'Nasty News - Traversing Time & Space' Vol: 68

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http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=5020973

Ilgauskas signs with Cavaliers
Zydrunas Ilgauskas' agent called Cavaliers general manager Danny Ferry at 8:30 a.m. Monday, the first day Ilgauskas was eligible to re-sign with Cleveland.

It took a little longer than expected -- the deal wasn't announced until Tuesday afternoon -- but Ilgauskas is back with the only team he has ever known. "If I would've left and the team won a championship without me," he said, "I don't think I could've ever forgave myself."

Ilgauskas signed to play for the rest of the season in Cleveland and traveled with the Cavaliers to New Orleans on Tuesday. Coach Mike Brown said he will likely play against the Hornets on Wednesday. To make room on the roster, Cleveland waived second-year forward Darnell Jackson.

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http://twitter.com/DetPistons

Ben Wallace (sore knees) will sit tonight as the Pistons try to avoid a season sweep vs. Indiana. Tip is 7:30, FS Detroit, 97.1 The Ticket.

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http://www.freep.com/article/20100323/B ... mberwolves

Former Piston Brian Cardinal back with Timberwolves
The Minnesota Timberwolves have brought back veteran forward Brian Cardinal.

Cardinal signed with the 'Wolves today. He was traded to New York last month for former Pistons center Darko Milicic, but the Knicks waived Cardinal after the deal to make him a free agent.

The 6-foot-8 Cardinal played in 27 games for Minnesota before the trade. He averaged only 1.7 points and 9.0 minutes per game, but he has been a popular teammate for the rebuilding Timberwolves. They first acquired Cardinal in a draft-day deal with Memphis in 2008 that sent O.J. Mayo to the Grizzlies and brought Kevin Love to Minnesota. Cardinal is a 10-year veteran who started his career with Detroit in 2000.

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http://www.freep.com/article/20100323/S ... acer-sweep

Pistons out to avoid Pacer sweep
Bottom feeders in the Central Division get together tonight at the Palace, where the Detroit Pistons hope to snap a five-game losing streak against the Indiana Pacers.

Detroit dropped its fifth straight game and 12th in 14 tries with Sunday's 104-79 setback at Cleveland. Indiana has won two straight and three of four games but will try to put the brakes on a nine-game road slide. The Pacers are coming off Sunday's 121-101 home victory over Oklahoma City, their fifth straight win in Indianapolis.

Detroit is 0-3 against the Pacers this season and has never been swept in this series.

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http://www.detroitnews.com/article/2010 ... ester-says

Injuries derailed Pistons' playoff path, coach John Kuester says
At the beginning of the season, coach John Kuester felt he had a playoff team. "No question in my mind," said Kuester before Tuesday's game against Indiana. "But was the biggest thing on a team that wants to be a championship team? To me, that's health. You stay healthy through a year, you have a chance."

The Pistons haven't done that. Players have missed a combined 125 games to injury this season, after missing 57 and 45 the previous two seasons. "It's been an adjustment," Kuester said. "It's made for interesting times. You've seen the highs and lows. There are no excuses, but in any situation you want to stay healthy."

Ben Wallace (knees) was out for Tuesday's game against Indiana. The Pistons saw many of their playoff hopes mathematically get dashed in the last week. One Detroit loss, or one Charlotte victory will eliminate the Pistons from catching eighth-seeded Charlotte.

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http://scores.espn.go.com/nba/recap?gameId=300323008

Danny Granger scored 32 points and the Indiana Pacers snapped a nine-game road losing streak with a 98-83 victory over the Detroit Pistons Tuesday night.

Detroit was officially eliminated from the playoff race with the loss, ending an eight-year streak of postseason appearances.

Brandon Rush scored 20 points for Indiana, while Troy Murphy added 10 points and 12 rebounds. Tayshaun Prince led the Pistons with 14.

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http://espn.go.com/nba/recap?gameId=300323027

Gerald Wallace had 17 points, 19 rebounds and got two opponents to foul out in overtime and the Charlotte Bobcats set a franchise record for victories Tuesday night with a 95-86 win over the Washington Wizards.

The win was No. 36 on the season for Charlotte, one more than the previous high set last season, and advanced the team a step closer to the first playoff berth in franchise history.

The loss moved the Wizards closer to a dubious bit of history. Washington has dropped 12 straight and will tie the franchise mark for longest skid if it loses at Indiana on Wednesday. The Wizards haven't won since defeating lowly New Jersey 89-85 on Feb. 28.

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http://stats.mlive.com/nba/recap.asp?g= ... e=8&vis=11

Granger's 32 helps Pacers sweep Pistons, 98-83
Danny Granger scored 32 points and the Indiana Pacers snapped a nine-game road losing streak with a 98-83 victory over the Detroit Pistons Tuesday night.

Indiana is just 20-46 against the rest of the NBA, but beat Detroit in all four meetings this season - the first time the Pacers swept a season series with the Pistons. Detroit was officially eliminated from the playoff race with the loss, ending an eight-year streak of postseason appearances.

Brandon Rush scored 20 points for Indiana, while Troy Murphy added 10 points and 12 rebounds. Tayshaun Prince led the Pistons with 14.

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http://www.nba.com/video/games/pistons/ ... index.html

Pacers vs. Pistons: First half
Danny Granger has 12 points in the first half as the Pacers lead the Pistons by three.

Video in the link above^.

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http://espn.go.com/nba/recap?gameId=300323018

Danilo Gallinari scored 17 of his 28 points during a spirited duel with Carmelo Anthony in the third quarter and the New York Knicks beat the Denver Nuggets 109-104 on Tuesday night.

Al Harrington added 23 points for the Knicks, who climbed out of an early 12-point hole and took control late in the third period. David Lee finished with 12 points and 16 rebounds.

Anthony scored 36 points and Chauncey Billups had 25 for the Nuggets, who lost their second straight as they try to hold onto the No. 2 seed in the Western Conference playoffs. Their magic number for clinching a postseason spot remained at three.

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http://www.mlive.com/pistons/index.ssf/ ... meter.html

John Kuester: Pistons' perimeter game hurt by lack of consistent post presence
Detroit Pistons coach John Kuester thought from the start he had a playoff team, though it would need to stay healthy and produce points from the perimeter. Turns out, the Pistons have too little offense these days from the perimeter or any place on the floor.

Kuester acknowledged Tuesday before the Pistons hosted the Indiana Pacers the addition of a post scorer could help a team that depends on perimeter shooting and ranks 29th among the 30 teams in points per game (93.4). “One of the things when you have a guy that can consistently score down low, it does open up your perimeter game,” he said. “But that’s just the makeup of this team. Going into the season, I felt this way: We’re going to have to drive and kick and get shots, and most of our points in the paint are going to be through slashing to the basket and driving to the hole, as opposed to having somebody who can dominate inside.”

Kuester maintains health issues have hampered the team from the start, and made it difficult offensively and defensively. “I always say the biggest thing on a team that wants to be a championship team is health,” he said. “You stay healthy throughout a year, you’ve got a chance. That’s the biggest thing. You get into a season and teams that pretty much give themselves a chance to win a championship stay healthy throughout it.”

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http://www.mlive.com/pistons/index.ssf/ ... meter.html

HEALTH REMAINS an issue. The Pistons were missing defensive presence Ben Wallace against the Pacers. The veteran center is having pain in both knees, though he said before the game it is primarily his left knee.

“I’m sure he is going to make sure he feels 100 percent if he comes back again,” Kuester said. “But, at this stage of his career, and also at this time of the season, it’s hard to be 100 percent.”

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http://www.mlive.com/pistons/index.ssf/ ... meter.html

KUESTER SAID there will be no changes by him in the final games of the season.

“What we’re doing is putting our best foot forward,” he said. “We’re searching right now, even as we’re talk about this, making sure we have five guys who are going to play their hardest and doing whatever it takes to win.”

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http://www.freep.com/article/20100323/S ... ey-returns

Indiana sweeps season series; Stuckey returns
Danny Granger scored 32 points and the Indiana Pacers snapped a nine-game road losing streak with a 98-83 victory over the Pistons tonight at the Palace. Indiana is just 20-46 against the rest of the NBA, but beat Detroit in all four meetings this season — the first time the Pacers swept a season series with the Pistons. Detroit was officially eliminated from the playoff race with the loss, ending an eight-year streak of postseason appearances.

Brandon Rush scored 20 points for Indiana, while Troy Murphy added 10 points and 12 rebounds. Tayshaun Prince led the Pistons with 14. The Pistons lost starting point guard Will Bynum in the first half with a back bruise, then coach John Kuester was ejected for arguing a call in the third quarter. Indiana led by double figures in the first quarter, but only held a 52-49 advantage at the half. The Pacers regained the momentum in the third, moving the margin to 13 in the aftermath of Kuester’s ejection.

The Pacers led by 11 going into the fourth quarter and were never seriously threatened down the stretch. The Pacers have beaten the Pistons six straight times, their longest streak over Detroit since a six-game game run spanning the 1999-2000 and 2000-01 seasons. Point guard Rodney Stuckey returned for the Pistons, playing 32 minutes and scoring 11 points. Ben Wallace sat out for the 10th time in 11 games with sore knees.

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http://www.detroitnews.com/article/2010 ... ason-sweep

Pacers 98, Pistons 83: Indiana completes season sweep
Getting swept by the Cavaliers is understandable, but the Pacers? Indiana completed a four-game regular season series sweep Tuesday of Detroit, winning 98-83.

The Pistons trailed 52-49 at halftime, scored the first four points of the second half to take a brief lead, then watched the Pacers assume control the rest of the game. By the end of the third quarter it was 77-66 Pacers. Tayshaun Prince led the Pistons (23-48) with 14 points and Ben Gordon scored 12. Kwame Brown had a season-high 15 rebounds. The Pistons have lost six consecutive games and 13 of 15. Danny Granger scored 32 for the Pacers (25-46).

oach John Kuester was ejected from the game with 1:02 left in the third quarter for charging the floor, arguing a foul against Ben Gordon. Already without Ben Wallace (knees), the Pistons lost Will Bynum to a back contusion in the second quarter.

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http://64.246.64.33/merge/tsnform.aspx? ... W12780.htm

NBA Game Summary - Indiana at Detroit
Final Score: Indiana 98, Detroit 83
Danny Granger poured in 32 points to go along with six rebounds, as Indiana cruised past Detroit, 98-83. Brandon Rush added 20, Mike Dunleavy added 13 and Earl Watson dished out 13 assists while contributing seven points. The Pacers have won three straight, but are still far outside the Eastern Conference playoff picture. Troy Murphy notched a double-double with 10 points and 12 rebounds for the victors. Tayshaun Prince led Detroit with 14 points, while DaJuan Summers added 12 points, and Rodney Stuckey joined Charlie Villanueva with 11 points apiece. The Pistons lost point guard Will Bynum to a first-quarter injury (back) and head coach John Kuester was tossed in the third quarter -- frustration boiling over from the team's sixth straight defeat. Detroit was officially eliminated from playoff contention on Tuesday, ending an eight-year postseason run. Indiana helped contribute to that mark, sweeping the four-game season series. The Pacers took control from the outset, using a 17-8 scoring stretch over the final 5:50 of the first quarter. Granger's 25-foot jumper capped the first- quarter scoring for a 29-18 edge.

Detroit flipped a switch in the second stanza, using a 12-1 burst to square the contest. Two Jason Maxiell free throws and a Prince layup made the score 34-34. The two teams jockeyed for position during the remainder of the half with Watson's long-distance jumper giving the visitors a 52-49 lead entering intermission. The Pacers opened a 66-59 lead over halfway through the third quarter, as a Rush three-pointer and subsequent layup increased the advantage to seven. A 66-62 game quickly turned into a double-digit affair, as the visitors closed the third-quarter proceedings with an 11-4 stretch for a 77-66 margin.The edge grew to 16 at 82-66 early in the fourth, and the margin never got lower than eight at 85-77 on a Villanueva trey with 5:44 to go. Indiana tallied the next five capped by Granger's trey to restore order.

Game Notes
Indiana made 43.4 percent of its shots, while the Pistons converted on 36.9 percent of their attempts, including a dismal 7-of-23 effort from beyond the arc...The game featured nine ties and six lead changes...Indiana collected 20 second-chance points to just nine for Detroit...Detroit's Kwame Brown posted a season-high 15 rebounds to go along with two points.

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http://twitter.com/detroit_pistons

DetNews: Injuries derailed Pistons' playoff path, coach John Kuester says: At the beginning of the season, coach... http://twurl.nl/jybnn5

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http://twitter.com/detroit_pistons

DetNews: Pacers 98, Pistons 83: Indiana completes season sweep: Getting swept by the Cavaliers is understandable... http://twurl.nl/l7t66j

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MLive: Pistons lose to Indiana, swept by Pacers in season series for the first time: Will Bynum left with a back b... http://bit.ly/ccikTD

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http://twitter.com/detroit_pistons

MLive: John Kuester: Pistons' perimeter game hurt by lack of consistent post presence: Detroit ranks 29th among th... http://bit.ly/dBCFs6