khandor’s sports blog

Detroit Pistons 99
TORONTO RAPTORS 110
Wed Nov 04 2009 - Game Scoreboard

After battling back from a 17 point 3rd quarter deficit to take a 1 point lead mid-way through the 4th frame, the Pistons then came unglued during a key stretch of 4:25 which, ultimately, sealed their fate in this game:

Line-ups

Time	Team	PG	OG	SF	PF	C	SCORE
Q4	Det	Calderon	Jack	Turkoglu	Bosh	Bargnani	91
07:13	TOR	Bynum	Gordon	Stuckey	Maxiell	Daye	90

Play-By-Play

Individual Good/Bad

PISTONS	GOOD	BAD
#1 Jason Maxiell/-3		- missed FT - missed FT - failed to stop Bosh jump-hook
#2 Austin Daye/-5	- 1 BS - DRb	- PF - PF/2 made FT’s - PF/2 made FT’s - 1 missed corner 3 - 1 missed running bank shot
#3 Will Bynum/0	- 1 DRb - 1 made driving layup	- cover down on Bosh = Calderon’s made 3 - cover down on Bosh = Jump-hook
#4 John Kuester/-3		- Subbed Maxiell w/Wallace - Subbed Daye w/Villanueva - Turkoglu’s made pull-up jumper
#5 Rodney Stuckey/-2	- ORb - ORb	- 1 missed jumper - 1 missed driving layup - 1 missed tip shot - 1 TO
#6 Ben Wallace/0	- 1 ORb	- 1 missed layup
#7 Charlie Villanueva/-1	- 1 made running jumper	- bit early on shot-fake 1 dribble jumper by Bargnani - 1 TO

 

LES FAUX PAS DES PISTONS

1. Ben Gordon’s individual game stat line from last night looked like this: 

	POS	MP	FGM-FGA	2FGM-2FGA	3FGM-3FGA	FTM-FTA	+/-	ORb	DRb	TRb	AST	PF	ST	TO	BS	BA	PTS	KPM
GORDON	G	45:30	10-19	8-14	2-5	8-9	-3	0	2	2	4	1	0	0	0	1	30	+23

yet, during this stretch of 4:25 in the 4th quarter … with the outcome of the game still in doubt … he did not have the opportunity to shoot the ball even 1 time.

2. When the Raptors made 3 substitution at the 8:42 mark of the 4th quarter … i.e. replacing Amir Johnson with Jose Calderon/PG, Marco Belinelli with Hedo Turkoglu/SF, and Demar DeRozan with Chris Bosh/PF; while leaving Jarrett Jack/OG and Andrea Bargnani/C on the floor … and the Pistons responded with a made 3-PT shot [vs Bargnani/Jack] and a driving layup by Bynum [vs Turkoglu] to re-gain the lead [91-90], John Kuester fell asleep at the switch and decided to continue with the same 5-man unit he had on the floor at the 7:22 mark when Jason Maxiell was called for a PF vs Chris Bosh [defending on the Left Block with the aid of a solid cover down by Rodney Stuckey].

At that precise point in the game John Kuester missed the opportunity to re-work the Pistons’ line-up so that:

* Jason Maxiell was not assigned to cover Chris Bosh

* Austin Daye was not assigned to cover Andrea Bargnani

* Rodney Stuckey was not assigned to cover Hedo Turkoglu

* Ben Gordon was not assigned to cover Jarrett jack

and,

* Will Bynum was not assigned to cover Jose Calderon.

If John Kuester would have made the following subs, instead:

Stuckey vs Calderon
Gordon vs Jack
Villanueva [replacing Bynum] vs Turkoglu
Maxiell vs Bargnani
Wallace [replacing Daye] vs Bosh 

… the Pistons would have been in a much better situation, based on the individual match-ups on the floor, at that time, and would in all likelihood, have been able to fight the Raptors down to the last possession of the game.

3. Instead of making those exact subs at that specific point in the game, John Kuester waited for:

i. Chris Bosh to face-up first Maxiell [Right Block], draw the weak cover down from Bynum [who, at less than 6'0, is useless as a cover down defender], kick-out to Jose Calderon … who buried a huge 3-ball [6:40], to give the Raptors the lead, once again [93-91]; and,

ii. Chris Bosh to re-post vs Maxiell [Right Block], then attack middle with a made jump-hook [5:41, on another weak [late] cover down from Will Bynum;

before he replaced Maxiell with Wallace [vs Bosh], and,

iii. A jump-ball to occur [4:04] before replacing Daye with Villanueva.

——————————

An old coaching bromide that says,

“Players win games in basketball; but, sometimes, coaches can lose them.”

Last night’s final outcome for the Pistons was a prime example of the latter situation … even though Detroit was forced to play without 2 veteran starters, i.e. Rip Hamilton [OG] and Tayshaun Prince [SF], in the 2nd bill of a back-to-back.

Full marks to the Raptors [2-2], however, for seizing upon these gaffes by Detroit … i.e. specifically, Will Bynum/PG and John Kuester/Head Coach … to win a crucial game, from their perspective, as they now head out on the road for 7 of their next 8 contests.