| Pistons Take Sixers’ Best Shot Authored by Graham Flashner - May 2, 2005 - 3:45 am
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But don’t blame Webber for this one. He scored 17 of his 23 points in the second half, including a monster three in OT that countered a similar shot from Rasheed Wallace, and brought Philadelphia within 90-88 with 1:47 to go. But in those frantic final minutes, the Pistons showed why they’re the champions, and the 76ers showed why they’re a Number 7 seed.
With 47 seconds left and ample time remaining on the shot clock, Webber hurried a 25-point shot from beyond the arc that wasn’t close, giving Detroit the ball back with a 93-92 lead. After a timeout, Rip Hamilton got the ball in the left corner, stepped inside two defenders with a beautiful shoulder fake, and flipped in a 10-footer to give the Pistons a three-point lead.
The 76ers still had time, but Kyle Korver rushed up another wild three-pointer, and the Pistons ran out the clock with free throws. Like a heavyweight champ pushed around for fifteen rounds, the Pistons absorbed the 76ers biggest blows, but delivered their biggest punishment when it counted.
Halfway through the fourth quarter, the 76ers showed every indication they were ready to even the series and force a sixth game. On the strength of another remarkable performance by Allan Iverson (36 points, 8 assists) and ample support from Webber, they had a nine-point lead. While the Pistons had no answers for Iverson, they found an “Answer” of their own: Chauncey Billups, who scored the last ten Detroit points in regulation.
In overtime, Rasheed Wallace and Hamilton took over, scoring all of Detroit’s 14 points, and calmly beating back every 76ers challenge with big shots. Wallace’s transformation has been nothing short of miraculous: after being branded a troublemaker and virtually uncoachable in Portland, he’s found his niche with the defensive-minded, all-about-team Pistons.
While Wallace thrives in Detroit, Webber has yet to be embraced by the City of Brotherly Boobirds. Iverson has defended him in the media, but C-Webb is not the player he was physically, and has yet to form the potent 1-2 punch with Iverson that everyone anticipated. Like his teammates, he did the best he could on Sunday, but found out that in basketball, as in boxing, it’s extremely hard to beat a champ who hungers for respect. And the fact that this Pistons team is still playing like it has a chip on his shoulder means this series goes no further than Game Five. |
