Just the other day, the graphic had flashed: the only team in the NBA not to alter their starting lineup was the Detroit Pistons! And nothing’s gonna change, but small forward Marcus Morris was bothered by some tendinitis. In his place, two Pistons rookies took charge.

Stanley Johnson took his spot in the starting lineup. Our rookie has showed fearlessness all season long, and again he stepped up and played his part. While he missed some shots early, he found his range a little closer to the free throw line instead of jacking up 3s, hitting some clutch shots down the stretch. And he always goes hard defensively.

We were only slow for the first few minutes, then Reggie Jackson, Andre Drummond, and Ersan Ilyasova proceeded to score ten points apiece in the opening quarter. Seeing Jackson & Drummond open up everyone else with the pick and roll and back-and-forth is mesmerizing. Both are huge (Jackson for a PG), and it’s special to have such size at the two positions. When they are working together, they’re unstoppable. Sprinkle in some 3’s from Franco, who also crashes the offensive glass craftily, use KCP and our SF’s athleticism, MIX IN THE BENCH – and voila, $$$.

The lead was ten at halftime, 56-46. Unfortunately, we seemed a little distracted in the 3rd, letting the lead plummet. It got down to 64-62 until we strapped back in and really got going again in the 4th. Another rookie Darrun Hilliard played major minutes and made some nice plays to finish off Brooklyn.

The Nets were obviously the inferior team, and on a Saturday night at the Palace, it was nice to see our Pistons take care of business. Sometimes I forget just how young we are. If we can stay focused for 48 minutes by the end of the season, look out!