TAKE FIVE
A five-point dissection of the Pistons’ jinx-snapping win

1. NARROW ESCAPE – It figures that it practically took divine intervention for the Pistons to finally break their Sunday silence.

After losing each of their first six Sunday games to start the season, the Pistons beat the injury-depleted Los Angeles Clippers 88-87 Sunday when Allen Iverson’s runner in the lane was goaltended by Al Thornton. The Pistons then survived a last-second jumper from torrid Clippers rookie Eric Gordon to start a four-game Western road trip with a win that extended their streak to seven games.

If not for a Hall of Fame career rich with similar heroics, Iverson would have been perhaps the least likely Piston to sink the game-winner. He was 6 of 21 at the time he took what turned out to be the game-winning shot.

“You know you are having a bad shooting game when you hit the game winner and that doesn’t even go in,” Iverson said. “That’s the top – the worst shooting game that I’ve ever had in my career.”

There was no disputing the call – Iverson had split the defense and his scooped shot was clearly on its downward arc. But the Pistons still had 2.8 seconds to play and Gordon, the seventh pick in the 2008 draft after a flashy freshman season at Indiana, had proven unguardable down the stretch.

His three-point play seconds earlier, when he scored and was fouled by Arron Afflalo, had given the Clips their lead after an 8-0 Pistons run had broken a 70-all tie and seemingly given them control over a team that went into the game down six players – including all three of its point guards and big men Chris Kaman and Zach Randolph – and then lost emergency point guard Fred Jones three minutes after tipoff.

But Michael Curry, during the timeout, switched defensive assignments, putting Tayshaun Prince on Gordon.

“The play of the game after (Iverson’s basket) was we switched Tay onto Gordon, who had been going well,” Michael Curry said, “and his length bothered that shot big time.”

Gordon finished with 31 for the Clippers, including their last 11. Marcus Camby had 14 points and 20 boards. Rodney Stuckey led the Pistons with 24 points and six assists. Prince had 20 points and seven rebounds and Iverson 18 points and 10 assists. Antonio McDyess returned after missing two games with thigh and rib injuries and was invaluable with six points and 15 boards in 23 minutes.

Rip Hamilton missed his fifth straight game with a groin strain and Rasheed Wallace his second straight with a sore foot. The Clippers probably had very little sympathy.

TEAM COLORS
The story of the game in Pistons red, white and blue

2. – The Pistons’ scouting department saw a lot of a young Chauncey Billups in Gordon when they scouted Indiana last year – a rare combination of strength and quickness off the dribble with great shooting range.

Gordon, given more rope by the Clippers with Baron Davis sidelined, gave them painful reminders of how right they were in Sunday’s game, almost carrying a crippled team to a win that would have been crushing for the Pistons.

If there’s one area where Gordon needs work, ironically enough, it’s in his mid-range game – that’s what he attempted to make for the game-winner with Prince cutting off his path to the basket.

Gordon finished 9 of 21 and knocked down all 12 of his free throws.

3. BLUE COLLAR – Antonio McDyess’ throbbing ribs could have used a few more days without contact, but he gave Curry the thumbs up and entered the game to start the second quarter. But he looked as rusty and tentative as you’d expect someone who hadn’t played basketball in almost a week to look. Less than four minutes later, he hyperextended a finger and came back out.

But it was the more familiar McDyess in the second half – active defensively and confidently stroking jump shots at the other end.

He made several huge plays in the fourth quarter. He rebounded a Stuckey miss to keep one possession alive, finishing it by knocking down a jumper. He got inside, drew a foul and hit two free throws to give the Pistons a 78-70 lead. And after the Clippers rallied to tie it at 80, his rebound of a missed Prince triple led to a Prince dunk.

“He’s battling through a thigh bruise, rib injury, hasn’t played,” Curry said. “A couple of times he got hit on box-outs and winced. He just plays. The guy wants it and wants to finish his career with a chance of winning big and a win a title. He lays it on the line every day and that’s what you respect and love most about him.”

“When I was going for a board, I would just try to tip it out and try to stay protective of my ribs,” McDyess said. “I try to do everything I can to help the team.”

4. RED FLAG – Amir Johnson’s speed and athleticism make him the type of 94-foot player rare in a big man. Curry often talks of his ability to influence games without denting the stat sheet. The Pistons are better defensively and a better rebounding team with Johnson on the floor.

But there’s one place where Johnson can’t help the Pistons – the bench, where he continues to spend too much time because of foul trouble. It’s OK when the Pistons are fully staffed up front and don’t require heavy minutes from Johnson, not as acceptable when they’re shorthanded as they currently are.

Johnson picked up two fouls in the game’s first three minutes and had to come out, then got tagged with another one almost immediately after re-entering the game early in the second quarter, limiting him to 3:39 total in the first half. The Clips scored 54 in the first half; when Johnson played the whole third quarter, they scored 12.

“Amir brings us something to the table,” Curry said. “I told Amir we need him out on the court. He does so much for us. He played three minutes in the first half, they shot 52 percent. He played 20 the second half, they ended up at 41, so that tells me that probably shot around 30 percent the second half.”

THE LAST CALL
A little perspective on a harrowing win

5. WHEW! – The rest of this road trip is brutal enough – Portland, Denver, Utah – without the acrid taste this loss would have given them dogging the Pistons.

There’s never a good time for injuries to strike, but if they were going to come the Pistons probably couldn’t have slotted their timing any better. They’ve only played one winning team – Orlando – of their five games played without Hamilton, and three of the five were at home.

It would be great to get Wallace back for Portland and LaMarcus Aldridge, but the Blazers are going to be missing Brandon Roy, out with a hamstring injury. And the Pistons have two full days off to get Wallace and Hamilton back up to par – and to allow McDyess’ various aches to subside.

Bottom line: The rest of the road trip looks a lot better than it would have if things had gone differently in the last three seconds of Sunday’s win.