Detroit's comeback ain't enough
Final Score: New Jersey 97, Detroit 89
Motown out-rebounded, shot better and had more blocks than New Jersey, yet still came out on the wrong side of the contest. The reason? Let's call it stealmania.
With Chauncey Billups so nervous about competing against Payton, and the game so close Barry and Barbosa always had to try and get the momentum, that the Pistons would give away serious steals, and even send a few passes out of bounds.
At the beginning, everything seemed easy for the Nets. They scored the first 10 points on 5 lay-ups or dunks. Then Payton missed on a trey, with the tip-in missed by Rodgers. But then Martin gets the board, pitches it out, for a jumper by Kittles: miss. Wallace passed it out, Diaw couldn't score on the short jumper, nor Hamilton on the 2nd chance J. Kittles had the board, tried to go for the coast-to-coast, but... Hamilton fouled Kittles hard on his way to the net. Kittles missed both, but did put it back in himself. And only then could the Pistons score their first; Cliff on a dunk on the break. 12-2 Nets.
In the second, while the Pistons were coming back into the game, three straight possessions were stopped by passes to wide open players being dropped out of bounds, which is plain pathetic. Halftime rang just as Aaron Williams knocks a fade away jumper from the elbow, with Wallace and Diaw on him... as pathetic. Score at halftime was 50-41 NJ, and even though Detroit did never lead by more than one, the lead never went to more than 5 until 34 seconds were left.
Even though Rip and Chauncey were hungry for a win in the 3rd, and brought the score back to 74-71 at the end of the period, it wasn't enough, as the Nets toyed with them during the whole fourth, getting a well deserved win.

:
Player of the Game (decision by commentator): Gary Payton
Piston of the Game (decision by coach): Ben Wallace
6th Player of the Game (decision by writer): Darrell Armstrong
Supersub of the Game (Pistons only, decision by coach): Jon Barry
Rookie of the Game (decision by writer): Boris Diaw
Players Stats:
New Jersey:
Armstrong scored 10 on 4-6 in 9 minutes
Jefferson had 15 on 6-13
Kittles had 16 on 5-16 (0-5 from 3), but had 4 steals
Martin got 10 on 4-9, with 6 boards and as many steals
Payton had 13 on 5-15, with 9 assists
Rodgers had 16 on 6-7 (2-2 from 3), with 5 boards (3 on O) and 4 steals
Slay collects 7 points (3-4), 3 boards and 2 steals in 12
Detroit:
Barbosa finished with 4 points, an assists and a steal, in 10 minutes
Barry had 6 on 2-3, with 2 steals and 3 assists, in 10 minutes
Billups had 22 on 10-15, with 6 boards, 3 steals and 2 assists
Cabarkapa had 7 points (on 3-11), with 4 boards, a block and a steal, in 11 minutes
Diaw had 3 points, 8 boards, a block and 2 steals
Hamilton scored 17 on 8-18 (0-3 from 3), with 2 steals
Mutombo scored 6, had 6 boards and 2 blocks
Robinson scored 16 (on 6-16), had 3 boards and 2 blocks, and was assistless
Wallace scored 8, had 17 boards (8 in first quarter), 8 blocks and 5 dimes
Bright side? Two plays in the first showed the improvement of two Pistons' rookies:
Barbosa sent a lob to Zarko, who is blocked agressively by Collins; Mutombo got it back, gave it to Zarko, who burned Collins for an easy two.
Barbosa, on the break, burned by Kittles, then spinned Jefferson to his butt, and scored on a relentless dunk