1464

January 7th, 2015 at 7:38 AM ^

So, I'm not high-falutin' or anything.  But I was at that game as well.  In a luxury suite with a $800.00 face value ticket.  It was obviously easily the coolest ticket I've ever fallen into.  Open bar, catered, the whole 9.  Had a relative who is more important than I offer to take me at the last second.  The end of regulation and into OT, I thought the place was going to crumble.  It was loud, and the entire place was just shaking.  It was wild.

Joined: 06/21/2010

MGoPoints: 37173

ijohnb

January 7th, 2015 at 9:52 AM ^

was just the worst defensive decision I can ever remember seeing.  The Spurs were going to go to Duncan for some nasty jump hook or something, we were going to board it and be out of there.  I remember Sheed leaving Horry like it was in slow motion.  Noooooooooooooo.

Joined: 09/21/2009

MGoPoints: 69986

WMUgoblue

January 6th, 2015 at 11:20 PM ^

Ho-hum another 20-15 game for Drummond, he just continues to get better and better. SVG has these guys buying in and playing winning basketball at the moment.

Joined: 12/06/2009

MGoPoints: 12422

MichiganMan20

January 6th, 2015 at 11:24 PM ^

Loved it. I'm gonna remember this game as the game that brought back my piston fandom. I could feel the emotion at the end of the game. Getting rid of Josh Smith was the greatest move they could've made. SVG has them going in the right direction. I like the future of this team.

Joined: 05/16/2010

MGoPoints: 4110

xtramelanin

January 7th, 2015 at 5:28 AM ^

can someone tell me what the reason is that josh smith's departure has unleashed the kraken?  i asked once before and they said he was basically a low shooting % ball hog, but there has to be more to it than that. 

thanks for the embed highlight mgovictory.  wow.  the pistons, from worst to headed toward first like a rocket.  who'd a thunk it?

Joined: 12/09/2014

MGoPoints: 15439

JTownMaize

January 7th, 2015 at 10:59 AM ^

He's just a cancer to the team he plays on. Terrible decisions, terrible attitude, just a bad player to have on the team. Sad to see such a talent go to waste.

Interesting stat:

 

Pistons -- 5-23 with Josh Smith, 6-0 without him.

 

Rockets -- 20-7 without Josh Smith, 3-4 with him.

48 retweets26 favorites
 

 

Joined: 11/08/2011

MGoPoints: 1246

nerv

January 7th, 2015 at 11:15 AM ^

Josh Smith really was that bad. You take a guy who already has an extremely apathetic attitude. Then you make him the highest paid player on your team. Then you put him in a losing atmosphere and the results are going to be the Josh Smith-era Pistons. 

Smith absolutely destroyed offensive flow. Maybe the worst offensive IQ of any player in the NBA. Does not play to his strengths. Even when he is doing something he is good at, posting up for example, the rest of the team knows once the ball goes to him no one else is touching it. Smith limits and worsens those playing on the court with him. Playing him at the 3 also destroyed offensive spacing which really hurt Drummond a lot.

If that isn't enough the guy is a whiner and sulker. Doesnt get a call? Doesnt make a shot he thought he should? Doesnt like the position of the sun in the sky that day? Well his effort is going to plummet. I wish there were a stat showing how many points the Pistons have gave up playing 5 on 4 while Smith was arguing with a ref or jogging back down the court at 25% speed with his head hanging down.

Joined: 04/14/2009

MGoPoints: 14071

Qmatic

January 6th, 2015 at 11:26 PM ^

I was the biggest Josh Smith opponent out there, but I didn't think he was THIS big of a cancer to the team. If the Pistons can keep this up, their chances of keeping Monroe and Drummond increase exponentially.

I also have not been a fan of Jennings since he entered the league, and surely not since he came here, but he's beginning to impress (and he's still amazingly only 25).

Joined: 01/09/2013

MGoPoints: 32689

lilpenny1316

January 7th, 2015 at 12:14 AM ^

1. Poor shot selection -- He's a terrible three point shooter but he shoots like 4-5 of them a game.

2. Plays the same position as Monroe and Drummond.  SVG offenses need spacing and you won't get it with those three on the court at the same time.

3. He wants the ball as much as the damn PG.  Notice how Jennings is playing at an all-star level since the trade?  It's more than just a coincidence.  

4. He plays no D and never played up to his talent.  Plus he was moody and if he didn't feel like playing, he wouldn't.  It would just be arms and legs moving around out there.

Look at how well Atlanta is playing without him and now Detroit.  Gores was the idiot who forced Joe D to make the trade and thankfully he had the sense to sign off on releasing Smith now.

Joined: 11/19/2009

MGoPoints: 61787

ThadMattasagoblin

January 6th, 2015 at 11:27 PM ^

Getting rid of Dumars and getting Van Gundy will lead to big things down the road. we just need more good players. Drummond is something to build around. Still pissed that we broke up the Chauncey, Rip, Prince, Rasheed duo.

Joined: 08/24/2011

MGoPoints: 63999