Well that was fun.
Tayshaun Prince went off for 34 and 12 in the Pistons' opener against the Miami Heat—both at least matching career highs. Prince exploited the subpar defense of Dorell Wright.
Chauncey Billups had a nice game with 19 and 11. I was a little off with my other projections, as Amir Johnson didn't play.
The Pistons shut down Shaq fairly well. The Diesel only had six shot attempts, thanks to a barrage of double teams.
Expect Detroit to employ the same strategy against bruisers like Eddy Curry and Zydrunas Ilgauskas.
As for Arron Afflalo's debut—ehh. Three points, one assist, one rebound, one steal, two fouls.
Afflalo only played 14 minutes because of those two quick fouls, with most of the action off the bench going to Jarvis Hayes and Flip Murray.
Detroit had only 10 turnovers while forcing 17. Those turnovers led to a lot of fastbreaks—always a good thing.
Next up is the Orlando Magic. Tayshaun will need a great defensive effort against Rashard Lewis, and Rasheed Wallace, Antonio McDyess, and Co. will have their hands full with Dwight Howard.
I think Chauncey can have his way with Jameer Nelson. We'll see if Rip Hamilton returns.
Prediction: Detroit 94, Orlando 82
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