DETROIT PISTONS 2008-2009 SCHEDULE AND RESULTS

GO PISTONS GO!

Saturday, March 21, 2009
Pistons 108, Clippers 90
Shorthanded Pistons beat Clippers
McDyess, Bynum, Prince, pick up slack for Pistons, who reach .500 with four starters out.
Chris McCosky / The Detroit News

AUBURN HILLS -- This is getting a little bit stupid.

There was no Richard Hamilton (groin) or Rasheed Wallace (calf) again Friday. There was no Allen Iverson (back) and there was no Rodney Stuckey, who stayed in the locker room with flu-like symptoms.

Heck, even public-address announcer John Mason was absent.

But Antonio McDyess and Tayshaun Prince were there. So was Will Bynum, making his first NBA start. And that was more than enough for the Pistons to beat the Los Angeles Clippers, 108-90.

McDyess had 24 points and 17 rebounds. Prince, who played some point guard in addition to his small-forward duties, had 23 points and a career-high 12 assists. Bynum posted a career-high 22 points with six assists.

"As I said on that road trip, even though we lost those two games (to Dallas and Houston), that kind of effort on most nights will get us a win," said coach Michael Curry.

The Pistons, back to .500 (34-34), have now won 12 straight games against the Clippers.

Bynum was brilliant. His quickness, speed and power enabled him to knife through whatever defense the Clippers threw at him. His ability to penetrate got the Clippers scrambling and created open shots for McDyess, Prince and Kwame Brown (season-high 14 points).

"Will did a great job," said Brown. "He came out aggressively and softened them up a bit and they started focusing on him in our pick-and-rolls. That allowed for me and Dyess to get a lot of open shots."

The offense ran as smoothly in the second half as it has at any time in the last three weeks. In one stretch of the third quarter, the Pistons scored on 11 of 13 possessions, going from six points down to six points up.

The Pistons then opened the fourth by scoring on 10 of their first 13 possessions, establishing a 94-83 lead with 4:40 left. They closed the game out hitting eight of their last shots.

"I just tried to stay aggressive," Bynum said. "I knew I was the only point guard tonight and I just tried to pick and choose when to be aggressive."

Bynum seemed completely unaffected by his first NBA start.

"Nah, I've been waiting for this," he said. "I've been praying for it."

In the fourth quarter, the Pistons smartly took advantage of some bizarre lineup choices by Clippers coach Mike Dunleavy. He went with a lineup of three guards, a small forward and a center and the Pistons blew it up.

Curry ran the offense through Prince in the post. Prince was guarded by point guard Baron Davis. Walter Herrmann was being guarded by guard Fred Jones. McDyess was being guarded by Al Thornton.

"We sometimes get away from taking advantage of our post-ups," Curry said. "We need to keep going to that. Even when we play out of Tay and he doesn't score, we still get more balance in our attack."

The Pistons scored 34 points in the fourth, hitting 13 of 18 shots. Prince had eight assists, four of them to Walter Herrmann. Hermann hit three clutch 3-pointers and scored 13 points in the fourth.

"We needed to win and we needed to play well, especially at home," Curry said. "But I felt confident coming in because our effort has been good. In our last 12 games, we had great effort in 10 of them, one was so-so and the other wasn't good enough. But I know if we continue to bring good energy and we rebound and move the ball around like we did, we are going to be OK."

Davis, who had a huge first half (15 points, six assists and five rebounds), finished with just 19 points, eight assists and seven rebounds. Prince guarded him in the fourth and shut him out.

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

Sunday, March 22, 2009
Heat 101, Pistons 96
Wade scores 39 as Heat down Pistons
Chris McCosky / The Detroit News

AUBURN HILLS -- Dwyane Wade scored 39 points and locked up Rodney Stuckey on the Pistons' final possession to lead the Miami Heat to a 101-96 victory over the Pistons Sunday.

Walter Herrmann hit a 3-pointer that put the Pistons up 96-95 with 13 seconds left.

The Heat's inbounds pass was loose for a second, but it rolled to Mario Chalmers who missed a short runner. The ball went out to Udonis Haslem who drained a baseline jumper with 6.3 seconds left.

Stuckey (24 points) then drove on Wade but never got the shot off. Coach Michael Curry was ejected arguing there should have been a foul, and Haslem made four free throws to ice it.

The Pistons are now 2-13 on Sundays.

The Pistons led from start to finish, but the Heat twice crawled back to even. Once with 7:36 left, but a steal and a layup by Arron Afflalo helped the Pistons rebuild an 83-78 lead with 6:19 left.

A three-point play by Will Bynum kept the lead at five with 4:50 left, and the Pistons had a great chance to seal it right there. Tayshaun Prince missed a wide-open 3-pointer and then, after the Pistons couldn't secure an offensive rebound, Jamario Moon drilled a 3-pointer.

After two more misses by Prince, Wade stole the ball, dunked and had the Heat even again, 89-89 with 3:11 left.

The Pistons went scoreless for 3:15 and the Heat took their first lead of the game on two free throws by Wade with 1:52 left.

Stuckey hit two free throws and Prince scored on a short runner. Those were countered by two baskets from Jermaine O'Neal.

With 36 seconds left, the Heat were up, 95-93, setting up the frantic final seconds.

Pistons in trouble


They need to win a few games in a row

Wednesday, March 25, 2009
Bulls 99, Pistons 91
Pistons' subs run out of gas
Injuries take their toll as Bulls move to within one game for seventh playoff spot in East.
Chris McCosky / The Detroit News

CHICAGO -- It's becoming obvious that the longer the Pistons have to keep trotting out this B-team, the closer they are going to get to falling out of the playoffs.

They took another step in that direction Tuesday. Again without Richard Hamilton, Rasheed Wallace and Allen Iverson, the Pistons lost to the eighth-place Chicago Bulls, 99-91 at the United Center.

"You can't help but be frustrated," Antonio McDyess said. "Just being without all our guys, that's frustrating right there. We need to get everybody back and try to make a run for it."

The Pistons (34-36) have lost six of eight and are now just one game up on the Bulls (34-38).

"Right now we need every little bit of help we can get," McDyess said. "We aren't trying to get up to the sixth or fifth spot, we are on the brink of being out."

The game was not nearly as close as the score would indicate. The Bulls, playing without starting point guard Derrick Rose (sprained right wrist), led by as many as 19 in the fourth quarter.

Kirk Hinrich stepped up for Rose and scored 24 points. Tyrus Thomas had 18 points and 12 rebounds, and Ben Gordon scored 19.

"We really need our guys back," said Tayshaun Prince, who scored 20. "The situation we are in, we almost have to play a perfect game to come out with the win."

The strain of having to carry the load is starting to show on McDyess and Prince, not to mention the rest of the support players. Prince had some uncharacteristic turnovers, especially in the fourth quarter. McDyess was solid but struggled to keep pace with the Bulls' young athletic forwards Thomas and Joakim Noah (15 points, 10 rebounds).

"My body feels good, but tonight I just felt a step slow," McDyess said. "I just wonder if playing all these minutes is going to catch up to me later. It could hit me all of a sudden, you know? I hope it don't, but I am afraid it might."

The Pistons stayed in the game until the nine-minute mark of the third quarter. Their one-point lead was vanquished after three straight turnovers triggered a 10-0 Bulls run from which the Pistons never recovered.

They were absolutely brutal early in the fourth quarter. Careless turnovers, a 24-second violation, tardy defensive rotations -- lifeless.

Had it not been for Will Bynum, the Pistons wouldn't have hung around for as long as they did. Back in his hometown, he posted 20 points -- a few on spectacular drives -- with nine assists. He had six points and two steals late in the fourth that helped make the score more respectable.

"These are crucial games for us and we have to play a whole lot better," Bynum said. "We just have to figure out a way."

Thing is, Bynum is not going to save the Pistons. Prince and McDyess can't possibly do more than they have been.

If the Pistons are going to right themselves, solidify the seventh spot or challenge for the sixth, they are going to need reinforcements -- soon.

"Our focus is to keep on grinding," coach Michael Curry said. "We just have to stay the course and control the things we can control. We still control our fate as far as the teams that are behind us."

Wallace (eight games down because of a sore left calf) and Iverson (14 games down because of a sore back) aren't expected to be back Thursday when the Pistons host the Lakers. Hamilton (five games out because of a strained left groin) has a slim chance of being ready.

"The problem is, we didn't get them on the court (for practice Monday)," Curry said. "They did a lot of work with Arnie (Kander, physical therapist), but they didn't do anything on the court. It's going to take a couple of days on the court to see where they are."

Neither Wallace nor Hamilton has as much as tried to run or cut on their injured legs. Hamilton said he's feeling a lot better; Wallace still says he's day-to-day and there's no real change. Both are expected to test their injuries at practice today.

"You don't get frustrated because guys are injured," Curry said. "You understand that's part of the game."

Slam dunks

Iverson got more bad news Tuesday. Iverson must pay $260,000 for standing idly by and watching his bodyguard beat up another man in a 2005 bar fight, a federal appeals court ruled Tuesday. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit rejected his attempt to throw out the verdict decided by a jury in 2007.

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

That is an expensive bar fight

Friday, March 27, 2009
Lakers 92, Pistons 77
Bynum sparkles during dark days
Guard sets career highs in points and assists
Chris McCosky / The Detroit News

AUBURN HILLS -- Not much good has come out of the last month or so for the Pistons.

Short-handed again Thursday, they were an easy mark for the Western Conference-leading Los Angeles Lakers, who ended a nine-game losing streak at The Palace, 92-77.

Kobe Bryant -- hearing "MVP" chants from a large contingent of Lakers' fans -- scored 30 points to lead the Lakers.

The Pistons have lost seven of nine and are three games under .500 (34-37). They are now tied with the Bulls for the seventh spot in the East.

But amid the gloom, Will Bynum has stepped forth and become a viable piece to the Pistons' puzzle going forward.

He posted a career-high 25 points and a career-high 11 assists in the loss. He has averaged 19 points over the last six games for the Pistons.

"Will has been carrying teams for the last three years," coach Michael Curry said. "He was one of the top two scorers the year he played in the D-League and then he went to Maccabi (Israel) and carried that team to the European Cup. Will is a capable guy. He didn't play as much when we had all our players, but Will is not surprising us with how he's played. We expect him to play well and with starter's minutes, he's played extremely well."

Bynum took the Pistons from 13 down to eight points up with a masterful second quarter. His eight points and six assists triggered a 26-5 run and earned him a start in the second half, replacing Arron Afflalo.

"We started him because I knew the first six minutes were going to be important," Curry said. "We knew they were going to come out aggressive."

Bynum led another 8-1 run to open the third and with 9:45 left, the Pistons led, 50-40.

That lead lasted five minutes. Bynum, who had played 22 straight minutes, sat down for a breather and the Lakers turned on the jets.

"They zone up a lot like Boston does and to beat them, you have to have good-shooting bigs and you have to dribble penetrate," Curry said. "Without Will in the game, we weren't able to do that."

The Lakers finished the quarter with a 30-5 blitz. The Pistons missed 13 straight shots and didn't score for the final 6:42 of the quarter.

They actually went more than eight minutes without a field goal before Bynum scored with 10:27 left in the fourth.

By then the Lakers had a 16-point lead and were in cruise control.

"It's just another tough loss," Bynum said. "They went on that run and we couldn't recover. They just outplayed us in the second half."

Richard Hamilton and Rasheed Wallace are expected to return to action Saturday in Washington. Curry said that Bynum, though he might not continue to play 30-plus minutes, will remain in the rotation.

"I am going to stay aggressive," Bynum said.

"I am being more confident. I got an opportunity and I am taking advantage of it. I've been positive all year long, even when I wasn't playing and that's helped make it easier."

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

Hang in There Pistons

Saturday, March 28, 2009
Pistons 98, Wizards 96
Hamilton returns to score 31 as Pistons hold off Wizards
Chris McCosky / The Detroit News

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- It was comeback night at the Verizon Center.

Richard Hamilton, coming back after missing six games with a groin injury, scored 31, including a dagger 3-pointer and two free throws with five seconds left to help the Pistons escape with a 98-96 victory over the Washington Wizards on Saturday.

Gilbert Arenas came back to the Wizards for the first time all season and posted 14 points and 10 assists and nearly helped engineer the best comeback of the night.

The Pistons, as they have all season, blew a fourth-quarter lead -- 12 points this time -- and hung on for dear life.

The Pistons fouled Arenas on the Wizards' last possession. He made the first free throw. His second missed and caromed off Kwame Brown's hands.

Arenas picked it up and his shot was blocked by Brown. Arenas fell but no foul was called. Caron Butler got the rebound but missed a 14-footer at the buzzer.

The Pistons were scoring in droves for three quarters and built what should have been a comfortable 12-point cushion going into the final quarter.

But they let the lead evaporate quickly.

Will Bynum, who played so brilliantly Sunday against the Los Angeles Lakers, made four turnovers. The Pistons didn't make a field goal for the first six minutes of the fourth, missing eight straight shots.

That was enough to send the Wizards on a 15-2 run, and with 6:27 left, they led 87-86.

Antonio McDyess (eight points, 11 rebounds) made two jumpers to put the Pistons back up, 90-87, with five minutes left. The Pistons missed two chances to extend the lead with turnovers by Rodney Stuckey and Hamilton.

Hamilton, after making 1 of 2 free throws, hit a 3-pointer with 2:08 left to give the Pistons a five-point lead. After the Wizards again cut the lead to one, Tayshaun Prince (19 points) hit a clutch jumper.

GO PISTONS!

Monday, March 30, 2009
Pistons 101, 76ers 97
Pistons win in Allen Iverson's return
Chris McCosky / The Detroit News

Auburn Hills-- There was an awful lot for the Pistons to like about Sunday's game. Allen Iverson returned after missing 16 games because of a back injury. The Pistons and Philadelphia 76ers engaged in a physical, entertaining, playoff-type battle.

And, with just nine games left in the season, the Pistons seem to be finding a workable formula.

Using Iverson as a setup man with Will Bynum and Richard Hamilton as closers, the Pistons played one of their best fourth quarters in several weeks to pull out a 101-97 victory.

"That was great," coach Michael Curry said. "I feel real good about this one, especially coming on a tough back-to-back."

The victory, which stopped an eight-game home losing streak on Sundays, moves the Pistons into seventh place in the Eastern Conference. Their magic number to clinch a playoff spot is now seven.

Tayshaun Prince led the Pistons with 21 points, helping to offset a 27-point night for 76ers forward Andre Iguodala. Rodney Stuckey had 16 points.

"The most important thing is we got the win," said Iverson, who scored eight points in 21 minutes. "I have a lot of respect for guys that come off the bench, even more now than ever. It's hard to get yourself going. Sitting there for a long period of time, then having to jump right into the fire -- that's different for me. It's hard. But I honestly feel I can get through it. I am a professional. I can figure out a way to do it and be effective."

Just his presence alone helped. Hamilton was able to rest for nine minutes in the fourth quarter. He came back strong and sealed the victory with two clutch jumpers in the final 2:29.

"They wanted to leave me out there, but I told them to take me out (at the end of the third) so I could rest," said Hamilton, who finished with 14 points. "I don't want to overkill myself to the point where I start playing on one leg again. Allen gave me a chance to rest and I came back rested and made my shots."

Bynum, redeeming himself for a shaky fourth quarter in Washington Saturday, scored nine points in a 14-2 run in the fourth that took the Pistons from five points down to six points up with 4:03 left.

Bynum finished with 12 points and he has all but convinced Curry that he needs to be on the floor at crunch time.

"Will could be in there or (Rodney) Stuckey could be in there," Curry said. "But the big key is, we have to run stuff through Will regardless of who is on the court."

Curry liked the pairing of Bynum and Iverson, despite their obvious lack of size. The players' aggression put a lot of pressure on the 76ers defense.

"I love playing with (Iverson)," Bynum said. "It's like teams have to pick their poison and it opens things up out there. We can get out, run and create some excitement."

Curry offset the size problem by mixing in a zone defense. During the 14-2 run, the Pistons played zone for seven of eight possessions. The only 76ers score came on the possession the Pistons played man-to-man.

Amir Johnson was on the floor during the run, too, and he contributed five points and four rebounds. His ability to protect the basket was vital to the Pistons' limiting the 76ers to just 14 points in the fourth.

"I am just as happy as I can be to come back and be around the guys and get in front of the fans and contribute to a win," said Iverson, who hadn't played since Feb. 25 because of a sore back. "Now my whole thing is trying to be the best sixth man I can be."

chris.mccosky@detnews.com (313) 222-1489

Yeah!

Wednesday, April 1, 2009
Cavaliers 79, Pistons 73
Pistons' Iverson already tired of new role
Chris McCosky / The Detroit News

Cleveland -- It took two games and already Allen Iverson is fuming about coming off the bench.

Rasheed Wallace was finally back after missing 11 games because of a left calf injury, but he'll sit out again tonight in New Jersey after picking up his 16th technical foul Tuesday in the Pistons' 79-73 loss to the Cavaliers.

"We outrebound them (53-43), we hold them to 38 percent shooting and LeBron James goes 9 for 24," coach Michael Curry said. "That's a game you should win."

At the very least it's a game the Pistons should be encouraged by, given that the Cavaliers ran roughshod over them the last time they played at Quicken Loans Arena.

But nothing about this game felt good.

"How many minutes did I play," Iverson said after he scored 11 with three turnovers in 18 minutes. "It seemed way, way, way less than that. Eighteen minutes? Come on, man. I can play 18 minutes with my eyes closed. It's a bad feeling, man. I'm wondering what they rushed me to get back for? For that?

"It's a bad time for me mentally."

The Pistons hardly rushed Iverson back. They let him sit out a month with back pain. And as far as his minutes, other than a six-point flurry in the fourth quarter, he hardly played well enough to displace any other player. He was on the floor during a key part of the Pistons' collapse in the final five minutes.

"I am just trying to get through it without starting a whole bunch of nonsense," Iverson said, after initiating the conversation about his playing time. "I'm looking at the big picture. If I vent my frustration then it's like, given who I am, I'll be the one everybody points the finger at. I am just going to try to laugh to stop from crying."

Wallace picked up his 16th technical foul at the end of the third quarter, protesting a foul called against Tayshaun Prince. Prince appeared to draw a charging foul against James, but the foul went against Prince.

"It was a stupid-star call, that's what it was and that's what I told the ref (Bennie Adams)," said Wallace, who had nine points and nine rebounds in his return. "Tay was there. But that's what happens when you speak the truth."

Curry and Richard Hamilton seemed upset at Wallace.

"He knew he was one tech away," Curry said. "That's it on that."

Hamilton just shook his head. "I didn't know that. Not having him out there is huge."

James scored eight in the final five minutes to put the Pistons away. He finished with 25 points.

"We just have to be better," said Hamilton, who scored 13 , hitting just 4-of-14 shots. "Too many turnovers and we were just a little too indecisive."

The Pistons led 69-67 with 5:19 left, but didn't score another point for three minutes. They made four turnovers in six possessions in that span.

"We just didn't finish," Iverson said.

chris.mccosky@detnews.com. (313) 222-1489

Wednesday, April 1, 2009
Nets 111, Pistons 98
Nets shred sagging Pistons
Chris McCosky / The Detroit News

East Rutherford, N.J. -- Spent. Dispirited. Defeated.

The Pistons were all of the above Wednesday as they continue to slide perilously close to missing the playoffs for the first time since the 2000-2001 season.

This time it was a sagging New Jersey Nets team that ran them out of the gym, 111-98.

The Pistons, playing their fourth game in five nights in four different cities, were without Rasheed Wallace, who served a one-game, league-mandated suspension for picking up his 16th technical foul Tuesday in Cleveland.

The Pistons still hold the seventh spot in the East by a half-game over No. 8 Chicago, who was idle Wednesday. No. 9 Charlotte, who played Boston Wednesday, was just two back of the Pistons.

The Nets (31-44) had lost four in row, the last two embarrassingly to Minnesota and Milwaukee, and appeared to have cashed it in for the season. But they inserted Keyon Dooling into the starting lineup and he provided a 23-point spark.

Devin Harris had 19 points and 11 assists.

Richard Hamilton scored 29 and Rodney Stuckey and Tayshaun Prince 16 for the Pistons. Allen Iverson played 18 minutes, had four points and missed seven of eight shots.

GET RID OF AI!

Saturday, April 4, 2009
76ers 95, Pistons 90
Pistons go cold, fall to eighth in East
Ted Kulfan / The Detroit News

Philadelphia -- The post-Allen Iverson era began with another Pistons loss. Andre Miller and Reggie Evans hit key free throws for Philadelphia and the Pistons went into a shooting slump, helping the 76ers to a 95-90 victory Saturday.

Rodney Stuckey scored 23 points and Richard Hamilton and Kwame Brown 15 for the Pistons, who fell back into eighth in the Eastern Conference standings.

"Very disappointing game," said Hamilton, frustrated by the fact the Pistons led by as many as 12 in the second quarter. "This is a game we wanted to get and needed to get."

Stuckey missed a potential go-ahead, 3-point try with 30.8 seconds left. Evans rebounded the miss, was fouled and made two free throws to give Philadelphia a 92-88 lead.

Stuckey was fouled and made both free throws on the Pistons' next possession, cutting the lead to 92-90, but Miller hit two free throws to push the lead back to four.

Andre Iguodala led all scorers with 31 (15 in the first quarter) for the 76ers. Miller had 21 points, 12 assists and 10 rebounds. His triple-double was the first such performance against the Pistons since the Heat's Dwayne Wade did it Dec. 30, 2004.

"We brought good focus and effort, but we just made some mistakes," coach Michael Curry said. "On a night like tonight, you just can't make that many mistakes."

The Pistons allowed Iguodala four lob dunks and shot 26.7 percent in the second half (after shooting 50 percent in the first half).

"We missed some shots, open shots," Curry said. "They've been a good fourth-quarter team all year. We made mistakes, partly because of what they were doing."

The 76ers clinched a playoff spot.

"Going against them, you need to be on top of your game," Iguodala said. "Down the stretch we have been looking at every game and taking it one at a time."

The Pistons host the Bobcats on Sunday in what is a crucial game in the Eastern standings. The Bobcats trail Detroit by two games for the final spot in the playoffs.

"That game is going to be more important than (Saturday's) game," Hamilton said. "We have to do a better job and come out and get a win."

Monday, April 6, 2009
Pistons 104, Bobcats 97
Pistons take control of race for final playoff spot
Chris McCosky / The Detroit News

Auburn Hills -- Kwame Brown stuck his head into the media huddle surrounding Will Bynum following the Pistons' 104-97 victory against the Charlotte Bobcats on Sunday and said, "You better say my name or I won't set another pick for you the rest of the season. The lineman never gets any credit."

No, on this night the credit goes to Bynum. With Richard Hamilton ejected and the Pistons trying to shake a three-game losing streak, Bynum scored 26 of his career-best 32 in the fourth quarter. That's a new franchise record for points in a quarter, topping the old mark of 24 held by Isiah Thomas and Jerry Stackhouse.

"That's really not me," Bynum said. "That's on my teammates and coaching staff. I don't deserve all the credit. My teammates set the screens and my coaching staff believed in me enough to put the ball in my hands in the fourth quarter. I was just trying to do everything I could to win this game."

He scored 12 in the first six minutes of the fourth to put the Pistons in control, 86-85. Then he drove and dished the ball to Arron Afflalo for a 3-pointer that put the Pistons up 91-85 with 3:45 left.

And then he countered every subsequent Bobcats run by scoring the Pistons' final 13, 11 at the free-throw line.

"Will was great all night," coach Michael Curry said. "The thing Charlotte struggles with the most is dribble penetration. They went to a zone defense in the third quarter and we got stagnant, but we put Will back in and that made it difficult for them to go back into that zone."

The win puts the Pistons into a tie with the Bulls for the seventh in the East. The Bobcats fell three games back.

The Pistons magic number to clinch a playoff spot is two.

"We came into this weekend saying these two games were must-win games for us to control our destiny," Curry said. "We lost a little of that control (by losing in Philadelphia) but we still control our destiny with Charlotte. Maybe we can lock up a playoff spot this week and then start focusing on seeding."

Bynum ran pick-and-roll with Tayshaun Prince (14 points) almost the entire fourth quarter.

"I knew they would have problems with that because we hadn't run that the entire game," Bynum said. "With me running it and Tay popping, they had to pick their poison."

Credit Afflalo (12 points) and Jason Maxiell for helping to stymie the Bobcats offense for a critical 4 1/2 -minute stretch of the fourth. Afflalo hounded Raymond Felton and Maxiell was trapping all over the court and the Bobcats went scoreless for six straight possessions.

D.J. Augustin scored 22 the Bobcats, who were without starting guard Raja Bell (calf).

Hamilton was ejected by referee Marc Davis at the end of the third quarter. Referee Bill Kennedy made a disputable call on Hamilton at the end of the quarter. Television replays showed Hamilton had inside position and Gerald Wallace came over his back for an offensive rebound.

chris.mccosky@detnews.com. (313) 222-1489

Pistons will make the playoffs

But I can't see them going very far

Wednesday, April 8, 2009
Pistons 113, Knicks 86
Pistons dominate Knicks
Chris McCosky / The Detroit News

New York -- Wow. Where had this been all season?

The Pistons seemed to unleash five months worth of frustration on the New York Knicks on Wednesday night, running them out of Madison Square Garden, 113-86.

The Pistons scored the first 10, led by as many as 29 in a first half where they tied their season-high with 63 points and never looked back. They led by 20 or more for most of the night.

It was a complete reversal of the Pistons' loss here in December when they fell behind by 29 in the first half.

All five starters scored in double figures. Richard Hamilton led with 22 points and seven assists. Rasheed Wallace and Antonio McDyess combined for 27 points and 28 rebounds. Wallace had 14 points, 12 rebounds and two blocks; McDyess 13 points, 16 rebounds and two blocks.

Tayshaun Prince had 15 points as the Pistons exploited the small-ball Knicks for the first time this season. They shot 54 percent and had a 47-25 edge on the boards through three quarters before emptying the bench in the fourth.

You had a feeling the Pistons were going to have good energy when Wallace did a break dance in the pregame circle.

The victory moves the Pistons back up into seventh place over the idle Bulls. Their magic number to clinch a playoff spot is one.

Benton Harbor's Wilson Chandler scored 23 for the Knicks. Detroit Renaissance product Joe Crawford (four points) and Michigan's Courtney Sims (four points, four rebounds) saw action for the Knicks.

gs78 wrote:

Pistons will make the playoffs

But I can't see them going very far

I see them going 4 games...maybe 5.

catbox_9 wrote:

gs78 wrote:

Pistons will make the playoffs

But I can't see them going very far

I see them going 4 games...maybe 5.

Six at the most


No way the Pistons getting past the first round

Saturday, April 11, 2009
Pistons 100, Nets 93
Pistons stop Nets to clinch playoff spot
Joanne C. Gerstner / The Detroit News

Auburn Hills -- The Pistons' quest to make the playoffs for the eighth consecutive season is over.

But in a good way.

The Pistons clinched a playoff spot with a 100-93 victory over the New Jersey Nets on Friday night at The Palace.

The Pistons are tied for seventh place in the Eastern Conference with the Chicago Bulls, with three regular-season games remaining.

"We've been through some struggles, rough times this year, but if we can learn and take things from that, hopefully it will help us in the playoffs," said Michael Curry, in his first postseason as a head coach. "We were always confident that we'd be a team that was in the playoffs. We're a different seed this year, and we've got to start off on the road.

"But hey, we can't think too much about it right now."

The Pistons play at Indiana tonight, play the Bulls at The Palace Monday, then finish the regular season in Miami on Wednesday.

Pistons reserve guard Will Bynum, who scored a team-high 20, sees things peaking at the right time.

"I think we're getting better and better each game," Bynum said. "They say whomever is playing the best going into the playoffs, is pretty good."

The Pistons extended their winning streak to three, their longest since March 1.

The Pistons put the Nets away early. New Jersey, recently eliminated from playoff contention, looked listless and disinterested.

Their inactivity was quickly exploited.

The Pistons hit their first seven shots. Rasheed Wallace was especially hot, shooting 3-for-5 from 3-point range as he scored 11 points in the first half.

The Pistons onslaught continued in the second half, maintained by reserves Jason Maxiell, Kwame Brown, Bynum and Arron Afflalo.

The Pistons bench went a long way toward earning Curry's trust, scoring 46 points.

The reserves' defense also was impressive, at one point holding the Nets without a field goal (0-for-10 shooting) for more than six minutes in the second quarter.

The Pistons led 54-38 at halftime.

In the second half, the Pistons intensity dropped a bit, but the Nets continued to plod through the motions.

The lead continued to grow, with the Pistons pushing it to 20.

The Nets showed a brief spark near the end of the third quarter, paring the lead to 10 points.

The lead shrank to six points, early in the fourth, before Bynum and McDyess knocked down a couple of shots.

"When you get a lead like that, it's tough to keep when you have a team that's going to shoot a ton of 3-point shots," Curry said. "At one point they made it a little difficult, but overall, I was pleased with our performance."

Wallace finished with 15 points and two blocks on 6-for-10 shooting.

Nets rookie Ryan Anderson led New Jersey, finishing with 20 points. Nets stars Vince Carter and Devin Harris were quite silent, combining for seven points -- Harris scored just one point.

joanne.gerstner@detnews.com (313)223-4644

GO PISTONS!

Saturday, April 11, 2009
Pacers 106, Pistons 102
Pistons' win streak ends at three
Chris McCosky / The Detroit News

Indianapolis -- In one bad loss to a lottery-bound team, the Pistons went from thinking about stealing the fifth spot in the East to being almost resigned to the eighth spot.

"There is no worst-case scenario for us right now," said Tayshaun Prince, after the Pistons' fourth-quarter rally fell short in a 106-102 loss to the Pacers Saturday. "The way we've played all year, the best-case scenario is that we got into the playoffs. Hopefully we can go in there and do some damage."

The loss means the Pistons have to beat Chicago Monday and Miami Wednesday to avoid finishing eighth and facing Cleveland in the first round.

"I don't think about the eighth seed as a situation we can't handle," Prince said. "Any situation would have been tough, the way weve been playing and all the ups and downs we've gone through this season."

Richard Hamilton echoed those sentiments.

"It really don't matter to us," he said. "We are already at the bottom of the playoff bracket. We can't worry about who we play. We just have to get ourselves ready and try to make a run."

After struggling on a lot of levels for three-plus quarters Saturday and falling into a 12-point hole with nine minutes left, the Pistons darn-near stole the game.

Will Bynum scored 10 of his 16 points -- he either scored or assisted on 18 of the Pistons' last 22 points -- to bring the Pistons back.

Hamilton, who scored 23 despite making just 10 of 23 shots, scored seven straight to put the Pistons up 100-99 with two minutes left.

But Jarrett Jack, Bynum's backcourt mate on Georgia Tech's Final Four team in 2004, answered with seven straight points of his own. His spectacular, double-clutching layup put the Pacers up 103-102 with 37.6 left.

The Pistons worked the ball to Rasheed Wallace, who missed an open baseline jumper. After Troy Murphy made one of two free throws to make it 104-102 with 16 seconds left, Prince had the ball stripped by Jack and Danny Granger (24 points) sealed it with two free throws.

"We were one call from winning this game and we couldn't get it," Bynum said.

He and the rest of the Pistons felt Jack fouled Prince on the steal.

"We came in really focused to build on what we had done the last few games (three wins)," said Prince, who finished with 18 points. "It came down the stretch and we ran the plays we needed to run and we took advantage of them until the last play."

The Pistons were their own worst enemy for most of the game. They allowed the Pacers 14 offensive rebounds and 22 second-chance points in the first half, so despite shooting 54 percent and holding the Pacers to 40 percent shooting, they were down by three.

"We should have been up by a good margin," coach Michael Curry said. "Then in the second half, we couldn't contain the dribble penetration from their guards."

It didn't help that Kwame Brown was out with a tight left hamstring.

"We missed Kwame tonight," Curry said.

Jack (18 points, six assists) and T.J. Ford (18 points, five assists) continually broke down the Pistons' defense. And the Pistons couldn't take advantage of the Pacers' lack of size. Hamilton, being guarded by Ford (who is eight inches shorter), missed nine of 12 shots in the third quarter.

"It's disappointing," Curry said of sliding back to the eighth spot. "But I still think the most important thing for us to continue playing good basketball."

chris.mccosky@detnews.com (313) 222-1489

Monday, April 13, 2009
Notebook
Playoff foe no big deal for Pistons
Chris McCosky / The Detroit News

Auburn Hills -- One thing about an NBA regular season: It'll separate contenders from pretenders.

By the end of 82 games, you are what you are, and usually you get what you deserve.

The Pistons, at best, are an average team. They need to win their two remaining games, against the Bulls tonight and at Miami on Wednesday, to achieve a .500 record. And as such, they deserve what they are most likely going to get -- a first-round playoff series with the best team in the NBA, the Cleveland Cavaliers.

"I don't think about being the eighth seed as a situation we can't handle," Tayshaun Prince said after the 106-102 loss in Indiana on Saturday. "Any situation would've been tough the way we've been playing and all the ups and downs we've gone through this season."

At least he's honest. A rookie coach, a second-year point guard, a failed four-month attempt to integrate Allen Iverson and lingering injuries to Rasheed Wallace and Richard Hamilton pretty much doomed this team to mediocrity.

To think the Pistons, in the final week of the season, are going to find a gear or a rhythm they haven't had all season and shock the world in the playoffs is wishful thinking at best.

"It really don't matter to us," Hamilton said, when asked about trying to get out of the eighth spot to avoid the Cavaliers. "We are at the bottom of the playoff bracket. We can't worry who we play."

To give you an idea of Hamilton's mind-set, before the loss at Indiana on Saturday, he wasn't even aware of potential first-round matchups.

"All I know is, we aren't the one or two seed, so what does it matter?" he said. "We are starting out on the road anyway."

For the record, the Pistons still have a slim chance to climb to No. 7. They have to win out, which would put them at 41-41. If the Bulls beat the Toronto Raptors on the last day of the regular season they would also be 41-41, but the Pistons, based on a better conference record, own the tiebreaker.

If that should happen, the Pistons' reward would be a first-round series with the Boston Celtics. You can see why Hamilton and Prince say it doesn't matter.

"All we can do is continue to play well," coach Michael Curry said. "Go back to that game in Philadelphia (April 4). Had we won that game and continued to win like we did (three straight before losing Saturday), then we would've had our destiny in our own hands. Had we beaten Indiana, we still could've controlled our destiny as far as finishing seventh.

"We just have to keep battling and keep trying to play the best basketball we can play."

Slam dunks

Kwame Brown (left hamstring) was scheduled for treatment Sunday. Physical therapist Arnie Kander was optimistic Brown would be ready to play tonight.

... If Wallace can avoid a technical tonight, he will escape another one-game suspension. He picked up his 17th technical Saturday. If he gets No. 18 tonight, he'll have to sit out Wednesday in Miami. The slate is wiped clean for the postseason.

chris.mccosky@detnews.com (313) 222-1489

Pistons will lose in 6 games in the first round

My latest prediction

Well, if the play the Cavs, they can lose.

If they play the Celtics, they could win.

Pistons lose in 6 games either way

Sorry Pistons

Better luck next year

or in 2010-2011