Grizzlies @ Pistons Preview Memphis Grizzlies(26-14) @ Detroit Pistons(28-13) Previous Game Jazz 85 @ Grizzlies 79 Pistons 90 @ Raptors 89 Series: Detroit leads the series 1-0. Last Meeting: Detroit 99 @ Memphis 92 Streaks Grizzlies: Lost 2 (8-2 in last ten) Pistons: Won 2 (7-3 in last ten) Head Coaches vs. Probable Starters PG: vs. Jason Williams vs. Chauncey Billups SG: vs. James Posey vs. Richard Hamilton SF: vs. Mike Miller vs. Tayshaun Prince PF: vs. Pau Gasol vs. Ben Wallace C: vs. Lorenzen Wright vs. Mehmet Okur 6th Men vs. Bonzi Wells vs. Corliss Williamson Players to Watch vs. Posey: 11.7 Points (.468 FG %), 1.4 Assists, 4.3 Rebounds, 1.62 Steals Hamilton: 18.2 Points (.446 FG %), 3.5 Assists, 3.8 Rebounds, 1.2 Steals Injury Report Memphis Grizzlies Theron Smith Ryan Humphrey Troy Bell Detroit Pistons Hubert Davis Tremaine Fowlkes Lindsey Hunter Keys to the Game <u>Memphis Grizzlies by Wave:</u> <ul> [*]Exploit the Pistons' bench (The Grizzlies are a team that goes eleven players deep; while the Pistons' only keep bench players are Elden Campbell, Chucky Atkins, and Corliss Williamson. If the Grizzlies can get the Piston starters into foul trouble the game could be theirs. [*]Take advantage of the Tayshaun Prince match-ups (Slender Tayshaun Prince will have difficulties on defense whether he guards Mike Miller or James Posey. Both players have the size advantage and will likely be physical with Prince as well as run him around on defense. On offense, both players are likely to take turns with Tayshaun again. Mike Miller's defense is nothing to brag about, but James Posey's is among the league's best.) [*]Take Ben Wallace out of the game (This seems like a key that everyone usually has, but with against the Grizzlies Ben Wallace will have to work harder than ever. Pau Gasol, who will likely be guarding him, has the worst defense on the Grizzlies' starting line. However, Ben Wallace is probably the last offensive option on the Pistons starting lineup, so Gasol doesn't have much to worry about on that end of the floor. On offense, Gasol relies on his hookshot more than anything else. The hookshot is famous for being pretty much unblockable, so Ben Wallace should have a hard time stopping the lengthy Pau Gasol.) [*]Kill the Pistons on the fastbreak (Statistics show the Grizzlies do better when they win the fastbreak battle. In three out of the Grizzlies' last five wins they have scored more fastbreak points than their opponents. However, in the last two losses the Grizzlies lost the battle of the fastbreak points. The Grizzlies are one of the top ten teams in steals per game. All they need to do is be able to finish their fastbreak plays.) [*]Get pumped up (The Grizzlies are on a two-game losing streak, but they're still 8-2 in their last ten games. The main factor for the last two losses was the crowd. The crowd wasn't into the game, so the Grizzlies weren't into the game. On the road it's harder than ever to be agressive and get 'pumped up', so the Grizzlies need some sort of motivation or confidence on this road trip, whether it comes from a big dunk, a technical foul, or a big run.) [/list]<u>Detroit Pistons by PyroManiac:</u> <ul> [*]Crash the boards (Both teams are fairly good rebounding teams, so it will be important for the Pistons to get some extra second chance points and limit the Grizzlies' offensive rebounds) [*]Play physical against Pau Gasol (He is not strong enough to be able to bang around with Ben Wallace and Memo Okur) [*]Stay out of foul trouble (As Wave said, the Grizzlies have a very deep bench. The Pistons starters need to stay out of foul trouble so that they can stay in the game) [*]Get good production from Hamilton and Billups (As always, if these two have horrible games, then the Pistons offense is also horrible) [*]Play good perimeter defense (The Grizzlies are mostly a perimeter team and the Pistons will need to minimize any wide open looks that the Grizzlies could get) [*]Play the Piston's style of basketball (Spread the ball around and get everybody going on the offensive end) [/list]Wave's Prediction This is one of those must-win games for the Grizzlies. They're playoff spot is slipping. They looked like they were on their way to be the fifth or sixth seed in the Western Conference last week, but now they're on the bottom of the playoff chain again. If they're not careful the Sonics could take their place. This game is also a must-win game because the Grizzlies need to get their confidence back up. The Grizzlies have been a streaky team in the past because once they lose the confidence it's a long road to get it back. Anyway, I predict that the Pistons will win by six points. The Grizzlies are a great team, but they're not playing the kind of basketball that will win on the road against one of the league's best home teams. PyroManiac's Prediction This should be another great game. The Pistons won in the first meeting between these two teams but the Grizzlies have been playing well recently. (Before the two game slump) The Pistons had a good win against the Raptors and should come into this game and play well, although Ben Wallace and some other players may be tired. The Hamilton/Posey matchup should be interesting because it the Pistons' best offensive player vs. the Grizzlies' best defensive player. Hamilton will still need to score at least 15 for the Pistons to have a good chance at winning. The Pistons are starting to play better again and their confidence is starting to rise after that 3 game skid. It is important for them to get all the wins they can before they have the hard stretch of games, including the Mavs (Away) and Kings (Home). To win those games they will need to have better offensive consistency which these games help create. Pistons by 5 in a hard fought game. Thanks to Wave for doing part of the preview from the Grizzlies point of view. This always creates a more authentic feel for the previews and I'm glad that he decided to help out.
Grizzlies have been sliding, and Detroit just got back on track with a close win at Toronto. Unless Detroit is tired, they should take this one to the Grizzlies. Detroit by 7.
Pistons by 7. I think they will just dominate in the 4th to seal the win. Should see alot from Ben and Rich IMO.
<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post"> Detroit Pistons 80 Memphis Grizzles 78 Last week, the Detroit Pistons thought they were robbed by a last-second call in Minnesota. They got a call of their own on Saturday night. The Pistons blew an 11-point lead in the final three minutes, but Chauncey Billups hit two free throws with 0.4 seconds left to give Detroit an 80-78 victory over the Memphis Grizzlies. "It's about time," Billups said. "I was definitely thinking about Minnesota. It wasn't much contact -- they thought I was going to shoot a fadeaway and I jumped into them." Billups' baseline jumper was blocked by Pau Gasol, but Earl Watson was whistled for hitting Billups on the wrist. After he made his free throws, Gasol's long pass bounced off the hands of Shane Battier as time expired. </div> Full Report Certainly interesting the way the game ended,very familar but this time it worked in the Pistons favour.
During the strech of the 11-0 run, there were some pretty bad calls going against the pistons. I think the foul on Chauncey might have been a make-up.
The call was questionable, but he was bumped in the arm by Watson. (Slightly) The problem is that we did blow an 11 point lead, I was at my friend's house and we were expecting to see Darko soon. (For another great 1 minute stretch) Suddenly, they come back and we can almost taste the dissapointment. Great job by Billups.
