PISTONS 103, MAGIC 88: His career-high 40 points help keep T-Mac, Magic off balance throughout.
By JAMAL THALJI
Published May 3, 2003
ORLANDO - T-Mac does not want to be K.G.
But the comparisons between the Magic's Tracy McGrady and the Timberwolves' Kevin Garnett are obvious. Both starred straight out of high school, both rose to the elite at a young age - McGrady at 23, Garnett at 26.
Most important, postseason success eludes both. Seven times Garnett failed to get past the first round. McGrady bristles when compared to Garnett - because he has lost three consecutive series.
Will this be the fourth?
The Pistons defeated the Magic 103-88 in Friday night's Game 6 before 16,909 at the TD Waterhouse Centre to end a 12-game road playoff losing streak.
After eighth-seeded Orlando grabbed a 3-1 lead in this first-round Eastern Conference series, top-seeded Detroit stormed. The series is tied 3-3, as the Magic wasted a shot at winning fourth-year coach Doc Rivers' first series and the franchise's first since 1996.
"I asked them in the locker room, is this over?" Rivers said. "I asked them a lot of questions. I think they're going to be okay, but they're going to feel as horrible as their coach will tonight, losing a 3-1 lead.
"I'll tell you this, Detroit better play their (butts) off Sunday."
Coach Rick Carlisle, who won his first road playoff game, said his team answered its questions in Game 6.
"When we got down 3-1, what we talked about was to have the opportunity to come down here and get back homecourt advantage," Carlisle said. "A lot of teams down 3-1 don't have the desire to do that. I really give our guys credit. They dug in ...
"All we wanted to do was give ourselves a chance, and we've done that."
Garnett's Wolves also held a 2-1 series lead over the defending champion Lakers, only to be swept in the last three games. The franchise was eliminated in an NBA record seventh consecutive series Thursday.
The decisive Game 7 for the Magic is Sunday at Detroit.
Is Orlando done, too?
"(In the locker room) basically everyone said it wasn't over," McGrady said after finishing with 37 points and 11 rebounds. "We've got to do it the hard way and that's on the road."
After losing Game 5 by 31, Orlando looked inept on offense and flat on defense through most of Game 6, while Detroit displayed its trademark defense and scored at will. The Pistons shot 43.2 percent from the floor and 30.4 percent from 3-point range. The Magic was 39.5 and 11.1 percent, respectively.
Detroit's big three went wild: Chauncey Billups scored a career-high 40, making 7 of 14 3-pointers, Ben Wallace had 20 points and 17 rebounds, and Richard Hamilton added 22.
Holding the Magic at arm's length throughout, the Pistons made a crucial run with 2:03 left in the third quarter for a game-high 15-point lead; the run's last shot a 20-footer from Wallace. Hamilton started the 11-3 run with a steal and two free throws. Corliss Williamson came off the bench to sink a 9-footer. Billups went 1-of-2 at the free-throw line, Hamilton rebounded his miss for a layup, then Williamson was 2-of-2 at the line.
The Magic could not put together that one run to climb back. Players kept passing up shots and avoiding the basket, to the extent that Drew Gooden attempted a futile 3-pointer with 3:05 left to avoid the shot clock.
McGrady saw the way Minnesota went out, losing three straight. He can't imagine that happening here, to him.
"This is the opportunity for me to advance to the next round and to really make a step up to the next level, somewhere I've never been," he said. "Who knows if I'll ever get back to this situation again.
"We just have to take care of this opportunity. It's right there in front of our faces."
