In a game where two of the NBA’s most prized elite fought valiantly until the final buzzer rang, where Ray Allen finally broke out of his uncharacteristic slump and where the revolving door of late-game Pistons heroes continued to spin with enough consistency to make Wheel of Fortune’s Pat Sajak blush, the one real surprise that stuck out for me was a 22-year-old rookie with cajones of steel.

Rodney Stuckey can hit big shots, he did so in Game 2. In fact, he hit them with enough spunk and confidence to convince former NBA head coach Jeff Van Gundy that he ought to reconsider the Dwyane Wade comparison, circa pre-Shaq era, 2004 originally brought up by boothmate Mark Jackson.

Before I go on, let me clarify. Whether I agree with the comparison or not, it’s not the subject of this humble tribute, rather an incredibly flattering comment from a man whose opinion ought to be weighed at least somewhat heavily. But, enough about Van Gundy, let’s continue.

I’m not the only one of the mindset that Stuckey has a long way to be mentioned in the same context as Wade, but if he can continue to improve his craft behind the Motown scenes, it may not seem so out of the question. As of now, and likely well into the indefinite future, Stuckey has a long way to go. He isn’t Wade, he wasn’t Wade tonight, he isn’t LeBron James and he wasn’t even the first Pistons rookie to start in a game this season.

But all of this, in a way, is what makes me consider his performance in Thursday night’s 103-97 Pistons’ win worth writing about.

In the 2007 draft, the 6’5” Stuckey came to the Detroit Pistons following their fifth consecutive Eastern Conference Finals appearance just weeks prior. As the eventual product of a deal involving the Pistons’ last highly-anticipated rookie, Darko Milicic, Stuckey joined the squad out of a quiet college over 2,000 miles away in Eastern Washington.

As far as expectations were concerned, the only fate that lay in the hands of Stuckey was that of Milicic’s. Should the fifteenth overall selection not pan out, Pistons fans would forget the foul-mouthed Serb’s existence as quickly as humanly possible. If, on the other hand, the pick would turn out to be half-decent, at least Milicic would be known for something other than that awesome mustache he rocked for a stretch in his second season.

On top of his relatively unknown school and easily forgotten draft position, Stuckey broke his hand during the October preseason and found himself wearing street clothes until he made his NBA debut in December; the anonymity continued.

Instead of getting the chance to unload the 24.6 point per game potential he displayed in college, it was Arron Afflalo who got the nod on opening day in place of the absent Richard Hamilton - the first rookie to start in a Pistons home opener since Grant Hill 15 years prior. This - though far from a means of honestly gauging either of their respective first seasons - gives us an idea of what set the quiet landscape for Stuckey’s All-Rookie Second Team selection.

Simply put, despite extremely efficient minutes in early 2008 and nights like his 27-point showing in 33 minutes against the Minnesota Timberwolves, Stuckey was slept on more than Memory Foam and Posturepedic combined (Thank you, I’m here all night).

We’ve all grown accustomed to rookies carrying heavy loads, but it never ceases to impress. The difference however, between the Dwyane Wades and even the Kevin Durants of the world, as opposed to the Rodney Stuckeys, is that the former group is expected to do so. Whatever the relative unknowns like Stuckey can bring to the table is proverbial gravy.

On Thursday night, early in the fourth quarter, Pistons fans were treated to a generous serving of gravy, enough to drown out the taste of a delicious helping of finesse and brilliance from both sides.

A mid-range Stuckey jumper from the left side of the key with 11 minutes of closely-contended playoff ball was followed by an inside look just minutes after. Then, with eight minutes remaining, he struck again from just inside the three-point line on the left-hand side.

Consider it a modest display from anyone that a team would rely on such a performance from, but given its context and Stuckey’s modest role on Detroit’s club, the confident presence was enough to give Joe Dumars temporary relief from Ray Allen’s return to Big Threedom and enough to put the Pistons in a position to eventually win the game.

Again, Stuckey isn’t why the Pistons won Game 2, but his 5-8 from the field and confidence down the stretch are reasons to believe that Detroit does have other options outside their unquestionably dominant starting five.

The question, then, isn’t whether or not Stuckey channelled his inner Wade, or when he’ll develop to a point where performances like this become a nightly occurrence, but rather if you’ll remember or not, that he’s had it in him all along next time it happens.

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