Strange, strange game, and some home cookin'

Last night, the Pistons beat the Magic. Since they've won something like 14 of 15 against the Magic at home, that shouldn't be a big deal. But consider the following:

• No Rip
• No Tayshaun (breaking a 6 year streak!)
• A 37% field-goal percentage
• Only 8 assists all game
• 0-6 from 3pt land
• And Orlando is the reigning Eastern Conference Champion and entered the game 3-0

The win didn't make much sense. I noted to Mrs. Thatballdontlie that the Pistons "out-efforted" Memphis in the first game of the season. With so many new faces, that's the only way they're going to beat the more-established squads. Every team in the NBA has talent, but not everybody gives the effort. I think that's what Ben brought back to the team. If somebody's dogging it, they gotta answer to Big Ben. Who on last year's squad would hold a teammate accountable? Perhaps McDyess, but that's about it.

So they've gave good effort. Stuckey was impressive again in the 1st half. He had some highlight drives to the hoop - the type of plays that remind people why he might be an All-star someday. But his production dropped off again in the 2nd and reminded people why he's not close to an All-star right now. The starters did a fine job of controlling the game in the 1st and getting Howard off to a slow start. Stuckey and Little Ben attacked him fearlessly, and Howard picked up some quick fouls. Big Ben and Kwame effectively contained Howard on the defensive end, and the dude finished with only 8pts in 17 minutes.

The Piston subs, though, did not match the effectiveness of the starters. Orlando erased a 7pt deficit and looked on the verge of blowing it open in the 3rd. A few hoops by Ben Gordon kept the game close, and it was nip/tuck the rest of the way. Orlando, as they do, shot a ton of 3s. The Pistons were fortunate that they missed many open looks. In crunch time, little Will Bynum caught fire. He hit a few jumpers and then wanted to challenge the Orlando big men with some drives to the hoop. Gortat hit Bynum in the eye, and Bynum lost his vision for a few minutes. He returned to the bench looking like De Niro in Raging Bull. Miraculously, Bynum re-entered the game and carried the Pistons the rest of the way. Orlando hit the wall offensively at 77 points, thanks in large part to some fortunate calls from the refs. On key possessions late, Orlando was whistled for offensive fouls. Those, combined with Howard and Gortat fouling out, greatly impacted the game. Orlando finished with 30 fouls versus 17 for Detroit. That stat may be skewed somewhat because Orlando hoisted 35 three-pointers and rarely attacked the hoop. Yet, I can't recall a game when the Pistons ever received such favorable whistles, despite their improved defense. It made me wonder if the mere presence of Rasheed painted the team in a poor light. Who knows.

Stuckey and Little Ben hit some key foul shots late and iced the game away. Solid effort by all the guards, including a legend-building night from Bynum. He didn't light up the Magic for 40, but notching 20 points in 28 minutes with a bloody eye is pretty sweet.

A few other notes... Jonas Jerebko started at small forward and had a quiet night. Did not contribute offensively but did a solid job keeping Vince Carter on the perimeter. Jason Maxiell earned a DNP-CD, bringing back memories of the Curry-era. Maxiell isn't Karl Malone, but shouldn't he at least get some burn? Austin Daye appeared briefly for 4 minutes and did not excite. Chucky Atkins also saw the floor and somehow earned a plus/minus of -6 despite only playing 2 minutes. Speaking of plus/minus, Little Ben led the team with a +15. He quietly scored 23, while shooting 60% (and 11/11 from the stripe). The dude is just good, folks.