Notes

With his 11th point, Hamilton broke Isiah Thomas' career playoff scoring record of 2,261 points and he did it in 110 games -- one fewer than Thomas needed to set the mark. "That's a great honor because Isiah is Detroit basketball," Hamilton said. "To pass one of his records is crazy because I haven't been here that long." ... Hamilton is four games away from breaking Bill Laimbeer's franchise record of 113 playoff appearances. ... Stuckey, drafted by Detroit with a pick acquired from Orlando for Darko Milicic, was named to the All-Rookie second team. ... Saunders said McDyess was told as he was arriving at the arena that his grandmother, who helped raise him, had died.

Six Straight.

AUBURN HILLS, Mich. -- The Detroit Pistons made just enough shots and stops to advance to the Eastern Conference finals for a sixth straight year.

Richard Hamilton scored 19 of his 31 points in the first half, made victory-sealing free throws late in the game and Tayshaun Prince had a key block, helping Detroit hold off the Orlando Magic for a 91-86 win Tuesday night in Game 5 of the second-round series.

"Playing in six straight is awesome, but now we expect to do this," Hamilton said. "We're supposed to be here."

The Pistons will have a break before facing the Boston Celtics or Cleveland Cavaliers in the conference finals.

Detroit made just 36 percent of its shots and allowed the Magic to make nearly half of their attempts, but made up for the disparity at the line and by taking care of the ball.

The Pistons were 28-of-32 at the line and had just three turnovers -- setting an NBA playoff record for the fewest giveaways in a game -- while Orlando was 16-of-28 and had a playoff-high 21 turnovers, which turned into 34 points for Detroit.

"The fact that the game is close at the end when you look at the free throw shooting and turnover disparity is remarkable," Orlando coach Stan Van Gundy said.

To the Magic's credit, they didn't go away easily against a playoff-tested team that improved to 15-3 when it has a chance to advance since 2003.

Detroit led by 10 late, but was ahead 85-84 with just under a minute left after Hedo Turkoglu made back-to-back shots.

The Pistons won when Hamilton made two key free throws, Prince blocked Turkoglu's dunk attempt, and Hamilton made two more at the line in the last 20 seconds of the game.

Playing without All-Star point guard Chauncey Billups for the second straight game because of a strained hamstring, rookie Rodney Stuckey filled the void with 15 points, six assists and no turnovers.

"I'm never scared," Stuckey said.

Antonio McDyess had 17 points and 10 rebounds, Rasheed Wallace had 14 points and Prince added 10.

Turkoglu had 18 points and nine rebounds, and Dwight Howard, Rashard Lewis and Jameer Nelson had 14 points apiece for the Magic. Nelson had guaranteed his team would extend the series with a win.

"We played them tough," Nelson said. "If there's anyone in their locker room who didn't think this was tough, they don't know what tough is."

Howard also had 17 rebounds and three blocks, but his night was marred by going 6-of-15 at the line.

Orlando was in the second round of the playoffs for the first time since 1996.

The Magic scored the last seven points of the first quarter to make it 20-all in what had to be a frustrating score for them.

They allowed Detroit to score all but two of its points off turnovers and offensive rebounds.

Lewis had as many missed shots (four) as turnovers in a scoreless first, but each of the other starters scored at least four points to make up for the awful start from the team's leading scorer.

When Lewis finally scored midway through the second quarter, his hook capped a 10-2 run that put Orlando ahead 33-27.

Detroit then went on a 16-3 run, and took a 47-41 lead into halftime.

The Pistons enjoyed quite an advantage at the line.

Hamilton made all 10 of his free throws before intermission and Detroit missed only one of 14 attempts while Howard was 6-of-13 to sink Orlando's total to 7-of-16 in the first half.

The Magic carried a 68-65 lead into the final period but struggled at the start of the fourth. After Lewis made two free throws in the opening seconds, Orlando went scoreless for nearly 7 minutes as the Pistons went ahead on Stuckey's steal and layup during a McDyess-led 13-0 run that put them ahead 78-70.

The Magic still wouldn't go away until fading in the final seconds.

"It's good to get this over with," Detroit coach Flip Saunders said. "Now we get a chance to rest, especially Chauncey, and we get a chance to prepare."

I remember.......

Brett Favre, Dan Marino, Joe Montana, Randall Cunningham, Steve Young, John Elway, Warren Moon, Jim Kelly, Boomer Esiason, Stevie Yzerman, Mario Lemieux, Michael Jordan, Reggie Miller, Joe Dumars, Isiah Thomas, players I remember watching.... they're all retired now and that makes me feel old.

There's only one Return...

Could this be true?

Punctuality is the virtue of the bored.
- Evelyn Waugh

Sicko de Mayo

I feel horrible. I don't know if I have the flu or what? Cause my sinus' are all jacked up to. I'm running a fever. For some reason I keep spelling fever f e a v e r.
My throat is raw, I keep hacking up crap. Moose doesn't get it that I feel like crap and I need him to just sleep like a good little puppy. Even though I felt like crap on Sunday I took him to the bark park. I had to work today and it was a struggle. I should have called in today? I will lay around as much as possible Tuesday so if ANY one reads this on Tuesday call me because I will be bored. On a positive note I will now be quiting cigs. Oh and I keep sneezing. One more thing, I haven't missed work since I started at the hospital. Yes that is a big deal!

Cinco de Mayo

The 5th of May is not Mexican Independence Day, but it should be! And Cinco de Mayo is not an American holiday, but it should be. Mexico declared its independence from mother Spain on midnight, the 15th of September, 1810. And it took 11 years before the first Spanish soldiers were told and forced to leave Mexico.

So, why Cinco de Mayo? And why should Americans savor this day as well? Because 4,000 Mexican soldiers smashed the French and traitor Mexican army of 8,000 at Puebla, Mexico, 100 miles east of Mexico City on the morning of May 5, 1862.

The French had landed in Mexico (along with Spanish and English troops) five months earlier on the pretext of collecting Mexican debts from the newly elected government of democratic President (and Indian) Benito Juarez. The English and Spanish quickly made deals and left. The French, however, had different ideas.

Under Emperor Napoleon III, who detested the United States, the French came to stay. They brought a Hapsburg prince with them to rule the new Mexican empire. His name was Maximilian; his wife, Carolota. Napoleon's French Army had not been defeated in 50 years, and it invaded Mexico with the finest modern equipment and with a newly reconstituted Foreign Legion. The French were not afraid of anyone, especially since the United States was embroiled in its own Civil War.

The French Army left the port of Vera Cruz to attack Mexico City to the west, as the French assumed that the Mexicans would give up should their capital fall to the enemy -- as European countries traditionally did.

Under the command of Texas-born General Zaragosa, (and the cavalry under the command of Colonel Porfirio Diaz, later to be Mexico's president and dictator), the Mexicans awaited. Brightly dressed French Dragoons led the enemy columns. The Mexican Army was less stylish.

General Zaragosa ordered Colonel Diaz to take his cavalry, the best in the world, out to the French flanks. In response, the French did a most stupid thing; they sent their cavalry off to chase Diaz and his men, who proceeded to butcher them. The remaining French infantrymen charged the Mexican defenders through sloppy mud from a thunderstorm and through hundreds of head of stampeding cattle stirred up by Indians armed only with machetes.

When the battle was over, many French were killed or wounded and their cavalry was being chased by Diaz' superb horsemen miles away. The Mexicans had won a great victory that kept Napoleon III from supplying the confederate rebels for another year, allowing the United States to build the greatest army the world had ever seen. This grand army smashed the Confederates at Gettysburg just 14 months after the battle of Puebla, essentially ending the Civil War.

Union forces were then rushed to the Texas/Mexican border under General Phil Sheridan, who made sure that the Mexicans got all the weapons and ammunition they needed to expel the French. American soldiers were discharged with their uniforms and rifles if they promised to join the Mexican Army to fight the French. The American Legion of Honor marched in the Victory Parade in Mexico, City.

It might be a historical stretch to credit the survival of the United States to those brave 4,000 Mexicans who faced an army twice as large in 1862. But who knows?

In gratitude, thousands of Mexicans crossed the border after Pearl Harbor to join the U.S. Armed Forces. As recently as the Persian Gulf War, Mexicans flooded American consulates with phone calls, trying to join up and fight another war for America.

Mexicans, you see, never forget who their friends are, and neither do Americans. That's why Cinco de Mayo is such a party -- A party that celebrates freedom and liberty. There are two ideals which Mexicans and Americans have fought shoulder to shoulder to protect, ever since the 5th of May, 1862. VIVA! el CINCO DE MAYO!!

Augusten

I am hooked on the author Augusten Burroughs. He has written several memoirs, each very entertaining. He has some of the most bizarre and interesting happenings in his life, this stuff couldn't be made up because it's so out there. It is pretty light reading and easy to get through, I usually don't like books that come across as spoon feeding you, but his experiences are so interesting.

Practical Vampire Slayer

I came across this blog one night while I was searching for something, but I don't recall what? I thought I bookmarked it because it looked like it could be interesting. Well I didn't and I've spent a few hours every night for three days to find it. It probably won't be worth the time I spent looking for it? I hate how sometimes I will let simple non important things obsess me.
One time I took my dog to be groomed in October and since Halloween was that month they had some little rubber thingy to hook to your dogs collar and you would get one free with the grooming. Well I didn't get one when I picked up my dog and just left. For three days I thought about how I didn't get my free little rubber thingy. I actually lost sleep over it. I finally went back and asked the groomer a question, then before I left I asked if they had anymore of the little rubber thingy's because I hadn't gotten one when I had brought my dog in. The groomer gave me one and then I was happy with my little rubber thingy, which is sitting in a drawer. But once I got that little rubber thingy I was at peace and all was well in my little world.