Game Day Open Thread: Phoenix Suns vs. Detroit Pistons

The Pistons present unique problems.  They are:

Chauncey Billups - he will have his way with Nash.  CB is just the kind of burly point guard that gives Steve problems.  I would like to see DJ on him for stretches.

Tayshawn Prince - He is one of the few around that is quick enough and long enough to give Grant Hill problems.

Rasheed Wallace - That darned guy always seems to hit a few crucial threes.  He is a load down low when he wants to be, and can easily get STAT in foul trouble.  The write-up says Shaq is on him, but I won't be surprised if D'A puts the quicker Amare on Rasheed, and Shaq on The Traitor.

From a Piston perspective, they have nobody to guard Shaq, and we should take advantage of that.  Also, Diaw is a matchup nightmare, and I hope Boris comes out with fire in his belly.  Those two players are mi keys to the game.

There are a LOT of Detroit fans here. Hope they don't suck like Lakers fans.

...Meanwhile, Detroit take the lid off the basket with two consecutive buckets, and Steve Nash does the honors for the Suns. 4-2, Pistons.

Good sign for Bell to hit one early.

...One of two for LB.

...omitted Best Picture. That would be the Suns. Or maybe that's "Best Blockbuster"?

...Misses the second too, and wouldn't have mattered anyway thanks to the lane violation

Btw there is nothing sexy about 80y/o women dancing. Worst. Idea. Ever.

43-30, Pistons.

Well, you don't win many games shooting 39% while letting your opponent shoot 51% and losing the battle on the boards by near double-digits (26-17). Amare, Nash, and Bell are the bright spots from the field. Hill, Diaw, and Shaq, not so much.

Good news: Nash's assist numbers are better. 5, which I think is the same as he had for the whole game on Friday. This with the Suns shooting a combined 39%. Turnovers are way down too from Friday's awful showing (on pace to cut that in half). Suns have a combined 5 fouls to the Pistons' 10, and no Sun has more than one.

...and since when is Steve not a three-point shooter? ABC-diots.

...I do get it, though. You pay for tickets, you should expect to see the home team show up.

Lead up to 25 now after the Pistons score again. I don't think the real Suns have gotten out of bed yet. Some kind of impostors are at the USAC today.

...They can give up a 34-point deficit as easily as the starters, and our "old guy" starters can.

Meanwhile, ABC crew thinks LB should start to get more shooting on the floor. Fine, but wouldn't we just be exchanging one three-point shooter for another? And we'd lose Bell's defense against the opponent's starting PG to boot.

...of course, last I heard, the number back up the ABC guys with LB as a starter having us something like 6-2 if I recall. But not sure what the quality of competition was at the 2-guard spot in those games.

AAAAARRRRGGGHHHHH!!!!!!

/end rant.

Meanwhile, LB at the line to cut the deficit to 26. Yay.

...Linton with the second jumper, making him one of the Suns' best shooters tonight.

...then for extra fun, we send the Pistons to the line too. Just shoot me.

Ugliest. Effort. Ever.

OK, maybe not ever but by far this season. What is it about playing the Pistons at home that gets to this team? Looking for a bright spot....still looking...still looking...hey, Linton Johnson made 2-of-4 and had a +2 in the plus/minus stat! Brent Barry who?

Jasonsuns1 has the recap, assuming he doesn't take me up on my offer to beg off. (Hate giving someone a "guest recap" for what turned out to be such a crapola of a game).