Pistons Upset Celtics Without Iverson

The Pistons entered the weekend riding an eight-game losing streak, winning just five times in their last 21 games. But after beating the Magic on Friday and trouncing the Celtics by 10 on Sunday, all the critics who called a premature death to their season (including this guy -- the nerve!) will open the new week with egg on their face.

To be fair, the Pistons didn't exactly "trounce" the reigning world champs so much as "pull away in the final minutes." This was still a one-point game with three and a half minutes left, but a couple of timely three-pointers, key turnovers and solid rebounding down the stretch helped the Pistons put this game on ice. It's Detroit's first win against the Celtics in three games this season.

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Celtics fans will be quick to point out that they're still missing Kevin Garnett -- the same excuse used to explain losing to the Clippers last week and letting the Pacers stick around longer than expected on Friday. Glen Davis played well starting in place of KG -- he scored 18 points for the second game in a row -- but he couldn't replace KG's presence on the glass down the stretch.

But the Pistons were without an All-Star of their own -- Allen Iverson was sidelined for the second game in a row with a stiff back. Did the Pistons actually miss Iverson? That's another question altogether.

The Pistons haven't just won two in a row, they've won in a row on the road against two of the top three teams in the East. And if you really want to split hairs, they also outscored the Hornets by six over the last 40 minutes of Wednesday's game after Iverson called it a night late in the first quarter due to injury. Frustrated fans have suspected it for a while, but it's becoming clear that the Pistons are a much better team without Iverson in the equation -- or at least the starting lineup.

Rip Hamilton has been rejuvenated both as a scorer and a playmaker in the last three games: he scored 24 with six assists on Wednesday, 31 and six on Friday and 25 and nine today. Not only that, his defense helped hold Ray Allen to just 10 points on Sunday, which was obviously a huge factor in Detroit's win.

Iverson's absence the last two games has coincided with Michael Curry's announcement last week that Iverson would move to the bench. After getting his back checked out by doctors in Detroit, Iverson should be available to play in Tuesday's game when his former Denver teammates come to Detroit.

Theoretically he should flourish in his new role -- there will be less pressure to share the ball while playing with the second unit, and he'll be surrounded by younger players athletic enough to keep up should he push the ball up the court.

But will bad feelings about being "demoted" affect his play? Despite the fact that he's said all the right things since joining the Pistons, it's too early to tell -- it's the first time in his career he's been in this situation, and considering he's going to be a free agent this summer, it wouldn't be surprising for any player in his situation to resent the decision.

But for the first time in a long time, the Pistons finally resemble the team that's gone to six straight Conference Finals. Curry's trial-and-error style of coaching still has them dangerously close to missing the playoffs, but at least there's a glimmer of hope.