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Hot words Firing Pistons draw Heat's ire
Posted: Saturday April 22, 2000 05:48 PM
MIAMI (AP) -- The playoffs have yet to begin, and the Miami Heat's fragile psyche is already under siege. Taunting and trash-talking helped chase Miami from the playoffs each of the past three seasons, so it's no surprise that the Detroit Pistons decided to put gamesmanship ahead of sportsmanship. The Pistons begin a best-of-five series Saturday in Miami, and they're making the trip sound like a vacation. "I'm going to get my fishing poles out," forward Terry Mills said. "The idea of being in the warm weather for four or five days gets my teammates excited," forward Jerome Williams said. "We really want to play Miami," guard Jerry Stackhouse said. If the goal was to annoy the Heat, the Pistons accomplished their mission. "A lot of the statements that have been made by other players are made either out of ego, arrogance or stupidity," Miami coach Pat Riley said. "People don't understand or respect how hard we work, what we've gone through, the pain that we've endured. They're going to get a team that is highly motivated." The Pistons weren't the only Eastern Conference team to express a preference for facing Miami in the playoffs. The Heat won 52 games and their fourth consecutive Atlantic Division title, but they're considered vulnerable because of a poor postseason history. In 1998 and 1999, the favored Heat were eliminated by the New York Knicks in the first round. The defeat was all the more galling because of the way the Knicks poked fun and got under the Heat's skin, as did the Chicago Bulls while beating Miami in the Eastern Conference finals in 1997. Tim Hardaway's latest injury doesn't help the Heat's chances this year. The veteran point guard missed 30 games this season and is now hobbled by a sore left foot, and Riley said Friday that Hardaway is doubtful for Game 1. "It's day to day," Hardaway said. "It's still painful." With or without Hardaway, the question comes up again: Do the Heat lack the character to handle playoff pressure? "There's a bull's-eye on our back," Riley admitted. "The guys are ready to get into the playoffs and try to make amends, and they know there's going to be a lot of pressure. ... "It's a fashionable notion about the Miami Heat. Everybody in the league talks about it. All the teams in the Eastern Conference want to play us. We'll be there, and we'll be there with very strong character." Heat history aside, Detroit really doesn't have much room to talk. In six seasons since superstar Grant Hill came aboard, the Pistons' three playoff appearance have all ended in the first round. In 1997 and 1999, they were eliminated by Atlanta in a winner-take-all fifth game. "They're hungry," Riley said, "but no hungrier than we are." Although the Pistons barely earned the No. 7 seed in the East, the series shapes up as a tossup. Miami and Detroit split four regular-season games, with the home team winning each time. Hill sat out the final three games of the regular season with a bone bruise in his left foot, but he said Thursday he's feeling fine and will start Saturday. Hardaway hopes to be back in action soon, and the Pistons' remarks about wanting a matchup with Miami have made him all the more eager to play. "You hear that stuff," he said. "I take it down and put it my memory bank and remember everything that has been said."
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