 |
| |
|
 |
 |
|
|
|||||||||||
|
Notebook Okur's last chance just missesPosted: Sunday May 18, 2003 6:50 PMAUBURN HILLS, Mich. (AP) -- The rookie duo of Tayshaun Prince and Mehmet Okur have been saving the Detroit Pistons all through the playoffs. Sunday, they almost pulled it off again. With Detroit trailing 76-74 with 1.4 seconds left in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference finals, Prince threw a lob pass that found Okur under the basket. Okur, who probably had time to catch the pass and hit a fairly routine layup, tried to tip the ball in. It missed, and his put-back fell off the rim as time expired. "It was a good pass," Okur said in his limited English. "I got the shot and it just wouldn't go in." The play call showed the confidence that Pistons coach Rick Carlisle has in his rookies, who combined for 19 points off the bench. Still, Prince wasn't satisfied, given his 2-for-10 shooting that included an 0-for-6 fourth quarter. "They were helping quickly on me with long, athletic guys," Prince said. "Those guys were able to change my shots a little, but mainly, it is on me. I started rushing things instead of staying patient. All through the playoffs, I have been able to stay patient with my shots, but I didn't do that today."
No jinxDespite having lost 15 of their last 17 games at the Palace, New Jersey didn't come into Game 1 thinking they were in trouble. "We didn't talk about how many games we have lost here or any of that stuff," Nets coach Byron Scott said. "We just focused on today and now." The victory gives New Jersey home-court advantage, but they haven't had much more luck with the Pistons at the Meadowlands, going 1-5 in Detroit's past six visits. "We needed to get this one and get home court back, but we know it is still going to be a very tough series," Richard Jefferson said. "We've done this all year long -- win on our court and win on the other team's court. This was a great win."
Barry sitsEven with the Pistons missing 17 of 19 fourth-quarter shots, reserve guard Jon Barry never got into the game. Barry, who also sat out the series-clinching Game 6 win in Philadelphia, is averaging 4.9 points a game in the playoffs. "There's nothing I can do about that," he said. "Everyone wants to play, so it is tough when it seems like they don't need you any more." Carlisle said Barry's lack of minutes have been due to the way the last two games have played out. "There's nothing wrong with Jon Barry," he said. "He's ready to play and he may well be involved in this series before it is over. We have just gone with a different rotation in the last couple of games."
DribblesFaces in the crowd included Michigan State basketball coach Tom Izzo, former NBA All-Star George Gervin, Oscar-winning musician Luis Resto and Detroit Lions defensive end Robert Porcher. ... The Pistons got a break at the end of the first half when a late horn startled Jason Kidd into a traveling call, but couldn't take advantage. Richard Hamilton scored on the ensuing possession, but the basket was ruled to have come just after the buzzer to end the second quarter. ... Dikembe Mutombo did not play for the seventh time in New Jersey's 11 postseason games. |
|
|||||||||
| |||||||||||
