2007-2008 Detroit Pistons Thread

Monday, April 21, 2008
Game 1: 76ers 90, Pistons 86
Pistons let a victory slip away
Wallace's brilliant effort squandered because of team's late-game collapse.
Chris McCosky / The Detroit News

AUBURN HILLS -- It has been the unspoken Achilles' Heel of this team for a couple of years now.

They don't always finish. They don't always finish out games. They don't always finish out series. And, as was the case in their stunning 90-86 loss in Game 1 to the Philadelphia 76ers Sunday, they don't always finish at the basket.

"We had a lot of opportunities," coach Flip Saunders said. "We missed easy shots. We missed free throws and we're like most teams, when you start missing easy shots, you start worrying about shots and you just keep missing."

Before we recount the misses, let's set the table. The Pistons let a 13-point lead dwindle to five in the early minutes of the third quarter. They built back up to 15, but then squandered it all in the fourth.

They uncharacteristically fed the young and rambunctious 76ers 18 points off turnovers and another 18 second-chance points.

"You can talk about the missed shots, but we really let this thing slip away earlier," Tayshaun Prince said.

76ers coach Mo Cheeks agreed with that.

"We scored those eight straight points and we started to get our confidence back," he said. "Then we got our running game going and that gave us more confidence."

Then Andre Miller took over, scoring 11 of his 20 points in the fourth quarter, defensive specialist Reggie Evans scored six of his 11 points in the final five minutes and the 76ers won the game.

"We came out and played horribly in the third quarter and it threw us out of rhythm," Chauncey Billups said. "We tried to establish Rasheed (Wallace) and (Antonio) McDyess and once they started missing, then everybody else gets out of sync. I mean, to work as hard as we did for home-court advantage and then give it away in the first game of the playoffs is disappointing, man, it really is."

But, oh, those misses.

Billups, a 90-percent free-throw shooter, missed three of four free throws. He missed three free throws in a game just one time all season.

Richard Hamilton, who also missed a free throw, and Billups each missed layups. Prince missed an open jumper.

The Pistons missed 13 of 17 shots in the fourth -- many of them open looks. They shot an icy 29 percent in the second half.

"We got some breaks," Cheeks said. "You don't expect Hamilton and Billups to miss like that."

Still, the Pistons had two chances to win it in the final minute.

Jason Maxiell, who produced 12 points and a playoff career-high 11 rebounds, drew a charge on Samuel Dalembert. The Pistons had the ball, trailing 87-86 with 26.3 seconds left.

The Pistons got the ball to an open Prince in the corner, but he missed an 18-footer.

Andre Iguodala (16 points) gave the Pistons one more chance when he made just one of two free throws with 11.3 seconds left.

But again, the Pistons missed a close-range shot. Saunders drew up a play that got Rasheed Wallace matched up with Miller. But Wallace shot the 4-footer too hard off the glass.

Iguodala closed it out with two free throws.

"I missed shots in that fourth quarter that I should have made," Wallace said. "I am going to put this one on me."

Wallace shouldn't be too hard on himself. He scored 24 (though he missed 12 of 21 shots), with nine rebounds and a Pistons franchise record seven blocks.

"That last bunny I missed is a shot I darn-sure should have made," Wallace said. "I am going to take this one on the chin."

This is the first playoff opener the Pistons have lost since losing to Orlando in Game 1 in 2003.

"We're going to be all right," Billups said. "We just have to continue to play to win. We can't get caught up in playing not to lose. We've been here before, man. We don't like to hang our hats on that but it's a fact. We know what it takes."

You can reach Chris McCosky at (313) 222-1489 or chris.mccosky@detnews.com.

Wednesday, April 23, 2008
Game 2: Pistons 105, Sixers 88
Big payback: Pistons surge to Game 2 rout
Larry Lage / Associated Press

AUBURN HILLS -- Rasheed Wallace had another good game against the Philadelphia 76ers.

Unlike the series opener, a few Detroit Pistons starters helped him out.

Wallace scored 11 of his 16 points in the first quarter and Detroit went on to beat Philadelphia 105-88 in Game 2 on Wednesday night to even the first-round series.

The Pistons had four scorers in double figures as it took a 17-point lead, while the 76ers had only Andre Miller, who scored 11 of his 14 points in the first half.

In their 90-86 Game 1 loss, the Pistons blew a 15-point they built midway through the third quarter.

Detroit refused to let the young Sixers rally again.

The Pistons seemed to play with a sense of urgency, swarming the Sixers on defense and relentlessly going after offensive rebounds for second and third chances.

Chauncey Billups made a 3-pointer early in the third -- his first field goal -- and made another from beyond the arc later in the quarter to put Detroit ahead 73-47.

The Pistons didn't have any trouble holding onto the lead.

Game 3 is Friday night in Philadelphia.

In Sunday's loss, Wallace had 24 points, nine rebounds and seven blocks.

His fellow starters combined to makes less than one-third of their shots and missed key free throws.

Wallace and Co. put together a balanced attack in Game 2.

Each of the starters shot at least 50 percent through three quarters and four of them had 16 points, then all but Richard Hamilton rested in the fourth.

Hamilton finished with 20 points, Tayshaun Prince and Antonio McDyess both added 16 and rookie Rodney Stuckey had 12 after being held scoreless in his playoff debut.

Philadelphia reserves Louis Williams (17), Reggie Evans (13) and Rodney Carney (11) each scored career playoff highs.

Sixers star Andre Iguodala got off to another rough start. Unlike Game 1, he didn't bounce back. Iguodala was scoreless in the first half on 0-for-7 shooting and finished with four points after averaging 20 in the regular season and scoring 16 Sunday.

Miller was the only Philadelphia starter who played well when the game was close.

Samuel Dalembert had three points -- giving him eight in the series -- Thaddeus Young scored 11 and Willie Green added six points after setting a career playoff high with 17 in the opener.

After three quarters, Philadelphia's four reservers were outscoring its starters 41-34 despite getting a lot less playing time.

Notes

There was a moment of silence before the game for longtime NBA referee Darell Garretson, who died Monday. ... Perhaps more than any coach in the league, Philadelphia's Maurice Cheeks engaged the regular hecklers that sit behind the visitors' bench at The Palace. When one fan was shouting 40-42 -- referring to the team's regular season record -- Cheeks smiled and replied, "We're 1-0." ... Hamilton was called for a technical foul in the third quarter.

15 wins away from the championship!

I knew you did not feel good, so I updated this for you.

I noticed that. Thanks. I'm so tired of sleeping I'm sitting at the computer for a while. I don't think I'll stay on long though.

GO PISTONS!

Saturday, April 26, 2008
76ers 95, Pistons 75

PHIASCO: Pistons miss 17 straight shots as part of pitiful second half
Chris McCosky / The Detroit News

PHILADELPHIA -- The Pistons haven't lost this series, not yet anyway.

But they certainly have lost some dignity.

The Pistons team that got blown out of the Wachovia Center 95-75 by the No. 7-seeded Philadelphia 76ers on Friday night bore no resemblance to the team that won 59 regular-season games, nor the team that split the first two games of this series at The Palace.

"Hey man, I am not going to sit here and say we didn't execute," said Lindsey Hunter. "They got after it and made things happen. We laid back and tried to rely on us being a better team and that ain't going to get it done."

The Pistons team that took a beating Friday lacked toughness, lacked any kind of efficiency at either end of the floor and, worse, lacked the composure of a championship-worthy team.

And now they trail a very confident and powerful-looking 76ers team, 2-1, and face the prospect of playing Game 4 on Sunday without starting forward Antonio McDyess, who had his nose broken by a flailing elbow from Andre Iguodala in the third quarter.

"It's the third time I've broken it, and now they have to set it," McDyess said. "I might have to go back to Detroit. I hope I can play (Sunday) but I can only follow what the doctors tell me."

No firm decision had been made by the Pistons' medical staff as of late Friday. But the game was already on its way to being lost when McDyess retreated to the locker room.

"Those young guys (the 76ers) play hard and they keep playing hard," Hunter said. "We don't match that and we don't have a chance to win."

The Pistons also don't have a chance to beat the 76ers if:

• They make a season-high 25 turnovers like they did Friday. That's seven more than their season-high, and the 76ers turned them into 29 points.

• If they miss 14 straight shots in the final 11 minutes of the third quarter and the first three to start the fourth -- 17 straight missed shots.

• If Rasheed Wallace and Chauncey Billups combine to make more turnovers (seven) than baskets (three). Wallace finished with two points and five rebounds. Billups had 11 points, missing 9-of-11 shots.

• If they allow the 76ers to run a veritable layup line in the second half.

"I understand why they are happy," said Billups of the 76ers' fourth-quarter party. "They're not supposed to be where they are right now and they are playing well. They are up 2-1 on a team nobody thought they had a chance of beating. But at the same time, being on the other side, you don't forget that."

After surviving a 12-turnover first half and being down by only four points, you would have thought the Pistons would have come out of halftime with some renewed life in the third quarter.

Not so much.

Here's how the third quarter started: Wallace had the ball stripped on his post move in the first possession. Richard Hamilton, who led the Pistons with 23 points, went to the basket and had his soft layup attempt swatted away by Samuel Dalembert (22 points, 16 rebounds).

Then, after the Pistons fought back with two 3-pointers, Billups missed a layup -- Andre Miller (21 points) answered with a layup. Hamilton lazily palmed the ball at the top of the key -- Thaddeus Young answered with a jumper. Billups hit McDyess with a perfect pass, but McDyess fumbled -- Miller answered with a jumper.

After a timeout, Billups fired up a quick 3-pointer and missed -- Young answered with two free throws.

Just like that in less than four minutes of the third quarter, the Pistons had dug themselves a 10-point hole. And it only got worse from there. McDyess broke his nose with 7:25 left in the third and the Pistons proceeded to come completely unglued. Their normally well-oiled offensive attack turned into a series of wild, one-on-one plays that resulted in a bunch of errant shots and more mindless turnovers.

"It's just so disappointing," Billups said. "I know I have to play better. Sheed and I have to have some better nights. I mean, I have never seen us turn the ball over that many times, and when you do that, it's trouble."

The Pistons vowed the fight wasn't over.

"I believe we can fight back, not because of who we are playing but because of the guys in this room," Billups said. "We've been playing together a long time and we've had a lot of success. Our main focus now is win on Sunday, tie it up and then get home."

You can reach Chris McCosky at (313) 222-1489 or chris.mccosky@detnews.com.

Wednesday, April 30, 2008
Pistons 98, 76ers 81
Pistons finally get series lead, 3-2
Chris McCosky / The Detroit News

AUBURN HILLS -- The Pistons haven't done anything yet.

Sure, they have pulled themselves together after a wretched start to this postseason. They have finally slapped the smiles off the faces of these young and rambunctious 76ers.

With their 98-81 rout in Game 5 on Tuesday night, the Pistons seemingly have the 76ers on their backs, up 3-2 with Game 6 in Philadelphia on Thursday.

But they've done nothing.

"We know where we are at," Pistons coach Flip Saunders said. "You never want to let an opportunity slip away. We did what we were supposed to do, we won at home. Now we have to rest and get ready for Game 6. All of those clichés, their backs are to the wall and all of that. They are going play hard because they always play hard."

If the 76ers have proved anything in this series, it's that they aren't going to roll over. If the Pistons want them gone, they are going to have to drive the proverbial stake through their heart.

"Nah, they aren't going to lie down," Rasheed Wallace said. "It's do or die for them. We know it's going to be tough. It's going to be all pushing and shoving and elbows. It won't be no cakewalk."

Not only would a Game 7 be a risky roll of the dice for the Pistons, it would add unnecessary wear and tear. Orlando has already closed out its first-round series and is rested and waiting.

"Right now, we're in a fight for our lives," Saunders said. "We're not worried about anything else but Philly. They have proven they can beat us."

This is not the time to exhale.

"The series isn't over until someone gets four wins," 76ers coach Maurice Cheeks said. "That's the essence of it right now. We've got to play a little better, obviously."

Chauncey Billups got the Pistons off to a flying start Tuesday. He came in averaging 13 points and shooting 28 percent in the first four games. But in the first quarter of Game 5, he scored 14 points, hit 5-of-6 shots, dished five assists and the Pistons offense rolled right along with him.

The Pistons made 12 of their first 14 shots, shot 60 percent in the first half and 58 percent for the game.

"It felt good," said Billups, who finished with 21 points and 12 assists. "I got some great looks, good opportunities and I continued to be aggressive. Whether my shot is falling or not, I'm going to play the same way, take the same shots. You never know when they're going to fall, but I can't let that affect my floor game and other games that I do."

The offense, so ragged earlier in the series, has found a smooth gear. The Pistons had 27 assists.

"You never know when you're going to shoot that well," Billups said. "But for us, in this series it's all about energy. I thought on both ends we were very energetic. Defensively we were in the right places at the right time. Offensively we ran a couple things that we hadn't run yet in this series, and they really didn't have answers for it."

Richard Hamilton had a very efficient 20 points, hitting 10-of-17 shots. Wallace had another huge game -- scoring 19 points with six rebounds and six blocks.

"What we've done is slow our offense down," Wallace said. "We're not rushing it like we were earlier, just getting one pass and one shot. We are looking at our options, getting options and running our offense. Nothing fancy."

As good as he was offensively, Wallace perhaps made a bigger impact on the defensive end. The six blocks and a steal notwithstanding, he contested, altered and otherwise discouraged shots at the basket all game long.

"Outside of that one game in Philly (Game 3), he has had a great series," Saunders said. "He has made some big blocks, protected the middle, and made some good adjustments down low against (Samuel) Dalembert."

Dalembert, sported a freshly shorn mohawk, had four points and took four shots.

"I told Mo (Cheeks) that should be a team fine for him to come in here looking like that," Wallace joked.

The Pistons blocked 12 shots (three by Jason Maxiell) and limited the 76ers to a series-low 34 points in the paint.

But it's not enough. The 76ers are still breathing.

"You definitely want to have a repeat performance (in Game 6)," Billups said. "You want to go out there and play the same exact way. Elimination games are always the hardest to win because that other team who is facing elimination is going to be fighting, scratching and clawing."

Hamilton might have the best idea.

"We've got to treat Game 6, like it's our Game 7," he said.

You can reach Chris McCosky at (313) 222-1489 or chris.mccosky@detnews.com.

Thursday, May 1, 2008
Pistons 100, 76ers 77
Pistons advance with a rout
Chris McCosky / The Detroit News

PHILADELPHIA -- The Orlando Magic could have made their flight plans to Detroit about three minutes into Game 6 here Thursday night.

The Pistons opened the game by forcing three straight turnovers, which Richard Hamilton turned into seven straight points. Then the Pistons were off to a 19-point lead, riding it to a 100-77 series-ending victory over the 76ers.

The Pistons, who have advanced out of the first round seven straight seasons, will host the Magic in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference semifinals at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday.

The Magic, who returned to practice Thursday after two full days off following their defeat of the Raptors, split the four games against the Pistons this season. The Pistons swept the Magic in the first round last season.

Hamilton, who shot just 44 percent in the first five games, was near-unstoppable. He finished with 24 points, hitting 9-of-14 shots. Not only did he score the first seven points of the game, he scored the first five of the third quarter -- just in case the 76ers had any thoughts of one more comeback.

Chauncey Billups added 20 points and seven assists. The Pistons' backcourt outscored the 76ers duo of Andre Miller and Detroit-Mercy product Willie Green, 44-17.

Billups, who took some heat for his slow start in the postseason, effectively took Miller out of the series. In the last three games, Miller averaged 12 points with eight assists and five turnovers. He missed 12-of-16 shots Thursday.

The 76ers, in a futile attempt to speed up the game, kept full-court pressure on the Pistons through the first three quarters. The move backfired. After maintaining an incredibly high intensity level for five games, the 76ers seemed to run out of gas. The steady full-court pressure only hastened the energy drain.

With their legs deadened, the shots stopped falling. As the Pistons' lead passed the 30-point mark, the 76ers shot a dreadful 33.8 percent and missed 12-of-36 free throws.

The Pistons won't get much time to catch their breath, but at least they got to take the fourth quarter off Thursday. All five starters, and Antonio McDyess, were on the bench with 10:41 left in the game. By that time the lead was over 30 points.

No starter played more than 33 minutes.

Philadelphia fans, who earlier in the week were thinking a miracle was unfolding, streamed out of the Wachovia Center after three quarters chanting, "Let's go Flyers!"

But the ease with which the Pistons dispatched the 76ers in the final two games didn't reflect their struggles with this young, energetic team.

The Pistons gave away Game 1 after wasting a 15-point lead, were blown out of the Wachovia Center in Game 3 and were down by 10 at halftime of Game 4.

But an inspired performance by a broken-nosed Antonio McDyess that necessitated a fruitful lineup change, a couple of subtle but savvy adjustments and an effective halftime talk by coach Flip Saunders helped turn the series around.

With Jason Maxiell starting in place of McDyess, the Pistons better matched up with the speed and athleticism of the 76ers' front court. On top of that, McDyess scored 10 points and provided huge jolt of energy in Game 4, less than 24 hours after his surgery.

Saunders adjusted the Pistons' spacing on the offensive end and tweaked a few of the Pistons' bread-and-butter sets to exploit the 76ers' perimeter pressure. He kept Rasheed Wallace out on the perimeter more, which took the 76ers' lone shot-blocker (Samuel Dalembert) away from the rim. That helped spread the defense out and give the Pistons more uncluttered passing lanes and lanes to the basket.

Thus freed, the Pistons shot 58 percent in both Games 5 and 6. They had 21 assists on 31 baskets before the starters went to the bench Thursday.

The Pistons overcame a team that was younger, faster and at times hungrier than they were. In the next round, they will face another team that's younger and a whole lot more seasoned and talented than the 76ers.

Buckle up.

GO PISTONS!



WHAT A NIGHT!

Pistons win!

Updated

GO

Pistons are 1 win away from winning the conference semifinals.

0 people voted they'd lose in this round at the start of the year so good job!

YES!

The Magic are dead!

Go Pistons!

Wednesday, May 14, 2008
Pistons 91, Magic 86
Teamwork propels Pistons to sixth straight conference finals
Chris McCosky / The Detroit News

AUBURN HILLS -- The Bad Boys were mean and nasty -- and they had two future Hall-of-Famers.

This group is just tough, gritty tough. No superstar. No maximum contract players. Just a group of smart, solid and efficient players unrelentingly committed to winning.

"We are willing to die for each other out there," Richard Hamilton said. "That's just how we are. We are like a family."

The Pistons, playing again without their captain and All-Star point guard Chauncey Billups, dispatched the Orlando Magic with a thrilling, 91-86 victory Tuesday, winning the series, 4-1.

They move now to the conference finals for the sixth straight season, unprecedented in franchise history and a feat not accomplished since the "Showtime" Lakers did it from 1984-89.

"Joe built this on the idea of a team," coach Flip Saunders said. "When one piece goes out, the other pieces you stick in can keep things running as a unit. That's what we've gotten. Different guys carried us at different times."

The Pistons might even have had a guardian angel. Antonio McDyess found out right before the game that his grandmother (Beatrice Harris), a woman who had helped raise him, had died at age 84.

"It made me think she was looking down upon us, definitely, and I'll definitely dedicate this win to her because she never missed a game," McDyess said. "She always called me, always talking about the game. She loved the Pistons. To have the opportunity to win this game on such an important day of her passing brings tears to my eyes, pretty much. I tried not to think about it when I was on the court. She was definitely with me."

McDyess finished with 17 points and 11 rebounds. He turned the game around in the fourth quarter. Limping and playing with three fouls, McDyess scored 11 points, grabbed six rebounds and altered several shots, helping the Pistons go from five down to 10 up with 3:49 to play.

"Before he stepped on the floor, I told him she would be looking out for him," Saunders said. "It was a very emotional game for him and for all of us. And the way he played, what can you say? He played like somebody was playing with him."

Rookie Rodney Stuckey also stepped up big. Filling in for Billups, he scored 15 points with six assists and no turnovers. He was unafraid of the moment, or the Magic's All-Star center Dwight Howard. He challenged Howard repeatedly, once running him over and drawing a foul.

"It's just awesome just being around this group of guys," Stuckey said. "They make you confident and I know I don't have to worry about anything because I know they got my back."

"(Stuckey's) never going to back away," Saunders said. "I remember when he first started playing, I yelled at him about something and he came over and said, 'Why do you always yell at me and you never yell at Chauncey?' I said, 'I yelled at Chauncey a long time ago.' And the reason I am on him is because I think he can be a special player in this league."

How efficient were the Pistons? Without Billups, the Pistons committed an NBA playoff record-low three turnovers. They went the final 37 minutes without a turnover.

But the Pistons won this game with their defense. They smothered the Magic in the fourth, not allowing them a field goal for the first 8:19. With Rasheed Wallace again doing the heavy work (three steals and a block), Howard (14 points) had just four points in the second half.

But it was Tayshaun Prince who saved the day.

Down 10, the Magic made one final run. Hedo Turkoglu (18 points) made two straight layups, going to his left and streaking past Prince all the way to the basket. The Magic were down 86-84 and had the ball with 19.6 seconds left.

Turkoglu made the same move against the same defense. This time, Prince was ready. He timed his leap perfectly and swatted Turkoglu's shot at the basket -- a block every bit as spectacular as his rejection of Reggie Miller in 2004.

"A couple times he scored going left there, so obviously I know he's good with his left hand," Prince said. "Obviously I knew my teammates weren't going to help me because it was a three-point game and we don't want to leave anybody, any shooters. I just figured I had to make a play."

Prince, who finished with 10 points and eight rebounds, couldn't help celebrating with a little flex.

"I didn't even see who blocked the shot," Hamilton said. "All I saw was Tay flexing. I said, 'Who blocked the shot, I guess it was Tay, huh?' It was incredible."

Hamilton, who on the night he became the Pistons' all-time postseason scoring leader, led the way with 31 points. He sealed the victory by hitting six straight free throws in the final 20.9 seconds.

"Without Chaunce, we knew it would be tough," Hamilton said. "Everybody knew they had to knuckle down. I thought Stuckey grew up tonight. 'Dyess was incredible. 'Sheed was great. We are a veteran team and we know how to stick together. Whenever one piece is out, the other pieces step up."

The Magic contributed to their demise, missing 12 of 28 free throws and turning it over 21 times -- leading to 34 Pistons points.

As for the six straight trips to the conference finals, Hamilton wasn't all that impressed.

"It's an awesome feeling, but playing in the conference finals is something we feel we're supposed to do," he said. "That's just our confidence. We feel we have to make it to the Finals, the NBA Finals. That's our goal."

Now the Pistons can rest, heal up and wait for the Cavaliers and Celtics to settle their semifinal series.

You can reach Chris McCosky at (313) 222-1489 or chris.mccosky@detnews.com.

GO

GO PISTONS!!

Added schedule vs. Boston.

Go

Wednesday, May 21, 2008
Boston 88 - Detroit 79
Pistons' rust shows in Game 1 loss to Celtics
Chris McCosky / The Detroit News

BOSTON -- In answer to the weeklong debate about rest vs. rust -- rust wins.

Or, in this case, it loses.

The Pistons, after their weeklong layoff, were a step or two slower, a second or two more hesitant and far less efficient than they needed to be against a Celtics team whose edges were sharpened by a Game 7 triumph over the Cavaliers on Sunday.

"It was like we were running in mud," Lindsey Hunter said after the Celtics drew first blood, beating the Pistons, 88-79, in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference finals Tuesday before a charged-up, sellout crowd at TD Banknorth Garden.

"It wasn't so much rust as it was that we made too many mental mistakes," coach Flip Saunders said. "We weren't in the right situations on a lot of offensive sets and we weren't in the right situations on a lot of our defensive rotations.

"When you do that, it messes up the whole team and everybody looks a step slow."

Kevin Garnett, after taking some criticism for not being assertive enough against the Cavaliers, was a dominant presence. He scored 26 points, beating Rasheed Wallace, Antonio McDyess and any other Pistons defender who tried to guard him one-on-one.

"I am just playing basketball, man," Garnett said. "I try not to think, try to react and be aggressive, at the same time trying to make the game easier for everybody else. We just have a good little rhythm going right now."

Garnett hit 11 of 17 shots. The Celtics shot 52 percent, an indicator of just how lax the Pistons' defense had grown since shutting down the Magic.

"We just had too many mistakes defensively," Hunter said. "Too many coverages blown, too many breakdowns and missed assignments, too much miscommunication. You can't have that at this level."

Call it rust or call it being overanxious, but the Pistons missed seven of their first eight shots, didn't make a basket for the first four minutes of the game or the last 3:27 of the first half. The shooting was bad and the execution worse.

"We just didn't seem to be in a good offensive flow," Saunders said. "They (Celtics) may have had something to do with that."

The rust on Chauncey Billups was even more evident. He'd been out nearly two weeks because of a strained right hamstring and he was clearly a step behind and out of sync. He finished with just nine points and one assist.

"It was good to be out there," Billups said. "My explosiveness, obviously, wasn't there. But I know I'll get better as I go along."

Wallace missed six of his first seven shots, before making two (too late) in the fourth quarter. He finished 3-for-11.

The Pistons also had 13 turnovers, which the Celtics turned into 15 points, and they missed eight free throws.

"We are all right," Wallace said. "Hats off to them, they got Game 1. They played a good game. But we got Game 2 in a couple of days. We are good."

Not so much on this night. Here's just a sample of how this one went:

Third quarter, Pistons were down by six. Billups had Rajon Rondo posted under the basket -- normally that's an easy score. But he fumbled the ball, then threw it blindly to a Celtics defender.

At the other end, Garnett hit a tough, fallaway baseline jumper over Wallace.

Next possession, Tayshaun Prince had an open shot from the corner but he hesitated, allowing the defense to converge. He took a dribble and then fired up a harried and errant jumper.

The Pistons forced a turnover, but Richard Hamilton, not realizing that Rondo was chasing him, got his pocket picked.

On and on it went. The Pistons had trouble inbounding the ball at times, let alone executing their offense and finding open shooters. And the Celtics seemed to gain strength and confidence with every bad possession.

When Eddie House made a 3-pointer to close the third quarter, the crowd was frenzied, the Pistons were frazzled and the Celtics had a 69-57 lead.

"As bad as we played, we were only down by six points with five minutes left," Billups said. "That was encouraging."

Wallace had a five-point burst, Billups finally hit a couple of shots and the defense stiffened. With 4:12 left in the game, the Pistons had made it a two-possession game, 79-73.

That's where it ended. Wallace missed a 3-pointer from the top of the key and Pierce (22 points) scored. Then, after another Pistons miss, Rondo re-established a 10-point lead with a baseline jumper.

Ballgame.

"You had Detroit coming in well-rested; this was a perfect game for them to come and steal and we were aware of that," Pierce said. "They probably figured we were tired from the last series, while they practiced, but we came out with extra focus and extra energy."

McDyess was the best Piston on the floor, contributing 14 points and 10 rebounds. Prince had 16 points and Hamilton, after not making a field goal in the first half, finished with 15 points.

You can reach Chris McCosky at (313) 222-1489 or chris.mccosky@detnews.com.

Damn Pistons!


Beat the Celtics!


Celtics Suck

Tuesday, May 27, 2008
Eastern Conference finals: Pistons 94, Celtics 75
Hanging tough: Pistons rebound to tie series
McDyess scores 21 to pace spirited effort
Chris McCosky / The Detroit News

AUBURN HILLS -- You get the feeling Antonio McDyess isn't going to let anything get in the way of his championship quest this time. Not a broken nose, not the death of his beloved grandmother, not a symphony of referees' whistles and not the Boston Celtics on Monday.

With the Pistons about to be put on their backs, McDyess put them on his, willing the Pistons to a rousing 94-75 victory Monday.

He scored 21 points. He grabbed 16 rebounds. He guarded Kevin Garnett, straight up, no help, and kept him quiet for the first time in this series.

"I am so proud of him," coach Flip Saunders said.

Saunders told the story from the team's film session Sunday.

"Dyess was talking with Chauncey (Billups) and Juan (Dixon)," Saunders said. "Juan was so emphatic, almost like a preacher, saying, 'We're OK, everything is going to be all right.' And Dyess just said, 'We're talking that everything is going to be all right. We've got make it happen.'

"I have never seen him with so much emotion. He's making shots and fist-pumping, it's like he has a new personality. He's definitely hungry and he's carrying us."

It's a three-game series now, going back to Boston for Game 5 on Wednesday.

"I am almost at the end of my road," McDyess said. "And I know we only have so many opportunities. I just want to leave it all on the floor. I don't want there to be no excuses this year."

This year?

"Yeah, I am fed up with us making excuses," McDyess said. "We've made a lot of excuses since I've been here for why we haven't won another championship. I just don't want to accept no excuses this year.

"If we leave it all on the floor and lose, I can live with that. But I can't live with us not playing up to our potential, losing and then making excuses about. We can't give away any more opportunities."

McDyess scored eight of his 11 first-quarter points in a 10-0 burst to start the game.

"We talked about it, we had been outscored 31-4 in the first three minutes of the first three games," Saunders said. "We can't afford to do that. We had to set the tone early."

Rasheed Wallace got into early foul trouble, so it came on McDyess to take on Garnett.

"We had decided we were going to play Garnett head up, not give any help. We were just going to let our bigs accept that challenge," Saunders said.

Garnett had his first sub-par game -- subpar by his standards -- of this series. He had 16 points and 10 rebounds but missed 10-of-16 shots.

"McDyess bodied him, really got into him," Saunders said. "Dyess did everything. He got defensive rebounds, offensive rebounds, he shot the ball well, set good screens, defended -- everything."

Yet, despite all of that, the Pistons had to hang on for dear life down the stretch.

Jason Maxiell (14 points, hitting all six of his shots) scored six points to help the Pistons establish a nine-point lead with 6:20 left.

But as they did in each of the first three quarters, the Celtics started chipping away. They cut the lead to five with 4:50 to play.

But the Pistons' defense stiffened allowing one basket in the final 4:50.

"Give them credit because they were so much more physical than us the entire game, in every way," Boston coach Doc Rivers said. "They bumped us off spots, they bumped us up the floor -- every cut we made there was a bump."

The Pistons, who didn't close out the first three quarters very well, locked this one up tight with two free throws by Wallace, a big 3-pointer by Chauncey Billups and then six points from Richard Hamilton.

Hamilton finished with 20 points (hitting 8-of-10 shots). Wallace, despite foul trouble, finished with 14 points and five blocks.

"It's almost like 0-0 again, it's a three-game series," Ray Allen said. "We've got to protect our home court. We lost the last game at home, and definitely are going to have to win on their court for us to send a message or definitely move on."

The Celtics shot just 32 percent for the game. Paul Pierce and Garnett combined to shoot 9-for-30. Wonder how they kept it close?

Did we mention the referees' whistles? It was like one long shrilly note playing all game long -- and the majority of the whistles were directed at the Pistons. At the end of the third quarter, the Celtics had made 28-of-33 free throws; the Pistons 11 of 15.

"No matter what, we had to keep our aggressiveness," Saunders said. "I thought the game was called differently than all the other playoffs games we've played to this point. There were a lot more ticky-tack calls made."

The Celtics finished with a 32-20 edge in free throw points.

"So much is talked about our team, how when they get off edge during a game and lose their composure," Saunders said. "That didn't happen tonight. The only person that got a technical foul was me.

You can reach Chris McCosky at (313) 222-1489 or chris.mccosky@detnews.com.

Tied up again. We still have to win another one in Boston though thanks to a horrible game 3

GO PISTONS

2 more losses and my preseason prediction is right - lose in the conference finals

Not gonna happen.


Boston going down

Do or die tonight.

catbox_9 (on October 23) wrote:

gs78 wrote:

Pistons gonna win it all!

Hopefully! I voted lose Eastern Conference Finals but it wouldn't surprise me if I was wrong. That was a pretty conservative guess on my part...

Lose tonight and my guess is right!