Back in the Sad-dle

Hey, y'all, I'm back from my little brother's movie shoot. Major props to John for holding down the fort in my absence. I noticed that the Pistons decided to go on a 3-game winning streak. It was almost as if they were waiting for me to leave before they decided to turn it on! But they rewarded me with one of their best wins of the season last night.

Likely you've already heard, but, in case you haven't, the Stones beat up on a true contender - the Celtics (27-13). It was Sheed's first return to the Palace since he signed with Boston. The Palace crowd was sparse, and their response lukewarm:


I understand that I'm a bigger Sheed fan than most, but Piston fans should realize that the dude gave us five years of great and maddening entertainment. His personality will never be replaced.

As for the game, it didn't start out very promising. Rip Hamilton and Big Ben must've been amped up beyond recognition, as they were passing the ball around like hyper 4th graders. Rondo feasted on their errant passes, slicing through the defense for easy layups. In the first quarter alone, the Stones turned it over 10 times (Rip finished with seven for the game!). Though they settled down after that. Only five more turns the rest of the way.

Thanks to Stuckey, the Pistons stayed within shouting distance in the first half. Stuckey scored 11 of the Pistons first 13 points. His impact was palpable. When Kuester sat him in the 2nd quarter due to foul trouble, the Celtics went on a run and pushed their lead to double digits. None other than Austin Daye ran the point. He had difficulty beating Rondo's trap, but, for his first time ever as an NBA point guard, Daye fared well. Daye even nailed a killer 3-pointer at the buzzer, to get the Pistons within 8 at the half.

The momentum carried through to the 2nd half. The Celtics, who shot 58% through 2, only scored 30 points the rest of the way. Normal defensive pansies like Villanueva and Daye stepped up their intensity to match the great defensive performances by Big Ben, Stuckey, and often-forgotten Jason Maxiell. In a key moment in the 3rd, Maxiell came out of nowhere to reject Rasheed Wallace as he attempted a thunder dunk. It brought the house down. Check it out here (at around 1:10 into the clip - they also show Austin Daye's killer 3):

The key to the second half, though, was Stuckey. Earlier in the afternoon, I was watching the Pistons vs Wizards game that trophy-wife, Mrs. NoFrownMotown, recorded for me while I was gone. Stuckey's game was just not clicking. While I believe he's an excellent talent, he just has a lot of difficulty finishing at the rim. And the most glaring weakness in his game is passing. He's not a horrible passer, but he never - repeat never - dishes off to the open player while driving to the hoop. My hope is that he soon adds that dimension to his game, as it will increase his effectiveness dramatically.

Stuckey's weaknesses aside, he was THE MAN last night. He finished with 27 points, 11 boards, 6 assists, and an impressive +14 rating. He hit a number of key hoops in crunch time, along with Charlie Villanueva. Stuckey ultimately outperformed Rondo as they were at each other's throats all game. Inconsistency still plagues the 3rd year guard, but he's exhibited the brief flashes of elite-level ability that hint at greatness. Whether he reaches that level remains to be seen, but it's clear today that Stuckey is the best player on the team. It's sort of a non-story at this point, but the Stones were without Prince, Gordon, and Bynum. Didn't matter. When Stuckey and Big Ben perform at that level last night, they can compete with anyone. Of course, as the 13 game losing streak proved, those two guys can't consistently play at that level. Players like Rip and Charlie V need to chip in. If they find their groove, the Stones may just dig themselves out of the NBA basement.