Posts tagged ‘Pistons’

There are no tricks we’re going to add,” Rasheed Wallace said. “Just straighten on up.”

James scored 38 in the series opener.

“We didn’t make him take the shots we wanted him to take,” Curry said. “He got eight (of his 13) baskets in the paint and he was 11-for-14 at the free-throw line. That pretty much sums it up. We have to keep him out of the paint more than that.”

“He’s very tough when he puts his mind to it,” center Zydrunas Ilgauskas said Sunday when asked if James was impossible to cover. “He can do everything on the floor, including passing. You pick your poison. Teams want to give him different looks. He’s seen everything.”

Via DET NEWS

Episode 102! Deeetroit Basketball!

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What’s Going On World?

The Pistonscast Plan is simple.  Play DEE-Fence not D’fense.

What does that mean?  Listen to Episode 102 and find out!

Peace,

John W. Davis

Got a question for Pistonscast.com? Send it to John W. Davis. And for Pistonscast news and updates follow John on Twitter.

What’s Going on World?

John W. Davis here.

It’s game time and I wanted to share Mr. Rasheed Wallace’s take with you.

Rasheed’s 1st Round take:  ”It’s going to be a good challenge,” he said. “They’ve got a pretty good record, a pretty good home record and I know they are feeling themselves right now. So I guess it’s going to be like David vs. Goliath.”

That’s pretty much sums it up… 

But if the Pistons are your team you are supposed to believe no matter what.  We can be down 3-0 in the series and down by 10 in the last 3 mins of game 4 and I will still believe. 

If you call yourself a Pistons fan and you are saying this playoff series is over before it even starts then YOU ARE NOT A DIE HARD FAN! 

Check out the Pistonscast Playoff Preview Show!

We have no reason to DIE OR GIVEUP YET! 

This will be a battle just like David and Goliath!  Episode 101 Baby!

Peace,

John W. Davis

www.twitter.com/johnwdavis

ESPN DAILY DIME:  Pistons Facts

Consider this:

1. Detroit has lost 17 of 22 games, including 10 of 12 at the Palace of Auburn Hills, generally considered one of the best home courts in the NBA.

2. The Pistons are now 2-9 in February, with one game to go (in Orlando). In the last four February’s combined, the Pistons lost just eight games, going 38-8 overall.

3. It’s been seven years since the Pistons didn’t reach the Eastern Conference Finals.

4. It’s been eight years since the Pistons had a losing record for the season.

5. It’s been eight years since the Pistons didn’t win 50 games in the regular season.

6. Before this week, they hadn’t had a seven-game losing streak since 2003.

7. Their last eight-game losing streak was in the 1994-95 season.

8. Their last nine-game losing streak came as part of a 14-game losing streak in 1994 (spanning two seasons).

9. Detroit has had only five losing seasons in the past 25 seasons.

10. The Pistons’ three NBA titles in the past 20 seasons puts them in the NBA’s fantastic four during those two decades, with the Bulls (six titles), the Spurs (four titles) and the Lakers (three titles).

11. Overall, the Pistons have been the third-best team of the past six seasons, according to Marc Stein’s cumulative Power Rankings. This week, they fell to No. 21 on Stein’s ledger (before their most recent two losses) and now are No. 23 on John Hollinger’s automated Power Rankings.

12. As of Thursday morning, the Pistons had only a 42.8 percent chance of making the playoffs, according to the Hollinger Playoff Odds. They had been above 50 percent until Tuesday’s loss to Miami.

13. So far, the Pistons’ early-season trade of Chauncey Billups for Allen Iverson has backfired. (The trade was motivated in part by a desire to clear salary.) When Iverson joined the team, the Pistons were 4-0 (1.000). Since then, they’ve gone 23-29 (.442).

14. The Pistons have lost the last six times they’ve been led in scoring by Iverson, who, incidentally, stands fifth on the NBA’s all-time leaderboard for points per game.

15. Rodney Stuckey, Billups’ replacement, has slumped miserably, failing to reach 20 points in each of the last 19 games, after scoring 20 or more in six of his previous 13 games. Meanwhile, Billups has led the resurgent Nuggets to third place in the West, after many expected them before the trade to miss the playoffs altogether this season.

16. Before the season, the last Pistons coach with a losing record was the immortal George Irvine.

17. Detroit has fired three coaches since starting its remarkable run of six straight trips to the East finals.

18. Those three coaches are Rick Carlisle, Larry Brown, and Flip Saunders, who have now coached exactly 3,400 NBA games combined, winning 1,935 and losing 1,465 (.569) — including a combined 384-190 record (.669) with the Pistons.

19. The current coach, Michael Curry, spent just one season as an NBA assistant, in Detroit, before taking over. His career record is 27-29 (.482).

20. The NBA’s sportsmanship award winner each season is given the Joe Dumars trophy, named for the Pistons’ universally admired president of basketball operations. And yet, the Pistons are perpetually among the league’s most petulant teams, routinely among the leaders in technical fouls and poor sportsmanship, with Rasheed Wallace the worst offender. Counting this season, Sheed has led the NBA in technical fouls in seven seasons, and has been in the top five in technical fouls in 12 of his 14 seasons. For his career, he has 293 technical fouls.

21. On Wed., the Pistons seemed poised to end their losing streak, leading the Hornets early in the fourth quarter, but Wallace suffered the kind of meltdown that’s punctuated his career. With the game tied 71-71, Wallace gave up an offensive rebound to Hornets reserve forward Sean Marks, allowing New Orleans to score the basket that put them ahead to stay in a game they would win by just three points. After the Marks play, Wallace complained demonstratively to get technical foul No. 15, and shortly thereafter angrily knocked a towel from a Hornets ball boy’s hand into the crowd for technical foul No. 16. He followed that by throwing a towel in the direction of his coach, Michael Curry, who had just seconds before removed him from the game. All of this raises the possibility that Wallace will face what would probably be the NBA’s first-ever triple suspension — the automatic suspension for his 16th technical foul of the season, a league suspension for knocking a towel into the crowd and a team suspension for his actions toward his coach. Or might the Pistons just release him now, with only 26 games remaining on his contract? In any case, Sheed’s tenure in Detroit, which began in spectacular fashion in 2004 with an NBA title (remember his championship belt?), is reaching an ignominious end.

22. Richard Hamilton has the lowest scoring (17.0 ppg) and rebounding (2.9 rpg) numbers of his career, not counting his rookie season, when he played just 19 minutes a game.

23. After the game, Hamilton complained about his demotion to the bench, and his role as Iverson’s understudy for the past 16 games. “I’ve said I’m happy to come off the bench as long as we’re winning,” Hamilton said. “But we’re losing. We’re now 4-12 with me coming the bench. Something’s got to change.” The Pistons are 17-16 with Hamilton starting.

24. In hopes of winning a title with the Pistons, Antonio McDyess forfeited almost $9 million in guaranteed salary this season and next to get free of his contract with the Nuggets after he was included in the Billups-Iverson trade.

25. Curry vowed to develop the Pistons’ young players, but the process hasn’t been a smooth one. In addition to Stuckey’s slump mentioned above, and the 8.1 PER of Arron Afflalo, there is the case of Jason Maxiell: Though he’s one of Detroit’s more productive players, Maxiell’s minutes have dropped this season from 21.6 to 16.3 per game. (Actually, Curry is not the first Detroit coach in recent years to show reluctance to disturb his lineup of veterans, as the careers of Mehmet Okur, Darko Milicic, Carlos Arroyo, Carlos Delfino and Amir Johnson have shown.)

26. Detroit was once Where Reclamation Projects Happen: Think Billups, Hamilton, Wallace and Wallace. The Pistons tried it to apply their Midas touch to this season’s major free-agent signee,Kwame Brown, with disastrous results. Brown has started 19 games for the Pistons, but has played only 27 minutes in the last month and has a PER of 10.6, nearly a career low.

27. The Pistons’ streak of consecutive home sellouts, which began in Jan. 2004 and stood as the NBA’s high at the time, ended on Feb. 4 at 259 consecutive games.

28. The date for Pistons loss No. 29 in the previous six seasons (including the postseason):

2003: April 6
2004: April 21
2005: April 29
2006: Eliminated from playoffs with 26 total losses
2007: April 15
2008: May 28

29. Despite it all, the Pistons aren’t dead yet. If the playoffs started today, they would get their chance to knock off the defending NBA champions in the first round.

Courtesy of ESPN.com

Hello Pistonscast,

I was at the Palace last Wednesday to see the Pistons beat the Heat, and, although it’s a little late, here is my game report.

I arrived at the Palace early, as one of the winners from Need4Sheed’s Suite contest. It was an incredible experience, and I am so very thankful for it.

Anyhow, with a good view of the whole floor, I watched the Pistons get off to a horrid start in the first quarter. A 9-0 run to start the game and I’m sure Pistons fans were thinking, “Huh? This looks too familiar.” But that familiarity is often with the Pistons finishing games, not starting them. That seems to be going on in Pistons games nowadays - they get off to a bad start and win, but when they get off to a good start, they lose. Maybe we should let the other team go on a run in the first, and we’ll play well the rest of the way.

I must say, Antonio McDyess plays with heart; a lot of heart. He plays with more heart and determination than most players I’ve seen on the court. He gives his all every time he plays the game; and on top of that, he’s a gentleman, too. Being courtside for a little bit while he was shooting jumpers a long while before tipoff, I got to see him do nothing but smile. He had a smaller, much skinnier guy (looked to be a teenager) guarding him as he was warming up, and ‘Dyess was cracking up — I assume he was joking with both the coaches on the side and the person guarding him.

In the game, ‘Dyess was active on the glass - 17 boards. He’s been rebounds in the teens a lot lately. Did I mention he plays with a lot of heart?

I was wondering why Walter Sharpe was dressed for the game, but a day or so later, I found out that it was because Walter Herrmann’s wife gave birth, and therefore, he did not attend. I’m glad he got to go tend to something important, because Curry was going to play small ball when Tayshaun was off the floor anyhow.

I really can’t stand the fact that a shooting guard comes in for a small forward, and that’s what kept happening in this game. The Pistons love to have the only small forward be Tayshaun, and it doesn’t make sense. We need size, not five Will Bynums on the floor (no offense to Will Bynum, who his an outstanding point guard).

On the note of Will Bynum, he was nowhere to be found again. Curry keeps going with Iverson at the point to rest Stuckey. This, after Curry said he wanted Bynum starting the second quarter with Rip. Aye carumba, make a decision and stick to it, Coach. I don’t want to keep hearing a new line every day. If we heard him say “I’m going to make Kwame Brown the point guard,” as ridiculous as it sounds, you can’t trust him — he doesn’t stick to his lineup plans.

After a so-so first half, with the Pistons holding a small lead, the third quarter started great, and the Palace crowd was into it (not a sellout crowd, though — the 259 game sellout streak ended that night). The Pistons had a 13 point lead at one point, and it seemed as though we could build on that lead. But remember, these are the 2009 Pistons. The Heat shaved off a large portion of that lead to end the period, and 4th, it ended up being a nailbiter. Rip missed two free throws that could’ve put the game out of reach, I believe another Piston missed a free throw, also. The game ended with Dwayne Wade streaking down the floor to lob up a potential game-tying three that, thankfully, bounced off the rim. Pistons win, 93-90.

During the game, I noticed Tayshaun wanted more touches. He had his hands up, wide open on the floor, and when no one passed him the ball and the play either ended up becoming a turnover or a missed shot, he put his hands up as though he was thinking, “What are you guys doing?” I was glad he got some nice threes in. I was especially proud of the one where a Piston was blocked at the rim and the ball kicked out to Tay for the three.

As of today, the Pistons have lost two games in a row heading to the All-Star break.

If we are to have hope in 2009, the players need to find their passion; it seems to have left the building this year.

Thanks,

Ryan

www.pistonscast.com

My name is Rasheed Amir Wade! Really it is!

Whats Going on World?

John W. Davis here.   Just had to share this story with you from Pistons.com.  No this is not Rasheed’s child or Amir’s.  It just a die hard Pistons fans infant child.   Just read the story. LOL

Clifford Wade and Latanya Bussell had an agreement about the naming of their first child. If Latanya had a boy, Clifford would name him; a girl, and Latanya would have the honor. Clifford, a lifelong Detroiter who says he comes to five Pistons games a season on average, knew precisely which name he wanted to go with. And it definitely wasn’t Dwyane.

“Rasheed is my favorite [Piston] and I also wanted as the middle name somebody off the bench so I chose Amir Johnson,” said Clifford, who named his son Rasheed Amir Wade.

Coincidentally, Clifford’s son has the same initials as Rasheed Abdul Wallace - and that’s where the similarities end for now. Fortunately for Clifford and Latanya, the four-month-old hasn’t exhibited any technical foul-worthy tantrums just yet. “He’s a great baby, nice, handsome little boy,” the proud papa gushed. “He’s very good. I just love him.”

Rasheed Amir Wade was born the morning of April 27, 2008. That night, the Pistons defeated the Philadelphia 76ers in Game 4 of their first-round series. The 93-84 victory sparked a five-game winning streak and signaled the end of the Sixers’ season. Wallace had one of his best performances of the playoffs, 20 points and 10 rebounds.

“Hopefully that can rub off on my mine and we can be watching him in the future, because I do want him to be one,” Clifford said. “Not just a basketball player but a Piston.”

What Piston would you name your child after?  Haha. Leave a Comment. 

Peace,

John W. Davis

www.pistonscast.com

Whats up World?

John W. Davis. It’s time for another contest. YAH! I know right. Anyway. Since its summer time and people are taking those last minute vacations and or last few weeks before school, I thought why not, Poetry time!

Ok background time.

For those who don’t know or don’t remember, a Haiku is a Japanese poetry form. It’s got three lines and is supposed to have five syllables in the first line, seven in the second, and five in the third. Some translators and writers of Haiku, however, deemphasize precision with respect to the syllable count and instead emphasize that there is a kind of rhythm over the course of the three lines from something specific and concrete (often nature-related) to something more general or extraordinary or philosophical and then back to something ordinary again, but now seen in a different light because of the move to the extraordinary in line 2. But here’s a link to a site if you really want to delve into the intricacies of the form: http://www.ahapoetry.com/haiku.htm

Ok here I go.

John W. Davis’ Pistons Haiku:

We are Bench Babies

Pistons Future is now here

Our youth shall lead us

Your turn. Leave a comment to this blog or email us at hosts@pistonscast.com

Peace,

John