Glenn
02-22-2006, 02:57 PM
http://www.philly.com/mld/philly/sports/basketball/nba/13920919.htm
Stephen A. Smith | A perfect fit in Detroit
The Pistons, almost unbeatable, are the epitome of teamwork.
By Stephen A. Smith
Inquirer Columnist
HOUSTON - Their starter at center is as well known for his 1970s-style Afro as he is for being part of the compensation the Detroit Pistons had to accept for losing Grant Hill.
His teammate is a power forward whom some would have equated to Ron Artest before the Brawl.
There's the point guard nicknamed "Mr. Big Shot."
And there's the Coatesville product who may well be the only man to have made Michael Jordan look stupid.
Ben Wallace. Rasheed Wallace. Chauncey Billups. Rip Hamilton.
The four Detroit Pistons represented a third of the East all-stars who played Sunday at the Toyota Center, and deservedly so.
They are that good. So good that the only blemish on their reputation is that occasionally they tend to overstate the level of respect accorded others.
"We still don't feel we get enough respect," Hamilton said recently.
"We don't mind, though, because we know what we can do," Billups said.
"We'll handle our business, trust me," Big Ben vowed before the Pistons took on the Nets a couple of weeks ago.
"We know what we can do; that's why we don't give a damn what anybody says," Rasheed, the Wallace from Philadelphia, said with his customary nonchalance.
If there were actually naysayers to back up the Pistons' rhetoric, they should be bound, gagged and released to a few haters inside the Palace at Auburn Hills.
Fortunately, most observers have some degree of common sense, and, therefore, an appreciation of the Pistons' collective talent.
At 42-9, Detroit has the best record in the NBA and appears to be on a mission to move past the Larry Brown era and the distractions caused by the will-he-stay-or-will-he-go soap opera. The Pistons are moving on with precision and with a vengeance.
The Pistons have four all-stars. Talk to them and they believe they should have had five, with Tayshaun Prince. And they believe the proof will come in June.
"Our goal is, obviously, to win a championship," said Billups, who is having an MVP season. "We know we can do it because we've done it before, and had we played a better Game 7 last June, we would have done it two years in a row."
Detroit probably will pull it off if it gets home-court advantage throughout the playoffs. The Pistons may even pull it off if San Antonio or Dallas manages to get home-court advantage.
But while belaboring their obvious dominance - drastic improvement in every imaginable category, combined with the adoption of a freelance offense that allows them to exhale - we still need to point out how all this transpired.
Ben Wallace's arrival from Orlando six years ago was pivotal, but so is what could go down as one of the NBA's biggest heists: Jordan's decision to trade Hamilton from the Washington Wizards in 2002, essentially for Jerry Stackhouse.
Many people thought Jordan had pulled the wool over the eyes of Joe Dumars, the Pistons' president of basketball operations. "But I knew better because I knew my game," Hamilton said recently. "I knew what I could bring to a team.
"I knew my conditioning, my dedication, my game. I knew what was being pieced together; the continuity was something my game fit right into. I never doubted myself, and the people who knew me never doubted me. So I guess you can say it just worked out."
Surprise! Surprise!
Prince later was drafted. The other Wallace was nabbed in a blockbuster multi-team deal with Portland that cemented Detroit's first NBA championship since the days of the Bad Boys.
All the while, the Pistons went from one coach (Rick Carlisle) to another (Brown) and yet another (Flip Saunders) - without missing a beat.
"These players are special," Saunders said. "They're on a mission. No doubt about that. But even if they weren't, they would be very difficult for anybody to beat. They're accustomed to playing together, to playing for one another, to doing what it takes to win without egos getting involved."
Still wondering why four Pistons were in the All-Star Game?
"They epitomize what a team is all about," Brown said.
And they showed it on the court Sunday when the four, playing together, helped the East overcome a 21-point deficit to win, 122-120.
From Ben Wallace's hair to Rasheed Wallace's temperament to Billups' suave style to Hamilton's workmanlike approach, it would be difficult to describe the makeup of any team with so many characters.
"Yeah," Dumars said, "it would be difficult to describe if you're talking about individuals. But we try not to do that here."
Indeed, he's succeeded.
Every other team should be envious - outside of San Antonio.
Stephen A. Smith | A perfect fit in Detroit
The Pistons, almost unbeatable, are the epitome of teamwork.
By Stephen A. Smith
Inquirer Columnist
HOUSTON - Their starter at center is as well known for his 1970s-style Afro as he is for being part of the compensation the Detroit Pistons had to accept for losing Grant Hill.
His teammate is a power forward whom some would have equated to Ron Artest before the Brawl.
There's the point guard nicknamed "Mr. Big Shot."
And there's the Coatesville product who may well be the only man to have made Michael Jordan look stupid.
Ben Wallace. Rasheed Wallace. Chauncey Billups. Rip Hamilton.
The four Detroit Pistons represented a third of the East all-stars who played Sunday at the Toyota Center, and deservedly so.
They are that good. So good that the only blemish on their reputation is that occasionally they tend to overstate the level of respect accorded others.
"We still don't feel we get enough respect," Hamilton said recently.
"We don't mind, though, because we know what we can do," Billups said.
"We'll handle our business, trust me," Big Ben vowed before the Pistons took on the Nets a couple of weeks ago.
"We know what we can do; that's why we don't give a damn what anybody says," Rasheed, the Wallace from Philadelphia, said with his customary nonchalance.
If there were actually naysayers to back up the Pistons' rhetoric, they should be bound, gagged and released to a few haters inside the Palace at Auburn Hills.
Fortunately, most observers have some degree of common sense, and, therefore, an appreciation of the Pistons' collective talent.
At 42-9, Detroit has the best record in the NBA and appears to be on a mission to move past the Larry Brown era and the distractions caused by the will-he-stay-or-will-he-go soap opera. The Pistons are moving on with precision and with a vengeance.
The Pistons have four all-stars. Talk to them and they believe they should have had five, with Tayshaun Prince. And they believe the proof will come in June.
"Our goal is, obviously, to win a championship," said Billups, who is having an MVP season. "We know we can do it because we've done it before, and had we played a better Game 7 last June, we would have done it two years in a row."
Detroit probably will pull it off if it gets home-court advantage throughout the playoffs. The Pistons may even pull it off if San Antonio or Dallas manages to get home-court advantage.
But while belaboring their obvious dominance - drastic improvement in every imaginable category, combined with the adoption of a freelance offense that allows them to exhale - we still need to point out how all this transpired.
Ben Wallace's arrival from Orlando six years ago was pivotal, but so is what could go down as one of the NBA's biggest heists: Jordan's decision to trade Hamilton from the Washington Wizards in 2002, essentially for Jerry Stackhouse.
Many people thought Jordan had pulled the wool over the eyes of Joe Dumars, the Pistons' president of basketball operations. "But I knew better because I knew my game," Hamilton said recently. "I knew what I could bring to a team.
"I knew my conditioning, my dedication, my game. I knew what was being pieced together; the continuity was something my game fit right into. I never doubted myself, and the people who knew me never doubted me. So I guess you can say it just worked out."
Surprise! Surprise!
Prince later was drafted. The other Wallace was nabbed in a blockbuster multi-team deal with Portland that cemented Detroit's first NBA championship since the days of the Bad Boys.
All the while, the Pistons went from one coach (Rick Carlisle) to another (Brown) and yet another (Flip Saunders) - without missing a beat.
"These players are special," Saunders said. "They're on a mission. No doubt about that. But even if they weren't, they would be very difficult for anybody to beat. They're accustomed to playing together, to playing for one another, to doing what it takes to win without egos getting involved."
Still wondering why four Pistons were in the All-Star Game?
"They epitomize what a team is all about," Brown said.
And they showed it on the court Sunday when the four, playing together, helped the East overcome a 21-point deficit to win, 122-120.
From Ben Wallace's hair to Rasheed Wallace's temperament to Billups' suave style to Hamilton's workmanlike approach, it would be difficult to describe the makeup of any team with so many characters.
"Yeah," Dumars said, "it would be difficult to describe if you're talking about individuals. But we try not to do that here."
Indeed, he's succeeded.
Every other team should be envious - outside of San Antonio.