AUBURN HILLS, MICH. ? Rick Carlisle couldn’t watch as his Detroit Pistons won the Eastern Conference.

Detroit clinched the No. 1 seed in the East Monday night, escaping with an 89-88 victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers when Smush Parker missed a dunk at the final buzzer.

Since Ben Wallace was injured April 6, Detroit has needed overtime to beat Chicago and double overtime to beat Memphis.

“Every game has been so tough lately,” Carlisle said. “When (Zydrunas) Ilgauskas got the ball at the free-throw line, I closed my eyes, because I thought he was going to make it. Then Parker had a shot at the dunk, and he missed it somehow. Believe me, they deserved that one just as much as we did.”

The win, combined with New Jersey’s loss to New Orleans, ensures that Detroit will finish with the top spot in the conference. The Pistons have a one-game lead over the Nets with one game remaining, but Detroit owns the tiebreaker.

The Pistons will play the loser of Wednesday’s game between Orlando and Milwaukee.

“Eastern Conference regular-season champs, baby,” Chauncey Billups said. “This is what we set out for when we started the season in training camp. We did it, and we’re happy, but we will celebrate when the season is over.”

The final seconds of the Nets’ loss were shown live on the scoreboard, and the crowd cheered loudly when that game ended and the Pistons had clinched. It will be the first time since 1990 that Detroit is the No. 1 seed.

“People felt like we couldn’t do this without Ben, but we always felt like we had enough people left,” Jon Barry said. “We feel good about that, but we know we’ve got to play better than we have been. The good thing is that we’ll be getting Ben back for the playoffs.”

Carlisle became the second coach in NBA history to win 50 games and division titles in each of his first two seasons. Pat Riley did it with the 1981-82 and 82-83 Lakers.

“This is nice, but we’ve got one game left,” Carlisle said. “Then all the fun begins.”

Detroit's Clifford Robinson, foreground, goes to the basket against Cleveland's Chris Mihm in the Piston's 89-88 win. With the victory Monday in Auburn Hills, Mich., the Pistons clinched the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs.

With the score tied at 86, Richard Hamilton fouled Parker with 53.2 seconds left. Parker made both free throws, but he fouled Chauncey Billups on the other end. Billups also made both shots, retying the game.

Ilgauskas missed, and Carlos Boozer fouled Mehmet Okur on the rebound. The rookie split the free throws, putting Detroit up, 89-88.

Darius Miles missed, but the rebound went out of bounds off the Pistons. Ilgauskas missed, and Parker’s slam attempt was no good.

“That play sums up the entire Cleveland Cavaliers season,” Parker said. “We deserved to win this one.”

Hornets 87, Nets 74

East Rutherford, N.J. — Baron Davis scored 19 points, and New Orleans limited New Jersey to 11 fourth-quarter points in keeping the Nets from clinching a second straight Atlantic Division title. Jamal Mashburn added 17 points, and P.J. Brown had 14 as the Hornets won their fourth straight and kept alive their hopes of gaining homecourt advantage for the first round of the playoffs.

Hawks 100, Magic 84

Atlanta — Jason Terry, playing perhaps his final game in Atlanta, scored 23 points as the Hawks extended their winning streak to a season-high four games. Ira Newble also scored 23 points, setting a career high for the second game in a row as the Hawks played their final home game.

Knicks 93, Wizards 79

Washington — Michael Jordan received a mild pregame ovation and a larger one afterward as he scored 21 points with eight rebounds in a loss to New York. Allan Houston scored 23 points to lead the Knicks, who tied the Wizards for ninth place in the Eastern Conference — something that will matter only on draft lottery day. After the game, Wizards owner Abe Pollin donated 50 computers to each of Washington’s 18 public high schools. The computer labs will be named after Jordan. Jordan did not address the crowd before leaving the court.

Spurs 91, Jazz 83

Salt Lake City — The Spurs clinched the top seed in the Western Conference and homecourt advantage throughout the playoffs. Tim Duncan scored 15 of his 21 points in the third quarter, and Tony Parker finished with 25 points as the Spurs claimed their 13th straight victory in the series. Winning for the 12th time in 13 games, the Spurs clinched the Midwest Division title for the third straight season.

Mavericks 109, SuperSonics 106

Dallas — Dirk Nowitzki had 39 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists, but Dallas’ chance to win the Midwest Division ended when San Antonio defeated Utah. Seattle, playing its first game since being eliminated from the playoffs, did its best to play spoiler, leading by 13 in the third quarter.

Clippers 122, Warriors 113

Oakland, Calif. — Elton Brand scored 26 points and matched his career high with 23 rebounds, and a third-quarter fight sparked a Golden State comeback that fell short in the Clippers’ victory over the Warriors. Golden State’s Troy Murphy fought Sean Rooks of the Clippers midway through the third quarter, leading to ejections for both players.