When the Pistons shot 72 percent in the first quarter Sunday, you had a feeling maybe the tide was turning.
When Jon Barry was knocked to the court by Kendall Gill in the second quarter and still managed, while falling, to swish a 22-footer, you had a feeling two weeks of bad bounces and tough luck might be over.
When the Pistons' defense forced six turnovers in the third quarter and limited the Miami Heat to 13 points, you thought maybe this losing streak was coming to an end.
And, despite a little scare late, it did. The Pistons hung on and beat the floundering Heat, 86-80, at The Palace, ending a seven-game losing streak and winning a for the first time in 17 days.
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After 17 days, the Pistons exhaled.
After seven straight losses, the Pistons got a victory Sunday in their final game of the 2001 calendar year, 86-80 over the Miami Heat
"It's really a burden when you start out so well and then hit the skids," Coach Rick Carlisle said. "It's hard to quantify everything that goes wrong during a bad streak. But we knew we were going to have some tough times and we said we would not overreact."
Accordingly, the Pistons did not overreact to breaking the streak, either.
"It was a good win, because Miami is a better team than their record indicates," Cliff Robinson said. "Teams that understand the nature of an NBA season, and understand the ups and downs that go with it, they can deal with it and come through it better. It's just a matter of maintaining belief."
The Pistons actually felt things shift in the second half of their loss at Orlando on Friday night.
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The New Year started with a typical headline: Pistons blown out.
Detroit closed out 2000 with a 110-96 loss to Washington. However, good things -- at least the hope of good things -- lay ahead for the Pistons in 2001. It was a year of ups and downs and lots of change. Here's a look back:
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Pistons Dec 2001 Archive
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| Dec 31, 2001
Rick Carlisle wants Jerry Stackhouse, first and foremost, to stay aggressive on offense.
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| Dec 31, 2001
Two seasons ago, Jerry Stackhouse was on a Detroit Pistons team that was swept by Miami 3-0 in the first round of the playoffs.
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| Dec 31, 2001
That welcome sign in the Detroit airport wasn't made specifically for the Miami Heat.
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| Dec 31, 2001
The Detroit Pistons found a remedy for their seven-game losing streak.
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| Dec 31, 2001
Swarming defenses and poor stamina have caused Alonzo Mourning's fourth-quarter scoring numbers to plummet, hampering a Heat offense that is often ineffective late in games.
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| Dec 31, 2001
The Heat has become the magic potion, the perfect panacea, for ailing opponents.
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| Dec 30, 2001
As bad as things are going right now for the Pistons -- and with seven straight losses, things are going mighty badly -- there is always somebody who has it worse.
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| Dec 30, 2001
When/where: 6 p.
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| Dec 30, 2001
Tipoff: 6 p.
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| Dec 29, 2001
If you're looking for good news during the Pistons' seven-game losing streak -- their longest since the 1997-98 season -- the new starting lineup probably can't play any worse than it did in the first half of Friday night's 87-78 loss to the Magic.
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| Dec 29, 2001
The Pistons needed change in their starting lineup, and coach Rick Carlisle pulled the trigger Friday.
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| Dec 29, 2001
The Magic caught the Detroit Pistons at the right time this time.
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| Dec 29, 2001
Head coach Doc Rivers has had plenty to worry about lately, especially after his Orlando Magic lost eight of their past 10 games entering Friday night's game against the Detroit Pistons.
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| Dec 29, 2001
In a season where so many things have inexplicably gone wrong time and again, the Orlando Magic finally got it all right Friday night.
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| Dec 29, 2001
The Orlando Magic turned the TD Waterhouse Centre into a crime-free zone Friday night.
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| Dec 29, 2001
Magic Coach Doc Rivers stated it simply and perfectly.
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| Dec 28, 2001
There are two ways to look at the Pistons current six-game losing streak: don't panic or it's time to get concerned.
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| Dec 28, 2001
A return to the Palace didn't earn a win for the Pistons, but Detroit won a small victory in rebounding.
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| Dec 28, 2001
Who: Orlando Magic (13-17) vs.
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| Dec 28, 2001
Tonight: Detroit Pistons, 7:30
WHERE: TD Waterhouse Centre.
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| Dec 28, 2001
The ghost of rebounding past returns to haunt the TD Waterhouse Centre tonight -- and maybe the Orlando Magic as well.
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| Dec 27, 2001
Practices, as you might expect when a team returns after losing five straight on the road, were crisp, competitive, almost upbeat on Tuesday night and Wednesday.
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| Dec 27, 2001
A sense of panic?
No.
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| Dec 27, 2001
As the temperature started to plummet in Detroit, the Pistons' hot shooting cooled off during a five-game West Coast swing.
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| Dec 27, 2001
Coach Rick Carlisle gathered the Pistons together Christmas evening with the intent of getting them back to basics defensively.
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| Dec 27, 2001
The Pistons will get together tonight at the team's practice facility and try to regroup from a disastrous West Coast trip.
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| Dec 24, 2001
Rick Carlisle said all the right things at halftime Saturday.
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| Dec 24, 2001
When the news broke last summer that the Pistons had acquired Cliff Robinson from the Phoenix Suns for reserves John Wallace and Jud Buechler, the initial response from many fans and media members was, "Cliff Robinson? The Pistons are taking on an awful lot of baggage.
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| Dec 24, 2001
With their defense having taken a beating during lapses in an 0-5 West Coast swing, the Pistons find themselves probably not as good as they thought they were in the 14-6 start, but not as bad as the team that was drilled Saturday night at Seattle, 117-89.
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| Dec 23, 2001
When Sonics rookie Vladimir Radmanovic dreamed of his first NBA start, he pictured all eyes on him.
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| Dec 23, 2001
If this were a younger team, a more immature team, or a team coached by a guy with manic tendencies, the Pistons would be in full panic right now.
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| Dec 23, 2001
There is a scene in Monty Python's Life of Brian (go rent it now) where young Brian gets himself tossed into a Roman prison and is spat upon by the Roman guard for good measure.
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| Dec 23, 2001
Gary Payton scored 20 points as the Seattle SuperSonics beat Detroit 117-89 Saturday night, the Pistons' fifth straight loss on a dismal West Coast trip.
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| Dec 22, 2001
The Detroit Pistons and the Grand Rapids Hoops have formed a marketing partnership.
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| Dec 22, 2001
The fans were indifferent to most of the Trail Blazers, with the notable exception of Bonzi Wells.
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| Dec 22, 2001
Jerry Stackhouse and Rasheed Wallace led North Carolina to the NCAA Final Four as sophomores in 1995.
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| Dec 22, 2001
WHEN: Tonight, 7
WHERE: KeyArena
TV/RADIO: No TV; KJR-AM/950
RECORDS: Pistons 14-9 before playing in Portland last night; Sonics 12-15 before playing at Golden State last night.
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| Dec 22, 2001
When: Tonight, 7.
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| Dec 21, 2001
The Pistons' biggest enemy right now might be human nature.
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| Dec 21, 2001
When the Pistons left for the West Coast, they had the best record in the Eastern Conference.
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| Dec 21, 2001
'That's why they're fans and we're NBA players'
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| Dec 20, 2001
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| Dec 20, 2001
Cliff Robinson wishes he knew how to avoid it.
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| Dec 20, 2001
To this day, Chris Webber said it was hard saying no to Joe Dumars and Isiah Thomas, his boyhood idols from the Pistons' championship era.
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| Dec 20, 2001
Dave Cowens was excited when he drafted Jason Richardson in June.
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| Dec 20, 2001
It's a good thing the Pistons came out West plus-eight in the win column, because now they have to overcome their first three-game losing streak of the season.
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| Dec 19, 2001
Chris Webber isn't surprised at all about the Pistons fast start.
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| Dec 19, 2001
The Michigan State jersey is hanging in his locker.
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| Dec 19, 2001
Although New York, Atlanta and the Los Angeles Clippers experienced some success throwing a mild press at the Pistons, coach Rick Carlisle isn't worried it's a trend that will bother his team for any length of time.
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| Dec 18, 2001
Among all the side plots to tonight's game -- Michiganians Mateen Cleaves and Chris Webber vs.
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| Dec 18, 2001
Corliss Williamson and Jon Barry know how tough it is to win at Arco Arena.
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| Dec 17, 2001
Alvin Gentry was beaming after his Clippers stole one from the Pistons on Sunday.
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| Dec 17, 2001
Some NBA players dream of being rock or rap stars.
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| Dec 17, 2001
With the team's star player nursing a groin injury for more than three weeks, it would have been helpful to provide readers and fans with some details of the injury.
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| Dec 17, 2001
The Eastern Conference standings are a bit topsy-turvy a quarter of the way through the season, with Detroit, New Jersey and Boston at the top and Philadelphia and Miami near the bottom.
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| Dec 17, 2001
The New York Daily News' Mitch Lawrence wonders whether Madison Square Gardens CEO Jim Dolan is contemplating dumping team president Scott Layden.
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| Dec 16, 2001
Bison Dele was one of the most enigmatic players in the NBA.
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| Dec 16, 2001
Jerry Stackhouse digs warm sunshine and blue sky.
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| Dec 15, 2001
If the Central Division-leading Pistons still have any naysayers, the upcoming five-game West Coast swing could go a long way toward silencing them.
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| Dec 14, 2001
The last time we saw Don Chaney, he had the worst job in Detroit.
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| Dec 14, 2001
Let us remain calm.
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| Dec 14, 2001
Jerry Stackhouse really doesn't see what all the fuss is about.
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| Dec 14, 2001
Don Chaney was just as stunned as everyone else when Knicks coach Jeff Van Gundy resigned last week.
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| Dec 13, 2001
Mix in a surprising first-place Central Division record, the NBA's cheapest seats, a new coach with exciting players and a bigger marketing budget, and the Detroit Pistons are hot enough to be cool again.
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| Dec 13, 2001
The doors open and in they file, one by one, wayward basketball players looking for a home, or a chance.
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| Dec 13, 2001
Pistons forward Jerry Stackhouse has faced an indelicate series of questions every day for the past few weeks.
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| Dec 13, 2001
The seeds to the Pistons' surprising 13-6 start were sown a day after they lost to the New York Knicks in last season's finale at Madison Square Garden.
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| Dec 13, 2001
Pistons forward Rodney White has played in just two of the past 12 games, mostly in garbage time.
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| Dec 12, 2001
The injury outlook didn't get any brighter for the Pistons after Tuesday's practice.
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| Dec 12, 2001
Now that his heart and body are in the same place, Minnesota Timberwolves forward Joe Smith is a whole person.
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| Dec 12, 2001
Pistons center Zeljko Rebraca enjoys winning.
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| Dec 11, 2001
Houston's Eddie Griffin got the ball in the post and was setting himself to make a move to the basket.
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| Dec 11, 2001
Over the weekend, Van Gundy resigned after a disappointing 10-9 start this season.
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| Dec 11, 2001
For Jerry Stackhouse's sake, the Pistons' three-day break before Thursday's game against New York came at a good time.
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| Dec 10, 2001
There are no quick solutions.
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| Dec 10, 2001
Williamson has emerged as a leading candidate for the league's Sixth Man of the Year award.
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| Dec 10, 2001
Chris McCosky of the Detroit News asks: "Why isn't Rodney White playing?"
McCosky says if White was drafted by a bad team, he would be thrown into the fire and he would put up some numbers offensively.
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| Dec 10, 2001
Dana Barros returned to the starting lineup Sunday.
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| Dec 9, 2001
Ben Wallace has but one item on his Christmas list.
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| Dec 8, 2001
Pistons point guard Dana Barros might play Sunday against Houston, which means Chucky Atkins and his hot shooting might be coming off the bench.
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| Dec 7, 2001
Not to spoil the party, but amid the Pistons' sudden rise to the top of the Eastern Conference, there are a few red flags that might or might not portend troubled waters ahead.
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| Dec 7, 2001
The Pistons have the best record in the Eastern Conference, but coach Rick Carlisle and company realize they have plenty to work on.
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| Dec 6, 2001
Rick Carlisle spent a lot of time last season as a TV and radio analyst for the SuperSonics before the Pistons hired him as coach this year.
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| Dec 6, 2001
Just when it seemed as if things could not get worse for Seattle SuperSonics power forward Vin Baker, he played against the Detroit Pistons on Wednesday night.
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| Dec 6, 2001
The Sonics played with the fire of a team intent on responding to a public tongue-lashing by their head coach.
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| Dec 5, 2001
When: Today, 4:30 p.
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| Dec 5, 2001
Donnie Walsh isn't surprised.
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| Dec 5, 2001
Jon Barry will enjoy seeing his brother, Brent, until the two have to take the Palace floor tonight.
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| Dec 4, 2001
Tip-off: 7 tonight at Gund Arena.
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| Dec 4, 2001
The secret is out.
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| Dec 4, 2001
When Damon Jones signed with the Pistons, he left his family and friends in Houston and arrived in Michigan alone.
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| Dec 3, 2001
Chris McCosky of The Detroit News grades the Pistons for their games last week at Orlando (won 105-100), vs.
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| Dec 3, 2001
The Pistons are off to an 11-5 start.
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| Dec 3, 2001
Chris McCosky of The Detroit News sits down for a Q&A session with the Detroit Pistons' John Hammond.
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| Dec 3, 2001
When Chucky Atkins pouted publicly about his lack of playing time 11 days ago, Coach Rick Carlisle didn't say much to him.
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| Dec 3, 2001
Zeljko Rebraca needed ointment on his back, required massages during most time-outs, and at one point had a hot towel tucked under his jersey.
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| Dec 2, 2001
Oh, no.
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| Dec 2, 2001
Latrell Sprewell grabbed the rebound of his errant 37-foot heave and slammed the ball off the court in disgust.
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| Dec 2, 2001
It was not the intent.
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| Dec 2, 2001
Stackhouse has quietly made himself into one of the most charitably active athletes in Michigan in his nearly four seasons with the Pistons.
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| Dec 1, 2001
One month into their season, the Pistons are enjoying a view from the top tier of the Eastern Conference, surprising a myriad of fans who predicted a sluggish start.
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| Dec 1, 2001
There were plenty of things to leave a sour taste in their mouths.
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