Pistons Are Still Only Pretenders to Throne

Not yet, Pistons.

“They feel like one day they’re going to get over the hill, but it’s great for us to keep them down,” Scottie Pippen said Wednesday night after his Chicago Bulls won, 95-83, their 18th consecutive victory over Detroit.

“I like to keep that doubt in their minds,” he said. “Right now, they don’t have the weapons to overcome our club.”

Michael Jordan scored 23 points and Dennis Rodman pulled down 22 rebounds for the defending NBA champions, who have used an eight-game winning streak to improve to a league-leading 25-3.

The Pistons (20-6) came in with the NBA’s second-best record. Instead of establishing themselves as legitimate threats, however, they fell four games behind Chicago in the Central Division. They have been outscored by 30 points in their two losses to the Bulls.

“We just want to maintain the dominance we’ve had over this team,” Jordan said. “Detroit was a nemesis to myself and Scottie early in our careers and we have no trouble getting focused to play against them.”

Grant Hill scored 27 points, but he was Detroit’s only consistent threat. The Pistons shot 44% from the floor and were outrebounded, 51-37.

“I felt that we were tentative,” Piston Coach Doug Collins said. “I said to our guys, ‘When you play Chicago, you have to meet the tenacity with which they play.’ We didn’t.

“You try to instill in your team that feeling that you can get this done. But the look in our eyes, I didn’t think we believed that. The Bulls were in control. This game was never in doubt.”

After Detroit pulled to an 83-74 lead with 8:25 to go, Pippen made a three-point basket and Jordan converted a three-point play to make it a 15-point game. The Bulls held double-digit leads the rest of the way.

“It’s frustrating. Since I’ve been in the league, we’ve beaten every team but this one,” Hill said. “It is definitely going to be our measuring stick.”

Pippen added eight points and eight assists, Jordan grabbed 10 rebounds and Rodman had 11 points and seven assists. Chicago Coach Phil Jackson showed the Pistons respect by playing those three players and Toni Kukoc almost the entire game.