Pistons overtake Nets
Detroit's offense gets aggressive at the right time, preserving the best record in the NBA.
Chris McCosky

Coach Flip Saunders doesn't have the Pistons completely figured out yet, but there's one thing he knows for sure.

"My take on this team is that it needs challenges," he said after the Pistons hammered out a hard-earned 93-83 victory over the New Jersey Nets on Wednesday night. "That's what motivates them. Sometimes it seems like they get into games and get bored. But when they do lock in, it's like a curtain goes up and you can see it in their faces as they go from fifth gear to sixth gear."

The Pistons saved their best work for the final six minutes, improving their NBA-best record to 11-2 -- the second-best November in their history, behind the 13-2 start in 1990-91 -- and their road record to 7-1.

Billups' road secret: We play like we're at home
Guard says keeping poise and not changing styles are the keys to team's 7-1 away record.
Chris McCosky

The secret to the Pistons' road success? Continuity and poise.
At least that's how Chauncey Billups sees it.

"We are a good road team because we play the same way on the road," Billups said after the Pistons beat the Nets. 93-83, Wednesday night to improve their road record to 7-1. "A lot of teams play with more confidence at home, or they play a different style and maybe run more when they are home. We play the exact same way everyplace we go."


Pistons cut down the Nets
by Krista Latham

The Pistons weren't perfect Wednesday night, but even Detroit's average game is good enough.

Good enough to win despite a bad night -- as in six points -- from the bench.

Good enough to win despite a combined 47 points from New Jersey's Vince Carter and Richard Jefferson.

Good enough to push Detroit's road record to 7-1.

Rip, Billups argue over post-up games
by Krista Latham

Many opponents have come to the same, often ill-fated conclusion this season as they've searched for a way to slow down the backcourt of point guard Chauncey Billups and shooting guard Richard Hamilton.

That plan, though, rarely has worked. Billups, at 6-foot-3 and 225 pounds, still has the power to get his shot wherever he wants, especially when he exploits the shooting guards' lack of experience in pick-and-roll defense.

And Hamilton, a jump shooter, has turned to the post, taking his size advantage inside for easy baskets in the paint.


Evans is still learning the routine
by Dana Gauruder

The one-handed putback slams, like the one he had against Denver last week, come easy for Maurice Evans. The routine plays, like making the correct defensive rotations, can cause confusion.

The most significant newcomer on the Pistons, Evans has made a dazzling array of dunks and athletic plays and even shown surprising ability to shoot from long range. But there are still times when Evans drives his coach crazy.

The troubles start, according to Saunders, when Evans worries if he's doing the right thing instead of relying on his instincts.


November closes on high note, Pistons claim they can improve
By A. Sherrod Blakely

Championships are not won in the month of November.

But they sure can lay the foundation for a successful playoff run, which the Pistons hope is the case after capping off one of the most successful Novembers in franchise history with a 93-83 win at New Jersey.

Pistons counter Nets' inside game with 10 3-pointers in 93-83 win
By A. Sherrod Blakely

Tayshaun Prince wasn't talking about mismatches before Wednesday's game against New Jersey.

Instead, he was talking about the matchups you wouldn't want to miss - him versus Richard Jefferson, and teammate Richard Hamilton against Vince Carter.

"It ain't going to be no 2-on-2 action," Prince said before the game. "But it's gonna be some good offense and good defense played tonight."

Usually when that happens, the Pistons win.


Pistons Asking, Larry Who?
By LIZ ROBBINS

Renowned for their defense under Brown, the Pistons have embraced Saunders's system - one that flourished for 10 years with the Minnesota Timberwolves - to become one of the top offensive teams in the league.

"We haven't heard that around here for a long time," point guard Chauncey Billups said with a laugh.

Flip, he's an offensive genius. For the last three or four years, that's the one thing - the only thing - about our team that was predictable. And I think it hurt us at times, us not being able to score points."

Style Points Fall Short of Scoring More Points
By LIZ ROBBINS

The glittery first-half image of Vince Carter slicing through the Pistons' defense and finishing with a finger roll faded in the second half like an early winter sunset.

Carter had some dazzling moves, but he and the Nets could not get past the substance of a balanced and experienced Pistons team, owner of the best record in the N.B.A.


Pistons await return of the wanderer
By Mitch Lawrence

As Larry Brown was busy at the Garden taking another crack at solving the Knicks, his former players were across the Hudson, delighting in the fact that they are through answering questions about their coach's plans and just about everything else pertaining to their old leader.

"It's better and it's different than last year," Chauncey Billups said yesterday. "When we come in now, we don't hear about nothing like we did last year. We just hear about playing the games. There's nothing else going on. It's just winning and losing."

Brown's status as yesterday's news in Auburn Hills changes tomorrow, when he brings the Knicks into the Palace. There, he will brace for what could be the rudest reception a returning coach has faced since Pat Riley came back to the Garden.

Home groan for Nets
Fall to Pistons in return to Swamp
BY OHM YOUNGMISUK

The Nets returned from their West Coast Thanksgiving trip with a renewed confidence and a two-game winning streak.

Both lasted about as long as it took Chauncey Billups and Richard Hamilton to launch jumpers. In a game they wanted to use as a benchmark, the Nets lost, 93-83, to the Detroit Pistons at the Meadowlands.

BILLUPS: LB WILL GROW ON KNICKS
by Brian Lewis

Before the Pistons stifled the Nets 93-83 last night — and with Larry Brown returning to Detroit tomorrow — Chauncey Billups said Brown's job saga became a sideshow last year, Detroit is better offensively under Flip Saunders, and he knew the Knicks would struggle adjusting to his demanding ways.

But Billups also said Brown gave the team everything he had last year. And the Piston guard learned from personal experience that growing pains under Brown are more pain than growth for a while, but was certain if the Knicks subjugated their egos, he'll eventually make them a better team.

NETS RIP-PED
by Fred Kerber

The Nets looked at this as a test.
They failed.

They looked at it as a measuring stick.
They didn't measure up.

At least for now, they say.

"Right now, they [the Pistons] are the better team," Richard Jefferson said after Detroit emerged with a 93-83 victory at the Meadowlands. "But I think we showed we're going to be OK.

JEFFERSON TAKES HIGH ROAD
by Fred Kerber

The last time Richard Jefferson was on a basketball court with Chauncey Billups, he was undercut, landed on his left wrist and saw his season essentially ended by a ruptured ligament. Jefferson subsequently called it a dirty play. Billups, naturally, disagreed.


Pistons bury Nets from deep
BY ANTHONY RIEBER

Nets coach Lawrence Frank called last night's game with the Pistons "a great challenge, a great opportunity."

In their first game back from a 2-3 Western swing, the Nets weren't up to the challenge and didn't take advantage of the opportunity. Of course, the Pistons had a lot to do with that.

Behind Richard Hamilton's 30 points, Detroit improved to an NBA-best 11-2 with a 93-83 victory at Continental Airlines Arena.

Flip getting the nod

http://www.nba.com/news/com_051201.html

The Pistons front office? Don't get him started
By Chris McCosky

As Larry Brown was walking off the court at the SBC Center in San Antonio last June, trying to process the heartbreaking loss to the Spurs in Game 7 of the NBA Finals, all he could think about was coming back the next season and winning back the championship that had just slipped his grasp.

Six months later as Brown, now coaching the New York Knicks, makes his first return to The Palace tonight, he knows that his ouster from the Pistons was already in motion as he was walking off that court in San Antonio.

Parker: Boos for Brown? Just think about that, then refrain
By Rob Parker

To:Pistons fans
From:Rob Parker
Re:Larry Brown's return to Detroit
Don't boo.

Not even a little bit.

In fact, Pistons fans at The Palace tonight should show a lot of class by standing and cheering Larry Brown.

The longer and louder, the better.

Sure, Brown left for the New York Knicks last summer after parting company with the Pistons, whom he coached for two seasons. Without question, it could have been handled better, especially in Brown's case. He said one thing and did another. Then again, a divorce is never pretty.
Still, you should remember the good, not the bad, on this night.
The reality is, he did everything this organization could have asked him to do.


Thomas, Brown share spotlight
Former Pistons great will see his name put on court the same night his coach returns to Palace.
By Joanne C. Gerstner

The marquee event at The Palace tonight will be the return of Larry Brown, who will face the Pistons for the first time since he ceased being their coach and joined the Knicks.
But there is more emotion on tap than simply a redux of "playing the right way."

The Pistons will honor their Hall of Fame point guard, Isiah Thomas, now the Knicks' president of basketball operations. Thomas' retired No. 11 and name will be placed permanently on the sideline of The Palace court.



Doing things the right way tonight
by Mitch Albom

Did you hear? The circus is in town. Tonight's the night Larry Brown comes back to Detroit.

First, right off the bat, let's say the Pistons and their fans owe Brown a nod of thanks. He did help bring the team a championship.

But Larry's with the Knicks now, which makes him the enemy on several levels.

No hard feelings, just good memories
Brown brings Knicks to the Palace
By Krista Latham

Tonight, Brown will make his first appearance at the Palace since he was fired last summer and replaced by Flip Saunders. By joining the Knicks, he left one of the NBA's elite teams for one that should be happy reaching .500.

The Knicks started 0-5 and are 5-9 today. The Pistons are the NBA's hottest team. But Brown said the whiplash of moving from a championship contender to rebuilding mode has been minimal.

Saunders gets coaching award

Flip Saunders of the Pistons on Thursday was named Eastern Conference coach of the month for November.

Saunders, in his first season as coach of the Pistons, led the team to an 11-2 record, and became the first coach in Pistons history to start his tenure at 8-0.



Brown back in town
No matter how he left, players appreciate what Brown did for Pistons
by Dana Gauruder

Listen to Larry Brown, and he'll claim he never wanted to leave. Listen to the Pistons organization, and they'll claim he never wanted to come back.

Listen to the fans, and they'll voice many passionate opinions, most of which Brown doesn't want to hear. Listen to the Pistons players, and they'd rather focus on getting another win.

Brown returns to The Palace tonight for the first time since he was either fired or quit, depending upon one's point of view. Brown was last seen here during Game 5 of the NBA Finals, but his two-year stint as the Pistons' head coach came to an end in July when he and Pistons owner Bill Davidson bitterly parted ways.



Brown looks forward to return to Palace
By A. Sherrod Blakely

Facing a former employer is nothing Larry Brown, now coaching his eighth different NBA team, hasn't experienced before.

However, Brown's return to The Palace tonight with his new team, the New York Knicks, will be different than most of his previous reunions.
The teams Brown left behind in the past often struggled during the first season after his departure.



For Brown, a Trip With Much Baggage
By Howard Beck

Larry Brown is returning to his previous place of employment, a ritual as inevitable and predictable as his compulsion for leaving jobs in the first place. When one has coached eight N.B.A. teams over three decades, there is always a homecoming on the horizon.

Detroit, however, is another matter entirely.

Brown has gone home many times in his career, but never to a place that has held such a strange mix of memories and emotions as those that reside at the Palace of Auburn Hills.



Motown reunion
Larry's health an issue as he returns to Detroit
By Frank Isola

The uncertainty regarding Larry Brown's health, a major factor in the Detroit Pistons' decision to sever ties with the Hall of Fame coach last July, could become a troubling issue for the Knicks.

On eve of his emotional return to Detroit, Brown revealed that he'll need additional surgery to correct a bladder condition and that he has decided to postpone the procedure until after the season. Brown added that he's "pretty confident" he'll be healthy enough to coach all 82 regular season games but he wouldn't guarantee it.




Pistons primed without Larry

by Peter Vecsey

HOOP DU JOUR: REGGIE Miller caught me by surprise Thanksgiving. Out of nowhere he reminded TNT's viewers how the Pacers failed to make the playoffs under Larry Brown his last season and that Indiana won 59 games (58-24, actually) the next marking period under rookie Larry Bird.

Switching to the pristine Pistons, Miller offered us his before-and-after appraisal of Brown. It was nothing we haven't heard before from mere commoners. Instead of taking his opinion to an intuitive level and going up strong with it, Miller pulled up at the 3-point line. Instead of coming out from behind his freshly transplanted Happy Face, he poured softener on his fabric.

Motown Emotions
By Mark Berman

Never has anyone sounded so fine about being fired. Meet Larry Brown.

Brown isn't on course for a third straight NBA Finals appearance like the Pistons team he used to coach. By late April, Brown's first season with the Knicks could be finished.

But when Brown makes his riveting return to The Palace of Auburn Hills tonight, he harbors no regrets that it ended ugly. He holds no bitterness about not being wanted back by Pistons crusty owner Bill Davidson, tired of his coach being a drama queen.

Pistons Honor Thomas
by Mark Berman

One Knick will be honored tonight by the Pistons and it won't be Larry Brown. Knicks president Isiah Thomas, who, just like Brown, had a tiff with Detroit owner Bill Davidson, will be feted at halftime at the Palace as part of the Pistons' "Flashback Fridays."

A ceremony will unveil Thomas' name and the No. 11 he wore for the Pistons, permanently secured on the sidelines of the court. (Thomas already has had his jersey retired to the rafters). Also, 10,000 commemorative figurines of Thomas will be distributed and a video tribute will be played. Thomas also is expected to address the crowd.

Nets down play lost to Pistons
By Nick Parish

Accent the positive.

That's the vibe coming from the Nets following Wednesday's 93-83 loss to the Pistons. That loss, featuring missed layups and blown defensive coverages, put the team under .500 (7-8) and soured the cream of a homecoming after a successful West Coast swing — if you see the glass as half-empty.

The Nets don't, though, and won't dwell on the loss. The Pistons, they said, have their game together, with a starting five that's well established. New Jersey, still developing, did plenty right to hang with them most of the game.




Flip the SCRIPT
Instead of grinding, Pistons having fun
By Barbara Barker

Larry Brown is a hugger, and there's no doubt that when he walks into The Palace of Auburn Hills tonight, a few of the Pistons will embrace him. Many more will shake his hand and fondly recall their trips to the past two NBA Finals under Brown.

All of them, however, will breathe a liberating sigh of relief when Brown eventually walks over to the Knicks' bench.

Larry's health still a concern
by Greg Logan

Once again, it's all about Larry Brown in Detroit.

The former Pistons coach revealed yesterday in a conference call with reporters that he expects to have more bladder surgery following the season, and he also indicated that he was compelled by Detroit management to return to the bench sooner than he might have liked following a bladder operation early last season.



Saunders is still a fan of Marbury
By David Waldstein

New Pistons coach Flip Saunders has been watching the tapes and has come to the conclusion that his former point guard, Stephon Marbury, is starting to grasp Larry Brown's system.

"You know, he's had a lot of coaches in the last few years, and that's tough on him," Saunders said. "The biggest thing is, he'll adjust. He's already done that. Looking at the film over the last week, he's playing a lot better."

Brown is facing off-season surgery
By David Waldstein

Larry Brown's uncertain health status was the principal reason he is coaching the Knicks and not the Pistons, and now, on the eve of his first game back in Detroit with his new team, concerns over his health have arisen again.

While discussing his much-anticipated nationally televised return to The Palace for tonight's game against the Pistons, Brown revealed on a conference call that he will likely require surgery after the season to address lingering complications from hip surgery a year ago.

ALERT: Must-Read Article Below

http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/column...ian&id=2244541

Finally, a national article on Joe Dumars that isn't the usual skimpy stuff. The guy gets it.

Pistons show Brown love, then hold off Knicks

Hamilton hugs Brown, then goes off for 40 points.
By Dave Hogg

Now the Detroit Pistons can get back to just playing basketball.
After Friday's 106-98 victory over Larry Brown, err, the New York Knicks, the Pistons are looking forward to a quiet visit to Chicago.

"I"m so happy this game is over,” said Chauncey Billups, who finished with 11 points and 11 assists.

Brown gets warm welcome from players, lukewarm from fans
Isiah Thomas has his name and number honored alongside court.
By Dave Hogg

As always, Brown walked onto the court a few moments before the introductions, and was greeted by a mixture of cheers and boos. The boos grew louder when he was introduced by Mason, but the mood changed when Rasheed Wallace started a parade.

Wallace went over to the New York bench to hug the coach that helped the Pistons to two Finals appearances and an NBA title in 2004.


Flip 1, Larry 0

Pistons top Knicks, former coach the respectful way
By Krista Latham

Sure, they respect Larry Brown. Most players still call him a friend. All of the starters greeted him with a hug, and even the fans, for the most part, showed their appreciation with applause.

But after playing nice with the New York Knicks -- Brown's new team -- for the first half Friday night, the Pistons made their point loud and clear. They held the Knicks to a turn-your-head-away-and-don't-watch 3-for-17 shooting performance in the third quarter and took over what had been a tie game.

Despite the boos, he got hugs he wanted
By Mitch Albom

He chose pinstripes, a New York thing, with a stiff white collar and a charcoal tie, and the moment he came onto the floor there were boos and photographers and more boos and more photographers. He strode to center court like a presidential debater and shook a firm hand with Flip Saunders, the man who replaced him, then retreated to his new bench on the visitors' side.

And when his name was called during introductions -- "Welcome back to the Palace ... Larry Brown" -- the boos really rained down and only Isiah Thomas stood beside him, his arm around the old coach's shoulder, smiling impishly, whispering something in his ear.

Zeke floored by new honor
By Krista Latham

In many ways, Friday night's Pistons game was less about the basketball and more about the basketball legend who spent his glory days in Detroit and now works in New York.

Not Larry Brown. His boss, Knicks president Isiah Thomas.

The Pistons honored Thomas, the point guard that led the Bad Boys to back-to-back titles, at halftime by unveiling a portion of the floor where his name and No. 11 are now embossed.


Flip bumps into LB at restaurant
by Dana Gauruder

On the way to The Palace, Flip Saunders had a strange thought.
"Let Larry coach 'em both," Saunders said with a smile.

It's not that Saunders didn't feel like coaching his team Friday night. He simply got caught in the massive traffi c jam on I-75 heading to the arena. His usual 20-minute drive from his Birmingham condo took nearly two hours. He didn't arrive until an hour before tipoff.

Though Saunders had no time to visit Brown after he finally arrived, the coaches had a chance encounter Thursday night. Saunders was having dinner with assistant coach Ron Harper at Cameron's Steakhouse in Birmingham when he spotted Brown in the restaurant. Saunders asked Brown about his family and his health but little about the upcoming game.

The book on LB is not yet closed
by Keith Langlois

The boo-birds had the more urgent agenda. So right after introduction of the New York Knicks' starters, those with an ax to grind took up the cause.

But they were soon overcome, if not overwhelmed, by the cheers of those who'd rather let the Larry Brown saga go, and others uncertain the 2004 title would be theirs without him, and still more who were aware ESPN was piping this game to the nation and didn't want to provide another reason to dump on Detroit.


Brown gets cheers, jeers
By A. Sherrod Blakely

It's always been like this for Larry Brown.
Some people love him.
Others don't.

That was certainly indicative of the cheers and jeers the former Pistons coach received from the fans in his first return to The Palace as the New York Knicks head coach on Friday.

Play was uneven, but Pistons show Brown what he's missing
By Danny Knobler

Believe it or not, it wasn't all about Larry. And not every reaction was mixed.

On the night former coach Larry Brown returned (and heard more boos than cheers), the Detroit Pistons turned an uneven performance into a fan-pleasing 106-98 Friday night win over Brown's New York Knicks.

It wasn't a perfect night for the Pistons, not even close, but it was a win, and at least the emotions and the heavy focus of Brown's return to The Palace are finally in the rear-view mirror.


Cheers, boos rock The Palace
By David Mayo

The mad scientist struck a pose as familiar to the Pistons as it is part of their past, fingertips lightly scratching his forehead, while he pondered the question.

Both sides have moved forward despite the irresistable temptation to look back.
Yet their interpretation of history continues to differ greatly.

"Did it work out for me? No, it didn't work out for me," Larry Brown said, hours before his most dreaded road game of the season. "Yeah, I'm doing what I love to do. But I felt like this was my last stop."


By design, Dumars a quiet success
By Adrian Wojnarowski

The visionary for this Detroit Pistons championship renaissance stays in the shadows, satisfied with letting everyone else take the bows for a run that has never sufficiently saluted his genius. Joe Dumars runs a franchise upstairs, the way that he played downstairs. So unassuming, so good, sometimes it's easy to mistake his greatness for good fortune.

The Pistons could stand losing Larry Brown, but never Dumars. Once the glue of a Pistons championship glory, always.

"It's incredible what Joe has done in Detroit," Nets president Rod Thorn says. "And he's always going to do it in a low-key manner, never wanting to draw any attention to himself."


Mixed Feelings, Clear Result
By Howard Beck

If two years is enough to establish N.B.A. residency, then two and a half hours was easily enough for Larry Brown to become horribly homesick Friday night.

Skipping across the court, making the right passes and most of the big baskets, were Richard Hamilton, Chauncey Billups and a lot of other guys whom Brown not long ago publicly expressed his love for. The Detroit Pistons are no longer the object of Brown's affection, but they still model the "right way" philosophy that Brown, now the Knicks' coach, holds dear, and they showed it in a 106-98 victory.


Visit is no good for Brown's health
By Mitch Lawrence


The sad part came when Brown talked an hour and a half before tipoff about his sense of "dread."

There will be arguments forever around here about just how much he meant to the 2004 Pistons. But there is no denying that he did guide them to a championship. It was his crowning achievement as an NBA coach, in a distinguished Hall of Fame career. It gave him the rarest daily double in basketball circles: the only coach to win an NCAA title and also pose with the Larry O'Brien Trophy.

Larry shown love and loss
Cheered as Knicks fall in Detroit
By Frank Isola

The old coach was booed, cheered and in a moving display of class and affection, the same Detroit Pistons' starting five that gave Larry Brown an NBA championship walked over to the Knicks' bench and hugged him.

"It was pretty emotional for him," said Rasheed Wallace, who was the first to embrace Brown before tipoff. "He's a pretty emotional cat. So I think it was something that he enjoyed. I was just paying my respects."



By Marc Berman

Larry Brown emerged from the tunnel leading to the court 20 minutes before tip-off, flanked by security, his assistants and a gaggle of cameras befitting a prime minister.

Cheers mixed evenly with boos filled the sold-out Palace. Everyone inside the arena was stamding, watching the bespectacled 65-year-old Knicks coach head to the visiting bench for the first time in three years.

But during introductions, the boos significantly drowned out the cheers as expected.

Larry Gets Isaiah Support
By Marc Berman


Isiah Thomas stood by Larry Brown on the bench last night for moral support during player introductions, his arm around his coach as most of the Palace fans booed him.

"He said he's going to stand next to me," Brown said beforehand. "I told him you have to be silly."

Ironically, Thomas was then in a different position, at halfcourt at halftime, honored in a loving ceremony in which his jersey number "11" and name "Thomas" was embedded onto the red sidelines.


Knicks give Brown a reason to be proud
By David Walstein

It isn't often that Larry Brown is cheerful or upbeat after a loss, but last night amid a swirl of emotions, memories and reunions, even he couldn't complain.

On a night in which he was booed by his old fans, hugged by his old players and monitored at every turn, he was also rewarded with some inspired play from a new group of undermanned neophytes.

The Knicks, on the verge of being swept away by the defending Eastern Conference champions (and the best team in the NBA so far) on their home court, almost overcame a 19-point fourth-quarter deficit while making it a game at the end.


No happy return for Brown
Knicks give good effort, but in the end, Pistons have too much
By Greg Logan

Somewhere in The Palace of Auburn Hills, Pistons owner Bill Davidson was laughing Friday night as his former coach, Larry Brown, suffered through an ignominious return to the site of his greatest victories.

The team that gave him his only professional title two years ago hit the Knicks with a crushing 27-6 second-half run and held on for a 106-98 victory in the Pistons' "unwelcome home" party for Brown.

Minutes dry up for erratic Milicic
Bench has its struggles, so Davis, who played well against the Knicks, might get on court more.
By Chris McCosky

Nobody in the Pistons organization is giving up on Darko Milicic, be clear on that.
But after yet another erratic performance by Milicic on Friday, coach Flip Saunders' patience may be wearing thin -- to the point where he might elevate 15th-year pro Dale Davis into the rotation.

"I have that saying, 'You want to give guys as much responsibility as they can accept as long as they keep improving,' " Saunders said before the Pistons played the Bulls on Saturday. "If they take a step back, then you back off."

Wojo: It would be wise if Millen studied Dumars, Holland
Emotional style of Lions president contrasts with that of Wings and Pistons GMs.
By Bob Wojnowski

Millen's common theme is exposed when he's contrasted with Dumars and Holland. (We're not including Dave Dombrowski of the Tigers because, as sharp as he might be, he hasn't shown it here yet.)

Dumars and Holland are bright, cool leaders who seldom are swayed by emotion.
Millen might be bright, but he's always swayed by emotion.

Pistons pull away from Bulls
Strong third quarter helps wipe out early deficit, propel team with NBA's best record.
By Chris McCosky

Remember in the mid-1990s when the Bulls were the reigning kings of the Eastern Conference and the Pistons were the young, scrappy upstarts trying to knock them off their throne?

Remember how Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen would toy with the Pistons, letting them hang around for a while in games, only to crush them in the end?

What we have here is a serious case of role reversal.




Milicic might lose playing time
by Dana Gauruder

Darko Milicic is making it more difficult for Flip Saunders to keep Dale Davis stashed at the end of the bench.

Milicic has not delivered during most of his stints this season and hit a new low against New York Friday night with a mistake-filled, fiveminute outing. Saunders says he'll start using Davis as the team's fourth big man, depending upon the opponent.




Pistons rally to 92-79 victory over Bulls, improve record to 13-2
By Danny Knobler

If it's not Richard Hamilton, it's Rasheed Wallace. If it's not a furious fourth-quarter run, it's a thriller in the third.

One way or another, the Detroit Pistons get you, as they got the Chicago Bulls Saturday night.

Down 15 points in the first half, the Pistons turned it up and raced to a 92-79 win. A night after Hamilton scored a season-high 40, Rasheed Wallace led the way Saturday with 26 points.




Pistons' win a real laugher
by John Jackson

The Bulls were playing for the fourth time in five days, but coach Scott Skiles wasn't about to use fatigue as an excuse for his team's second-half woes in a 92-79 loss to the Detroit Pistons on Saturday night at the United Center.

''Not the way that it happened,'' Skiles said. ''We stopped doing what works. Our defense just got really soft in the mid-to-late second quarter. We stopped moving the ball, and we stopped guarding. It carried over to the second half, and we paid for it.''




Beasts of the East smiling in victory
Wallace gets under Bulls' skin as Pistons rampage in 2nd half
by Fred Mitchell

The joke was on the Bulls Saturday night.

Rasheed Wallace could not conceal his cynical grin on the court as the recalcitrant Pistons forward bullied the young Bulls before a crowd of 21,875.

The Detroit Pistons (13-2) whipped the Bulls (8-7) for the 11th straight time at the United Center 92-79.

"When we see [Wallace laughing on the court], somebody has to step up or hard-foul him, let him know that we're still out there," Bulls guard Ben Gordon said. "He got away with that tonight.

"We just have to learn from that as a young team. Next time we can't let guys be in there laughing at us."

Beasts of the East show how it's done
Pistons run away from Bulls after trailing by 15 in 2nd
by Fred Mitchell

The Bulls should be thinking playoffs, even though the postseason is half a year away. After all, victories early in the season count the same as those during the so-called playoff run in March and April.

But sobering reality showed up Saturday night when the Bulls took on one of the NBA's elite. The Detroit Pistons (13-2) whipped the Bulls for the 11th straight time at the United Center, 92-79.

"San Antonio and Detroit, to me, are the two best teams," Bulls coach Scott Skiles said of the teams who have won the NBA's last three titles.

'Tis the season to rest the legs

Five-day break gives players time to heal, but they don't want to disrupt momentum.
Chris McCosky

And on the 33rd day of the season, the Pistons rested … and on the 34th day, the 35th day, and all the way through the 40th day they will rest.

In an odd scheduling quirk, for which they will pay with a barrage of games in the final three weeks of this month, the Pistons find themselves with five full days between games. They don't play again until Friday, when they start a tough three-game road trip at Golden State, Los Angeles (Clippers) and Utah.




Pistons earn a little rest, relaxation
by Krista Latham

Instead of grinding through another day of practice today, the Pistons will sleep in, relax and clear their minds at home.

Coach Flip Saunders gave the team Sunday and today off, and even with that well-deserved vacation, the team will have three days of practice uninterrupted by games this week.

The Pistons don't play until Friday, when a three-game West coast trip begins at Golden State.

"Training camp begins Tuesday," Saunders joked.





Davis knows his time with Pistons is coming
By Danny Knobler

Eventually, the Detroit Pistons are going to need Dale Davis.
They know it, he knows it and it's true, even though Davis has scored exactly one point as the Pistons have won 13 of their first 15 games this season. The Pistons haven't needed the 14-year NBA veteran yet, but they will.

"I know I can be of value to this team,'' Davis said the other day.

His chance could be coming. Davis didn't play at all in the Pistons' 92-79 Saturday night win in Chicago, but neither did Darko Milicic, who seems to be falling out of favor with coach Flip Saunders as quickly as he did with former coach Larry Brown.





Spurs, Pistons look like elite of NBA
by David Aldrich

One month into the NBA season, what do we think and what do we know?

We think ...

... that the Spurs and Pistons have already separated themselves from the pack in their respective conferences.

San Antonio has a record that’s much better than the Spurs usually post in November. It’s gotten to the point where coach Gregg Popovich isn’t sure whether he should yell at his guys or just let them be.

Detroit doesn’t have a great bench, but its starting five is so good that it doesn’t matter. And with the Pacers and Heat both struggling, the Pistons are primed to get the top record in the East — and any seventh game in the East playoffs on their home floor.

Pistons Continued Success Masks Defensive Deficiency

It’s no secret that Detroit’s success from the past two seasons has come from their defense. The Pistons ranked 3rd in the league on defense last year & 2nd the year before. With Detroit starting off a red hot 13-2 this year, many people have just assumed that their defense that has carried them to the best record in the league.

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