Blue Collar Blueprint

“Breezin’ in the Windy City”

Dec. 3 @Chicago

92-79 Pistons

Record: 13-2

Geez, they made that look easy. The Pistons trailed the Bulls 31-16 in the second quarter and collectively said, “C’mon, let’s wake up. They tied it at 44 by the half and then did to the Bulls what they had done to the Knicks the night before – crushed ‘em 27-10 in the 3^rd quarter, nearly as devastating as the 24-8 third quarter they dropped on the Knicks.

Flip Saunders said, “We don't get down. We keep chipping away and when the third quarter comes we really start executing."

Rasheed Wallace drove Andres Nocioni of the Bulls to the point of distraction in leading with 26 points. Nocioni was a member of the gold medal winning team from Argentina at the 2004 Olympics and after schooling him on a few shots, Rasheed called bank on a turnaround and when it fell, he ran back down court laughing out loud.

The Bulls missed 11 free throws while making only 15, and when they’d miss, Rasheed would yell, “Ball don’t lie.”

Coaches tell their teams to have fun and this is what the Pistons do. They have fun on the plane; they have fun going out to eat together and they’ve had fun racing to a 13-2 record.

The night before it was Rip Hamilton with 40 points and tonight it was Wallace with 26. They are unselfish and happy to ride the hot hand. This is one of those rare cases in sports where players feel appreciated and secure and not obsessed with stats.

The season is just 1/5 old, but after seeing a start like this, no one associated with this team will be happy with anything less than a championship in 2006.

“Now, that’s the way to fly”

Nov. 18 @Rockets

115-100 Pistons

Record: 8-0

Ugly game and lucky for the Pistons that Tracy McGrady’s back gave out on him after three quarters and after shooting a miserable 3-16. Ben and Rasheed steered it home in the 4^th quarter. Ben fouled out Yao Ming and had 16 boards and 4 blocks out of the team’s 10 and Rasheed ate up Stromile Swift who didn’t have the strength to deal with him.

We broke out our “name the Pistons” contest and 900 people logged onto Pistons.com to offer up a suggestion. I don’t know if we’ll come up with anything that fits as perfectly as “Bad Boys” did 15 years ago, but if this team wins another championship, they will have equaled that team in achievement, if not quite equaling them in personality.

I took my first flight on Roundball One, and how the hell can you ever fly commercial again after that? You pull your car right up to the plane; get on; fill your plate with appetizers on the way to your large, comfortable seat and by the time you start stuffing your face, the plane takes off.

I sat across from Joe Dumars and John Hammond and 10 minutes into the flight, Flip Saunders came back to our section and started talking to them. He was sitting backwards in the empty seat in front of them, leaning his arms on the headrest with his knees on the seat. For two straight hours, unabated, the three of them talked basketball in animated fashion.  At least at this stage of the game, you can tell that Joe and Flip have a strong relationship of respect and trust.

Another thing about the NBA is that we stay in style. The Four Seasons is a $500 a night hotel and it really helps you get ready for the telecast. The room becomes your office and it’s important that all the amenities are there.

Pistons Sweat Out Seven Straight

Who would provide the answer? Certainly, the Pistons weren’t going to let their perfect start fall to the wayside to a mediocre team like the Celtics, but it looked that way in an awful first half that saw the Celtics shoot a ridiculous 67% and lead by a dozen points on three separate occasions.

Then it was Chauncey Billups who said, “Enough.” Billups scored 14 straight points and 17 total in a 3rd quarter display of daring drives and three point bombs. In what makes the NBA a league like none other, Paul Pierce – held to four points in the first half – was nearly as scintillating as Billups, pouring in 15 in the 3rd quarter to make it a rousing, two-man show with Billups.

Rasheed Wallace and Tayshaun Prince were the main protagonists as the Pistons pulled away in the fourth quarter to keep the record perfect as they head off to Houston and Dallas over the weekend.

Watch the game on WB 20 Friday. When I make my initial in-game pop after the first time out in the second quarter, I’m going to ask Bill Laimbeer and George Blaha what nickname they would attach to this team. “Bad Boys” fit perfectly way back when, but how do we characterize these guys in a short, impactful phrase? Let us know, bloggers – and we’ll give you credit in an upcoming broadcast and on this site!

Who Are These Guys?

84-81 Pistons

Record: 6-0

Portland hadn’t lost at home; shot 55% in the first half and got 23 and 21 points from Darius Miles and Zach Randolph. But those two got only two points between them in the fourth quarter when the Pistons calmly took over the game. Rasheed Wallace was the main man tonight, hitting a pair of three-pointers, blocking a shot and taking a charge as the Pistons pulled away at the end.

All five Pistons starters were in double figures and again showed what they’re all about. Don’t forget, when they won 63 games in 1989, not a single Pistons averaged 20 points or finished anywhere near the top in any scoring category.

If they were the “Bad Boys” then what do we call these guys? Any suggestions? Let’s use this blog to name ‘em before anybody else does, and let’s make it stick. Here’s another comparison between then and now:

87  E Conf Finals    52 Wins

88  NBA Finals     54 Wins

89  Championship   63 Wins

90  Championship   59 Wins

03  E Conf Finals  50 Wins

04  Championship    54 Wins

05  NBA Finals        54 Wins

06    ?????

Those first three years look pretty similar, and if they win this year – they are just as “Bad!”

Pistons vs. Suns -- Shades of Glory Days

111-104 Pistons

Record: 5-0

The Pistons are off to their best start since 1989, when they won 63 games in the regular season, then went 15-2 in the playoffs. The good thing about this game is that they had to come back in enemy territory against an outstanding team.

Rip Hamilton has been an amazing story this year, from his 37 point performance in the opener, to his game winning basket in Boston to his 4th quarter performance tonight. He had just six points after three quarters and then hit five straight shots in the fourth to fuel a comeback from seven points down with less than seven minutes to play.

A great sign was watching Chauncey Billups outplay MVP Steve Nash, scoring 27 points including the 3-point dagger with 17 seconds left and Detroit up by two.

The 1989 Bad Boys started 8-0. This team is different – and maybe better. But we won’t know that until they prove it to us, and it certainly seems like it’s their mission to do just that.

Picture This, Sacramento

102-88 Pistons

Record: 4-0

The scoreboard guy ran pictures of burned out Detroit buildings to fire up the crowd and diss the Pistons in player intros. That’s real bright, isn’t it? First off, the guy who had the brilliant idea is bound to get fired and secondly, who was he trying to fire up? Seems that angering a team already determined to win the championship isn’t the most scholarly pre-game strategy.

The Pistons hadn’t won in Sacramento since 1996 but led by 21 midway through the 4th quarter. That’s when the scoreboard wide shot showed Kings fans pouring toward the exits.

The top story line was Prince torching Peja Stojakovic for 25, including 19 in the third period. Prince has 52 points total the last two games.

The Kings have lost several of the players (Webber, Christie) who helped them become a Western power and if you aren’t at your best, you won’t be beating this version of the Pistons, even at home.

Lesson to NBA: Pissing Detroit off before opening tip --- not a good idea.

Pistons Stay Perfect -- Raptors Routed

117-84 Pistons

Record: 3-0

A mismatch from the opening tip. A rookie named Joey Graham was covering Tayshaun Prince. Are you kiddin’ me? The Pistons scored 38 in the first period with Prince getting 13. Games like this are bad for TV ratings. And once again, you are struck by the huge gulf between the developed and undeveloped rosters in this conference. The Raptors are neophytes against a team that already appears in mid-season form.

How bad was it for Toronto? Coach Sam Mitchell tried having Jalen Rose cover Ben Wallace in the second half. Please.

The Pistons ability to run Flip Saunders offense with virtually no learning curve makes them men against boys on nights like this. Saunders appears to be the perfect antidote to Larry Brown. He gives them freedom and trusts them to use it productively and unselfishly. After three games, Saunders must still be pinching himself just to believe he could fall into a situation like this. Larry tamed ‘em and now Flip just opens the corral door and let’s ‘em go.

Don’t be surprised if this team challenges the 63 wins of the ’88-’89 Champions.

Celtics 'Ripped'

82-81 Pistons

Record: 2-0

Rip Hamilton does it again – 26 points including a fallaway at the baseline just before the final buzzer and just seconds after the Celtics had celebrated Mark Blount’s apparent game winning basket. Tayshaun Prince inbounded with 8 seconds to go and the Wallace’s, Ben and Rasheed, screened Hamilton for the winner.

All NBA teams are capable of converting last second winning shots, but the beauty of this team is that any of the players – with the exception of Ben -- could have been the one to convert. Chauncey Billups, Prince, Rasheed – all can hit outside shots and how is an opponent to know?

The sense you get with these Pistons is that despite all their success, they are still trying to prove something – maybe that Larry Brown got too much credit? The other thing is that they genuinely enjoy playing with each other and sharing the glory – a factor that can never be underestimated in its long term value.

Off and Running - November 2 Opener with 76ers

108-88 Pistons

Record: 1-0

A stark contrast between these two teams was evident from the opening tip when the Pistons raced to a 10-2 lead: The Pistons are an established team and you know what to expect from them, while the 76ers have two dominant players and a supporting cast full of relative non-entities.

The season isn’t yet 30 hours old and Philly is already 0-2 and groping for answers. Allen Iverson and Chris Webber have scored almost 2/3 of their points, including 67 between them in a heartbreaking overtime loss to Milwaukee in last night’s opener.

Rip Hamilton’s 37 points was an exhilarating shooting exhibition and made Flip Saunders Pistons debut exactly what he’d hoped it would be. The Pistons feature the same starting lineup for a third consecutive season – you know who they are and what they are about – the exact opposite of their floundering and defeated opponent this night.