Up and Down

The Red Wings, courtesy of their three game winning streak, now sit in the 8th spot of the playoff race. The team's defense is most responsible for the wins, with a little help from Bertuzzi. After seeing most shots hit the post or the goalie's stick, Bertuzzi finally got some favorable breaks. Two games ago, he scored a goal by ricocheting the puck off the goalie's back (from behind the net), and last game he had a pretty sweet spin-around back-hand shot that somehow ended up in the net too. Despite his banged-up body and bad reputation, the Wings are lucky to have him.

In the past five games (four wins), the Wings averaged 1.6 goals-against. Formerly their achilles heel, the penalty kill unit successfully thwarted all but one power-play during that span (18/19). Going back 10 games, the Wings killed off an impressive 29 of 30. With the defense and goaltending slowly coming around, the onus is on the offense to get some friggin' goals. It's clear at this point that Datsyuk will not be able to carry the load. The rangy center is just off. Whether it's hidden injuries, lack of interest, or bad luck, he's just not the same player from last season. Zetterberg remains consistently great, but he needs help. On Monday, the Wings got goals from Meech, Eaves, and new call-up Kris Newbury. As Mrs. NoFrownMotown pointed out after the game - none of those players were on the playoff roster. That's the type of effort the team will need the rest of the way.

One more bright note... Jonathan Ericsson hyperextended his knee during Monday's game. I was sure it was an ACL tear. The tests proved negative, though. He'll be out only two weeks with a bone bruise and calf strain. That's a huge relief. The big d-man hasn't had a great season, but, considering it's his first full year in the NHL, he's played well.

Pistons
The Stones were cut down to size last night. In the West, the Rockets are just a 14-10 team, but they showed how superior their division truly is. Even without Yao Ming, the Rockets' front court dominated. The Rockets were reminiscent of the early-2000s era Sacramento Kings - also coached by Rick Adelman. The Kings would blow the Pistons off the court with quick passing and torrid shooting, courtesy of Mike Bibby, C-Webb, and a slew of sweet-shooting late round draft picks (Peja Stojakovic, Brad Miller, Hedo Turkoglu, Bobby Jackson). That's exactly what happened last night.

The Rockets burned the Pistons early with 68% shooting in the first half. The defense had no answers. They were a step slow. They couldn't prevent penetration by point-guard Aaron Brooks, nor could they rotate over to disrupt the 3-pt bombs.

Not many folks would remember this, but the Pistons drafted three players in the 2nd round last summer. Two of those players are on the roster - Jerebko and Dajuan Summers. The 3rd pick started last night for the Rockets - Chase Budinger. The fair-haired small forward torched the Pistons for 16 points, 12 boards, and 5 assists. Not bad for a dude traded away for a "future second round pick." I can't completely blame the Pistons for this one, though. They had too many bodies for one roster, and somebody had to go. They must've thought Summers was the superior player, and he may just be a better fit for the Stones. The jury is still out. Yet, with Jerebko and Budinger, that's two second round picks starting for their respective teams as rookies. Impressive.

As for the game, Houston pulled away in the 2nd quarter, scoring on 11 of 12 possessions. It didn't matter who was in the game for either team. Houston steamrolled weak Pistons' defense. Stuckey led a brief Piston surge near the end of the half, as the Pistons pulled within 9, but that's as close as they would get. They stayed within shouting distance in the 3rd quarter, but Houston pulled out to an 18 point lead in the 4th. That was the game.

Pretty poor showing for the Stones, especially since they were exposed as a weak defensive unit - at least for this night. They're still a work in progress. They face another lightning-quick guard in Chris Paul tonight. Would be nice to have Will Bynum back!