Cool Breeze

[Sparma]

Interesting post, Don, providing some detail on what happened. I get the games of one team on my NBA Pass; last night's game was blacked out for me, maybe because a national TV station carried it. I can go back and watch it, but not sure a 20 point loss is so compelling, or the best use of my time.

If memory serves, a lot of times teams struggle with the first game at home after a road trip, so it will be interesting to see how Friday's game plays out against a Milwaukee, which I see as generally a stronger team than our Pistons. But then the break, until Friday, is longer than after most trips.

No you can't put the blame on Reggie most of the losses this team will have this season will be coach related.   I say it again and keep saying it you can't keep jacking up 3's 30 plus times a game while hitting them barely at a 30% clip and expect to win games.  

I like Harris but I think he shoots entirely way too many 3's, Bradley was horrible.


You can't tell me that going to the FT line 3 times in a freaking game is okay who the hell going to foul you while you're misfiring on 3pt attempts.  This is a dumbass coach.

Exactly WTF!

[Oracle]

I can't figure out if you don't have the attention span to read the first sentence of a post, or you just plain don't understand.

1. I said in the first sentence that the deal worked for BOTH teams... I know, a hard concept to understand for you, so that's why you say childishly silly things like,
"Oracle maybe you wish you could watch KCP instead of Bradley but not me. I am really happy he is not playing for the Pistons because there is now one less low basketball IQ player on the team. Now we need to move more low basketball IQ players off the team to get better. Maybe some team would bite on Reggie or even AD before the trade deadline. Every time I think AD is getting smarter as a 5 year basketball player, I have to think twice after his game last night. But so far he is much better than last season yet not dominate like he could be if he had a better basketball mind." - Don

2. You do realize that agreeing with Wise, it basically proves you have no clue as to what you've been saying about blaming Reggie, that Harris shoots too many 3's and Bradley was horrible. All of which you just stated wasn't the case.

Come on Don... did KCP take you money or something? Grow up man, this petty, childish stuff should be beneath you, or maybe it is you, hard to tell.

No you can't put the blame on Reggie most of the losses this team will have this season will be coach related.   I say it again and keep saying it you can't keep jacking up 3's 30 plus times a game while hitting them barely at a 30% clip and expect to win games.  

I like Harris but I think he shoots entirely way too many 3's, Bradley was horrible.


You can't tell me that going to the FT line 3 times in a freaking game is okay who the hell going to foul you while you're misfiring on 3pt attempts.  This is a dumbass coach.

Exactly WTF!

[cool breeze]

No you can't put the blame on Reggie most of the losses this team will have this season will be coach related.   I say it again and keep saying it you can't keep jacking up 3's 30 plus times a game while hitting them barely at a 30% clip and expect to win games.  

I like Harris but I think he shoots entirely way too many 3's, Bradley was horrible.


You can't tell me that going to the FT line 3 times in a freaking game is okay who the hell going to foul you while you're misfiring on 3pt attempts.  This is a dumbass coach.

Exactly WTF!

[cool breeze]

A good deal is one that works for both sides...

With most of the free agent market already having shaken out, the Lakers’ one-year deal worth $18 million appealed to Caldwell-Pope.

It appealed to the Lakers, too. They hadn’t been willing to offer multiyear deals as they tried to save salary cap space for next summer. In Caldwell-Pope they got a defensive-minded player they hoped would help their young team.

So far, he has.

“A big part of our defense is what he’s brought, the fact that we’re actually making some strides in that,” Coach Luke Walton said. “He practices hard, he has great habits. He’s an aggressive defender. He likes to get up into the ball pushing the direction we’re trying to send it. I think when you’re playing with so many young players, when they get to see him do it every day, then they learn better, they learn quicker.”

Caldwell-Pope scored 13 points with six rebounds in Tuesday’s 113-93 win, and helped hold Bradley to eight points on four-for-17 shooting.

Come on Oracle this loss is on Reggie Jackson's lack of leadership and selfish play along with his lack of ability to defend Ball. It was Ball not KCP who was responsible for making a farce of this Piston team last night. And as I pointed out in my earlier post, the Piston coaching staff did a horrible job of failing to make adjustments in the game.

If you watched Zeke in the pre game, he almost predicted the outcome of that game when he described how top tier point guards do not base their success on the amount of points they score. Usually Ball only scores around 10 points a game. The box score of Zeke, Magic and Stockton might only be 10 points but their teams got the W. Of course the game plan by Luke Walton was to exploit the ineptness of Reggie Jackson and the inability of Andre Drummond to rule the paint on defense. The central part of the game plan of Walton did not involve the matchup between KCP and Bradley. Last night's matchup should have been Bradley against Ball. Bradley should have been our point guard and perhaps he would have noticed some of the clear matchup advantages the Pistons would have had against the Lakers if they had actually tried to run some set plays that they practice. Complete lack of player or ball movement by the Pistons was caused by Reggie Jackson and the blame goes to SVG for allowing that to happen. He is the head coach not Jackson. Smith should have been brought in early in the first quarter to settle the team down. But Smith cannot play the entire game. Even if SVG had moved either Bradley or Johnson to play defense on Ball, the outcome wouldn't have been so lopsided. What I Witnessed was that the coaching staff either didn't do any scouting of this Laker team to find their many weaknesses or they couldn't get Reggie Jackson or Tobias Harris on board with either their offensive or defensive game plan. If the later happened then both should have been benched early in the first quarter. You just don't come down the court and launch early shots against this Laker team and expect success especially when you take contested off balance shots. You grind out each possession and the Lakers fold.This is what Arizona did against Ball and UCLA last season to beat Ball's team. You have to make Ball play defense. He is a horrible defender and Jackson made Ball into a good defender. For SVG not to see this happening is scary. If you have Ball playing defense on you, you give up the ball early and run around picks get the ball to the weak side and make Ball work. Instead Reggie played right into Ball's hands. Ball only had to go to Reggie's spot on the court where he likes to shoot it without passing. Great job SVG. You looked like a complete idiot all night long for not doing your homework or allowing your idiot point guard to play stupid basketball.

One final comment on the comparison made with KCP and Bradley. Zeke said in the pre game show that Bradley and Johnson are the players he would want on his team. He never made any positive statements about KCP because KCP is not a really smart basketball player. If you watched the Golden State game and Bradley's performance in that game and at the end of the Clippers game, then you would know that KCP has never played at that level in his life. KCP might be bigger and stronger but he is not a player who can make the key plays when the game is on the line. Bradley has been doing that all of his life. Now he is a bit off kilter because he is playing with Reggie.

If a player like Reggie Jackson is actually playing the starting point guard position on any NBA team, your 2 guard and small forward will always have great difficulty. Notice last night where Johnson seldom touched the ball on offense. Johnson is a play maker. He sees the court and makes unselfish passes. That is why the point guard needs to pass him the ball instead of freezing him out. So in that way, KCP, Johnson and Bradley have one thing in common. They will all suffer playing with SVG's starting point guard, Reggie jackson. This head coach and Tim Hardaway have to go. Tim has made no headway in teaching Reggie how to play point guard. And when you get to the NBA level you have to already have that special gift of seeing the court and being able to see three plays ahead. Reggie Jackson is a shooter. Reggie only sees himself as being the MAN. He will always be playing play ground basketball. He will never be a leader or point guard who can direct a winning team. For Reggie, his team is winning if he has scored 20 points or more not 10 points. Wins and loses are secondary to Reggie's scoring average. Forcing Jackson down the team's throats knowing that he cannot see matchups in the half court offense should be a firing offense for any coaching staff just like it should be a firing offense if the head coach cannot see that Jon Leuer cannot matchup with Randle on that Laker team. Reggie should be standing on the wing or baseline at the 2 guard position. HE IS A SHOOTER AND WILL NEVER BE A PLAY MAKER FOR HIS TEAMMATES. I put that in bold print hoping Tom Gores reads this post. The Pistons caught Golden State and the Clippers off guard. They obviously did no scouting of the Pistons. Their coaching staff did not breakdown the Piston offense. Luke Walton did and you saw the result. Jason Kidd already knows how to play the Pistons with Reggie starting at point guard.

Oracle maybe you wish you could watch KCP instead of Bradley but not me. I am really happy he is not playing for the Pistons because there is now one less low basketball IQ player on the team. Now we need to move more low basketball IQ players off the team to get better. Maybe some team would bite on Reggie or even AD before the trade deadline. Every time I think AD is getting smarter as a 5 year basketball player, I have to think twice after his game last night. But so far he is much better than last season yet not dominate like he could be if he had a better basketball mind.

[WTF]

No you can't put the blame on Reggie most of the losses this team will have this season will be coach related.   I say it again and keep saying it you can't keep jacking up 3's 30 plus times a game while hitting them barely at a 30% clip and expect to win games.  

I like Harris but I think he shoots entirely way too many 3's, Bradley was horrible.


You can't tell me that going to the FT line 3 times in a freaking game is okay who the hell going to foul you while you're misfiring on 3pt attempts.  This is a dumbass coach.

[Oracle]

When the Lakers had 9 steals and 5 blocks and a lot of intimidations, it's not Reggie causing the problem.

When your starting shooting guard goes 0 for 5 from 3 point land, it's not Reggie!

We got BEAT, it happens and while it sucks and there are lessons to learn, but learning the wrong lesson is much worse!

[cool breeze]

In the Pre game Zeke made a great statement relating to elite point guards. He said Magic or himself might only score 10 points in a game but they still controlled the game. Does anyone get what that statement means? This is why I want Avery Bradley to be the starting point guard for our Pistons. He sees the court and he has a high basketball IQ. I am not saying Bradley is on the same level of Zeke or other great point guards like Stockton. But no teal can become consistent winners if the starting point guard cannot get his team running the offense the team practices. If the point guard cannot recognize situations on the floor relating to matchups his teammates have and fail to get them the ball then the team chemistry goes in the toilet. Players then go off on their own like Reggie does. A perfect example of how important the point guard position is was pointed out by Steve Smith in the second half. While Reggie had his head down plotting out someway he was going to beat his man a switch took place that left Andre Drummond matched up in the paint with a Laker defender that was 16 inches shorter than AD. That should have been a switch the point guard would get excited about and then pass the damn ball to AD. But instead Reggie went to the opposite baseline and shot a contested jump shot and missed. Do you think AD is going to run full blast back to the defensive end after that? And if Smith and two other announcers saw that dumb ass mistake by Reggie and the head coach didn't what does that tell you about the quality of coaching for the Pistons? Did Tim Hardaway see that lack of ability of Reggie to do his job? Did SVG see that selfish play of the point guard and then stand there as if nothing had happened. I saw it coming early in the first quarter. In Reggie's mind he was going to show the Laker fans just how dominate he could be over the rookie Ball. He made a few difficult shots at first but looking at him, I noticed that he was not running any type of offense and he was not looking to find a better match up than he had.

I could go on and submit more proof of why our Pistons looked so inept but the bottom line was this game was exactly like the games I watched last season. And this was the same coaching I watched last season. No adjustments were made. Notice when the Lakers got off their game plan, Luke Walton immediately called a timeout and when his team returned to the court, they ran a set play? Whenever one of the Laker players got off kilter, Walton immediately moved that player to the bench as well if only for a short period of time. But our coaching staff did the opposite. When Leuer was making mistake after mistake trying to guard Randle or making bad judgement calls on his shot selection, SVG ignored it. The Pistons had made a comeback off the back of Ish Smith and then Leuer's mistakes or inability to defend Randle along with shooting contested low percentage shots allowed the lakers to expand their lead to 16. SVG has few options at the center position but if he wanted his team to win the game or be competitive, he needed to bring back AD earlier in the 4th quarter. What did he have to lose. No SVG went brain dead. There is no way Leuer will ever be able to guard Randle. And there is no way Reggie jackson will ever be a player who can lead a team in the point guard position. Reggie needs to move to the 2 guard.

In the first quarter SVG needed to call an important timeout and either sit Reggie down before his pre determined point guard change or instill in Reggie that if he wants to stay on the court he will have to act like a point guard and run one of the team's half court plays. All the pistons had to do to win this game was to not play like the Lakers. They needed to for the lakers to play defense and run more time off the shot clock on every possession using the weak side and not settling for low percentage long range shots without making two passes. Tobias Harris played like Reggie in the first half. he was jerking up ridiculous contested jump shots without looking to the wing or baseline for wide open teammates. This play of Reggie and Tobias caused a chain reaction where everyone started to just throw up dumb ass shots. The Laker players had to play very little defense at all in the entire first half. Other NBA teams beat the Lakers that way by running plays. If the pIstons want to become a good team they have to be able to adjust their style and not copy the style of the team they are playing against. But make no mistake, this all starts with Reggie Jackson's lack of leadership ability. He was out to show he was better than Ball and Ball made a complete fool of Reggie in the end.

For Michigan fans contemplating attending a Piston game when the team arrives back home will now think twice if they watched this game. They will say this team sucks. The coaching staff sucks. The total basketball IQ of the team and coaching staff sucks. How can a team play with such poise against two good teams and then not do any preparation for what should have been their easiest game of the road trip? That is a bad sign. That is the same thing they did in the last half of last season. And the coaching staff ignored the same problems during this game as they did for the entire last half of last season. How SVG was not fired is beyond belief. The owner gave him a second chance and it was clear that SVG is overmatched in any matchup with Luke Walton. All he needed to do is not try to play like the Lakers. Even though the Bucks are dealing with some injury issues, I am sure they will be watching the game film of the Laker game and will try to force Reggie to put his blinders on when he plays offense. And I didn't even mention how inept Reggie was on defense all night long. That defensive performance on Ball was pitiful.

[WTF]

Again I'm only interested in Next Level and not the status quo with this team of banking on an 8th seed spot and all the hype and high hopes that it'll happen this season.  

I know it's only 8 games in but I haven't seen anything yet that say's I'm wrong about blowing this thing up.   There was no reason this game should have been a loss, but to lose it by 20 points boggles the mind. I could probably accept the loss if the Lakers had won it with some last minute heroics being on their home court but this wasn't even close to that.  This is actually worse than the Philly loss. 

Losses like this one and the Philly game doesn't say Next Level and honestly neither did the wins over the Clippers and Warriors.  Actually it's the loss to the Wizards that probably closely identifies where this team might be and it's not representative of Next Level either.  

Yeah the team 5-3 and sitting in first place in the division but we know it won't last the Cavs, Bucks and possibly the Pacer will likely finish ahead of them when it's all said and done.

Maybe the Warriors and Clips lost because they already had the game penciled in as W.   For the MONEY being paid to Harris, Jackson and Drummond fans should not be hoping for an 8th seed or simply advancing beyond the first round.  They've been together for 3 seasons so we should already be seeing Next Level type of **** from this team, they should be scaring the crap out of the Cavs and Celtics right now.   This team should be doing exactly what the Pistons were doing in 2002 and 2003 and that's knocking on the door of ECF if nothing else.  

It's not the players though that's preventing the Next Level it's the dumbass coach, if only we can get the dumbass owner to recognize that and hire a Next Level coach.

[Oracle]

A good deal is one that works for both sides...

With most of the free agent market already having shaken out, the Lakers’ one-year deal worth $18 million appealed to Caldwell-Pope.

It appealed to the Lakers, too. They hadn’t been willing to offer multiyear deals as they tried to save salary cap space for next summer. In Caldwell-Pope they got a defensive-minded player they hoped would help their young team.

So far, he has.

“A big part of our defense is what he’s brought, the fact that we’re actually making some strides in that,” Coach Luke Walton said. “He practices hard, he has great habits. He’s an aggressive defender. He likes to get up into the ball pushing the direction we’re trying to send it. I think when you’re playing with so many young players, when they get to see him do it every day, then they learn better, they learn quicker.”

Caldwell-Pope scored 13 points with six rebounds in Tuesday’s 113-93 win, and helped hold Bradley to eight points on four-for-17 shooting.

[Oracle]

33 attempted 3's and only 3 FT attempts for an entire team in a whole 48 minutes of play.  This is very sad and an amazing amount of stupid.

You're 3 days in sunny Cali on a mini west coast trip, 3 games in 4 days.  Hell 2 of the games were at the same arena so really they decided to lay this dud on us after wins over both the Warriors and Clippers.  

Please forum buds don't start making excuses for them losing this one because there aren't any.  The coach is stuck on stupid, LB would be **** bricks if his 2004 team shot 33 3's and only 3 FT.  

Both the Clippers and Warriors were more right than wrong on their theory that they beat themselves turnovers and being unfocus.  SMDH!!!!!

Too late Wise!

Before the game the kool aid was free flowing with crazy stuff like this being floated.

SI: A year ago, Detroit was reliant on the flighty shooting of Marcus Morris and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope. Their cold stretches may have taken years off of Stan Van Gundy’s life.     Now, those spot-up jumpers are funneled through Bradley (46.4% from three), Tobias Harris (46.3%), and newcomer Langston Galloway (47.8%), punching up the value of all those extra possessions.  Dre's Offensive rebounding paying off.

I understand idiot talking heads saying stupid stuff like this, but why give it any air time here is puzzling. I guess it makes some people feel better if they can put down guys that gave a lot to this team to feel better, but it's pretty low stuff IMO.

For the record, I really like Bradley, but quoting a shooting percentage this early in the campaign, one that's 10 points higher than his career average is stupifyingly stupid! It's not going to last, and it's only a couple of points higher than KCP shot in a full half of last season, which would really mean something.

Look at Bradley tonight 0 for 5 from 3, 23% shooting overall, he's more like KCP in that he's great one game and sucking donkey d!ck the next. This is the 2nd game on this trip that he's brought the averages down.

But Bradley is the best on ball defender I've seen this side of Hunter, but he has not a great defender. His weakness was on full display tonight. It's not news that KCP kicks his ass head to head, that's been going on for years, but it's how KCP handles him and Clarkson discovered it as well.

Bradley can defend best against players that want to ease into the half court against his body. What KCP and Clarkson did to him is get some space and just blow by his ass... works a treat! They leave him looking as they go right by, and he's defenseless, but if you just stand there and dribble against his body, he's going to get you.

Lastly on Bradley, I do credit him with being the force behind the other players playing better defense. He has veteran leadership along with Toliver, and it's shown on this young club. However, Bradley isn't the reason we've been winning, it's Reggie, who's getting better by the game, Harris and Ish, playing solid minutes, Tolliver and Galloway. Basically Reggie/Drummond/Harris and the bench.

As Wise said, there's no excuse for this one, we weren't tired, the Lakers had no advantage and the Lakers are an inferior team. Their starting unit is struggling, but their bench is deadly! If the starters ever get their act together they just might win 30 games.

One thing is clear, and while I do like KCP and want him to do well, he isn't hardly worth the contract he has. If he doesn't pick it up a LOT, his next contract is going to be for a lot less.

I like Bradley's fit here for this season, but he's not a max player either and I'm sure he'll be asking for the max, or near it... we'll see.

[WTF]

33 attempted 3's and only 3 FT attempts for an entire team in a whole 48 minutes of play.  This is very sad and an amazing amount of stupid.


You're 3 days in sunny Cali on a mini west coast trip, 3 games in 4 days.  Hell 2 of the games were at the same arena so really they decided to lay this dud on us after wins over both the Warriors and Clippers.  


Please forum buds don't start making excuses for them losing this one because there aren't any.  The coach is stuck on stupid, LB would be **** bricks if his 2004 team shot 33 3's and only 3 FT.  

Both the Clippers and Warriors were more right than wrong on their theory that they beat themselves turnovers and being unfocus.  SMDH!!!!!

[cool breeze]

I hope some of you watched the interview with Avery Bradley after the Golden State game. That was the real Avery Bradley you saw in that game. He scored 23 points without taking many shots. But that steal in crunch time was special for me.

This team has some real weapons on both offense and defense. Who wasn't impressed with Stanley Johnson? Please tell me all you fans who kept penciling him in as a throw in on a big trade? Remember his age and what he is already doing this season. What I loved most from him is his relationship with Andre Drummond and his winning mentality. He doesn't care about the stats. He only cares about winning much like Bradley. What I am talking about relating to the AD-SJ relationship on the court is that SJ is finding AD with passes even if he has stunk up the game to that point in time. In the first half Johnson passed up open shots to get AD the ball and he botched every almost automatic type shot around the rim. That didn't bother Johnson. He hit him with a bounce pass after those misses and he finally banked in a shot. SJ knows this team is going nowhere unless AD is fully engaged. But in this game both AD and Harris could not do anything right especially in the first half. Then AD came alive in the closing minutes of the game and played much better. I sure didn't like it when he jogged up and down the court in the first half but somehow I believe that AD's teammates are going to be a big part of kicking up AD's effort as this season moves forward. Meanwhile, Harris struggled all game long but then made two 3 point plays that killed Golden State's chances of winning. A back to back win against the World Champs in their building has to be a special moment in their hearts.

There may be many of the same faces wearing the Piston uniform from last season but they are not the same players. The team chemistry is outstanding and they deserve to have some support from the fans now. By the way how can we forget that amazing show Reggie Jackson gave in the 2nd quarter? He was incredible on the offensive end. This team needs to have different players step up on any given night to keep the team in games and then get those stops they have gotten in the last two games in crunch time. How long has it been Piston fans since our team has been able to get stops when it counts? AD has to get a lot better on defense in the paint. He needs to run back harder and set up and control the paint and reject shot attempts. When that happens look out. Go Pistons and finish up this road trip with another victory. The last game is always the hardest or any road trip out West.

[BallinD]

Funny stuff:   LINK: A New Slate for the Pistons


SI: A year ago, Detroit was reliant on the flighty shooting of Marcus Morris and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope. Their cold stretches may have taken years off of Stan Van Gundy’s life.     Now, those spot-up jumpers are funneled through Bradley (46.4% from three), Tobias Harris (46.3%), and newcomer Langston Galloway (47.8%), punching up the value of all those extra possessions.  Dre's Offensive rebounding paying off.

[cool breeze]

Just finished watching the entire Clippers game again. This was a game where SVG played a lot of players in both halves. It didn't seem to affect the overall energy our Pistons provided. Everyone played with grit even when shots were not falling. If this team becomes a real threat in the league this season, the reason will be that Detroit will be known as one of the best defensive teams. It has taken a long time to regain that status. All Michigan Piston supporters love it when our team can shut down the opposition. Word around the West after that a game as stated by some of the Clipper players was that our Pistons have the potential to have an elite defensive team. They were in shock by the effort every Piston player gave.

When a team wins in basketball the way our Pistons beat the Clippers when only Galloway and Tolliver could consistently make shots, it is much better than when a team wins when everything is going right on offense. Detroit had a few nights like that last season. But on most nights while the shots did not fall, the team also faded into the darkness lacking heart and handing opponents easy wins. Hopefully this team will remember the Clippers game all season long and if things start clicking on offense these players remember what their real bread and butter is relating to being a consistent winner.

Individually the big men did well if you didn't focus on scoring.
1. Andre Drummond played his best game as a Piston. He was a beast out working Jordan and really not taking his usual rest breaks while in the game. He was alert, aggressive and passionate all night long. AD was having fun playing basketball and it was beautiful to watch. Now maybe he will crave that feeling and keep it going al season. I love his shot blocks in the Clippers game.
2. Leuer has not come out of his funk relating to making shots but in the modern small ball game Jon is showing a lot of toughness playing the back up center position. He blocked some shots in this game, fought for tough rebounds, was always in good defensive position, ran the court hard, and set some really good screens. Leuer did not hurt his team in this game and I think his scoring will come around but if he just continues to give great effort on defense I will be happy.
3. Henry Ellenson didn't show up much in the stat sheet in this game but I love it when SVG plays him in both halves of games. Ellenson's shot was not falling but again, Henry is not a lazy player. He is energetic athletic and defenders do have to get out on him because they know he can knock down shots. By the end of the season if Henry keeps getting some minutes, I expect that he will be a real force on offense.
4. Tolliver stole the show along with Galloway relating to providing important scoring. His defense was also a key to this win. Who doesn't like this guy? Talk about building better team chemistry from last season and you have to pat this guy on the back.
5. Tobias Harris always shows up. But in this game he didn't have to carry the team Yet I thought that he looked sharp on defense all night.
6. Stanley Johnson played one of his best games in his career against the Clippers in front of his family and close friends. I didn't see any opponent that he guarded made a shot all night. Including him with the big men is for good reason. He guarded bigs in this game who were taller and knockdown shooters. His positioning and extreme effort on D along with being unselfish on offense was very encouraging. Johnson has cut down his unforced errors at lot and in this game I didn't;t see him make any mistakes with his floor game. He made a great bounce pass on a break finding Drummond for an easy layup. Stanley made a big 3 point shot as well in the 4th. He cut off passing lanes and provided help defense too so I give him the award for defensive player of the game for the Pistons.

Reggie is digging deeper trying to find more energy on the defensive end. With those long arms, RJ should be much better than he currently is but maybe that will start coming. He went solo too many times in the 4th quarter and has to recognize that he now has teammates who can score too. But I love that floater this season.

Ish Smith played one hell of a game in my opinion. When times were tough in the middle of the 3rd quarter with the team behind and shots not falling, i thought he was a real leader out there on the hardwood keeping his team in the game. Detroit could have fallen behind by 20 points due to open shots not falling but he didn't panic and over penetrate this time. He organized his team and somehow that unit he played with cut the 10 point deficit down at the end of the 3rd. I thought those minutes in the 3rd where the Pistons prevented the Clippers from expanding the lead was a big factor in this win. Great courage under fire by all players in this game. I hope this is the game that super charges this Piston team into something special. I am liking the entire roster a lot and the coaching in this game was outstanding. Great job by everyone and Mr. Gores sure got worked up after the game too.

[Phil-Good]

These guys have balls and heart. Tolliver, Bradley, and Ish Smith, Bullock, Ellinson... These guys are underdogs and they play balls OUT!!! These guys play with hunger and passion.

again, I can't say enough how much better A. Bradley is as A basketball player then KCP. He move without the ball better, he A way..way..way better shooter from 2 and 3pt land. He A better defender, his shot selection is WAY!! WAY better. His basketball IQ is 10000 times higher. He just A better pro. The Pistons have made A major upgrade at the 2Guard position. The crazy part is the pistons are not playing the most talented 2Guard right now in Luke!

I still got Stanley Johnson down as A bust but he has his Ron Artest Moments.

The Pistons are not the most talented group but they seem to get along with each other better and they have some PIT BULL guys on this roster!!

[Sparma]

BallinD: "I agree with Sparma that this next game is the game the old Pistons would have mailed in after achieving victory at GS and ready to go home for some home cookin! But if these are New Pistons with New Resolve, they will prove Oracle right, with a resounding victory."

Yes, I hadn't intended a compliment to the Lakers, but rather an insult to the old-style Pistons who are still lurking.

I get the sense that success doesn't sit well with some of the guys, that a number of them are prone to backsliding. Specifically, Reggie played spectacularly well early against GS, and kept us within shouting distance, along with Dre's fierce rebounding. I have the feeling he's itching to revert to Reggieball as soon as a certain level of success warrants it. So far, Harris has really been too good (but interestingly not so much the last 2 games, except done the stretch) to allow Reggie to take total control again. And SVG's been on top of his game publically, eg, in preventing him from getting into a protracted showdown with Teague the other night. Also, Stanley J's not shot well, but he has hit some shots recently. I get the sense he itching to throw up clankers as soon as a little bit of success warrants that; my recollection is that he did some of that against GS. And Dre's been valiant on the boards the last two games (but lousy on O against GS), outworking everyone; again, my sense is that he'd slide easily into prima donna mode, and things could go haywire in a hurry.

Agreed with you BallinD that Tolliver and Bradley are an excellent guard against backsliding (that said, I don't think Bradley himself can stay at his GS level offensively). We got some savvy vet leadership now, a number of guys with the high basketball IQ Cool's clamored for. I see Galloway as another guy who plays smart, especially in his offensive positioning. And Kennard. That's a lot of smarts to add in one off-season.

Reading about our starting line up woes (huge negative numbers), I'm inclined to agree with Murph that it's time to send Stanley J. to the bench. He can still make a great contribution as an energy rotational guy. I'd like to see Ellenson start. Tolliver's probably the better player now, but he's fantastic off the bench, allowing SVG to make astute adjustment (like putting him on Porzingis). I think Ellenson has the offensive dynamism and the size to start at PF, with Harris sliding to SF.

[BallinD]

Nothing like a west coast road winning streak to take some of the sting out of the Lions debacle.  

I agree with Sparma that this next game is the game the old Pistons would have mailed in after achieving victory at GS and ready to go home for some home cookin!  But if these are New Pistons with New Resolve, they will prove Oracle right, with a resounding victory.  

IMHO, Tolliver is damn sure not wanting us to falter, and neither is Bradley.  Dre and Weggie may be nearing a corner they
can turn, with their attitudes and committments.  Good times to be a Pistons Fan.  It looks like this year may be exciting, if not wholly successful, and I'll take that, though soon I may be tempted to predict 51 wins...We shall see.

In the meantime, let's enjoy this!  Go Pistons.

@Sparma - "I won't be surprised if the team struggles against the Lakers"

The Lakers are HORRIBLE, worse than predicted, IMO, I don't see us losing that game!

@Lemonpen - I totally agree,

Now, I am encouraged by, 
- this aggressive / attacking brand of D, 
- Stan standing up to RJax regarding hero ball, in favor of movement (thanks Ballin),
- 11 man participation. Even if they don’t all contribute.
- Avery Bradleys dogged pursuit of his man.

I’m not discouraged by,
- Sitting Kennard on his first long road trip. This is his time to learn how things are done on long road trips where there are powerful distractions. He learning to become a professional.
- Using Tolliver to educate Ellenson. Maybe Henry gets to put his lessons to use against the lesser Laker team.

Kennard will see plenty of Grand Rapids if Galloway keeps playing anywhere near this good, and Bullock rounds into shape. That's not a bad thing if we're winning, it lets the kid season himself for when his time comes. In these situations rookie need to be heard and not seen on the floor

[Oracle]

@Sparma - "I won't be surprised if the team struggles against the Lakers"

The Lakers are HORRIBLE, worse than predicted, IMO, I don't see us losing that game!

@Lemonpen - I totally agree,

Now, I am encouraged by, 
- this aggressive / attacking brand of D, 
- Stan standing up to RJax regarding hero ball, in favor of movement (thanks Ballin),
- 11 man participation. Even if they don’t all contribute.
- Avery Bradleys dogged pursuit of his man.

I’m not discouraged by,
- Sitting Kennard on his first long road trip. This is his time to learn how things are done on long road trips where there are powerful distractions. He learning to become a professional.
- Using Tolliver to educate Ellenson. Maybe Henry gets to put his lessons to use against the lesser Laker team.

Kennard will see plenty of Grand Rapids if Galloway keeps playing anywhere near this good, and Bullock rounds into shape. That's not a bad thing if we're winning, it lets the kid season himself for when his time comes. In these situations rookie need to be heard and not seen on the floor

[lemonpen]

Rather than read anything extra into this win, as happy as I am for it, it goes down in my book as an improbable W offsetting an improbable L to the Sixers. The W prevents me from focusing any longer on the L as a reason for possibly missing the playoffs.
Completing the road sweep begins building a cushion against the inevitable slump.

Now, I am encouraged by,
- this aggressive / attacking brand of D,
- Stan standing up to RJax regarding hero ball, in favor of movement (thanks Ballin),
- 11 man participation. Even if they don’t all contribute.
- Avery Bradleys dogged pursuit of his man.

I’m not discouraged by,
- Sitting Kennard on his first long road trip. This is his time to learn how things are done on long road trips where there are powerful distractions. He learning to become a professional.
- Using Tolliver to educate Ellenson. Maybe Henry gets to put his lessons to use against the lesser Laker team.

[Sparma]

That what the Clipper announcers were saying the night before too.  Glad we were able to get so lucky with the same kind of bad play (sloppiness, turnovers) by our otherwise outstanding opponents (8-2, overall, 0-2 vs Pistons) two nights running!!

In fairness, both set of announcers were giving some credit to our D also, for instance, praising Tolliver for his alertness in anticipation, passing along Curry's assessment that Bradley's his toughest defender [I didn't exactly see that last night, although Bradley had a nice swipe and deciding bucket at the end].  They also said that on most nights Tolliver's the most intelligent guy out on the floor (it wasn't quite clear if they meant basketball IQ [only] because they mentioned him majoring in a science in college).  

I think it's CBS that puts the Pistons #5 in their Power Rankings today.

I'm not reserving my tickets for the conference championships just yet, but it does look like I'm giving more credit than you, Wise!  And remember that last year I was the most pessimistic of our forumites.

I won't be surprised if the team struggles against the Lakers, but even if they lose, they'd be sitting a 5-3, a winning percentage that, spread over a season, the Tigers and Red Wings may not see for another 5, 10, years.  

I'm getting a kick out of watching the team.  They're playing smart, tough, team ball.

Didn't they beat the Warriors a couple of years ago?  My recollection is that they beat several really good teams, but almost always when their shooting was on fire for a night.  Last night their shooting was nothing special.  In beating the Clips the night before, they needed hot shooting from Galloway and Harris in the 4th, but their shooting wasn't special for the night.  Yet they're finding a way to win, just as Oracle says.

I thought their O looked pretty bad, disorganized, early in the game, but somehow they found a way to score 115.  How?!  The Warriors scored 107, shooting a high percentage, but I thought the Pistons played a tough brand of D.  Weird stuff, but fun.

The masses seem to think it was a lack of focus and 26 turnovers that coach Kerr describe as self-inflicted and unforced.   Power Rankings seem to think the back to back wins only net one tick up from 16 to 15 regardless to the 5-2 record.  They seem to give more hype to Orlando start than they do ours so what I'm thinking is "Good They've Taken Advantage of the Opportunity"   

“This has nothing to do with trying to be unselfish,” coach Steve Kerr said. “This has to do with a complete lack of focus, fundamentals. We're throwing the ball all over the place. Some passes are just hitting guys in the shoes, even when they're not turnovers. It's focus and execution.”

[WTF]

I won't be surprised if the team struggles against the Lakers, but even if they lose, they'd be sitting a 5-3, a winning percentage that, spread over a season, the Tigers and Red Wings may not see for another 5, 10, years.  

I'm getting a kick out of watching the team.  They're playing smart, tough, team ball.

Didn't they beat the Warriors a couple of years ago?  My recollection is that they beat several really good teams, but almost always when their shooting was on fire for a night.  Last night their shooting was nothing special.  In beating the Clips the night before, they needed hot shooting from Galloway and Harris in the 4th, but their shooting wasn't special for the night.  Yet they're finding a way to win, just as Oracle says.

I thought their O looked pretty bad, disorganized, early in the game, but somehow they found a way to score 115.  How?!  The Warriors scored 107, shooting a high percentage, but I thought the Pistons played a tough brand of D.  Weird stuff, but fun.

The masses seem to think it was a lack of focus and 26 turnovers that coach Kerr describe as self-inflicted and unforced.   Power Rankings seem to think the back to back wins only net one tick up from 16 to 15 regardless to the 5-2 record.  They seem to give more hype to Orlando start than they do ours so what I'm thinking is "Good They've Taken Advantage of the Opportunity"   

“This has nothing to do with trying to be unselfish,” coach Steve Kerr said. “This has to do with a complete lack of focus, fundamentals. We're throwing the ball all over the place. Some passes are just hitting guys in the shoes, even when they're not turnovers. It's focus and execution.”

[Sparma]

I won't be surprised if the team struggles against the Lakers, but even if they lose, they'd be sitting a 5-3, a winning percentage that, spread over a season, the Tigers and Red Wings may not see for another 5, 10, years.

I'm getting a kick out of watching the team. They're playing smart, tough, team ball.

Didn't they beat the Warriors a couple of years ago? My recollection is that they beat several really good teams, but almost always when their shooting was on fire for a night. Last night their shooting was nothing special. In beating the Clips the night before, they needed hot shooting from Galloway and Harris in the 4th, but their shooting wasn't special for the night. Yet they're finding a way to win, just as Oracle says.

I thought their O looked pretty bad, disorganized, early in the game, but somehow they found a way to score 115. How?! The Warriors scored 107, shooting a high percentage, but I thought the Pistons played a tough brand of D. Weird stuff, but fun.

[Oracle]

[Oracle]

I love what I'm seeing, a team that is finding ways to win instead of finding ways to lose, and first place Pistons does have a nice ring to it, even if it won't last!

But your point is well taken, the 20 game rule remains in full effect. We all know that the good teams are NOT playing good ball yet, and likely not defending the way they will once the get into season shape and mentality.

I just hope this winning builds the kind of confidence that will make them a better team. I'm not fooled that this is a conference title contending team, but maybe a first round playoff winner and we go on from there.

“At the same time you lose to the 76ers, you beat the Warriors – you’re still 1-1 to me

This is exactly why I can't start believing because like SJ I can still smell the stink of that loss to Philly.   I think the Lakers game may be the more defining game of what we have.  If they lay an egg against the Lakers then it's back to reality but if they go out and handle their business and beat the Lakers Tues night as they should then we might be on to something.  

At 5-2 they're looking like a playoff team that could advance beyond the 1st round of the playoffs.  I think the first 5 games of November will provide greater insight to what we may have on our hands.

[WTF]

“At the same time you lose to the 76ers, you beat the Warriors – you’re still 1-1 to me

This is exactly why I can't start believing because like SJ I can still smell the stink of that loss to Philly.   I think the Lakers game may be the more defining game of what we have.  If they lay an egg against the Lakers then it's back to reality but if they go out and handle their business and beat the Lakers Tues night as they should then we might be on to something.  

At 5-2 they're looking like a playoff team that could advance beyond the 1st round of the playoffs.  I think the first 5 games of November will provide greater insight to what we may have on our hands.

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