Game #51 Preview: Spurs @ Pistons - A tale of two franchises
by Big50 on Feb 8, 2011 5:00 AM CST
in Game Previews
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PrintIn 2005 the Spurs and Pistons were at the top of their game and THE game. The Spurs would go on to win their 3rd of 4 rings while the Pistons would continue to dominante the Eastern Conference for two more years making the Eastern Conference Finals (ECF) an astounding 5 straight years. From that Finals meeting in 2005 these two franchises have gone in two very different directions.
After winning a title in 2004 the Pistons got to the finals the next year and seemed to always be in the mix in the East. In 2007 the Pistons lost to LeBron James and the Cav's in the ECF and from there things have just gotten worse. Joe Dumars, proclaimed to be the GM of the mid-oughts by many, has not been able to recapture the magic he had from 2003-2007 in the Motor City. Three years ago, Dumars dealt Chauncy Billups to Denver for Allen Iverson. A head-scratcher of a move to be sure. Two years ago Dumars gave huge contracts to mediocre players after already paying big money to his fading stars. If this story sounds familiar, it is. A cautionary NBA tale of a team that got to the top with a team oriented philosophy only to fall back down to earth with multiple poor moves from a once highly thought of front office.
How can a team avoid this dreaded fate?
Take a look at the Spurs. After winning it all in 2005, the Spurs were upset by the Mavs in 2006, then bounced back in 2007 to take the title back. In 2008 they reached the WCF and ended up losing a much closer than it appeared series to the Lakers without a healthy Manu. However, the dreaded drop off in 2009 the Spurs were bumped in the first round and then swept by the Suns in 2010. Unlike Joe Dumars, R.C. Buford and Co. (or PATFO, if you prefer) didn't go out and trade the franchise PG so they could sign a couple of young "studs" to try to fix the problems. No they made a shrewd trade to get a younger SF in the fold and then made 2 very strong drafts while at the same time retaining all the stars of the team for very reasonable prices. They continued to use their overseas advantage to sign a 2007 draftee. After the trade for the younger small forward looked to be a bust they surprised us all by re-signing him to a better deal for him and the team that has paid off tremendously. The result is a team that still has it's core in tact and has improved vastly because of the pieces put around that core are young, smart, hungry players who are willing to do whatever the coach asks of them.
via upload.wikimedia.org
The logo for the Fort Wayne Zollner Pistons.
Remember Spurs fans, even when a team is built right and plays and works as a team, the wheels can come off in bad way, enjoy what we've got. Of course you have to feel a little bad for Detroit, well at least their fans. They are currently paying almost 62 million for 19 wins. Rip Hamilton just played his first game in almost a month as he and his coach go thru some sort of spat. Their best rebounder is an aging Ben Wallace who is averaging 6.6 rebounds per game. Their leading scorer is Stuckey who's getting 15 ppg while being the league's 4th highest paid guard. Things are tough in the Mo-Town and it's not just the economy. The good news? They are only a few games back of a playoff spot, oh, and their hockey team is still good.
Let me let Detroit's own welcome you.
 San Antonio Spurs @ Detroit Pistons Where: The Palace at Auburn Hills When: 2-8-2011, 6:30 p.m. Spurs Time - Timezone Converter Watch: Fox Sports Southwest
By the Numbers
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Matchup Analysis
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Starters
PG: Stuckey is probably the best player for the Pistons, but he hasn't been playing due to a bad shoulder. Bynum will likely be Parker's main adversary. I think Tony will be able to dominante this game on offense. Detroit doesn't have any real shot blockers. Oh yeah and Parker needs to dominate Fisher. EDIT: Apparently T-Mac is now Detroit's PG, I doubt he and Parker will play against each other too much.
SG: T-Mac, Rip Hamilton and Ben Gordon. A few years ago this might have been an All-Star lineup. Now they will try to keep pace with The Sickness. Manu should be able to take care of these guys even if he didn't have the help off the bench. EDIT: Apparently Stuckey is the SG for the Pistons, but he is likely out with a bad shoulder.
SF: Prince vs. Princess Peanut. I see this ending badly for the Prince. Jefferson seems to have found his shooting stroke again and that only makes him more endearing to all Spursdom. Here's an interesting tid bit about how the Spurs should go out an acquire Tayshaun, what the Spurs would give up for him is beyond me and apparently the author as well, but it's an interesting thought.
PF: Duncan will not win this match up by being more athletic that his opponent, but let's be real, he hasn't done that with any opponent in well, probably the last decade. Duncan will win it with BBIQ and wily veteran ways.
C: This should be an interesting match up for Blair. He's going to face several "undersized" hustle guys that are supposedly in the same category as himself. I'd like to see Blair make the Pistons big men work hard on the defensive end. The bigs in Detroit are not really an offensive threat, but Blair and Co. will need to take care of all the glass work.
Bench
The one thing that's a little scary about the Pistons bench is the amount of fire power they can bring into a game. Gordon, Hamilton, Villenueva are all scorers and can get hot at any time. I'm hoping the Bonner might make it back, but I'm not holding my breath. Anderson getting some PT would be nice. I wouldn't mind seeing Splitter get in there either. This is the first of a back to back and the first of 4 games in 5 nights. The bench will be important this week.
Coaching
Who's coaching Detroit? Oh, a guy named John Kuester. Who knew? Advantage Pop.
Intangibles
Spurs coming off of a very nice trip to California feeling good about themselves. The Pistons realize that they still live in Detroit and not feeling so good about themselves.
Mojo
Spurs have San Antonio McDyess, the Pistons do not.
Prediction
Spurs win by double digits despite the game being closer than any of us would prefer.
Key(s) to the Game
Key 1 - 3 pointers. Detroit is a decent 3 point shooting team and is surprisingly good at defending the long ball as well. The Spurs are good at shooting it, but not so much at defending it, although they have moved up to 28th in the NBA in opponents 3-point percentage.
Key 2 - Bench Play. As I mentioned, the Pistons have a lot of offensive punch coming off of their bench. The Spurs bench needs to come out and play well giving the starters good rest as the games will start coming fast and furious the rest of this week.
Other Reading
Spurs
48 Minutes of Hell - The best of the True Hoop Network
Spurs Planet - Our old friend Wayne Vore is back.
Project Spurs - Good perspective on your Spurs
Spurs Nation - Lots of quality Spurs news and articles
OPPONENT
Detroit Bad Boys (SB Nation)
Following Along
TV
Fox Sports Southwest
Radio
WOAI 1200AM; Audio League Pass[streaming]
Online
As always, NBA league pass is recommended for those who are willing to pony up the cash. Almost every Spurs game will be broadcast there, which is especially helpful for those of us who aren't in the San Antonio area.
Please don't post links to illegal game feeds in the game thread. Links to illegal feeds are not permitted on SBNation, but you can probably find them out there on the internets if you're resourceful and desperate. You can also shoot an email to poundingtherockmail@yahoo.com(IMPORTANT: Please include your PtR username in the email for reference) for further assistance.
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Comments
Spurs Nation wrote that T-Mac is their new invented point guard. Interesting.
Anyways Tony needs to dominate fisher.
Manu does not "miss," he simply grants the basketball free will to disobey.
- AFA2010
Two things:
1. Pardon my ignorance, but…Bynum?
2. Hasn’t JA been assigned back to the Toros?
Anyway, the Pistons and Spurs in ‘05-’07 were everything that was good in basketball. One thing I liked so much about the Pistons’ 05 Finals team was that there was no BS thrown between them and the Spurs. Just basketball.
He's Manu Ginobili
1. Will
2. Yup.
Manu does not "miss," he simply grants the basketball free will to disobey.
- AFA2010
Both teams have allowed an average of 6.0 3 pt shots made per game, a tie for 8th. While the Spurs % puts them at 28th which makes them look poor at defending the 3, they only allow an average of 15.7 attempts per game which is the 3rd lowest in the league.
If we have a shot-location advantage, it’s on the inside – the Pistons allow the third-most makes at the rim per game. I really wish hoopdata had shots-by-location per 40 minutes or something though as the Spurs and Pistons play at a different pace.
"SMH!!! ITS THAT BAD IMMA A BEAST LOL!!!!" - DeJuan45
Good to know. Big scoring games then from TD, Blair, and… Tiago?
- Thank you SF Giants for an incredible 2010 season and painting the City orange & black!
- I vow to never again mention "playoffs" and "49ers" together until we have a "quarterback."
- You gotta bring ass to get ass.
Can you score from the bench?
I only ask b/c I think it unlikely that Eliot will get big minutes for the 2nd game in a row.
Pop does NOT have special bonding exercises for the team on the Rodeo Road Trip.
You do realize that nickname is not going to stick, right?
I do not want people to be agreeable, as it saves me the trouble of liking them. - Jane Austen
I seem to remember you saying something similiar about
@erson
and I don’t need to remind you how that one worked out, do I? Still, I can’t seem to figure out why Lex Tension hasn’t been picked up by more any £ers.
Pop does NOT have special bonding exercises for the team on the Rodeo Road Trip.
::Hangs head in shame::
&nderson
Pop does NOT have special bonding exercises for the team on the Rodeo Road Trip.
Andnerson? How about &erson?
Honestly. You kids today, with your hippity-hop music and your Twiddle. - Lauri
Also, it doesn’t matter whether it sticks or not. That’s not the point of art. Some see Everest and they must climb it. Some see a valley and they must build a bridge. Some see an interesting name and they must create nicknames.
Pop does NOT have special bonding exercises for the team on the Rodeo Road Trip.
::eye roll::
And I really can’t believe you screwed up the nickname that YOU CAME UP WITH!
I do not want people to be agreeable, as it saves me the trouble of liking them. - Jane Austen
Today, ya better believe it.
Home with the jrwlings and I’m making all kinds of blogging errors.
Pop does NOT have special bonding exercises for the team on the Rodeo Road Trip.
Well, I’m missing out on snow day nappage, so guess what kind of mood I’m in?
I do not want people to be agreeable, as it saves me the trouble of liking them. - Jane Austen
It’s not as cold as it was last week, and it’s not even the snow. I just should have gone with my instincts today and stayed in bed. Perfect weather for hot chocolate and reading.
I do not want people to be agreeable, as it saves me the trouble of liking them. - Jane Austen
Don’t your instincts tell you to stay in bed every day?
Pop does NOT have special bonding exercises for the team on the Rodeo Road Trip.
Yes, but in order to receive a paycheck, I often have to ignore my instincts. Today, I would have had an excuse.
I do not want people to be agreeable, as it saves me the trouble of liking them. - Jane Austen
I’m trusting that Pop is going to utilize the bench due to the stretch of many games over so few days. Dyce may get more minutes tonight as it could be his last game ever in Detroit, but I think Tiago will see first half minutes in most all these games and the allotment for the remainder of the game will be predicated on his play, foul trouble, score, and if bigs such as Blair and Bonner are creating match-up issues that should continue to be exploited. I certainly hope so.
- Thank you SF Giants for an incredible 2010 season and painting the City orange & black!
- I vow to never again mention "playoffs" and "49ers" together until we have a "quarterback."
- You gotta bring ass to get ass.
Couple of points
From a Pistons’ fan.
PG: Stuckey is probably the best player for the Pistons,
Maybe, but it’s close.. T-Mac, Prince, and Greg Monroe have been the Piston’s best players this year along with Stuckey. They all bring something a bit different.
Also, T-Mac is now the point guard, not Stuckey. T-Mac may not be what he once was, but he’s running the offense well and the team has been better with him at point. He’s obviously bigger than Parker or Ginobili, so expect some post-ups from T-Mac.
SG: T-Mac, Rip Hamilton and Ben Gordon.
Stuckey was starting at SG before the injury, but may or may not play tonight. Expect Gordon to get starter’s minutes at SG, but Hamilton may get 15-20 minutes depending on Stuckey’s availability.
SF: Prince vs. Princess Peanut. I see this ending badly for the Prince.
Prince is having a career year. His shooting % is identical to Jefferson on the year, although he isn’t hitting the 3-ball as well. He’s rebounding better and has more assists and points per game. I’d wager he’s also a better defender, although it may be close.
PF: Duncan will not win this match up by being more athletic that his opponent,
You may be wrong about this, too. Greg Monroe is turning into a quality player, but it isn’t because he’s an athletic dude. Duncan will have his hands full with Monroe and visa-versa, assuming Ben Wallace doesn’t end up with the defensive responsibility. Monroe’s been a pleasant surprise and is turning into a regular double-double guy.
C: This should be an interesting match up for Blair. He’s going to face several “undersized” hustle guys that are supposedly in the same category as himself.
Blair will likely see Ben Wallace, who although he is in the twilight of his career is indeed an “undersized hustle guy”. The pinnacle of “undersized hustle guy” in fact. Blair may wish to watch and learn. If Kuester matches Monroe on Blair, it will be a good battle of two quality young big-men. Monroe’s rebounding has been better than expected, and he is excellent at boxing out. It should be a good test for both.
Intangibles
Spurs coming off of a very nice trip to California feeling good about themselves. The Pistons realize that they still live in Detroit and not feeling so good about themselves.
Seriously, guys? There’s a lot of mutual respect between Piston’s fans and Spur’s fans, but crap like this is just weak. Detroit has it’s problems like any other city in America, but these multimillionaire basketball players don’t sit around bummed all day that they live in Detroit (although most probably live in affluent Oakland county), and they certainly don’t let it affect them on the court.
Mojo
Spurs have San Antonio McDyess, the Pistons do not.
Indeed. You guys better win him a ring this year. Do it.
A thorough breakdown, but due to the many errors it comes across as half-assed. The jab at the city is dirty pool. Spur’s fans should be better than that.
by Big Z in Orlando on Feb 8, 2011 9:01 AM CST reply actions
Howdy Z, feedback appreciated (we like to play nice @ PtR)…
But:
“Everybody’s got a tuchus.”
== Z-Rock Hawaii ==
GSG!!!
by In the 666 on Feb 8, 2011 9:21 AM CST via mobile up reply actions
I lived and worked in and near Detroit for years (my mother is actually a prof at Wayne State), and while I have always been a Spurs fan the Pistons were my second team (especially when they took down the Lakers). I have nothing but affection for Detroit, as a city and as a team. I love the recent prickling of Motown civic pride, up to and including Eminem’s car commercial during the Super Bowl. And hey, it’s not as if San Antonio is anybody’s luxury vacation destination.
But c’mon. Detroit is still a pretty horrible town, to the point where its horribleness is part of its character. It’s not dirty pool to talk about cheesesteaks for a Sixers game or douchebags for a Lakers game – these are just the cultural touchstones that define the game’s millieu. Detroit is the only city on earth where arson is a festive tradition. Accept it, embrace it, and get ready for some DEEEEEEEEEETROIT BASKETBALL!
by Rand on Feb 8, 2011 9:21 AM CST up reply actions 1 recs
Detroit being "horrible" is not part of it's culture
Detroit being blue-collar is part of it’s culture. Detroit being “motor city” is part of a culture. Detroit being “Motown” is part of a culture. “Unemployment” isn’t a culture unless the people of the area are uncharacteristically lazy. I hope no reasonable person believes that about the folks from Detroit.
If you are seriously comparing cheesesteaks and “horribleness” as both being part of an ingrained culture for an area, you may be beyond reasonable conversation.
by Big Z in Orlando on Feb 8, 2011 9:53 AM CST up reply actions
Love Mowtown & HATE the Redwings (because they’re always better than my Stars)!!!
by In the 666 on Feb 8, 2011 10:05 AM CST via mobile up reply actions
Not always
1999 was a pretty good year for the Stars as I recall. You’re doing pretty good this year as well.
by Big Z in Orlando on Feb 8, 2011 10:11 AM CST up reply actions
I fail to see the difference.
If you can explain the difference between character and culture, I’m all ears.
And culture may not always be positive, either. But if all you can come up with to describe Detroit is “horrible”, you’re either ignorant or a jerk. So, which is it?
by Big Z in Orlando on Feb 8, 2011 12:26 PM CST up reply actions
They’re … not the same thing? They have different meanings?
“Horrible” isn’t close to all that I can come up with to describe Detroit – like I said, I have nothing but affection for the place. Lo, from Cass Corridor to Greektown have I journeyed, and I have driven 8 Mile many a time (granted, often on the way to visit my then-gf in Grosse Pointe). I like Detroit, horribleness and all.
Pointing out Detroit’s horribleness is like pointing out that Marv Albert was once convicted of biting a woman fifteen times – maybe it’s not tactful, but it’s a legit point, and it doesn’t mean you hate the guy. It’s just one of those things.
I can't believe
they put Marv back on the air after that information became public knowledge. Marv will always be the “back-biter” to me.
I hate Marv, but it has about as much to do with his announcing as it does his documented sexual assault.
by Big Z in Orlando on Feb 8, 2011 3:45 PM CST up reply actions
One person’s biting assault is another’s foreplay. If they took people off the air for such private play we’d likely have some empty airways.
- Thank you SF Giants for an incredible 2010 season and painting the City orange & black!
- I vow to never again mention "playoffs" and "49ers" together until we have a "quarterback."
- You gotta bring ass to get ass.
I thought, the preview was awesome, but I appreciate your comments, this is always interesting to hear from the opponent’s fans. What do you guys think about your FO? Five years ago the Pistons seemed to be very similar to the Spurs, and then the FO has seemingly destroyed them, sending one championship piece after another away. I could never understand in particular why they were so high on Stuckey, who seems to me a very average player.
"We just keep putting wins in the bag, kind of like picking strawberries." - RJ 2.0
Mix of things
The Piston’s current state is a result of a few things. I think Dumars miscalculated what type of player Stuckey was. He had a few very good games in the playoffs in 2008-9 when Billups got injured, and Dumars convinced himself he could be a long-term replacement. Hence the AI trade. Stuckey has looked more comfortable as a shooting guard the last 2 months than he does as a PG. He probably has more long term value at SG, but the Pistons already have Ben Gordon and Rip Hamilton (the two highest paid players on the team) at that position. In fact, the best word to describe the Pistons right now is probably “logjam”. Too many SG’s, and too many SF’s.
The biggest mistake was probably the Hamilton extension followed by the Gordon signing (using the money from AI’s expiring contract). I don’t know how you can devote $22M of a team’s $50M payroll to a single position (SG). I think Dumars sorta hoped both guys could coexist, but he had a backup plan to try and trade Hamilton if they couldn’t. Then the owner, Bill Davidson, died and everything went up in the air. Dumars supposedly had an arrangement to trade Hamilton to Utah for Boozer before he became a FA and went to Chicago, but the new owner Karen Davidson vetoed it because she wanted to sell the team and didn’t want to take on Boozer and the salary he would demand the next year.
Dumars’ drafting has actually been pretty good the last couple of years. I’ve already touched on Monroe and it looks like he could really be in the top two or three best players taken in last year’s draft. Jerebko was great last year and it was crushing when he tore his achilles in the preseason. Daye has a lot of talent and is a great shooter. He needs to shore up his defense, but he definitely has promise. I will say, however, that many at Detroit Bad Boys were sad when the Pistons passed on DeJuan Blair and took DuJaun Summers instead, forever marking Summers as “the Wrong DuJuan”.
Overall, though, the team isn’t going to get drastically better until it can get a new owner, which hopefully could be any day now.
Yeah, that’s him. Seriously.
Then, we’ll see if that new owner agrees with Dumars’ vision of the future or not. If not, there could be another 3-4 years before the Pistons are ready to compete at an elite level. God, I hope not. The last 2 years have been bad enough. If he does take the shackles of Dumars and Dumars is somehow able to trade either Hamilton or Gordon, the team could be competing for a #4 seed in the East as soon as next year.
by Big Z in Orlando on Feb 8, 2011 12:01 PM CST up reply actions
Whoops.
Picture fail. Lets try this again.
Tom Gores. Future Piston’s owner. (Hopefully).
by Big Z in Orlando on Feb 8, 2011 12:02 PM CST up reply actions
Appreciate your take on the game.
I wouldn’t be too hurt about items in a preview. It’s all in fun, including calling our own player “Princess Peanut.” There are 82 of these, and even with all the wins we’ve been enjoying, every person puts their own take on the team, opponent and meaning of the game at hand.
- Thank you SF Giants for an incredible 2010 season and painting the City orange & black!
- I vow to never again mention "playoffs" and "49ers" together until we have a "quarterback."
- You gotta bring ass to get ass.
Big Z, you make some great points, and I appreciate the corrections — it’ll certainly help us in watching the game to know that T-Mac is expected to bring the ball up, and run the offense — but I do want to address your reaction to Big50’s comment.
I’ll allow that you may be completely correct in your interpretation of his comment about the Pistons not feeling good about themselves. If he was, then you’re within your rights to call him out. But I must point out that he may have had an entirely different meaning. His comment (in context) was:
Spurs coming off of a very nice trip to California feeling good about themselves. The Pistons realize that they still live in Detroit and not feeling so good about themselves.
He describes the Spurs (the players and team) in terms of where they’ve been recently and what happened there: specifically, they were in California and they got a win. He then turns to the Pistons, and contrasts their situation in terms of geography and psyche.
He may have been comparing California’s weather to Michigan, he may have been balancing the Spurs’ record with the Pistons’, he may have been going in an entirely different direction altogether. My point is that it’s not obvious the he was busting on Detroit; the city specifically, or the community generally. Might he deserve your censure? Yes. Might you have asked him first before calling him out? Certainly.
Pop does NOT have special bonding exercises for the team on the Rodeo Road Trip.
Quack Quack
If it looks like a duck, If it sounds like a duck, quacks like a duck…
Don’t spit on me an tell me it’s raining.
by Big Z in Orlando on Feb 8, 2011 12:17 PM CST up reply actions
I don’t understand how you can get worked up over a little blog trash talk. Our team’s doing well, we’re expected to become insufferable pricks. Your team is struggling, the expectation is moping and fatalism and being touchy.
But keep it in perspective. If the Lakers or Celtics were 42-8 their fans would be ten times worse than this. And there’s no mutual respect there, I bet – the Spurs and Spurs fans legitimately think of last decade’s Pistons as their cousin franchise, and the 2007 Finals were all about evenly matched teams who played the game the right way with no ego.
Collective attitude is a fun part of being a fan. In San Antonio the default attitude is Full of Dread and Worry; we hardly know what to do with regular season success now that we have it. So forgive us the cheap-shots and teasing.
"SMH!!! ITS THAT BAD IMMA A BEAST LOL!!!!" - DeJuan45
My bad
Didn’t mean to give the impression I was terribly upset. I’m not. Hell, the Maloof’s used a video of rioting in Detroit 2 years ago and put it up on the big screen before the Pistons squared off with the Kings.
My point was only this: Spurs fans should be better than taking pot-shots at the City of Detroit.
You would disagree with this?
by Big Z in Orlando on Feb 8, 2011 1:15 PM CST up reply actions
Nope, can’t disagree with that. It wasn’t the biggest provocation in the world though. More of a tease than anything.
"SMH!!! ITS THAT BAD IMMA A BEAST LOL!!!!" - DeJuan45
There’s a certain ‘fan voice’ that everybody uses in blogs these days – myself included – jokey and loose and kind of insulting. I can’t tell if it’s the influence of Deadspin or Bill Simmons. Anyway it’s just another light form of entertainment.
"SMH!!! ITS THAT BAD IMMA A BEAST LOL!!!!" - DeJuan45
If I had to characterize the 2007 finals there’d be a lot more snark.
"SMH!!! ITS THAT BAD IMMA A BEAST LOL!!!!" - DeJuan45
I’d have to use the word anticlimactic.
Pop does NOT have special bonding exercises for the team on the Rodeo Road Trip.
Enough to fill a Lexicon or two.
Pop does NOT have special bonding exercises for the team on the Rodeo Road Trip.
Honestly, what I got was the contrast in how they are doing lately. Us coming from two very satisfying and mojo-building wins and them having a less than satisfying season so far. I’m sure Big50 didn’t mean it to be taken seriously nor offensively.
I get it
I don’t know Big50, but I’ve never met a Spurs fan I’d consider a jerk, so I’ll give him the benefit of the doubt.
It may be that he should avoid sentences that appear to imply that residing in the City of Detroit makes Detroit Piston’s players sad.
by Big Z in Orlando on Feb 8, 2011 12:22 PM CST up reply actions
My whole point is that you seem to be a reasonable guy. I KNOW that Big50 is. It’s possible that instead of ASSUMING his meaning, you INFERRED something the wasn’t saying.
That’s all. I loved 90% of your comment. It was well-written, informative and helpful.
I just don’t think your community were attacked by Big’s words.
Pop does NOT have special bonding exercises for the team on the Rodeo Road Trip.
Detroit is #4 in the “”http://realestate.msn.com/slideshow.aspx?cp-documentid=18184152#5" target="new">most unhappiest cities in America" list. And calm down, big guy. Read the site more to get our humor before you take things so personally.
Biggest coach Pop/Tiago Splitter homer on the internet™
by Josh Guyer (completely deck) on Feb 8, 2011 1:00 PM CST up reply actions
Biggest coach Pop/Tiago Splitter homer on the internet™
by Josh Guyer (completely deck) on Feb 8, 2011 1:00 PM CST up reply actions
Think there's any chance
that any of the Detroit Pistons were part of that survey? Yeah, me neither.
by Big Z in Orlando on Feb 8, 2011 1:02 PM CST up reply actions
The players live in Detroit. The survey was for people living in metropolitan areas. They were included.
Biggest coach Pop/Tiago Splitter homer on the internet™
by Josh Guyer (completely deck) on Feb 8, 2011 1:07 PM CST up reply actions
It's a survey, not a census
Survey’s take a portion of the population and extrapolate the results. So, no, not every person in Detroit was included in the survey.
And no, I don’t think a single member of the Detroit Pistons actually lives in Detroit. As I said before, many of them live in the affluent suburb of Oakland County. Not to mention, they don’t actually play in Detroit. Auburn Hills is another “suburb”, although corn field may be more appropriate.
Detroit could burn to the ground, and while most of the Piston’s would probably be bummed, they could continue to live in Oakland and play in Auburn and be relatively unaffected.
by Big Z in Orlando on Feb 8, 2011 1:18 PM CST up reply actions
At this point, Big Z, you HAVE to stick around for the GameThread. You’re practically an institution.
by DrumsInTheDeep on Feb 8, 2011 1:27 PM CST up reply actions
I'd love to
But when I do watch the Pistons (not as much as I’d like to), I can’t concentrate on game threads as well. Hell, I don’t even show up for game threads at Detroit Bad Boys.
by Big Z in Orlando on Feb 8, 2011 1:39 PM CST up reply actions
When I think Oakland, I do not think suburbs.
- Thank you SF Giants for an incredible 2010 season and painting the City orange & black!
- I vow to never again mention "playoffs" and "49ers" together until we have a "quarterback."
- You gotta bring ass to get ass.
Good point.
Different Oakland. WAY different Oakland.
by Big Z in Orlando on Feb 8, 2011 1:43 PM CST up reply actions
Great full-assed recap!
Is it just me, or do every team’s bigs target Tiago as soon as he comes into the game? I don’t know if it’s cuz he’s new or he has a “pick on me, I’m foreign” pheremone or something, but I swear it seems like every time he comes in the bad guy bigs seem to really focus on knocking Tiago around on both ends. He certainly is handling it well, and showing some grit, which I appreciate. Someone tell me I’m hallucinating.
You are not alone! I think it’s the usual “rookie” disrespect and the "pick on me, I’m foreign" pheremone:)
Honestly. You kids today, with your hippity-hop music and your Twiddle. - Lauri
That pheromone is always what makes the ladies swoon when he dunks.
"If the NBA season is a marathon, Gregg Popovich is a full-blooded Kenyan."
-Timothy Varner 48MoH
by Jordan Leithart on Feb 8, 2011 10:45 AM CST up reply actions
I’m glad that they do. It’s the only way he learns and the allows Pop and staff to see what he needs to get better at.
- Thank you SF Giants for an incredible 2010 season and painting the City orange & black!
- I vow to never again mention "playoffs" and "49ers" together until we have a "quarterback."
- You gotta bring ass to get ass.
Fuck it, Spurs by 30
"He was just a young skinny guy who looked like a winner. We didn’t know he was going to be as good as he is."
—Popovich on Manu Ginobili
by spursfan87 on Feb 8, 2011 10:13 AM CST reply actions 5 recs
I hope the Spurs avoid the pitfalls of the Portland game and come out like they did in the Sacramento game. GSG!
This is what I’m thinking. Our guys played worse in Portland after having a couple of days off, then were much better in LA with only one, and Sac on a back to back. Let’s hope they’re rested but focused and sharp with their play.
- Thank you SF Giants for an incredible 2010 season and painting the City orange & black!
- I vow to never again mention "playoffs" and "49ers" together until we have a "quarterback."
- You gotta bring ass to get ass.
I swear I’m not trying to start anything, but I just saw this and thought it was funny:
by Big50 on Feb 8, 2011 11:26 AM CST reply actions 1 recs
Yeah, we notice that to at DBB
It’s a favorite.
by Big Z in Orlando on Feb 8, 2011 11:41 AM CST up reply actions
The Detroit Pistons..endorsed by….Pooh.
So, they get the spur for the Pooh factor.
"It's hard to see all my teammates working hard and have to sit there and watch the games." "Of course, the massages are nice." ~Tiago Splitter
You mean the “Doroit Pistons”
Maybe dyslexic is the shirtmaker and he’s really a fan of the “Dorito Pistons”
In other news!!
Sources: Lakers, Nuggets talk Melo
Not good this is.
No. Try not. Do... or do not. There is no try.
Nuggs will never pull the trigger unless they get two of LA’s three decent bigs… in which case, they become a completely different team, and the remaining big gets even fewer touches. I’m not going to worry about it.
Free Tiago Splitter!
Looking at the stats, Pistons don’t turn the ball over and they shoot the 3-pointer well while defending it better than we do. This, plus being at home, seems their areas of advantage. If we break even in those stats and outplay them every where else (as our guys should) then victory awaits. The easier the win, the more rest for the starters with another game tomorrow.
I expect Blair to take his Super Bowl anger out on Detroit and Toronto. Get ’em Beast!
- Thank you SF Giants for an incredible 2010 season and painting the City orange & black!
- I vow to never again mention "playoffs" and "49ers" together until we have a "quarterback."
- You gotta bring ass to get ass.
You must be looking only at the stat of 3 point percentage. As I pointed out above, the Spurs defense allows fewer 3 point shots to be attempted then almost everyone else in the league, and are even with Detroit as far as the average number of 3 pointers made. I don’t see that as Detroit having a better 3 point defense.
I am viewing it as percentage. With Detroit shooting the 3-pt shot as top ten team, they could take more attempts against us than we usually allow. That’s one way for a weaker team to beat a superior opponent. I’d like for us to continue to keep the attempts down but expect that Detroit may have more attempts than we usually allow.
- Thank you SF Giants for an incredible 2010 season and painting the City orange & black!
- I vow to never again mention "playoffs" and "49ers" together until we have a "quarterback."
- You gotta bring ass to get ass.
Though Detroit can be viewed as a top ten team in shooting the 3 only in terms of percentage made. They are 22nd in the league as far as average number of attempts, 18th in terms of the average made. Their 15.7 attempts and 5.9 made match up nearly exactly with our 15.7 attempts allowed and 6.0 made against us. Detroit has allowed 17.5 attempts and 6.0 made vs the Spurs average of 20.8 attempts and 8.2 made.
The Spurs rank 3rd in the league in the differential between 3 point shots made and the number allowed against them with a 2.2. Detroit comes in 15th with a -.1. Considering all of that rather than just comparing the percentages, I’d expect the Spurs to win the battle for 3 pointers.
I never understood the Gordon and Villanueva signings. I understand them even less if those two are going to come off the bench.
Asked before the game how Parker has looked, Popovich said, "He’s still cute. "
They could have worked
Gordon makes some sense, but not in the context. Hamilton was already on the hook for a very similar salary and they play the same position. Signing Gordon only really made sense if the Pistons could flip Hamilton. Couple that with the appearance that Dumars was bidding himself up for Gordon’s services (who else was rumored to be making Gordon an offer the summer BEFORE the summer of LeBron?), and there was some confusion in the Detroit Piston’s blogosphere.
CV31’s contract isn’t that bad; just a touch over the MLE. The Pistons were hoping to get some of the offensive production they lost when they let Rasheed walk. Villany has shown flashes of being dangerous offensively, but he’ll never be an above average defender and the interior defense the Piston’s lost when Rasheed left is still a big issue. Ben Wallace can only play so many minutes at 37 years old.
by Big Z in Orlando on Feb 8, 2011 12:42 PM CST up reply actions
I have a mini-man crush on Austin Daye. He reminds me of a young Horry with better ball skills and a little less athleticism.
Tiago Splitter > Matt Bonner
I’m losing count of all the guys you have a man-crushes on. What is it now? Gotta be in the high 20’s yeah?
Pop does NOT have special bonding exercises for the team on the Rodeo Road Trip.
Well all Spurs players so that’s a lot. But non-Spurs players….Ersan Illyasova, Brandon Jennings, Thad Young, Andries Beadrins. Daye is only a min-man crush.
Tiago Splitter > Matt Bonner
This game won’t matter if this happens
http://sports.espn.go.com/los-angeles/nba/news/story?id=6101304
The Lakers want to trade their frontcourt size advantage (and supposed center-of-the-future) for a guy who needs the ball even more than Kobe and brings zilch on defense? Pull the trigger! Get rid of Bynum, and let the chucking commence – I hear Blair’s board-hungry belly growling at the prospect!
Here’s the important thing – can’t play Artest much if your big-minutes players are Kobe, Melo, Odom and Gasol. Artest has been very effective on Manu since joining the Lakers. You take three steps forward on offense by putting in Melo for Artest, but take two steps back on D.
"SMH!!! ITS THAT BAD IMMA A BEAST LOL!!!!" - DeJuan45
Rand, please check out the Quotes page which has been updated to reflect your recent awesomeness.
Pop does NOT have special bonding exercises for the team on the Rodeo Road Trip.
Bynum is a playoffs zero. They don’t need Bynum.
Now, whether Melo is a good fit is another matter altogether. But in my experience, more talent is better than less talent.
Oh, boy… ANOTHER link to this story. It only matters as much as we make of it.
by DrumsInTheDeep on Feb 8, 2011 1:25 PM CST up reply actions 1 recs
This counted more:
No. Try not. Do... or do not. There is no try.
by Spurs Yoda on Feb 8, 2011 1:27 PM CST reply actions 1 recs
I just died a little inside
Again.
Damn you Rasheed. Damn you.
by Big Z in Orlando on Feb 8, 2011 1:40 PM CST up reply actions
It’s okay. If Sheed stays with Big Shot Bobby, Manu ties the game and Spurs win in double OT. See, feel better?
- Thank you SF Giants for an incredible 2010 season and painting the City orange & black!
- I vow to never again mention "playoffs" and "49ers" together until we have a "quarterback."
- You gotta bring ass to get ass.
How exactly do you see Manu scoring on that play? I’m not saying that he wouldn’t have, I’m just curious.
Pop does NOT have special bonding exercises for the team on the Rodeo Road Trip.
Not at all, I’m just wondering what kind of score he was anticipating. Drive to the rack for a dunk? An acrobatic layup? Faking Sheed into the air and then a pull-up jumper?
I’ve just never evaluated that play along the lines of “What would have happened if R. Wallace had stayed home?” so I don’t know what to think, and what Detroit’s defense could be expected to have done.
Pop does NOT have special bonding exercises for the team on the Rodeo Road Trip.
I’d have to go back and watch to make an accurate and logical guess. Going with memory and belief, Manu would’ve been one-on-one with Prince with the ability to drive baseline with his strong hand and perhaps get fouled, or do one of his famous shot fakes/fake it to TD in the post, then launch a winning 3. Had he hit the game winner in this game instead of Horry, he’d have been Finals MVP.
- Thank you SF Giants for an incredible 2010 season and painting the City orange & black!
- I vow to never again mention "playoffs" and "49ers" together until we have a "quarterback."
- You gotta bring ass to get ass.
I’m going to need you to do the research on this one and get back to me. =]
Pop does NOT have special bonding exercises for the team on the Rodeo Road Trip.
Will do, sir. That’s a memory lane I enjoy riding in.
- Thank you SF Giants for an incredible 2010 season and painting the City orange & black!
- I vow to never again mention "playoffs" and "49ers" together until we have a "quarterback."
- You gotta bring ass to get ass.
Sheed was also part of the “Memorial Day Miracle”… good time Sheed, good times…
by In the 666 on Feb 8, 2011 1:51 PM CST up reply actions 1 recs
But the ‘05 play wasn’t rotating late, it was needlessly doubling Manu and leaving Horry wide open on the 3pt line.
Pop does NOT have special bonding exercises for the team on the Rodeo Road Trip.
You think maybe he saw Manu on the baseline and had a flashback to Sean Elliott making a winner from there?
- Thank you SF Giants for an incredible 2010 season and painting the City orange & black!
- I vow to never again mention "playoffs" and "49ers" together until we have a "quarterback."
- You gotta bring ass to get ass.
Check out the elevation on that jump shot. That is certainly Playoff Horry.
- Thank you SF Giants for an incredible 2010 season and painting the City orange & black!
- I vow to never again mention "playoffs" and "49ers" together until we have a "quarterback."
- You gotta bring ass to get ass.
Sorry I am, but pay tribute to Robert Horry in Game 5 2005 I must. Without this game and him playing in god mode, then the 2005 banner would be in our rafters not.
His highlights are below.
Robert Horry Game 5 NBA Finals 2005
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BZdik09RGJI&feature=related
No. Try not. Do... or do not. There is no try.
This worked last time
Pop, will you be my valentine? You see I kicked the ass last time.
You play me many minutes again, jes?
"It's hard to see all my teammates working hard and have to sit there and watch the games." "Of course, the massages are nice." ~Tiago Splitter
Check out the Beast’s guns.
One of his arms is larger than Pop’s entire noggin!
Pop does NOT have special bonding exercises for the team on the Rodeo Road Trip.
Whoa. I haz amaze.
"It's hard to see all my teammates working hard and have to sit there and watch the games." "Of course, the massages are nice." ~Tiago Splitter
so rare to see such a poop-eating grin on Pop’s face…or is it a Pop-eating grind on Da Beast’s face?
I think he may have had Bell’s palsy. I had a very, very small case of it, but if you notice, his smile doesn’t happen on the right side of his face at all.
Pop does NOT have special bonding exercises for the team on the Rodeo Road Trip.
huh…never noticed that before. if his eye’s droopy too on that side might be myesthenia gravis. or maybe he’s just a funny-“grinder”
Spurs sharpshooting forward Matt Bonner, sidelined for the past 10 games with a sore right knee, has been upgraded to probable for tonight’s game at Detroit.
Novak will wear No. 23 for the Silver and Black and will be available for tonight’s game at Detroit.
No. Try not. Do... or do not. There is no try.
No. Try not. Do... or do not. There is no try.
by Spurs Yoda on Feb 8, 2011 1:48 PM CST up reply actions 1 recs
With Bonner back and Novak signed, it seems like perhaps the first time all year there have been 13 healthy players on the roster (if not, it hasn’t happened often). That would have meant a healthy player on the inactive list if it weren’t for assigning Anderson to the Toros.
The only other players that I believe could do an assignment with the Toros would be Blair, Tiago and Neal; and that seems unlikely for any of them. It then seems if Anderson does well with the Toros and the Spurs bring him back to be on the active roster, the Spurs would have to choose to sit out a healthy 13th player. Novak, Quinn or Tiago?
Say I would 1. Novak, 2. Quinn, but close it is.
Novak being a Steve Kerr like pure 3 pt specialist on the bench, and Quinn is a more then adequate backup pg I like, let alone 3rd string pg.
No. Try not. Do... or do not. There is no try.
“say I would”
Pass it will I guess for Yoda speak…
; )
by In the 666 on Feb 8, 2011 2:33 PM CST via mobile up reply actions
Interesting note about four of the next five games: Spurs lost in those arenas last season, despite none of them being above .500 at the time. Stay focused guys!
- Thank you SF Giants for an incredible 2010 season and painting the City orange & black!
- I vow to never again mention "playoffs" and "49ers" together until we have a "quarterback."
- You gotta bring ass to get ass.
Depth
The good news: The Pistons have depth
The bad news: The Pistons can’t tell the difference between their “starters” and their “bench”.
by Big Z in Orlando on Feb 8, 2011 2:05 PM CST reply actions
Bonner not included in the 3pt contest this year =(
"SMH!!! ITS THAT BAD IMMA A BEAST LOL!!!!" - DeJuan45
They can’t Sammich him in-between the would be losers?..
Sammich…
Boo!..
by In the 666 on Feb 8, 2011 2:34 PM CST via mobile up reply actions
I’m glad he’s not, b/c that contest can screw up a shooter’s rhythm.
What’s that? He has no rhythm b/c he’s been inactive for weeks?
Fair enough.
Pop does NOT have special bonding exercises for the team on the Rodeo Road Trip.
Is it really as detrimental as, say, the Home Run Derby?
by DrumsInTheDeep on Feb 8, 2011 4:34 PM CST up reply actions
I think it’s pretty comparable, albeit not as highly publicized.
Pop does NOT have special bonding exercises for the team on the Rodeo Road Trip.
In the garbage-bin-fire-that-never-stops-burning department:
“Sources say that Jim Buss recently rejected a Bynum for Carmelo deal, much to the dismay of Kobe and Phil”
“According to a source, Phil and Kobe were aware that Jim Buss had turned down an Andrew Bynum for Carmelo deal on Super Bowl Sunday.”
-Frank Isola
"SMH!!! ITS THAT BAD IMMA A BEAST LOL!!!!" - DeJuan45
Roddy Buckets supposedly coming back to the Mavs soon (a week or two). Might help ’em scrap with LA over the two seed.
"SMH!!! ITS THAT BAD IMMA A BEAST LOL!!!!" - DeJuan45
Awesome preview! Some of those comments by Big Z and company were helpful. Pistons could have kept it going like the Spurs and perhaps even done better if not for a few bad moves. I agree with Big Z, Rasheed’s departure was the most difficult to replace.
That Horry video was for me, a reminder of how easily Detroit could have won that series. All it takes is a few shots made or missed by a bench player to tilt a closely played series.
That’s why having a deep bench is so crucial in the playoffs.
Hopefully this year it’s Bonner doing that (minus the slam).
It was funny to see Manu with hair, and long hair at that! I think that’s party of why the Spurs were so underrated. When you go from new guy baller, with long hair to short hair and kind of bald, people are going to think less of your game, especially when you are a few year older and coming back from injury.
Go Spurs!
A quick note about the schedule
Tonight starts a game where the Spurs play five games in the next 7 nights.
FIGABABA in Denver.
SEGABABA in Toronto.
A day off
THIGAFONI in Philly.
FOGAFINI in D.C.
A day off. And then the most dreaded, rarely seen, and not-yet-in-the-Lexicon:
FIGASENI in Jersey.
Stretches like these are tough regardless of the oppenents
Pop does NOT have special bonding exercises for the team on the Rodeo Road Trip.
I recall reading that five games in seven nights is the maximum allotment of games & days per the players union. So our guys are going to play the maximum number of allowable games. This is a tough stretch that will make games in D.C. and Jersey much more up for grabs than they should be.
- Thank you SF Giants for an incredible 2010 season and painting the City orange & black!
- I vow to never again mention "playoffs" and "49ers" together until we have a "quarterback."
- You gotta bring ass to get ass.
"We suck on 'D. Both individually and team-wise, we suck. We're pretty consistent that way. I don't know if I have an answer to that. If I did, we wouldn't suck quite so bad." - Popovich
by Aaron "Hirschof" Preine on Feb 8, 2011 5:14 PM CST up reply actions
Dangit, that kitteh is too cute.
"A life, Jimmy, you know what that is? It’s what happens while you wait for moments that will never come." - Lester Freamon, The Wire
by silverandblack_davis on Feb 8, 2011 6:10 PM CST up reply actions
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