We're talkin' about All-Star break.

Sheed got the first shot of the game with a sheedtastic 3 [what do you expect?] and then got the next Piston shot with a turn-a-round jumper. He finished with 9, but only played about 25 minutes due to knee pain.

Nobody knew if A.I. would be playing last night until just before tip-off. He has the flu and didn't play Monday against the Bulls.

"I don't have any energy," Iverson said before joining his team for pregame layups.
"I'm still real light-headed, I was dizzy at times and actually threw up during a timeout. I was real weak."

But even having that flu, being light-headed and dizzy and throwing up, he played one of his best games since becoming a Piston. That's warrior status, that's commitment, that's heart. That's what Iverson has brought to the floor ever since I've started watching him back in '96.
That's what we need on this team, especially now.

At around 40 seconds left in the 1st, there was a Josh Smith turnover. He lost the ball, and A..I. had a beautiful steal - I can't even describe the beauty, the hustle, the pain he must have felt diving for that ball - and threw it to Rip who "laid it up, laid it in, count that baby!"

Blaha and Kelser said it was hands down his best play since he's been a Piston. I'm gunna agree, and following closely is that pass to Rip when we played The Suns the other night THROUGH GRANT HILL'S LEGS.



Anyone who ever said A.I. and Rip didn't mesh well together or work well together on the court, think again and pay attention to games.

Speaking of Rip, he had another great game with 14 off the bench, and J-Max had another good night of IN YO FACE jams. Man, I love what he does when he goes out there.
Tay and Stuck both had 12, and Amir added 4.

At the start of the 4th, we were down 6. More Iverson on fire [he scored 15 of his 28 in this qarter!], more Maxiell jams, some good plays by Stuck, Tay and Rip, but just too much ATL. I was on the edge of my seat this whole quarter, especially after my boy A.I. got a beautiful layup and got us up to only a 2 point difference. Joe Johnson got fouled by Afflalo and made both free throws, and at 8 seconds left A.I. had the ball, made a 3 point attempt ... SO CLOSE. SO DAMN CLOSE.
We lost by 5.

The Hawks are 31-21 and have won 4 of 5, matching the most wins they've had going into the All-Star weekend in 10 years.
Detroit is now 27-24 before heading into the break. We've lost 3 straight.

Rip: "I don't even pay attention to our record anymore."

Detroit has their worst record at the break since 2002.

A.I.: "It's not a good feeling. But in life you have to deal with adversity. It's something that we're going to have to deal with right now. I have not seen anybody blaming anybody or pointing fingers. Once that starts to happen, if that happens, which I don’t think it will, once that happens we are really in trouble. Once we stop trusting each other, then you might as well throw the season in. The whole thing is to stay positive, stay with each other. Not to point fingers. Not to play the blame game, and be real men about the situation. We win together. We lose together. It's going to be important to stay together. You don't win a championship at the break."

The next time I'll see my boy is Sunday night when he returns to the East for the first time in 2 years [he was still an All-Star in '07 and '08, but on the west] in the All-Star game.


Go East!

We're talkin' about Amar’e Stoudemire. And tonight's game.

I hate these trade rumors. We've had them all this season, but this one is starting to read true.
Amar'e Stoudemire on the Pistons. Crazy.

I'm not sure if I like it.

Not because he's a bad player or anything, but we've just gotten used to A.I., and it took what seems like forever for him to fit in on the team. Do we really need another big trade this far into the season? I say no. Bad idea.

I read recently that a fan made a comment near the end of the 4th quarter the other night when te Pistons played the Suns. Amar’e was walking back onto the court after a time-out, and a fan said to him:

“Hey Stoudemire,”
Amar’e looked at him.
“You’ll be here next week!”
Amar’e nodded his head as if he was in agreement.

Feb. 19 is the trade deadline. And, yes - he would improve our chances, but a huge part of me just hates this whole thing. Mostly because Tayshaun, Amir, and Sheed are all involved in this trade talk. Fuck that mess.


Anyway, we play the Hawks tonight, and I'm nervous. The Pistons have played like, their best basketball this season in these past few games, but have either lost or came out with what they call an "ugly win."

The Hawks have lost 7 straight games at the Palace, but won the last time we played on their home court.

We're 5th in the East, but are dealing with our fewest wins at the All-Star break since the 2001-02 season, BUT Detroit went 24-11 down the stretch that season to win our 1st of 2 straight central division titles.

A.I. missed the game last night due to the flu, and is questionable again tonight.
This is not good.

We're talkin' about The Answer and The King.

From Bleacher Report:

One is "The Answer" while the other is "The King".
Allen Iverson. LeBron James.

First of all, there is no such thing as the "best", so I say, Iverson and James are each possibly two of five best basketball players right now. One is nearing his prime, the other is already at it.

Maybe you disagree with me about whether AI is a top-five player or in his prime. It's fine to think that, but most people thought that when he was in Philly and don't think that much of Iverson since he left the 76ers. They think less statistics mean the player is fading. But Iverson is very much still in his prime. So I am just addressing that.

Now, Sunday on ABC, the Detroit Pistons played the Cleveland Cavaliers. The game was in the Pistons' hands the first three quarters, but in the fourth they collapsed. Iverson did not have an out-of-this-world game, but he was efficient and torched the Cavs at times. That is exactly what he has been doing since his 76ers years.

So why do people say the LeBron is a better basketball player than Iverson?

Just go back and look at his time in Philly—the Sixers beat the Cavs a few times. While with the Nuggets the last two seasons, the Cavaliers never beat the Nuggs. They actually blew out the Cavs a few times, and every time Iverson played huge! Just go to youtube.com or to Google videos, or whatever, you'll see what I mean.

Iverson goes to the Pistons. They beat the Cavaliers the first time, Iverson scored 23 efficiently. In nearly every case, an Allen Iverson-led team has beaten a LeBron James-led team.

Although this time, the Cavs edged out the Pistons and Iverson in the fourth. But the game was over, all the Pistons had to do, and what they should always be doing, is feeding the ball to Iverson, and letting him create for himself as well as others. It was that exact reason that the Pistons stormed back and took the lead in the fourth.

Unfortunately, Pistons head coach Michael Curry seems to be a bit crazy, taking Iverson out in the fourth, not doing what wins games (when AI scores they win, when he doesn't they lose). Plus, the Pistons play better with Iverson and Hamilton together, but still, Rip is benched, not Stuckey.

So back to Iverson-James. These two have a whole story between one another. They go back to the Olympics in 2004, and should've been together in the past Olympics. They each showed up late one practice together in the Olympics. They have each started in the All-Star Game with each other several times. Their teams have gone back and forth.

It's pretty funny too. Iverson almost seems like a rival with James, AI went to the Nuggets, LeBron rivals with Melo, AI goes to the Pistons, the Cavs rival with the Pistons.

Each are very similar as well.

Iverson made a run to the finals and lost in five. LeBron made a run to the finals and lost in four. Each has made it to the playoffs, many times for Allen, but is knocked out in the first or second round. Each has never really been surrounded by much talent until this season. In the All-Star Games, Iverson's high-flying partner he throws ally-oops to used to be VC, now it's LBJ.

Each, are the two most unusual players and talents in basketball. Iverson is in a point guard's body, but can score as good as anybody ever has. While James is in a power forward's body, but has the speed of a small foward or even some guards.

It's hard to say which is better than the other because of age, position, playing style, and size. But there is no doubting these two are warriors.

But people must understand that the gap between these two is not as large as many think. To some, Iverson is better, to some LeBron is better, to some they are the same.

But many are talking about LeBron James and Kobe Bryant, instead of adding Iverson into the conversation. Why not? Iverson and the Pistons stopped the Cavs' winning streak earlier, while they are also the first team to defeat the Lakers in LA.

So they think LeBron is better by a landslide. Whoever is better, it is not by much, if I were to make a rating like in video games, they would not be more than a point or two away from one another.

But why go with Lebron? Just look at them head-to-head. Iverson plays a monster game, and as a result, MOST of the time his team wins. Iverson is the NBA's best scorer. So he has scoring on Lebron. But he also has steals, speed, dribbling, FT's, shooting, and clutch play.

They are about the same in passing, although again, I would give an edge to "The Answer". While James has the low post game, rebounding, blocking, over Iverson.

As for leadership, they each have not showed any real signs of who is better. But just knowing that Iverson has kept his teams good for most of the time in his career, tells me he is a better leader so far. As an athlete, Iverson was named the best athlete overall ever.

So really what does Lebron have over Allen? Dunks? Fancy dunks? Highlights? Leaping ability? The media just makes him seem much better.

Guys are really going to go after me, or call me crazy, but that is because the media has hypnotized them so much. Look I am not saying anything bad on Lebron's part, remember I called him one of the five best basketball players earlier. All I'm saying is people must stop listening so much to media, which helps make these little Kobe-LeBron lovers and haters.

Allen Iverson. Lebron James. Two great players, talents, athletes.

Iverson has triumphed in most of their meetings, but LeBron won the last battle. The war is not over, their battles will continue, their love for each other will grow. As each of their stories continue, so will this one. Be ready for more, of The Answer and The King.

Allen Iverson and LeBron James, the stories continue.

_______________________________________

I thought this was really interesting. And I agree with the author.

We're talkin' about a Heat wave, "King" James, and Lakers/Celtics.

Exciting, close, edge-of-your-seat game last night. The Pistons had a tough 3 game stretch, losing to the Boston Celtics and then the Cleveland Crabs [top 2 in the east], but we beat the Heat [93-90] and ended the 2 game losing streak last night, and are now back at number 5 in the eastern conference.

Stuckey and Sheed lead the team with 18 points each, and Dice was on fiiiiire with 17 rebounds.

The game tied at 85 after D Wade's layup, then Stuckey got us up again after hitting a jumper, but Sheed does what he does best [besides trash talking refs and getting techs. Jokes! ... Kinda] and fouled Michael Beasley.

Beasley got 2 for 2 and tied the game again, but Stuckey answered again and put us back on top by 2.

Dice ganked the ball from Beasley, passed to Sheed who hit a SHEEDTASTIC 3, where I then jumped up from my seat and let out a "yes!" and a "Sheeeeeed!" [I can always count on him for those epic 3's]. I thought the game was over, we already won ... especially when D Wade got called for a tech after chucking the ball into the stands. Why so serious?

I got real frustrated when Tay missed his free throw. He sat down and Afflalo came in. Sheed sat down and Rip came in. Wade hit a 3 and cut our lead to 92-90. 18 seconds left on the clock. Rip was fouled, and went to the line. He missed both of his free throws, and Wade got the rebound.

The Heat took a timeout, and Wade missed a jumper. Beasley fouled Afflalo, Afflalo split at the stripe - and as soon as I knew it, Wade had the ball in his hands. My frustration changed to fear and I let out a "Oh shit oh shit oh shit noooooooooo!" because we were only up by 3 points, and everyone knows Wade is amazing. He attempted a 3, and IT BOUNCED OFF THE RIM AT THE BUZZER. Hell yes.

Pistons win! I smile, give my sister low-knucks, and light up a victory cigarette.

_______________________________

King Crab had 52 points last night. I heard he was gunna try to beat Kobe's 61 points [he got 61 the other night setting a new Madison Square Garden record] but I didn't know he was like ... serious. I got a good laugh out of it. He got a triple-double with a rebound at the final second on the shot clock. So he's the 1st player to have double digit rebounds and assists to go with at least 50 pts since Kareem, who did it 33 years ago.

That is really good, but I still don't think he's the best thing since sliced bread like everyone else. He is an amazing player, but one thing I hate about him is that his confidence is ... well, it isn't confidence. It's straight-up cockiness. I mean, did you read the article in the new GQ? Hot pictures, but the interview made me roll my eyes. Except for the part about him calling his son [LeBron James Jr] "Bronny." Now that's cute.

One of the 232348284 examples of the Crab's cockiness: “July 1st of 2010 is a very big day. It’s probably going to be one of the biggest days in free-agent history in the NBA.”

Ugh. We already know you're gunna go to the Nets so you can be closer to your lover-man Jay-Z, BronBron.

But you might do what none of us expect [but also very much expect] and stay with your fellow Crabaliers where you'll make an extra $31 million.

_______________________________

And finally, tonight I will enjoy a match-up I always enjoy. Celtics and Lakers. This one is gunna be goooood.

As much as the Celtics piss me off sometimes with their what-seems-like-effortless

wins, I do still like them [until they play my Pistons again]. And I am not a Lakers fan, So I'll be rooting for the C's tonight.
I wonder if the Lakers will end yet another Celtic streak [they're at 12 straight wins right now] this season. Hmmmm.

Speaking of the Celtics, they play the Knicks tomorrow at the Madison Square Garden. Man oh man. Who thinks one of the big 3 will try to beat Bron and Kobe's points? That would be fun.

We're talkin' about me, myself, and Iverson.

Recent wall-to-walls via Facebook with a friend has fueled me to to defend Allen Iverson for the 81893812838 time. If you don't care, don't read.

So far this season, I've heard and/or read about mostly the following:
Pistons losses = Allen Iverson's fault.
Allen Iverson = Not Chauncey Billups.
Allen Iverson = overrated.

I was at work the day of the trade, November 3rd 2008.
I get Pistons news/scores texted to me, so I got the news. Allen Iverson traded to the Pistons.
I loved it.

That entire week, month, and still to this day, all I've heard about are negative comments about the entire thing. A lot of Pistons fans hate it, and have even stopped watching games and rooting for their team because they don't like Iverson. I feel like I'm the only one who likes it. That's cool ... I mean, I like a lot of things others hate, so I'm used to it. I'm cool with it, whatever.

But when people start placing the blame for everything on him, that's when I get kinda heated.

Once again, he is not to blame for the Pistons' struggles.
It's like you're just looking for someone to blame.

People back this up with "He's not playing the same. He's not scoring enough. Blahblah."

You could take any great player - who for their entire career has been the star of the team, the point-getter, the one to carry the team, and put them on a team that works together, shares the ball, and where every player contributes - and they'd be completely different players. They'd pass the ball more, they'd sit more, they'd shoot less. All of this equaling less points, obviously, which tells you why his ppg is down since joining the team.

Anyway, you need to look at the entire team, not just him. Look at the way the others play. Look at the shots they miss, look at their turnovers. Don't just put the blame on A.I. because you don't like him - or, what I'm starting to think it is - because you still miss Chauncey.

All these Pistons fans want and expect him to be like Chauncey Billups. Well, that's not fair.


Another thing, it's disappointing to see Pistons fans giving up on them this season.
It reminds me of an article that was in the Grand Rapids Press back in December about the 0-16 Lions titled "You Call Yourself A Fan?"

Some excerpts:

"It might be a silly little pet peeve of mine, but I firmly believe that once you start rooting for your team to lose, you're no longer a fan."

"Being vocal and opinionated are the very essence of being a true and loyal fan. No one is suggesting that fans have to become sheep and simply go along with whatever product is being put in front of them. However, once you cross the line and ROOT for your team to lose, you've abdicated your right to describe yourself as a fan. "

"Please, puh-leeze, don't give me "proof" of your fan status because you're a season-ticket holder or you've watched every game on television for the past 20 years. That simply makes you a spectator.
And don't try to use the argument that you only want the team to lose because it's the only way to ensure some change in the front office and coaching staff."


Peace out, and GO PISTONS!

We're talkin' about confidence.

After Sunday's loss to King Crab and the Cleveland Crabaliers, Tayshaun Prince was asked if his team had thrown in the towel.

"We're a .500 team right now. Over the past 20 games we've been talking about getting it right, and we haven't gotten it right yet. It's like an old record."

He didn't say no. Ouch. FACE PALM.

The Pistons vets ... Sheed, Rip, Dice ... it's like they're giving up.
J-Max, Amir, Stuck, and Afflalo are reportedly stuck in the middle of the Pistons' vets and Iverson when it comes to confidence.

A.I. seems like he's the only one who believes in the Pistons anymore. Hmm?

"I can't speak for everybody else, but I'm sure everybody's confidence is still up because we got a long way to go," He said Sunday.

"At this point, even before the All-Star break, if we lose our confidence there isn't any reason to even come back after break because we would be going out there playing for nothing. My confidence is at an all-time high, honestly, because I still feel good about the guys I play with and our coaching staff."

I agree. There's still time.

"If we were coming in here getting blown out, then that would be a different story. But I feel good. I'm all right, and I feel good about our chances."

Obviously, as much as it hurts to say this, we're not gunna catch up with the Celtics, the Magic, or the Crabs ... But we can still get that Number 4 seed. [We're the 6 seed right now. We were tied with the Heat, who moved up after beating the Clippers last night. We're playing the Heat tonight.

We're talkin' about optimism. And ... Andrew Bynum?!

January wasn't a good month for the Pistons. It was the first losing month [6-9] in 5 seasons.

We've lost our last 2 games, but the Pistons played some of their best basketball. It's crazy that we can win when we play so-so, but when we play smashingly, we lose. Supwitdat?

We have wins against 5 of the 6 division leaders, beating the Western Conference's top teams on the road, but have lost to suck-ass teams like the Thunder.
Supwitdat?

If people aren't blaming the losses on Iverson, they're blaming the losses on turnovers. We're 2nd best in the league in handling of the rock, so turning it over isn't really what gets us beat.

And it seems like everything goes downhill in the 4th quarter in the majority of those games. Again, I say supwitdat? The 4th is when they should be playing their hardest, no matter who MC decides to put on the floor to finish out the game.

On a plus side, our defense has gotten a lot better, but our offense has been inconsistent.

The next game [Wednesday against the Heat, again at home] is another important game. Both the Heat and the Pistons are competing with the Hawks for the last home-court spot in the East playoffs.

Here's what Curry had to say, and I agree with him. SHOCKED FACE!

“I look at our games, and I look at us and what we’re doing, going in knowing what we’re trying to get done to mark if we’re progressing along … sometimes the record doesn’t indicate it, but at times, when we’ve lost, we’ve played better. As Rip gets healthier and he keeps getting better and better in his role coming off the bench with Dice, we’re going to be really good.”

You can go on and on about "LeBron James is amazing! You can't fuck with the big 3!" But you need to pay attention to the whole game, not just the final score. Obviously a win is what we need, and it's what matters, but you can't help but to see major improvement on our end, especially in these last 2 games ... 2 of the 3 games that everyone said would determine the rest of the season. As bitter as I am about these 2 losses especially, I think finally we're pointed in the right direction. *Knock on wood*



I am not a Lakers fan, so I didn't even hear about this until today.
Anyway, as sick as this makes me sound, a smile was instantly painted across my face when I read the headline. "Bye Bye, Bynum."

Now, don't get me wrong ... If I have a shred of respect for the Lakers this season [I mean, I used to love Kobe Bryant way back in the day. Sick, I know. I just threw in my mouth a little. but then I came to my sense, so let's not ever talk about it again, okay?], it's because of Bynum. Not only is he a pretty good looking dude [teehee], he's a very good young player and has become a very important piece of the Lakers' puzzle.

This happened Friday against the Grizzlies:



Kobe's face says it all. I love it.

So, he's out 8-12 weeks with a torn MCL.
The regular season ends in about 10.
Doesn't look too good for you crazy Lakers fans.

Speaking of fans, Celtics fans must be loving this.

"Bynumite"'s knee injury last year didn't keep the Lakers from the getting to the finals, but it had a big part in keeping them from winning.

His season ended around this time last year when he dislocated his kneecap in the other knee.

That injury happened against ... guess who? The Grizzlies. Woooow.