April 2006 Pistons articles *frequent updates*

[Associated Press]

Pistons Beat Bucks, Finally Win a Game 2
AUBURN HILLS, Mich. (AP) -- The Detroit Pistons have made two major improvements over their recent runs to the NBA Finals: offense, and playing Game 2s.

Tayshaun Prince scored 22 points and Chauncey Billups had 20 to lead Detroit to a 109-98 victory over the Milwaukee Bucks on Wednesday night, and a 2-0 lead in their first-round series.

[NBA.com]

Hamilton, Pistons Put Hurting on Bucks, Take 2-0 Lead
Tayshaun Prince scored 22 points to lead six players in double figures for the top-seeded Pistons, who have hardly been tested in the first two games of what is shaping up to be a lopsided series.

In Game One, Detroit did it with defense, limiting Milwaukee to 74 points. In Game Two, the Pistons flashed their offense, shooting 51 percent (42-of-83) from the field and collected 28 fast-break points.

Postgame Quotes
Michael Redd: “They are pushing it on us, and that is our game. That is something we have to work on in the next couple of days before we play them again. I don’t know how many turnovers we had today, but they got a lot of fast-break points, even on some of our makes. I think they put an emphasis on pushing the ball against us and they feel they can push the ball against us.”

[SI.com]

KELLY DWYER: Pistons -- remember them? -- are rolling
Wednesday's annihilation was exactly what you'd expect. On offense, Detroit was allowed to move the ball and set uncontested screen after screen against a Bucks defense that ranks among the league's worst. Milwaukee wasn't even trying, as players like Rip Hamilton and Rasheed Wallace were allowed to slide into open pockets and receive slick passes without even a hint of help defense to complicate things.

[Milwaukee Journal Sentinel]

Breaking point: Down 2-0, Bucks know they must stem tide
"When we have lapses defensively, then we start throwing rocks at the rim," said Bogut. "It all goes downhill at once. We don't get stops and they score and we come down and shoot up rocks. That's the problem with us. One thing happens to us (defensively) and we turn it over or take a bad shot on the next possession and it all collapses."

Wednesday game report
Detroit coach Flip Saunders wanted better ball movement and he got it as the Pistons had 30 assists on their 42 baskets. "Anytime you have 42 buckets and 30 assists and only nine turnovers, you're distributing the ball pretty good," he said.

MICHAEL HUNT: Going against Pistons an exercise in futility
Because here's the thing about the defending Eastern Conference champions and soon-to-be NBA champs: Adjust reasonably well as the Bucks did with two days to amend their passive ways of Game 1, and the Pistons will merely - and casually - find another way to beat you down.

Detroit's balance takes control of everything in Game 2
Auburn Hills, Mich. - A signal as to what type of night it was going to be for Detroit against the Milwaukee Bucks can easily be explained in the fact that the Pistons' first five baskets were scored by five different players.

Notes: What about Billups?
Saunders suggested that the Pistons' runaway success in the Eastern Conference may have affected how voters viewed Billups' impact, especially toward the end of the regular season.

"Our division was closed with 20-something games to go," Saunders said. "The conference was closed with 10 or 12 games to go, so everyone turned their attention toward out west and the chase that was happening out there."

[Milwaukee Bucks Diary]

Where is the Bucks playoff intensity?
It doesn't add up. These are the play-offs. The Bucks are the prohibitive underdogs. The Bucks should be breathing fire, right? I guess not.

[Detroit Bad Boys]

Pistons 109, Bucks 98
Ho hum win. I’m starting to worry that the winner of Cavs/Wiz series is going to have a decided advantage in intensity as a result of this little exhibition series we have going on. Some of the decisions made by the Pistons tonight were far from playoff-decisions. Maybe playing on the road wakes them up a bit.

Still, 30 assists and evenly distributed scoring shows just how good this team can be.

[Need4Sheed.com]

Andrew Bogut's Secret Identity
Maybe there is something we don't know about Andrew, maybe he has a secret nightlife. Is Andrew Bogut GOTH?

[Detroit News]

Billups says team has just "held serve"
The Bucks wanted a better shake from the referees' whistles, and they got it, outscoring the Pistons 18-15 from the free-throw line. The Bucks also figured to get more production out of leading scorer Michael Redd. They got that, too. Redd, who managed just 11 points in Game 1, busted loose for 29.

And guess what? None of it mattered in the least.

BOB WOJNOWSKI: Pistons are being kind to Bucks
Give the Pistons credit for being humane, at least. They're trying to do this as painlessly and swiftly as possible. That's smart, because during their 109-98 pasting of Milwaukee Wednesday night, we spied the only sight capable of making the Pistons nervous.

ROB PARKER: Pistons should put Bucks out of their misery very soon
No wonder nobody in the NBA is talking about this series. No wonder the game was broadcast on NBA TV.

The Pistons' 109-98 victory at The Palace on Wednesday night in Game 2 of their first-round series proved what we already knew: The Bucks can't beat the Pistons.

Bell receives a playoff education
AUBURN HILLS -- Bucks guard Charlie Bell made it clear he wants to make his first playoff run a learning experience. That is why he sidled up to official Tony Brothers midway through the second quarter for a long discussion after he fouled Pistons guard Rip Hamilton.

Bell wanted to explain his case, but he also wanted to know what he did wrong and what he needs to do next time to defend Hamilton better.

Pistons Notebook:
Apparently, the NBA media agrees. According to several national reports, Nash will win the award for the second straight year. The award will be presented in two weeks.

"He deserves it, man," Billups said.

[Detroit Free Press]

Balanced Pistons batter Bucks, go up 2-0
If this is going to be a real series, the Milwaukee Bucks need to find a heartbeat, and fast.

With precision and ease, the Pistons attacked the Bucks and their foul-prone defense in Game 2 of their first-round playoff matchup Wednesday night at the Palace, and once again, Milwaukee crumbled.

DREW SHARP: Saunders robbed in coach of the year vote
Could somebody please explain how Flip Saunders only merits third-place consideration for coach of the year with a team that had 10 more wins than last season, thanks largely to him liberating the offense from its past dictatorial shackles?

Pistons Corner: Reports say Nash is MVP again
The Tribune report, a survey of 75 of the 127 writers and broadcasters who cast MVP ballots, puts Nash well ahead of Cleveland forward LeBron James, who finished second. Dallas' Dirk Nowitzki was third, followed by the Lakers' Kobe Bryant and Billups.

[^^^Isn't Colin Fly one of the names Mike Vick goes by on the road?]

[Milwaukee Journal Sentinel]

Bucks aim to show they're not dead yet
In TNT's coverage of the playoffs on Wednesday, a bracket was put up showing Detroit already through to the Eastern Conference semifinals.

"I've already mentioned it (to the team)," Bucks coach Terry Stotts said of the snub. "For them to say that about us, there are some other series that are 0-2. Kenny (Smith) and Charles (Barkley) are welcome to their opinion. That's what they're paid to do, to entertain people. We have a belief that Saturday will come and we're going to compete and win a game."

Pistons successfully keeping Bucks at a distance
St. Francis - Call it "spurtability."

The Detroit Pistons have it. As soon as the Milwaukee Bucks draw close, the veteran Detroit players tighten up the defense and string together three or four strong offensive possessions. Just like that, a workable deficit balloons to big numbers for the Bucks.

Detroit ready for road test
Thursday at practice, the Pistons spoke of avoiding any sort of let-up and downplayed talk of a sweep.

"It takes four to sweep, not two," Billups said.

This group of Pistons, in their third playoff run together, has never swept a series.

[Bucks Diary]

The Forgotten Man
Despite the fact that the Bucks frontline has been thoroughly whipped by the Pistons frontline, Gadzuric has not gotten one meaningful minute in these playoffs. The reason why eludes me. At first I thought maybe he was sitting because he struggles against the Pistons, but his Eff48 is a robust 24.72 against Detroit this year. While certainly not great, those numbers make him the second most productive Buck vs. Detroit behind only Michael Redd.

[Need4Sheed.com]

Die Hard Female Pistons Fans
I need a DIE HARD female Pistons fan between the ages of 30-50 in the Metro Detroit area who would want to do an interview and talk about her rituals, traditions and superstitions right before the Pistons big games. If you are interested or know anyone who fits the bill email me.

[SI.com]

JACK McCALLUM: Talking Points
From Day One these teams have been my pick to make it to the Finals, and nothing has changed. But it's fascinating the degree to which San Antonio, the champion, changed its team over the summer, while Detroit elected to play with a pat hand.

.... The Pistons, meanwhile, just keep rolling along, as predictable as an Artest screwup. Unlike most coaches, Flip Saunders will not be shrinking his rotation in the postseason. It's been pre-shrunk. Pencil in his starting five, insert Antonio McDyess for offense, Lindsey Hunter for defense and Maurice Evans (the one new face from last season) for a little of both.

[82games.com]

NBA 2005-2006 Playoffs
We will be running many new features during this post-season that will hopefully shine a spotlight on some of the less obvious contributions being made, both good and bad! [Check out the current +/- leader.]

[Detroit News]

Pistons ready for their road test
"We enjoy the challenge of beating teams on their home turf," Chauncey Billups said. "The fans will be going crazy and screaming for them like they should, and the Bucks will be feeding off that. We enjoy that level of competition."

Pistons Notebook: Evans makes most of minimal minutes
"It is tough when you have to sit and not know when your time will come," Evans said. "When you do get in, you feel the pressure to perform and show them why you deserve more time. But I am staying positive, because I know my chances will come and I will make the most of them. It's not always easy to stay patient, because you do want to play so badly and be part of it.

"I know my job: to stay ready and be there for the team."

Saunders defends his move
"I hear everyone talking about sitting him," Saunders said after practice Thursday. "I didn't know we had so many doctors in Detroit. I listen to what Arnie (Kander, physical therapist) and our medical staff tells me. They know."

Nobody is telling Saunders that Hamilton needs to sit. He took treatment with Kander most of the day Thursday and will do the same today. By all accounts, Hamilton will be back in the lineup for Game 3 in Milwaukee on Saturday.

Bucks can't deny Pistons' greatness
Detroit's sports fans have seen two of the greatest passing teams (sorry, Lions, this does not include you) in recent memory. The Red Wings, with the Russian Five, played like hockey's version of the Harlem Globetrotters.

And this Pistons team handles the ball like -- well, basketball's modern version of the Harlem Globetrotters, but without the flash. The ball always seems to be in somebody's good hands.

And in Rasheed Wallace, they have a player who might be the best outlet passer since Bill Walton.

[Detroit News]

Away from home, Pistons will play it safe
"You have to have a different mentality," said Pistons coach Flip Saunders. "You can't be as free on the road as you are at home. Chauncey and I were just kidding" at practice, "but like some of the shots we took in the third quarter, some of those threes, at home you can take those with the crowd. On the road, you can't take those. You can't go for the dagger as much."

Pistons Corner: Flip not planning to sit hurting Rip
Here's what the trainers think: Getting the ankle moving helps prevent additional tightness and swelling, and in cases where the sprain is mild, that's sometimes the best option.

"There's two things," Saunders said. "You have to worry about playing him too much where he gets tired enough that he might just tweak it a little bit. Then you have to worry about if he sits too long, then it tightens up. ... That's why he was in, in the fourth quarter (Wednesday). They said they thought he needed to get in two or three minutes so that if we needed him in the last minutes, he was available."

Bucks Corner: Milwaukee fans fear end is near for their team
"You see it's simple: Detroit is looking at the championship right now," he said. "That's a big difference. Detroit is not thinking about how they're going to beat Milwaukee. All they're thinking is how they're going to get the championship. That's what kills me. We have to win one game."

NBA Ticker
The TNT studio analysts had fun mocking the Bucks during Wednesday night's late broadcast. Host Ernie Johnson sarcastically asked if the series was a barn burner before introducing Game 2's highlights.

"You can burn down the house in Milwaukee 'cause you ain't going to need it soon," analyst Charles Barkley replied.

[Booth Newspapers]

Pistons eagerly await raucous road environment
AUBURN HILLS -- The Detroit Pistons anticipate that Milwaukee Bucks fans will be loud and raunchy -- anything but hospitable hosts -- in Game 3 of their playoff series against the Bucks on Saturday night.

That's exactly what the Pistons want.

i liked this image:

[DetroitPistons.com]

The Palace to host PalaceVision for Game Three
The Detroit Pistons will open the doors to The Palace next Saturday, April 29 at 6:30 p.m. and are encouraging fans to come out and watch Game 3 of the First Round versus the Milwaukee Bucks on the giant PalaceVision screens. Game time is 8 p.m. and there will be a Pistons Game Night pre-game show beginning at 7:30 p.m.

Parking at The Palace is FREE and there will be a general admission charge of $5 to get in. Proceeds from the general admission tickets will go to the Rehabilitation Institute of Michigan (R.I.M), part of the Detroit Medical Center.

Pistons Mailbox: Tony Delk
Q: Who won the dunk contest between Sheed and Rip in practice the other day?
-- Yari, Grand Rapids, MI

Delk: Sheed. Rip was like Nate Robinson trying to dunk the ball, he missed a lot of dunks. The winning dunk was Sheed going up with a one hand dunk. Nothing spectacular, but he made it.

Pre-game Quotes
Chauncey Billups - On possibly going up 3-0:
“If we can do things we have to do and win this game, I think it’s crucial blow. This is going to be a tough game, it’s going to be fun, and they are going to put everything they’ve got into this game. Like I’ve said, I still don’t think we’ve seen the best Bucks team yet. They are going to have the opportunity to play and shoot and fire away shots and things like that with their crowd behind them. It may be a little different, but we are all looking forward to it.”

[Fox Sports]

Charley Rosen's Mailbag: on Billups, Brown, Pistons vs. Spurs
One of the reasons why Carlisle was canned was that Dumars wanted the rookie Tayshaun Prince to play more and the veteran Corliss Williamson less, and Carlisle stubbornly insisted on the reverse. Had Carlisle survived until the addition of Rasheed, the disagreement would have been moot, and Detroit would have likely won the championship anyway. For sure, Brown instilled a certain degree of strait-jacketed discipline, but while LB was more media-friendly, Carlisle had a more honest relationship with most of the players. I happen to believe that both Carlisle and Saunders are better coaches than Brown. And that, while giving Brown his due, he was also the right guy in the right place at precisely the right time.

The real question is whether or not the Pistons would have been as good as they are now with Brown still at the helm. And the answer is a resounding NO.

Team Report: Getting Inside
The Bucks haven't made a lot of turnovers -- 25 in two games -- but the Pistons are punishing them for relying on jump shots. Detroit's frontcourt players are adept at making outlet passes and filling the wings. Their guards make smart decisions on the break. Guards Chauncey Billups, Richard Hamilton and Lindsey Hunter have a combined 28 assists, compared to eight turnovers.

[Boston Globe]

Pistons have every answer for young Bucks
Kukoc, who won three titles with the Chicago Bulls, spent a night in the hospital and has been bedridden with back spasms, allowing him to watch Detroit twice dismantle his current team.

"A team like Detroit, you can't have spurts of seven, eight minutes not playing well because they're using those mistakes, they're using them for break points," Kukoc said Friday.

[Milwaukee Journal Sentinel]

Back to the basics
I think it's actually about realizing that we don't need to dribble," Kukoc said. "If you watch San Antonio play or Detroit, they know how to play the game ... one or two dribbles, but mostly it's a pass. Find the open guy and let him make a decision. They believe in each other. They've been there for so long and played so many games, they earn each other's trust. This (Bucks) team has to come to that point. Michael (Redd) and Mo (Williams) and T.J. (Ford), they have to realize that Andrew (Bogut) or Joe (Smith) or myself or (Bobby ) Simmons can make good decisions and keep the ball moving and find the open shots. So once we reach that point ....

"We have plenty of guys who are good basketball players. I disagree big time with people saying that it's five Detroit guys against one guy (Redd). I think we have plenty of guys who know how to play basketball. It's the first year for a lot of guys here (in Milwaukee) and the first year for guys playing in the playoffs. So it's a really poor decision whoever said that."

Young Bucks ready to rumble
After falling to the Detroit Pistons in the first two games of their Eastern Conference opening-round series, the Bucks know they must put up a fight in Game 3 tonight at the Bradley Center.

[Racine Journal Times]

Kukoc's last hurrah with Bucks?
Michael Redd admires the Pistons and not just for their physical talents. The Pistons, who won the NBA title two years and were runners-up for the title last season to San Antonio, seemed poised for another Finals appearance.

"I got a lot of respect for them,'' Redd said. "They play together and, if they get hurt, they tough it out. They get a lot of credit from me.''

[Bucks Diary]

Pistons-Bucks series as seen by 82games.com
Just as I suspected (and stated in one of my live blogs), the Bucks are doing much better with Redd on the bench. The difference is -33 points. Guess who else is killing Milwaukee. Bogut! His On/Off numbers are just as bad as Redd's. The best among the Bucks who have had significant minutes is Charlie Bell (+25) followed by TJ Ford (+16).

For the Pistons, the best "On/Off" numbers belong to Rasheed Wallace with a whopping +51. Let's face it, he's eating Bogut's lunch for him and then stealing his lunch money to boot. Its such a mismatch. The second best is the self-appointed MVP Chauncey Billups. He's at +43. Maybe he is the catalyst.

[Detroit Bad Boys]

The original Detroit Bad Boys
The Bad Boys certainly had a reputation around the league for being a bunch of thugs, but this should serve as a reminder that they took as much abuse as they gave out. I'm not one to promote violence, but it was exciting back then — you never knew what would happen when players got under each other's skin. Now, you have guys making headlines for bouncing their mouthpiece off the floor. That love tap Ron Artest gave Manu Ginobili? It was nothing compared to Robert Parrish just mauling Laimbeer near the end of this video.

[Need4Sheed.com]

Rip Hamilton Boost Mobile Commercial
Here is the latest Boost Mobile Commercial featuring our favorite Masked Man, Rip Hamilton.

[Detroit Free Press]

Pistons running with the Bucks
Identity theft can be crippling, even in basketball. Just ask the Milwaukee Bucks, a running team that has watched the Pistons skip away to 49 fast-break points in the first two games of their playoff matchup.

Pistons Corner: Players hungry for action
From Monday through Friday this week, the Pistons clocked into work. Four days involved just practice. Though the players were hungry for action, only once did they get to play a game.

Bucks' Bogut remains grounded
Milwaukee Bucks rookie Andrew Bogut, the top pick in last year's NBA draft, isn't your typical 21-year-old professional basketball player. Bogut's parents are Croatian. Bogut, who averaged nine points and 10 rebounds during the regular season, sat down with the Free Press to talk about his rookie season, his hobbies and his diet.

Fab Five versus Bad Boys
Last week, we asked fans which Pistons team is better: The current Fab Five or the Bad Boys of the late 80s.

Many of you gave good opinions. One writer gave us a six-page essay. Sorry, but we didn't have room to run it. But, we have room to run these.

Hamilton featured in NBA insider's book
So what's life off the court really like in the NBA? ESPN The Magazine writer Chris Palmer tackled that question in his book "The Sixth Man: A Season Inside the NBA Playground."

His lively account gives a great glance into the baller's life. One of his five subjects was Pistons shooting guard Richard Hamilton.

[Booth Newspapers]

Fast-break advantage a surprise in Pistons handling of Milwaukee
The Pistons have done a number of things well in the first two games. One of the biggest surprises has been their ability to outscore Milwaukee in fast break points, 49-27.

A. Sherrod Blakely Weblog
Rip did some light work today, spending most of his time doing agility drills and some shooting. He'll start tomorrow night, and in all likelihood, wind up playing 30-plus minutes. I know a lot of people are really worried about his ankle injury, but it's not nearly as bad as some might think. However, don't be surprised to see Flip make Rip the first guy he gets off the floor if Detroit takes control of this game early.

[Associated Press]

Redd Scores 40, Bucks Rip Pistons 124-104
MILWAUKEE (AP) -- Michael Redd is teaching the Milwaukee Bucks how to win in the playoffs, and it's a formula the Detroit Pistons know well - poise, persistence and prolific shooting. Redd scored 40 points and T.J. Ford had a career-high 15 assists to lead the Bucks to their first home playoff victory over the Pistons in 30 years, 124-104 on Saturday night.

The Bucks shot 60 percent from the field and set a season high for points by an opponent against the Pistons, who lead the Eastern Conference series 2-1.

"Phase one is done," Redd said. "We stayed poised and they met their match."

[NBA.com]

Redd scores 40, Bucks rout Pistons
MILWAUKEE, April 29 (Ticker) -- Sharpshooter Michael Redd and the Milwaukee Bucks showed the Detroit Pistons that they are not ready to pack it in just yet.

Redd scored 15 of his playoff career-high 40 points in the third quarter and Mo Williams added 20 off the bench as the Bucks notched their first win in three tries in the Eastern Conference opening-round series, 124-104 over the Pistons.

[ESPN]

Redd rips Pistons for 40
While the Bucks' win had much to do with the Pistons getting lulled into thinking they could win with a minimal effort, Redd proved he's not just a regular-season wonder. His array of moves, high release and utter confidence in knocking down shots through the smallest of defensive windows make him as close to unstoppable as a average-sized shooting guard with average foot speed can be. But there's another level about that, which is being able to be just as aggressive, just as accurate, under playoff pressure.

Piston no-shows: Ben Wallace, Tayshaun Prince and Rip Hamilton combined for 17 points, six rebounds and five assists on 6-for-22 shooting despite averaging 32 minutes apiece.

[SI.com]

These weren't the real Pistons
Without naming (everyone's) names, let's just say the Pistons didn't showcase their typical amounts of hard work and determined play. They saw loose balls on the floor, but didn't hit the floor for them. They saw shooters open on the baseline, but they couldn't be bothered to run out and contest their shots. They saw Tony Delk get beat off the dribble, but decided to stay at home on their man. They noticed the double team coming, but decided to shoot over it anyway. Their loss in Game 3 was an exercise in egoism (in the brain) and lethargy (those leaden feet), Detroit wanted to know if it could beat the Bucks at home while showcasing the minimum amount of effort -- and their answer was a 20-point loss.

[Milwaukee Journal Sentinel]

Savoring home cooking
Late in the game, the Bradley Center crowd chanted, “Detroit sucks” and “Over-rated.”

“We want to go back to Detroit,” said Ford. “Plain and simple. We just need one (victory) in Detroit. That’s all we need.”

Bench provides ample support
[Mo] Williams had a phenomenal shooting night, sinking 9 of 10 shots and finishing with 20 points, while Kukoc added 10 points and six assists in 21 minutes. Williams had sprained his left ankle late in the third quarter of Game 2, while Kukoc sat out the first two games of the series with back spasms.

And don’t forget veteran forward Joe Smith, who contributed 13 points and seven rebounds in 21 productive minutes. The Bucks bench shot a sizzling 75%, converting 18 of 24 shots, and scored 47 points as the resurgent team cut Detroit’s series lead to 2-1.

Ford hands it to teammates in a major way
“They really did (share), 30-something assists,” Billups said. “They definitely played like we played the first two nights.

“They have some deadly three-point shooters. When you let those guys get 30-some assists, you know at least 15 or 16 of those assists are going to lead to three-pointers.”

Saturday Buck report
STATISTICS SHEET: The Bucks, who scored 61 points in the first half, joined Phoenix as the only teams this season to score at least 60 points in the first half against Detroit.

[Wisconsin State Journal]

Redd gives Bucks life
"There's not much to say. They kicked our butts in every category they could," said Detroit coach Flip Saunders, whose team was led by Chauncey Billups (26 points) and Rasheed Wallace (18). "They shot the ball extremely well, they rebounded, they ran and defended. As I told our guys, we never got into playing our style of ball. They were much more aggressive than we were. ... Now, we've got a series."

[Booth Newspapers]

Physical play evident in NBA playoffs
While there appears to be a crackdown on physical play, Detroit coach Flip Saunders said he's not worried that it will impact his team.

"We play physical and aggressive, but we try to do our dirty work early," Saunders said. "I don't think (playoff basketball this year) is more physical. They're (league officials) trying to keep it where it doesn't get out of hand, so they're a little quicker with some of the calls from that standpoint."

[5-Point Bucks]

Game 3 recap
[Basically a bunch of game pix and anti-bully images from McGruff the Crime Dog and other kids' literature.]

[Detroit News]

Bucks Bash: Pistons defense gets eaten up in Game 3 blowout
"I wasn't frustrated by what they did," Ben Wallace said. "It was frustrating the way we were playing. We were pounding the ball down to Sheed (Rasheed Wallace) in the post early, then we went away from it. We tried to do it the hard way. We got stagnant, man. Sheed was going, we should have rode that all the way."

Pistons' grades
B- Chauncey Billups was strong, and Rip Hamilton was just hit-and-miss. The lapses on the defensive end and a more bottled-up transition game didn't fully allow them to get things in gear for the rest of the team.

Pistons report
The Pistons allowed 124 points, the most this season. The previous high was 120 to the Wizards, but that was in a triple-overtime contest.

The last time the Pistons allowed that many points in the playoffs was May 2, 1991, when they gave up 123 to the Hawks.

Three stars
2nd Star: Mo Williams, Bucks. His jumper was blazing and he took advantage of every Pistons lapse. He came off the bench to get 20 points in 18 minutes. He ignited the Bucks' big runs in the second and third quarters.

McDyess recognized in Sixth Man voting
McDyess' strong second half didn't go unnoticed. He wound up finishing fourth in the balloting to winner Mike Miller, Speedy Claxton and Jerry Stackhouse. McDyess got five first-place votes, 12 second-place votes and 16 third-place votes.

[Detroit Free Press]

Bucks rebound by pounding Pistons, 124-104
It was an atrocious game for the Pistons. They allowed the Bucks to shoot 60.3% from the field, including 65% (11 of 17) on three-pointers. They were outrebounded, out-assisted, outmuscled for points inside, outrun for points on the break, and outclassed in every way.