2007-2008 Pistons Home Opener
I'm getting ready to head out to the Palace for one of my favorite Nights of the year, the home opener. I actually had to cut short a wedding to make it to the game (shhhh... don't tell).
The Pistons, plus new father Richard Hamilton will be taking on the Atlanta Hawks. Tip off is 7:30 but you can be sure that I will be in my seat well before the into's start. I already did my spot on WTKG's Sports Extra with Bennie and Jeff to get me pumped for tonights game.
Let's hope the Pistons have a 3-and-0 record come morning. As always, I am leaving it to you in the comments.
posted by Natalie Sitto at 5:43 PM link to this post
32 Comments:
Natalie: where do you usually sit when you go to the games? upper or lower?
I'm glad that we're gonna have rip back tonight! hopefully we'll be 3-0 by the time this game gets done. GO PISTONS!
Hey Natalie, can you post a video for the introduction? with all the flame and stuff?
please no nazr tongiht, give all his minutes to amir and maxiel, hes a waist of time
shutup Anony 8:28 Nazr is doin fine we really don't expect him to get 20 pts a game!!! He's goin his job and he's doin a great job of it so just give him credit where credits due and just leave it at that Nazr is a good backup
Nazr is not a waste of time he did well last year until webber came in, there were games that Nazr helped us win, I like Amir and Maxiel but they are still young. Maxiel should get more minutes but I think Amir still needs one more year but Nazr is not a waste of time.
I am still out in edmonton still so I missed this game thank goods for NBA audio League pass, but I wish I could watch the game on TV...
Rip is doing well with his first game
no he isnt a good backup, please tell me what makes him a good back up do you really feel comfortable when he touches the ball even for a minute, i really truely doubt it, you may say you do but it looks like hes gonna mess up every time he touches it, and he walks around like he deserves more minutes, hes going at a different pace then the whole game
he didnt do well before webber came in at all!!!!
like i know you girls love the pistons and dont want to hear anyone say anything bad about them, i love the team aswell i have tattoos to show it, but he doesnt fit in and he is a liability on defense and offense when hes on the floor, and he doesnt deserve to take any of maxiel or amir or mcdyess or rasheeds minutes
Maxiel plays like he is 8 feet tall. He has taken the role that McNice used to fill, providing 110% effort off the bunch and making the crowd go crazy.
exactly lets get orme maxiel and no more minutes for nazr, maxiel could do eve more in those minutes
My Pistons open in the palace against the wack atlanta hawks. I love My town, but tonight A-Town is going down.
P.S I love the Logo
let see last game he had 4 points and 3 boards in like 8.5 minutes game before that we has solid as well. He is the only ture center we have as well. I am not saying give him 20 plus minutes but when he is on the floor he does a good job. Just because I am a girl does not mean I don't know a bad player form a good one. If he was not doing his job on the floor I would be the first to say it. Max is a power forward not a center and should be the back up for dyess but Nazr is a good back up for the center.
no he snot a good back up, im sorry hes not a good enough back up for a championship team
Ok if we didn't have Nazr who would go up against the Shaqs and the Eddy Currys of the world? I absolutly love Maxiell but due to his size he can't guard them every time he's on the floor. Nazr is necessary for our team the only negative thing I can say about nazr is his contract.
And on an unrelated note, I love how after a Maxiell dunk Mr. Blaha just exclaimed "He's Everywhere!!!" because it was completely true! J-Maxxx don't stop eatin' babies!!!
had we have used Nazr against the cavs we could have maybe won, look at how well he played during the season last year he had his best games but flip did not play him had he of then maybe the out come may have been better...
oh no sheed just got called for a 3 shot foul... and smith gets them all, I wish I could be there to see sheeds face...
wow anyone at the game must be on their feet, I love games like this, and ones in ive are teh best, pistons win 92-91 wow this one was close, sucks that it came down to foul shots however... but 3-0 i'll take it anyway
3-0 baby!!!
Thank god they fouled big shot of all people. Amazing game. Billups and Rip did a great job. It was great to have Rip back. As far as Nazr goes, hes a good player, hes obviously not up to the starting five standards, but hes obviously good enough for a championship team if hes on one.
id rather darko then nazr
"no he snot a good back up, im sorry hes not a good enough back up for a championship team"
LOLLLL okay buddy... you sure know a lot about basketball. Nazr isn't good enough for a championship team? Did you not see him outrebound us when he was on the Spurs when they beat us in the finals? They used him well to win a championship, and so can we.
Anywho, great great game. Motown is 3-0!!
why didnt they keep him if he wasnt do great, they kept everyone else
they didnt car eif they had him back caus ethey knew he didnt do to much any center can bring what he brings, webber is a better center then nazr
ill deal with having him here caus ei love the team so much do whatever, anyways great win tongiht, now lets take it to big ben on thursday night!!!
Listen I don't love Nazr, but not good enough for a championship team? They're called the San Antonio Spurs Nazr happened to be their center when they beat us. I like that he's with us.
You want to talk about bad, let's look at Flip Murray tonight. Jesus! The only thing that guy does is look for HIS shot. He had a game the other night, but those are few and far between. Heal soon Rodney.
a little too close for comfort there at the palace. thought the team played well. atlanta looks a lot better this year than i expected -- beat the mavs & gave out boys a run for their money. Pistons 3-0 -- AWESOME!! next victim = big ben & the bulls! as far as nazr goes... i have never really been a big fan of his but he isn't doing a bad job. i think if he could get some more control over his size he'd be great. i guess i am saying he has potential although obviously not quite there yet. he does shine at times but he still makes me uncomfortable when he's on the floor. so far i think dyess and sheed are doing a great job against the other bigs. shut down shaq and kept howard quiet too so i don't think we need to rely on nazr -- which is a good thing for me. and someone needs to teach flip murray to pass the rock please!!
GO PISTONS!!!!
I was at the game and I have to say two things about the crowd: Thank you for showing up en masse for the home opener, but why do so many of you leave early? It was amazing to me how many people headed for the exits with 5:58 to go, and we had just re-taken the lead. Do you really need to get out of the parking lot THAT badly? I'll never understand people that pay good money for a ticket, and leave with half of the 4th quarter to go. Boggles my mind.
What game were those refs watching? Somebody in that crew was pulling their Donaghy I think because Atlanta got a LOT of calls their way, especially with Shelden Williams laying a log on the Palace floor. Jeez.
Anyways, 3-0 is a nice start, and I'm lovin Maxiell more and more every game. The guy is really turning into a monster before our eyes. His little jump hook in the paint is getting better by the day.
I think for the most part, Flurray is out there to create shots for himself, not his teammates. That's just his niche. Everybody loves him when he plays well, scoring in bunches. But people hate him when he has a less than stellar game, as he did tonight. Same with Nazr. If Joe D believes in them enough to keep them on the team, then why should we doubt their talent? Eh, it's all opinion anyway. I just don't want to hear any of the haters complimenting Flip if and when he has another brilliant outing. If there's one thing I dislike, it's them "bandwagon cats."
Great game tonight. Maybe not from the standpoint of individual offense (aside from Billups, Rip and Maxiell) but the scrapping and hustle were there as was another great shot-blocking effort. I cheered even when Maxiell goal-tended (twice). haha He makes rejection beautiful.
What the hell are us Pistons fans supposed to do with ourselves for three days?
Here's to running down the Bulls! CHEERS!
P.S. I used to check Ben's stats regularly last season but haven't done so this year. Anybody know how he's doing? Just curious.
^^sorry, i don't love flip murray no matter how many points he scores so you can't really say "everybody loves him when he plays well". i appreciate it when he helps us win, i'm not gonna lie, but i don't like his mentality when he won't give up the ball.... and i am far from a "bandwagon cat" thank you very much -- i have been a piston fan for more than 20 years now. i will agree with the fact that it's all opinion -- obviously we all have our own and don't have to agree. i kinda doubt joe is gonna get rid of flip just because i don't like the way he plays so you probably don't have to worry about that too much. unless flip can get a little more consistant with his crazy shooting i won't be complimenting him any time soon.
GO PISTONS!!!!
I agree on the Flip M comments.
Im not jumping on his bandwagon anytime soon.
Nazr - No, I don't think he's ideal, but I also think putting Amir or Nazr on someone like Yao, Shaq, or Curry is ridiculous. The Pistons need an 7' insurance policy, and that's what he is. He dealt with his demotion well last year, and played hard in training camp this year. Who did you suggest the Pistons sign after Ben Wallace left? I was hoping for Joel Przybilla at the time, but he's been nursing injuries ever since. I think Nazr is a decent bench piece. If they had signed him to a three year contract instead of five years, I wouldn't have any issue.
Flip - He's a *shooting* guard. He was benched last year for not producing or being aggressive enough. Last night, he went 2 of 6 from the field, and 2 of 4 from the line. He only played 12 minutes. On the downside, he didn't succeed as a backup point guard, earning no assists and turning it over once. Well, it happens. He played very well in his previous game, against the Magic.
I can live with a more aggressive Flip Murray coming off the bench, especially if he spends most his time at the shooting guard spot. He's *not* a point guard, despite reasonable court vision. Stuckey is more suited to running the offense, even if his ballhandling and passing game is never going to rival Kidd's. He's going to have up and down games, too, especially as a rookie.
Like Nazr, Flip is a quality reserve, and one we aren't overpaying for. In fact, he's a steal by league standards. Two years at a little over $3m? It might be outrageous for you and me, but for an NBA-quality player, it's a very cheap contract.
Our bench is going to be anchored by Max, Hayes, and *crosses his fingers* Stuckey. Amir and Stuckey will come along as they get more play time. Nazr and Flip, as well as Afflalo, are pieces that serve a specific function... as well as being insurance policies.
Hunter and Super Dup are clearly insurance. They're good people to practice against and could handle themselves if they're really needed, but neither is going to earn much play time without a serious rash of injuries. Samb is a project and will be confined to the D League this year, but his upside is obvious.
With more experience with defensive rotations and some gym time spent bulking up his legs and "core," Samb could be a monster. He's got a very nice shooting touch. He's got a real gift for shot blocking, and his length is incredible. He can even run the floor well for a 7'1" player. Give him time, and we'll see where he's at after this year.
Oh, and McCosky can bite me.
I'm a fan. I talk like anyone would after a game, but instead of doing it at a sports bar, I click the little icon for my browser. Big deal.
I live 2300 miles from Detroit. I doubt anyone is going to be very excited about Maxiell's game here. Seattle hasn't even raised an eyebrow that the Sonics are headed to Oklahoma City.
Sometimes I say something like it's *the* authority on hoops. Obviously, anyone who has a reasonable sense of self understands I'm just stating my *opinion.* If McCosky can't differentiate opinion from gospel, he's not much of a reporter.
I see a threatened writer. Print is dead. No newspaper writer wants to admit it, but their lack of timely delivery, and their inability to focus on what their audience wants is killing the medium.
I don't have to wait until the paper hits the newstands in the morning to figure out how my Piston's did. I don't have to shell out my income for this "professional's" views. Instead, I can find whatever voice and tone I like, find people that love basketball in the same manner I do.
I'd rather read someone who writes for their love of the game than for the love of the almighty dollar. I'll take Need4Sheed over the Detroit New's sports section any day.
Keep up the great work, Natalie!
So far this season I have had to watch Flip Murray dribble the ball off his foot trying to drive the lane and create a shot for himself way too many times (at least 3 come to mind) for me to be impressed with him. dirge made a good point I guess in saying that he isn't really over paid to do what he does (by NBA pay standards at least) and I suppose that makes him tolerable. Truth is, I don't even expect him to pass the ball when he gets it anymore. I know he will either try to drive the lane, force a shot over 2 or 3 opponents, or toss up a 3 just for a little variety. All I can do is pray he draws a foul, gets lucky and makes the shot, or hope for an offensive rebound. I have taken to closing my eyes when he gets the ball this season because it is painful for me to watch at times. I'll admit that when he does get it to somehow go in the hoop, it is kind of amazing to see and makes me ask myself "how the hell did he do that?" Eh, what ya gonna do? I guess he probably earns his paycheck and I can't say he doesn't contribute; I'd just like to see him be more of a team player and make better decisions.
So far this season I have had to watch Flip Murray dribble the ball off his foot trying to drive the lane and create a shot for himself way too many times (at least 3 come to mind) for me to be impressed with him. dirge made a good point I guess in saying that he isn't really over paid to do what he does (by NBA pay standards at least) and I suppose that makes him tolerable. Truth is, I don't even expect him to pass the ball when he gets it anymore. I know he will either try to drive the lane, force a shot over 2 or 3 opponents, or toss up a 3 just for a little variety. All I can do is pray he draws a foul, gets lucky and makes the shot, or hope for an offensive rebound. I have taken to closing my eyes when he gets the ball this season because it is painful for me to watch at times. I'll admit that when he does get it to somehow go in the hoop, it is kind of amazing to see and makes me ask myself "how the hell did he do that?" Eh, what ya gonna do? I guess he probably earns his paycheck and I can't say he doesn't contribute; I'd just like to see him be more of a team player and make better decisions.
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