Pistons outgrind Bulls for first 3-0 start since 2008

Due to a mix-up on my part with who was in charge of grading this game, I wrote up a duplicate review of the Chicago Bulls game. For the original, here’s Ricky LaBlue. But I thought I’d share some highlights anyway. Feel free to enjoy, ignore, or criticize:

This was one of the tightest games you’ll see all year. There were probably about 15 minutes of play when the score was tied and it was very rarely more than a one possession game. The Pistons once again won in spite of shooting poorly by taking way more shots. They did that through complete domination of the offensive glass (20 to 8) and handily winning the turnover battle (15 to 20). As a result, the Pistons put up 104 field goal attempts to just 84 by the Bulls. It’s hard to shoot poorly enough not to win when you do that.

The game came down to the wire (in regulation, as all overtime games do) but that was because the Bulls were getting the benefit of the whistles in this one. In particular, the Pistons got hosed on a pair of goaltending calls that prevented them from putting this away without the extra five minutes.

Reggie Jackson:
Jackson looked like a real point guard for the first time this season. He drew a pair of huge charges early and he regularly put the ball on the rim. Even when it didn’t drop, that gave Drummond and the rest of the team opportunities for offensive rebounds and putbacks. His shot that came to a complete stop on the rim provided delicious suspense all on its own.

One aspect of his game that could easily be underrated: he scared the Bulls enough that they put Jimmy Butler on him. That made things easier for both Morris (who drew Snell instead of Butler) and Johnson/KCP (who drew Rose instead of Snell). My one major complaint was his decision not to go for a two-for-one opportunity when the Pistons inbounded with 38 seconds left in regulation and the score tied.

Kentavious Caldwell-Pope:
Last season, KCP looked like a really good defender by Pistons’ standards but only because the whole team was pathetic. Through three games this season, Caldwell-Pope is most definitely a plus defender. And while his shooting was off, he has shown some increase in his ability to put the ball on the floor and make something happen. There’s still a long way to go there, but it’s a good start.

Kentavious sacrificed his body in stopping a late fast break by Jimmy Butler. He fouled, but Butler split the free throws, saving the Pistons a point. That one point makes a huge difference when the game goes to an extra period. He also blocked a key Butler layup (that didn’t show up in the box score) and forced a miss by Rose on the last play of regulation. And he got robbed on a phenomenal putback that was ruled offensive goaltending in spite of the fact that the bottom of the ball had clearly dropped below the rim (meaning it was definitely outside of the cylinder).

Marcus Morris:
Morris once again bailed out the Pistons repeatedly by being someone they could throw the ball to who could make something out of nothing. Besides Jackson, no other Piston has yet showed a consistent ability to create shots. Morris mostly only manages to do it for himself, not for others, but the Pistons desperately need that release valve. I genuinely believe they would be 0-3 right now without him. In this game, Morris repeatedly abused Tony Snell, who isn’t a bad defender. I think the Bulls made a mistake by leaving Butler on Jackson instead of having him guard Morris, but Marcus took every opportunity he was given and capitalized on most of them.

Andre Drummond:
Drummond’s defense is still a work in progress, but he manned the paint very capably. Oh, and the 20-20 was really nice, too. Unfortunately, Andre is still bad at blocking opponents out. He just outjumps them for rebounds. That’s really effective on the offensive glass and it works alright on the defensive. But there is room for improved defensive rebounding with a bit more discipline. His post game still looks awful. His putbacks are still amazing.

Aaron Baynes:
Baynes had a pretty good stat line for his limited minutes on the floor, but he was worthless defensively. With Drummond out of the game, the Bulls went at the rim and Baynes mostly left them unchallenged. His playing time at the end of the first quarter and beginning of the second was really the Bulls’ only run all game. It was amusing when both Baynes and Gibson were on the floor, though. Their hands may as well have been rock. A lot more balls went clanging around the court in unexpected directions.