Vincent Goodwill
The Detroit News
Atlanta -- The Pistons looked like they were on their way to their first win, against the unbeaten Hawks.
Then the second half happened -- or more specifically, the last five minutes happened.
A five-point, fourth-quarter lead evaporated and the Pistons lost their fifth straight, 94-85, on Wednesday at Philips Arena.
Their 0-5 start is the worst since 1980-81, the year before Isiah Thomas was drafted.
Things keep getting stranger and stranger with this team. Rodney Stuckey, the team's only point guard, only played 13 minutes, missing the last 20:56. While the Hawks were at the foul line early in the third quarter, Pistons coach John Kuester called Stuckey's name.
Stuckey didn't flinch, so Kuester called for DaJuan Summers to come in, and Stuckey went to the bench without acknowledging his coach.
The Pistons only scored 37 second-half points, after having 48-44 halftime lead.
Perhaps Stuckey didn't hear Kuester or maybe he didn't react the way Kuester wanted him to, but there are some issues between the two parties. Kuester questioned the leadership after Tuesday's blowout loss to Boston, and Stuckey said then it was on him to do better.
Kuester ended his postgame press conference early, before the question could be asked. Stuckey declined to talk about the matter afterward, saying only, "I've got to stay focused."
It overshadowed great performances from Ben Gordon (22 points), Tracy McGrady and rookie Greg Monroe.
In Stuckey's absence, Tayshaun Prince and McGrady shared the point-guard duties for the rest of the game, and both played well. Prince scored 17 and had five rebounds. McGrady played his best game as a Piston, going 4-for-7 from the field for nine points, four rebounds, three assists and three steals.
"It seems like we've played well in every game," Prince said. "Obviously we had some difficulty at the point guard spot but we managed to overcome that. We had a nice flow to our offense and started to get away from it."
The Pistons built an 81-76 lead with six minutes left, after Prince hit a 3-pointer.
"Tayshaun did a great job of getting us into our offense," Kuester said. "The pace was perfect."
The Hawks, playing without sixth man of the year Jamal Crawford (Michigan), finished on an 18-4 run. They sealed the Pistons' fate when Josh Smith beat Prince backdoor for an alley-oop with 41.3 seconds left.
Monroe, tired of being in the doghouse, helped buoy the Pistons with an aggression that was missing in Tuesday night's 23-point drubbing against Boston. He finished with seven points and eight rebounds.
"His aggressiveness helped us get back into the game," Kuester said. "He was active defensively, on the offensive boards. I was very pleased with his play."
Monroe's tip-in broke a 76-all tie, and he outjumped two Hawks defenders to get to a loose ball on the next play. He, along with Charlie Villanueva, held down the fort for most of the second half. Ben Wallace only played 21 minutes and Jason Maxiell did not take off his sweats.
"We were taking advantage of those big kids and Ben Gordon came off those screens," Kuester said. "I thought they played their hearts out. They took ownership of what the game was all about."
Those big kids, Zaza Pachulia and Al Horford, spearheaded the comeback. They combined to score the next four field goals after the Pistons' slim fourth-quarter lead, and after Joe Johnson's three-point play with 2:08 left, the Hawks led by six.
Nov. 4, 2010
