A bit of resolve

It's early in the season, yes. There are tons of new faces that will take time to gel. And Rip and Tayshaun remain sidelined with injuries. Yet, Sunday against the Sixers was a winnable game. If the Pistons didn't pull it out, I would've been seriously worried about a lottery-bound season.

We all know this is a transition year, but it's the same thing with Philly. I figured, if the Pistons couldn't take a home game against mediocre competition, who could they beat? Well, the team answered the call. The Pistons' defense set the tone early, limiting Philly to one shot and causing significant turnovers. But the Pistons often returned the favor on the other side of the court. Neither team shot very well, though the Pistons maintained a 3-6 point lead throughout most of the game.

With Tayshaun out, rookies Jonas Jerebko and Austin Daye played significant minutes. Jerebko fared slightly better, scoring 10 with 5 boards (no turnovers). Daye has a more NBA-ready offensive game, but Jerebko is a real pest on defense. He gets in passing lanes, dives for loose balls, and doesn't seem intimidated at all by the big stars. That's why he's starting.

In the previous game, I was really impressed with Daye's shooting touch. He has a quick, smooth release, but, against Philly, he missed all four three-pointers. Most of Jerebko's points were on put-backs. So, neither is really part of the offense yet, but they're learning. With the scaled-back roster, the Piston offense runs through the three guards and Charlie V. Against the weaker NBA teams, that may just be enough. Gordon is the best scorer, but he's also an able passer. In crunch time, the Pistons have exhibited a willingness to feed whoever has the hot hand. Lately, it's been Gordon or Bynum, though Charlie V was absolutely unstoppable against Orlando. As for Stuckey, he's not quite hit his stride. In the Orlando loss, he shot 9/18, but was back to 5/15 against Philly. For what it's worth, he only turned it over 2 times, so he's doing well as a ball-handler.

Yesterday, Philly took a 4pt lead with about six minutes to go. I was ready for the team to collapse. Willie Green was red-hot, and the Pistons couldn't keep pace. But the stellar Piston defense came to life... as did Ben Gordon and Bynum. Philly didn't score another field goal the rest of the way. Igoudala did manage a couple free throws at the 2:21 mark, but that was it. Meanwhile, Little Ben hit a few jumpers, Bynum hit a shot and then fed Charlie V for a perfect back-door layup. The Pistons finished on an impressive 15-4 run. It was great to see them step up during crunch time. Those kids - Ben Gordon and Will Bynum - have that winner mentality. They just seem to play their best when the game is on the line. Final score was 88-81 Pistons.

One more note: the Pistons outrebounded a good rebounding team 51-39, led by Big Ben's 16. Solid. Next up is Charlotte, another winnable game. My thinking is that the team has to focus on winning these home games against the less-than NBA squads. They're going to lose the majority of their road games, so, if only for the team's mental state and locker-room harmony, they've got to take care of business at home.

Double loss for Red Wings
One thing is clear - the Red Wings absolutely blow when there's a pregame celebration. In any sort of festive hockey atmosphere (banner raising, Hall of fame celebrating, Sweden playing), the Red Wings will lay an egg. Despite winning just two games all season, the Toronto Maple Leafs completely owned the Wings Saturday night. It was ugly.

To make matters worse, the Wings lost another forward. This time it was Jason Williams, who left with a broken leg. He's out at least two months. Ken Holland insists he won't make a trade, so it's time to call up another youngster. Glancing at the Griffins roster, there's no sure-fire pick. They've got a few guys scoring goals, 20 year old Jeremy Williams and 25 year old Jamie Tardif. The Wings normally let the youngsters stay in the minors, so my guess is we're looking at Tardif.