'Nasty News - Traversing Time & Space' Vol: 63

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http://scores.espn.go.com/nba/recap?gameId=300120020

Former 76ers guard Andre Miller scored 24 points and Jerryd Bayless had 14 of his 18 in the fourth quarter, leading the Portland Trail Blazers to a 98-90 victory over Philadelphia on Wednesday night.

LaMarcus Aldridge added 23 points for the Trail Blazers, who played the second half without two-time All-Star guard Brandon Roy, who left with a strained right hamstring.

Sixers center Samuel Dalembert arrived at the Wachovia Center at 6:57 p.m. and started. He had been on a two-day, goodwill mission to his native Haiti, which is recovering from a devastating earthquake. He had 15 rebounds and 10 points.

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Dwight Howard had 32 points and 11 rebounds, and the Orlando Magic held off the Indiana Pacers for a 109-98 victory Wednesday night to end a three-game losing streak.

Matt Barnes added 16 rebounds, 10 points and six assists to help the streaky Magic build a 29-point first half lead before going cold. Orlando had lost seven of its last nine games, and letting this one slip could have been a catastrophic blow.

Granger finished with 25 points and Troy Murphy had 17 points and 10 rebounds, not nearly enough to help the Pacers avoid their third straight loss.

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http://scores.espn.go.com/nba/recap?gameId=300120027

Shawn Marion blocked Caron Butler's jump shot with 1.9 seconds to play, and the Dallas Mavericks opened the second half of their season Wednesday night by avenging a loss from opening night, beating the Washington Wizards 94-93.

Dallas extended its streak of victories in one-point games to nine, tied for second longest in NBA history. The Mavericks haven't lost a one-point game since January 2007.

Dirk Nowitzki scored 28 points, Jason Terry added 21, and Jason Kidd had 15 assists for the Mavericks, who are 2-1 on their five-game road trip and were coming off a big win against the Boston Celtics on Monday night. Terry started for Josh Howard, who missed the game with a stomach illness.

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Stephen Jackson scored 24 points, Gerald Wallace added 20 points and 10 rebounds, and the Charlotte Bobcats completed a 6-0 homestand with their most lopsided victory in team history, 104-65 over the listless Miami Heat on Wednesday night.

Shutting down a frustrated and foul-plagued Dwyane Wade, the Bobcats (21-19) improved to an NBA-best 9-1 since the start of the new year with ease. They shot a franchise-best 82 percent in the first quarter, led by 27 at halftime and by as many as 41 in the fourth quarter in their ninth straight home win.

Nazr Mohammed dominated Jermaine O'Neal inside, finishing with 16 points and 10 rebounds. Wallace hit all eight free throws while playing on a sore ankle that kept him out of practice Tuesday. Felton added 14 points and the Bobcats held a 50-34 on the boards while improving to 18-4 at home.

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http://scores.espn.go.com/nba/recap?gameId=300120008

Rodney Stuckey scored 27 points and grabbed a career-high 11 rebounds, leading the Detroit Pistons to a 92-86 victory over the Boston Celtics on Wednesday night.

Rasheed Wallace had 16 points in his first game as an ex-Piston at The Palace, where the once-adored player received a mixed welcome and was booed late in the closely contested game.

Paul Pierce and Rajon Rondo each scored 21 points for the Celtics, who have lost three straight for the second time in less than a month.

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http://www.freep.com/article/20100120/S ... -vs.-Celts

Pistons welcome back Rasheed, send him, Celtics away with a loss
The Pistons greeted ex-teammate Rasheed Wallace tonight at the Palace with a 92-86 win over the Celtics. Rodney Stuckey had 27 points and 11 assists for the Pistons. Off the bench, Charlie Villanueva scored 19 points and Jason Maxiell added 12. Richard Hamilton scored 12 points. Paul Pierce and Rajon Rondo each scored 21 points for Boston. Wallace, in his first game back at the Palace since leaving the Pistons as a free agent, had 16 points and seven rebounds.

The fourth quarter began tied at 69. The Celtics went on a 7-2 run, capped by a Wallace three-pointer with 9:06 to play. The Pistons answered with six straight to take a 77-76 lead with 7:30 remaining. The Pistons then began to build on their lead, going up six on a Jonas Jerebko tip-in with 3:38 to play. Down five, Wallace split two free throws with 1:16 to play as his ex-teammates, led by Maxiell, playfully teased him.

That was followed by Villanueva's third three-pointer of the game with 55 seconds to go. Wallace answered with a three of his own with 43.5 seconds left. But Hamilton's jumper with 21.3 left put the game away. A slower pace in the third quarter helped the Pistons, who used an 8-2 trot to get back into the game. Maxiell's jumper with 4:45 to play gave Detroit a 65-64 lead, its first since it was 4-2 in the first.The Celtics led, 56-48, at the half. Pierce had 19 points after two quarters and the Pistons had 14 turnovers.

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

Rodney Stuckey scores 27 points as Pistons knock off Celtics
The owner of the team discussed business off the court. The Pistons took care of business on it. Rodney Stuckey scored 27 points and the Pistons ruined the homecoming of former teammate Rasheed Wallace on Wednesday as Detroit edged the Boston Celtics 92-86. During a halftime discussion with media members, Pistons owner Karen Davidson said she is looking into the possibility of selling the team, but that there has been no decision made. There had been growing speculation that the Pistons were for sale or soon would be.

The Pistons certainly didn’t seem distracted on the court as they upset the team with the second-best record in the Eastern Conference. The Pistons entered the game 4 1/2 games behind the Chicago Bulls for eighth place in the East. The Pistons trailed 76-71 early in the fourth quarter before going on a 13-0 run to take an eight-point lead with less than 4 minutes left. Stuckey scored six points during the run, and Ben Wallace made a pair of great defensive plays, drawing a charge from Paul Pierce and swatting a shot by Rasheed Wallace. The Celtics cut it to four points three times late in the game, but the Pistons responded each time.Stuckey had a team-high 11 rebounds, six assists, two steals and a blocked shot to go with his 27 points. Charlie Villanueva had 19 points, and Richard Hamilton and Jason Maxiell each had 12. Ben Wallace had 10 rebounds, and Austin Daye had eight points and eight rebounds. Hamilton led the Pistons with eight assists.

Rajon Rondo had 21 points, eight rebounds, seven assists and four steals for the Celtics, and Pierce added 21 points and six rebounds. Rasheed Wallace finished with 16 points, seven rebounds and three steals. The Celtics were playing without Kevin Garnett, who sat out with an injured knee. The Pistons stayed in the game despite 14 turnovers in the first half, including seven by Richard Hamilton. Boston led 56-48 at halftime. But the Pistons rallied in the third quarter and led by five before the teams went into the fourth quarter tied 69-69. Chucky Atkins left the game in the second quarter with a bruised sternum after being crushed between Glen Davis and Kendrick Perkins. X-rays were negative, and he returned to the game in the third quarter.

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Pistons beat Celtics 92-86 in Wallace's return
Rodney Stuckey scored 27 points and grabbed a career-high 11 rebounds, leading the Detroit Pistons to a 92-86 victory over the Boston Celtics on Wednesday night. Rasheed Wallace had 16 points in his first game as an ex-Piston at The Palace, where the once-adored player received a mixed welcome and was booed late in the closely contested game.Wallace's 3-pointer pulled Boston within four points with 43.5 seconds left. Richard Hamilton scored on the ensuing possession to seal Detroit's fourth win in five games. Paul Pierce and Rajon Rondo each scored 21 points for the Celtics, who have lost three straight for the second time in less than a month.

Detroit's Charlie Villanueva scored 19 points and Jason Maxiell had 12 off the bench.The Pistons were without Ben Gordon (right groin), Tayshaun Prince (left knee) and Will Bynum (left ankle). Boston did not have Kevin Garnett for the 11th time this season, but his right knee is expected to be healthy enough for him to play Friday at home against Portland. Even without their All-Star forward, the Celtics led by as much as 12. Boston was up by eight at halftime and led 58-50 early in the third, but the Pistons responded with a 19-6 run that included seven points from Stuckey and six from Maxiell. The Celtics moved back into a 69-all tie at quarter's end, and were ahead by five with nine minutes left. Stuckey had six points in an 11-0 surge that gave the Pistons an 84-76 lead with 3:38 to go, and they held on for the victory. The Celtics are 4-8 since they had a 23-5 record after winning on Christmas at Orlando.

NOTES: Pistons owner Karen Davidson said, "The options are being explored," when asked after the first quarter if the team was for sale. ... A jeering fan called Glen "Big Baby" Davis a "fat boy" and told him to lose some weight. Davis responded with an expletive.

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

Rasheed Wallace's return to The Palace met with cheers and boos
Detroit Pistons coach John Kuester remembers the scene in the 2003-04 season when he learned the Pistons had obtained Rasheed Wallace in a trade.Kuester, a Pistons assistant at the time, was walking down the hallway to his office when he saw Larry Brown and Joe Dumars talking. "Larry Brown looked and he said, 'We just got Rasheed in a trade,' " Kuester said. "I said, 'You just got yourself a chance to win a championship.' " The Pistons went on to do just that, beating the Los Angeles Lakers four games to one in the finals with Wallace playing a key role. Wallace returned to The Palace of Auburn Hills on Wednesday with the Boston Celtics for his first game in Detroit since leaving the Pistons as a free agent in the offseason.

He was fined $35,000 earlier in the day for comments he made Monday after a loss to the Dallas Mavericks, then turned down requests for interviews before the game against the Pistons.Same Sheed, different team, some would say. But Kuester has nothing but positive memories of Wallace and what he brought to the Pistons in 2004, calling him the final piece that helped the Pistons win the title. "He was great," Kuester said. "He was hungry. When we got him as part of the trade, he was hungry to win a championship. He was a big a part of why we made the push to become the best team in the East and the best team in the NBA." Celtics coach Doc Rivers agreed. "

The deal that Joe made to get Rasheed turned the table for the Pistons," he said. Kuester said, in addition to his physical ability, Wallace is talented at talking to his teammates on the court and making sure everyone is in the right spot defensively. "He's probably one of the top three talkers that I've ever been around in the game in regards to how they talk defensively, understanding rotations, understanding situations," said Kuester, who included Kevin Garnett and LeBron James in that top three. "He did a wonderful job." Wallace started for the Celtics for just the eighth time this season. He was in the starting lineup in place of Garnett, who missed the game because of a knee injury. Garnett is expected to be back in the lineup Friday when the Celtics host Portland.

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James Posey's driving layup with 1.1 seconds left gave the New Orleans Hornets a 113-111 victory over the Memphis Grizzlies on Wednesday night.

Chris Paul scored 10 of his 21 points in the last 4:20 and had 13 assists as the Hornets rallied from a late nine-point deficit to win it on Posey's basket. Taking an inbounds pass, he tried to get the ball to Paul, who wasn't open, so he made the play himself, converting despite being fouled by O.J. Mayo.

Rudy Gay led Memphis with 26 points. Zach Randolph added 25 points and 12 rebounds.

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http://scores.espn.go.com/nba/recap?gameId=300120015

Andrew Bogut had 27 points and 12 rebounds before fouling out and the Milwaukee Bucks held on to beat the Toronto Raptors 113-107 on Wednesday night, overcoming Chris Bosh's career-high 44 points.

Former Raptor Carlos Delfino had 22 points, rookie Brandon Jennings had 16 and Bell 11 for the Bucks. Calderon scored 16 points, and Hedo Turkoglu added 13 for the Raptors.

The 15-year veteran probably felt a little old, too, on the defensive end. He was guarding Raptors rookie DeMar DeRozan, who was 6 when Stackhouse made his NBA debut in 1995.

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http://scores.espn.go.com/nba/recap?gameId=300120016

Durant had 31 points and 10 rebounds, and the Thunder eclipsed their win total from all of last season with a 94-92 victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves on Wednesday night.

Durant topped 30 points for the 13th time in the last 16 games. Jeff Green added 15 points and nine rebounds for the Thunder (24-18).

Corey Brewer had 25 points, six assists and five rebounds, and Al Jefferson added 20 points and nine boards for the Timberwolves, who had a chance to tie or take the lead twice in the closing seconds.

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

At the Buzzer
Austin Daye pulls up for three at the end of the first half.

Video in the link above^.

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

Think Again Rondo
Charlie Villanueva gets his finger tips on this layup attempt of Rajon Rondo.

Video in the link above^.

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

Stuckey's Scoop Shot
Rodney Stuckey gets the Pistons on the board with this crazy scoop shot in the lane.

Video in the link above^.

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

Celtics vs. Pistons: First half
Rasheed Wallace returns to Detroit to take on the Pistons.

Video in the link above^.

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

Pistons coach John Kuester praises Ben Wallace's 'all-star' play
Ben Wallace has been a major contributor for the Detroit Pistons this season, mainly because of his defensive ability and aggressiveness on the boards. Lately, he has made his presence felt on the offensive end as well.

Heading into Wednesday's game, he had scored in double figures in three of the past six games, including a 16-point effort Monday in a loss to the New York Knicks. "There are going to be games where he scores and games where he doesn't," Piston coach John Kuester said, "but he realizes that I want him to stay aggressive (offensively)."

Kuester has been impressed with his 35-year-old center all season. "I never expected him to play at the level he has night in and night out. He's done a wonderful job," Kuester said. "Had our record been better, to me, he's been playing at an all-star level."

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http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/recap?gameId=300120021

Jason Richardson scored 15 of his 26 points in the fourth quarter on Wednesday night to help the Phoenix Suns finally pull away for a 118-94 victory over New Jersey, dropping the Nets to 0-17 against the West.

Seven-foot twins Robin Lopez of the Suns and Brook of the Nets started against each other for the first time in their two NBA seasons. Robin set a career best for the second time in two games with 20 points. Brook led New Jersey with 26 points and 13 rebounds.

Amare Stoudemire scored 27 for Phoenix on 10-of-15 shooting. Steve Nash added 12 points and 15 assists for the Suns, who were coming off an 0-4 road trip and happy to welcome the Nets, now 3-38, to town.

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Carlos Boozer had 31 points and 13 rebounds, and the Utah Jazz beat the San Antonio Spurs for the fourth time this season, 105-98 on Wednesday night.

Manu Ginobili scored 22 points for the Spurs, who used a 25-0 run in the first half to dig themselves out of their own 12-0 deficit. The Jazz then clawed their way back, and had the endurance to hang on.

Andrei Kirilenko scored 26 points as the Jazz split a two-game road swing after losing to Denver on Sunday. Utah has won five of six.

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Pistons may be tough sell
Wanting to sell the Pistons and selling the Pistons could be vastly different things. Owner Karen Davidson acknowledged Wednesday evening her “decision into inquiring about selling the team.” She released a statement through Marx Layne & Company, not through the Pistons.Davidson assumed control of the team when her husband, Bill, died March 13. He had owned the team since 1974. In 1978, Davidson moved the team from Cobo Arena in downtown Detroit to Silverdome in Pontiac. In 1988, he built the privately funded Palace, one of the first NBA arenas to prominently feature luxury boxes. Among the issues confronting any possible sale of the franchise:
•How much would she want? Forbes magazine, which annually ranks the value of NBA franchises, places the Pistons’ worth at $479 million, fourth-highest in the 30-team league. However, part of the reason the Pistons are so valuable is that they own their arena, the Palace of Auburn Hills, which supplies multiple revenue streams from parking, suites, concessions, etc. It is the modern model for a successful pro franchise. Unknown is what Davidson wants to do, if anything, with Palace Sports & Entertainment, the umbrella group that owns and operates runs the Pistons, the Palace, DTE Energy Music Theatre and Meadow Brook Music Festival. The Pistons and Palace Sports & Entertainment are owned separately, and each has its own roster of partners or directors, although Bill Davidson was the majority owner.

Does his widow want to get out of the sports and entertainment business entirely? Does some deep-pocketed person or group want to buy everything? Would she sell the Pistons but keep the Palace?Without the Palace, the Pistons aren’t worth nearly as much. But how much? And how much would be enough to sell? (Certainly more than the $8 million her late husband paid 36 years ago.) If someone purchased the Pistons but not the Palace, where would they play? Would the new owner settle for being a tenant? It doesn’t make sense that the new owner could keep all the revenue streams. So could the new owner land a sweetheart deal for a new arena (and all the revenue streams) elsewhere in the area — or in another state? Throwing in any possible arrangements with the Ilitch family — other than a total sale of everything — only further complicates matters.
•Can anyone raise the money? The economy, of course, still stinks. Credit is still tight. Free Press columnist Tom Walsh pointed out Tuesday that Palace Sports & Entertainment still holds the note from its sale of the Tampa Bay Lightning in 2008, because the new owners’ financing collapsed. Are there any Michiganders who could afford the Pistons — or Palace Sports & Entertainment? The state has three NBA owners: Davidson, Dan Gilbert of Quicken Loans/Rock Financial (Cleveland Cavaliers) and Rich DeVos of Amway (Orlando Magic).
•Isn’t the market already flooded with NBA teams for sale? The Charlotte Bobcats are looking for a new owner, according to HoopsWorld. The Contra Costa Times reports that Golden State Warriors owner Chris Cohan is shopping the franchise around. The Memphis Grizzlies reportedly have been on the market for several years, but owner Michael Heisley can’t find a buyer. The Washington Wizards, whose owner died in November, are in the process of being sold to Capitals owner Ted Leonsis. Appraisers will determine the value of the sale. The New Jersey Nets are in the final stages of being sold to Russian billionaire Mikhail Prokhorov.

Two NBA franchises sold fairly recently: The Seattle SuperSonics went for $340 million in 2006 to the Professional Basketball Club LLC, headed by Oklahoma City businessman Clay Bennett. The team moved to Oklahoma City after a long legal battle with Seattle. Gilbert bought the Cavaliers for $375 million in 2005 from Gordon Gund.
•What about the NBA? The league, obviously, would not want to have a team leave one of the country’s biggest markets. Could it force Davidson to sell to someone who would keep the team in Detroit? Maybe not. But it could exert pressure, certainly. (For more than three decades, Bill Davidson was known as an owner who often preached to owners to put the league before the team.)
•What about Davidson’s estate? His worth was estimated at $4 billion last year. People familiar with the will and Internal Revenue Service procedures have told the Free Press that settling the estate will take at least several years. Does Karen Davidson have the power to force a sale right now? If not, could she have it in the near future? Her statement that she was “pleased … that the limited partners concur” in her overtures would seem to indicate that she can drive the bus but has to be concerned with the passengers.