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Down 2-0, Pistons face long odds, road to get to Finals
Posted: Wednesday May 21, 2003 8:59 PM
They won 50 games for a second straight season.
They came back from a 3-1 deficit against the Magic in the first round of the playoffs.
They rebounded from two bad losses in Philly to win a Game 6 clincher there in the second round.
Now the Pistons once more have to prove the doubters wrong if they want to advance to the NBA Finals.
Down 2-0 to the Nets heading into Thursday night’s Game 3 of the Eastern Conference finals, the Pistons face long odds. Only two teams in NBA playoff history have come back to win a seven-game series after losing the first two at home.
More troubling, Detroit is running out of answers. Pistons coach Rick Carlisle has altered his starting lineup and juggled the rotations but so far it hasn’t worked. New Jersey’s defense simply has been too tough.
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Detroit Pistons at New Jersey Nets
Thursday, 8:30 p.m. ET
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| Series Snapshot |
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| Game 1 |
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74 |
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76 |
| Game 2 |
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86 |
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88 |
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The past ... For the second straight game the Nets won a two-point nailbiter by erasing a big fourth-quarter deficit and then surviving a last-second Pistons’ shot. This time, Jason Kidd hounded Chauncey Billups into a missed jumper, allowing the Nets to escape with an 88-86 victory. New Jersey outscored Detroit 30-19 in the fourth quarter, with Kenyon Martin scoring 16 of his game-high 25 points. Hoping to ignite a stagnant offense, Carlisle gave rookie phenom Tayshaun Prince his first start. But Prince scored just six points and Corliss Williamson (10 points) again came up short as a go-to guy in the fourth quarter. New Jersey also outrebounded Detroit 51-36, including 19-7 on the offensive glass.
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Richard Hamilton
Allen Einstein/NBAE/Getty Images |
The present ...
The Pistons have to find a way to get others besides Richard Hamilton involved offensively. Hamilton has scored 24 points in each of the first two games, but his teammates have combined to make just 34-of-103 shots (33 percent). The normally explosive Billups, bothered by a sore ankle and the defense of Kidd, has not been able to get off. Williamson and Cliff Robinson have been shut down by Martin and New Jersey’s frontcourt. Other than perhaps giving Chucky Atkins more time at the point, Carlisle has few options. Meanwhile, with eight straight playoff victories, the Nets are starting to feel invincible. Even when their transition attack has stalled, they have been able to get the job done at the defensive end.
The future ... The Pistons need this game badly. But the Nets have been the better team so far and with the Continental Airlines Arena crowd behind them, they should be able to meet Detroit’s energy. Go with the Nets until the Pistons prove otherwise.
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