Cavaliers vs Pistons Game 1 – Quick Recap

This was a bad game if you are a Pistons fan. Pretty good to be a Cavaliers fan nowadays, huh? LeBron is just playing on another level. He didn’t even break a sweat tonight while destroying the Pistons. Wow. Just…wow.

• Has anyone ever scored an easier 38 points, grabbed 8 boards and dished out 7 assists? LeBron is just doing whatever he wants and nobody was able to stop him. Detroit has some serious thinking to do til Tuesday.
• Four other Cavs scored in double figures (team-high by somebody not named LeBron: 13)
• The Cavaliers looked bored and disinterested at times. Total downer after the crazy Celtics – Bulls Overtime game.

Well, there isn’t much to say about the Pistons. We need to change our game plan. I’m not sure this team is able to do enough to prevent the Cavaliers from scoring…

• Rodney Stuckey scored a team-high 20 points, but it took him 21 shots to do so. We need to be more efficient than that.
• Prince was 2/7 from the field, Rip was 6/14 from the field…we need more than that…
• Sheed showed up tonight and played in the post. He scored 13 points and I hope he will keep up going to his post moves. The Cavs can’t guard him under the basket.

What do we need to improve dramatically?

• Rebounding. No 2nd chance points for the Cavaliers. We have to crash the boards hard and stop running with them.
• Free throws. The Cavs shot 27 free throws compared to Detroit’s 12. It is hard to overcome a deficit like that.

Do I still think Detroit can win a game or two? Yeah, I do, I’m a fan…I have to.

Celtics vs Bulls Game 1 – Quick Recap

Bullet-style:

• Derrick Rose is the future of Chicago basketball. What a way to start your playoff career. Way to go, young fella!
• Brad Miller is just awful. Has anyone ever played worse on a playoff team? He is helping the Celtics way more than he is helping the Bulls. He can’t guard anyone, he can’t shoot, he is always passing to Noah who isn’t in a scoring position, he is slow…just awful…get rid of him! Now!
• Ben Gordon is as trigger-happy as ever – he can be lethal, but he can also just brick ‘em with the best of them.
• Rajon Rondo is awesome. This was an awesome to watch battle of two great young point guards.
• I liked the three pointers Paul Pierce nailed to start the 2nd half. He won’t let the Bulls win this one. No way.
• The nearly flagrant foul Powe commited on Noah was pretty brutal, but it was just a normal shooting foul. Playoffs, baby.

Here are the last 2 minutes:

• Ben Gordon hit a tough fall-away, inside-out, step-back shot and got the foul – and 1! WOW!
• Hinrich with the steal and Tyrus Thomas finishes the fastbreak on his own. He really improved his game. The one fastbreak earlier where he found Salmons…very nice for a big guy.
• Rondo shooting 2 after a Tyurs Thomas blocking foul. 2/2 -> 1 point game (Bulls lead 91-90).
• Ben Gordon hits another shot…well defended, but good offense beats good defense, I guess. Is he becoming a closer finally?
• Rose fouls Big baby on his way to the basket. 2 free throws for Davis. Tony Allen gets in for Ray Allen…c’mon…Big baby made both btw.
• 1 minute to go!
• Rose misses a tough lay-up and Noah’s tip also misses. Paul Pierce gets his defender up in the air and gets the foul call – free throws. Ties the game with the 1st, gets the lead with the 2nd shot. Pierce is just clutch.
• 37.4 seconds to go! Celtics 94 – 93 Bulls
• I LOVE THE PLAYOFFS!
• Who will step up?
• Rose hits another tough layup and makes it look really easy. He is just crazy good. No matter what happens next, the future looks bright in Chicago.
• 31 seconds to go, Bulls lead by 1
• Ray Allen misses a 3, Rondo gets the rebounds and hits a sweet jump hook to get the 1 point lead.
• 22 seconds left, Celtics lead by 1 (95 – 96)
• Chicago nearly lost the ball, but the refs changed the call – Chicago ball with 12 seconds to go
• Rondo fouls Rose while trying to prevent him from getting the pass – very bad timing for a foul.
• 9.4 seconds left, Rose hits his first free throw…this guy is just cool…
• Marbury gets in for Rondo? What? Are you kidding me?
• Rose hits the 2nd free throw. He set a record for most points by a rookie in his playoff debut. Wow! Timeout Celtics.
• Still 9.4 seconds left, Chicago up by 1 – Rondo is back in the game
• Paul Pierce gets the ball, gets up in the air and gets fouled by Noah with 2.6 seconds left. Worse foul than the one by Rondo. No timeouts for Chicago btw.
• Pierce makes the 1st shot. Tied game! 97 – 97!
• If he hits this shot, the game is over.
• In & Out! OVERTIME!

Guys, watch this game. Whatever you are doing right now – if it isn’t watching the game, stop it and turn on the TV! Amazing game.

Here we go, OVERTIME:

• 5 minutes. What a way to start the playoffs. Whoever made the schedule -> good choice!
• Celtics ball.
• Big Baby scores a quick 2.
• Ray Allen blocks Ben Gordon and fumbles the ball on the way to the other side of the court. Too bad…
• Tyrus Thomas hits a jumpshot. Crazy. He couldn’t shoot at all last season and know he seems to be comfortable with his shot. Progress.
• Salmons gets the Bulls up by 2.
• Cleveland is up by 6 right now, btw. Looking forward to watching the Pistons play after this overtime game.
• Rondo throws the ball out of bounds, because Perkins wasn’t paying attention.
• 2:20 to go, Bulls up 101 – 99
• Hello Paul Pierce, good you showed up.
• 1:03 to go, tied game – what a game – 103 – 103
• Tyrus Thomas hits another jumpshot. Are you kidding me?
• Big Baby fouled out.
• 32.6 seconds to go, Bulls lead by 2
• 11.6 seconds to go, Bulls still up by 2 – Celtics ball
• Rose fouls out after a fake hand-off by Rondo. Bad call. This is not a playoff foul call. There was hardly any contact.
• Pierce wastes some time and Ray Allen misses a contested jumpshot.
• Game over! Bulls take game 1!

NBA Playoff Series Predictions

You need some NBA playoff predictions for the 1st round? No problem, here you go.

Eastern Conference

Cleveland Cavaliers vs. Detroit Pistons

Maybe it is my inner fan boy speaking, but I think that people underestimate Detroit…again. You can’t call it disrespect this time, because the team finished under .500, but they are forming an identity right now. The Iverson drama is over, the team is coming into it’s own…too late? Maybe…

Don’t expect Cleveland to sweep Detroit – this are the playoffs. I would feel much better if we’d have a proven coach, but I still think our guys will do a good job of preparing for this series and making the Cavaliers work for every point they score.

Prediction: Cavs in 6Boston Celtics vs. Chicago Bulls

No KG, no problem? Definitely not. The Celtics are favored even without Garnett, but not having KG could be the difference between a 4-game series and a 6-game series.

Prediction: Celtics in 6

Orlando Magic vs. Philadelphia 76ers

Are those the 76ers that are on a losing streak right now? The guys that beat Cleveland by one in overtime even tho LeBron didn’t even play? Or are those the guys killing you with fastbreaks like they know they can? Doesn’t matter, because nobody on that team can stop Dwight Howard and his outside shooters.

The Magic’s philosophy ‘living and dying by the 3‘ is not a very comfortable spot to work from, but it should be enough to get to the 2nd round.

Prediction: Magic in 5

Atlanta Hawks vs. Miami Heat

This could be the most watchable series of all, because there shouldn’t be any blowouts. Hawks versus Heat has 7-game series written all over it and if you think that anybody not named LeBron or Kobe can beat Wade in a game 7, you are crazy.

Prediction: Heat in 7

Western Conference

Los Angeles Lakers vs. Utah Jazz

Yeah…

Prediction: Lakers in 4(!)

Denver Nuggets vs. New Orleans Hornets

That is what I love about the West, just by looking at the roster (or team name) you can’t tell who is the 2nd seed and how is the 7th seed. Anyway, I’m a big Chauncey Billups fan and this guy always steps his game up come playoff time. Sure, nobody wants to see Chris Paul in a playoff series, but who on the Hornets other than Paul can guard anyone? Who will stop Carmelo Anthony? Peja? Please…

BTW: Watch out for Nene. He will destroy the Hornets.

Prediction: Nuggets in 6

San Antonio Spurs vs. Dallas Mavericks

This is the toughest series to even try to predict. The Spurs miss Ginobili which is a big factor, but Tony Parker is flying under the radar even tho he is in a career year. The Mavericks had a good run lately, but who knows how long it will hold up. They have a reputation of going down come playoff time and the way the Warriors took out Nowitzki back in the day is a prefect blueprint for the Spurs…

Prediction: Spurs in 7

Portland Trail Blazers vs. Houston Rockets

Uhm…let’s see. Yao Ming vs. Greg Oden/Joel Przybilla. Even if they play 5-on-6 they couldn’t guard him. Too bad for the Rockets that Yao isn’t more than a 20-10 guy, so it’s nothing to worry about for the Blazers.

I’m really looking forward to watching Brandon Roy in the playoffs. This guy is one of the best players in crunch time and he is just getting started.

Prediction: Blazers in 7

Pistons vs Cavaliers – Preview

Everybody knows that Cleveland will win this series, but you know…stranger things happened like the Hawks taking last year’s champs to a game 7 or Tyrus Thomas developing a jump-shot. Let’s start with the match-ups:

Rodney Stuckey – Mo Williams

Advantage: Cleveland

Why? See, I’m a big Stuckey fan and I think he will have a great game or two in this series (if he goes to the rim hard -> free throws), but Mo Williams is one of the main reasons the Cavaliers are as good as they are. Back when he was playing for Milwaukee, you could see Mo Williams was a great player, but he really started doing his thing in LeBron-land. He is a terrific shooter and there is no way Detroit will guard LeBron 1-on-1 all the time…

Richard Hamilton – Delonte West

Advantage: Detroit

This is obvious, isn’t it? Rip is one of the best shooters the NBA has right now and he will be Detroit’s 1st scoring option. People tend to think that Delonte is coming into his own right now, but that not necessarily the truth. Check his history. He always had good stretches and disappeared again…don’t wonder if you don’t notice him too much on Cleveland’s way to the Finals.

Tayshaun Prince – LeBron James

Advantage: Detroit…okay, okay, I just wanted to see if you are paying attention – Cleveland

It’s LeBron. Is there more to say? I always thought that Prince was one of the better defenders when it comes to guarding LeBron James, but than Game 5 of the 2007 Playoffs happened…but that isn’t on Prince alone, it was a team non-effort…

Antonio McDyess – Anderson Varejao

Advantage: Detroit

Why? Both are hustle players, provide energy, fight for loose balls and crash the boards, but only one of those two can shoot from mid-range and doesn’t flop when you look at him.

Rasheed Wallace – Zydrunas Ilgauskas

Advantage: No clue

If Sheed shows up, I’d go with Detroit. If he doesn’t, good for Big Z.

It is a bit closer than i thought it would be, but the fact that the Cavaliers grew into a real team while Detroit changed line-ups on a daily basis is a very big factor here. I don’t expect the Cavaliers to sweep the Pistons like most people do, but this year Cleveland looks much better than Detroit.

If Cleveland looks past Detroit already, they will be in for a major surprise, but I’m pretty sure LeBron won’t let that happen.

Still, it’s a best-of-7 series and stranger things have happened…you never know…

Will Bynum proves Rick Kamla wrong

You have read about Will Bynum’s heroics yesterday in the Pistons’ most important game of the season – 32 points, a franchise record 26 in the 4th quarter on perfect 6/6 shooting from the field and maybe…just maybe, you have read or seen something by Rick Kamla somewhere on the nba.com page. He said something about Will Bynum getting Allen Iverson’s minutes…

If you want to see the whole “Rick Rant’s” video, go here.

Bynum’s 26 pts in the 4th too much for Bobcats

32 points – 7 assists – 4 rebounds – 1 steal – 1 turnover – in 26 minutes.

26 points in the 4th quarter! Sounds like a nice day at the office for Dwayne Wade or LeBron James, right? Well, tonight it was Will Bynum, the Pistons back-up point guard. If you don’t know who I’m talking about, read this.

This game was big, obviously. Detroit and Charlotte were fighting for a playoff spot and I’m very happy the Pistons managed to win this game even tho we needed a big contribution by Will Bynum off the bench after Rip Hamilton got ejected after the 3rd quarter.

Now Detroit is 3 games ahead of Charlotte and there are only 5 games left. That should be good enough if you ask me.

Career-high 32 points (26 in the 4th)

• Will Bynum is obviously the story of the game. 32 points in 26 minutes, 26 of those points coming in the 4th quarter – setting a Pistons record for most points in the 4th, previously held by Isiah Thomas with 24 points vs the Lakers back in 1988. He carried us through the 4th! He either scored himself or dished out the assist. Bynum scored 26 of Detroit’s 32 4th quarter points and assisted on 4 of those points.
• Almost forgot to mention it: Bynum also set a new career-high in points in this game. Congrats!
• The Pistons starting backcourt combined for 21 points, 13 from Rip who got tossed before the 4th quarter and 8 by Stuckey who played less than a minute in the 4th, because Bynum was killing them.
• Tayshaun Prince was solid, playing through the injury he suffered in the game vs the 76ers the day before.
• Rasheed Wallace made some important plays in this one, including a crazy shot clock beating turnaround 3-pointer. He finished the game with 12 points, 6 boards, 6 assists, 3 steals and 1 block. Roscoe, doing it all!

• Arron Afflalo scored 12 points on perfect shooting (4/4) and 3/3 from those came from downtown.
• Next stop: New York Knicks on Wednesday!

A.I. done for rest of season

Say good-bye to A.I.. According to ESPN.com he is out for the rest of the season. Soreness in his back…blablabla…

I’m glad we finally got rid of all this drama. The team has to focus on the next few games to make the playoffs and all those distractions definitely didn’t help us win.

Would I like to see A.I. play the next few games for Detroit? Yes, of course. It’s crazy to think we couldn’t need one more Hall of Fame guard, but if the price we have to pay for that is doing whatever he wants and sacrificing the whole team concept – no, thank you, take that attitude to another city next season.

“After talking with Allen and our medical staff, we feel that resting Allen for the remainder of the season is the best course of action at this time,” Dumars said in statement. “While he has played in our last three games, he is still feeling some discomfort and getting him physically ready to compete at the level he is accustomed to playing this late in the season does not seem possible at this point.”

First he is injured, than he is back, pissed off about his minutes, he has no trouble with coming off the bench, he would rather retire than come off the bench, he is injured again…he changes his mind on a daily basis.

At least one thing he said is true: He is doing everything he can to help this team win. Not being a distraction anymore definitely helps.

Spotlight: Antonio McDyess

Every Pistons fan knows how important Antonio McDyess is for his team. He is a vital part of the rotation and we are just lucky to have him on our roster. Maybe is sounds strange, but McDyess deserves something better than going through this season’s mess/struggle.

If heart, effort and energy could be pressed into a human shape, this shape would look exactly like Antonio McDyess. Besides being the great player he is, McDyess is also a class act off the court. What can a fan wish more for than a player who cares about the team as much as he does?

Our spotlight is on Antonio McDyess – to understand how he became who he is, we have to go way back.

Antonio Keithflen McDyess was born on the 7th of September, 1974, in Quitmain, Mississippi – population of ~ 2.750.

He played basketball for the University of Alabama where he earned All-SEC Third Team Honors in his freshman year. Antonio led the Crimson Tide in scoring and rebounds in his sophomore season, earned All-SEC Second Team Honors and led his team to the 2nd round of the NCAA tournament.

In 1995, he was drafted by the Los Angeles Clippers with the 2nd overall pick and got traded to the Denver Nuggets before the seaosn began for Rodney Rogers and a 1st round pick (-> Brent Barry). After his first year, he was named to the NBA All-Rookie First Team. Antonio averaged 15.8 points and 7.4 rebounds over his first two seasons before he got traded to the Phoenix Suns. In his third NBA year (and 1st for Phoenix) he delivered about the same stats.

As a free agent, he decided to return to Denver – actually, he had a verbal agreement in place, but he wasn’t sure and wanted to talk to Phoenix again. McDyess invited some of his Phoenix teammates to Denver to talk everything over, but Dan Issel didn’t let them enter the building. Not very nice, but it is what it is. That way Antonio became a Nugget again.

Over the next three years, Antonio averaged 20.4 points and 10.4 rebounds per game for Denver which led to him being voted into the All-Star game in 2001. He also was part of the gold medal winning US team in 2000 (Sydney).

What can stop an up-and-coming all-star in his tracks?

An injury – a knee injury to be more precise – a patellar tendon rupture to be exact. To sum it up quick: This injury hinders the leg’s ability to bend. Those affected can’t stand, because their knee gives way when they attempt to. Antonio was out with this injury for two seasons and was traded to the Knicks in 2002. (To understand how valued McDyess was, here is what Denver got for him: Marcus Camby, Mark Jackson and Nene Hilario.)

In 2002-2003 he was supposed to start his comeback in a New York Knicks jersey, but he re-injured his knee in an exhibition game. Another surgery later, Antonio was traded to the Phoenix Suns for Stephon Marbury. He only played 24 games for Phoenix in 2003-04, where he averaged 5.8 points and 5.8 boards in 21 minutes of action/game. His explosiveness was gone.

Antonio McDyess had to change his style, the way he plays the game – that is one of the hardest things to do. Just imagine someones takes your biggest skill away and you have to change everything. Tough…

But McDyess silenced his critics. The Pistons signed him for their full MLE and Antonio averaged  8.6 points and 6.5 boards per game from 2004 to 2008.

He was a part of the trade that sent Chauncey to Denver, but McDyess decided to leave some mony on the table and return to Detroit. Denver let him go 30 days later he was a part of the Pistons again.

In the current season (2008-09), Antonio is averaging 9.8 points and 9.9 rebounds a game in ~ 30 minutes/game. He is getting better and better every day. His mid-range jumpshot is among the best you will ever see by a big man and the way he goes up for rebounds is just crazy.

He went for 20 or more rebounds twice in the last 3 weeks. The 22 boards he grabbed in New York are also his career high. After everything he went through, Antonio is still improving at the age of 34. There is only one explanation: heart. He wants it more than the other guys.

Through March he is averaging 13.8 points and 12.5 rebounds per game and he is on the court when the games are close. Antonio is a vital part of the Detroit Pistons – actually, he is their heart. If somebody deserves to win a title on this squad, it is this guy. They signed him after they won the Championship back in 2003 and they went to the Finals once and to the Confernce Finals three times since then.

Pistons vs 76ers Recap, 03/29/2009

This win was a total team effort – you can’t credit just one guy, they took turns at carrying the team. Prince put the team on his back in the 1st half (especially at the end of the 2nd quarter), Stuckey carried us through the 3rd quarter, Bynum opened the 4th with a big effort and Rip Hamilton came in and played the role of the closer.

Your Starting Backcourt

• Allen Iverson finally returned from his injury and I think that a lot of fans owe him an apology. All the talk about his faked back injury and that he would never return to come off the bench for us…he is back and you could see that he was still in pain. He still scored 8 points and dished out a couple assists. Welcome back, A.I.!
• Tayshaun Prince was big in the 1st half – he scored 19 points in the first two quarters on his way to a team-high 21 points on only 11 shots. Tay also finished with a game-high +18 +/-.
• I was joking a bit about the two offensive juggernauts Kwame Brown and Samuel Dalembert going at each other in this one, but I have to apologize to Kwame for that one. 13 points in 22 minutes. Well done!

Bynum scored 9 points in the 4th quarter

• Bynum had the hot hand at the beginning of the 4th scoring 9 points, most of them coming on mid-range jumpers. He was simply feeling it.
• Rodney Stuckey carried the Pistons through the 3rd quarter – scoring 12 of his 16 points. Philly was ahead by 4 with 7:57 in the 3rd to go when Stuckey decided it was time to go on a 8-0 run of his own and get the Pistons up by 4.
• The 76ers were surprisingly good yesterday. I knew they are a good team, but I didn’t know how good they really are. Igoudala looked like LeBron light out there, getting to the rim at will and hitting shots from downtown. 27 points, 7 boards and 5 assists. Is there more to say?

'The Closer'

• Richard Hamilton replaced Allen Iverson on the court with 3:17 to go in the 4th. He scored the next (and also last) 4 points for Detroit!

Pistons @ Wizards Recap, 03/28/2009

The Pistons snapped their three-game losing streak with a win against the Arenas’ lead Washington Wizards. The Chicago win over Indiana put some pressure on Detroit tonight.

• Detroit shot 66.7% from three tonight. Just been lucky? No, sir! The Wizards did a very bad job on the defensive end, forgetting to rotate on defense and leaving the Pistons wide open for corner 3s – Rip drained four threes from exactly the same spot in the 3rd quarter.
• Only looking at your opponent isn’t good defense, Washington. Rotating is better.
• Gilbert Arenas played his first game in a long time and he looked pretty comfortable out there. He was doing his thing, finding open teammates, getting to the line…and he drained a three from far, far away. A bit rusty, but looking way better than I expected. His highlights:

• Agent Zero finished with 15 points and 10 assists in 30 minutes.
• Antawn Jamison is still one of the most underrated players out there. We had no answer for his shooting, but the Wizards stopped going to him for some unknown reason.
• The only Wizards playing some defense were McGuire and Crittenton – their hustle brought the Wizards back into the game in the 4th quarter.

31 points - 5/9 from 3pt

• Rip led our team with a game-high 31 points on 11/29 shooting. The rest of our starters was a combined 17/31 so Rip nearly took as many shots as the rest of our starters.
• Our three-point shooting was key in this game. Rip hit 5/9 while Prince hit all 3 of his attempts from deep and Herrmann was also flawless on his 2 shots from downtown.
• Kwame Brown and Antonio McDyess both grabbed double digit rebounds.
• Will Bynum and Jason Maxiell really brought some energy from the bench. Will scored 9 points and dished out 4 assists, but also fumbled a few balls in the 4th quarter that were very costly.
• Maxiell brought his A-game for this one. 10 points, 7 boards (5 on the offensive boards) and 2 blocks.

13 pts - 6 assists - 5 rebounds

• Rodney Stuckey was all over the place when he was on the floor. Scoring, dishing out assists, crashing the boards.

• The game was close at the end of the 4th and as you can see in the video, the non-call was a big one for us. I’m not saying it should have been a foul (because it wasn’t), but Wade would have got some free-throws – if you know what I’m saying. Good that the players were allowed to decide the outcome this time.