Please check out today's news bullets, which I didn't post until dangerously close to tipoff, if you haven't already - BQR
| 2008/2009 NBA Regular Season | ||
|---|---|---|
 | @ |  |
| 46-16 | 31-30 | |
| March 9th, 2009 | ||
| The Palace of Auburn Hills | ||
| 7:30 PM | ||
| Sun Sports HD | ||
| Probable starters: | ||
| Rafer Alston | PG | Rodney Stuckey |
| Courtney Lee | SG | Richard Hamilton |
| Hedo Turkoglu | SF | Tayshaun Prince |
| Rashard Lewis | PF | Antonio McDyess |
| Dwight Howard | C | Rasheed Wallace |
| Previous Meetings: | ||
| December 29th: Pistons 88, Magic 82 | ||
| December 29th: Pistons 93, Magic 85 | ||
Remember how lengthy the preview for the last game between these two teams was? Yeah, I suppose I was making up for lost time, in a way. Writing this morning's commentary took too much time away for me to write a proper preview for tonight's game. But if you're a Magic fan, you already know what to expect. The Pistons are in your head as much as they're in the Magic's players'.
A loss tonight would give the Pistons a 3-0 sweep of the season-series. We don't want that. Play hard, play smart, and play with pride. A win would be the Magic's 5th straight [UPDATE: and would clinch a playoff berth for them] as they continue their post-Jameer Nelson quest for the Eastern Conference's top seed. Go Magic.
See also: Detroit Bad Boys' preview, in which Kevin Sawyer gives the Magic some credit for their recent defense, and says the Pistons would be wise to push the tempo tonight, among other things.