Sheedomination in Indiana

So much for an easy game against the shorthanded Pacers. Indiana came to play and with them came their three point shooting percentage. Indiana scored 36 points behind the long line for the game at 50%. The Pacers led 32-23 after the first quarter, but it was Sheedomination that propelled The Pistons to a two point halftime lead. The game stayed tight, but the Pistons never really lost control. The final score 110-104.

Key Points:

• I'm pretty sure that George Blaha jinxed Rip Hamilton after his glowing game intro on Rip's stellar shooting percentage (63%) of late. Rip still finished the game with 15 points, but it took him 18 shots to do it in.
• Double-Double's for McDyess and Sheed.
• Six Pistons in double figures, Indiana had five.
• Can someone tell me why Chauncey took just eight shots on the night? Did I miss something? No matter though, Smooth still put up 13 points with 8 assists, 2 steals and and a blocked shot in 35 minutes.
• The starters started off the game like it was the second game of a back to back, not like they came off a three day layoff.
• Ra did everything in this one. Sheed led the Pistons with 24 points, 10 boards, a steal and 3 blocked shots. His third and final blocked shot, a three pointer by Diener, in the final seconds of the game sealed the deal. "I just had to pull out some of my old high jumping tricks," "I had a head start coming from the other side. That lane was my runway." Sheed on his block, Via The Detroit News

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• Solid outing for the Pistons bench who really added a spark to the Pistons lifeless game. Does this really mean Amir Johnson is a solid fixture in the rotation?
• Can we just give a little credit to Antonio McDyess who quietly puts up solid games day in and day out. Sure he's had some struggles with his shot but even when he's not knocking them down, he's playing fantastic D and grabbing boards.
• Stuckey looked a bit more comfortable in tonight's win. Stuckey scored 7 points on 3-for-5 shooting and added 2 assists. I am a little disappointed that he went 1-for-4 from the line, I am still counting on him being money from the stripe. I'm still giving him the time he needs to get the kinks worked out. Remember how he played before his broken hand? It speaks for itself.
• An Amirzing putback on a Stuckey miss. Johnson finished with 6 points, 6 boards, 2 assists and a block. He and Maxiell are like the Pistons very own shot of adrenaline.
• Solid night for Mr. Prince who put up 17 points when the backcourt was having trouble scoring. Maybe these last couple of games will stop all the Tayshaun trade scenarios I keep hearing. I am sold on Tayshaun's importance to this team, but am I the only one who thinks his defense is a concern right now?
  

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• Jarvis got his groove back, and after watching his post game interview he looked pretty relieved. Hayes put up 13 points in almost 16 minutes on 5-6 shooting. Once he made the first one you could see his confidence come right back. I know it's silly to complain after his first solid game in a while, but at least one rebound would be nice.
• Mike Dunleavy led the Pacers with 25, this is the third game this season that Dunleavy has put up big numbers against the Pistons. Remember when Tayshaun used to shut him down without breaking a sweat?
• Sheed just punished the Pacers when they tried to go as big as they could or when they went small.
• Tayshaun had a chance to recreate "The Block" on Travis Diener, but Diener actually made the layup.
• The Pistons shot 49.4% from the floor.
  
• NBA.com Highlights of the game.
• Just funny.... look at Murphy's stance and the look on Amir's face.

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• We can't seem to get enough of Maxiell and Amir's on court flashes of brilliance, heck I'm going to wear out the rewind feature on the Tivo reliving all the dunks and blocks from those two, but Arron Affllalo needs to be recognized for his solid contributions this season. I watched him at UCLA, but had no idea that he would be willing to do whatever it took to contribute to this team without all the glory. Two points, 3 boards, 1 assist, a steal and a blocked shot in 10 minutes.
• Rebound war won 48-40.
• Pistons #9 in the Power Rankings.
• It's been forever since Flip Murray has dressed, no time for Brezec or Herrmann, though they seem to love to be on this team. What could Joe D be thinking? A trade, or Playoff insurance?
• Simply SHEEDtastic.
  

Courtesy of The Detroit Pistons and FSN Detroit