ALinChainz
03-21-2005, 05:59 PM
By Chris McCosky / The Detroit News
AUBURN HILLS -- On a day when Rasheed Wallace was given an NBA Community Assist Award for his charitable work with children in the community, the Pistons' organization lent a big helping hand to the San Antonio Spurs.
Spurs All-Star Tim Duncan suffered a severely sprained right ankle just two minutes into the Pistons' 110-101 victory Sunday.
Although initial X-rays were negative, the Spurs wanted to send Duncan back to San Antonio for further evaluation.
Since the Spurs were beginning a three-game trip, their plane was not available.
In stepped Pistons owner Bill Davidson, who dispatched team pilot Chuck Shipp and one of his Gulfstream airplanes and flew Duncan back home.
"That's huge," Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said. "That's the kind of camaraderie that makes the NBA feel like family. There's a competition. We all want to beat each other. But no one wants to see something like that happen."
The Spurs are worried that Duncan's injury might keep him out for an extended period.
"It's the same ankle he sprained a couple of weeks ago," Popovich said. "He hurt it worse this time. It will be a while (before he gets back)."
Duncan's departure drastically increased the pace of the game.
"They went to a faster tempo," Pistons assistant Gar Heard said. "And our guys, if you play up-tempo, we feel like we can play that way, too."
The Pistons, to their credit, didn't let up once Duncan went out.
"You still have to play," Chauncey Billups said. "You still have to execute our game plan. I don't think we deserve any extra credit for that. That's what you're supposed to do. If we didn't do that, there would have been a whole lot of disappointed guys in this locker room."
http://www.detnews.com/2005/pistons/0503/21/D03-123566.htm
AUBURN HILLS -- On a day when Rasheed Wallace was given an NBA Community Assist Award for his charitable work with children in the community, the Pistons' organization lent a big helping hand to the San Antonio Spurs.
Spurs All-Star Tim Duncan suffered a severely sprained right ankle just two minutes into the Pistons' 110-101 victory Sunday.
Although initial X-rays were negative, the Spurs wanted to send Duncan back to San Antonio for further evaluation.
Since the Spurs were beginning a three-game trip, their plane was not available.
In stepped Pistons owner Bill Davidson, who dispatched team pilot Chuck Shipp and one of his Gulfstream airplanes and flew Duncan back home.
"That's huge," Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said. "That's the kind of camaraderie that makes the NBA feel like family. There's a competition. We all want to beat each other. But no one wants to see something like that happen."
The Spurs are worried that Duncan's injury might keep him out for an extended period.
"It's the same ankle he sprained a couple of weeks ago," Popovich said. "He hurt it worse this time. It will be a while (before he gets back)."
Duncan's departure drastically increased the pace of the game.
"They went to a faster tempo," Pistons assistant Gar Heard said. "And our guys, if you play up-tempo, we feel like we can play that way, too."
The Pistons, to their credit, didn't let up once Duncan went out.
"You still have to play," Chauncey Billups said. "You still have to execute our game plan. I don't think we deserve any extra credit for that. That's what you're supposed to do. If we didn't do that, there would have been a whole lot of disappointed guys in this locker room."
http://www.detnews.com/2005/pistons/0503/21/D03-123566.htm