Pistons' Jackson gets chance to jell with Monroe

Point guard Reggie Jackson is a different player than when the Detroit Pistons acquired him.

Now he gets another chance to play alongside Greg Monroe, who returns to the lineup Wednesday night against the Boston Celtics.

Monroe has been out 11 games with a right knee strain. During that time, the team went 7-4 with Anthony Tolliver being able to stretch the floor as a small power forward. Jackson's scoring, assists and shooting percentages all went up during Monroe's injury and it should be interesting to see how the two play off each other.

"I just have to play ball," Jackson said. "We all know what Greg brings to the table. He's going to get his number of post-ups, he's going to help us on the defensive glass and offensive glass and protect the paint as well, along with Andre (Drummond). The guards have to do a better job of keeping perimeter players out of the paint with blow-by drives.

"I just have to attack and make plays for teammates."

Before Monroe's injury, the Pistons basically played themselves out of the playoff picture. Since then, they've gone as far as Jackson has gone.

Monroe just wants to fit in

"I just didn't play well during that stretch so I don't know if it would've helped if he (Monroe) were off he court," Jackson said. "I think we're all starting to play well and are more confident, making more shots on the perimeter."

Jackson said Monroe had a great practice and coach Stan Van Gundy had a plan for how he'd use Monroe.

"We went back to some of his stuff," Van Gundy said. "What changes is the spacing on the floor. Obviously, we don't have a lot of time to get it together again, so we'll just play and try to get it better as we go over the last five games. For me, it's not an evaluation of those guys as far as can it work. It's learn as we go and, if we can convince Greg to come back, we may need to tweak and do differently to make it better for both of them."

Monroe is expected to play five to six minutes in each of the first three quarters and see how the game shapes up going into the fourth.

Van Gundy wants Joel Anthony to return

Van Gundy, who coached at Wisconsin, on the NCAA championship game Monday night: "I thought it was a great game. The talent has gotten better. Bo (Ryan) has done a fabulous job. He's a great coach. He was a great coach on the small-college level. He has been great there. It really wasn't surprising they were there given what he has done the last few years. Duke had a couple of guys really step up at the end."

Time change: Wednesday's game against the Celtics is scheduled to be televised on ESPN starting at 7 p.m. instead of the regular 7:30 p.m. weeknight start. The game is part of a doubleheader.

Win a car: The Pistons will show appreciation to fans who have supported the team this season with a "Fan Appreciation Day" on Sunday, giving away hundreds of prizes during the last regular-season home game against the Charlotte Hornets.

One lucky fan will receive a two-year lease for a Chrysler 200, courtesy of Milosch Palace. Fans interested in registering for a chance to win have three opportunities to enter: Online at www.pistons.com/milosch , at Milosch Palace on Thursday during Pistons Weekly radio show from 6-8 p.m., or on gameday during Power Hour from 1:30-2:30 p.m. in the north pavilion.

Fifteen winners also will receive game-worn jerseys from the Pistons and a meet-and-greet post-game reception with a player.

Contact Perry A. Farrell: 313-222-2555 or pafarrell@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @farrellperry.