|
|
Larry Brown wasn't at the Palace Friday night, and when he returns today to watch film of the Pistons' 84-71 blunder against Miami, he won't be happy.
Forcing outside shots and unable to get in sync at either end of the floor,
the Pistons dropped to 2-3 for the exhibition season with an effort that was
180 degrees south of Wednesday's 123-95 spanking of Boston.
Brown was in Lawrence, Kan., on Friday as the University of Kansas celebrated the 15th anniversary of its 1988 NCAA championship team, which was coached by Brown.
That left the Pistons' coaching reins to assistant Mike Woodson. It was his
first stint as the lead coach at the NBA level. Ticketmaster
Unfortunately, the Pistons did everything wrong in the first half from an offensive
standpoint. They settled for outside jump shots and scored zero points in the
paint in the first quarter. Meanwhile, the Heat (4-1) surged to a 30-18 lead
by shooting 78.6 percent from the field.
"I thought offensively we never got into a flow like we did the other night,"
Woodson said. "I have to take the blame for a lot of that. . . . You have
to give Pat (Riley's) team a lot of credit. They really defend, and that's what
he's known for."
Eddie Jones led Miami with 19 points, and former Piston John Wallace scored
15.
Before leaving the game in the second quarter with a sprained left foot, Miami
rookie point guard Dwayne Wade made all three of his shots from the field and
scored eight points. He also had two steals and two assists. Ticketmaster
Chauncey Billups had 17 points for the Pistons. Ben Wallace had 13 points, 14
rebounds and six steals.
With guard Richard Hamilton out with a fractured nose, Woodson started Chucky
Atkins and Billups in the backcourt.
"I don't think we moved the ball as well as the last game," said Atkins,
who scored six points in 35 minutes. "Definitely the defensive pressure
wasn't there. That was sort of my fault. I didn't get after my guy like I usually
do. We have to get back in the gym and work on it tomorrow."
Piston notebook: Backup center Zeljko Rebraca said he hoped to play in his first
exhibition Sunday at Syracuse against Denver. Rebraca has been recovering from
a surgical procedure to alleviate an irregular heartbeat. . . . Lindsey Hunter
missed his second straight game with a strained right hamstring. Bobby Sura
was out with a stiff back and Hubert Davis with a strained left hamstring.
New York 88, San Antonio 74: Keith Van Horn scored 22 points to lead the visiting
Knicks (1-5). Tim Duncan had 20 points and 13 rebounds for the Spurs (3-2).
L.A. Clippers 95, Cleveland 90: Rookie LeBron James played point guard for Cleveland,
but his seven turnovers helped fuel the host Clippers. Ticketmaster
Memphis 84, Orlando 65: Pau Gasol scored 26 points in 26 minutes for the host
Memphis. Juwan Howard led Orlando with 11 points.
Indiana 96, Minnesota 93: Ron Artest had 30 points, seven rebounds and six assists
for the host Pacers (3-2). Gary Trent led the Timberwolves (2-3) with 23 points.
Boston 95, New Jersey 90: Paul Pierce scored 30 points for the visiting Celtics
(1-4). Kenyon Martin scored 15 for the Nets (3-1). Ticketmaster
Toronto 86, Denver 81: Lamond Murray scored 16 points for the host Raptors (4-0).
Rookie Carmelo Anthony had 19 points for the Nuggets (3-1).
Notebook: Allen Iverson did not join the Philadelphia 76ers on a three-game
trip that started with an exhibition at Utah on Friday night. Karen Frascona,
the Sixers' vice president of communications, said Iverson left the team Thursday
for personal reasons and was expected to rejoin the team when it plays New Orleans
on Monday in Norfolk, Va., near Iverson's hometown of Hampton. Frascona did
not elaborate. . . . Just 24 hours after saying he wanted Kobe Bryant to get
some playing time Friday night, Los Angeles Lakers coach Phil Jackson pushed
back the timetable for Bryant's return by several days. "He's not ready
to play. I think it's more conditioning than (his surgically repaired) knee,"
Jackson said before the Lakers hosted the Phoenix Suns. Shaquille O'Neal, hampered
by a bruised heel, also sat out against Phoenix. "We are listing them as
day to day, but the chances of them playing Sunday are slim and remote,"
Jackson said.