Piston's Basketball
Monday, April 5, 2004
DREW SHARP: This victory means little unless it's repeated during the playoffs
Meaningless message-sending exposes the insecurities of the sender.
'Easy' does it -- for 1,000th time
Rasheed Wallace good-naturedly refused to talk to any of the media after Sunday's game unless they had a chat with "Easy" first. "Easy" is Elden Campbell, who played in his 1,000th regular-season game in the Pistons' 79-61 victory over Indiana.
SWEET AND LOW: With dual Wallaces leading the defense, Pistons finally find a way to throttle Pacers
Win No. 50 was nifty for the Pistons for a variety of reasons. It came against their rival Indiana Pacers and former coach Rick Carlisle in a 79-61 thumping before a national television audience and a sellout crowd Sunday at the Palace.
Saturday, April 3, 2004
Billups, 4th-quarter rally lift Pistons past Miami
The Pistons used a fourth-quarter rally and the shooting of Chauncey Billups to top Miami, 92-84, Friday night in Detroit's 15th straight sellout. Down, 65-60, entering the fourth, the Pistons outscored Miami, 32-19. They shot 10-of-17 from the field (58.8 percent) while holding the Heat to six of 21 for 28.6 percent.
Carlisle has right recipe for winning
With his third straight Central Division title wrapped up, coach Rick Carlisle obviously has a winning formula for the regular season. Carlisle led the Pistons to 100 total victories in two years and in his first season at Indiana, the Pacers had 56 victories after Friday night's win against his former Pistons assistant Kevin O'Neill and the Toronto Raptors.
Friday, April 2, 2004
Pistons gather books for children
There's lots going on with the Pistons this month:
They're collecting new and gently used children's books at all home games this month -- starting with tonight's game against Miami and including the playoffs -- and at 200 area Burger King locations.
R. Wallace eager for two big games
With a big weekend at the Palace -- Miami and Indiana come to town -- Rasheed Wallace plans on being back in the lineup after a two-game absence with a sore lower back. Wallace worked out with the Pistons on Thursday in preparation for tonight's game against the Heat.
TONIGHT: HEAT
Tip-off: Pistons vs. Miami, 8, Palace. TV/radio: Fox Sports Net; WDFN-AM (1130), WTKA-AM (1050). Injuries: Detroit -- F Tremaine Fowlkes (groin), injured list; C Rasheed Wallace (back), probable. Miami -- G Jerome Beasley (back), G Bimbo Coles (back), C Loren Woods (back), injured list; C Mailk Allen (knee), questionable.
Thursday, April 1, 2004
Flat Pistons have enough to catch Clips
The Pistons, with the No. 3 spot in the East locked up for the playoffs, have little -- besides home-court advantage -- to play for as the regular season winds down. And Wednesday, against the Los Angeles Clippers, you could tell.
Kaman adjusting to life in the NBA
Los Angeles Clippers rookie center Chris Kaman has had a lot of adjustments to make in the past year. He went from Central Michigan, a mid-major university, to the NBA; from small-town Michigan to the land of plastic surgery and basketball soap operas. Once in L.A., he moved from backup to starting center.
Wednesday, March 31, 2004
Injury decisions handled gingerly
For an hour after practice ended Tuesday, Ben Wallace worked his way around the arc, lobbing shot after shot after shot. The message was simple: He's in tonight when the Pistons host the Clippers.
PERRY A. FARRELL: Brown makes his point, and Billups gets it
Larry Brown went to North Carolina in 1959 as a high-scoring guard from New York. He still remembers the early practices and their influence on him. They not only shaped his philosophy of how point guards should play, they shaped how he would coach point guards.
Tuesday, March 30, 2004
Improvement key as playoffs loom
With eight games left in the regular season, the Pistons hope to fine-tune their game while getting ready for the playoffs against an unknown opponent.
Pistons, Shock team up for on-line sales pitch
FREE NEWS SERVICES In a joint effort celebrating "Year Round Hoops" at the Palace, the Pistons and Shock have teamed up to offer individual tickets to their playoff or regular-season games, respectively, through an early, online sale beginning at 10 a.m. Wednesday.
Monday, March 29, 2004
Ben and Rasheed share aching backs
Rasheed and Ben Wallace are hurting at about the same spot. Rasheed Wallace missed Saturday's game against New York with a sore back that has been getting worse over the past couple of weeks, coach Larry Brown said before the team's 100-85 victory over the Knicks.
Saturday, March 27, 2004
Brown: Stop crying foul about referees
Coach Larry Brown wants the Pistons to stop worrying about the officiating. The team was whistled for four technicals Thursday night at San Antonio in a game that featured seven. Brown thinks the Pistons go into a swoon when a crucial call at the end of a game doesn't go their way -- and there have been many this season.
Friday, March 26, 2004
Foul disparity steams team, Ben
SAN ANTONIO -- It's hard to imagine no fouls occuring in the first quarter of a game between two of the best teams in the league, but it happened Thursday night at the SBC Center. In fact, San Antonio went the first 16:17 without committing a foul in the Pistons' 84-75 loss.
Pistons melt down; Spurs win
SAN ANTONIO -- Tempers flared, emotions were high and the Pistons didn't handle it very well as San Antonio whipped them, 84-75, at the SBC Center Thursday night. Detroit was hit with four technical fouls, and Ben Wallace was ejected in the fourth quarter. The Spurs were helped by 22 made free throws to the Pistons' six.
Thursday, March 25, 2004
MARK PHELAN'S MAILBAG: Detroiters not happy with Darko's choices
The Driving With . . . column last week with Detroit Pistons rookie Darko Milicic drew a large number of complaints from readers. What didn't readers like about the 18-year-old Serbian basketball player's answers to questions from Free Press sports writer Helene St. James?
R. Wallace eager to combat Duncan
SAN ANTONIO -- Rasheed Wallace has enjoyed his battles with Tim Duncan since the days Wallace played at North Carolina and Duncan at Wake Forest. Wallace gets to test his skills again against San Antonio's reigning MVP and NBA champion tonight at the SBC Center. Duncan is averaging 22.9 points and 12.8 rebounds. The Pistons beat the Spurs, 85-77, at the Palace on Jan. 19.
Wednesday, March 24, 2004
Blowout victories permit tinkering
NEW ORLEANS -- With 12 blowout victories in recent weeks, coach Larry Brown has had a chance to experiment late in games in preparation for the playoffs. The experiments have been limited, but Brown has given Darko Milicic more playing time, let Tayshaun Prince get more involved in the offense, and used different combinations on the floor to see how certain players work together.
Magloire's shot ends Pistons' 8-game win streak
NEW ORLEANS -- In the back of their minds, some of the Pistons wanted a close game to prove they could perform well in one down the stretch. It didn't happen Tuesday night at New Orleans Arena. Jamaal Magloire retrieved a blocked shot and scored at the buzzer to give New Orleans an 82-81 victory, snapping the Pistons' eight-game winning streak.
Tuesday, March 23, 2004
Tight games no longer a problem
NEW ORLEANS -- Remember when the Pistons had trouble winning close games, managing the clock and getting a key defensive stop or defensive rebounds? It seems like a long time ago, especially now that they have terrorized the league in the past eight games.
Monday, March 22, 2004
Bench providing great support
CLEVELAND -- Like everything else, the bench is now starting to fall into place. Forwards Corliss Williamson and Mehmet Okur provide scoring, and guards Lindsey Hunter and Mike James hawk the ball and hand out assists as the Pistons keep rolling. In Sunday's 96-76 victory over Cleveland, Williamson scored 12 points, making five of six shots.
Pistons win 8th straight
CLEVELAND -- Ho-hum. In what could be a first-round playoff preview, the Pistons took their road show to Cleveland's Gund Arena and came away with their eighth straight victory, a 96-76 beating of the Cavaliers. It was Detroit's 22nd road victory of the season and its 12th consecutive win by double digits.
Saturday, March 20, 2004
BIG WIGS: Pistons' defense nullifies Nuggets
Wig Night and the Pistons' defense were both big successes Friday night at the Palace. A total of 6,213 fans wore Afro wigs, eclipsing the Guinness Book of World Records mark of 5,574 for people wearing wigs in a single venue.
Milicic, Delfino may go to Games
The Pistons might have to scrap their summer league plans for Darko Milicic and Carlos Delfino if they are picked to represent their countries at the Summer Olympics in Athens. Milicic said Friday night that he was "99 percent sure" he would be in the Serbian national team's training camp, which he said would start around June 25.
Friday, March 19, 2004
Pistons' D, early run stuffs Nets
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- It's official; the Pistons are now major players in the Eastern Conference title chase. They didn't hold the Nets to less than 70 points, but the Pistons were impressive nonetheless with an 89-71 victory at Continental Airlines Arena. They needed a victory to tie the season series at 2 against the two-time NBA finalists.
TONIGHT: NUGGETS
What: Pistons vs. Denver, 8, Palace. TV/Radio: Channel 50; WDFN-AM (1130), WTKA-AM (1050). Injuries: Detroit -- F Tremaine Fowlkes (left groin), injured list. Denver -- F-C Chris Andersen (left knee), G Jeff Trepagnier (left ankle) and F-C Mark Pope (left knee), injured list.
Wallace returns and makes impact
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- Pistons coach Larry Brown had a welcome sight in the locker room before Thursday's game: Rasheed Wallace. The 6-foot-11 center/forward returned after leaving Monday to join his wife, Fatima, in Portland, Ore., for the birth of their fourth child.
Thursday, March 18, 2004
DRIVING WITH: Darko Milicic, 18-year-old Detroit Pistons rookie
QUESTION: What cars do you own, and why did you select those? ANSWER: An Audi A8 and a BMW X5. It's my first time buying, and they were not too expensive (the A8 starts at $69,220, the X5 at $41,495), not too bad for first time. After this, I'm going to go a little bit better. Q: How long have you had a driver's license?
Rasheed Wallace may miss game
The Pistons enter one of the biggest games of the season not knowing whether Rasheed Wallace will be available.
TONIGHT: NETS
Tip-off: Pistons at New Jersey, 7, Continental Airlines Arena. TV/radio: TNT; WDFN-AM (1130). Injuries: Detroit -- F Tayshaun Prince (shoulder), probable; C Rasheed Wallace (personal), questionable; F Tremaine Fowlkes (groin), injured list. New Jersey -- F Tamar Slay (groin), injured list.
Wednesday, March 17, 2004
Okur not griping about lesser role
Ever since Rasheed Wallace joined the Pistons, Mehmet Okur has been seen his minutes and points tumble. He hasn't topped 15 minutes in any of the four entire games both he and Wallace have been in; he used to average 23.8 minutes. He used to start; now he's coming off the bench. He used to average 10.2 points; he's at 6.2 since Wallace arrived.
PERRY A. FARRELL: Pistons' stingy defense builds up confidence
The Pistons' impressive defensive run has done more than rewrite the record books. It has done more than make the Pistons the NBA's stingiest team in points allowed. It also has given the Pistons the confidence that they can compete with Indiana and New Jersey in the Eastern Conference. That confidence faces a stern test Thursday night at East Rutherford, N.J.
Tuesday, March 16, 2004
Billups, Brown learn to co-exist
The ride that point guard Chauncey Billups and first-year Pistons coach Larry Brown have shared hasn't always been a smooth one. Brown came to Detroit with a penchant for being tough on point guards, and after 68 games Billups probably would testify in a court of law that Brown's demands may be as different as any coach in the league.
Monday, March 15, 2004
Ex-UDM standout gives good effort
Even Pistons coach Larry Brown said he was proud of Willie Green, and he was on the opposing side. Green, a former star guard for the University of Detroit Mercy and a rookie with the 76ers, was three points shy of his NBA career-high Sunday, finishing with 17 points on 8-for-10 shooting in Philadelphia's 85-69 loss at the Palace.
Pistons stay stingy about allowing points
With 2:03 left, the Pistons' record four-game streak of allowing fewer than 70 points seemed in jeopardy. Marc Jackson had just hit two free throws to shrink the Pistons' lead to 83-69, and the Philadelphia 76ers, even without Allen Iverson, appeared on their way to ending the run.
Saturday, March 13, 2004
Prince bothered by left shoulder
If the Pistons were playing Philadelphia today instead of Sunday, Tayshaun Prince might be questionable, but the starting small forward has one more day to rest his aching left shoulder.
Friday, March 12, 2004
Brown gets time for his to-do list
Remember those days last month when the Pistons had such a packed schedule it often seemed like they played doubleheaders? They're about to reap the benefits.
Thursday, March 11, 2004
Newest Wallace opens up offense
There are still times Rasheed Wallace finds himself on the floor wishing the Pistons' guards would just hold up cue cards: Go to the post, Rasheed! Set a screen, Rasheed! But overall, things are so much better than they were three weeks ago.
Pistons are barely tested by Chicago
There was a dazzling dunking exhibition by Rasheed Wallace, and a very nice display of how to share the ball by the Pistons. There was even an extensive Darko Milicic sighting. But as for an opponent, it was hard to tell.
Wednesday, March 10, 2004
With a mask, he's ready to let 'er rip
For the past week Richard Hamilton enjoyed days of sunshine and sleeping in while his teammates checked in and out of hotels, bused to and from arenas, and crisscrossed from time zone to time zone thanks to a madcap schedule.
Tuesday, March 9, 2004
Offensive flow helps defense go
Ben Wallace is the leader of a team that prides itself on defense first. So it's no surprise that Wallace attributes the Pistons' 4-1 record on their Western trip mostly to good defense.
PERRY A. FARRELL: Pistons toughen up for long playoff run
Things you need to know about the Pistons as they prepare for their final 16 games of the regular season:
Before Feb. 19, it didn't appear they could compete with Indiana and New Jersey in the Eastern Conference playoffs. Now they can.
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