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

[nasty daddy]

http://www.freep.com/article/20100321/S ... Basketball

INJURY UPDATE: Coach John Kuester said Saturday Ben Wallace suffered injuries to both knees in Friday night's loss to the Pacers and would miss today's game against the Cavs.

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http://www.nba.com/pistons/news/prereport_100321.html

Pistons at Cavaliers
The PRE Report
Broadcast Schedule:
5:00 p.m. - Pistons In-Focus
5:30 p.m. - Pistons Live
6:00 p.m. - Watch Live on FS Detroit HD
6:00 p.m. - Join the Chat and Listen Live
Even rivals like Pistons fans and Cavaliers fans can agree on this point: It will be good to see Rodney Stuckey back on the court at Quicken Loans Arena on Sunday evening. It was on that same court 16 days ago, on Mar. 5, that the Pistons guard was wheeled off on a stretcher and taken by ambulance to the hospital after he collapsed on the bench. Medical tests failed to reveal the cause of Stuckey’s episode, and after two weeks of cautious observation he returned to game action Friday night at Indiana. He came off the bench to score a team-high 25 points on 8-of-17 shooting in the Pistons’ 106-102 loss, their fourth straight. “I feel alright,” said Stuckey, who added three steals and three assists in 27 minutes. “The plan wasn’t to play all those minutes, but it was just in the heat of the game. I feel fine. I’ve been working out. I feel fine, and my wind felt fine. Everything was good.”

Stuckey is expected to play Sunday. The same cannot be said of Ben Wallace, who had seven rebounds and three steals before exiting in the fourth quarter Friday, his first game since Mar. 2. Wallace played in 60 straight games until he was bumped from behind by Celtics forward Paul Pierce in the final minute on Mar. 2, causing his knee to buckle. He missed the next eight games with a sore patella tendon. Two trends emerged in Wallace’s absence – the Pistons’ defense couldn’t get stops, and Jason Maxiell produced like a 7-6 center, not a 6-7 forward. In those eight games Detroit’s opponents shot 53.2 percent from the field and averaged 110.0 points, exceeding 110 in five of the eight games. The Cavaliers were one of the five opponents to do so on Mar. 16 at The Palace, 113-101. Maxiell is likely to return to the starting lineup, where he recently put together the most productive stretch of his career. The fifth-year forward had 10 points, five rebounds and two blocks off the bench Friday at Indiana, snapping a streak of five consecutive double-doubles. He averaged 10.9 points and 11.3 rebounds in eight starts.

In his last start Maxiell had 10 points and 15 rebounds against Cleveland on Mar. 16. He’ll have another favorable matchup against the Cavs’ 6-foot-9 J.J. Hickson, who is averaging 6.3 points on 30.4 percent shooting and 5.0 rebounds in three games against the Pistons. Like Maxiell, Hickson is starting out of position for the injured Shaquille O’Neal (out following thumb surgery) and the presently exiled Zydrunas Ilgauskas. The 7-foot-3 Ilgauskas, who has spent his entire 12-year career in Cleveland, cannot rejoin the Cavaliers until Monday. He was bought out by the Wizards after being acquired in the deal that sent Antawn Jamison to Cleveland. The Cavaliers (55-15) lost their first three games with Jamison, who had 15 points and 10 rebounds against Detroit on Mar. 16. Since then, they have won 12 of their last 13 games and clinched their second consecutive Central Division title. LeBron James followed his 40-point performance against the Pistons on Mar. 5 with his fifth triple-double on Mar. 16. (No other player has done it more than once.) James had a “triple-dozen” with 29 points, 12 rebounds and 12 assists.

[nasty daddy]

http://www.nba.com/pistons/news/prereport_100321.html

Key Matchup
Hamilton
42
18.3
4.4
.411
.282 Games
PPG
APG
FG%
3FG% 59
15.8
5.1
.427
.436
Williams

Rip Hamilton isn’t known as a rebounder, but he’ll have to rebound Sunday – from his worst game in eight seasons with the Pistons. Hamilton attempted just three shots and made none of them Friday at Indiana. It was his first scoreless game since November 2000 when he was second-year guard with the Wizards. He had one assist, one rebound and one steal. Hamilton’s defense also didn’t make impact, which may help explain why he played only 18 minutes. His Indiana counterpart, Brandon Rush, scored 10 of his 15 points in the first quarter. Rush made four of his first five shots, including 2-for-2 on triples. The Pistons will need Hamilton to play like he did Mar. 16, when he scored a team-high 24 points against the Cavaliers. He made seven of 15 shots, including 4-of-5 from 3-point range. Detroit could also use stingier defense on shooters like Cavs guard Mo Williams, who scored 11 of his 20 points in the fourth quarter of that contest. Williams went 5-for-9 from downtown, with three triples in the fourth – all three in response to the Pistons tying the game on the previous possession.Williams' theatrics were one-half of a scintillating shootout with Charlie Villanueva, who also scored 11 in the fourth quarter. Villanueva finished with 16 points, including 3-for-3 from beyond the arc. He has averaged 15.7 points on 50.0 percent shooting in three games against Cleveland this season.Williams, a seventh-year guard, has been quite comfortable on the Pistons' home court the last two seasons. He has scored 20 or more points with at least four 3-pointers and shot 50.0 percent or better from the field in three of his last six games at The Palace.

[nasty daddy]

http://64.246.64.33/merge/tsnform.aspx? ... v12741.htm

Detroit Pistons (23-46) at Cleveland Cavaliers (55-15), 6 p.m.
The Central Division champion and NBA-best Cleveland Cavaliers will return to the cozy confines of Quicken Loans Arena tonight, when they play host to the rival Detroit Pistons. The top-seeded Cavs have won six in a row overall, six straight as the host and 28 of their last 30 home games, averaging 105.2 points on .509 shooting in that time on the home floor. They just handed the Chicago Bulls a 92-85 loss in the Windy City on Friday, as superstar LeBron James pumped in 29 points, 11 rebounds and seven assists for Cleveland, which is 12-1 in its last 13 games overall and got 18 points from Mo Williams. "We couldn't find our rhythm offensively tonight," James said one game after becoming the youngest player in NBA history to score 15,000 points (25 years, 79 days in 540 games), surpassing Kobe Bryant at 27 years, 136 days and 657 games. "We missed a lot of easy shots that we usually make. That caused them to stay in the game."

Williams is posting 16.0 points over his past five games. Delonte West and Jawad Williams each chipped in 10 points in the hard-fought victory. The Cavs hope to improve their league-best 30-4 home mark this evening. After having the best home record last season at 39-2, Cleveland is trying to hold the top home ledger in consecutive seasons for only the 14th time in NBA history. Since the start of the 2008-09 campaign, the Cavaliers are 69-6 at home.Detroit faces a tall task on the road Sunday and will close out a brief road trip. It has lost four in a row overall and eight straight as the guest, including Friday's 106-102 setback at Indiana's Conseco Fieldhouse.

Rodney Stuckey had a big game in his return to action, scoring 25 points off the bench. Stuckey had missed the last six games after collapsing on the bench during a March 5 game at Cleveland. Ben Gordon finished with 17 points, seven boards and six assists for the Pistons, who have dropped 11 of their past 13 contests. "I thought we fought back with the second group that came in and we did a pretty good job at the end," Stuckey said. "(It was) defense. We just came in and tried to bother them a little bit. We just came in and played hard."DaJuan Summers had 12 points in defeat, as Detroit dropped to 7-27 away from The Palace of Auburn Hills. The Cavs have won the first three meetings of the 2009-10 season with Detroit and are shooting for a series sweep tonight. Cleveland has won six in a row against the Pistons, who are winless in their last three trips to the 'Q'.

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http://twitter.com/detroit_pistons

Freep: Signing Carlos Boozer won't be easy for Pistons: While there would be considerable interest in a potential ... http://bit.ly/cG1eNv

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http://64.246.64.33/merge/tsnform.aspx? ... v12741.htm

Detroit Pistons (23-46) at Cleveland Cavaliers (55-15), 6 p.m.
The Central Division champion and NBA-best Cleveland Cavaliers will return to the cozy confines of Quicken Loans Arena tonight, when they play host to the rival Detroit Pistons. The top-seeded Cavs have won six in a row overall, six straight as the host and 28 of their last 30 home games, averaging 105.2 points on .509 shooting in that time on the home floor. They just handed the Chicago Bulls a 92-85 loss in the Windy City on Friday, as superstar LeBron James pumped in 29 points, 11 rebounds and seven assists for Cleveland, which is 12-1 in its last 13 games overall and got 18 points from Mo Williams. "We couldn't find our rhythm offensively tonight," James said one game after becoming the youngest player in NBA history to score 15,000 points (25 years, 79 days in 540 games), surpassing Kobe Bryant at 27 years, 136 days and 657 games. "We missed a lot of easy shots that we usually make. That caused them to stay in the game." Williams is posting 16.0 points over his past five games. Delonte West and Jawad Williams each chipped in 10 points in the hard-fought victory. The Cavs hope to improve their league-best 30-4 home mark this evening. After having the best home record last season at 39-2, Cleveland is trying to hold the top home ledger in consecutive seasons for only the 14th time in NBA history.

Since the start of the 2008-09 campaign, the Cavaliers are 69-6 at home. Detroit faces a tall task on the road Sunday and will close out a brief road trip. It has lost four in a row overall and eight straight as the guest, including Friday's 106-102 setback at Indiana's Conseco Fieldhouse. Rodney Stuckey had a big game in his return to action, scoring 25 points off the bench. Stuckey had missed the last six games after collapsing on the bench during a March 5 game at Cleveland. Ben Gordon finished with 17 points, seven boards and six assists for the Pistons, who have dropped 11 of their past 13 contests. "I thought we fought back with the second group that came in and we did a pretty good job at the end," Stuckey said. "(It was) defense. We just came in and tried to bother them a little bit. We just came in and played hard."

DaJuan Summers had 12 points in defeat, as Detroit dropped to 7-27 away from The Palace of Auburn Hills. The Cavs have won the first three meetings of the 2009-10 season with Detroit and are shooting for a series sweep tonight. Cleveland has won six in a row against the Pistons, who are winless in their last three trips to the 'Q'.

[nasty daddy]

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/3662 ... rs-deserve\

Weighing the Options: What Does Joe Dumars Deserve?
Lately, Joe Dumars has been a hotter topic in Detroit than basketball itself. Which is completely understandable. He holds the team's future in his hands. However, many people are are either on the right or left side of the line (read: you love him or you hate him). Which makes sense, to a degree. He's done enough good to love him, he's done enough bad to hate him. But he hasn't done anything to say that the Pistons will be bad for a long time.Yeah, a couple of bad contracts here or there. One or two bad signings, no doubt. But both parties are jumping to conclusions. Unlikely and impossible are two different things. Who's to say that some team won't take Ben Gordon? Many teams have cleared cap this summer. There are bound to be teams that won't get the superstar of their choice. Meaning that Ben Gordon could become a valuable trading piece, if a team is willing to believe that this slump he is in won't last forever. Okay, I admit it's unlikely. But it's not impossible.

What if we draft outside the top 10? Our chances of drafting a solid center is considerably weakened. Not only would we go into next season without a center, we look at the same roster for another year. Once again, unlikely. But not impossible. The people who stand by Joe Dumars' side believe that he will sort this out. They are looking at what's been done in the past. Those who are against him claim that he's dug himself into too big of a hole. They are looking at the present. I consider myself a neutralist in this situation. The glass is neither half empty nor half full. Both sides exist in equilibrium, yin and yang, negative and positive. I believe that the future, like the glass, all depends on how you look at it. Who's to say that Dumars will save us? Who's to say he won't? He's built a team before. He's doing it again. For all we know, we are witnessing the creation of the next great franchise. Or, we're witnessing a great franchise's destruction. Pick a side. It doesn't matter anyway. Joe Dumars is a paradox, kind of like death. Is death the end? Or is it the beginning? It seems grim on the outside, but those who have experienced the pain that it initially brings will tell you that things get better. You forgive, you forget, you move on.

But one thing's for certain: we're spoiled. We wanted Joe Dumars to build a winning team on the fly. But things havn't gone the way we wanted them to go. Is a rebirth on the way? Or is our beloved franchise coming to an end? It all depends on how you look at it. The Pistons are a franchise that have enjoyed various levels of success and failure since it's creation. However, success and failure go hand in hand. Everyone fails at times. Everyone succeeds at times. The main challenge is recognizing the difference. Success makes room for failure. Failure gives you the tools for success. So chill. We have no clue what will happen five minutes, five weeks, five years from now. We can only predict based on context clues. If we can say one thing about Joe Dumars, it's that you never know what he's going to do, for better or for worse. So why throw in the towel now? I mean, after all, we have no idea what's going to happen.

[nasty daddy]

http://twitter.com/CV31

Villanova-out, Kansas-out, are you serious, thats why you have to love the Tournament, how many brackets are messed up now, lol

[nasty daddy]

http://www.nba.com/2010/news/03/21/evan ... ef:nbahpt2

Kings' Tyreke Evans misses game against Clippers
Rookie scoring leader Tyreke Evans did not make the trip to Los Angeles for the Sacramento Kings' game against the Clippers because of a slight concussion and facial injuries he sustained in a double-overtime loss to the Milwaukee Bucks.

Evans missed his sixth game of the season on Sunday. The point guard's injuries -- including a bruised jaw, lacerated gums and chipped teeth -- resulted from Ersan Ilyasova's inadvertent elbow while they were going for a loose ball during the final minute of regulation on Friday night.

X-rays and a CT scan Evans had Saturday came out negative. He will be re-evaluated on Monday before the Kings host Memphis.

[nasty daddy]

http://scores.espn.go.com/nba/recap?gameId=300321018

Aaron Brooks scored seven straight points down the stretch and the Houston Rockets got strong efforts from the players they got for Tracy McGrady to beat the New York Knicks 116-112 Sunday.

Kevin Martin, acquired by the Rockets from Sacramento in the three-team deal that sent McGrady to New York, led Houston with 28 points. Rookie Jordan Hill and Jared Jeffries, who went from the Knicks to the Rockets, played key roles down the stretch because of injuries and illnesses to Houston's frontcourt.

David Lee had 27 points and 20 rebounds for the Knicks, who blew an early 17-point lead. Danilo Gallinari and Toney Douglas each scored 26, with Douglas making a franchise rookie-record six 3-pointers in the best game of his career.

[nasty daddy]

http://scores.espn.go.com/ncb/recap?gameId=300800183

Wes Johnson wasn't so unselfish for a change, and Gonzaga paid dearly. The Big East player of the year, who often defers to his teammates despite his considerable all-around talent, scored a career-high 31 points and pulled down 14 rebounds as top-seeded Syracuse hit a dozen 3-pointers to stun the Zags 87-65 on Sunday in the second round of the NCAA tournament.

Johnson was 11 of 16 from the field, including 4 of 6 from beyond the arc, and he wasn't alone. Andy Rautins hit 7 of 13 shots for 24 points and freshman Brandon Triche had his second straight solid game, finishing with 13 points.

Elias Harris led Gonzaga with 24 points and Robert Sacre had 17 points and eight rebounds. Senior Matt Bouldin, the team's leading scorer at 16 points a game, was 3 of 13 from the field, missing all six shots he took from beyond the arc. He had eight points, all in the second half.

[nasty daddy]

http://www.nypost.com/p/sports/knicks/h ... iFLiCc4TnO

The Great Bender Experiment is over. Jonathan Bender, who signed as a free agent in December to end a long retirement, will have surgery on his broken ring finger and is out for the season. The Knicks are not expected to bring him back after his 25-game stint was a dud.

Bender's surgery, along with a potential season-ending groin injury to Wilson Chandler, Eddie House's sore foot and David Lee's right knee tendinitis, could prompt Walsh to sign a D-League player to a 10-day contract.

[nasty daddy]

http://www.detroitbadboys.com/2010/3/21 ... re-pistons

I've seen this show before: Pistons @ Cavaliers
Detroit Pistons at Cleveland Cavaliers, Mar 21, 2010 5:00 PM CDT
Game Tips at 6:00 EST
Detroit Pistons: 23-46 (7-27 away)
Cleveland Cavaliers: 55-15 (30-4 home)
Oppo Research
We've all had the chance to do plenty of oppo research on the Cavs this year. Thanks to a sterling record, and some guy who seems to be pretty well known to sports fans, they've been all over national TV. This is the kind of game great teams will sometimes drop toward the end of the season. The Cavaliers have little to play for, save a six game winning steak. That said, they are starting to have that look of invincibility. They are now 40-8 since a December 9th loss at Houston. Peripheral considerations aside, stopping LeBron and Co. at home will be nearly impossible. Their two losses at home over the last three months have been by a combined five points, and both to playoff teams.

Keys for Detroit
Get out to a fast start -- If the Pistons can get out to an early lead, the Cavs will be stuck trying to find time to rest the starters.
Get to the glass -- The Pistons were once among the league leaders in rebounding, but have slipped off recently, not least of which because Ben Wallace has been hobbled.
Play Daye - I'm going to cut and paste this for the rest of the season. If this game gets out of hand, I want to see some Austin Daye.

Question of the Game
Can Detroit keep it close? Can Will Bynum Farokhmanesh the Cavs?
Valuable Links
Don't get bored. Fear The Sword.

[nasty daddy]

http://scores.espn.go.com/ncb/recap?gameId=300800194

Evan Turner rebounded from one of the worst shooting nights of his career with 24 points, and second-seeded Ohio State outlasted foul- and turnover-plagued Georgia Tech for a 75-66 victory Sunday in the second round of the NCAA tournament.

Turner, a leading contender for national player of the year, came within an assist and rebound of his third triple-double of the season. Jon Diebler added 20 points for the Buckeyes (29-7) and David Lighty had 18.

Favors, who finished with 10 points and four rebounds, fouled out in the last minute.

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http://blog.mlive.com/fullcourtpress/20 ... stons.html

Game Thread 67: Detroit Pistons at Cleveland Cavaliers
Tip: 6 p.m., Fox Sports Detroit
Probable Starters: DET - G: Rodney Stuckey, Rip Hamilton; Tayshaun Prince, Jonas Jerebko; C: Ben Wallace.
CLE - G: Mo Williams, Anthony Parker; F: LeBron James, Antawn Jamison; C: J.J. Hickson.

Notes: In two previous meetings with the Cavs this month, the Pistons have been decently competitive until the Cavs turned it on and pulled away late. It's not a new problem for the Pistons -- not closing out games has been a constant issue. But the Pistons matchup particularly bad with Cleveland, not only because the Cavs have the best player in the league. Detroit's struggled closing out on perimeter shooters all season. The Cavs have a few of those in Mo Williams, Daniel Gibson and Anthony Parker. Hustle players, like J.J. Hickson and Anderson Varejao, have also been particularly confounding this year. And Antawn Jamison has always had good games against the Pistons in his career, and it's been no different as a member of the Cavs -- he's shot the ball very well in both games. Since Jan. 15, the Cavs are 25-4 and cruising into the playoffs. Winning a title is obviously the priority this season, but the last team to have the best overall record in the NBA two consecutive years was Jordan's Bulls in the late 1990s. The Cavs have a shot to match that, as they currently have a 3.5 game lead on the Lakers for the best record.

Last Meeting: LeBron James had a triple double and the Cavs used a 38-point fourth quarter to come back and beat the Pistons in Detroit.

[nasty daddy]

http://espn.go.com/nba/recap?gameId=300321011

Danny Granger scored 32 points to help the Indiana Pacers beat the Oklahoma City Thunder 121-101 Sunday.

Troy Murphy had 22 points and 13 rebounds and Roy Hibbert had 20 points and eight rebounds for the Pacers, who have won three of four.

Jeff Green led Oklahoma City with 20 points. Kevin Durant, the league's No. 2 scorer, finished with 16 points on 4 for 16 shooting.

[nasty daddy]

http://twitter.com/DetPistons

Ben Wallace inactive after aggravating knee injury vs. Indy on Friday. Chucky Atkins active. Pistons at Cleveland, tip at 6 on FS Detroit.

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http://twitter.com/detroit_pistons

FullCourtPress: Game Thread 67: Detroit Pistons at Cleveland Cavaliers: Your spot to leave comments and observatio... http://bit.ly/ascwkc

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http://scores.espn.go.com/ncb/recap?gameId=300800120

Korie Lucious hit a 3-pointer at the buzzer to cap a frantic finish and give injury-depleted Michigan State an 85-83 victory over Maryland on Sunday in the second round of the NCAA tournament.

After star guard Kalin Lucas went down with a leg injury, the Spartans blew a 15-point lead in the second half. Greivis Vasquez's basket put fourth-seeded Maryland ahead 83-82 with 6 seconds left, but Michigan State inbounded immediately and pushed up the floor.

No. 5 seed Michigan State advanced to play ninth-seeded Northern Iowa in the Midwest Regional semifinals in St. Louis. The Panthers pulled off the most stunning upset of the tournament Saturday, beating top-seeded Kansas 69-67.

[nasty daddy]

http://www.freep.com/article/20100321/S ... upset-Cavs

Pistons trying to upset Cavs
The Central Division champion and NBA-best Cleveland Cavaliers will return to the cozy confines of Quicken Loans Arena tonight, when they host the rival Detroit Pistons.

The top-seeded Cavs have won six in a row overall, six straight as the host and 28 of their last 30 home games, averaging 105.2 points on .509 shooting in that time. The Cavs hope to improve their league-best 30-4 home mark this evening. After having the best home record last season at 39-2, Cleveland is trying to become the 14th team in NBA history to hold the top home ledger in consecutive seasons.

Detroit is closing out a brief road trip. It has lost four in a row overall and eight straight away from home, including Friday's 106-102 setback at Indiana. Rodney Stuckey had a big game in his return to action, scoring 25 points off the bench. Stuckey had missed the last six games after collapsing on the bench during a March 5 game at Cleveland. The Cavs have won the first three meetings of the season series.