This season, if you lose to the New York Knicks, changes may be on the way.

Washington coach Eddie Jordan was fired on Nov. 24, one day after the Wizards gave up 122 points to the Knicks at Madison Square Garden. On Dec. 16, two days after losing to the Knicks at ARCO Arena, the Sacramento Kings relieved Reggie Theus of his clipboard.

And then there was the Detroit Pistons’ 12-point loss to the Knicks at MSG on Dec. 7. While no one was fired or traded, the loss prompted Pistons coach Michael Curry to finally make a change he had been contemplating for a while. Two nights later in Washington, Rodney Stuckey became the Pistons’ starting point guard.

With Stuckey running the point, Rip Hamilton and Allen Iverson on the wings and Tayshaun Prince and Rasheed Wallace in the frontcourt, the Pistons have gone 10-3 and are the hottest team in the East. They’ve won seven in a row.

The Pistons, now sporting a bigger lineup and having re-signed veteran Antonio McDyess, have gone back to basic, blue-collar Detroit basketball, with an emphasis on the D. Detroit has gone from giving up 95.9 points per game in its first 19 games to yielding only 90.8 points in its last 13.

The 6-foot-5 Stuckey has proven to be a matchup problem on both ends of the floor. On offense, he uses his quickness to get into the paint. On defense, his size and speed and help frustrate opposing point guards.

“He’s very explosive,” an NBA scout said. “He’s not Dwyane Wade, but he’s like him. He’s close.”

Everyone’s beginning to notice. Stuckey was named Eastern Conference Player of the Week on Monday. His performance lately has been all the more remarkable considering Hamilton has been out since Dec. 27 with a sore groin and Wallace has missed the last two games with a sore right foot.

Stuckey, in his second year out of Eastern Washington, hasn’t been without some consistent help, of course. Prince, who hasn’t missed a game since his rookie season in 2002-03, has been the Pistons’ glue, according to Curry.

“Tay’s been our best player,” Curry told the Detroit News. “And to be competing at the level we are right now, that wouldn’t be possible if he hadn’t expanded his game like he has.”

After averaging 17.6 points on .394 shooting in the 15 games since his arrival, Iverson has averaged 18.9 points and shot .446 from the field in the last 13 games. “Right now we are starting to feel real good as a team,” Iverson said Friday after a win over the Kings. “We are starting to get that confidence and swagger. We didn’t have that feeling at first.”

(nba.com)

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