Game 70: Detroit Pistons (36-33) @ Cleveland Cavaliers (17-53)

[DCintheD]

Our best player was out against the team that represented the East in the NBA Finals last year. The fact that we only lost by 7 is a moral victory that should give us better seeding in the moral playoffs.

You sound like you get a paycheck from FSN.

[jschligs]

How you guys liking Thon? Serious question as I haven't really watched the Pistons much

He is better than Stanley Johnson. He makes a good play here and there (block, hits a 3) but he is also extremely frustrating with how soft he is, his inability to catch a pass or hold onto a rebound, and of course he moves like a baby giraffe on skates.

Pretty much exactly what my thoughts were, just wanted to make sure I wasn't blind as a Bucks fan who never really liked him from the start save for a few good games.

Had money on the Pistons tonight, they've looked pretty decent but Cleveland always seems to play well on random nights.

[potatoaim]

How you guys liking Thon? Serious question as I haven't really watched the Pistons much

He is better than Stanley Johnson. He makes a good play here and there (block, hits a 3) but he is also extremely frustrating with how soft he is, his inability to catch a pass or hold onto a rebound, and of course he moves like a baby giraffe on skates.

Pretty much exactly what my thoughts were, just wanted to make sure I wasn't blind as a Bucks fan who never really liked him from the start save for a few good games.

Had money on the Pistons tonight, they've looked pretty decent but Cleveland always seems to play well on random nights.

He's better than Johnson, but that isnt saying much. He's long and plays hard, thats about all there is to like about him.

It was basically a garbage for garbage trade and more about getting Stanley the **** off this team.

[Snakebites]

Resting Blake should not have been an issue. Pistons need to kick themselves for letting this one get out of hand in the fourth.

So much this. Resting Blake was a defensible move. Our play especially down the stretch was not.

Blake has already played in more games than he had in years and has been carrying a massive load. He’s not a super young player had takes a beating every night. Plus this was a back to back on the road.

He needed a rest and this should have been the perfect game for one. We just screwed it up.

[buzzkilloton]

Didnt watch this game(or any lately due to work) but you gotta rest a vet big like Blake this deep in the season. You cant run him to the ground to beat the tanking cavs. A loss isnt going to cause the pistons to miss the postseason. 100% standard rest day.

[El Chivo]

This is what a 50% team does.

We need 5 more wins to lock 6th seed. Maybe 4 are enough, but I don't want to close season with losing record.

[Kilo]

[_Und3r][D4wg_]

Resting Blake should not have been an issue. Pistons need to kick themselves for letting this one get out of hand in the fourth.

So much this. Resting Blake was a defensible move. Our play especially down the stretch was not.

Blake has already played in more games than he had in years and has been carrying a massive load. He’s not a super young player had takes a beating every night. Plus this was a back to back on the road.

He needed a rest and this should have been the perfect game for one. We just screwed it up.

My thoughts, as well. Without KLove, Thompson, Nance, etc. this was virtually a G-League team that beat us. After that b2b debacle against the Nets & Heat, you'd think the team would fight desperately to prevent a 3rd strike so soon and this late in our playoffs run.

I suppose a loss here & there due to rest, so long as it doesn't drop us lower than 7th, would be a small price to pay if it helps Blake recover in time for the playoffs... More than just gassed, his recent lack of explosiveness/quickness around the paint and the preference to play more from the perimeter seem to suggest that all the pounding he's taken over the season is finally taking its toll on his body.

[Moses ShamMoses]

I'm not so sure resting Blake was our biggest problem. With Blake we probably win but we scored enough points as-is, we flat out couldn't stop them in the forth. It's not like Blake is a defensive stopper or anything.

[potatoaim]

I'm not so sure resting Blake was our biggest problem. With Blake we probably win but we scored enough points as-is, we flat out couldn't stop them in the forth. It's not like Blake is a defensive stopper or anything.

This is what im thinking. With the way CLE couldnt miss in the 4th, they probably would of won the game regardless. Resting Blake was as standard as it gets and id rest him a few more times before the season ends.

[El Chivo]

In his 13 games since the All-Star break, Griffin is averaging just 18.5 points, 5.8 rebounds and 5.4 assists, compared to 26.3 points, 8.1 rebounds and 5.4 assists in the previous 54 games.

To me resting Blake was a right choice.

[Billl]

Resting was the problem. Not resting blake, but resting on defense. You aren't going to beat many teams playing like that. We put up 119 points, so it's not like we really missed blake on offense. We just didn't match their intensity. They had a bunch of deep bench and g-league type guys fighting for their NBA lives and they played like it.

[BadMofoPimp]

Playoffs are pretty close to a lock, may as well let players recoup every once in a while.

[vege]

Playoffs are pretty close to a lock, may as well let players recoup every once in a while.

I'm fine resting players. In games we should lose, not in a game we should win. Why not rest him against Denver? Where there is the height issues of Denver? Or against the Warriors? or hell, rest him in both of those games, but not against a trash team that we should have destroyed and he probably would have to play like 20 minutes only to win that game.

[Wallace_Wallace]

Our best player was out against the team that represented the East in the NBA Finals last FOUR years. The fact that we only lost by 7 is a moral victory that should give us better seeding in the moral playoffs.

Fixed it for you.....at least it's a comic relief

[BadMofoPimp]

Playoffs are pretty close to a lock, may as well let players recoup every once in a while.

I'm fine resting players. In games we should lose, not in a game we should win. Why not rest him against Denver? Where there is the height issues of Denver? Or against the Warriors? or hell, rest him in both of those games, but not against a trash team that we should have destroyed and he probably would have to play like 20 minutes only to win that game.

Why? Because, we need to get these guys prepared to play against elite talent in tougher games.

[_Und3r][D4wg_]

Save for those b2b brickfests against the Nets & Heat which were hopefully just aberrations over our recent upswing, the team seems to have finally figured out how to generate a more productive yet varied offense that isn't overly reliant on Blake-balling.

But as others also seem to feel and despite a deceptively flattering DRTG spanning our resurgent stretch, I'm not convinced that our team defense, and not just 1 or 2 guys playing lockdown D, is anywhere near playoffs-ready. The team needs to figure this out soon if we are to make some noise in the playoffs.