0305170621
DETROIT FREE PRESS
030517
Saturday, May 17, 2003
METRO FINAL CHASER
1A
Photo KIRTHMON F. DOZIER/Detroit Free Press
Even a Philadelphia sandwich of Kenny Thomas, left, and Derrick Coleman can't
keep Ben Wallace from pulling down one of his 18 rebounds. He also had 10
points, five steals and three blocked shots.
MITCH ALBOM FREE PRESS COLUMNIST
GAME 6: DETROIT 93, PHILADELPHIA 89 (OT)
Copyright (c) 2003, Detroit Free Press
ROLL ON, PISTONS!
76ERS OUSTED; EASTERN FINALS START SUNDAY
PHILADELPHIA -- Ticking, ticking, the clock was ticking, and Chauncey Billups,
sweat dripping from his forehead, had finally found something else to think
about besides his injured left ankle: winning the series.
Ticking, ticking, looking, setting, launching, watching, and finally, finally,
smiling, as the ball swished through the net and the air went out of the
building and Billups, along with Pistons fans everywhere, exhaled with a long
collective breath.
Thru. Through. Whew.
It took more than three hours and it felt like a month, but after a terrible
start, a wicked middle and an overtime that was the epitome of the words
"second wind," the Pistons are done with the Philadelphia 76ers, done with
Allen Iverson, and onto a place they haven't been since they were the
defending champions of the NBA: the Eastern Conference finals.
"We never stopped believing," said Billups, after the Pistons' 93-89 comeback
victory that wrapped up this series, four games to two. "Even games that look
out of reach, we always feel we can come back."
Philly's thru.
The Pistons are through.
Everybody: Whew!
This was, let's face it, an exhausting, exasperating and at times exhilarating
series. It featured terrible shooting but marvelous defense, terrible
decisions but marvelous instincts, terrible individual performances but
wonderful individual moments. It featured a miraculous one-man offense in
Iverson, who scored six straight in overtime, 38 for the night, and who almost
beat the Pistons by himself.
But in the end, it came back to the beginning, with Billups, who was the
scoring star of Game 1 before injuring the ankle and all but disappearing
until Friday night, again hitting huge three-pointers -- three in the OT --
including the killer with 15 seconds left in the game.
"When we went into overtime I just told them, 'I am about to take this game
over,' " Billups said. "And they were like, 'All right.' "
So I guess the ankle is OK.
Thru. Through. Whew.
Some very good signs
First things first. Hats off to this squad. Not many of us thought the Pistons
would win this game. Most expected a return to the Palace and the comforts of
home for a Game 7. But the Pistons did what they had to do. They won in six.
That makes two series in a row that Detroit, with an awful playoff road
record, won the game it had to win -- on the road. That bodes well for the
future.
And hats off here to Billups, who was what they called "a game-time decision."
You wonder whose head we'd have to cut off if the decision had been to keep
him sitting. Billups started gingerly, but got stronger as the night went on.
He finished with 28 points despite missing most of his shots. That's because
every one he did make was a killer, and five of his six baskets were
three-pointers.
"His ability to rise up and hit long-range shots has been a big key for us,"
coach Rick Carlisle said afterward.
No kidding. With Billups hitting like that, anything seems possible. With
Tayshaun Prince getting better every minute, anything seems possible. With Ben
Wallace pulling down 18 rebounds -- and on this night, he was really PULLING
them down -- anything seems possible. Consider this: The Pistons won this
game, on the road, against Iverson, while shooting 34 percent.
I guess this defense stuff really works, huh?
"We're a group where you have to sometimes wait, stay ready, wait, stay
ready," said Corliss Williamson, who did exactly that, exploding with his best
night of the series Friday, scoring 17 points and drawing all kinds of fouls.
"But we're improving. Last year, we made it to the second round, and that was
the first time for a lot of us. Now we're in the conference finals, and
this'll be the first time for a lot of us. This is a special team."
The team moves on.
Bring on the Nets
And now it's hello, New Jersey. The Eastern Conference finals, for the first
time since 1991. Under the direction of Carlisle and the construction of Joe
Dumars, the Pistons are clawing back to their glory days with a whole
different look. They get no rest here. The series starts Sunday afternoon, at
the Palace, against the Nets, who swept their second-round series and have
been sitting in whirlpools waiting for an opponent. The Pistons, truth be
told, are glad to be playing New Jersey as opposed to the Boston Celtics.
Detroit likes its matchups with Jersey. At the very least, the Nets don't have
Iverson.
(By the way, Iverson had a remarkable game Friday night. There were plays in
which he single-handedly went through four of the five Pistons on the floor.
In the end, he couldn't do it all by himself. But, man, he sure tried.)
But that's over now. The Pistons are continuing the grand experiment, seeing
if you can get to an NBA championship without the typical superstar. They are
halfway to a crown now, and playing more like a unit than ever. There were
times when they looked like a fishing net on defense, trapping anything that
swam in, frustrating Sixers as they twisted to get free.
"I can't say enough about our team and how they did what they had to do,"
Carlisle said. "Everyone has been instrumental. Chucky Atkins stepping up in
the absence of Chauncey. Tayshaun stepping up the way he did. Corliss tonight
being a difference maker. . . ."
And on they go. It was tough, it was physical, it was sticky, gooey, bloody,
messy, ugly and devoid, at times, of anything that resembled offense. But the
Pistons delivered the goods when they most had to, twice in overtime, once on
the road. And here's where they are this morning: one of the last four teams
still standing in the best basketball league in the world.
Thru. Through. Whew.
Hard to believe, but hockey seems a long way away, doesn't it?
Contact MITCH ALBOM at 313-223-4581 or albom@freepress.com. Catch "The Mitch
Albom Show" 3-6 p.m. weekdays on WJR-AM (760). Also catch "Monday Sports
Albom" 7-8 p.m. Mondays on WJR.
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