HOUSTON (Ticker) The Detroit Pistons offered the rare elements of teamwork and defense for Sunday’s NBA All-Star Game. For the Eastern Conference, they arrived just in time.
Playing together in a pair of stretches, the quartet of Pistons fueled a second-half rally from a 21-point deficit and sparked the East to a 122-120 victory over the Western Conference on Sunday night.
In a game often about individualism, the Pistons showed everyone why they are the NBA’s best unit. Even within the context of a wide-open affair, they were able to put their indelible imprint on the midseason showcase one strong enough to provide a win.
“We play our own way,” said Pistons guard Chauncey Billups, who had 15 points and seven assists. “We all play hard and we play to win and I think that might have rubbed off on a few of the other (East) guys tonight. That is the only thing we know how to do and I guess it paid off.”
“To have those four guys out there, all on the same team, it was awesome to see,” said Cleveland Cavaliers swingman LeBron James, who scored 29 points and was named MVP.
Billups, backcourt mate Richard Hamilton, center Ben Wallace and forward Rasheed Wallace all were selected as reserves, marking the first time a team placed four All-Stars since the Los Angeles Lakers in 1998.
Pistons coach Flip Saunders, who guided the East, said he would put all four on the floor together and remained true to his word when he inserted them with 3:38 remaining in the first quarter. The impact was minimal, however.
“The most fun I had was to have Rip and Chauncey out there for the first time,” said Ben Wallace, who was playing in his fourth All-Star Game. “It was great to go through this experience with them. It was great to see the looks on their face and how they reacted everytime their names were called.”
“We kind of went out there laughing and just joking around a little bit,” said Hamilton, who scored six points.
The East trailed, 74-53, early in the second half before mounting a comeback. The Pistons began returning piecemeal until all four were together again in the late stages of the third period.
In one sequence, Ben Wallace had a pair of blocks on Pau Gasol and Hamilton made a layup to cut the deficit to 96-94.
“I think we got the momentum right there,” said Wallace, who did not score but had eight rebounds and two blocks. “I think even before that the momentum had begun to shift and that was a really big play right there. After that, we were able to take control of the game.”
Billups opened the fourth quarter with a tying three-point play and Rasheed Wallace added his only basket for the lead. Billups had a jumper and Hamilton and Billups converted transition layups as the Pistons scored the East’s first 11 points of the period to provide a 105-101 lead.
“I know we had a lot of fun out there but when it got down to it, I wanted people to compete,” Billups said. I think for the most part everyone did. I think once we all got on the same page, the only way we went was hard. I don’t know if we all did that in the first half as a whole###but in the second half, I was so happy because we all went for it and we made a game out of it.”
Saunders mixed and matched from there, using Billups and the Wallaces in various spots down the stretch. The East was clinging to a 122-120 lead in the final seconds when Rasheed Wallace a three-time All-Star###came up with a loose ball to clinch the victory.
The impact of the Pistons playing together was obvious. In the second half, the West scored just 50 points, the lowest-scoring half since it had 49 in a 111-110 loss in 2001.
“You could definitely see the game change when they were running all together,” San Antonio Spurs forward Tim Duncan said.
It is that sort of teamwork that has made the Pistons the best team in the NBA. While many teams rely on one or two stars and complementary players, their starting lineup which also includes improving young forward Tayshaun Prince has no weak links.
In addition to being terrific defenders, each is a threat to score, which makes them very tough to beat as a unit. Just ask the Western Conference.
“They were getting stops, they were running some of their stuff,” West coach Avery Johnson of Dallas said. “We didn’t really have time to plan for anything that they were doing in that sense, even though these guys have played against them.”
