January 1st -

You gotta love Le Betard's articles. They're great comic relief. I don't think I've ever seen a journalist that's more delusional than good ol' Dan.


All not lost in losing to Pistons
By Dan Le Batard

There are no moral victories when you are paying Shaquille O'Neal $20 million a season over the next five years. Pat Riley hasn't been chipping at this sculpture for a decade to title the potential masterpiece
''Almost.'' Alonzo Mourning isn't squeezing every last ounce of want out of his career to have another season die on Detroit's doorstep.

But. . .

Rarely are losses as encouraging as the one Miami suffered at Detroit this week. This was the right way to lose, if there ever is such a thing.

Seven-footer Rasheed Wallace making a three-pointer from a different area code? You allow him that shot from that spot to end a game 10 times, and you are winning nine of them. Miami shoots 53 percent, as it did against Detroit, and it will win 99 out of 100 times. If you can be tied on the other team's floor in the last minutes of a game with that intensity, you are good enough to beat that team, as Detroit proved here in ending Miami's last season.

Cavs' Jones makes escape to New York
By Dana Gauruder

Damon Jones did not want Saturday's game to run long. He had another commitment on New Year's Eve.
Jones flew to New York City after the game to help out with ESPN's Times Square coverage.

"If y'all see me jet out in the fourth quarter," he said prior to the game, "ya'll know where I went."

Mike Brown: Detroit's best, with an asterisk ~

Cavs coach Mike Brown was quoted earlier this week as saying that the Pistons' starting five is the best he's ever seen. Reminded of some of the great Lakers lineups during the 1960s and '70s, the 35-year-old Brown slightly retreated from his earlier statement.

"I'll back it up," he said. "That's the best starting team since I was able to watch TV."

Rasheed filling up the 3s ~

Rasheed Wallace ranked ninth in the league in 3-point shooting entering Saturday's action. A career 33 percent shooter on 3-pointers prior to the season, Wallace is hitting at a 43.8 percent rate this season.

Brown believes Wallace's long-range shooting has made him virtually impossible to guard.

"I know when I was in Indiana and when I was in San Antonio we had two of the best big men in the league in Tim Duncan and Jermaine O'Neal, and he always gave them problems," he said. "He gave us problems when he defended them and he gave us problems at the other end because of his length and his ability to score on the low block and his ability to rebound.

"Now with the way he's shooting that 3, I don't know what you do to him. You keep your fingers crossed, try to contest and hope he misses. I don't know which is more deadlier - begging him to go down and post up or begging him to shoot a 3."

Artest just might miss a return to The Palace
By Dana Gauruder

As the Indiana Pacers mull trade offers for Ron Artest, the burning question here is: Will Artest play at The Palace this season?

Pistons fans, and anyone fascinated by car wrecks, had Feb. 23 circled on the calendar. That was the night Artest was supposed to make his first appearance in the building since his unscheduled visit last November into Section 114 behind the press tables.

Though Pacers president of basketball operation Larry Bird was quoted Thursday that 14 teams have made bids, it's likely that Artest will wind up with one of a handful of Western Conference destinations. Denver, Golden State, the two Los Angeles teams and Minnesota head the list of potential trade partners, which means there's still a 60 percent chance Artest heads through the visitor's tunnel at 4 Championship Drive.

Some folks already have resolutions
By Keith Langlois

OK. Pry open your eyes. Peel the ice pack off your head. Down that chilled glass of OJ and chug your Alka-Seltzer chaser. It's time for New Year's resolutions. Can't think of any? Here, let the rich and famous, or the blessed and infamous, give you some ideas ...

Larry Brown ~ I resolve to send Christmas cards to every player I've ever coached, or expressed a desire to coach, or requested to be traded, tarred and/or feathered; and to every owner to employ me, or every owner who inquired as to my availability, or every owner to whom I've made clear my interest, or even held hands with; and to every college president who sought my services, or whom I've chatted up with the intention of soliciting a job offer, or ... Isiah? I need more money. Did you know the price of stamps is up to 37 cents?

Ben Wallace ~ I resolve to leave one or two rebounds for somebody else ... someday ... but maybe not.

Flip Saunders ~ I resolve to continue to carry myself as the emotional and ethical antithesis of Larry Brown.

Saunders counts his New Year's blessings
If he hadn't been fired by Timberwolves, he wouldn't have been able to take job with Pistons.
Joanne C. Gerstner

It's a new year, and a chance for Pistons coach Flip Saunders to reflect on the highs and lows of 2005.

He has come out on the high side of an interesting journey: not too many coaches have gone from being fired by one of their friends to being on top of the NBA a few months later.

"I think it's funny how things work out," Saunders said. "A lot of times I said almost a year ago when I was let go that things always happen for a reason. You never know at that time what the reason is, but there is one.

Pistons register routine victory
Billups earns career high with 37 points; Detroit uses 8-0 run to pull away in the fourth quarter.
By Chris McCosky

Welcome to the NBA in January.

With two months in the books and the playoffs still another four months away, energy levels wane and games tend to drag. Usually the team that makes the last big run takes the game.

That was pretty much the story at The Palace on Tuesday night, when the Pistons ran off eight straight points early in the fourth quarter and rode it to a 108-99 victory over the Orlando Magic.

"These are the dog days," coach Flip Saunders said. "The season seems like it will never end at this point. But it seems like no matter who we play, they play pretty good against us."

The Pistons' ninth straight home victory raised their record to 25-4.

The worst part about following the Pistons is all the nitpicking.
Reserves give Pistons, fans little to complain about
By Rob Parker

The worst part about following the Pistons is all the nitpicking.

Guess when you're 25-4 -- after Tuesday night's 108-99 victory over the Orlando Magic at The Palace -- people have to find something wrong with your team. Enter the reserves.

It's the biggest nonstory this side of the quest for 72 victories in the regular season.

It would be one thing if the Pistons were losing games and it was because they were routinely getting outscored, outrebounded and outplayed by other teams' benches. It's just not the case.

Worse is that some ill-informed people really expect the reserves to be as capable as the starting five, arguably the best starting five in the NBA.

Pistons: Notebook
Hill is not ready yet, but he talks retirement
Magic star says he will take it from season to season after he fulfills his current contract.
By Chris McCosky

Grant Hill, at the ripe old age of 33, is starting to talk about retirement?

Say it ain't so.

"Retirement," Hill told the Orlando Sentinel on Monday, "yeah, that's a possibility. That's very real."

Well, that sent a minor tremor through the basketball world Tuesday, most notably through his home in Orlando.

"Yeah," Hill said sheepishly before the Magic played the Pistons on Tuesday, "my wife (Tamia) called this morning and said, 'You weren't going to tell me you were retiring?' I said, 'Would you be mad if I did?' And she said, 'Nah, I just thought you would tell me first.'"



Billups' 37 sets career milestone
By Krista Latham

Chauncey Billups' best season continues to get better.

Billups scored a career-high 37 points, and had nine assists and only one turnover Tuesday night as the Pistons beat the Orlando Magic, 108-99, at the Palace.

The MVP talk seems more and more legit.

"He's been a solid player in all 29 games we've played," coach Flip Saunders said.

And while the Pistons (25-4) lacked urgency for the first three quarters, the trademark Detroit defense finally kicked in, Mr. Big Shot showed up, and the Pistons decided to wait to experience their first string of back-to-back losses.

100 things we love about the Palace
By Krista Latham

Here's a toast and tribute to the building that since Jan. 19, 2004, against San Antonio, has been a bumping party of Pistons faithful. One hundred things we (and you) love about the Palace, the top moments in the sellout streak, the unforgettable nights and the way the next 100 could be even better.

Hill's focus: career, not retirement
By Krista Latham

Grant Hill was in a spot of marital trouble early Tuesday, before his Magic played the Pistons.

The Orlando Sentinel ran a story Tuesday quoting the former Piston as saying he might retire after next season.

"I got a call from my wife today saying, 'You didn't tell me you want to retire!' he said. "I was like, 'You'd be mad if I did?' and she said, 'I just want you to tell me first.' "

A reporter asked Hill, always known for his genuine nature, whether he might consider retirement at the end of his contract. He'd never thought about it, he said Tuesday, but given that he's "not 24 or 25," and has already dealt with more than his share of injuries, he couldn't say no.

Time to talk about technicals, Rasheed
By Krista Latham

The NBA increased its fines for technical fouls this season, and along with that extra cash, the highest repeat offenders ultimately face game suspensions.

And with one Pistons starter near the top of the league leaders in technical fouls -- do we really need to say who? -- it would be understandable if coach Flip Saunders was a tad concerned.

But Saunders said this week he's not worried about Rasheed Wallace, who through the first 28 games already had eight technical fouls this season. That's halfway to 16, the number at which one-game suspensions begin.

Rookie diary -- Alex Acker
Pistons rookie point guard Alex Acker is chronicling his rookie experience in the pages of The Dunk, as told to Krista Latham. Acker works hard at practice every day, but on a deep team like Detroit, he doesn't play. He has been inactive every game. And coming up is an important date -- Jan. 10. That's the day un-guaranteed contracts become guaranteed for the season. The team could decide to waive him before then.

NBA ticker and when you
By Al Toby

Relatively speaking

The Pistons' Chauncey Billups is generous with his advice to cousin LenDale White, a running back for Southern California.

He's generous with gifts, too.

White was spotted this week sporting a big gold chain with a medallion of Jesus. He told the New York Times it was a birthday gift from Billups.

Billups also paid for White's trip to New York last month, when White accompanied teammates Reggie Bush and Matt Leinart to the Heisman Trophy award ceremony.

"It's great to have rich relatives," White told the New York Times.

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By the numbers



Billups spearheads 4th-quarter charge in Pistons win

By A. Sherrod Blakely

The Detroit Pistons can't just expend a little effort to beat a team anymore.

Every opponent now tends to play better than usual against the Pistons, and the Orlando Magic were no exception Tuesday night.

But, though the Magic played one of their best games of the season, the Pistons mustered up enough big plays down the stretch to pull out a 108-99 win.

Point guard Chauncey Billups, who has been the catalyst for the Pistons' best start in franchise history, had a regular-season career-high 37 points and nine assists. His backcourt mate, Richard Hamilton, added 25 points on 10-of-17 shooting from the field.



Billups said Sheed is team's MVP
By Dana Gauruder

Chauncey Billups feels flattered to be considered an early NBA Most Valuable Player Award candidate. But in his mind, he's not even the MVP of his team this season.

"I think Rasheed Wallace is the MVP of our team honestly" he said. "For them to be saying that about me, it's kind of surreal. At the same time, it makes me feel good because I put a lot of work into this."

Except for his vastly improved 3-point shooting, Wallace has very similar statistics to last season. He ranks among the top 10 in the league in long-range shooting, but it's his consistency that has impressed Billups.



Detroit Pistons Pay Tribute to Bad Boy Extraordinaire for Flashback Friday
The Detroit Pistons will honor Bill Laimbeer, arguably the most hated Bad Boy in the history of the NBA, on Friday, January 6 when they host the Seattle Supersonics at 8:00 p.m.

The Pistons will honor Laimbeer, who spent 13 seasons with the Pistons and now serves as a television color analyst, is the head coach of the WNBA Detroit Shock, won two championships and was one of the original “Bad Boys.” Laimbeer is the all-time leading rebounder in Pistons history (9,430 career) and still ranks in the Top Ten in 11 Pistons all-time career categories.



League's best team shifts into overdrive
By Brian Schmitz

The Orlando Magic were playing their best basketball of the season.

The Detroit Pistons were playing their best basketball in their history, and the Pistons' history includes three NBA titles.

The Magic brought out the best -- and the beast -- in the Pistons and fell 108-99 at The Palace of Auburn Hills.

The Pistons improved their record to 25-4 -- tops in the NBA -- and continued a march toward an improbable 70-victory season.

The Magic (12-16) came in riding a modest three-game winning streak and showing signs of consistency. They continued playing well and together, extending the game into the fourth quarter before the powerhouse Pistons simply turned it on.

"They turned the screws when they needed to," Magic forward Grant Hill said. "They don't make mistakes. They wait for you to make mistakes."

Saunders first Piston to get consecutive coach-of-month honor
By A. Sherrod Blakely

The Detroit Pistons keep winning, and the praise continues to come Flip Saunders' way.

For the second consecutive month, Saunders was named the Eastern Conference's coach of the month after helping guide the Pistons to a franchise-record 13 wins in December. He is the first Pistons coach to win the award in back-to-back months.

~ Blog: End of the Bench / Most Valuable Network.com ~

Did most NBA players in the Bad Boys era cheat on their wives? Utterly unsubstantiated yet fascinating gossip from a blind source who says he was a Pistons beat writer, at:

http://endofthebench.mostvaluablenet...n-their-wives/