Pistons @ Trail blazers Detroit Pistons(38-25) @ Portland Trail Blazers(29-31) Series: The Pistons lead the series 1-0 Last Meeting: Blazers 71 @ Pistons 78 on December 31, 2003 Previous Game Pistons 86 @ Jazz 94 Grizzlies 97 @ Blazers 88 Streaks Pistons: Lost 1 (5-5 in last ten) Blazers: Lost 3 (5-5 in last ten) Head Coaches vs. Brown vs. Cheeks Probable Starters PG: vs. Billups vs. Stoudamire SG: vs. Hunter vs. Anderson SF: vs. Prince vs. Miles PF: vs. Wallace vs. Randolph C: vs. Wallace vs. Ratliff 6th Men vs. Williamson vs. Abdur-Rahim Players to Watch vs. Wallace (with Detroit): 13 Points (.340 FG%, .741 FT%), 2.3 Assists, 5.7 Rebounds, .57 Steals Randolph: 20.7 Points (.483 FG %, .771 FT%), 2.2 Assists, 10.9 Rebounds, .88 Steals Rasheed comes back to town to face off against Randolph. It used to be Rasheed's team and now their is a new leader. Except Rasheed to play well and with intensity. Injury Lists Detroit Pistons Richard Hamilton is not with the team. Mehmet Okur Portland Trail Blazers Eddie Gill Travis Outlaw Keys to the Game <u>Detroit Pistons:</u> <ul> [*]Rasheed Wallace (Well, he is coming home. Even if he says that he doesn't care about the game, he will try to have an excellent night. He has been having some poor games with Detroit, exluding the game against the Jazz. It will be interesting if he can finally start to play a more inside role instead of relying on jump shots.) [*]Guard the forwards (The Blazers have an excellent front court, both starting and off of the bench. Detroit will need to contend with Ratliff, SAR, and Randolph. Zach is a presense inside and can disrupt the Pistons offense. Therefore, the Wallaces will need to get some good defense going and have a block party.) [*]Get good bench production (The bench needs to get some high quality minutes. James has proven that he can be effective and without Hamilton, the minutes will be weird. Corliss and Elden will also need to bring a presense to the floor, especially in the low block.) [*]Play Larry Brown's style of basketball/Spread the ball around (The Pistons need to get back the basics of spreading the ball around and getting open shots. The Pistons also need some smart bench play and some excellent execution on the offensive end.) [/list] <u>Portland Trail Blazers:</u> <ul> [*]Guard Rasheed Wallace (Rasheed will probably be looking to have a big game tonight. He should come out and play with a lot of intensity. Rasheed will try to go inside and the Blazers must keep him out of the low post.) [*]Get some rebounds (Detroit will look to get some extra rebounds. Blazers will need to get some defensive rebounds to prevent extra possesions for the Pistons. Some extra offensive rebounds wouldn't hurt either.) [*]Get some efficient minutes from SAR (Shareef Abdur-Rahim is an excellent player who can be a big help for the Blazers. He comes off the bench and is Portland's main bench threat. He will need to have some good minutes to counter any effect by the Pistons bench.) [*]Good play from Randolph and Ratliff (These two players will need to be useful on both ends. Ratliff will need to be on the lookout in the post for any shots that he can swat, especially Rasheed's. Randolph will need to stay agressive and try to get Detroit in foul trouble.) [/list] PyroManiac's Prediction Detroit lost in a dissapointing game to the Jazz and need to rebound. The main story tonight is Rasheed coming back and he will be the player to watch. I believe that Detroit is still the better team and will get a win tonight, even without Richard Hamilton. Pistons by 6.
<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">The big question on the Pistons' five-game road trip, besides how many games they will win, is when Richard Hamilton will be back in the lineup. Hamilton, the team's shooting guard and leading scorer, had nose surgery Tuesday in Detroit. Surgery was performed on an outpatient basis by Dr. Gene Rontal. Hamilton is to be re-evaluated Friday. The Pistons want Hamilton fitted for a mask similar to one worn by former Pistons center Bill Laimbeer when his nose was broken, but Hamilton apparently is reluctant. He appears doubtful for Thursday's game at Portland, but he might be available for Saturday's game at Denver and Sunday's contest at Seattle. Hamilton has missed only one game this season. </div> Full Story
Huh...Okur isn't playing, I expect to see Corliss as the big sixth man tonight. I'd like to see another great defensive performance from him like the Clippers game. Knowing what he can accomplish when he really tries just makes me more upset when he underachieves. Big game from both Wallaces, Pistons by 9.
I would rather have Mike James start than Hunter, better shooter and overall a better all-round player. Pistons will really miss Rip tonight.
<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) -- Rasheed Wallace didn't gloat in victory. As usual, he said nothing. The volatile Wallace left the Rose Garden without comment after he helped the Detroit Pistons to an 83-68 rout of the Trail Blazers. It was his first trip to Portland since the team traded him away last month. ``He said it was nothing personal,'' Detroit teammate Ben Wallace said. ``He just wanted to get the win and help us get to the playoffs.'' There were a mixture of boos and cheers from the crowd when Wallace was introduced, but it was nothing compared to the jeers showered on the Trail Blazers when they went into the half trailing 46-29. The Blazers, who fell behind by as many as 25 points, have lost four straight after a five-game winning streak. Wallace's return came on the heels of former Blazer Bonzi Wells' first Portland appearance with his new team, the Grizzlies. Wells, who was roundly booed, had 28 points as Memphis beat the Blazers 97-88 Wednesday night. </div> Full Story. Box Score. Game was pretty late. Anyone actually watch it? I didn't, but I wish I had. Apparantly, Darko played and Brown left the game early with back problems. Back problems? While sitting on the sideline?
Was a dominating performance from the Pistons, without Rip Hamilton and Memo Okur I thought they might struggle, wasn't the case. Darko had a nice move inside in garbage time and had a block. The Wallace's were really a force on defense (surprise surprise)
missed this game i went to Red Robin's for a late night snack, hoping to watch the game. but, they said they don't get TNT.....ah well. good win. hopefully we can get a win in Denver. if so, we've had a hell of a west coast trip. of course we didn't play any of the big guns, but wins are wins.
