The AP reports: LeBron James scored 33 points and got some timely help from Mo Williams and Daniel Gibson in Cleveland’s 90-80 win over the Detroit Pistons on Sunday… With James resting, Williams and Gibson outscored Detroit by themselves in a 15-2 run to take a 73-68 lead early in the fourth quarter… Allen Iverson scored 22 points for Detroit, which has lost nine of 12 and are 21-21 with him… Hamilton scored 16 points, Tayshaun Prince had 11 and Amir Johnson scored 10 points for the first time in a month.
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Celtics beat Pistons for 10th straight win
The AP reports: The Boston Celtics finally got a game. The result, though, was the same. Kevin Garnett scored 22, Paul Pierce had 20 points and Ray Allen added 14, leading Boston to an 86-78 win over the Detroit Pistons on Friday night. The Celtics, who have won 10 straight, took their last seven by double digits, including three victories by 20-plus points… Detroit’s Allen Iverson scored 19 points, moving past Hall of Famer Charles Barkley and into 16th place on the NBA’s career scoring list.
Rasheed helps Pistons rock Wolves
The AP reports: Looking like the ‘Sheed who helped the Pistons to the title in 2004, Wallace tied a season high with 25 points and had 10 rebounds to lead the Detroit Pistons to a 98-89 victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves on Wednesday night. Allen Iverson added 19 points and Antonio McDyess had 14 points and 10 boards off the bench for the Pistons, who had lost two in a row and seven of nine… Al Jefferson had 24 points and six rebounds for the Wolves, who entered the night with the best record (10-2) in the NBA in January and a three-game winning streak. Rookie Kevin Love had 17 points and 10 rebounds, but Minnesota had no answer for Wallace most of the game.
Questioning the Pistons rotation
The Detroit Pistons have been a losing team lately, dropping 7 of the 9 games they’ve played since January 10: They lost big in Utah, lost a close home game against Charlotte, lost a close game in Indiana, lost in Oklahoma City, lost at home against New Olreans, won at Memphis, won big at home against Toronto, lost big at home against Dallas, and lost a close game at home against Houston.
It’s not Michael Curry’s “fault,” necessarily, but he has yet to come up with a solution to the problem of a roster with plenty of talent but with too many good players at the small spots and not enough good big guys.
The Pistons now start Rodney Stuckey and Allen Iverson in the backcourt, Tayshaun Prince and Amir Johnson at forward, and Rasheed Wallace at center. The key guys off the bench are Richard Hamilton, Jason Maxiell and Antonio McDyess.
I question the decision to start Iverson while using Hamilton as a bench reserve. The reverse makes more sense. Hamilton clearly has chemistry with Prince, Wallace, McDyess and the other key Pistons. Iverson is the newcomer. He’s the guy that has to keep learning to fit in.
A scorer who is better at putting the ball in the basket than in the hands of teammates, if I was coaching Detroit, I’d use Iverson as instant points off the bench.
And if Iverson doesn’t want to come off the bench? Tough. Deal with it. If it works, great. If it doesn’t, obviously another change would be made.
–Jeff
Yao-less Rockets beat slumping Pistons 108-105
The AP reports: The Houston Rockets figured out a way to win without Yao Ming. The Detroit Pistons only wish they could do the same with Allen Iverson and Richard Hamilton. Ron Artest scored three of his 24 points at the line in the final 14 seconds, helping the Houston hold off Detroit for a 108-105 win Sunday night… Allen Iverson, who had 17 points and eight assists, acknowledged he’s frustrated… Tracy McGrady scored 15, Shane Battier and Rafer Alston both added 14, and Von Wafer scored 10… Richard Hamilton scored 27, Wallace had 22 points and Rodney Stuckey had 14 points and eight assists.
Mavericks rout Pistons 112-91
The AP reports: The Dallas Mavericks bounced back from a humiliating loss in a big way. Dirk Nowitzki scored 26 points, Josh Howard added 22 and Dallas routed the Detroit Pistons 112-91 on Friday night, two nights after a 34-point loss in Milwaukee… Brandon Bass added a season-high 18 points, and Jason Kidd had 11 points and 10 assists for Dallas, which lost 133-99 to the Bucks… Richard Hamilton, coming off the bench for just the second time in his Detroit career, led the Pistons with 17 points, and Tayshaun Prince added 12— 10 from the free-throw line. Allen Iverson finished with 11 points on 3-of-9 shooting.
Official 2009 All-Star starters
Here are the official starters for the 2009 NBA All-Star game:
East: Dwyane Wade, Allen Iverson, LeBron James, Kevin Garnett, Dwight Howard
West: Chris Paul, Kobe Bryant, Amare Stoudemire, Tim Duncan, Yao Ming.
Read basketball fan reaction and discuss your own opinion in this forum topic.
Prince scores 25 in Pistons win over Raptors
The AP reports: Richard Hamilton’s first game as a reserve for the Detroit Pistons was supposed to be the story of the night. Tayshaun Prince had other plans. Prince scored 23 of his 25 points in the second and third quarters, helping the Pistons pull away from the Toronto Raptors in a 95-76 win Wednesday night… Hamilton scored seven points in his first game off the bench since Feb. 1, 2002, when he was playing for the Washington Wizards. The following offseason, they traded him to Detroit for Jerry Stackhouse… Andrea Bargnani scored 16 points for the Raptors and Jermaine O’Neal had 11 points, playing for just the second time in 13 games. O’Neal has been slowed by a sore right knee… Rodney Stuckey scored 17 points, Maxiell had season highs in points (16) and rebounds (11), Iverson scored 11 and reserve Antonio McDyess had 10 points and eight rebounds.
Richard Hamilton to come off bench
The Detroit Pistons have a problem. A bunch of their best players, Tayshaun Prince, Allen Iverson, Richard Hamilton and Rodney Stuckey are small. They’re little. You can pick them up and toss them in the air. If they’re all on the court at the same time, Prince, who is a skinny bean-pole, is forced to play power forward, which is just silly.
So now, a roster decision has been made. One that could change at any moment. But for now, here’s what’s up, as reported by the Detroit News (Chris McCosky):
Pistons coach Michael Curry announced Tuesday that he will begin using guard Rip Hamilton off the bench, with guard Allen Iverson and forward Amir Johnson starting… Curry said Hamilton, who has never come off the bench as a Piston, will start the second and fourth quarters.
Watch the Pistons, as they try to figure themselves out.
Iverson scores 27 to lead Detroit over Memphis
The AP reports: Allen Iverson and the Detroit Pistons tightened up on defense to end their losing streak and prolong the agony of the Memphis Grizzlies. Iverson scored 27 points and helped Detroit limit Memphis to just four shots in the final quarter on the way to an 87-79 victory over the Grizzlies on Monday, ending the Pistons’ longest losing streak in five seasons. Rasheed Wallace scored 11 of his 13 points in the second half to help bring Detroit’s five-game skid to an end… O.J. Mayo and Rudy Gay led the Grizzlies with 15 points apiece and rookie center Marc Gasol had 12 points and 13 rebounds… The Grizzlies, who lost their sixth straight and for the 14th time in 16 games, missed 10 of their final 12 shots. They didn’t score after Mike Conley’s driving layup with 2:56 left.