Detroit Pistons (1-0) @ Toronto Raptors (1-0) Friday 5th November 7.00 Eastern Time Toronto Previous Game Rockets 79 @ Pistons 87 Rockets 88 @ Raptors 95 Streaks Pistons: Won 1 Raptors: Won 1 Head Coaches vs. Garfield Heard/Sam Mitchell Probable Starters vs. Chauncey Billups/Rafer Alston vs. Rip Hamilton/Vince Carter vs. Tayshaun Prince/Jalen Rose vs. Rasheed Wallace/Chris Bosh vs. Ben Wallace/Loren Woods 6th Men vs. Antonio Mcdyess/Donyell Marshall Players to Watch vs. Tayshaun Prince/Vince Carter Injury Lists Detroit Pistons None to report Toronto Raptors None to Report Keys to the Game <u>Detroit Pistons:</u> <ul> [*]Guard Vince Carter the Raptors best player and will need to be contained by Prince) [*]Don't turn the ball over, don't allow any wasy fast break points. Thats the only real way Toronto can get easy points against this offense [*]Dominate the boards with the Piston big men Ben Wallace, Rasheed Wallace and Antonio Mcdyess [*]Get good bench scoring, the bench struggled big time scoring the basketball in the season opener. They need to bring more to the game when the main starters get rest [*]With Larry Brown missing due to him havinhg hip surgery they will have to try and play their natural game. Without him there they could slack off, the leaders of the team need to make sure that doesn't happen. [/list]<u>Toronto Raptors:</u> <ul> [*]Guard Hamilton and Billups inside and outside. They are the main go two scorers for this team and If you can shut them down you will always have a great chance at victory. Question is who can shut them down from the Toronto team? [*]Get as many fastbreak buckets as they can. There's no easy way of scoring on the Pistons so getting on the break and not allowing their defense to set up is key [*]Get Bosh the ball and attack the big Pistons frontline, get the Wallace's in foul trouble and try to at least make It a tough night for them both [*]Vince Carter must get it going early otherwise the Raptors will really struggle. Tayshaun Prince has a habit of shutting down the top shooting guards in the NBA, Carter must not always settle for that jumpshot[/list] Game Prediction After Toronto beat the Rockets the other night It won't be easy as many would think for the Pistons. The game is in Toronto where they play their best ball and they have some guys who can get hot and really hurt you. However The Pistons overall talent and depth should be too much for a Raptors team with a very grueling schedule to start the season. Pistons by 9
the raptors have some talent, so they shouldn't be taken lightly. tayshaun gets t-mac first and now vince. he's got his work cut out for him. two things i'm looking for in this game: 1. improved bench play, namely delfino and dyess. 2. pistons staying disciplined without LB.
This should be an easy win for the Pistons. The Rockets werent playing the way their supposed to be playing which is why they lost. The Pistons defense will suffocate the Raptors. Without points in transition the Raptors will fall. Prince as always will give the opposing team's best perimeter player problems. Loren Woods wont be doing anything worth mentioning on the offensive end due to Ben Wallace's prescence. Rasheed Wallace should dominate Bosh in the low post. Isnt McDyuess suspended??? With the Wallaces guarding the basket points in the paint for Toronto will be few and far in between and the Pistons bench will outplay the Raptors bench. I will be very shocked if the Pistons lost even though Larry Brown wont be there to guide the Pistons.
Assuming that Mcdyess remembers this isn't soccer look for him to have a big game. I think that he wants to prove his value to the team, just needs to vent or contain his frustration more appropriately. I think the Sheed-Bosh match up will be a fun one to watch, but only is Sheed gets in the paint and Bangs. Two of the best three point shooting pgs going at it, this is a game to watch.
It will not be an easy win for Detroit, as they are playing in Toronto, and they are coming off a big win against an upper echelon team in the West. However, I think the Pistons big frontline and depth will be too much for the Raptor's. Detroit takes a close one by 4.
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting Bobcats:</div><div class="quote_post">It will not be an easy win for Detroit, as they are playing in Toronto, and they are coming off a big win against an upper echelon team in the West. However, I ***think the Pistons big frontline and depth will be too much for the Pistons***. Detroit takes a close one by 4.</div> haha the pistons frontline and depth is to much for pistons to handle damn they must b good anyways i think it would b pretty damn funny if the raptors would win
Pistons should have no trouble winning this game... Another key matchup should be Bosh and Wallace. Bosh looked pretty good in their season opener, now he's going up against one of the ebst power forwards in the game... I say Pistons by 12.
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting thedude9990:</div><div class="quote_post">haha the pistons frontline and depth is to much for pistons to handle damn they must b good anyways i think it would b pretty damn funny if the raptors would win</div> Lol, my bad. Good eye.
Just a heads up: don't underestimate the Raptors on thier home floor. Now, with that out of the way, my prediction is simple: Pistons by 5-8. On the Raptors home floor. Toronto will pull close with around 3 minutes left in the 4th but Detriot will pull away after that. I have seen that happen so many times when the Raptors face elite teams that I have a hunch this one will end a similar way. With about 3 minutes left, the Raptors will be down by one or two buckets and the crowd will really be into it. Then all it takes is one Pistons basket and another Raptors miss and all hope is lost. Next thing you know, there's only 35 seconds left and the Raptors have nothing left to do but foul. Wallace/Wallace will kill the Raptors inside. This game depends on Skip but I think Billups will contain him well. The Raptors are outmatched in every single position, very slim chance to win this game.
Well let's not understimate the Raptors, it won't be a blowout, but the Pistons win this one by 9 points. The Raptors just don't have the depth and talent the Pistons have, and for Bosh, playing Rasheed Wallace and Ben Wallace is different from playing Maurice Taylor, he'll have a hard time establishing his offense against them. Before Rasheed came to the Pistons, Carter was able to play well against them taking Tayshaun easly off the drive, but with the 2 shot blockers in the paint, he might struggle if he becomes passive and tries to launch jumpshots over Tayshaun's length. The Raptors will come out hard, but they won't be able to match the Pistons when their bench comes in. They can survive on the boards with Rasheed, but Ben and McDyess should clean up the glass and give the Pitsons the advantage there too.
Pistons should be able to take this one fairly comfortably. Won't be a blowout since the Raptors are better than many think. However, the Piston's depth and front line just overwhelms the Raptors. Pistons by 8.
What will the Gar Heard effect be? Will he be as effective a replacement as Mike Woodson was last season?
Everyone has the raptors going in as a loss. I think they are gonna make everyone look like fools this year. They are gonna win tonight just like they did, during the last meeting between raptors and pistons. Raptors never get blown out by detroit, and Vince plays smart against this team, well he has to or its over. I think Raps are gonna win by 8. And they will get 42-44 wins this year.
True, Raptors have always played the Pistons tough and It's never easy at the air canada center. Although the Raptors have never faced the Pistons with Rasheed. As for how effective Heard will be as coach? hard to tell. I honestly don't know much about his abilties on the sidelines.
The Raptors are a good fast break team, and that's pretty much the only way you can beat the Pistons on defense. It was proved last year in the playoffs. When the Laker's were in the half-court set, the Pistons buried them. But in the Eastern Semi's they had more problems with a good running team in the Nets.
This might be an upset,the Raptors showed some things in their season opener against the Rockets.It'll be hard for them to beat the Pistons though,they mightcompete but I expect the Pistons to come out with the W. Tayshaun Prince will be guard VC and I am sure he will do a good job in locking him up.If the Raps want to come through they will need VC to play team ball and for the Raptors suporting cast to step up a notch. Pistons by 7.
49-47 for the Raps at halftime. It should be a WAY bigger lead, but they have commited 11 turnover's, and Detroit has scored 18 points off those turnovers.
It's scary how similiar Bosh looks to Garnett already. Right now the SECOND UNIT (Bosh is the only starter in) is winning the game for the Raptors against the Pistons starter's. The starters will be rested when they come back in.
