The Rocky Mountain News (Chris Tomasson) reports (via blog) on the Nuggets point guard remembering not making the All-Star team in 2005, when the weekend was held in his hometown of Denver: The point guard the previous season had led Detroit to the NBA title was named Finals MVP. And Billups was in the midst of a season in which he would lead the Pistons back to the Finals. Nevertheless, he wasn’t chosen for the game at the Pepsi Center. “I came home and everything and I wasn’t going to go to the All-Star Game, man. ‘I can’t believe I’m not in it,”’ Billups said. “My wife (Piper) was like, ‘Don’t be like that. Still go.’ So I went and I sat there the whole time. I don’t think I said one word the whole time. I was sitting there like, ‘I can’t believe I’m not in this.’ That’s just another one of the pains that fuels my fire. Try to get in next year.”
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Pistons slumping at home
The Detroit News (Ted Kulfan) reports: The Pistons lost for the sixth time in seven games at home Wednesday to the Atlanta Hawks 99-95… The Pistons (27-24) head into the All-Star break with a three-game losing streak and are 5-12 in their last 17 games. “Definitely you don’t get to enjoy your break,” said coach Michael Curry, who believes the long weekend away from basketball could help his team. “Guys look physically tired and mentally drained. Hopefully this can re-energize them.” … “It’s not a good feeling,” Allen Iverson said of the Pistons’ recent slide. “In life you have to deal with adversity. It’s something we have to deal with right now. The whole thing is to stay positive and stick with each other.”
Bulls ask NBA to review McDyess screen
The Chicago Sun-Times (Brian Hanley) reports: The Bulls have asked the NBA to review the screen set by Antonio McDyess that injured rookie Derrick Rose with 10.6 seconds left in the Bulls’ 107-102 win over the Detroit Pistons on Tuesday night. McDyess looked as if he lowered his shoulder into Rose as Rose was trying to get around him along the baseline. The two collided, and Rose immediately screamed in pain and held his head. No foul was called on the play, which resulted in a bad pass and turnover by the Pistons’ Richard Hamilton.
Joe Johnson 27 points, Hawks beat Pistons 99-95
The AP reports: Joe Johnson scored 27 points and Flip Murray had 23 Wednesday night, leading Atlanta to a 99-95 win over Detroit… Allen Iverson scored 26 for the Pistons, who fell a game under .500 since he joined the lineup… Detroit’s Richard Hamilton scored 14, Rodney Stuckey and Tayshaun Prince each scored 12 and Antonio McDyess added 10 points and 10 rebounds. Rasheed Wallace didn’t play for the last 16-plus minutes and finished with nine points and seven rebounds.
Gordon leads Bulls over Pistons, 107-102
The AP reports: Ben Gordon then buried the free throw to complete the go-ahead four-point play, Derrick Rose and Tyrus Thomas made strong contributions late, and the Chicago Bulls rallied to beat the Detroit Pistons 107-102 on Tuesday night… The Pistons were without Allen Iverson, who had the flu. Even so, they appeared to be in good shape… Richard Hamilton, who scored 30, was at a loss to decipher this one, too… Rose, who finished with 23 points, scored nine in the final 4 minutes and started that 9-0 run with two free throws… Tyrus Thomas, who finished with 22 points and 10 rebounds, added a put-back basket and blocked a layup by Stuckey during that spurt.
Iverson throws nasty pass
The Detroit Free Press (Carlos Monarrez) reports: On a fast break late in the third quarter, Allen Iverson spotted Richard Hamilton streaking toward the basket and bounced a pass through Grant Hill’s legs. Hamilton took the pass under the basket and scored on a lay-up. “I just saw Rip running,” Iverson said. “I didn’t want to put too much air under it, so that’s why I bounced it. I felt like if I threw a bounce pass it would get there fast enough. I think Grant going for it, trying to steal it, he just added more to the play. It might not have seemed as spectacular if he wouldn’t have tried to stick his foot out there and kick it. It’s a play that I’ve made before, a play that I’ve been practicing since I was kid, since seeing Magic Johnson do it.”
Nash 21 assists, Suns beat Pistons 107-97
The AP reports: Steve Nash scored 15 and had a season-high 21 assists, directing a balanced offense for Phoenix in a 107-97 win over the Detroit Pistons on Sunday night… Amare Stoudemire had 18 points and seven rebounds, Jason Richardson scored 21, Shaquille O’Neal had nine of his 20 points in the pivotal second period, and Grant Hill added 10 points… Richard Hamilton scored 27 and Iverson had 25 points for the Pistons, who have lost 11 of 17. Rasheed Wallace scored 16, Tayshaun Prince had 11 and Rodney Stuckey was held to just eight points and only one assist for the Pistons.
Sessions scores 44 but Bucks lose to Pistons 126-121
The AP reports: Richard Hamilton scored 38 points, Allen Iverson had 27 and the two combined for 15 of Detroit’s 17 points in overtime in a 126-121 victory over the injury-plagued Milwaukee Bucks on Saturday night… Iverson, who also had nine assists, helped the Pistons to their second straight gritty win following a 3-9 stretch that they stopped with a win against Miami… Ramon Sessions scored 20 of his career-high 44 in the fourth quarter and overtime and put Milwaukee up for the final time when he hit two free throws that made it 121-120 with 46 seconds left.
Big Stuckey game, Pistons beat Heat 93-90
The AP reports: The Pistons missed four free throws in the final 20 seconds and only picked up a 93-90 victory over Miami on Wednesday night when Heat star Dwyane Wade’s 3-pointer bounced off the rim as time expired… Rodney Stuckey and Wallace had 18 points each for Detroit, while Antonio McDyess added a season-high 17 rebounds. Wade led Miami with 29 points and 13 assists… Miami’s Shawn Marion left late in the first quarter after a collision with Allen Iverson, but returned before halftime.
Pistons sellout streak ends at 259 games
With tonight’s attendance of 21,720, the Detroit Pistons sellout streak of 259 consecutive games has come to an end. The streak, which began on January 19, 2004 versus San Antonio and includes playoff games, is the longest sellout streak in franchise history. The Pistons tallied 245 consecutive sellouts between the first game played at the Palace of Auburn Hills on November 5, 1988 and December 10, 1993.
“Our great fans should be applauded for filling The Palace of Auburn Hills on 259 consecutive occasions and it has certainly been a special time in Pistons basketball history,” said Tom Wilson, President of Palace Sports and Entertainment. “We are fortunate to have the best basketball fans in the NBA and we will continue to provide them with the best possible sports entertainment experience.”
Detroit has led the NBA in regular-season attendance five of the last six years, including the 2007-08 campaign in which 905,116 fans enjoyed Pistons basketball for the fourth consecutive season.
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