Pistons Make a Point; Lakers Make 2 More

If all it took was talk for a team to make the NBA Finals, the Detroit Pistons would be a lock to be playing in June. The Pistons thought they should have been there last season, when Isiah Thomas accused the Boston Celtics of faking their injuries, and the Pistons to a man refused to concede that the better team won.

Now, it’s just possible that the Pistons--who lost the Eastern Conference playoffs in seven games--were superior to the battered Celtics last season, and they may get around to proving it on the court this go-around. But Friday night, they showed they still haven’t learned that too much woofing can ultimately warp even the best efforts.

Silence would have been golden against the Lakers, who found the opening to pull out their 13th straight win, 106-104, about the time the Pistons began opening their mouths to referee Mike Lauerman.

Detroit’s disaffection with Lauerman’s officiating finally boiled over into two technicals, one apiece against Joe Dumars and Bill Laimbeer, within a span of 21 seconds in the third quarter. Byron Scott, who had a game-high 35 points, cashed both bonus free throws--and also another for an illegal defense call--all part of a run in which the Laker guard scored 13 of 14 Laker points, including 11 in a row.

With the Pistons thus distracted, the Lakers--who trailed by 11 at halftime, 56-45--reeled off a 41-point third quarter to take an 86-80 lead. They then survived four missed free throws in the last 1:56 and a missed open jumper by Laimbeer from the top of the key in the closing seconds, to silence a Silverdome crowd of 40,278 and win here for the first time in four years.

“With the technicals, we lost our concentration and let them back in the game,” Detroit Coach Chuck Daly said, “and it was a fistfight the rest of the way.”

Score a knockout for the Lakers in what Laker reserve center Mychal Thompson labeled the “dual attack in Pontiac,” though Laker Coach Pat Riley was quick to acknowledge how the Lakers were all but hanging on the ropes at the end.

“Laimbeer’s shot goes in, and 40,000 people would be reeling and the papers the next day would be saying this team (the Pistons) is elite,” Riley said.

The Pistons don’t have to wait for the delivery boy. The Lakers were only too willing to acknowledge that Detroit has arrived already.

“Detroit probably felt they should have been playing us last year in the finals,” said James Worthy, who had 18 points and led the Lakers with 8 rebounds. “And they want to be the team in the East this year, and probably figure we’ll be the team in the West.

“The way Detroit is, they bump and grind and are one of the most aggressive teams in the league. I think they’re there.”

Were they there last season?

“It’s like ‘84, one pass can determine the outcome of a whole series,” said Worthy, comparing the pass Thomas threw into Bird’s hands in Game 5 last season to the pass Worthy threw to Gerald Henderson of the Celtics in Game 2 of the ’84 finals.

“But I think they’re right back to where they were last season. And any time you lose a game like tonight, I think it may work for the better. Teams in this league don’t forget anything. If we happen to see them again, after a game like this you put things into your computer.”

This was Magic Johnson’s annual homecoming, as well as a reunion with his good friend Thomas, but the tone of the occasion was probably set by Laimbeer in the first minute of play. That’s when the Detroit center, who was whistled for traveling, reacted with an angry gesture. While Johnson struggled along with the rest of the Lakers in the first half--he had only 7 points at the break, while the team shot just 28% (7 of 25) in an 18-point second quarter--Piston guards Vinnie (Microwave) Johnson and Joe Dumars were scorching the Lakers for 15 and 13 points, respectively.

But while the Pistons got in immediate trouble--they put the Lakers in the bonus 3:21 seconds into the third quarter--the Lakers scored on 11 straight possessions. Scott, who has led the Lakers in scoring in five of the last six games, had 16 points and Magic had 12 in the quarter, during which the Lakers shot 77.8%.

“We lost the game in the third quarter,” said Detroit forward Dennis Rodman, who had more fouls (5) than points (4) in 19 minutes. “We had an 11-point lead. It’s frustrating when you lose one like that.”

If they’d been able to put a lid on that frustration, the outcome might have been different.

“One technical is common, but when you start getting two, three or four it makes you frustrated and takes you right out of the game,” Worthy said.

Scott said it put the Lakers right back in it.

“It got us back into it like the Dallas game,” said Scott, referring to the Lakers’ 29-7 blitz that closed out the Mavericks Wednesday night in Los Angeles. “We picked up our defensive pressure and began rebounding better.”

The Pistons clawed back, however, and as late as 3:08 left, held the lead, 100-99, when Adrian Dantley made a pair of free throws for two of his 25 points.

But after a basket by Magic Johnson was nullified by a charging call, he rebounded a miss by Thomas on the defensive end, then followed a miss by Kareem Abdul-Jabbar for the basket that gave the Lakers the lead for good, 101-100.

Abdul-Jabbar made the first of two free throws to make it 102-100, and after Thomas--who finished with just 12 points--missed on another drive, Michael Cooper buried a three-pointer from the left side with 1:15 to go. Cooper had missed his three other attempts from three-point range.

The Pistons cut it to 105-102 on a basket by Dumars, and with 45 seconds left, Abdul-Jabbar missed two free throws. Laimbeer came back with a layup with 35 seconds to go, and the Pistons got the ball back once more when they forced Cooper into a hurried try from three-point range.

Daly said the play was designed for Thomas to drive, but Cooper and Thompson bottled him up and the Piston guard kicked it out to Laimbeer. He said he knew the shot was off the mark.

“Yeah, as soon as I shot it,” said Laimbeer, who had just six points. “Things kind of broke down and I ended up with the basketball.”

Scott, who had seven rebounds, grabbed the miss, and was fouled with two seconds to go. He made just one free throw, but Detroit was out of time outs and Dumars’ desperation heave went over the backboard.

“They’ve got just as good a chance as anybody on the East Side,” Johnson said of the Pistons, when asked if he might be dining on more of his mama’s fried chicken in June. “Before last year, I don’t think they believed they could win it, but now I think they believe they can get there.”

At least they’ll have something to talk about for the next five months.

The Lakers have little time to savor this one. They play the Pacers at Indianapolis tonight.