Barry Smitherman and his son arrived early at the Detroit-Washington exhibition game on Oct. 11, not to check out the Pistons but to see a movie star.
"We don't care about the Pistons," Smitherman, 42, said. "My son (William, 5) just wanted to see Michael Jordan. William loved him in 'Space Jam.'"
The Smithermans weren't alone. Although many true basketball fans were among the sellout crowd of 22,076 that night at The Palace, a large segment came to see a multimedia megastar — and it wasn't Pistons rookie Zeljko Rebraca.
"We wanted to see 'MJ,'" said 32-year-old Sahiem Jones, who plopped down $160 so he and his 5-year-old son Nicholas could attend.
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It is official. The 53-29 record is ancient. The first-round playoff victory over the Jazz is history. And the marathon is about to begin.
I expect that Tuesday’s meeting with Detroit will be a difficult opener, for a number of reasons:
The Pistons appear to be very much together with their new, young coach, Rick Carlisle, who is already very well respected around the NBA.
They seem to be focused on the goal of returning the playoffs -- and the Mavericks know what a powerful motivation that can be.
Detroit really does have some talent. Jerry Stackhouse is one of the finest offensive players in the league and Ben Wallace is one of the finest rebounders in the league. Michael Curry will play defense and really get after you. They have acquired a proven veteran in Clifford Robinson, and they have picked up a guy who always seems to play well when he gets close to home in Dallas, Corliss Williamson from Arkansas.
Oh, and a reminder: This is a Detroit team that came into Dallas last year and emphatically beat the Mavericks.
Another a concern of mine: The Mavericks last played on Tuesday, Oct. 23, so they will have gone a week without a game against any outside competition. They didn’t have any choice – the scheduling of the rodeo at the American Airlines Center made that decision for them. (I wonder if Nellie would have preferred to have played Friday or Saturday night?)
Will the Mavericks return this season with the comparably degree of hunger that has been evident since the end of the 1999-’00 season, when they closed with a 31-19 record? We begin to find out Tuesday against Detroit, as the trek begins – and continues later in the week with games at Philadelphia, at Toronto, at Memphis. By this time next week, Dallas will have four games under its belt, and we will have a much better feel for this edition of the Dallas Mavericks.
Me? I am like a 61-year-old kid in a candy store. Walking into the American Airlines Center on Tuesday will, for me, be just like walking into the St. Joseph’s Grade School gymnasium for my first game when I was eight years old. You cannot simulate the emotion, the excitement and the enthusiasm of game night
I hope all of you feel the same way.
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Oct 27, 2001 11:05 AM EST
The NBA welcomes two new faces and two recycled ones to its coaching fraternity this season, and all four of them are sure to have headaches by Halloween.
Rick Carlisle, a head coach after years as an assistant, must convince Jerry Stackhouse to be a more complete player in Detroit.
John Lucas, who has coached Philadelphia and San Antonio, has a challenging rebuilding project in Cleveland.
Maurice Cheeks, the other newcomer, will have to instill his grace into the talented mess that resides in Portland.
Doug Collins, the fiery former coach of Chicago and Detroit, has the most intriguing and perhaps most challenging job of the four: trying to rebuild the Washington Wizards while battling the expectations that come with having the unretired Michael Jordan.
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Pistons Oct 2001 Archive
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| Oct 26, 2001
Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle reports that the Rockets kept Tierre Brown over veteran Damon Jones to give Jones an opportunity to sign with a team that would give him playing time.
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| Oct 23, 2001
Ben Wallace isn't the type of player to take it easy on a play, let alone an entire practice.
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| Oct 23, 2001
Power forward Ben Wallace said he expects to have X rays taken on his sore right wrist today in Houston before the Pistons play the Rockets.
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| Oct 21, 2001
When Rick Carlisle got the Detroit Pistons' head coaching job, there was no lengthy search for assistant coaches.
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| Oct 21, 2001
Doug Collins was actually the first to get it.
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| Oct 20, 2001
New head coach Rick Carlisle knows that he has some tough decisions to make and that not everyone is going to like those.
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| Oct 19, 2001
When you've been around the NBA as long as Cliff Robinson has, any sign of slippage is viewed as a victory for Father Time.
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| Oct 19, 2001
Corliss Williamson just smiled and shrugged.
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| Oct 19, 2001
The Washington Wizards got caught stargazing tonight and got mercilessly thumped, 114-88, by the Detroit Pistons in a preseason game before a sellout crowd of 11,639 at Van Andel Arena.
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| Oct 17, 2001
In this weeks NBA Notebook brought to you by the Chicago Daily Southtown, the Sacramento Kings are fearful that their superstar Chris Webber will miss at least a month of action.
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| Oct 16, 2001
This is what Joe Dumars meant when he said the Detroit Pistons will have options, lots of them, this season.
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| Oct 16, 2001
Might as well learn from the best.
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| Oct 16, 2001
Moments after George Irvine was fired as the Pistons coach, Jerry Stackhouse said he believed Michael Curry would be the ideal candidate to replace him.
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| Oct 16, 2001
The Pistons will go with a big lineup tonight against the New Jersey Nets, so coach Rick Carlisle and his staff can further evaluate another combination as the regular season nears.
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| Oct 15, 2001
It may seem like Detroit Pistons center Victor Alexander came out of nowhere, but his return to the NBA was years in the making.
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| Oct 15, 2001
Most NBA rookies are a little nervous and unsure nearing the start of the regular season.
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| Oct 15, 2001
The feeling persists that 35-year-old Cliff Robinson might be best served -- and able to serve the Pistons best -- as the sixth man.
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| Oct 15, 2001
Q.
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| Oct 15, 2001
Changes are brewing in the Pistons' camp this week after the team slipped on defense.
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| Oct 14, 2001
Branson Wright of the Akron Beacon Journal writes in his NBA Roundup that Michael Jordan's return to the NBA in last week's exhibition game included eight points and three rebounds in 17 minutes in Auburn Hills, Mich.
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| Oct 13, 2001
To see Jerry Stackhouse on the floor for 38 minutes isn't unusual.
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| Oct 13, 2001
Among the highlights of the Pistons' second exhibition game was the play of point guards Dana Barros and Chucky Atkins.
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| Oct 12, 2001
He can still play.
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| Oct 12, 2001
He can still play.
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| Oct 12, 2001
For most of the week, the Detroit Pistons talked about Thursday night's game against the Washington Wizards as a chance to showcase an improved Pistons team.
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| Oct 12, 2001
They came to see Michael Jordan on Thursday night.
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| Oct 12, 2001
Michael Jordan floated in the air again Thursday, showing flashes of the great basketball player he was in the past.
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| Oct 12, 2001
The new guy looked all right.
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| Oct 12, 2001
As the sellout crowd of 22,076 focused on Michael Jordan's return, Pistons center Zeljko Rebraca began to show that he could play at the NBA level.
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| Oct 11, 2001
Michael Jordan, the king of comebacks, staged a mini-comeback Wednesday.
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| Oct 11, 2001
Do we really need another Michael Jordan book on the market?
That was my initial thought when I heard Orlando Magic General Manager Pat Williams wrote a book about His Airness.
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| Oct 11, 2001
Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald reports: Michael Jordan disappointed fans Wednesday afternoon, then delighted them a few hours later when he announced he would play in the Washington Wizards' first two preseason games -- tonight at Detroit, and Saturday at Miami.
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| Oct 10, 2001
Jerry Stackhouse is known for many things, but defense hasn't been one of them -- until now.
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| Oct 10, 2001
The most repeated phrase of Camp Carlisle thus far has been defensive disposition.
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| Oct 10, 2001
Pistons Coach Rick Carlisle said he still wasn't about to set his starting lineup in stone, but certainly some cement was poured Tuesday night.
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| Oct 10, 2001
Defense, the weakest link in the Pistons' play last season, showed early signs of improvement Tuesday night in a 101-77 victory over Cleveland in the exhibition opener for both clubs.
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| Oct 10, 2001
The third coming motors off in Detroit
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| Oct 9, 2001
After 13 grueling practices and at least seven intersquad scrimmages, the Pistons are more than happy to welcome the Cleveland Cavaliers to The Palace tonight for their first exhibition game.
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| Oct 9, 2001
All signs point to Jerry Stackhouse being a changed man.
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| Oct 9, 2001
Despite the competition between Corliss Williamson and Rodney White, the two forwards have developed an unusual relationship in Pistons training camp.
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| Oct 8, 2001
It's been a few months, but Detroit Pistons rookie Rodney White remembers the day he was drafted all too well.
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| Oct 8, 2001
Victor Alexander is glad to be home playing for the Pistons and, even more important for him, he has made a good first impression on Coach Rick Carlisle.
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| Oct 8, 2001
On the last day of two-a-days, coach Rick Carlisle and his staff tinkered with the Pistons' lineup to look at a different combination.
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| Oct 7, 2001
It didn't take long to see what Ben Wallace has been working on this summer.
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| Oct 7, 2001
Camp competition: Detroit may have one of the best 1-2 punches at small forward in the Eastern Conference.
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| Oct 7, 2001
There are some things you should know about the new man.
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| Oct 7, 2001
On Friday morning, the Pistons were in the middle of a rebounding drill when assistant coach Kevin O'Neill blew his whistle.
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| Oct 6, 2001
When you look at the Detroit Pistons' roster, you can't ignore the obvious -- they have a lot of scorers.
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| Oct 6, 2001
Camp competition: Ben Wallace or Cliff Robinson will start at center, but the backup job is still up for grabs.
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| Oct 6, 2001
When you look at the Detroit Pistons' roster, you can't ignore the obvious - they have a lot of scorers.
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| Oct 6, 2001
Ben Wallace was the big tree in the Pistons' small forest of big men last season.
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| Oct 5, 2001
Rick Carlisle is pleased with the progress the Detroit Pistons are making in training camp, especially the five players who are currently on the first team.
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| Oct 5, 2001
Rick Carlisle's mission statement is clear: The Pistons will get back to being a rough, tough, physical team.
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| Oct 5, 2001
They have made a good first impression after three days of training camp, and they might start in Tuesday's exhibition opener against Cleveland.
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| Oct 4, 2001
In Europe, Zelijko Rebraca was the man.
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| Oct 4, 2001
Early in training camp, you expect the younger players to make the first good impression.
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| Oct 4, 2001
Rodney White has a mentor.
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| Oct 3, 2001
Camp competition: Corliss Williamson and Rodney White continue to battle for the starting job at small forward.
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| Oct 3, 2001
The Detroit Pistons have a slew of players looking to make a favorable impression on Rick Carlisle.
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| Oct 3, 2001
The Pistons finally turned a corner this off-season.
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| Oct 3, 2001
First practice, 2 hours and 45 minutes.
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| Oct 3, 2001
It was the Pistons' first step toward the future with Rick Carlisle as coach.
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| Oct 2, 2001
Turning around the Detroit Pistons, who had plenty of deficiencies as a non-playoff team last season, won't be easy for new coach Rick Carlisle.
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| Oct 2, 2001
The Detroit Pistons have strengthened their roster at just about every position, but there is one spot that remains relatively weak: point guard.
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| Oct 2, 2001
The first thing you need to know about Jon Barry is that he will not be bringing the Bench Mob nickname with him to the Pistons.
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| Oct 2, 2001
Rick Carlisle could look around the Pistons' practice gym Monday and envision lots of combinations.
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| Oct 2, 2001
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