Detroit Pistons

2. (59) Deron Washington, SF

alleyoop — Sat, 28 Jun 2008 17:25:22 +0000

The Pistons selected another very polished, experienced player in the 2nd round in forward Deron Washington. Washington is 6′7″, 225 pounds and he’s a pretty tough guy. He played in 128 games at Virginia Tech and he averaged 10.9 points, 5.4 rebounds, 1.5 assists and 1.2 steals per game. He will have a hard time getting much playing time as a rookie but he will likely help the Pistons out down the road.

2. (46) Trent Plaisted, C

alleyoop — Sat, 28 Jun 2008 17:22:59 +0000

The Pistons acquired center Trent Plaisted in a draft day trade with the Sonics. Plaisted is 6′11″, 245 pounds and he’s a very polished, experienced player. Plaisted played in 103 games (95 starts) at BYU and he averaged 13.3 points, 6.7 rebounds, 1.2 assists and 1.0 blocked shot per game. Expect the Pistons to take it slow with Plaisted unless they suffer injuries along the front line.

2. (32) Walter Sharpe, F

alleyoop — Sat, 28 Jun 2008 17:18:43 +0000

The Pistons acquired forward Walter Sharpe along with center Trent Plaisted for forward D.J. White on Thursday Night during the NBA Draft. Sharpe is 6′9″, 245 pounds but he doesn’t play as big as his size says he should. Sharpe played in 40 games (10 starts) with UAB, Mississippi and Mississippi State. In those 40 college games, Sharpe averaged 9.1 points, 3.8 rebounds and 0.9 assists per game. Look for Sharpe to have a hard time breaking into the playing rotation unless the Pistons move some forwards in trades before the season starts.

Boston Celtics 89, Detroit Pistons 81

alleyoop — Thu, 05 Jun 2008 19:08:59 +0000

The Celtics just wanted this game more than the Pistons did as they outscored them 29-13 in the 4th quarter. Chauncey Billups led the way for the Pistons with 29 points, 6 rebounds and 6 assists. Richard Hamilton stayed busy with 21 points, 2 rebounds, 4 assists and 2 blocked shots. Tayshaun Prince was only 3 of 10 shooting from the floor as he finished with 10 points, 4 rebounds and 3 assists. This game finished off the Pistons who lost the series 4-2 to the Celtics.

Boston Celtics 106, Detroit Pistons 102

alleyoop — Thu, 05 Jun 2008 19:06:44 +0000

The Pistons were outrebounded 42-25 in this game and the Celtics shot 50.7% from the floor which helps explain this loss. Chauncey Billups led the way for the Pistons with 25 points, 5 rebounds and 6 assists. Richard Hamilton also had a solid game with 25 points, 4 rebounds, 6 assists and 2 steals. Rasheed Wallace pitched in with 18 points, 4 rebounds and 3 blocked shots. This loss made the Pistons down 3-2 in this series.

Detroit Pistons 94, Boston Celtics 75

alleyoop — Thu, 05 Jun 2008 19:04:42 +0000

The Pistons dominated this game as they shot 51.4% from the floor while holding the Celtics to 31.8% from the floor. Antonio McDyess had a great game to lead the way for the Pistons with 21 points and 16 rebounds. Richard Hamilton also did a decent job finishing with 20 points, 2 rebounds and 7 assists. Rasheed Wallace pitched in with 14 points, 5 rebounds and 5 blocked shots. Jason Maxiell was solid off the bench with 14 points and 3 rebounds in only 20 minutes. This win evened up the series at 2-2.

Boston Celtics 94, Detroit Pistons 80

alleyoop — Sun, 25 May 2008 07:04:27 +0000

The Pistons were ambushed last night by the Celtics in Detroit. The Celtics came out blazing as they put together a 50-32 halftime lead that the Pistons couldn’t overcome. The Pistons only shot 38.4% from the floor last night and they were outrebounded 44-28 and it’s hard to win that way. Richard Hamilton led the way for the Pistons with 27 points, 2 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals and 2 blocked shots. Rodney Stuckey was only 4 of 12 shooting off the bench but he still finished up with 17 points, 2 rebounds, 4 assists and 4 steals. Rasheed Wallace pitched in with 12 points, 8 rebounds and 3 blocked shots. The Celtics are now up 2-1 in this series.

Detroit Pistons 103, Boston Celtics 97

alleyoop — Fri, 23 May 2008 18:52:03 +0000

The Pistons took care of business last night stealing a win in Boston. Richard Hamilton led the way for the Pistons with 25 points, 3 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 steals and 2 blocked shots. Chauncey Billups had a solid game with 19 points and 7 assists. Antonio McDyess was tough around the basket with 15 points, 8 rebounds and 3 blocked shots. Tayshaun Prince was only 5 of 15 shooting from the floor but he still finished with 14 points, 8 rebounds and 3 assists. The Pistons are now tied 1-1 in this series.

Boston Celtics 88, Detroit Pistons 79

alleyoop — Wed, 21 May 2008 03:57:24 +0000

The Pistons came out flat in the third quarter as they were outscored 28-17 by the Celtics and it really hurt them in this game. It also didn’t help that the Celtics shot 52.2% from the floor in this game. Tayshaun Prince led the way for the Pistons in this game with 16 points, 4 rebounds and 2 assists. Richard Hamilton pitched in with 15 points, 6 rebounds and 3 assists. Antonio McDyess was solid in the paint as he finished up with 14 points and 11 rebounds. Rasheed Wallace kept busy finishing with 11 points, 5 rebounds, 4 assists and 2 steals. But, he only shot 3 of 12 from the floor. The Pistons are now down 1-0 in this series.

Detroit Pistons vs. Boston Celtics

alleyoop — Wed, 21 May 2008 02:03:59 +0000

The Eastern Conference Finals are finally here and the best two teams in the East will be fighting for the right to play for the NBA Championship against either the Lakers or the Spurs. Here’s a close look at the matchups in this series:

POINT GUARD: Rajon Rondo will be a huge key in this series because of his defense. If he can hold Chauncey Billups in check the Celtics will have a good chance of winning this series. He must also provide enough offense to make Billups work on the defensive end of the court. Rondo has started all 14 games this post season for the Celtics and he is averaging 31.1 minutes, 11.1 points, 4.1 rebounds, 6.6 assists and 1.6 steals per game.

Chauncey Billups has started 9 games this post season as he has missed the Pistons last two games with a hamstring problem. The Pistons likely can’t beat the Celtics unless he plays well against Rondo. Billups is averaging 31.1 minutes, 15.8 points, 3.1 rebounds and 5.7 assists per game this post season.

EDGE: PISTONS

SHOOTING GUARD: Ray Allen played well during the regular season for the Celtics but he has been MIA in the playoffs shooting only 38.5% from the floor. The Celtics need all hands on deck if they are to beat the Pistons in this series and that means that Allen will have to step up. Allen has started all 14 games in the post season for the Celtics and he is averaging 37.6 minutes, 12.7 points, 3.4 rebounds and 2.7 assists per game.

Richard Hamilton is the one player that could carry the Pistons on offense for a few games. He has a speed advantage on Ray Allen off the dribble and he will likely try to use it often. Hamilton has started all 11 games this post season for the Pistons and he is averaging 38.0 minutes, 21.5 points, 4.8 rebounds, 3.7 assists and 1.4 steals.

EDGE: PISTONS BASED ON POST SEASON PLAY.

SMALL FORWARD: Paul Pierce is the senior member of the Celtics and he deserves to make it to the Finals based on his play in Game #7 against the Cavs. He will need to be more consistent in this series however as the Celtics need to spread the ball around to beat the Pistons. Pierce has started all 14 games in the post season for the Celtics and he is averaging 35.9 minutes, 18.7 points, 4.8 rebounds, 4.1 assists and 1.1 steals per game.

Tayshaun Prince has a solid all around game. He excels on defense so he will likely be in Pierce’s face this whole series. But, he will have to make Pierce work on the defensive end to help wear him down. Prince has started all 11 games in this series and he is averaging 39.4 minutes, 16.0 points, 6.2 rebounds and 3.4 assists per game. He also is shooting a very solid 56.2% from the floor.

EDGE: CELTICS

POWER FORWARD: Kevin Garnett is simply the best player on the Celtics’ roster and he will need to play like that in this series. No one on the Pistons’ roster really matches up too well with Garnett. Garnett has started all 14 games this post season and he is averaging 37.9 minutes, 20.3 points, 9.9 rebounds, 3.5 assists, 1.4 steals and 1.2 blocked shots per game. Garnett is also shooting 51.3% from the floor and the Celtics will need him to keep up the good work against the Pistons.

Jason Maxiell has moved into the starting lineup for the Pistons due to Antonio McDyess breaking his nose against 76ers and he has played pretty well. He has played in all 11 games (6 starts) for the Pistons this post season and he is averaging 25.6 minutes, 5.4 points, 5.3 rebounds, 1.3 assists, 1.2 steals and 1.6 blocked shots per game.

EDGE: CELTICS

CENTER: The Celtics just want Kendrick Perkins to play defense and rebound and he has done a solid job of that in the post season. Perkins has started all 14 games in this series and he is averaging 24.7 minutes, 6.3 points, 5.7 rebounds, 0.6 assists and 1.4 blocked shots per game.

Rasheed Wallace is one of the best players on the Pistons because he does a little bit of everything. He has started all 11 games this post season for the Pistons and he is averaging 33.7 minutes, 13.9 points, 6.0 rebounds, 1.6 assists, 1.3 steals and 1.9 blocked shots per game.

EDGE: PISTONS

BENCH: The Celtics have used their bench a lot more than the Pistons in the post season. James Posey has been the top gun for the Celtics off the bench in the post season as he is a solid defender and long range shooter. Posey has played in all 14 games off the bench in the post season and he is averaging 22.3 minutes, 6.3 points, 3.9 rebounds, 1.3 assists and 1.0 steal per game. Sam Cassell needs to give the Celtics some good minutes in this series but he has only shot 33.8% from the floor this post season. Cassell has played in 12 games this post season and he is averaging 14.5 minutes, 5.7 points, 1.0 rebound and 1.5 assists per game. P.J. Brown has done a good job off the bench for the Celtics in the post season. He has played in 13 games this post season and he’s averaging 9.5 minutes, 2.4 points, 1.9 rebounds and 0.2 assists per game. Look for him to get more playing time in this series. Leon Powe has also played pretty well this post season. Powe has played in 13 games off the bench for the Celtics and he is averaging 15.2 minutes, 5.5 points, 2.9 rebounds and 0.3 assists per game in the post season. Glen “Big Baby” Davis has lost playing time this post season to P.J. Brown and that will likely continue. Davis has played in 13 games off the bench for the Celtics and he is averaging 7.6 minutes, 2.3 points, 1.3 rebounds and 0.5 assists per game. Eddie House hasn’t gotten much playing time in the post season. He has played in 12 playoff games and he is averaging 6.2 minutes, 1.3 points, 0.9 rebounds and 0.7 assists. Tony Allen has rarely seen playing time this post season. He has played in 9 games off the bench in the playoffs and he is averaging 4.4 minutes, 1.3 points, 0.2 rebounds and 0.1 assists per game.

The Pistons don’t use the bench much in the playoffs. Antonio McDyess will be the player that gets the most minutes off the bench on the Pistons. He has played in 11 games (5 starts) this post season for the Pistons and he is averaging 23.7 minutes, 7.5 points, 6.5 rebounds and 1.1 assists per game. Rookie Rodney Stuckey is the main backup at both of the guard positions. He has played in all 11 games in the post season (2 starts) and he has averaged 22.2 minutes, 7.3 points, 2.1 rebounds and 3.7 assists per game. But, he has only shot 35.6% from the floor in the playoffs and that must improve. F/G Jarvis Hayes could also get some P.T. in this series. He has played in 10 games off the bench in the playoffs and he is averaging 5.7 minutes, 2.0 points, 1.6 rebounds and 0.4 assists per game.

EDGE: CELTICS

PREDICTION: THE PISTONS WILL WIN THIS SERIES IN SIX GAMES AS THE CELTICS FINALLY LOSE A HOME GAME IN THIS SERIES.