Davis keeps Raptors alive

Antonio Davis was huge in Game 3 for the Toronto Raptors, scoring a playoff high 30 points, which surprised no one in the Pistons locker room.

"That guy has been here many times before," said Detroit guard Jon Barry. "He is a warrior."

"Antonio was incredible," said Raptors Coach Lenny Wilkens. "He was all over the boards, he was posting up, I mean, that was one of the finest games I've seen him play."

But he didn’t do it alone, with guard Mo Peterson stepping up on the offensive end to hold Pistons star Jerry Stackhouse to just 11 points after his own shot failed to hit it’s mark, the second year forward scoring 12 points on 4-of-12 shooting.

"When I say I wanted him to do more, I mean more effort," Davis said. "Things may not have been falling for him but Jerry Stackhouse didn't hurt us and I am proud of him. He was huge for us."

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Toronto Raptors, Detroit Pistons

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Scanlon Column: Magic Could Use Wallace

Now that Ben Wallace of the Detroit Pistons has emerged as the most dominant inside player in the Eastern Conference, there is some curiosity and confusion about how the Orlando Magic "let him get away."

It seems incomprehensible, especially for the franchise that lost Shaquille O'Neal to free agency, to have a player like Wallace on its roster and allow his contract to expire. If you were to draw a description of the type of player the Magic most need right now, it would look suspiciously like Wallace -- big, rugged, intimidating, major hops, selfless, motivated, coachable, relentless and willing to play hurt. His drawbacks -- undeveloped offensive skills and poor free-throw shooting -- could be compensated for by other Magic players, as they are in Detroit.

You may well decide that it was inexcusable for Magic General Manager John Gabriel to lose Wallace. But first, understand how it happened.

Wallace came to the Magic in the summer of 1999 the year Gabriel hired Doc Rivers and completely overhauled the roster in a series of transactions that would earn him the NBA Executive of the Year Award. One of his best moves was getting Wallace in the trade that sent Ike Austin to the Washington Wizards. Some would argue that unloading Austin's contract was an even better move than acquiring Wallace. Certainly it was more important in Gabriel's master plan, which was to clear enough salary-cap space to pursue two major free agents in the summer of 2000.

Washington's trade of Wallace shows that the Magic were not the only team failing to comprehend how good Wallace would be. He was an undrafted 25-year-old power forward out of Division 2 Virginia Union who had played more football than basketball while growing up in rural Alabama. Though listed at 6-foot-9, he is closer to 6-8 unless you count the 'Fro.

No doubt there are personnel experts around the NBA who would tell you they knew all along how good Wallace would become. The obvious question: "Why didn't you draft him?"

Rivers had an inkling in the summer of '99. While most observers considered Wallace a throw-in who might be thrown out by the time the season began, Rivers said he would probably be in the starting lineup. And he was -- for 81 games.

But even Rivers admits he didn't know Wallace would be this good.

When the 1999-200 season ended, so did the contracts of most Magic players including Wallace. That was by design; it left enough salary-cap room to offer maximum contracts to Tim Duncan and Grant Hill. For a long time that summer it appeared the Magic had a chance to sign both players. Hill decided early to accept the Magic's offer. When Duncan elected to stay in San Antonio, the Magic settled for a 20-year-old kid who hated Toronto winters and was anxious to come home to Florida. His name was Tracy McGrady. I think we can all agree he was an acceptable alternative.

Meanwhile Wallace and Chucky Atkins, who had helped Rivers become NBA Coach of the Year in his first season, were also on the open market. So was forward Bo Outlaw, and here is where the Magic lost Wallace.

By then it had become the Magic's habit to make wink-wink agreements with players who wanted to remain in Orlando but could not be paid their market value because of the salary cap. They would agree to play for minimum compensation with the understanding that their loyalty would be rewarded when cap space permitted.

Outlaw had played two seasons under those conditions and the bill was due. The Magic gave him a five-year, $28 million contract and hoped Rivers could convince Wallace to wait a year. But the Pistons had something a little more concrete -- $30 million over six years. That's what is known in the NBA as a no-brainer.

Detroit also signed Atkins that summer. The free-agent movements of Hill, Wallace and Atkins went down officially, and somewhat misleadingly, as one trade. In fact, they were separate sign-and-trade transactions, combined for the purpose of getting Hill the maximum $93 million for seven years.

Given Wallace's emergence as the NBA's top rebounder and shot blocker and Hill's two seasons of being sidelined by injuries and surgeries, it is reasonable to conclude the Magic got burned. Even if Hill returns to form next season -- and that's a big if -- Wallace would have been a better fit for Orlando's positional needs.

The need could have been filled by Duncan. But if the Magic had signed Duncan, McGrady would probably be playing in Chicago, where his agent had been trying to steer him all along.

If nothing else, the Magic scrapped their wink-wink policy, which certainly violated the spirit of NBA salary-cap rules. John Amaechi learned about the policy change the hard way the following summer after turning down a lucrative offer from the Lakers to remain in Orlando.

It's history now. Rear-view mirror, as Chuck Daly would say. The Magic are still weak in the middle, where Wallace looks very strong for Detroit.

Strong enough to make a Lakers-Pistons NBA Finals a distinct possibility, and a rather depressing one for the Magic.

Via Lakeland Ledger

Orlando Magic, Detroit Pistons

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Carlisle expecting loud crowd in Canada

Detroit coach Rick Carlisle is already preparing his players for the loud onslaught expected when his team takes the court in Toronto on Saturday, his team searching for a first round sweep. Raptors fans (just look at the RealGM boards) are some of the most enthusiastic and vocal supporters in the NBA, and with the team striving for their survival expect this game to be no different.

"The game to close out a series is always very difficult," coach Rick Carlisle said Thursday. "I expect them to fight just as hard as they did last night. As well as they played last night, they're certainly capable of playing better. We were very fortunate to win. They controlled the tempo for most of the game."

"They have full houses. Air Canada is one of the loudest buildings in the league now. It's going to be tough conditions to play in, but we're going to have to go in there and play a heck of a game to win."

"We're in a desperate situation right now, and that's how we have to play," Raptors point guard Alvin Williams said.

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Detroit Pistons, Toronto Raptors

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