Without Hill, Pistons Never Had a Chance

AUBURN HILLS, Mich. —  The Detroit Pistons kept saying they matched up well with the Miami Heat. And they probably believed it--until Grant Hill broke his ankle.

Without their all-star forward, the Pistons had almost no fight left in them Saturday.

Clarence Weatherspoon, off the bench, had 18 points and 10 rebounds as Miami powered to a 91-72 victory, sweeping the Pistons in their best-of-five first-round series.

The Pistons had been talking bravely about finding someone to step up ever since Hill went down Tuesday in the second game. But that fizzled fast once the game started before a crowd of only 14,507 at the Palace.

“I think some guys just looked scared out there,” said George Irvine, Detroit’s interim coach. “I don’t know why they would be.” They have been in this league for years, at least some of them have.

The Pistons shot 31.5% (23 of 73), were outrebounded, 47-34, and had 18 turnovers.

The game was so one-sided that Heat Coach Pat Riley was able to sit center Alonzo Mourning down after only 22 minutes of playing time. Mourning, who blocked 14 shots in the three games, finished with 12 points and Jamal Mashburn 11. Both had scored over 20 points in each of the first two games.

Jerry Stackhouse scored 25 for the Pistons, and Michael Curry, starting in place of Hill, had 14.