Off Topic » His confidence in his three-point shooting

FIVE QUICK NBA THOUGHTS 1. GREIVIS VASQUEZ (Raptors): Has been sensational for the Raps in the past few weeks. His confidence in his three-point shooting and his ability to make difficult shots in the lane have been huge. He runs the team well and plays with wonderful enthusiasm. Major pick-up as a back-up point guard and hes finally settled in to his role and comfort level in Toronto. Really fun/upbeat personality who loves the game and plays with a swagger. Fun to see it all coming together for him. 2. ALLEN IVERSONS NO. 3 RETIRED IN PHILLY: In an otherwise gloomy season in Philadelphia, this was the definite highlight. Talk about a guy that absolutely carried his team and was the heart and soul of his franchise. Loved the passion and toughness he played with. When you think of great small guards who have ever played the game, hes right at the top of the list. His competitive spirit resonated throughout the teams he led and the city that adopted him. I think back to broadcasting the 2001 Raptors seven-game series in the Eastern Conference semi-finals against them and he was awesome. A complete joy to watch. Willed his team to the NBA Finals. Deserving honour. 3. NY KNICKS: I talk about AI and his competitive spirit and then I watch the Knicks vs. Bulls game on Sunday and just shake my head. The wheels have come off and Im not surprised one bit. When the Knicks were in Toronto twice during the pre-season I could sense from chatting with their folks an over-confidence about what they achieved last season and the feeling that they would just pick up where they left off. It aint that easy. Last season doesnt mean a thing - youve got to start off all over again. Complacency can be a killer. Whats the old line? "Good is the enemy of great". Doubt the Knicks would ever be considered great but they sure were good last year. When you enjoy those good spoils of success and arent ready for the grind again it spells trouble. I feel bad for head coach Mike Woodson, its not like he hasnt called them and challenged them on things constantly. Losing battle right now. House cleaning coming. 4. JIMMER FREDETTE (Bulls): Nice pick-up for John Paxson and Gar Forman. This team is playing great yet lacks consistent offensive fire power. Wouldnt surprise me to see Jimmer earn some playing time in a few weeks after he gets adjusted to the new system. Remember last season, Nate Robinson and Marco Belinelli were huge for them off the bench as DJ Augustin has been this year. Jimmer will give them another three-point threat. Yes, hes got challenges defensively due to his size - he lacks lateral quicks - but he will compete his tail off and stick shots if he gets in. Im sure hell get a good look down the road this month. Solid under-the-radar move. 5. THABO SEFOLOSHA and KENDRICK PERKINS (Thunder): Both banged up right now in OKC and with the return of Russell Westbrook its been a revolving door around Kevin Durant yet I think its all a blessing for their organization. Its been "Force Feed" time for Reggie Jackson, Steven Adams, Jeremy Lamb and Perry Jones and theyve developed folks that need to grow as players quickly in an elite environment. From April 15 onward when both injured guys will be back for the Playoffs, the depth and experience of these challenges will help this team become steadier and more consistent when the stakes are higher. Air Max Outlet Italia . Al Harrington, another former Knicks forward, scored 22 of his 24 points after halftime for the Nuggets, allowing them to withstand Anthonys attempt to rally the Knicks after his poor shooting had them behind until the final minutes of regulation. Anthony finished with 25 points and 10 rebounds, missing 20 of 30 shots in the Knicks sixth straight loss. Scarpe Nike Air Max Scontate . - This win was more the New Jersey Devils style. http://www.outletairmax.it/. Spieth again showed game well beyond his 20 years with a 9-under 63 on the North Course, giving him a one-shot lead over Stewart Cink going into the weekend at the Farmers Insurance Open. Air Max Saldi Italia . The 26-year-old Redditch, England, native played three of his past four seasons under Rennie with the Carolina RailHawks of the North American Soccer League. Air Max Saldi . This week, topics cover the World Series champion Red Sox, John Farrell and what to look forward to this off-season. AUBURN HILLS, Mich. -- With owner Tom Gores seated courtside, the Detroit Pistons looked at least somewhat like a team that could be tough to play against during the second half of the season. Of course, they were facing the short-handed Philadelphia 76ers. Andre Drummond had 22 points and 14 rebounds, and Detroit overwhelmed Philadelphia 113-96 Saturday night. Greg Monroe added 21 points and 12 rebounds. He and Drummond combined to go 18 of 21 from the field. "I would say that were better than our record," said Gores, the California-based owner who has been at a handful of Detroits home games this season. "My focus right now is how to get this team to the next level." The Pistons have won back-to-back games at The Palace for the first time since their first two home games of the season. Detroit is 9-15 at home and 19-27 overall. Philadelphia was without rookie of the year candidate Michael Carter-Williams, who sat out with a sore right shoulder. "We decided to give him some time off and he needed it," 76ers coach Brett Brown said. "Day to day is a fair assessment." Tony Wroten led the 76ers with 18 points. Brandon Jennings and Kyle Singler added 20 points apiece for Detroit. The Pistons signed Josh Smith and traded for Jennings in the off-season, but with the team still struggling, theres been talk that another move could be coming. Monroe has been at the centre of that speculation, since Detroit has a logjam of frontcourt players -- but he and Drummond were both outstanding Saturday, and Smith added nine points, nine rebounds, seven assists and four steals. Gores indicated that the upcoming trade deadline is not a major focus -- or at least, its no more important than a number of other aspects of team management. "We arent focused on the deadline or anything like that. We are looking at getting the guys better," Gores said. "Were doing a lot of homework, but our main job is to make sure our players are at their maximum." Monroe and Drummond went a combined 9 for 9 in tthe first quarter, and Detroit led 32-22 after one thanks to that inside presence.dddddddddddd "That was something that I think just happened in the flow of the game -- its not something that we really talked about," Monroe said. "Once it worked a few times, we kept going back to it." Late in the second, Philadelphias Evan Turner drew a foul on rookie Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, and Turner appeared to flip the ball back at a group of players under the basket. Jennings responded by throwing the ball at Turner, and both he and the Philadelphia forward were hit with technical fouls. "I lost my balance and as I was trying to catch the ball, I guess I hit him in the face with the ball," Turner said. "It wasnt intentional. It was an unfortunate mistake." The Pistons led 57-49 at halftime, and they broke the game open with a 16-2 run in the third quarter. Singler and Caldwell-Pope made back-to-back 3-pointers to make it 74-56, and another 3 by Singler capped the run and gave Detroit a 23-point lead. "I think were still attacking, instead of trying to keep the lead and playing conservatively," Detroit guard Will Bynum said. "I think we were attacking in the fourth quarter until we pretty much got the win." The Pistons led by as many as 28. Drummond finished 10 of 11 from the field, and Monroe was 8 of 10. Detroit was coming off a three-day layoff because its game at Atlanta on Wednesday was postponed because of bad weather in Georgia. Singler had 10 rebounds, giving the Pistons three players with at least 20 points and 10 rebounds for the first time since Dec. 3, 1997. Grant Hill, Bison Dele and Lindsey Hunter all did it in that triple-overtime win over Phoenix. NOTES: The Pistons had 22 offensive rebounds and outrebounded the 76ers 57-44 overall. ... Philadelphia had 64 points in the paint to Detroits 60. They entered as the top two teams in the NBA in that department. ... The Pistons are 3-0 against the 76ers this season. ... Philadelphia is 3-22 when held under 100 points. ' ' '