Yet another frustrating game against the Cavs last night. They try and try but can't seem to get over the hump. The key point of the game came with about four or five minutes to play -- Bynum brought the ball up with the Pistons up 1. He turned it over, and Lebron streaked down the court for a fast break. Bynum grabbed him, but not enough to prevent Lebron from doing a 360 twirl, nailing the shot and one.
That play spurred an 8-0 run that effectively shut the door on the Stones. The Pistons proceeded to turn the ball over three more times. This crunch time collapse (specifically with the turns) is where they miss Chauncey the most. Both Stuckey and Bynum have shown flashes of brilliance, but they'll never lead their team to consistent wins without protecting the ball. I'm still very much in favor of those two as point guards, but ball-possession should be their main focus this offseason.
In other news, Nate got bombed yesterday. It's possible he's still feeling the effects of a hand injury or perhaps he just blows out of the bullpen. Either way, he's not yet regained '06 form. The good news is that Porcello pitched extremely well as the starter. What I find interesting is that they haven't stretched Porcello to six or seven innings. If he's gonna make the roster as a starter, shouldn't he be ready to pitch past the 5th?
And did I see that Bonderman is on the DL (shoulder)?
ReplyDeleteYou best believe it. Bonderman is "a ways away" (in his words). Don't know the specifics, but he looked fine in the one spring training game that was on TV. He pitched two scoreless innings. Likely, he must've felt some pain the next day.
ReplyDeleteAnd Zumaya is also on the DL and probably farther off than Bondo. There's just not much margin for error on this squad.