Down to Earth

The Pistons lost twice last night.

The first loss occurred in the early evening when New Jersey Nets owner Mikhail Prokhorov officially nixed the 3-team Carmelo Anthony trade. That sad bit of news means that, despite my grandiose claims that it was "only a matter of time," poor Rip Hamilton won't be leaving the Pistons any time soon.

Later, the Pistons took the best team in the East - the Boston Celtics - to the wire, only to lose in a rather demoralizing fashion. For most of the game, the Pistons matched the Celtics beat-for-beat. This wasn't the broken down, disinterested Celtic team that visited the Palace a month ago. Everyone was healthy and firing on all cylinders, and the Pistons actually outplayed them for long stretches.

During the third quarter, normally the Pistons bugaboo, the Celtics could not shoot straight. Whether it was solid Pistons' D or just cold shooting (likely the latter), the Pistons had a chance to build a substantial lead. But Boston ramped up their effort just enough to stay close. Then, in the 4th quarter, the Celtics really brought the pain and thoroughly dominated the Pistons, like a big brother pinning the helpless, frustrated underling.

With 7 minutes to go, the Pistons actually had a 6pt lead. Yet, Kuester inexplicably opted to bench Ben Gordon who just found his shooting rhythm. The Celtics proceeded to go on a 7-1 run to tie the game, as the Pistons' offense went cold. The one player who surprisingly delivered in the clutch for Detroit was Greg Monroe. He made two successive layups to give the Pistons a 4pt lead with under 3 minutes remaining. Boston countered with their own hoop to cut it to 2. Then, with 1:30 left, Prince intercepted a pass and rushed down for a potential fast break. Boston hurried back to negate a layup. Prince fed McGrady at the top of the arc. In what can only be called a bone-headed play for a guy who I've praised regularly for his excellent decision-making this season, T-Mac hoisted a long bomb with 20 seconds to go on the shot-clock. The shot clanged off the rim. Boston quickly tied it and easily closed out the game as the Pistons couldn't solve the high-pressure Boston D.

And, no, Rip never left the bench.

Dan Feldman of PistonPowered.com felt compelled to drag out the dreaded "moral victory" tag for this game. When a 14-26 team takes the best team in the East to the wire in their own barn, I guess it should qualify as a moral victory. And why would the Pistons be above that? Their a lottery team trying to find an identity. They displayed good effort and decent decision-making prior to the final two minutes. Boston merely showed that they have infinite more experience in closing out tight games. If the Pistons are lucky, they'll learn that same skill, and I daresay they're on the right path.

Last night, they didn't look like a a 14-26 team. Yet, they have a tough stretch of games looming - @New Jersey, Phoenix, @Orlando, Denver, @Miami, @Knicks. The games against the Nets and Knicks shouldn't be considered tough, but the Pistons have won just 4 road games all season. Every road game is tough. If the team can somehow go 3-3 during that stretch, I believe they'll have a shot to potentially sneak into the playoffs. They won't sniff a .500 record, but the playoffs will be a good accomplishment for the team that began in such disarray.

As for poor Rip, he again received a DNP-CD. With no trade on the horizon, the dude must be doubly dejected. Watching the Pistons struggle in crunch time against the suffocating Boston D, I was left wondering if the Hamilton of old might reappear and carry the day. Alas, those golden moments are forever in the past. If that Hamilton were to once again see the light of day, it will be in a different uniform. Unless, of course, something incredible happens - i.e. another trade. And, no, I'm not talking about resurrecting the Rip-to-NJ debacle. I'm talking about keeping Hamilton a Piston and instead trading Ben Gordon.

First off, Gordon is younger and, despite his poor stretch of games, isn't considered broken down like Rip. He's still respected around the league as a top scorer and could command a solid return. Further, dumping his contract would save the team even more money. My guess is that Joe D knows this and is soliciting offers for both guards. If BG is traded, Rip can settle into the back-up guard position. His ego may still take a hit, but, partnered with a true PG like Bynum, my guess is Rip would do just fine.