PHOENIX -- The NBA's schedule is never something that teams will use as an excuse for playing particularly poorly in any single game.But sometimes, the way things shake out, it can definitely be seen as a legitimate reason.
The schedule dictated that the Pistons finish up their four-game, West coast swing against a Suns team that averages 117 points per game on their home floor. And coming off of a tough, overtime loss in Utah the night before, Detroit never had a chance.
The Pistons actually put together a nice 16-4 run to take a late first-quarter lead after trailing by nine, and hung in there in the second quarter by cutting a 10-point lead to four with just under five minutes remaining.
But then, fatigue clearly set in.
The Suns finished the half on a 12-0 run, holding Detroit scoreless over the final 4:51 of the second quarter to effectively end the game by taking a 16-point halftime lead. The lead ballooned to as many as 29 points in the third quarter, so Ben Gordon, Charlie Villanueva, Steve Nash, and Amar'e Stoudemire all sat out the fourth, and the game at that point became 12 minutes of extended garbage time.
Villanueva, Will Bynum, Jonas Jerebko, and DaJuan Summers all played well for the Pistons in spurts, but Gordon, the team's leading scorer, simply didn't have anything in the tank. He managed only 10 points on a dismal 3-for-11 from the field, which included 1-for-6 shooting from three-point land.
Gordon, like his coach and his teammates, refused to blame the schedule for the loss. But he did acknowledge that playing a team like the Suns on the second night of a back-to-back is, at the very least, challenging.
"This is probably the most uptempo team in the league, we knew that coming in," Gordon said. "It's tough on any given night to play against them. But last game of a road trip, especially on a back-to-back, it's not going to be easy."
When asked how he finds the strength to play in these situations, Gordon said that focusing on the game once he's out there is sometimes the best approach.
"You've definitely got to play tricks with yourself," Gordon said. "You've got to just try to lose yourself in the game. Try to get so enveloped in the game that you're not even thinking about your fatigue level. But that's part of the NBA, and some nights, it's tough."
It was especially tough on this night: the Suns recorded season highs in field goal percentage (57.5 percent) and three-point percentage (61.1 percent), and that's saying something, considering the fact that they lead the league in both categories.
But with the Suns coming off of two days rest at home, and the Pistons dragging at the end of a road trip, it was hardly a surprise.
Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Ben Gordon is way overrated
if Detroit thinks that he is
all that , let it be;
He had a decent series last
year against Boston but it was
a " Team effort" not gordon by
himself not even close;
In fact, Chicago is doing just
fine without him or better.
Now that Shaq is finally gone the Suns are back on their game and kickin that bootie!! Look out to the rest of the league as the Suns have just begun! GO SUNS!!!!!