#%ing D in this game?"

Send up the Pistons Signal!

Seriously, every Pistons fan needs one of these. How cool is this thing? In the daytime it's your ordinary ball point pen, but with a click of a button it trows up the Pistons logo on any nearby wall.
You could say I am too old for it, but I just ordered one. I will let you know what it's like when I get it. Merry Christmas to me.

DETROIT PISTONS LOGO PEN

Stern Admits Mishandling Of The New Ball

So Mr. Stern admitted Tuesday that the NBA should have sought more input from players before introducing its new game ball. At least he's willing to admit to it and it seems as though he's going to look into the situation, but do you think he would have even broached the subject unless the Players Union hadn't filed a lawsuit? My guess on that one is a definite no. Nobody, especially someone like Stern, wants to admit he mishandled something as big as a equipment change considering he did it without any input from his players.

"Whether or not we did enough prior to it, we're actually, well, we think this ball has many of the attributes that Spalding says it has," Stern told the New York Times in a story posted on its Web site Tuesday. "It's an improvement in many ways. But if our players are unhappy with it, we have to analyze to the nth degree the cause of their unhappiness." “Everything is on the table," he told the paper. "I'm not pleased, but I'm realistic. We've got to do the right thing here. And, of course, the right thing is to listen to our players. Whether it's a day late or not, we're dealing with this." Via Sports Illustrated

The players have many complaints about the ball from it getting too slippery when wet, the way it bounces both off the floor and the rim and texture of the ball. Now I don't know if it's me or if I am looking into things too closely, but I could swear that the ball bounces totally different off the rim. Shots that would have when in last year simply bounce off the rim in sort of a comical way. And some shots that you would think don't have half a chance seem to bounce their way right in.

Whether Stern will address the Zero Tolerance issue is another thing. I am pretty sick of Rasheed being the poster boy for this rule, whether he coined it the "Sheed Wallace Rule" or not. You simply can't read an article on the refs crackdown without someone commenting about Mr. Wallace. The whole point of my argument with the rule is that it's being called unfairly. An And 1 gesture form Sheed gets him a tech, while others can bitch all they want without so much as a look their way from the refs.

I doubt if Stern will bring up the foul or uniform issues but this is a step in the right direction, whether he was pressured by the lawsuit or not.

Portland steals one at the Palace

The Portland Trail Blazers snapped their five game losing streak against the Pistons Tuesday night. Zach Randolph had a monster night. Although he was held scoreless in the first, he went on the score 31 points and ultimately the game winner. Rip Hamilton was the leading scorer for the Pistons with 25.

"This was a horrible loss for us," said Chauncey Billups, who kept the Pistons close with eight points in the final 4 minutes. "These are the kind of games that can haunt you late in the season."

Didn't the Pistons figure that out after the the loss to the Bobcats the other night?

Once again the Pistons slept on a team under 500. I am sure they would have liked to win this one at home against Portland, especially coming off the loss in Charlotte. They sure aren't making things easy for themselves. The Pistons will be on the road for the next four games with games in Dallas, Orlando, Indiana and New Jersey.

I don't think there is much to say about this one especially when you know that they should be going into Dallas riding a 10 game winning streak. My good friend The Microwave over at Pistons Forum.com said it best, "Tonight's loss was very disheartening." As Pistons fans we have been very spoiled in the last few years, but to watch the team play like this when we know they could do much more is hard. At least I know I am not the only one who feels like this.

On a good note 3manlift.com has Chauncey Billups as one of the top 5 point guards in the NBA.

Lindsey Hunter Out

Lindsey Hunter's injury is going to sideline him for a while. Rookie Will Blalock will be added to the active roster in Hunters place. I doubt if Blalock will see any playing time. Flip Murray will probably do some point guard duty while Hunter is out. An experiment that hasn't quite panned out thus far.

That's Cold Bernie

Local 4 sports reporter Bernie Smilovitz had a little something to say about Ben Wallace's "Big Night" against the Celtics Monday night. I wonder what he would have said about this.

Around The Way

lowpost.net has a great interview with out favorite Pistons Blogger the very busy Matt Watson of DetroitBadBoys.com.

Jones on the NBA compiled a list of The 20 Greatest International Born NBA Players.

The Basketball Jones podcasts are just plain entertaining.

Rasheed signs things.

Free Darko has weighs in.

Somewhere LeBron is angry.

Players union files suit against NBA

The players' association filed two unfair labor practice charges Friday against the NBA over issues with the new ball and the league's crackdown on player complaints.

Fellow basketball blogger Dennis Velasco asked me to chime in on the subject. I sat down and answered a few questions for him over at About.com to give him Need4Sheed's take on the whole matter including our Petition.

Bobcats Spoil The Streak

Actually you could say that the Pistons lackadaisical play did them in. The Pistons where off to a 9-0 start and it looked like they were going to coast to a win but everything was downhill after that. The Bobcats bench outscored the Pistons bench 46-14 but the blame doesn't lie with the bench, the starters (minus Mohammed) played heavy minutes in this one.

• Tayshaun 33 minutes.
• Rasheed 38 minutes.
• Rip 35 minutes.
• Chauncey 38 minutes.
• McDyess and Murray played the bulk of the bench minutes combining for 48 minutes.

Rasheed scored 19 points and Prince added 17. Rip also scored 17, but shot 5-for-16 and did not score in the first half. Chauncey was a miserable 5-for-14 and 1-for-7 from downtown for 14 points.

The Bobcats seem to know what it takes to win against big teams and the Pistons once again sleep on teams way below 500. I had a feeling this one was going to turn out bad.

"It hurt us a little bit," guard Chauncey Billups said of the quick start. "It came so easily. Most times when we're playing a really young team and we're an elite team and then we jump on a lead like that, most teams could pretty much give up. They didn't, to their credit."

Come on Chauncey, I love you but I hope you have learned that the Pistons aren't as bulletproof as they once were. It doesn't matter what team your playing, this is the NBA, any one of these teams can beat you on a given night. Especially when you play the way the Pistons did against the Bobcats. Chauncey, I hope you don't expect anyone to lay down for you. It's not going to happen.

On a good note Chauncey Billups scored his 9,000th career point in the game.

Let's hope the Pistons are ready for the Blazers come Tuesday night.

Tayshaun Prince Wallpaper

New Tayshaun Prince desktop background wallpaper located in the Wallpapers section of the website. Available in Standard and Widescreen resolutions.

Tayshaun Ties Career High

Tayshaun tied his career high again with 31 points against the Knicks Friday night. He also was a gaudy 6 for 7 from three point range. Check out the post game interview with Prince where he talks about his performance and his highlights of the game. My favorite highlight being the alley oop from Rip where he looks like he starts at the sideline.

Tayshaun Prince Dec 1st Post Game Interview

Video courtesy of myTV20 Detroit

Around The Way

NBA Blog Previews has One Month In - Team by Team Reviews up, with the Pistons represented by Need4Sheed and Detroit Bad Boys.

AOL's NBA Fanhouse is up and they have some of my favorite Basketball Bloggers writing for them. How lucky are Pistons fans that Matt Watson from Detroit Bad Boys is doing the honors for the Pistons, among other teams. Go check it out!

Players union files suit against NBA

Rules or Reputation?

I say emotion. Free Sheed....

Scoop Jackson is Felonious!

Often in this world the little guy gets the shaft. Sometimes people think they can get away with things just because of who they are or what they do. I am here to tell you I haven't been this angry since some older kids stole my brand new bike from the park when I was nine years old. Let me tell you why.

I often point you towards one of my favorite stops of the day YAYSports, where the ever hilarious and insightful Cavalier entertains us on a daily basis. I can't say that there is a more creative and original basketball blogger around who has been as inventive as he has. Well The Cavalier has been wronged and something needs to be done about it.

Scoop Jackson blatantly ripped off YAYSports, in one of the ballsiest ways imaginable. Scoop wrote this post and took the persona of the new NBA ball, something that YAYSports has been doing since May. Not only did Scoop Jackson steal the whole angry bitter NBA Ball persona that YAYSports has been posting and making movies about for months but he actually referenced the name that The Cavalier penned "The Orange Roundie."

"A Web site gave me a nickname. They call me the Orange Roundie."

The guy stole the whole idea, blatantly ripped it off and then referred to the creator as "A Web Site".Now that's just felonious!

I don't often get this worked up but this just doesn't fly with me. Scoop Jackson rips off one of the most creative basketball bloggers who surely has more loyal reader than he does, on ESPN.com and gets away with it. I think not!

Now I am not the best writer and I can't say that I am a creative genius but I do take pride in what I do just like everyone else would. This kind of thing makes me sick, it's not that hard to give credit where credit is due, or not steal someones idea in this case.

So if you are like me and you think this is as wrong as I do please fire off an email to the ESPN Ombudsman and let them know this hasn't gone unnoticed.

*UPDATE*
The Scoop rip off now reads... "A website(YAY Sports)" no link. Not good enough guys!

Deadspin got Scoops take on the situation which makes it much worse in my opinion.
"I actually thought I was giving them some love, even though ESPN edited out the part about them being the ball's favorite site. Just trying to have some fun. Hope you enjoyed the piece; tell YAY I thought their overall ball coverage was brilliant. The ball, on the other hand, had a few issues."

It Wasn't Pretty But I'll Take It

The Pistons looked out of sync almost the entire game. Rasheed only had eight points, Chauncey turned the ball over five times and Rip was the only Piston with more than 12 points. It was rough, messy but it was a win nonetheless adding to the Pistons winning streak that is now at seven games.

If you read major media pieces about the game they will tell you that Wade had an off night. Wade was just 5 for 23 with 21 points. What they won't tell you that the reason that he was off was because of the Pistons D. Rip Hamilton did a great job on him along with the rest of the Pistons effective zone and clogged the lane so Wade couldn't penetrate. When he did get in he was forced into bad shots. His biggest mistake was in the final seconds of the game and the Heat down by one, he ran the clock down to make sure the last shot would be his and was forced into a 20 footer that didn't even come close. I did enjoy the drama when Wade took a hard foul and landed on the floor and tried to play it up like he was auditioning for Lee Starasburg at the Actors Studio.

Though most of the Pistons wins have come when Rasheed has had good games, you wouldn't know he was key unless you watched the game. Sheed had a couple of timely threes in the fourth quarter and couple of nice blocks to help shut down the Heat when it counted. This one was clearly won with defense.

I did question the use of the bench at times in the fourth quarter, but overall Flip's rotation was solid.

Rasheed added another technical foul to his count when he disputed the clear foul that was not called on Chauncey Billups at the end of the half. I don't know if any of you caught it but when the Pistons were walking off the court after arguing the non call you could clearly see Joe Dumars discontent and if you can read lips you know he wasn't happy. I don't remember the last time I have seen Joe so worked up.

Now I have one question, someone please explain what kind of call Joe Crawford made on Rip's foul shot attempt?