When the Pistons head out west every year, it tests the resolve of Piston fans throughout the state. Do you stay up, battling fatigue until midnight and beyond, or turn it at about halftime, hoping the morning box score will give you the news you’re looking for?
On Sunday night, let’s hope you stayed the course and watched the full four quarters. Because the Pistons might have just played their most dominant final quarter in the history of the franchise.
Consider these statistics that, even after watching it unfold, still don’t seem entirely real.
The Blazers led the Pistons by 13 entering the fourth. The Pistons won the game by 17 points. That’s right; the Blazers mustered only 11 points in the final stanza while the Pistons lit ‘em up for 41. At one point in the quarter, the Pistons blitzed Portland to the tune of a 24-0 run.
Reggie Jackson had 26 points in the fourth quarter alone -- 40 for the game, a career high.
Andre Drummond had another ho-hum 20-20 night, this time doing it with 29 points and 27 rebounds. While Jackson was basically scoring every time down for the Pistons during the 24-0 burst, it was Drummond dominating just as much on the other end of the floor. He disrupted shots, caused turnovers, and seemed to literally haul in every single defensive rebound during the final eight minutes.
Andre Drummond
The Detroit Pistons have five wins and one loss. Let that sink in for just a second, because as fans of this franchise, it is not a feeling that’s been experienced much, if at all, over the last half-dozen years. Sure, the euphoria of this epic comeback will probably crash to a halt tonight when visiting Golden State, the defending champs and league’s lone undefeated team; but that doesn’t take the shine off what took place in Portland last night.
It was a 41 to 11 quarter, and for the first time in what feels like an eternity, our guys were on the right side of it. So tonight when the clock strikes 12 and you feel the eyelids start to fall, go grab a pop or a snack, anything to let you stick it out for the home stretch. Right now, this team is worth the extra effort.
A Small Dose of Reality
There have been some stunning numbers, both good and bad, for Drummond so far on this road trip.
On the positive side, he’s snatched 44 boards in two games. He’s averaging over 20 a game on the year. He’s seven rebounds better than everyone else in the league.
But we can’t completely ignore the 3-19 effort at the free throw line in these last two games, albeit both Piston wins.
Nobody expects the big fella to step up and hit on 70% from the stripe. But 3 of 19 is not acceptable, not for a player that could be an All-NBA performer at the end of this year.
The Pistons were very fortunate that Blazers’ coach Terry Stotts did not implement Hack-a-Shaq on Drummond during the fourth-quarter barrage. For whatever reason, Stotts chose to begin the fouling strategy with just over two minutes to go in the game, the Pistons now leading comfortably.
Stan Van Gundy will need Drummond on the court down the stretch in every big game this season. The better coaches around the league will force him to knock down FT’s to stay in the game. Hitting on 3 of 19 will force Van Gundy to make a substitution, and that weakens the team immeasurably.
Did the Zebras Knock MSU from the National Title Hunt?
Nebraska sent shock waves through the heart of Sparty Nation on Saturday night, erupting for two late touchdowns to knock MSU from the ranks of the unbeaten. It was the second and final score that proved to be the most controversial play of the entire football weekend.
During said play, the Huskers’ wideout came from a few steps out of bounds back onto the field of play to haul in and eventually score the game-winning touchdown. Was the call right? Was it wrong? I can’t say for certain. What I can say is, much like the call toward the end of the Lions-Cowboys game in last year’s playoffs, I can’t remember a time previous that such a play was ruled in this manner.
Almost every time a football player finds his way out of bounds during a play, then hops back on and is the first to touch the ball, it is ALWAYS ruled to be illegal. I can’t recall another instance where the player was deemed to be “forced out," thus the resulting play deemed perfectly kosher.
Referees love to catch these types of offending players lingering on the sidelines during an actual play. They get so excited that they literally remove their hats and throw them onto the field, a courageous act considering many college refs are older gentleman with little to no hair.
Maybe the play was ruled correctly by the letter of the law. Maybe there was enough contact to justify the force-out claim by the officials. I just know in my many years of watching the sport, I can’t recall another instance where such a play was permitted, especially when deciding the outcome of the game.
Marty Mornhinweg, You’ve Got Company
Overtime in Minnesota on Sunday, Rams at Vikings. The Vikes win the all-important coin toss and will be awarded the ball first. Or so you would think.
Mike Zimmer, the Minnesota head coach and apparent Mornhinweg fanatic, turned down the football, opting instead to choose the better wind direction.
And wouldn’t you know it, this time it worked like a charm.
Zimmer’s defense stoned the Rams, and after a good punt return followed by a couple chain-moving plays, the winning field goal was booted for the home side.
Of course, when Mornhinweg pulled this stunt in Chicago, the Lions made him look like the world’s biggest buffoon by allowing the Bears the winning score on the first possession of overtime.
The decision by Zimmer yesterday was not nearly as outrageous as the one Mornhinweg made back in 2002, of which Brian Urlacher famously said, “I couldn’t believe that they didn’t take the ball.”
In this instance, the Viking QB, Teddy Bridgewater, had gone out of the game after taking a shot to the head, and backup Shaun Hill had accomplished nothing in his absence. Plus, in today’s NFL, the first team to score does not automatically win the game unless it is by way of a touchdown.
The gutsy call by Zimmer would assuredly have been torn apart from every angle had the Vikings lost, but in this case it happened to work, and in addition, gave every Lions’ fan a nice healthy dose of Sunday afternoon PTSD.
