-and-1 from the Virginia 9, and Gardner hit Charles Standberry

AUBURN HILLS, Mich. Air Max Plus Tn Blue . - Detroit had just lost to Atlanta when a last-second 3-pointer missed the mark, but Pistons coach Stan Van Gundy noticed something unusual about the home crowds reaction.There were people standing up and cheering guys and the whole thing, Van Gundy said. They want to see you go out and give a great, great effort every night, and I think watching us and watching us on TV, I think thats what people are seeing — the energy and the effort and the spirit of this group.The loss to the Hawks was Detroits only defeat in its last 10 games, and although the Pistons remain well under .500, theyre finally beginning to win back their fans, whose indifference had become one of the defining characteristics of this dreary period in the teams history.As they near the halfway point of Van Gundys first season at the helm, the Pistons may finally be shedding their reputation as frustrating underachievers. Lately, theyve looked more like the type of hungry underdog Motown loves to embrace.Its just fun that its a buzz around the Pistons, forward Jonas Jerebko said. Usually its only been when LeBrons been in town or the Lakers come in and stuff like that.Detroit hasnt made the playoffs since 2009, and attendance fell off quickly after the team plunged into mediocrity. It was hard to pinpoint the worst moment of the last five seasons. There was the day in 2011 when seven players missed at least part of a team shootaround in Philadelphia, and only the remaining six played that night in a blowout loss. There was the 1-13 record in March of 2013.Maurice Cheeks was fired last February, just 50 games into his first season as Detroits coach. The Pistons went 8-24 the rest of the way.This season didnt start any better under Van Gundy. The Pistons lost 13 in a row at one point and were 5-23 when they made the bold decision to waive pricey forward Josh Smith, who was filling up the stat sheet but shooting poorly — and who was such a focal point of the offence that it seemed hard for other players to flourish.After cutting Smith, Detroit won seven games in a row, and the Pistons have won two straight since the loss to Atlanta. Detroit was two games out of the Eastern Conferences final playoff spot entering Tuesday, when the Pistons had a night off before a home game against New Orleans.Point guard Brandon Jennings is averaging 20.3 points and 7.0 assists since Smiths departure. Less than two weeks before waiving Smith, the Pistons welcomed Jodie Meeks back from a back injury that had kept him out all season. Meeks was one of a few players added this off-season in an effort to boost Detroits perimeter shooting.Since Smiths exit, the Pistons have attempted 29.1 shots per game from 3-point range, and theyve made them at a 38-per cent clip. If Detroit is connecting from the perimeter, that gives talented big men Andre Drummond and Greg Monroe more room to operate.We started making our shots, we started shooting with more confidence, and we started to space the floor out for everybody, Drummond said. Youve got to pick your poison, whether you want a 3, or you want to, you know, get dunked on.Detroit fans really took notice when the Pistons won at San Antonio and Dallas last week. With the Detroit area still reeling a bit from the Lions playoff loss, the Pistons rallied from an 18-point deficit to beat the Spurs. At the end, Van Gundy was seen on live television exhorting his team to form a wall near the basket to prevent a last-second alley-oop — only he threw in some colorful language while making his point.That clip became a hit on social media, and when the Pistons played the Hawks in their next home game, an announced crowd of 18,859 — Detroits largest since the home opener — saw an exciting game that came down to the wire. The next night, Detroit beat Brooklyn, and the attendance was 19,301.Theyre getting into it. I think thats great, because I think thats what our fans deserve, Van Gundy said. Were not going to win every night, and were still a really young team, but theres no reason we cant bring that energy and a fight to the game every night, and I think our fans are responding to that. Black Tns Sale . Indeed, must be among the greatest challenges in all of sports. The pressure he applies, from set to set, game to game, point to point, shot to shot. Nike Air Max Plus Tn Ultra Sale .C. -- The Carolina Panthers announced Thursday theyve signed free agent wide receiver Jerricho Cotchery to a two-year contract, helping rebuild a depleted wide receiving corps. http://www.airmaxplusstoresale.com/air-max-plus-tn-cheap.html .com) - John Wall supplied 24 points and 11 assists in leading the Washington Wizards to a 102-91 win over the New York Knicks on Christmas Day.CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. -- Henry Coley thought he had cost Virginia an upset of No. 21 Louisville. And then, the Cavaliers got another chance. "It was magical," Coley said of a fumbled punt by Louisville that Kelvin Rainey recovered at the Louisville 25. Four plays later, Ian Fryes 42-yard field goal lifted the Cavaliers to a 23-21 victory over the Cardinals. Virginia (2-1, 1-0) ended an 11-game Atlantic Coast Conference losing streak and a 10-game skid against FBS-level competition. The Cardinals (2-1, 1-1) had won seven straight road games. "This is one of the most emotional games Ive ever had," said Coley, a senior linebacker. "Im in the locker room crying after the game. ... Ive never cried over a football game. It was emotional because it was something big lifted off my shoulders." Twice in the fourth quarter, penalties against Coley kept Louisville drives alive, and each finished with a touchdown, helping them erase a 20-7 deficit. The second TD came with 6:59 to play, and Virginia got one first down on the ensuing possession, and then punted. As James Quick settled under it for the Cardinals, a teammate bumped him and the ball came loose. "Its about time it happens to somebody else," Virginia coach Mike London said. Louisville coach Bobby Petrino said the fumbled punt didnt cost his team the game. "When you lose a game like this, we will watch the video and there will be 15 plays, individually, that if we would have made that play, we had a chance to win the game," Petrino said. "We just didnt make enough plays to win the game." Before the fourth quarter, the Cavaliers controlled the game. Greyson Lambert threw for a touchdown and ran for another score, and Frye had two earlier field goals before Louisville put starting quarterback Will Gardner back in the game. Gardner, lifted in favour of more mobile freshman Reggie Bonnafon, led consecutiive touchdown drives. Vapormax Plus Clearance. He hit Keith Towbridge for 28 yards on one third down play, and got help from a pass interference call on Coley to convert a third-and-8 play. Dominique Brown ran it in from the 6 three plays later to make it 20-14. After a three-and-out for Virginia, the Cardinals drove again with a huge assist from the Cavaliers. On third-and-goal from the 9, Gardner had Coley and defensive end Eli Harold converging on him when he threw the ball right into the arms of linebacker Max Valles for an interception. But Coley and Harold both gave Gardner a shove after he got rid of the ball, and Coley was called for roughing the passer. Gardner then found James Quick for a 4-yard TD pass on the next play for a 21-20 lead, quieting the crowd at Scott Stadium until the punt, the scrum and the emergence of Rainey with the ball, already in Fryes field-goal range. "Were figuring out how to win again," Coley said. It was Virginias first victory against a ranked team since a 14-13 win at Florida State on Nov. 19, 2011. Lambert played most of the way for Virginia, hitting Miles Gooch for a 15-yard touchdown to tie it at 7, and scoring on a 10-yard run to give the Cavaliers a 17-7 lead in the third quarter. Fryes 47-yard field goal made it 20-7, but then Louisville came back. Gardners first interception of the season set Virginia up with a short field in the first quarter. Anthony Harris made the pick, giving the Cavaliers the ball at the 15. Three plays later, Lambert hit Gooch for the score. It gave the Cavaliers 38 points after turnovers this year; last year, they had 13. The Cardinals took the opening kickoff and drove right down the field. Gardner had completion of 11 yards to James Quick, 20 yards to Eli Rogers and 9 yards to Kai De La Cruz. The latter set up a fourth-and-1 from the Virginia 9, and Gardner hit Charles Standberry for the touchdown off a play-action fake. ' ' '