Believe his five rings
Teasing spurred Pistons assistant to great heights as a player
By Terry Foster

The notes Ron Harper took in class went beyond the reading and arithmetic assignments teachers gave him.

He kept close tabs on everybody who made fun of his stutter when he raised a hand to answer questions. He heard the snickers and giggles, and they hurt, even though Harper was the star basketball player at Kiser High School in Akron.

Harper didn't curse his antagonists. A part of him actually enjoyed the teasing because he was certain he'd get his revenge -- during afternoon pickup basketball games.

Prince is a versatile guy
By Chris McCosky

'Most versatile'

Flip Saundersis finding out what Larry Brownknew last season -- taking Tayshaun Princeout of a game is tough.

"I knew he was good, but I didn't really know how good," Saunders said. "That's why you see all the minutes he's playing."
Prince, averaging a career-best 16.4 points and shooting a career-best 49 percent, has played more minutes than any other player (570).

"From afar, you don't notice all the little things that he does," Saunders said. "He's so versatile, and he understands the game so well. And this year, I think you are seeing him be more aggressive offensively."

Delfino sits for a reason
Prince, Hamilton get most of the minutes
By Chris McCosky

Q. What's going on with Carlos Delfino? He seems to be out of the rotation.

A. Well, he has been out of the rotation, but that hasn't been a reflection on his play. His benching has been a function of the excellent play of Tayshaun Prince and Rip Hamilton.

Pistons president Joe Dumars and coach Flip Saunders have talked with Delfino about his situation. They have assured him his time will come and encouraged him to stay ready.




Saunders' substitution pattern baffles reserves

On most NBA teams, it might classify as full-fledged frustration.
On the Pistons, the grumbles coming from the bench players are laced with understanding and acceptance.

More than anything, they're happy the team is winning, with a 13-2 record being the best in the NBA. But they also admit they're often baffled by coach Flip Saunders' rotations.




Here's how East will finish . . .
By Greg Anthony

The balance of power has gone from West to East. The East is deeper and better at the top with three of the top four teams in the league residing in the East. Here's how I see the East seedings come playoff time.

Saunders' practice is rigorous after unusual two days off
With next game not until Friday against Golden State, coach went to Minneapolis.
By Joanne C. Gerstner

Everything was back to normal at the Pistons practice facility Tuesday.
Players were sweat-soaked but smiling. The sound of bouncing basketballs echoed everywhere, punctuated by occasional yells, laughs or whistle blasts.

It was time to go back to work, after a rare two-day break of not practicing. The Pistons do not play again until Friday at Golden State, so coach Flip Saunders gave everybody a break.

Saunders made sure his team wouldn't get rusty, working it hard in the two-hour-plus practice.





FORGET ME NOT: Why Tayshaun Prince might be the most important Piston
By Krista Latham

There are flashier players, bigger muscles, crazier hairstyles, brighter smiles, and higher scorers in the Pistons' starting lineup.

But he's the Elmer's. He's the boring ol' roll of Scotch tape, so easy to look past, you forget he's there. Yet he's totally necessary.

Irreplaceable.
Nothing sticks without him.
His teammates know. They call him the silent assassin.
Because he'll kill you while you're looking the other way.

WHERE ARE THEY NOW? Terry Tyler
By Bill Dow

How we remember him: Hometown heroes Terry (Thunder) Tyler and University of Detroit teammate John (Lightning) Long were drafted in 1978 by new Pistons coach %%%% Vitale, their U of D coach. Tyler was one of the most dependable and rugged forwards in franchise history, and he quickly became a fan favorite at the Silverdome. His exceptional leaping ability helped him set the franchise record for blocked shots (1,070), a mark broken last year by Ben Wallace. No. 41 never missed a game in his seven years with the Pistons, and he still holds the team record for consecutive games played (574).

Ben Wallace blocks out aches, pains
By Chris Silva

Ben Wallace's feet still hurt.
Maybe the five days off between games will help.
But even if the time off doesn't help, Wallace will be out there taking the jump ball against centers who are anywhere from two inches to a half-foot taller. And Wallace will continue to scrap and box out under the basket against big men who weigh more than he does.

It's no secret that Wallace, 6-feet-9 and 240 pounds, gives up a few inches and pounds as an NBA center. Even so, teammates expect him to give the Pistons a bully's mentality in the paint in every game.

Few bumps in the road for this team
By Krista Latham

What a week. In New Jersey, the Pistons discovered the land behind that mysterious arc and hit 10 threes; Larry Brown returned to Detroit to a very mixed chorus of boos, jeers, hugs and cheers, and Rasheed Wallace got silly in Chicago.

The best part for the Pistons? Three games, three more wins.
So what's more impressive? The Pistons' 13-2 record or their 8-1 mark on the road?

Just Blog it!
By Mark Francescutti

What is a blog? Blog is short for Weblog. A Weblog is a journal or diary on the Internet that is frequently updated. Blogs generally represent the personality of the author or the Web site. It's also a great place to read what other Pistons fans are saying. And you can often add your own responses.

NBA Ticker
by Al Toby

Out to pasture?
Lindsey Hunter isn't the only Piston recovering from an ankle injury.
Turns out Hooper, the Pistons mascot, suffered an ankle/hoof injury while practicing a dunk late last month.

You can send Hooper a get-well e-card on pistons.com.

In the team's "Workin' Blog," Hooper said, "This crazy horse isn't going to be turned into glue. Fortunately, our wonderful Pistons trainers here at the Palace fixed up my leg just right. I am happy to report that I will be good as new in a few more weeks."

Hot Topics
Early vacation

What's up with the long break between games? The Pistons' contest Friday at Golden State will be their first since Saturday's victory at Chicago. It seems like we're at the All-Star break. Perhaps we're pouting because it has given us more time to wallow in the misery of the Lions.

Soundoff

By the numbers

Pistons planner






Big Ben plays over injuries
By A. Sherrod Blakely

Sooner or later, battling taller, heavier players every night will take its toll on any man, even Ben Wallace.

The Detroit Pistons' seemingly indestructible one has had his usual share of early season injuries -- most recently, a sore left ankle and a sore right foot -- but they haven't had much of an impact on his play.

He's averaging a team-high 11.5 rebounds per game, which ranks fifth in the league. He's also averaging 8.7 points and 1.73 blocks per game while playing 35.1 minutes per game, which ranks third on the team.

I love how newspapers feel they must explain the Internet to consumers who are light-years ahead of them technically and creatively (cf. those prize-winning Pistons blogs at detnews.com).

Yes however, they did give some nice props to two very good blogs (I am unfamiliar with the third one). iamme from various Pistons boards (including this one) runs Pistonsbball and that DetroitBadBoys site usually has great content as well.

Pistons are wary of Davis

Warriors point guard, averaging 15.7 points, is similar to Billups in importance to his team.
By Joanne C. Gerstner


The Pistons have been doing their homework, preparing for another test Friday.
The pest, er, test will come in the form of Warriors point guard Baron Davis.


The Pistons play at Golden State that night, and contending with Davis is the top assignment.

They already have a pretty good clue how to play Davis. All they have to do is check out their own dominant point guard -- Chauncey Billups.


Davis golden for Warriors
By Chris Silva


The Golden State Warriors' resurrection this season can be traced to one man: Baron Davis.
Davis, whom Golden State acquired from New Orleans at the trade deadline last season for Speedy Claxton and current Piston Dale Davis, has given the Warriors a new look and a huge spark.


The Pistons face Golden State in Oakland on Friday night, and the Warriors are actually winning. After perennially residing in the basement of the Western Conference's Pacific Division, the Warriors were 12-6 heading into Wednesday night's game against Phoenix.


With Davis, Warriors become a force
By A. Sherrod Blakely


Good point guard play is usually crucial for the most successful NBA teams.
That has certainly been the case in Golden State, where all-star Baron Davis has catapulted the often bottom-dwelling Warriors near the top of the Western Conference standings.


"As he goes is how they go," said Pistons coach Flip Saunders, who coached Davis during the 2001 Goodwill Games in Brisbane, Australia. "A guy like him, as dynamic as he is, has the ball in his hands and can make plays and has no fear in late-game situations. He's the big difference, there's no question."


Ex-Pistons star Bing gets NBA players to invest in Detroit
A/P

Detroit Pistons star-turned-businessman Dave Bing says he's recruited several current and former N-B-A players to invest in a Detroit housing business.


Bing says they are Isiah Thomas, Jalen Rose, Chris Webber, Steve Smith and Derrick Coleman.


He's seeking other athletes as well.

Bing says he plans to raise five (M) million to ten (M) million dollars from about eight current and former athletes and form the company within 60 days.


Pests are gone, now Warriors get NBA's beasts
By Monte Poole

With his team on the cusp of the NBA's version of manhood, he is rounding into shape at the practically perfect time, as the pests are departing and the beasts arrive.
Here is where we begin to get an idea of how far Baron Davis can lead the Warriors.

Twelve of their 13 games remaining this month will come against teams who were in the 2005 playoffs. Only five of those games will be in Oakland, beginning with defending Pacific Division champ Phoenix tonight, followed on Friday by defending Central Division champ Detroit.



J-Rich zeroing in on All-Star berth
But Richardson has plenty of competition for a spot on the West team
By Marcus Thompson II

There's little question that Warriors guard Jason Richardson is playing at an All-Star level. To date, he's been the best player on one of the Western Conference's best teams.

He's averaging 22.5 points per game; among West guards, only Los Angeles Laker Kobe Bryant (32.1) and Seattle supersonic Ray Allen (23.9) average more. Richardson's also averaging 6.5 rebounds per game; among West guards, only the Sacramento Kings' Bonzi Wells (7.9) averages more. Only point guard Tony Parker's San Antonio Spurs have more wins than Richardson's Warriors.

Western swing won't be a snap
McDyess notes Warriors, Clippers and Jazz are better than last season.
By JoAnne C. Gerstner.

The West used to be a scary place for the Pistons.
Losses in all forms invariably occurred at faraway places deep in the night. But that's ancient history.

This crop of Pistons seemingly has no problems playing two or three time zones away, as shown by a 3-0 swing last month.
The Pistons go west for three more games, beginning tonight against the Warriors, followed by the Clippers and Jazz.




Warriors, Clippers no doormats
By Chris Silva

This trip out west won't be the same as the last.
The Pistons beat Sacramento, Phoenix and Portland in a span of four days in November, but of those teams, only the Suns now have a winning record.

This time, the Pistons face Golden State, the L.A. Clippers and Utah over four nights, and the Warriors and Clippers are playing their best in years.




Davis has Warriors in thick of it
By Dana Gauruder

Sometimes, one player can make all the difference for an NBA franchise. Shaquille O'Neal has turned the Miami Heat into a serious title contender. Steve Nash has done the same with Phoenix.

The Golden State Warriors have not reached that level yet, but, after 11 losing seasons, they finally have the look of a winner. That can be attributed to the trade-deadline acquisition of point guard Baron Davis last season.

Considering Davis' salary and health issues, the Warriors took a big risk. It's the type of gamble that a desperate club has to make to change its losing culture and, thus far, it has paid off. The Warriors have a 30-17 record, including 12-7 this season, since they dealt Speedy Claxton and Dale Davis to the New Orleans Hornets for Davis.




Richardson riding high as Warriors off to good start
By A. Sherrod Blakely

Winning games and scoring a lot of points is the kind of basketball Jason Richardson is used to.
And now, apparently, that's the brand of game for the Golden State Warriors (12-7), who are off to one of their best starts in years.

While point guard Baron Davis has been given most of the credit for the Warriors' turnaround, the 6-foot-5 Richardson has also been an important cog in the team's race to get to the playoffs for the first time in 11 years.

By Janny Hu

As much as the Warriors needed Troy Murphy's rebounding late in Wednesday's game against the Suns, logic suggests they'll need him even more against the smash-mouth Pistons.

Golden State's top two rebounders now are listed as game-time decisions for tonight's anticipated matchup with Detroit. Their tentative status makes an already unpleasant task of guarding the Pistons frontcourt even tougher.

Without Murphy and Foyle, the Warriors would lose a combined 16 rebounds per game and be forced to thrust reserve big men Andris Biedrins and Ike Diogu into greater roles against Ben Wallace and Rasheed Wallace.


The NBA's best backcourt?
By Marcus Thompson II

The question: Which is the better backcourt, the Warriors' Baron Davis and Jason Richardson or Detroit's Chauncey Billups and Richard Hamilton.

They face off tonight as the Warriors host the Pistons at 7:30, meaning the two best guard tandems in the league, arguably, will be on display at the Arena.

Richardson and Hamilton are perhaps the two most underrated guards in the game. And the point guards are so respected they're on first-name status: All you need to say is Baron or Chauncey, and praise just pours out.

Warriors are still trailing the elite
By Eric Gilmore

Two nights after losing 118-110 to the reigning Pacific Division champion Suns, the Warriors play the defending Eastern Conference champion Detroit Pistons tonight at the Arena.

New Pistons coach Flip Saunders took the team that Larry Brown built and, remarkably, made it better.

Detroit owns an NBA-best record of 13-2 and is winning at a .867 clip. The Pistons are on pace to finish 71-11.

Hamilton and Prince are being considered for U.S. Olympic men's team
By Chris McCosky

Pistons Richard Hamilton and Tayshaun Prince are two of at least 35 players being considered for inclusion on the next U.S. Olympic men's basketball team.

"A couple of people asked me about it, but I still haven't got back to them," said Hamilton. "I haven't really had time to sit down and think about it."

Jerry Colangelo, the new head of Team USA, wants to choose the team from a long list of players. He has already contacted, besides the two Pistons, Gilbert Arenas, Carmelo Anthony and Chris Bosh. Soon, he plans to have discussions with Dwyane Wade, Kevin Garnett, Tim Duncan and Amare Stoudemire. LeBron James is also believed to be on his radar.

It's all about 'Sheed as Pistons continue to roll
Former MSU star and Saginaw native Richardson scores 36
By Greg Beecham

Rasheed Wallace has been the consummate team player ever since he joined the Pistons, providing offense, defense and attitude in whatever doses were necessary to keep Detroit on top.

The Pistons needed everything Wallace had to offer on Friday night, and it was barely enough to hold off the Golden State Warriors.
Wallace scored 10 of his 22 points in the fourth quarter, also making a key steal and a heady length-of-the-court pass for Ben Wallace's clinching dunk in Detroit's 106-103 victory.


By Krista Latham

The Golden State Warriors are on their way up in the NBA. Should the young team keep improving, they could soon be one of the league's elite.

But they're not there yet.

The Pistons hung around in front of the Warriors' second sellout crowd this season and waited for Rasheed Wallace to take over in the fourth quarter Friday night and lift the Pistons to a 106-103 win and 14-2 record.

Hamilton ready to serve country
By Krista Latham

The feeling-out calls from Team USA managing director Jerry Colangelo are starting to trickle in to potential Olympians' voicemails, and one Piston has received the message.

Shooting guard Richard Hamilton needs to return a call to Colangelo, who has begun working on the roster for the 2008 Olympic Games and the 2006 World Championships. ESPN.com reported that Tayshaun Prince also received a call, but he said Friday that he hasn't.

If it came, he'd take it, and as for Hamilton, he is certainly interested in being considered for the team, despite a lengthy commitment.


By A. Sherrod Blakely

When you see the Detroit Pistons playing so well, it's hard to imagine that five years ago they were one of the worst teams in the NBA.

Developing a culture of winning was not easy, even for a franchise such as Detroit, which had won NBA titles in 1989 and '90 before winning a third in 2004.

Just imagine the challenge for perennially bad teams like Golden State, which played Detroit on Friday, and the Los Angeles Clippers, who will host the Pistons on Sunday.


Vaunted Pistons slip away in final minute
By Janny Hu

No matter how much coach Mike Montgomery downplayed the importance of Friday's meeting with Detroit, a sellout crowd wanted to see the Warriors' response to their disheartening loss against Phoenix.

They wanted to know if Golden State could avoid losing two games in a row for the first time this season. If the Warriors could somehow defend their homecourt against the NBA's best team. If Jason Richardson, in the middle of an All-Star campaign, could come up with another clutch shot and carry the Warriors to an upset win.

Richardson did all he could, sinking a 3-pointer with 12.3 seconds left to bring the Warriors within one point of the Pistons. But Ben Wallace had an uncontested layup on Detroit's final possession and Derek Fisher's desperation 3-pointer banked off the rim at the buzzer.



But Warriors test well in narrow loss to Pistons
By Geoff Lepper

For Warriors coach Mike Montgomery, the second week of December is still way too early in an NBA season to discuss litmus tests or yardsticks or barometers or any other fancy name you can think for a way to measure yourself against the competition.

It's too bad, because Golden State's meeting with the Detroit Pistons — two-time NBA finalists and owners of the league's best record — on Friday night sure had that vibe.

It felt like a litmus-test game when Michigan native Jason Richardson unleashed an incandescent performance against his hometown team, dropping a season-high 36 points, plus six rebounds and two blocks.

At this point, all they are concerned about is the next game (in this case, against Clippers).
By Chris McCosky

The Pistons don't seem overly impressed with themselves despite their NBA-best 14-2 record, which also is the best 16-game start in their history and includes the best road record in the league (9-1).

"Nah, not really," Rasheed Wallace said when asked if the start might be getting a little exciting. "We just take each game as it comes. We can't worry about the two or three games down the road. We just have to worry about the next one and just come out and play."

Roy Tarpley's long road back
Ex-Michigan star, 41, is driven to return to NBA
by Terry Foster

Once, Tarpley was a millionaire living the big life as one of the Dallas Mavericks' star players. He was not only the life of the party, he was the party.

But the fast life brought him to his knees. It resulted in two NBA substance-abuse suspensions, a divorce, jail time, bankruptcy, and ultimately a lifetime ban from the league.

He has lived with that ban for 10 years, but is fighting to return.


CMU grad big part of Clippers improvement
By A. Sherrod Blakely

The Los Angeles Clippers didn't get a whole lot of attention when they drafted Chris Kaman three years ago.

And now, as the Clippers continue to prove they are one of the better teams in the NBA, little attention has been paid to the impact the 7-foot center has had on their success.

Intentionally fouling Ben Wallace backfires on Los Angeles
By Chris McCosky

It doesn't work. It has never worked.

But that didn't stop Clippers coach Mike Dunleavy from deploying a hack-a-Ben strategy for the final six minutes Sunday -- intentionally fouling Ben Wallace on every possession.

The result was an 11-4 run for the Pistons that effectively sealed their sixth straight win, 109-101.

The Pistons are now 15-2 overall and 10-1 on the road. It was just the second home loss for the Clippers.



Pistons cut down Clippers
Bench shines in 10th road win
By Krista Latham

The wins keep coming for the Pistons, against good teams and bad, on the West Coast or the East Coast, at home or away. And with Ben Wallace making or missing free throws.

The Clippers -- make that the Pacific Division-leading Clippers -- decided with six minutes left Sunday night that they couldn't stop the Pistons without resorting to a Hack-A-Ben philosophy.

They sent Wallace to the line 10 times in the fourth quarter, killing their momentum from an 8-2 run that brought them within eight points. And the plan backfired.


By Krista Latham

There's an age-old question in the NBA, and it's not the one about where Larry Brown will find his next paycheck.
To foul or not to foul (with a three-point lead late in the game) -- that is the question.

The Pistons ran into that scenario against the Golden State Warriors on Friday night. Warriors guard Jason Richardson hit a three-pointer with nine seconds left that brought Golden State to within one; Chauncey Billups followed with two free throws to put Detroit up, 104-101.



Saunders tips To Cassell
By Dana Gauruder

Flip Saunders had a hunch that the Los Angeles Clippers would be much improved this season.

He felt point guard Sam Cassell, whom he coached in Minnesota, would have a major impact on the perennially downtrodden Clippers. With Cassell running the offense, the Clippers were off to a 14-5 start heading into Sunday night's game against the Pistons. Cassell, a 13-year veteran, was dealt to the Clippers in August.

Artest loves swimming in controversy
By Pat Caputo
There are headlines. Then there are cries for help. This headline was posted on ESPN.com during the weekend: "Artest says Pacers better without him."
It was a scream for help.
At initial glance, the statement is preposterous. Artest is 6-feet-7, weighs 250 pounds and is one of a handful of truly gifted players in the NBA. He can drive to the basket. He can score from outside. When he decides to rebound, Artest owns the boards. When the mood moves him to clamp down on someone defensively, they can't breathe.
But Artest also is correct. The Pacers would be better off without him.





By A. Sherrod Blakely

Los Angeles Clippers coach Mike Dunleavy apparently didn't get the memo.

Resorting to the Hack-a-Ben Wallace strategy never works.

Dunleavy's decision to start fouling Wallace intentionally in the fourth quarter -- despite his team being on a 10-3 run at the time -- killed the Clippers' momentum.
And in the process, it gave the Pistons just the incentive they needed to pull away for a 109-101 win.



Clippers Not Quite There Yet
L.A.'s aspirations of joining the NBA elite get a reality check in a 109-101 home loss to the Pistons, the league's best at 15-2.
By Jason Reid

Elite status in the NBA is difficult to achieve, and the Detroit Pistons have been among the game's best for a while.

The Clippers strive to join the club and say they're moving closer toward the door, but it appeared they still weren't ready to enter Sunday night after a 109-101 loss to the Pistons at Staples Center.

Detroit (15-2) committed only four turnovers, the fewest in the NBA this season, never trailed and led by as many as 16 points early in the third quarter. And Piston reserves outscored their Clipper counterparts, 29-16, in the team's sixth consecutive victory, including five on the road.



Pistons give L.A. dose of reality
By Joe Stephens

Clippers coach Mike Dunleavy dubbed his squad "a good basketball team" and called the Detroit Pistons "an elite team" before they met on Sunday night.

The Pistons showed there is a world of difference between being elite and merely good by ending the Clippers' four-game winning streak with a 109-101 victory before a sellout crowd of 19,060 at Staples Center.

The closest that the Clippers got in the second half was trailing by eight points with 5:59 left. That's when Dunleavy and the Clippers employed their "Hack-a-Wallace" defense, sending Ben Wallace to the free-throw line in an attempt to stop the clock.