# Game Thread: Detroit Pistons @ Atlanta Hawks 4/19



## DetBNyce

vs.








*Detroit Pistons (53-27) vs. Atlanta  Hawks (13-67)*

Time: 7:30 pm
Date: 4/19
Venue: Phillips Arena

*Starting Lineups:*











































































No Rasheed, No Rip, plenty of rest for the starters. Hopefully Darko can see about 25 minutes in this one.

Knowing Atlanta is a pretty bad team and then actually seeing their record is even worse. 13-67, my goodness...

Hawks team stats 

Pistons team stats


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## P33r~

Hey anyone when Sheed and Rip are returning?

Atlanta are strangely starting to turn it up a little now. Maybe they are seeing how much they can distance themselves from the worst teams of all time. Lue has been great there. And Josh Smith is going to bring ESPN highlights every game. They're not as bad a team as their record suggests but I see us blowing them without our starters anyhow.

If this doesn't get Darko PT in double figures, i don't think anything will.


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## ATLien

I wonder how ATL will react after beating the Knicks @ NYC, then coming back home playing a team that won't play their stars for very long. I hope they can add another W. The Josh's have been playing great ball this month. All year, actually..

If Larry retires, think Woodson will return to Motown?


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## kamego

This is win number 11 in a row. LB is going to play everyone long enough to get the win. Rasheed wont play but I expect Rip to play and to play possed. I wouldn't be suprised if he gets 20 or 25 points in 20 minutes of action.


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## ATLien

Today on AJC they said the season finale vs. Detroit is nearly sold out. Only like 1K tickets left, so at least the building won't be empty.


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## Midnight_Marauder

I havent kept track of the Hawks this year....but Al Harrington doesnt start for them? He must be hurt then right?


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## ATLien

He went to the IL about a month ago.


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## DetBNyce

Milicic to get more PT



> AUBURN HILLS -- Darko Milicic should play a lot in the final two regular-season games, tonight and Wednesday.
> 
> But whether Milicic will be on the roster when the playoffs begin this weekend is less certain.
> 
> The team's final spot likely is between Milicic and Darvin Ham.
> 
> Would Milicic be disappointed if he were left off the playoff roster?
> 
> "Little bit, yeah," Milicic said.
> 
> Does Milicic expect to be on the playoff roster?
> 
> "Yeah, why not?" he answered.
> 
> Milicic knows playing time would be scarce in the playoffs. But he believes he could provide minutes spelling the regulars.
> 
> "I just want to be there to help my teammates if any of those guys get in foul trouble or something," Milicic said. "But whatever (coach) Larry (Brown) and those guys (front office) think, they'll do what is best for the team."
> 
> Milicic said he's not going to look at the next two games as an audition for the playoff roster.
> 
> "I'll just play hard, (and) if I'm not (on the playoff roster), I'm not," Milicic said.
> 
> *"Any minutes for me is good, to get some playing time and improve myself," Milicic said. "I'll be happy for any minutes. Those guys (the starters) are tired, so it's better for us younger players to come in and play hard and win those two games."
> 
> Brown wouldn't rule out possibly starting Milicic. *


I think he gets about 25 minutes tonight and a new career high. I'm calling double digits in scoring.


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## JoeD

That's great news, I can't wait for the game tonight. I love Darko's attitude, I really think it could lead to him performing himself into the playoff roster.


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## kamego

If Darko starts, I will pass out. I don't think I could handle that yet lol. More power to him though if he does get the nod. I wouldn't mind him pulling a 20 point Dupree game out just so we can have something to talk about the next few months


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## Badboyz

That would be pretty nice to see what Darko could do with some quality minutes, instead of the usual garbage time.
He seems to have the right attitude, so hopefully he will back that up with some good play.
I also want to see what Delfino will do with some real plaing time. He has started to look like he is getting some confidence back, so that would be perfect timing to get him some minutes to really get him back on a roll before the playoffs start.
Cant' wait for the game to start!!!


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## DetBNyce

Badboyz said:


> Cant' wait for the game to start!!!


Hope to see you around for the game tonight!


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## ATLien

I want to see Josh Smith posterize Darko.


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## DetBNyce

I wouldn't be suprised if he did, but I wouldn't be suprised if Darko threw his dunk right back at him.


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## ATLien

Can Darko get up?


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## DetBNyce

Defense and athleticism are the best parts of his game right now.


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## Brian.

Darko might get posterized but he is actually pretty decent at blocking shots right now. If your looking for a Darko screwup he tends to have trouble with dunks so I wouldn't rule out the possiblity of the rim blocking him. 

I just heard a report on the radio that Ben didn't take part of shoot around this morning cause he is sick. If Ben doesn't play Darko should get a good 25-30 minutes of pt.


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## kamego

Ben and Sheed don't play today we should start Darko. He might not have earned it but atleast it would be a bright spot for him. Maybe he could even show us something.


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## Lope31

Who would have ever thought the second last game on the season where we play the worst team in the league with no consequences or rewards would be the most anticipated game of the season. 

Darko had better tear the roof off.


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## DetBNyce

Lope31 said:


> Who would have ever thought the second last game on the season where we play the worst team in the league with no consequences or rewards would be the most anticipated game of the season.
> 
> Darko had better tear the roof off.



I was just thinking that. Maybe we can have the biggest game thread of the season.

Just goes to show how many people want to see what Darko has in him. And it shows how many people really want to see him succeed.


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## kamego

I want to see Darko have a triple double tonight topped off with fouling out lol


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## DetBNyce

If he somehow managed a triple double so many people would be pissed.


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## kamego

i wouldn't i probally would have to goto the hospital but thats about it lol


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## nmuman

So did Darko start?


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## DetBNyce

and Darko gets the start....


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## DetBNyce

CJ said:


> and Darko gets the start....


And he quickly picks up foul #1...


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## kamego

he gets 6 for a reason lol


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## kamego

darko agressive in the paint

free throws


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## DetBNyce

Darko goes up strong and gets fouled. Looking aggressive so far.


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## kamego

if you can't watch the game tonight the NBA is broadcasting the radio feed free tonight www.nba.com


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## kamego

darko's first piston point as a starter


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## DetBNyce

Tayshaun must like playing against Josh Smith. 4 points early on for him.


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## kamego

ben's got 4 boards hit a free throw and arroyo gets called for a lane vio tough break


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## DetBNyce

Josh Smith with his first thunder dunk of the night and Tay answers on the other end.


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## rainman

his conditioning cant be the best. i've hear vlade smokes a couple of packs a day i hope darko isnt quite that bad. those serbians do like their cigs.


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## kamego

9-2

darko with 3

atlanta timeout


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## DetBNyce

Darko with the nice seal and score... That new career high is coming tonight.


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## kamego

rainman said:


> his conditioning cant be the best. i've hear vlade smokes a couple of packs a day i hope darko isnt quite that bad. those serbians do like their cigs.


darko doesn't smoke but is a bit of drinker :cheers:


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## DetBNyce

rainman said:


> his conditioning cant be the best. i've hear vlade smokes a couple of packs a day i hope darko isnt quite that bad. those serbians do like their cigs.



One thing's for sure, he looks a lot more comfortable out there.


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## kamego

CJ said:


> Darko with the nice seal and score... That new career high is coming tonight.


career high of 8 points going into tonight but he's got 3 with 44 minutes to go lol


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## kamego

CJ said:


> One thing's for sure, he looks a lot more comfortable out there.



like we talked about a few weeks ago, Darko is a differant player when you give him minutes with the starters.


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## kamego

darko has 2 fouls already rough


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## DetBNyce

Just picked up #2. He should let plays let that go. I hope fouls aren't his demise in his first start.


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## kamego

sounds like larry is going to let him keep playing. as long as he doesn't get number 3 quick he will be fine. i am sure he wont have to worry about 40 minutes tonight lol


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## DetBNyce

The Pistons could've totally relaxed coming into this game, but they're out there playing hard like they should. Don't want to relax with the playoffs coming up. 15-3 Pistons.


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## kamego

no one can relax when darko starts, it's a big game even if it's meaningless


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## kamego

crap there is darko's 3rd here comes dice


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## kamego

he is done for the quarter. anyone think he gets back into the game for the 2nd quarter at all?


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## DetBNyce

He'll probaly get a talking to telling him to be a little more careful and be re-inserted.


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## kamego

he earned 2 of the fouls but the 2nd one he was called for was a little weak. He did look a lot better on offense tonight so far.


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## rainman

he should just play defense like lebron and he could go the whole night without a foul but thats another story.


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## kamego

the way ben is playing tonight, it might not be long before we see him coming out and EC playing


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## kamego

rainman said:


> he should just play defense like lebron and he could go the whole night without a foul but thats another story.


lebron wouldn't have got the 3 calls Darko got thats for sure :curse:


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## DetBNyce

LOL, Rip has the "boxer" sunglasses on like he just came from a fight.


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## kamego

i am sure Billups give him some trash for it after all the jokes Rip was making when Billups kept getting the stiches


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## itasca

How looks delfino tonight ?


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## kamego

nice shot flake by delfino he is doing a nice job outside of shooting tonight so far


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## rainman

kamego said:


> lebron wouldn't have got the 3 calls Darko got thats for sure :curse:



if they had shown confidence in this kid you would have seen a totally differant player but i'll stay way from that talk. when he gets back in he should say the hell with defense, heck in the nuggets suns game last night there wasnt any d played in 48 minutes by either side.


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## kamego

prince has the 1 hand jam assisted by delfino nice team work there


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## kamego

rainman said:


> if they had shown confidence in this kid you would have seen a totally differant player but i'll stay way from that talk. when he gets back in he should say the hell with defense, heck in the nuggets suns game last night there wasnt any d played in 48 minutes by either side.



i want to see darko play more. defense earns playing time. he just needs to keep trying and not worry about the calls. Larry will get the calls for him in due time. he works the ref's better then anyone


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## DetBNyce

itasca said:


> How looks delfino tonight ?



Delfino has looked good tonight. Really aggressive and he has assumed the role of distributor tonight. He's set up a couple people for dunks.

Oh yea, welcome to the Pistons board!


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## kamego

end of 1 pistons 25-9

darko with 3 points

hell of a game so far


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## itasca

Damn, what have you to do to get custom avatars on this board ?


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## itasca

CJ said:


> Delfino has looked good tonight. Really aggressive and he has assumed the role of distributor tonight. He's set up a couple people for dunks.
> 
> Oh yea, welcome to the Pistons board!


 Thanks for your posts on all those "GameDay Threads", you're my only way to follow closely the Pistons from France.


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## DetBNyce

*Hey guests...

Don't just browse, sign up and join the convo. It's obvious you like Pistons talk or NBA talk in general, so naturally the next step is to add your opinion to the mix.*

Registration is free and you can start posting immediately.

:greatjob: Link to free registration :greatjob:


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## kamego

nba.com has a free radio broadcast of the game tonight


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## kamego

http://www.nba.com/video/
click on game schedule
then click on detroit and it will load george blaha doing the game 

it's free for this game and our game against the bobcats


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## itasca

kamego said:


> nba.com has a free radio broadcast of the game tonight


 Yeah thanks for tipping, i would have missed it.


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## DetBNyce

itasca said:


> Damn, what have you to do to get custom avatars on this board ?


You have to be a supporting member to get a custom avatar. It comes out to $10 for one full year.

http://www.basketballboards.net/forum/subscriptions.php? 



itasca said:


> Thanks for your posts on all those "GameDay Threads", you're my only way to follow closely the Pistons from France.



No prob. I'm just glad we continue to get more and more Pistons fans. :wink:


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## kamego

george keeps saying how darko started lol i don't think he can believe it either


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## DetBNyce

Delfino doing an admirable job of filling in for Rip, getting 5 assists.

Then he goes up looking for the dunk but is fouled.


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## DetBNyce

Justinsane :wave:


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## kamego

atlanta is putting a display of how to shoot tonight  4 of 21 so far


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## itasca

"That's the big story today" 

George Blaha about Darko.


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## kamego

i want to say my big story is Darko starting lol


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## DetBNyce

Can't say I know who this Dante Smith guy is. 28-14 Pistons.


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## kamego

i feel bad for Mike Woodson maybe we can trade Gar Heard for him


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## DetBNyce

itasca said:


> "That's the big story today"
> 
> George balaha abour Darko.



Sounds like the radio feed is working pretty well...


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## kamego

it's my first time using the radio feed from the NBA site but I have to say it's a lot better then those stat trackers


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## itasca

CJ said:


> Sounds like the radio feed is working pretty well...


 Amazing.

I love George Blaha, he's so sexier than the NBA.com courtside live Boxscores


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## kamego

yeah george does have a lot more to offer then a boxscore lol


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## DetBNyce

I just want to see some more Darko.


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## kamego

yeah kind of a pointless game outside of the darko factor


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## kamego

hawks cut it to 6 time to bring the starters back in


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## DetBNyce

Arroyo has been money. Konck on wood.


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## kamego

5 boards and 5 assists so far by delfino


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## JustinSane

Greetings  I've been lurking too much, haven't I? Pistons looked great when Darko was in.. lol. He needs to learn to play defense with his feet, not his hands. Josh Smith is awesome. Fouling out in 18 minutes is a bad thing.


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## kamego

i guess it was a good move not bringing darko back in since he's already got 3. hopefully they just let him play until he fouls out 2nd half. hopefully thats more then 7 more minutes lol


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## kamego

JustinSane said:


> Greetings  I've been lurking too much, haven't I? Pistons looked great when Darko was in.. lol. He needs to learn to play defense with his feet, not his hands. Josh Smith is awesome. Fouling out in 18 minutes is a bad thing.



lebron and melo wouldn't have been called for most of his 3 fouls though lol


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## DetBNyce

JustinSane said:


> Greetings  I've been lurking too much, haven't I?


:yes:


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## kamego

blaha is interviewing delfino at halftime


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## DetBNyce

*Hey guests...

Don't just browse, sign up and join the convo. It's obvious you like Pistons talk or NBA talk in general, so naturally the next step is to add your opinion to the mix.*

Registration is free and you can start posting immediately.

:greatjob: Link to free registration :greatjob:

It's really a great board. Ask kamego...


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## DetBNyce

Smith just saved himself from being put on sportscenter by fouling Prince.


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## kamego

atlanta doesn't deserve to be on sportscenter no matter what happens lol


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## kamego

halftime
Pistons 45 Hawks 32


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## DetBNyce

Looking forward to seeing more Darko in the second half. Solid half for the Stones. The starters played hard and the reserves came in and did exactly what they were supposed to.


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## kamego

Hawks got going in the middle of the quarter but the Pistons responded well and didn't end up losing to much of the lead.


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## kamego

If Darko got the start tonight does everything think he gets the start against the bobcats next game?


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## DetBNyce

Don't see why not, all he has ot avoid is the fouls.


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## MLKG

kamego said:


> If Darko got the start tonight does everything think he gets the start against the bobcats next game?


They were saying Sheed might play, but if he doesn't I would expect Darko to start again.


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## kamego

I wouldn't push Sheed for the bobcats...Not exactly a game we need horribly bad. Darko might be a lot more fun to see anyway.


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## rainman

kamego said:


> lebron and melo wouldn't have been called for most of his 3 fouls though lol


because neither plays defense. lebron does play the passing lanes i'll say that much. melo zero.


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## kamego

rainman said:


> because neither plays defense. lebron does play the passing lanes i'll say that much. melo zero.



the nba allows its stars to get better calls then everyone else we saw that last game against cleveland


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## kamego

ben hits the 18 footer to start the half


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## kamego

shot block by darko yeahhhh boy


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## kamego

darko with the hook shot 5 points


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## itasca

Darko is blossoming.

Or it is just George ?


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## kamego

george sounds like darko is the 2nd coming of god lol


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## kamego

"sweet setup by darko"


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## itasca

Great dish (didn't see it but sounded great) by Darko !


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## MLKG

Darko domination machine.


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## itasca

I'm getting excited, come on Darko get this triple double !


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## JustinSane

That's the Darko we were expecting! Good Job!


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## kamego

"How about Darko. He now has a block, an assist, and a hoop here in the 3rd." go george it's better then a birthday present


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## kamego

ben 10 points 11 boards got the double double


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## itasca

Damn i want a tape of this game.


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## kamego

delfino with the finger roll and one


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## kamego

"darko playing with an agressiveness thats nice to see"


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## itasca

Darko could get a board, it would be sweet.


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## MLKG

Darko was actually guarding Josh Smith and Josh Childress for the first part of the quarter. Didn't get beat either.


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## kamego

ben is getting every single one...you would think he might accidently get one away from ben soon


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## DetBNyce

I hate to leave, but I gotta miss the rest of this one. :curse: 

Have fun fellas and keep the GT going. :smile:


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## kamego

we'll get this game thread of the charts. longest thread for a piston atlanta game ever lol


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## kamego

ben with the soft ally oop


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## kamego

darko 3 blocks now

yeahhhhhhhhhh boy


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## rainman

for us that cant watch the game how about an occasional score.


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## kamego

you can listen to the game for free at nba.com tonight
NBA is running a free offer for the last week of the season

georga blaha is doing the game for them


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## kamego

darko with 7 points with the layup from ben

67-40


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## itasca

I want an Alley-Oop from Darko.

Did he already had one in his career ?


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## kamego

So far 

Darko 15 minutes played 7 points 3 blocks 1 assist 1 rebound


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## kamego

itasca said:


> I want an Alley-Oop from Darko.
> 
> Did he already had one in his career ?



yes but it wasn't a monster alley-oop he didn't have to jump or throw it down to hard. he could do better


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## itasca

Darko is playing like a franchise player.


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## kamego

darko his the baseline jumper

9 points a new career high

69-40


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## kamego

sweet feed by darko to ben for a jam and one


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## kamego

72-44 with a 1:42 to go in the 3rd


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## nmuman

HOLY **** DARKO!!! 

I take back everything I ever said about that slouch. He's playing his balls off right now.

There is really nothing you can say about Tayshaun except.......Carmelo who?


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## kamego

darko gets a rest and a pat on the back from Larry brown pulled out with 41.5 seconds to go in the quarter


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## kamego

screw melo he can't setup ben with a prettier alley oop then darko can


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## blueeclipse

Wow!!!! This is crazy!! What a week for the Pistons. As soon as Larry got back things got together quick. And I knwo this is the Hawks but damn!!! Every single player is seemingly showing some heart. this is awesome! Come on Darko, shut these people up who dog you out on a daily basis. I'm pullin for that dude.


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## kamego

at the end of 3

Pistons 76 Hawks 48

darko 18 minutes 3 blocks 2 assists 1 rebound and a career high 9 points
he needs about 4 and half minutes for a career high in playing time in a game


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## rainman

kamego said:


> So far
> 
> Darko 15 minutes played 7 points 3 blocks 1 assist 1 rebound


does that mean if he played 45 minutes he would score 21 pts and have 9 blocks. someone had to say it.


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## JustinSane

You really couldn't have asked for a better performance from Darko, but I do wish he had more boards and fewer fouls. Fix that, and he's good to go. He looks almost as good as Dice out there. The Pistons are doing a lot better when he's on the court tonight.


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## kamego

if he gets 21 points and 9 blocks in a game you would have to take me to the hospital for oxygen lol


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## MLKG

kamego said:


> at the end of 3
> 
> Pistons 76 Hawks 48
> 
> darko 18 minutes 3 blocks 2 assists 1 rebound and a career high 9 points
> he needs about 4 and half minutes for a career high in playing time in a game


Don'te believe everything that you read.

Darko has 3 assists. The scorer gave that pretty no-look feed that Tayshaun hit the second 3 on to Delfino.


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## kamego

just looking at the nba stats 

11 points career high for darko now yeahhhhhh boy


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## rainman

kamego said:


> darko gets a rest and a pat on the back from Larry brown pulled out with 41.5 seconds to go in the quarter



ok, you guys had me going there but a pat on the back from larry...you must think i'm pretty dumb.


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## itasca

Darko for MVP :worship:


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## kamego

he accutally did get a pat on the back though from Larry


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## kamego

34 point lead


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## Piston-PiercePower

And he's only got one turnover so far!!!


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## rainman

kamego said:


> he accutally did get a pat on the back though from Larry



yeah and my name's buck naked i'm a porn star.


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## kamego

darko got a rebound go darko go


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## kamego

rainman said:


> yeah and my name's buck naked i'm a porn star.


if you look at Darko's stat line you will see why Larry might like Darko tonight 

:banana:


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## rainman

kamego said:


> if you look at Darko's stat line you will see why Larry might like Darko tonight
> 
> :banana:


brown cant say much or he'll look like a hypocrite.


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## kamego

Larry did pat Darko on the back. He is currently at career highs in minutes played and points in a game. Also has tied his career highs in blocks and assists.


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## kamego

88-52 with 7:10 to go


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## kamego

tech on EC and tech on collier


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## ian

I've always loved you, Darko


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## kamego

lol i am sure we will see some darko supporters tonight after his breakout game


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## kamego

arroyo ec dupree darko and delfino on the floor


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## kamego

darko got another rebound and another one thats 2 more


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## kamego

88-59


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## kamego

darko hits the rainbow

13 points 5 rebounds


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## Brian.

Darko finally hits one of those jumpers.


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## kamego

16 people viewing the board feel free to post lol


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## rainman

kamego said:


> darko got another rebound and another one thats 2 more


he should just throw it up on the rim and go get his own rebound. an old moses malone trick.


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## kamego

Brian said:


> Darko finally hits one of those jumpers.


darko woke up on the right side of the bench today :clap:


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## MLKG

I like how he got his first 9 points playing in the paint and that has opened things up for his last couple jumpers. 

He's actually playing really well. Honestly, with the group they have on the floor he should be touching the ball on every posession.


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## kamego

rainman said:


> he should just throw it up on the rim and go get his own rebound. an old moses malone trick.



when i hear that I think of Ricky Davis shooting off his own backboard to get a triple double lol


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## kamego

Mike luvs KG said:


> I like how he got his first 9 points playing in the paint and that has opened things up for his last couple jumpers.
> 
> He's actually playing really well. Honestly, with the group they have on the floor he should be touching the ball on every posession.



The way he is playing I don't even have to lie now and make reasons why Ham should be left off for Darko on the playoff roster :cheers:


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## rainman

kamego said:


> 16 people viewing the board feel free to post lol


they're too shocked to post.


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## kamego

rainman said:


> they're too shocked to post.


people are going to thick i am crazy for posting so much on this game thread lol


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## kamego

darko is going to the free throw line with 2:01 left


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## kamego

darko has 14 points lol


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## kamego

arroyo's shoe falls off and the pistons take a 20 second time out


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## kamego

93-66 with 1:03 to go


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## kamego

darko hits the 19 foot rain bow

16 points.....................


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## kamego

game over


well im impressed


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## Lope31

I just tuned into the radio this is AWESOME!


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## kamego

i don't know what to say darko just pulled a dupree and blew up to get on the playoff roster


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## Brian.

Darko had a good offensive game tonight. He should get a ton of minutes in charlotte tommorow night also. Darko's stat line

Darko Milicic 30 min 7-11 fg 2-4 ft 5 reb 2 ast	4 pf *1 to* 3 blks	16 pts 

I think the most important thing was the fact that he played 30 minutes and only had 1 TO. He shot real well tonight which is encouraging. Its hard to get too excited cause it was the atlanta hawks and they worst team in the league. If Darko works his *** off this summer maybe he can get himself some meaningful minutes next year.


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## kamego

his only TO was 3 second in the key violation also. not exactly the worest kind to get


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## Pejavlade

Darko should have been played atleast 20min this season I think he could have avg 10pts 5reb 2blk. Hopefully Brown saw that he can play if he gets a chance and maybe gives Darko some playingtime in Playoffs.


----------



## JustinSane

Well now. There is some ammunition for those of us in the "all he needs is a chance" crowd . Though, honestly, I'd drifted toward the "he's a bust" group lately. He really did play hard when he got to play meaningful minutes and he played well. 7-11 for 16 points, 5 boards, 3 assists (scorekeep messed this one up and only gave him 2), 3 blocks is a good game for just about anyone. Especially impressive considering he was under some pressure here. This was his audition for the playoff roster. Has Ham ever had a game that good?


----------



## kamego

I like the stat line Peja. Hopefully he can continue to grow and keep getting better. You can really tell he is a solid player when he gets to play with the starters and gets into a groove.


----------



## Brian.

Pejavlade said:


> Darko should have been played atleast 20min this season I think he could have avg 10pts 5reb 2blk. Hopefully Brown saw that he can play if he gets a chance and maybe gives Darko some playingtime in Playoffs.


No

If the pistons gave Darko 20 minutes a game you can at least shave 5-7 wins off the pistons total.


----------



## kamego

JustinSane said:


> Well now. There is some ammunition for those of us in the "all he needs is a chance" crowd . Though, honestly, I'd drifted toward the "he's a bust" group lately. He really did play hard when he got to play meaningful minutes and he played well. 7-11 for 16 points, 5 boards, 3 assists (scorekeep messed this one up and only gave him 2), 3 blocks is a good game for just about anyone. Especially impressive considering he was under some pressure here. This was his audition for the playoff roster. Has Ham ever had a game that good?


Ham hasn't had a stat line close to that this season.


----------



## Brian.

kamego said:


> Ham hasn't had a stat line close to that this season.


Then again Ham has never played that many minutes in a meaningless game against a terrible team. Ham isn't a guy that looks to create a shot his anyways. I think it comes down to who would be a better defender against Shaq. I personally think Darko would be.


----------



## rainman

Pejavlade said:


> Darko should have been played atleast 20min this season I think he could have avg 10pts 5reb 2blk. Hopefully Brown saw that he can play if he gets a chance and maybe gives Darko some playingtime in Playoffs.


i've been saying that all year, its amazing what might happen when you show a little confidence in someone. it is atlanta though, do those stats actually count.


----------



## thrillhouse

great game by the big guy, thats awsome to see!


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## Lope31

Brian said:


> No
> 
> If the pistons gave Darko 20 minutes a game you can at least shave 5-7 wins off the pistons total.


Not necessarily. I know you're just saying that in response to Peja's estimate of Darko's numbers because we will never know whether we lose those games as a result of Darko, or he puts up those numbers until he actually plays those games.

I wouldn't be so quick to say that we would automatically lose that many games just for giving him a chance. I mean, he got one tonight and not only did we only beat the Hawks, we beat them by almost 30 points. That's not something we did with the starters.


----------



## froggyvk

I was very impressed. Darko really loves his lefty hook, but his success inside really opened his game out past the foul line, where he was able to knock down his jumpers. In the instance where he was playing a two-man game with Campbell towards the end of the game, I made the comment that he doesn't look like a center, more like a really tall guard with the way he moves out there. To top it all off he made the jumper and I couldn't help myself but say "Holy Crap" ala Frank Borone even with nobody else in the room.


----------



## Brian.

Lope31 said:


> Not necessarily. I know you're just saying that in response to Peja's estimate of Darko's numbers because we will never know whether we lose those games as a result of Darko, or he puts up those numbers until he actually plays those games.
> 
> I wouldn't be so quick to say that we would automatically lose that many games just for giving him a chance. I mean, he got one tonight and not only did we only beat the Hawks, we beat them by almost 30 points. That's not something we did with the starters.


We played an Atlanta hawks team that is terrible. There is not one person on there team other than Josh Smith who should even be starting in this league. Half of there team wouldn't make most of the playoff teams rosters. I hate to take a good game away from Darko but it needs to be put in prospective. I think if we played Darko instead of Dice (which dice averaged about 20 minutes a game) we would have lost 5-7 more games.


----------



## kamego

Brian said:


> Then again Ham has never played that many minutes in a meaningless game against a terrible team. Ham isn't a guy that looks to create a shot his anyways. I think it comes down to who would be a better defender against Shaq. I personally think Darko would be.


Darko did guard Shaq for a majority of the 2nd quarter in the first Miami game of the season. He held up fairly well all considering.


----------



## kamego

Brian said:


> We played an Atlanta hawks team that is terrible. There is not one person on there team other than Josh Smith who should even be starting in this league. Half of there team wouldn't make most of the playoff teams rosters. I hate to take a good game away from Darko but it needs to be put in prospective. I think if we played Darko instead of Dice (which dice averaged about 20 minutes a game) we would have lost 5-7 more games.



The Darko we saw just tonight wouldn't have been a huge fall off from Dice. If you take this game and average it with every other Darko performance this season, then we would have lost a few more games. Darko showed tonight, even if they were horrible, that he has the potential to be a very good inside out player.


----------



## Brian.

kamego said:


> The Darko we saw just tonight wouldn't have been a huge fall off from Dice. If you take this game and average it with every other Darko performance this season, then we would have lost a few more games. Darko showed tonight, even if they were horrible, that he has the potential to be a very good inside out player.


Darko is a good 1-2 years away from playing like that consistently. Sure he had a good game tonight but against tougher opponents he wouldn't have done so well.


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## Lope31

Brian said:


> Darko is a good 1-2 years away from playing like that consistently. Sure he had a good game tonight but against tougher opponents he wouldn't have done so well.


I think we're more or less on the same page but why do we have to assume that he is 1-2 years away from doing it? He could be an oppurtunity away from doing it. 

Don't get me wrong, I'm all for playing Dice and doing what's been proven to work but I think you (although by far not the only one) aren't judging him fairly enough*

*Wow, if that sounds like it was worded by an idiot...well it was. It's late and I've been doing laundry all night. I blame it on all those chemicals.


----------



## MLKG

Brian said:


> Then again Ham has never played that many minutes in a meaningless game against a terrible team.


http://www.nba.com/games/20041121/CHADET/boxscore.html

That's close.

I don't think Darvin Ham brings anything that Dupree doesn't bring, which is why I think Darko should be on the playoff roster.

If one of the Wallaces goes down in the playoffs we are going to be in trouble. Dyess would move into the starting lineup and we would have a huge void on the bench. Darvin would not be able to fill the void. Darko probably wouldn't either, but he at least has an outside chance at it.


----------



## kamego

Hard to tell how he would do if the team was switching. He seemed to just be hitting all his shots even if he shouldn't be shoting the 19 foot rainbow...Maybe he was just so happy to start it didn't matter who he was playing. Tonight was a good sign that he is ready for more minutes and he will be fine in the long run. I don't think he is ready for 20 every night like some people but I do think he should not be a DND CD every game now. Even if he is only out there for a few minutes, I think he could help a little now and again.


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## Lope31

Quick Fact

Our two leaders in minutes played...
Delfino 41
Darko 30

I've been waiting for a game like this for a while.

And also, lets not forget old man Prince, he put up 20 points on 8-10 shooting. This team is headed for great things.

*EDIT: POST # 200*


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## kamego

post #200 for this game thread right here woohooo

Darko proved to me tonight that the pistons can count on him to help out in short bursts if he gets to play with the starters. He isn't ready to play huge minutes but he could help out a few minutes here and there. He is now a better choice then Ham to fill in for a big man.


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## zeebneeb

Darko's speed is just insane. I mean for pete's sake I thought it was Dlefino in that pick and pop with Campbell. WOW is he fast for someone 7'2. Hell he's fast for a 2 guard!


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## itgoesbuzz

i knew his post game would be fine, but its great to see his jumper falling, he is showing range that will be very helpful in the future, it will help open up the lane for our guards to penetrate against teams with very good defensive centers/power forwards.


----------



## rainman

Brian said:


> Darko is a good 1-2 years away from playing like that consistently. Sure he had a good game tonight but against tougher opponents he wouldn't have done so well.


no magic here, if he gets minutes he'll produce. i dont see him doing anything for the playoffs but he needs to play this summer and try to bulk up a bit. next year i think larry will be gone and you'll see the new coach playing darko 15-20 minutes a night. i think he can play some backup 3 so he really has a chance to back up at 3 positions. anyone that is surprised that he didnt just cave in and wilt tonight doesnt know anything about talent.


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## itgoesbuzz

rainman said:


> no magic here, if he gets minutes he'll produce. i dont see him doing anything for the playoffs but he needs to play this summer and try to bulk up a bit. next year i think larry will be gone and you'll see the new coach playing darko 15-20 minutes a night. i think he can play some backup 3 so he really has a chance to back up at 3 positions. anyone that is surprised that he didnt just cave in and wilt tonight doesnt know anything about talent.


i think the only major things he needs to work on is learning how to defend, and how to be an effective rebounder, but with benny wallace there to mentor him, rebounding should improve a lot over the next few years.


----------



## Lope31

itgoesbuzz said:


> i knew his post game would be fine, but its great to see his jumper falling, he is showing range that will be very helpful in the future, it will help open up the lane for our guards to penetrate against teams with very good defensive centers/power forwards.


Welcome aboard man, hope you stick around. The Pistons forum is continuing to sky rocket in terms of numbers. One day we will catch the Bulls forum.


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## itgoesbuzz

Lope31 said:


> Welcome aboard man, hope you stick around. The Pistons forum is continuing to sky rocket in terms of numbers. One day we will catch the Bulls forum.


oh this is definately my number one forum now, my old forum has changed a lot in the past couple months and it isnt very fun anymore.


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## Lope31

itgoesbuzz said:


> oh this is definately my number one forum now, my old forum has changed a lot in the past couple months and it isnt very fun anymore.


Ah yes, I was an immigrant under the same terms back a few years ago. A site called fanhome.com it's still around but not nearly as good.


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## Brian.

rainman said:


> no magic here, if he gets minutes he'll produce. i dont see him doing anything for the playoffs but he needs to play this summer and try to bulk up a bit. next year i think larry will be gone and you'll see the new coach playing darko 15-20 minutes a night. i think he can play some backup 3 so he really has a chance to back up at 3 positions. anyone that is surprised that he didnt just cave in and wilt tonight doesnt know anything about talent.


I agree with more minutes he will be better but even next year I don't see any coach being able to find him 15-20 minutes without us taking a hit in the loss column.


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## itgoesbuzz

Brian said:


> I agree with more minutes he will be better but even next year I don't see any coach being able to find him 15-20 minutes without us taking a hit in the loss column.


we might take a major hit in the loss column, but i could handle it if this kid was playing and improving. he can score, theres no doubt, it may have been the hawks out there but if your open and hitting deep jumpers, it doesnt matter who your playing against, as long as the kid starts to rebound i will be happy, his defense will come because he is (looks like he is) very quick, even when they got killed by atlanta at home earlier in the year i was suprised how quick he was. but rebounding is more of an attitude, and it takes a lot of heart, and killer instinct to get at it and go all out, being that tall he should be able to average a double double in two years, either that or i am overestimating this kids talent, but soon within several years he can be a legitimate 20 and 10 guy. 

short story: boy was i excited to go to that hawks game, i thought to myself wow a guarunteed win, and i can see some darko time. so i drive 3 hours from GR to the palace, and we get destroyed by the hawks, boy was i unhappy. but i did get half of my wish to see darko.


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## Lord Toranaga

CJ said:


> *Hey guests...
> 
> Don't just browse, sign up and join the convo. It's obvious you like Pistons talk or NBA talk in general, so naturally the next step is to add your opinion to the mix.*
> 
> Registration is free and you can start posting immediately.
> 
> :greatjob: Link to free registration :greatjob:
> 
> It's really a great board. Ask kamego...


Alright, alright already. :frenchy: Geeze!!!!! Its just that I like to take my time before i commit to a new board......like a year or so :biggrin:


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## blueeclipse

LOL!!! Hey itgoesbuzz I like that quote, but when did Raheed say that!! man that dude is a walking quote.


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## DetBNyce

Lord Toranaga said:


> Alright, alright already. :frenchy: Geeze!!!!! Its just that I like to take my time before i commit to a new board......like a year or so :biggrin:



3 new members tonight... Glad to see you finally signed. Don't know if I have to introduce myself or not since you've been stalking us for a year. :wink: 

J/K, Hope you stick around and post with us.


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## itgoesbuzz

blueeclipse said:


> LOL!!! Hey itgoesbuzz I like that quote, but when did Raheed say that!! man that dude is a walking quote.



It was between games 1 and 2 of the finals last year.

heres the link: http://www.freep.com/sports/albom/mitch7_20040607.htm

under the heading "No Reason for Fear"


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## Lord Toranaga

Sure thing. I usually just post on political boards, but I’m tired of arguing (politics). Besides, its playoff time baby!!!!!!!!!!! :banana: :clap: :cheers:


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## DetBNyce

:


Lord Toranaga said:


> Sure thing. I usually just post on political boards, but I’m tired of arguing (politics). Besides, its playoff time baby!!!!!!!!!!! :banana: :clap: :cheers:



Luckily for you (or not) whenever you feel like arguing politics, you can check out our "Everything but basketball" board to discuss the most recent political affairs.

Everything But Basketball 

Of course you can only go there after you've done your Pistons posting for the day. :biggrin:


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## midnight_balla

hi guys,just joined the form.I have been reading your posts for about 1 month & enjoyed doing so.Now i see there are alot of DARKO haters out there,and imo its a little unfair on him.He really hasen't played much,if at all so its unfair to judge him yet.Today he got nice court time and played well,hopefully larry plays him more.Bottom line is i don't think JOE DUMARS is stupid to waste the number 2 pic overall in the 2003 draft if he though he didn't have talent.Lets give the kid time and hopefully pistons bring him along slowly .I'm a firm believer in DARKO'S talent its now up to him to live up to it.


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## DetBNyce

midnight_balla said:


> hi guys,just joined the form.I have been reading your posts for about 1 month & enjoyed doing so.Now i see there are alot of DARKO haters out there,and imo its a little unfair on him.He really hasen't played much,if at all so its unfair to judge him yet.Today he got nice court time and played well,hopefully larry plays him more.Bottom line is i don't think JOE DUMARS is stupid to waste the number 2 pic overall in the 2003 draft if he though he didn't have talent.Lets give the kid time and hopefully pistons bring him along slowly .I'm a firm believer in DARKO'S talent its now up to him to live up to it.



Welcome, welcome, welcome... You'll find that we have *a lot* of Darko lovers on the board. If you are one join froggy's "Darko: 20 and 10" club in his sig.

http://www.basketballboards.net/forum/showpost.php?p=2146880&postcount=16 

You can tell us whose posts you enjoyed the most, the other guys won't be offended... :smile:


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## Copper

I was pleased to see Darko really start to play with confidence, and he looked like he started to believe he belonged out there. He has always been a good passer, but his confidence really stepped up and you could see it in his shot. He didnt look winded like he did often last year. As his confidence grew he really started to go after people with purpose on D instead of reaching ( which cost him 3 fouls early) Then with Ben out of the game he turned his attention to the boards and started to take advantage of his height. I think he showed alot of people his upside tonight. I also loved to see LB giving him props at every opportunity, feeding his ego and adding to his confidence. Even when Darko took a few outside shots( which LB doesnt like) LB didnt yell at him, he simply called a play for D to get the ball in the post which let D know where he should be without yelling and demoralizing him. I think Darko and LB were able to take a leap in progress with this game. Any doubts as to whether D or Ham should be on the roster should now be over. Ham couldnt do the things D can.


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## JustinSane

I realize I'm in the minority here, but my belief is that if Darko had gotten the 20 minutes a game Dyess did, the Pistons would be in better shape now. They would have maybe 48-50 wins, skewed disproportionately toward the end of the season, but Darko's physical characteristics give him the ability to do things Dyess simply can't do (anymore). A confident, somewhat seasoned Darko + a rather rusty Dyess seems like a better playoff combo to me that Dyess and the human victory cigar. Come on now, just describe what Darko is: A mobile, 7'1'' player with a skilled inside-outside game, nice passing touch, one of the two best shot-blockers on the team and excellent lateral mobility. Doesn't a player like that sound like he might come in handy in the playoffs? Maybe?


----------



## Copper

JustinSane said:


> I realize I'm in the minority here, but my belief is that if Darko had gotten the 20 minutes a game Dyess did, the Pistons would be in better shape now. They would have maybe 48-50 wins, skewed disproportionately toward the end of the season, but Darko's physical characteristics give him the ability to do things Dyess simply can't do (anymore). A confident, somewhat seasoned Darko + a rather rusty Dyess seems like a better playoff combo to me that Dyess and the human victory cigar. Come on now, just describe what Darko is: A mobile, 7'1'' player with a skilled inside-outside game, nice passing touch, one of the two best shot-blockers on the team and excellent lateral mobility. Doesn't a player like that sound like he might come in handy in the playoffs? Maybe?


 Although I am a big Darko supporter and would like to agree with you, I cant argue with the success of LB. I have critiqued him in the past but after watching him and listening to him during the game last night, seeing his reactions to Darkos performance. He really seems to want Darko to succeed. The team is pulling for Darko, I dont think LB could afford to just give Darko minutes and then tell other players they had to earn them, he would have risked losing the trust of his players. Darko is talented and has the potential to be a stud. However he is young and sometimes his body language is that of someone that doesnt care, he sometimes for whatever reason reminds me of Bison Dele ( if any of you remember him? aka Brian Williams) He can play lights out, then turn around and act as though he is being put out by having to show up for a game. I think what LB and the rest of the team have been looking for is just what they got last night, Darko put forth a REAL effort and you could actually see his focus and confidence grow as his minutes accumulated. Last night we saw Darko mature by leaps and bounds. With that said, as well as he played, that doesnt mean he wont come out and lay a stink bomb tonight. He is young and VERY inexperienced, her may not know how to respond to a game like last night. I hope he realizes that he got going by getting the ball in the post and making some shots before he wandered outside and let a couple fly. As long as Darko plays with passion and interest? I think he will be a VERY strong player.


----------



## JoeD

I disagree, especially since many nights McDyess would outperform (in my opinion) Rasheed and Ben, atleast proportinately to his minutes. He is eleventh in the league in fg %. I don't think he is too rusty or held back by his past injury, he jumps up like a beast for rebounds and he can take contact fine. Half the teams in the league would kill to have this guy.

I'm in favor of McDyess and Darko getting 20 minutes each (not in the playoffs tho), and everyone playing harder for shorter minutes. What I'd really like is for Stern to change the length of the game to 60 minutes so we can spread the minutes with our deep front court


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## nmuman

This is great! Welcome to the three new members! Just remember that if we play Indiana in the playoffs to stay away from a certain guy called PacersGuyUSA. :biggrin: 

I used to really hate Darko, but all of that hatred and frustration all flew out of the window last night. He really truly surprised the hell out of me. We've been hearing for two season what this guy does in practice and blah blah blah, but I don't think any of us truly believed it until last night. Tonight I bet he throws down 20.


----------



## Copper

nmuman said:


> This is great! Welcome to the three new members! Just remember that if we play Indiana in the playoffs to stay away from a certain guy called PacersGuyUSA. :biggrin:
> 
> I used to really hate Darko, but all of that hatred and frustration all flew out of the window last night. He really truly surprised the hell out of me. We've been hearing for two season what this guy does in practice and blah blah blah, but I don't think any of us truly believed it until last night. Tonight I bet he throws down 20.


 I hope you are right, I am eager to see how he responds in a back to back opportunity. I wonder if he can compose himself and bring the same effort or if he is unable to ready himself after his big game. This will be his first test of maturity. He has never had this opportunity in his career.


----------



## ian

nmuman said:


> We've been hearing for two season what this guy does in practice and blah blah blah, but I don't think any of us truly believed it until last night. Tonight I bet he throws down 20.


A lot of us believed it... I know I did

It never made sense with Darko's obvious natural skills to get as down on him as some people have... Joe said he'd be a project, and he has been. Too often we have to hear how Darko progressing just like envisioned means he is a bust, or because he doesn't impress when given 30 seconds of PT he must not care. So ridiculous


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## nmuman

The reason I didn't like him was because of his comments in the media and his constent crying. Until last night he acted like a 7'2" baby. 

The games that he did get more than a few minutes of playing time he was a tad better than horrible.


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## Copper

ian said:


> A lot of us believed it... I know I did
> 
> It never made sense with Darko's obvious natural skills to get as down on him as some people have... Joe said he'd be a project, and he has been. Too often we have to hear how Darko progressing just like envisioned means he is a bust, or because he doesn't impress when given 30 seconds of PT he must not care. So ridiculous


 Too true, people are all to often hit or miss. Joe has never wavered from his original statement that D would be a project over the next few years. Everyone immediately expected him to come in and beat out Ben or Sheed and now Dyess for PT. When Darko struggled? he was labeled a bust. I think its just easier for people to proclaim hes a bust and move on than to wait out the season and allow him to develope. I wouldnt start to worry unless we are still waiting for Darko to play minutes at this time next year. I think Darko really gave people a glimpse of his all around game last night. He will be an above average passer for a big, he has a nice touch just lacks confidence ( understandably) good footwork for a big. I think the most impressive for me was how he actually seemed to get the offense last night. All too often he has been put into games and seemed to be lost or roaming aimlessly. Last night after the initial awe wore off, he was cutting, setting picks, popping out and even no looking and skip passing balls( which really requires court awareness) I sttill think he was jipped an assist or 2, he hit Tay with a skip pass, then a no looker then he hit Ben for the alley oop. and that was pretty much in a 3-4 minute span. The box score lists him for 2 assists.


----------



## DetBNyce

http://www.detnews.com/2005/pistons/0504/20/E01-156573.htm 



> ATLANTA -- Ben Wallace walked over to Darko Milicic before Tuesday night's game and put a hand over Milicic's heart, as if to see how fast it was pumping.
> 
> "Man, it was beating fast and hard," Wallace said, laughing. "At least we knew he was still alive."





> "It's the first time I had a chance to play, and that's what I've wanted," said Milicic, who started in place of Rasheed Wallace (sore left hamstring) and played 30 minutes. "I got a chance to show people what I can do."





> "That's what Darko needed to do; just relax and play like he did tonight," Ben Wallace said. "Just go out and show everybody that you want to be out there, that you want to be part of this team."





> "He was great," coach Larry Brown said. "I think he was tired at the introductions, but he really played well. The nicest thing was, the other guys were thrilled for him. I mean, this was fun. To see what Darko's been through and to have him play like that -- pretty neat."


It was great to see Darko get out there and produce. Unfortunately I missed the second half, so all I see is the boxscore. Hopefully this can be the turning point and confidence boost he needed to get his career going int he right direction.

And yes I think he ended Ham's chance of making the postseason roster, which is the way it should be. I'm finally on the Darko's side when it comes to who can help us the most in the playoffs.


----------



## Copper

And yes I think he ended Ham's chance of making the postseason roster, which is the way it should be. I'm finally on the Darko's side when it comes to who can help us the most in the playoffs.[/QUOTE]
I was always pulling for D to be on the roster simply because of his size, however with his performance last night( albeit against inferior competition) Darko should have shown many that he is a better fit than Ham. I seriously doubt Ham woulda been close to as productive given the same time.


----------



## DetBNyce

Copper said:


> I was always pulling for D to be on the roster simply because of his size, however with his performance last night( albeit against inferior competition) Darko should have shown many that he is a better fit than Ham. I seriously doubt Ham woulda been close to as productive given the same time.


I always wanted Ham on the roster because if you were going to get anything from Ham, it was a 100% effort. I don't think anyway doubts that Dako has the edge in intangibles over Darko, but with Darko you never knew what you would get. He showed tonight if he plays with confidence and aggressiveness he could be of help come playoffs time. I think I can say with confidence that we now have 5 reliable big men that all bring something different to the table.

Delfino had a great game as well.


----------



## Copper

CJ said:


> I always wanted Ham on the roster because if you were going to get anything from Ham, it was a 100% effort. I don't think anyway doubts that Dako has the edge in intangibles over Darko, but with Darko you never knew what you would get. He showed tonight if he plays with confidence and aggressiveness he could be of help come playoffs time. I think I can say with confidence that we now have 5 reliable big men that all bring something different to the table.
> 
> Delfino had a great game as well.


 Very true, Darkos biggest drawback has been his level of energy that he brings or doesnt bring. Im sure if he played in his limited minutes with the energy he played with last night in his extened minutes? he woulda cracked the rotation. However its a catch 22. He is young and has to learn how to react to situations and when to be aggressive and when to play with ease. Has to be learned, no way around it. Last night he really jumped the learning curve though, I am excited to see how he reacts to back to back minutes.


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## DetBNyce

It's no secret that LB makes the team play to their weanesses earlier in the season so come playoff time when the team is forced to play to those weaknesses they don't panic and are ready for anything. I can almost see the same thing happening with Darko. LB could/could've let Darko become that 19 year old Toni Kukoc, but instead he is turning him into an inside-outside player and making him play to his weaknesses, but in the long run it'll make him amuch better player, just like the Pistons have been a much better team at the end of both of his seasons. Like the rest I just hope Darko turns inot that player here in Detroit.


----------



## kamego

After seeing Darko play inside and out, I don't see how Ham has a chance of making that postseason roster. The fans would throw a fit. I have no doubt that Joe Dumars was going to have him on the roster either way but I think he is helping his chances of impressing LB. Hopefully Darko gets the start tonight and goes for 30 points.


----------



## rainman

Copper said:


> And yes I think he ended Ham's chance of making the postseason roster, which is the way it should be. I'm finally on the Darko's side when it comes to who can help us the most in the playoffs.


 I was always pulling for D to be on the roster simply because of his size, however with his performance last night( albeit against inferior competition) Darko should have shown many that he is a better fit than Ham. I seriously doubt Ham woulda been close to as productive given the same time.[/QUOTE]

i would have darko on the roster for the simple reason that you have an aging front line in front of him. mcdyess and campbell are like a couple of old horses you dont know whether they'll make it around the track or not. also i have no doubt that darko can fill in at sf. he would create huge matchup problems posting up and is quick enough to stay with sf's on defense. one other comment, anyone that thinks he played well last night because he was agressive and should have played like that all year i would just say that he played well because he was given the oppurtunity to actually play in the flow of a game not just in garbage time.


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