AUBURN HILLS -- The All-Star break was supposed to bring about a renewed sense of urgency among the Detroit Pistons , a chance for the veterans as well as the youngsters to get recharged for a strong push toward the postseason.
But Tuesday's game against Milwaukee wasn't all that different from many of those before the break, as Detroit suffered a 92-86 loss to the Milwaukee Bucks (27-29) who became the latest sub-.500 team to beat the Pistons at The Palace of Auburn Hills. Detroit (27-25) has lost four in a row, and nine of its past 11 at home. For the season, the Pistons are just 14-14 at The Palace, which is their worst home record at this point in the season since 2001 when they finished with a 32-50 overall record -- the last season Detroit failed to make the playoffs.
"I keep saying, it's a little different team," Pistons coach Michael Curry said.
"Just because you see three of the faces (Richard Hamilton, Tayshaun Prince and Rasheed Wallace) that were here in '04, that don't mean that all those guys here have participated in that run."
Curry's right.
He coaches a different type of team, but this group has larger issues than simply having a different caliber of personnel.
They struggle to defend at seemingly every position on the floor. Offensively, they miss more than their share of easy layups and wide open jumpers.
But more than anything else, they don't play with the passion a team that's fighting for its playoff life should have.
Tuesday night's game was one in which every Pistons player knew, based on their upcoming schedule, was a game they had to win.
But instead of coming out ready to play, they came out ready to roll over. The Bucks did whatever they wanted to in the first half, which allowed Milwaukee to cruise ahead by as many as 17 points in the first half.
"They jumped right on us," Detroit's Allen Iverson said. "There ain't no excuse for not coming out and not being ready. It's too serious for us to not come out and be ready for this game."
As poorly as Detroit played through the first three quarters, a defensive switch in the fourth seemed to be just what the Pistons needed.
Curry went with a zone defense that helped the Pistons trim Milwaukee's 15-point lead in the fourth down to one point, 83-82, after Antonio McDyess made 1-of-2 free throws with 4:23 to play. McDyess finished with 24 points and 14 rebounds for his fourth double-double this season.
McDyess' free throw would be as close as the Pistons would get, as the Bucks, led by Richard Jefferson's game-high 29 points, went on a 9-4 run to secure the win.
"It shouldn't take a dramatic comeback or anything like that for us to win a Basketball game," Iverson said. "The same way we played in that fourth quarter, is the same way we're supposed to play throughout the game. For some reason, we didn't do it."
It won't get any easier for the Pistons, who are looking at a stretch in which their four-game losing skid could reach double digits. On Thursday, they host the San Antonio Spurs, followed by road games against Cleveland, Miami, New Orleans, Orlando and defending NBA champion Boston.
When they return home March 3, they will face the Denver Nuggets and ex-Piston Chauncey Billups, who will make his first appearance at The Palace since being traded on Nov. 3.
