--Richard Hamilton slowed down a little bit against the Warriors and his offense picked up. Hamilton had made just 4-of-24 field-goal attempts in his previous two games. He shot 7-for-15 from the field and had a game-high 24 points Thursday. Coach Michael Curry felt his shooting guard was playing at a frantic pace. Rip's playing fast and if you ask him he will tell you the same thing," Curry said. "He's taking the same shots he usually takes, but he's playing fast."
Hamilton is still adjusting to playing without longtime backcourt partner Chauncey Billups.
"It's all about timing," he said. "With Chaunce, I knew what he was going to do every time down the court. He knew when I was coming off screens, he knew when I would be open and he knew where to put the ball. Now I have to learn A.I. (Allen Iverson). It's like starting over. With Chauncey at the beginning, at least we had a training camp. With A.I., we have to learn on the fly."
--F Amir Johnson says he's not upset about losing his starting job. He understands the reasoning behind the move.
"I have no problem with it," Johnson said. "Now that we have (Allen Iverson), that first squad is sped up. Now I can come in with that second squad and both will have energy. Whatever the coach thinks will keep us winning, I am for it."
Coach Michael Curry said he expects Johnson to continue getting his 17 to 20 minutes a game.
--The 100-point barometer still applies to the Pistons. They are 6-0 when scoring 100 or more points and 0-2 when they have fallen below that mark.
QUOTE TO NOTE: "Allen speeds you up. He speeds the whole team up. That's the one thing he brings to the table." -- Coach Michael Curry, on his team learning to play with point guard Allen Iverson.
