0205060229
DETROIT FREE PRESS
020506
Monday, May 06, 2002
METRO FINAL
1A
Photo KIRTHMON F. DOZIER/Detroit Free Press
Pistons forward Ben Wallace rips down one of his game-high 12
rebounds against Boston's Tony Battie. COVERAGE, 1D
MITCH ALBOM FREE PRESS COLUMNIST
Copyright (c) 2002, Detroit Free Press
BIG WIN, EMPTY SEATS
PISTONS PUT ON A GREAT SHOW, BUT FANS SHOULD BE ASHAMED
So where were you? The last time the Pistons played in a conference semifinal,
they were the defending NBA champions and the city was nuts. You'd cut off
your arm for a ticket.
That was 11 years ago. Now, finally, here they were again on Sunday afternoon,
conference semifinals, whupping up on -- of all teams -- the Boston Celtics,
and there were tickets available, tickets unused, and so many empty seats, in
certain sections you could have strung a net and played volleyball.
These were the $10 seats and $19 seats, folks. They won't break the budget.
You pay that to park near Joe Louis Arena. You pay more to sit through a Lions
loss. It was Sunday afternoon, for goodness' sake, no traffic issues, no work
issues, not even a Red Wings game as alternative entertainment. So where were
you?
Shame on us as a sports-crazy town. Sports-crazy towns don't miss moments like
this: 35-year-old Cliff Robinson hitting one youthful three-pointer after
another -- six in all -- racking up 30 points. Jerry Stackhouse, returning to
form, with 26 points and nearly a triple double. Michael Curry, the scrappy
guy who was never drafted, who played in Germany, Belgium, France and the CBA,
now starting and playing tough defense on Boston superstar Paul Pierce, and
hitting the signature shot of the afternoon, a long trey as the buzzer sounded
to end the third quarter.
When that ball swished, Curry threw his hands in the air as he backpedaled.
"Wooooo!" he bellowed.
The game would soon be won -- with the Pistons setting a team record for
three-pointers in a playoff game -- giving Detroit as many playoff victories
this season as it's had in the last nine years. As comeback stories go, that's
a heck of an afternoon.
Where were you?
Beast of the East
Obviously, someplace else. There were nearly 2,000 unsold tickets Sunday.
There had to be at least another 1,000 unused. And there are -- get this --
5,000 seats still left for Game 2 Wednesday night.
Five thousand? That's nearly 25 percent of the building.
Hey. In case you haven't noticed, folks, basketball around here has not
exactly been playoff rich the last few years. And in case you haven't noticed,
this Pistons team finished second in the conference with 50 victories.
And in case you haven't noticed, there's nobody in the East this year so
formidable that the idea of the Pistons reaching the NBA Finals -- you know,
the Lakers, Marv Albert, NBC, all that stuff? -- is preposterous, silly or
even that much of a longshot.
Yet we have rows and rows of empty seats. Come on. They already give out pizza
at the Palace. What are you waiting for, a free car?
"Do the empty seats bother you?" Curry was asked, after his standout effort,
terrific defense, 15 points and 40 -- count 'em, 40 -- minutes, due to the
broken hand that has sidelined Zeljko Rebraca for the series.
"Well, the people who came were loud," he said, diplomatically. "I understand
if some people don't come. I know it's Sunday afternoon and all."
Uh, hello? That's when the NBA plays its marquee games. That's when the NFL
plays its games. Sunday afternoon should be the easiest time for fans, not the
hardest.
We did mention that the Pistons won, didn't we?
Goin' back to work
And it's a good thing they did. This 96-84 victory may be the easiest one they
get. The Celtics were coming off an emotional Round 1-clinching victory Friday
night, they had to fly Saturday and play midday Sunday. Don't be fooled by the
final score. Boston isn't likely to shoot 37.5 percent for long, and the
Pistons won't keep shooting 50.7 percent. They were still outrebounded by
Boston, and when Pierce and Antoine Walker find their games, the Pistons will
need all the tools in their shed.
Still, Sunday showed just how stocked that shed can be. Besides shooting well,
Detroit blocked 10 shots -- five by the master of rejection, Ben Wallace,
three more by Robinson. The Pistons also had 24 assists. They have become good
at something the old Celtics used to specialize in -- whipping the ball around
to the open man. On Sunday, it was not uncommon to see three Detroit passes
without a dribble, followed by an open jumper. I thought that stuff had been
retired to the NBA museum.
And, before we finish, how about a hand for Robinson, the shaved head, the red
headband, the man who has now played in more than 100 NBA playoff games and
acted Sunday as if the thrill is definitely not gone?
"Do you get in a rhythm on those three-pointers?" he was asked, after he
torched Boston repeatedly from the same spots.
"Oh, yeah, it's a rhythm," he said. "It's like I can't wait to get the ball
again."
The Pistons, to a man, feel that way toward Game 2.
If we want to call ourselves a sports town, we should, too.
Contact MITCH ALBOM at 313-223-4581 or albom@freepress.com. Catch "Albom in
the Afternoon" 3-6 p.m. weekdays on WJR-AM (760).
THIS ELECTRONIC VERSION MAY DIFFER SLIGHTLY FROM THE PRINTED ARTICLE.
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