The Pistons (7-3) will be hosting the Cleveland Cavaliers (9-2) Tip off is 7:30 pm est from the Palace of Auburn Hills and will be televised locally on Fox Sports Detroit

Cavs’ Snapshot
Road record: 3-2
Last game: 11/18 (Tues) W 106-82 @ New Jersey
Last 10: 9-1

With 8 straight wins the Cavaliers will come into the Palace as the league’s hottest team.  As to be expected LeBron is leading the charge with the following gaudy numbers: 29.9 ppg, 8 rpg, 7 apg.  The Cavs are scoring 101.5 per and while outscoring the opposition by an average of 9.

The Cavs are also one of the Pistons opponents off the court as well:

League sources believe the three bidders to be Cleveland, San Antonio and Boston. The team offering the most money to McDyess is the Cavaliers, according to one league source. They could offer McDyess multiple years starting at more than $5 million this season. (SI.com)

I think a big win by the Pistons tonight would be a great sales pitch for Antonio McDyess to return home to the Motor City.

ALSO OF NOTE: Cavs.com Optimist preview …The Cavs have lost their last 3 regular season games at the Palace …  A daunting double-double for Tayshaun Prince … Flip back to Minny? … Allen Iverson’s career average against the Cavs is 28.4 ppg & 7.1 assists 36 games …

Found this over at Pistonsforum.  Looks like an body spray endorsement deal to me.

And here’s something L.L. Cool Tay related, on Rip’s struggles:

“One thing we have to do better is to keep running Rip off screens and continue to get him shots he likes to get him going,” Prince said. “I kind of put that on myself. I’ve been here. I’ve played with Rip the longest. And by me running that point position, I know what he likes. I can do a better job of helping him out.” - Det News

Um, ya think?  So far Rip’s offense has been neutralized by adding AI to the mix because they’re not running him off the screens.  The thing that worries me though is a Vinnie/A.D. style collision if Rip and Iverson aren’t cognizant of each other out there.

(Photo: Detroit Free Press)

Say what you want about about his play sometimes but you’ll never convince me that Sheed isn’t the levity MVP of the league.  Witness the site’s own lopsided Rasheed Wallace catagory  count.

There you have it Lakers fans: Yo mama’s suck

Link attributive: Ball Don’t Lie

Ok, here’s the deal; our friends at Cufflinks.com have hooked us up with a fabulous prize to give away.  A schweet pair of Pistons cuff links!  (I’d keep them for myself but I told them I’d run a contest for them)  These babies would set up back $50, check the site out.  What a perfect way to add a touch Pistons pride to your formal threads.  Or just add them to your collection of Pistons paraphernalia.  Christmahanukwanzika is coming up you know…

All you have to do is make a funny pic funnier with your witty caption in the comments.

The Prize:

The Rules:

• One entry per person (ip address)
• Entries must include e-mail address
• Contest ends Wednesday, midnight EST
• Winner will be notified on Thursday 11/20/08

The Denver Nuggets are 5-1 since acquiring Chauncey Billups for Allen Iverson.  They’re playing some good team ball, with noticeable betterment coming on both sides of the ball.  Yes, the Nuggets are now playing defense. Listening to the Nuggets it seems as if AI was the problem, not the answer:

“There are less bad plays, more solid plays,” Karl said. “I think the wasteful, cheap possessions that we used to have 10 to 15 a game, they don’t exist very much anymore.” […] “We have contested-shot charts, bad-shot charts and cheap defensive possessions,” Karl said. “I would say that when A.I. was here, we had most games in the teens of contested, tough shots, sometimes in the 20s. And I don’t think we’ve had a double-digit one since (Billups has) been here.- Denver Post

AI is a special talent, but he’s never been a coach’s fave, so going from Iverson’s erratic play to Chauncey’s careful precision so you can understand why it seems George Karl is saying what he is here.

Kenyon Martin has benefited a great deal from C-Bills coming on board.  He’s getting back to the kind of game he had when teamed with Jason Kidd in New Jersey.

“We’ve got a great point guard now who gets his teammates involved, doesn’t mind passing the ball, and that’s what he’s done throughout his career. He’s a general on the court. He gets his teammates the ball, get his team in the offense quickly and gets the ball to his teammates in the right places.” -Hoops World

Take the quotes as you like, but it’s clear that the Nuggets are better and it’s a direct result of Mr. Big Shot. Carmelo Anthony and Nene’s numbers are also benefiting from Chauncey’s arrival.  I don’t think the Nuggs dislike Iverson, but I do think as they continue to thrive they’re realizing that Iverson wasn’t right for them.  Hopefully it’ll be different here.

The overall road trip I think can be considered a success, but last night was not. {box score}

This game is why we need Antonio McDyess. Kwame Brown (10p, 3r) played well, but when he wasn’t in the game the Pistons had no inside presence. When Kwame had to leave the game because of foul troubles the Suns got inside with ease and the Pistons turned into a jump shot exclusive club. When you’re shooting under 40% as a team and the opposition isn’t you’re going to struggle.

Allen Iverson had his most trying Pistons experience going 4/17 for 9 points and 5 turnovers.  On a positive note there seems to be a chemistry building between AI and center Kwame Brown.

Amare Stoudemire had himself a nice 26th birthday courtesy of the Pistons. With Shaq tossed (more on that in next paragraph) Amare picked up the slack, scoring 29 points and grabbing 11 boards.

Shaq was tossed just before the half for clobbering an airborne Rodney Stuckey (video). O’Neal was angry about a an offensive foul he received at the other end of the court so a few plays later when Rodney went hard to the hoop Shaq took out his frustrations on Stuck snatching him out of mid air like King Kong does with airplanes. The Big Sir Isaac Newton didn’t see it as a dirty play:

“The laws of physics say that a body in motion stays in motion. So if you have two objects meet in the air, the smaller object is going to fall much harder,” O’Neal said. “I’ve never been the type of player to take anybody out, so I obviously went to the ball. The little guy ran into a brick wall. -espn

It’ll be interesting to see what how the league feels about the hit.

GAME NOTES: Detroit News recapper … Pistons take on Cleveland on Weds … Valley of the Suns recapper …

It’s becoming an old story by now, well that is until Sheed picks up a clipboard and starts diagramming X’s and O’s in game. Then it’s fresh again.

Link attributive: The Hoop Doctors

The Pistons take a unified effort into the Staples center and hand the only unbeaten team their first loss in convincing fashion {box score}

The Pistons opened up the game connecting their first six shot attempts. SWEET. Then they went cold, not scoring for five plus minutes while the Lakers went on a 12-0 run. AWWW. That was it though. The Pistons controlled the game from that point, both offensively and defensively. SCHWEEET!

Everything was working for the Pistons. Another game over 100 points while holding the high powered Lakers, who came into the game averaging 104.7 per game, to 95 points on 42% shooting.

The Pistons turned in another big 3 type performance with Iverson (25 pts, 4 stls), Rasheed (25 pts, 13 rbs), and the Compton Kid Tayshaun Prince (18 pts, 6 asts). The team as a whole shot great going 50.7% from the field, 43.8% beyond the arc, and 85.3% from the free-throw line. The only exception was Rip who went 3/10 with 5 turnovers.

On the defensive side of the ball it was Kwame Brown and Rasheed teaming up to keep the Laker frontline of Bynum and Gasol in check. Kwame and Sheed combined for 23 boards and 35 points to thier Laker counterpart’s 19 and 23.

Kwame’s 10 point, 10 board double-double (3 asts, 1 stl, 1 blk) was definitely his best performance so far in the Pistons red, white and blue. K-Brown’s 28 minutes were just what the doctor ordered against the Lakers big front line. Kwame must now maintain this level of augmentation to the front court with the likes Shaq, Big Z, and Perkins in the immediate future to reward Michael Curry for rewarding him.

“It felt great,” said Brown. “I anticipated a big game and I was excited to play all day and I couldn’t sleep.

“So it’s definitely great to get a win a place that traded me.” - Free Press

Not even Kobe Bryant could save the Lakers from Detroit Pistoning away at his ball club.  Kobe scored 29 points, which is MVP respectable ONLY if it doesn’t take 30 shots to get.  The Pistons focused on making the Kobester give up the ball by crowding with multiple defenders every time he got a touch.  Kobe returned the favor by having an atrocious shooting night missing 18 of those 30 shots he took (2/7 downtown).

GAME NOTES: Hater in the house … The Lakers have dropped eight of their last 10 games against the Pistons … ESPN video recap … the Pistons go 3-0 against California … Sheed Chin Music … N4S recapper…  Allen Iverson passed Elgin Baylor for 19th all-time on the NBA career scoring list … L.A. Times recapper … plenty of Hollywood types on hand to see the Lakers first loss … Chauncey and the Nugs punk the C’s in Beantown …

The Pistons (6-2) will be in Los Angeles to take on the Lakers (7-0) Tip off is 10:30 pm est from the Staples Center. The game will be televised locally on Fox Sport Detroit and nationally on

Lakers’ Snapshot
Home record: 3-0
Last game: 11/12 (Weds) W 93-86 @ Hornets
Vs. East: 0-0
Injuries: Sasha Vujacic (sprained right thumb) is probable.

At 7-0 the Lakers are the leagues only unbeaten team.  They’ve been dominant winning their games by an average of 18 points per contest.

To better illustrate just how good the Lakers have been to start the season witness the following two numbers: 104.7  & 86.7.  That’s how many points the Lakers are averaging a game compared to their opponents.  Both numbers are league best. Simply put, the Lakers are rolling.  Needless to say the Pistons should have their work cut out for them tonight.

Andrew Bynum who is back from injury that shelved him for most of last season has teamed with fellow 7-footer Pau Gasol (15 ppg, 10 rbs) in the Laker front court.  Trevor Ariza has been a story coming off L.A.’s bench averaging 10 points and 5 boards per game.

Kobe is averaging 24 ppg so far which is down from his average last season, but his minutes are also down not with the way the Lakers have been finishing off the opposition early on.  As always keep an eye on Rip Vs. Kobe as they renew their PA high school rivalry.  Rip is always a little bit more fiery when it comes to competing against Kobe.

Rodney Stuckey will be play tonight having sat out the last two games dealing with dizziness that took him out of the Boston game.

Michael Curry has said he plans to stay with Kwame Brown in the starting lineup.  Kwame starting makes sense tonight against the size of Bynum and Gasol.  Last night against Don Nelson’s small ball…not so much, that’s why Kwame only saw 9 minutes.  This is the second time Kwame has faced one of his former teams this season.  I’m sure Kwame is gunning for another respectable showing like the one against Washington.

The Pistons have are going for a California sweep after beating the Kings and Warriors as the first two games of a four game west coast swing.  They will finish up the trip Sunday in Phoenix.

ALSO OF NOTE: All-Star voting has already started, let’s get Tayshaun to Phoenix! … Forum Blue & Gold’s preview … AI and Sheed talk with John Thompson (vid) … Iverson has already played the Lakers once this season … Schedule working in Lakers favor …

Rasheed Wallace tipped a ball into the wrong basket at one end and missed two free throws at the other last night. and had this to say about it:

“That really hurt my feelings, that tip,” Wallace said. “You can’t let that frustrate you. I missed two point-blank foul shots. I’m upset at myself about that. You can’t let that one thing get you down. That’s what we did, just dug deep and came up with some stops down the stretch.”

First things first, I had no idea Sheed was so sensitive.   Second, point-blank foul shots?  Aren’t they all from the same distance?

Rasheed cracks me up.

…Also, it’s been quite awhile since #30 has added to his YardBarker blog.  Here he explains his new ink.

The Pistons gave a preview of what may be their version of the en vouge NBA trend “Big Three” as Rip Hamilton (24), Rasheed Wallace (19, 11rbs) and Allen Iverson (23, 9ast) combined for 66 points in a 107-102 win over the Golden State Warriors. {box score}

The Pistons have been making a habit of digging themselves a hole early on and spending most of the rest game digging themselves out.  Last night was not an exception.

It’s a little weird seeing the Pistons resorting to scoring 100+ points per game to win instead of locking down on the defensive end and slugging it out with games in the 70’s and 80’s.  A win is a win but I don’t think the way this team is built, even with Iverson, that our key to success is topping the century mark every night.  Michael Curry says the unfamiliar brand of basketball is due to the trade:

“I think some it right now is that we’re still getting familiar with what we’re doing coverage-wise since we made the (trade),” Curry said. “Guys were locked into certain roles before and they came in on certain combinations and we were able to play different ways. -Free Press

Arron Afflalo had a good third quarter when the Pistons were battling back from a 12 point deficit.  Arron dialed in defensively and offensively.  He scored 8 of his 11 points in the quarter helping the Pistons to a 22-4 run.

Richard Hamilton picked his shooting a bit hitting on 7 of 15 for his game high 24 points to go with 6 boards.

GAME NOTES: Tayshaun had a career high 16 boards … 5 Pistons in double figures … Warriors big man Andris Biedrins had 19 rebounds, giving him sole possession of the Warriors’ franchise record for most consecutive double-digit rebound games with 16 (espn) … Kelenna Azubike sneaks a baby past Maxiell …

Michael Rosenberg got a chance to talk to Chauncey Billups while he was in Cleveland yesterday. He reflects back on the trade that sent him to Denver in exchange for Allen Iverson.

I’ve higlighted a few things from the article, but I STRONGLY recommend you click on over and check read the whole thing for yourself.

On whether he’d have signed his contract knowing then what he knows now: “No way,” he said. “No way. I don’t think anybody would. If anybody told you that if hindsight was 20/20 and they knew a year later they were going to get traded from the place that they signed, they wouldn’t sign.”

Seeing his jersey with Iverson’s name on the back: “I will admit, that shocked me,” he said. “It’s kind of surreal when you first get traded. But when I saw that No. 1 on TV with a different name, that’s when I said, ‘It’s official.’ ”

The results of the team’s discord with Flip Saunders: “I think that cost us at least one championship.”

What could have been: “I felt like if it’s not for my injury, (even) with Flip, we win the championship last year,” he said. “I think we win it all and that No. 1 has still got BILLUPS on the back of it.”

The timing of Rip’s extension announcement: “If Rip would have knew that this deal was going on, I just don’t know that he would have signed that extension,” Billups said. “It was kind of funny to me that they announced this trade the same day that he signed. I really don’t know. … It just seemed weird to me. He signed that extension three days before the trade. … I think it might have been a little different if all this was exposed early.”

The interview really drove home the human element of the trade.  While reading it I never thought to myself, “yeah, but what about the money we’ll save”.  Even with all the time this squad had to get it done it still feels like one more shot wouldn’t have been too much to ask.  But, I guess that’s maybe the one draw back of having management won’t settle for just being “good”.  Joe has a job to do.

Detroit Free Press: Chauncey Billups talk about the trade, Flip

WDFN (via DBB):

Michael Curry tells WDFN’s Stoney and Wojo that Kwame Brown will start tonight to play alongside Rasheed Wallace.  Curry says he is trying to figure out the best way to get his bigs going and recognizes that Kwame and Maxiell have not played well together.

Not that big a move in my opinion.  The obvious difference is there’s more size in the starting line up with Kwame and more athleticism with Amir off the bench.

Making this move highlights how much the team misses McDyess’ contributions however.