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The Detroit Pistons opened the 2009-2010 season Wednesday night with a 96-74 blowout win at Memphis. The win, only one point away from tying a season opener record for margin of victory, was largely due to the outstanding play of the Pistons guards and a certain four-time defensive player of the year.
Richard (Rip) Hamilton poured in 25 points after a dismal shooting performance early in the game.
New Piston Ben Gordon added 22 points of his own, while hitting 4-of-7 three-pointers.
Rodney Stuckey and Will Bynum both had solid contributions as well, with Stuckey snagging 12 points on 6-for-10 shooting and Bynum dishing seven assists while being a pest on defense.
Ben Wallace looked very active, altering what seemed like every shot in the paint. He also led the team in rebounds with nine.
The Pistons opened the game with a couple really nice fast breaks ending with lay-ups by Tayshaun Prince. The Grizzlies were able to keep the first quarter tight due to poor shooting by Hamilton early and by some highly contested shots that Rudy Gay somehow made fall.
With three minutes to go in the quarter and the shot clock at two, Gordon made a bank shot triple which looked like it had no business even touching the rim. Oh, and he was fouled on the shot.
If that wasn’t enough, Gordon managed to grab an offensive rebound and sink a base line jumper to beat the first quarter buzzer. That man is going to be a blast to watch this season.
Hamilton came alive in the second quarter. He ran screens well all night, but his shots started dropping in the second and didn’t stop until he landed funny on a long jumper in the fourth.
The Pistons managed to shoot above 70 percent in the second quarter, thanks in part to draining their last six shots. Hamilton capped off the half by nailing a jumper with less than a second to go, putting the Pistons up 53-41.
Detroit continued in the third where they left off in the second, with Wallace leading the charge on defense. Officially, he only tallied one block and no steals, but he made sure that Memphis could not get anything easy.
Charlie Villanueva battled with foul trouble and poor shooting most of the night but started to turn things around in the last six minutes of the third. He had three really nice series in a matter of a minute where he hit an awkward looking triple, then a jump shot, and finished with a very nice block.
The Pistons entered the fourth with a 71-57 lead. Gordon proceeded to hit two early threes to take away whatever hope Memphis had of getting back in the game.
The quarter was not all good news though as Hamilton had to leave late in the fourth after being fouled and landing awkwardly on his ankle. He did manage to take his free throws but was noticeably limping. He did not return.
The most impressive aspect of Detroit’s game was their ability to control the tempo. This is especially impressive because Memphis was able to press the ball at will against Detroit in their preseason meeting.
When Detroit saw opportunities to press they did. When Memphis was able to get back they pulled up and executed in a half-court set. Although at times, the half-court offense looked frantic, it was still effective, with the Pistons able to shoot 51 percent.
Overall this was a very strong win for the Pistons. They showed gritty defense, potent half-court sets, and executed the fast break with ease. If they can find some consistency this team is going to turn a lot of heads.
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