Allen Iverson's brief time in Detroit was a regrettable experience for all parties involved; fairly or not, he was the most obvious scapegoat (for Pistons fans, his teammates and the coaching staff) during a season in which nearly everything went wrong.
But instead of letting old wounds heal, focusing on a new year and the monumental task at hand of making the Grizzlies relevant, let alone a playoff contender, Iverson ripped off the Band-Aid today by re-living the experience in a scathing interview with ESPN's Scoop Jackson.
The news out of Detroit is that the Pistons have decided to part ways with their head coach of this past season, Michael Curry. The move was an obvious if unexpected one, as Curry made some huge mistakes in his first year in charge -- including alienating the team's number one star, Rip Hamilton, with the way he handled the Allen Iverson situation.
TEQUESTA, Fla. -- This looked like a Bad Boys reunion.
The NBA came from around the country Wednesday to celebrate the life and mourn the death of Chuck Daly, but nothing was more impressive than his collection of pallbearers.
It was the nucleus of his two championship teams in Detroit, the ones that transformed him from just another coaching lifer into a Hall of Famer and Olympic Gold Medalist revered by all.
"I think when you go through the things we did together, there is a bond that never breaks,'' said Laimbeer. "This was a sad time, but a time to celebrate who he was, and what he did, and how loved he was.''
The Pistons and Cavs have a lot of history together, which is fortunate, because that's the only thing that makes this series the least bit compelling. The Cavs finished the season as the most dominant team in the NBA, leading the league with a franchise record 66 wins and terrorizing opponents with an 8.9 point differential. The Pistons, on the other hand, posted their first losing record since 2001, winning just 18 times in their last 50 games. This could get ugly.
AUBURN HILLS, Mich. -- Early in the season when the Pistons were struggling to adjust to life after Chauncey Billups, a common joke among those covering the team at the Palace (usually muttered while waiting for the locker room doors to open after yet another loss) was that Detroit's 4-0 start before Allen Iverson joined the roster would be the reason why the Pistons made the playoffs.
As the season progressed the joke became less funny and more poignant -- until eventually it revealed itself to be the truth. On Friday, with only three games to spare, the Pistons finally secured their invitation to the postseason with a win over the New Jersey Nets.
NEW YORK -- A beautiful thing happened to the Detroit Pistons on their way to the playoffs. Oh, they haven't quite reached the postseason yet, but there isn't much doubt that is where they're headed, where they belong now that the team has been made whole again.
It took the subtraction of Allen Iverson to mend the Pistons, and while there is a chance his removal came a bit too late, Detroit needs to win just one more game to seal a playoff berth. The Pistons are now tied for the seventh seed in the Eastern Conference with the Chicago Bulls, a lucky spot that means avoiding a first-round clash with LeBron James' Cleveland Cavaliers.
NEW YORK -- A beautiful thing happened to the Detroit Pistons on their way to the playoffs. Oh, they haven't quite reached the postseason yet, but there isn't much doubt that is where they're headed, where they belong now that the team has been made whole again.
It took the subtraction of Allen Iverson to mend the Pistons, and while there is a chance his removal came a bit too late, Detroit needs to win just one more game to seal a playoff berth. The Pistons are now tied for the seventh seed in the Eastern Conference with the Chicago Bulls, a lucky spot that means avoiding a first-round clash with LeBron James' Cleveland Cavaliers.
AUBURN HILLS, Mich. -- For most of the season, Will Bynum has lived in obscurity, the third point guard on a team that already had two starters at the position. But lately? Allen Iverson is gone and Rodney Stuckey hit the wall, and Bynum isn't letting his opportunity go to waste.
With their postseason hopes on the line, things looked bleak for the Pistons heading into the final quarter against the Bobcats on Sunday night. After allowing a 17-point lead to completely evaporate, the Pistons actually finished the third quarter trailing by one. And then, as if things weren't difficult enough, Rip Hamilton was ejected after picking up his second technical of the night.
Naturally, that's when Bynum took over, etching his name in the team's record book in the process by scoring 26 points in the final quarter to put the game on ice.
Obviously, there's more at play here. As FanHouse's Matt Watson has reported over the past few weeks, the Iverson-Pistons relationship has turned into something awful. You'd have to imagine this early break-up -- with the playoffs in question -- has more to do with personal emotion than A.I.'s back.
During the second half of Miami's win in Detroit, after a tougher-than-usual bucket from Dwyane Wade, Jeff Van Gundy made a particularly keen observation.
"It's a joke how good this guy is," Van Gundy remarked.
Even though Wade finished with 39 points, it wasn't his offense, but his defense that ended up sealing the victory for the Heat down the stretch.
Allen Iverson's brief time in Detroit was a regrettable experience for all parties involved; fairly or not, he was the most obvious scapegoat (for Pistons fans, his teammates and the coaching staff) during a season in which nearly everything went wrong. 
The 
TEQUESTA, Fla. -- This looked like a Bad Boys reunion.
FanHouse previews the 
AUBURN HILLS, Mich. -- Early in the season when the Pistons were struggling to adjust to life after 
NEW YORK -- A beautiful thing happened to the Detroit Pistons on their way to the playoffs. Oh, they haven't quite reached the postseason yet, but there isn't much doubt that is where they're headed, where they belong now that the team has been made whole again.
AUBURN HILLS, Mich. -- For most of the season, 
The Pistons have announced 
During the second half of Miami's win in Detroit, after a tougher-than-usual bucket from 
