Toronto Raptors at Detroit Pistons
Thursday, May 2, 2002 – The Palace at Auburn Hills

Wilkens

We had opportunities down they stretch. They capitalized on their opportunities. I told Mo (Morris Peterson) to be patient and stay in front of Stack (Jerry Stackhouse). I thought Mo did an excellent job. I’m disappointed. I felt we grew as a team. I’m real proud of this and this should help in the future.

Williams

JEROME WILLIAMS

It feels good about the season as a whole. At the end of the day, no one expected us to be here. We have to look at some of the good things even though we didn’t get some of the things we wanted to accomplish, we still pushed this series to game five. They (the crowd) did a good job staying with their team tonight and they won.

Childs

CHRIS CHILDS

We did what we wanted to do. We came out and got off to a good start. They subbed guys in and Jon Barry came in and gave them a big lift. Corliss (Williamson) played well and they just beat us. We made a couple of mistake when we were up two and Jerry (Stackhouse) hit a big basket. We had contained pretty much all night but he came through for them in the clutch. We gave up too many points to Corliss in the post. We should have done things differently and keep him out a little bit. We weren’t worried about Jerry Stackhouse, we were worried about the Detroit Pistons. They didn’t get to where they are just because of Jerry. They have a core of guys who have accepted their roles. I’ve always said when you’re trying to build a championship team you have to have certain pieces and bring in others and they’re a prime example of guys who understand their roles on the team.

Carlisle

RICK CARLISLE, Pistons coach

Its hard to believe that he (Corliss) wasn’t even good enough to play in the first two games. I am very thrilled. I have great respect for Toronto. I am very proud that we were able to play 5 games against a great team like Toronto. There were two keys to the game: rebounds and Turnovers. We stayed with in 4 rebounds of them and that allowed us to hand in there. (On Jerry Stackhouse) I think that it is important the we got through this series. He has playoff experience but not in a game 5 of a deciding series. I knew that he would hit a big shot at some point. When Stack goes 1-10 and we win it’s a great game for us. Holding Toronto to 11 points in the 3rd has huge. If we don’t do it on the defensive end we’re not going to win. That’s how its been all season. The fans were off the charts tonight. They matched the intensity that Toronto showed in the last two games and that was a big factor for us.

Williamson

CORLISS WILLIAMSON , Pistons

It was a great feeling to get this win tonight. A lot of people picked us to finish dead last at the start of the season. It was a great feeling to make the playoffs. (On Jerome Williams) There was a lot of talking, banging. Sometimes we exchanged a few words. He played hard tonight, he always does. My shot fell. I guess we were just more fortunate tonight. The bench as a unit had to step up tonight. The starters had trouble and struggled a bit. (On Jerry) Even when he struggled we had great faith that he would step up and make a big shot. All the sudden he shows up and makes a big shot. He has been our leader all season.

Stackhouse

JERRY STACKHOUSE, Pistons

It’s been a tough series. They took us to the brink but our guys stepped up and played hard and played when we had to. That’s why we’re moving on. They had no answer for Corliss (Williamson). We would get the ball (to him) on the block and he worked out. There wasn’t anything bigger than that last one when we needed a bucket with two seconds (on the shot clock). I told him I was coming to him and when he came off that curl he was going to get it. It’s just an unbelievable feeling and it’s something that hasn’t been done here in a long time. It’s a huge relief. It’s just a huge relief from everything. Between yesterday and today, I played every scenario possible in my head about what could happen in this game, and almost all of them happened.

Wallace

BEN WALLACE, Piston

The bench has been lifting us up all season and want to step up so we depend on those guys to come in and give us that boost. They did a great job tonight. We knew we would have to keep our composure. Sometimes they (the refs) make calls that are judgment calls. We are all human out there. I think we did a great job of keeping our composure, staying poised, staying focused and finishing the game. It’s definitely the biggest win I’ve ever had.