Pistons blow another double-digit lead vs NBA’s worst team

Feb 27, 2015; Auburn Hills, MI, USA; Detroit Pistons head coach Stan Van Gundy reacts during the first quarter against the New York Knicks at The Palace of Auburn Hills. Mandatory Credit: Tim Fuller-USA TODAY Sports
Feb 27, 2015; Auburn Hills, MI, USA; Detroit Pistons head coach Stan Van Gundy reacts during the first quarter against the New York Knicks at The Palace of Auburn Hills. Mandatory Credit: Tim Fuller-USA TODAY Sports /
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156. Final. 115. 64. 121

REGGIE JACKSON. F. Jackson, 5/24 on the night, struggled mightily on offense. Not only did he shoot the ball poorly, but he almost had as many turnovers (four) as assists (five). Still, I thought he played with great tempo and he had some bad breaks on a couple of his shots that could have made the stat sheet less appalling than it ended up being. Overall, I thought he took more good shots than bad and although he did attempt almost twice as many shots as any other player on the team, he was able to get his teammates involved.<p class=. PG. Pistons

I’ll take Caldwell-Pope’s shot selection and confidence. In fact I love how he’s been playing since the Reggie Jackson trade, but he simply had too inefficient of a night on both ends of the floor to justify a higher grade.<p class=. SG. Pistons. KENTAVIOUS CALDWELL-POPE. C-

TAYSHAUN PRINCE. F. I really have nothing to comment on as far as Prince goes. Let’s just forget about this one.. SF. Pistons

28 points and 13 rebounds on an efficient night of shooting was awesome, but his inability to slow down Andreas Bargnani wasn’t. Nor was his inability to keep Louis Amundson off the offensive glass . Monroe also missed four free throws in overtime that could have changed the game in Detroit’s favor.<p>Live by the Moose, die by the Moose.</p>. PF. Pistons. GREG MONROE. B

21 points (on 9/11 shooting) 15 rebounds, and four blocks, Drummond had quite the night. If it weren’t for some questionable foul calls late in the game, he may might had an even bigger night. Drummond’s grade drops because of his inability (along with Monroe) to box out Louis Amundson, who collected nine offensive rebounds.. C. Pistons. ANDRE DRUMMOND. B+

4 points and five assists, but struggled to shoot (1/5) in 16 minutes of action.. PG. Pistons. JOHN LUCAS III. C+

B+. Meeks showed up big in a losing effort tonight providing 16 bench points and a couple blocks on defense. Sadly, the night he finally gets his shot going is the night he starts missing free throws (in the clutch no less).. SG. Pistons. JODIE MEEKS

CARON BUTLER. C+. Butler had some nice assists and was one of the few Pistons to finish with a positive plus-minus tonight (+13).. SF. Pistons

Pistons. ANTHONY TOLLIVER. B. Didn’t shoot great tonight, but hit a huge three at the end of the game to pull within one point of the Knicks. He also had a huge charge taken on defense that gave the Pistons life. He should have had another charge, but the refs blew it.. PF

F. I hate giving coaches a failing grade. Why? Because I can’t account for everything that goes into the coaches decision-making on a game-by-game basis and without all the information at my disposal it’s impossible to give an accurate assessment on why he makes the moves he does.<p> </p><p>But here’s what I do know: the Pistons have lost two straight games after winning by double digits and they’ve been plagued by horrible third quarters in both games. Tonight the Pistons shot 12 percent from the floor in the third quarter, they lost against the worst team in the league, and they gave the Knicks their first win of the season without Carmelo Anthony. So tonight, I’m handing out my first “F” of the season for Stan Van Gundy. it’s also extremely frustrating to continue to see this team play to its opponents level.</p><p>Thank goodness it’s a quick turnaround for the Pistons, because they need to get that bad taste out their mouth.</p>. Head Coach. Pistons. STAN VAN GUNDY