Odds and Ends

First off, big ups to the Lions for taking down a perennial Lion killer in the Redskins. The Lions took a 20-19 early in the 4th, but the Skins took the ensuing kickoff to the house to regain the lead. That's exactly where the Millen-era Lions would've packed up and gone home. But, not this team. They rallied and pounded the Skins for 17 more points, including a clutch 4th and 1 call from Schwartz.

Still down 25-20, the Lions had a 4th and 1 from the Skins' 10 yard line, with just 3:30 remaining. My guess is that previous coaches would've kicked the field goal and hoped the defense could give the offense one last possession. Not Schwartz. He went for the lead. Stafford delivered a strike to Calvin on a slant, and the Lions never looked back.

I'd have more to write about this game, but it was BLACKED OUT locally. Not a huge surprise considering this is still the losing-est franchise in the NFL. Despite all the good feelings this morning, the team has a tough hill to climb to win back all the disenfranchised fans. Clutch wins like Sunday will definitely help (as will a win on Thanksgiving).

And speaking of blacked out, the Pistons game against the Bulls on Saturday was also unavailable to the folks in the D. Perhaps it's a sign of how far things have fallen. There hasn't been a blacked out Piston game since perhaps the teal years?? Regardless, the network did the fans a favor. The Pistons blew a 20pt second-half lead in yet another loss. The Bulls set a franchise record by outscoring the Pistons by 25 points in the 4th quarter (34-9).

I did get a chance to watch the Pistons blow yet another lead the night before against the Thunder. This game had a bit more positive feeling. Ben Gordon unleashed his offensive arsenal for 32 points. Down 2 in the waning seconds, Gordon drove to the hoop and was met by an army of defenders. He wisely passed it off to Charlie V who calmly nailed a baseline 3 pointer. It was a dream finish for Joe D... except 7 seconds still remained on the clock. Tayshaun denied the ball from Kevin Durant, so OkC had to inbound to Jeff Green instead. Green looked desperately for Durant, but, with time running out, had no choice but to take it to the hoop himself. He found the path completely unencumbered and converted the easy layup. Considering Ben Gordon almost found himself maimed after attacking the hoop the previous possession, it was shocking to see how porous the Pistons' D was. Apparently, the Pistons had their best defenders on the floor too.

To say the Pistons have trouble closing out games is an understatement. They've got massive, massive problems. Currently at 0-3, they've got upcoming games against Boston and Atlanta - two sure losses. If they can't win the sixth game against Charlotte, they may go winless for the month of November. The teams' psyche is fragile. Confidence in their teammates and Kuester is shaky at best. I'll be surprised if Kuester lasts through December. His insistence on benching Greg Monroe, despite getting outrebounded in every game, is baffling. The Pistons are now 25th in league in rebounding differential.

It's going to be a long, ugly season. It's especially tough watching DeMarcus Cousins already average 13.3 and 7 boards. If not for that fluke end to last season (3-game win streak, lost coin flip, etc), he'd be a Piston.