Knicks @ Pistons - Pappy Knuckles's Blog

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Pappy Knuckles's Blog

Knicks @ Pistons

Posted on December 14, 2008 at 11:25 AM.

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RUDY FERNANDEZ TAKES OVER IN THE SECOND HALF, KNICKS WIN IN DETROIT.

New York visited the 2-11 Detroit Pistons in a must win game last night. Early on things didn't look very good as the team struggled to make their jumpshots. At halftime they were down 32-20 and searching for answers.

Coach Pappy Knuckles fired the team up in the locker room and encouraged them to turn up the intensity in the second half. He also told Fernandez that he had the green light to take over offensively. "Rudy was tentative in the first half, but that's not how he plays. I let him know that we needed his scoring to get us back in the game."

Fernandez scored 23 of his 27 points in the second half on 10 of 13 shooting. Rudy was breaking down defenders off the dribble and getting his points however he wanted them. In the 4th quarter the Pistons began double teaming him everytime he touched the ball, but that only left more open shot opportunities for his teamates.

The reunion of Kobe and Shaq in Detroit continues to be a bumpy ride. Although Shaq had a solid game, Kobe was only able to shoot 3-10 from the floor. The Pistons will need to improve their chemistry if they have any hope of getting bettter this season. The Knicks improve to 7-8 with the win.

Knicks 10 10 18 27 65
Pistons 13 19 10 15 57

Knicks
Rudy Fernandez - 27 pts (10 for 13), 6 assists, 7/7 FT
Dirk Nowitzki - 10 pts, 8 reb
Rasheed Wallace - 10 pts

Pistons
Al Thorton - 14 pts
Monta Ellis - 12 pts, 5 assists
Shaquille O'Neal - 9 pts, 9 reb

Knicks
26/48 FG (54%)
2/8 3PT (25%)
11/11 FT (100%)
22 Assists
5 Turnovers
20 Rebounds
5 Steals
3 Blocks
36 Points in the paint
9 Bench points

Pistons
27/50 FG (54%)
1/5 3PT (20%)
2/2 FT (100%)
21 Assists
4 Turnovers
16 Rebounds
2 Steals
3 Blocks
40 Points in the paint
8 Bench points