Showing more pride least of Pistons' worries

Chris McCosky
The Detroit News

Friday, April 24, 2009

Auburn Hills -- Pistons players might not have any fight left, but coach Michael Curry isn't ready to give up.

"You guys can write our obituary if you want to, but you may have to change the date on it," he said Thursday. "We are all going to die sometime."

The death of the season seems imminent for the Pistons. Not only are they down 2-0 to the No. 1 seed Cleveland Cavaliers, they hardly made them sweat in two games at Quicken Loans Arena.

Plus, everybody from national and local media to Antonio McDyess is questioning the Pistons' heart.

"I hear the words pride and heart and I don't know where you go with that," Curry said. "You step out on that court to compete -- all your heart and all your pride every time you step out there. I don't know how you play with pride sometimes and sometimes you don't. Do you leave pride at the door and pick it back up on your way out?.

"I just know when you step out on the court you got a chance to compete, and I wouldn't care if I was playing for the Pistons or playing pick-up ball at the recreation center."

When told his players haven't reacted similarly, Curry disagreed.

"I thought we didn't play well against a very good home team and that's it," he said. "I don't think all of a sudden you can question heart and pride for a group of guys that's won. Now physically they might not be able to do things they've done before. I can acknowledge that part. But I don't go no deeper than that."

The crux of the Pistons' problems with the Cavs is LeBron James.

James is averaging 33.5 points, 10.5 rebounds and 6.5 assists. He's shot more free throws in two games (31) than the entire Pistons team (28).

The Pistons made a couple of adjustments on James in Game 2. They trapped him harder, forced him out of the paint more and forced the ball out of his hands more. But James still scored 29, and attracting the extra defensive pressure freed up Mo Williams and Delonte West (41 points combined) and allowed the Cavs' big men more space to get to the glass

You can see why Curry thinks pride and heart are the least of his worries.

Tayshaun Prince, however, may be at the top of Curry's worry list. As the Pistons struggle to score (83 points), Prince, the team's second-leading scorer (not counting Allen Iverson), has been outscored 67-6 by his counterpart James.

Prince is battling a sore lower back and said it limited him in the first two games. He said if it limited him at all in tonight's Game 3, he'd pull himself out.

"I will give whatever I can give," he said. "I am not the type of person to give excuses about injuries because I know both Rasheed and Rip (Hamilton) played hurt for us this season."

When asked what the team can do to help him offensively, Prince didn't hesitate.

"Move the ball," he said. "I said that to the guys after the last game. If we don't move the ball, Rodney Stuckey and Rip are our primary scorers.

Curry has emphasized trying to push the ball more, to get more out of primary and secondary breaks, but the only way the Pistons can do that is to get defensive stops.

"Look, we went into the series knowing they only lost (two) games at home," he said. "We knew it would be difficult for us to win up there. But I reminded the guys that we are home now.

"You can get down in a series, but the good thing about it is, we have two games at home. If we can take care of our home court, it's 2-2 going back up to Cleveland."

But as Prince, ever the realist, pointed out, "We have been a bad team at home this year. We are going to have to make a dramatic change if being home is going to make a difference."

http://detnews.com/article/200...+of+Pistons++worries

quote:

"I just know when you step out on the court you got a chance to compete, and I wouldn't care if I was playing for the Pistons or playing pick-up ball at the recreation center."

Seems like the latter, even during the regular season.

quote:

Prince is battling a sore lower back and said it limited him in the first two games. He said if it limited him at all in tonight's Game 3, he'd pull himself out.

"I will give whatever I can give," he said. "I am not the type of person to give excuses about injuries because I know both Rasheed and Rip (Hamilton) played hurt for us this season."

They should just do what AI did. The outcome would be the same anyway.

quote:

Originally posted by Walter:

quote:

"I just know when you step out on the court you got a chance to compete, and I wouldn't care if I was playing for the Pistons or playing pick-up ball at the recreation center."

Seems like the latter, even during the regular season.

quote:

Prince is battling a sore lower back and said it limited him in the first two games. He said if it limited him at all in tonight's Game 3, he'd pull himself out.

"I will give whatever I can give," he said. "I am not the type of person to give excuses about injuries because I know both Rasheed and Rip (Hamilton) played hurt for us this season."

They should just do what AI did. The outcome would be the same anyway.

No surrender.