Heat are good, but not as good as Pistons
By Pat Caputo

Yeah. It got loud Thursday night at The Palace. Really loud. It took a jumper from just inside the 3-point line by Tayshaun Prince with the shot clock going down, followed by Ben Wallace throwing one of Shaquille O'Neal's infamous power inside moves right back into his mug, to start it.

It led to a fast-break dunk by Prince at the other end of the floor. And incredible noise, playoff volume, a real Eastern Conference finals-type racket - in the dead of winter. Out went apathy. In went pandemonium.

It was an intimidating environment. The Heat were not intimidated. But it was evident that the Pistons, who withstood every flurry with remarkable aplomb, are the better team. Their 106-101 victory didn't leave much room for dispute.

The Heat have a lot of talent. If anything, they have gone to overkill in that area. The Pistons' story, however, remains unchanged. The sum of their parts continues to trump the individual talent of the Heat - and every other team.

Motown Soundtrack: Beat it

__________________
Momma was queen of the mambo, Poppa was king of the congo, deep down in the jungle, I start banging my first bongo
Every monkey like to be, in my place instead of me, cause I'm the king of bongo baby, I'm the king of bongo bong
-Manu Chao

Cavaliers geared up for big test vs. Pistons
Brown deems Detroit's starting five best ever
By Brian Windhorst

It's measuring day.

In the standings, the Cavaliers are in second place in the Eastern Conference, about an eon behind the Detroit Pistons. The gap on the floor will be displayed today.

The Pistons, winners of nine consecutive games, come calling for an afternoon date at Quicken Loans Arena.

After beating the Miami Heat on Thursday night just four days after they easily dispatched the defending-champion San Antonio Spurs, the Pistons are a dazzling 24-3.

It's the same record the 1995-96 Chicago Bulls, they of the 72 wins, had after 27 games. And the Pistons appear to be on pace to end this season the same way that Bulls team ended its season.

Already armed with a defense that is both tough and symphonic, first-year coach Flip Saunders has upgraded the Pistons' offense by getting wings Richard Hamilton and Tayshaun Prince much more involved and potent. Chauncey Billups is putting up MVP-like numbers.




James at 21
To the man who has done more at this many candles than anyone before him, NBA luminaries offer this toast
By Burt Graeff

LeBron James turns 21 years old today.

Pause for a moment to think about it.

Pause, because no one in the 59-year history of the NBA has done more at 21 than he has.
No one.
At 21, James is playing in his third season. He has logged more minutes (7,629), scored more points (4,649), picked off more rebounds (1,187), handed out more assists (1,191) and gotten more fans out of seats with jaw-drop- ping dunks at 21 than anyone who's ever played before him.

That includes Jordan, Bird and Magic a couple of decades ago.


The core remains intact, but the Cavaliers will be dealing with a different-looking Pistons team than has appeared in the past two NBA Finals.

Under first-year coach Flip Saunders, a standout basketball player at Cuyahoga Heights High School more than three decades ago, the Pistons don't hesitate to get out on the break when it's there and don't hesitate to fire up the 3-point shot.

It is in sharp contrast to previous coach Larry Brown's philosophy of walking the ball upcourt and pounding it inside.

"The offense now is wide open," Cavaliers guard Damon Jones said. Brown was not too fond of the 3-point shot. Flip gives them opportunities to take them.

"They are playing with a lot of freedom and a lot of confidence."

Pistons heading for 70?
By Burt Graeff

The current hottest topic in the NBA does not involve the length of the players' shorts, where Ron Artest will be traded or how much Shaquille O'Neal really weighs.

The topic being discussed most often on and off courts from Boston to Seattle is this: Can the Detroit Pistons become the second team in the 60-year history of the league to win 70 regular-season games?

The Cavaliers (17-10) get an up-close-and-personal look at the Pistons (24-3) today at The Q. Tipoff is at 1:30 p.m.

What the Cavaliers will see is a team off to the NBA's fastest start since 1995-96, when the Chicago Bulls also won 24-of-27 en route to an all-time-best 72-10 record.

It's the only time a team has reached 70 or more victories.

Pistons have strategy for Lebron, Cavs
By Bill Roose

On Friday, Cleveland superstar LeBron James turned 21. He celebrated the milestone birthday three days ago with 1,000 of his closest friends at a Cleveland nightclub. A lavish party fit for royalty. And why not? King

James already has accomplished more individually than many NBA greats did at the same age. He's scored more points (4,649), grabbed more rebounds (1,187) and logged more minutes (7,629) than other notable high schoolers - Kobe Bryant, Kevin Garnett, Jermaine O'Neal and Tracy McGrady - who bypassed college for the NBA.

"It's definitely amazing," said Pistons guard Richard Hamilton, referring to James' career. "Anybody that comes into the league with that much hype and is able to man-up to that and play so well so early when people probably thought it would take him longer it's kind of crazy."

The Pistons can ruin James' momentous week by beating the Cavaliers (17-10) at 1:30 today in front of a soldout crowd at Quicken Loans Arena.