Rebound

That's what I get. My reward for praising the Pistons was a blowout loss to the 15-28 Indiana Pacers... at home. Just how dreadful was this loss?

• The Pacers had only 4 wins on the road all season (4-18)
• Rodney Stuckey, who Fox Sports Detroit mentioned as a potential All-star (ha!), put up a -22 rating
• Pacer Center Roy Hibbert was a +29

The previous game Hibbert was a -22. Yet, against the Pistons vaunted front line, Hibbert dominates. The Pistons took an early 8-4 lead, then watched Indiana (15-28 Indiana, mind you) go on a 23-5 run. The Pistons did respond, however, with a small run of their own in the 2nd, cutting the lead to 4. Two straight three-pointers by Brandon Rush and Danny Granger pushed the Indiana lead back to 8 by the half. Things were still looking somewhat within reach for the Pistons, but Kuester must've spiked their Gatorade with Valium at the half. Indiana scored the first 11 points of the 3rd quarter and the rout was on... or, rather, confirmed.

So, just when you feel the Pistons have turned a corner, they lay an egg and stake their claim as the worst team in the NBA. I should note that Tayshaun played this time. Tayshaun scored 7 on 3-12 shooting, with 6 rebounds. He was certainly not to blame for the loss, but, as Mrs. Nofrownmotown noted, "When Tayshaun plays, they lose."

It's certainly a bizarre phenomenon. The dude just does not fit in the current scheme. Not only do the Pistons lose, but they get demolished. Folks, Tayshaun's only featured in one win - the first game of the friggin' season! I wish I had answers, but I can't see any rhyme or reason for this. Maybe Jerebko and Daye do make a big difference. Whatever it is... Kuester needs to address it, because the team is drawing fewer and fewer people.

And if I never see Chris Wilcox again, it'll be too soon.

OT
In happier news, the Red Wings actually won a game in a shootout last night. They didn't make it easy. The shootout went eight rounds. When Drew Miller scored the clinching shootout goal, Mike Babcock was lacing up his skates. There were smiles all around, but the fact is that the Red Wings - for the 2nd game in a row - gave up two goals late in the 3rd period. This time, they had a two goal cushion and won it in OT, but this is a disturbing trend.

With the lack of firepower, the Red Wings turned their focus to suffocating defense. They need to get back to that philosophy. I fear that part of the problem is Jonathan Ericsson, who's just returned from injury. It's hard to believe, but he's still just a rookie. He's turned the puck over a ton since his return, but they still need to work him into the lineup.

With the win, the Red Wings are now tied for the final playoff spot in the West. Hey, it's a start.