WHY CAN’T WE PLAY IN WIDE-OPEN WEST?
So there I am, at the Palace, Wednesday night, the game has just ended, the Pistons won on a last-second shot by Chucky Atkins, and I walk into the press area and a TV is on. And I see Charles Barkley from TNT holding his head as if someone had pulled out his molars....
PISTONS KNEW THEY COULD COUNT ON ATKINS
The suit said it all. It was light charcoal gray, matched with black loafers and a knit shirt. A nice suit, really. But on the wrong man. Chauncey Billups was wearing it, and it was nearly game time, which meant two things: He wasn’t taking it off, and Chucky...
TIME TO CELEBRATE A LIFE IN LONG PANTS
When F. Scott Fitzgerald said there were no second acts in American lives, he could have been talking about pro athletes. Rare is the sports star who comes anywhere close to achieving in his slow years what he did in his fast ones.Joe Dumars is different. He always...
Piston Road Show Flops In Philly; Series Tied At 2
PHILADELPHIA — Allen Iverson had the look, and Chucky Atkins tried to square in front of him. Atkins leaned in. He stayed on his toes. He went to swipe the ball — and instead knocked Iverson’s headband down over his eyes.
Well. There’s an idea. Maybe if they make him play blindfolded. . . .
Short of that, the Pistons had better come up with something. Because there’s even in games and there’s even in edge. And while this series may be tied at 2, the Pistons on Sunday night had their heads down for a reason.
HEY, PHILLY KID, WHO YOU ROOTIN’ FOR?
PHILADELPHIA — I land at the airport. I make a phone call. A local sports talk show has asked to speak to me. I brace myself.”Our next guest is a writer in Detroit,” the host says. “But he’s a Philly kid! Hey, Mitch! How can you not be...
WRONG FOLKS PAYING FOR MICHIGAN’S PAST SINS
Chris Webber promised to buy each of his teammates a brand-new Mercedes if Sacramento won the NBA title last year. This year, he’s setting a higher standard. “The championship will be enough,” he says.It must be nice to have such options, unbounded...
Looks Aren’T What They Seem With Okur
He is either an old man in a young man’s body or a young man in an old man’s face. Appearances are deceiving with Mehmet Okur. He is a rookie, but he looks like he could have four kids and a minivan. He is a strong rebounder, but his body looks like the “before” ad for one of those muscle gyms.
THE BRIGHT STUFFDESPITE POWER OUTAGE, PISTONS LIGHT UP 76ERS
The lights came on. The lights went out. The lights came on again. And then, in the fourth quarter, the lights went out.The first time was electrical. Something blew in the breakers and the Palace went dark. Then the second time was physical and emotional. Chauncey...
Pistons Cast Off Magic With Hard Work And A Fresh Prince
Tracy McGrady was surrounded by doom. He tried to lose Michael Curry on a screen, but Chauncey Billups slid over. He tried to lose Billups, but Cliff Robinson slid over. He tried to go past Robinson, but here came Curry again, with Ben Wallace on the way, and McGrady fell, grabbed at the ball and, with no other option, looked desperately to the ref and called time out.
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