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Notes from a trip to the NBA Playoffs.Antonio McDyess turned in a monster performance (21 points, 16 boards) for the Pistons, but after the game Flip Saunders praised his leadership as much as his statistics.
"I am so proud of him," he said. "Yesterday we had a film session. After the film session he was there talking with Chauncey [Billups] and with Juan [Dixon], and Juan was very emphatic, almost like a preacher, that we're okay, we're going to be okay, everything is all right. Dyess said, 'hey, we've been talking that everything is all right. We've got to make it happen. We can't talk about it; we've got to make it happen.' "
Added Saunders, "I've never seen him with the emotion he has. ... It's like he's got a new personality. He's definitely been hungry, I know that. He has just been huge for us and basically carrying us."
McDyess hasn't been so vocal in the past, but as he explained, disgust with how the last couple of seasons have ended prompted him to take on that role this year."Since I've been here, we kind of have had excuses why we haven't won another championship ... and I feel that if I don't say anything vocally that we would have an excuse this year. I don't want us to have an excuse," he said.
"I can accept going out on the court, leaving everything we have out there and losing, but not leaving everything we have out there and losing and feeling that we lost and having excuses is not acceptable. I think taking [on more of a] leadership role if I have to -- and speaking up and telling everyone, 'hey, we need to go out there and play hard to our ability' -- I'll do it."
Unlike some of his veteran teammates who already have a ring or his younger teammates who have their entire careers still in front of them, McDyess understands the clock is ticking for him. "You only have so many opportunities, and like I said, they're limited, especially for me," he said. "I'm at the end of my career, and I just feel [by] leaving everything out on the floor there won't be no excuses. So I just tried to do that this year. Last year I was disappointed, definitely, the way we lost last year. This year I don't want to have no excuse if we lose."
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