NBA Eastern Conference: Pistons turn back T-Mac

Top-seeded Detroit wins Game 7, 108-93, to advance

? With his expressionless face sitting atop sunken shoulders and limp legs, Tracy McGrady stared at the floor in dismay.

McGrady didn’t look up at the scoreboard that showed he again would be going home after the first round, nor did he gaze at the fans who taunted him in a raucous arena.

“This is the worst of all of them,” McGrady said after his Orlando Magic were eliminated by the Detroit Pistons, 108-93, Sunday.

Chauncey Billups scored 37 points, and rookie Tayshaun Prince had a career-high 20 while harassing McGrady defensively as Detroit defeated Orlando decisively in Game 7 of their first-round series.

The Pistons became just the seventh team in NBA history to advance after falling behind 3-1 in a series, giving McGrady all the time he needs to rest. For the fourth straight season, he’s done in one.

“Before, I felt like we had to play almost perfect to have a chance. But this time, we were up 3-1, and it was right there for us to take,” said McGrady, who scored 21 points on 7-of-24 shooting.

The Miami Heat (1999) and Seattle SuperSonics (1994) were the only top-seeded teams to lose in the first round since the playoffs were expanded to a 16-team format in 1984.

“We did it with a lot of pride,” Billups said. “Everybody kind of gave up on us and thought it was over.”

The Pistons put an end to Orlando’s hopes of advancing for the first time since 1996, when Shaquille O’Neal and Penny Hardaway led the Magic to a first-round sweep of Detroit.

Orlando had its only lead after scoring the game’s first basket.

The Pistons made nine of their first 11 shots to take a 20-8 lead midway through the first quarter.

After Orlando pulled to 31-30 early in the second quarter, Detroit went on a 14-4 run to take command for good. The Magic cut their deficit to nine early in the third quarter, but the Pistons turned the game into a rout with a 18-4 burst.

Detroit's Chauncey Billups celebrates after a basket. Billups led all players with 37 points in the Pistons' 108-93 victory Sunday over Orlando in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference quarterfinals in Auburn Hills, Mich.

Detroit’s Richard Hamilton scored 22 points and Ben Wallace added 12 rebounds, seven points, five assists, five blocks and two steals.

Billups, who scored a career-high 40 in Game 6, made 11 of 19 shots and all 12 of his free throws.

Billups, a free-agent acquisition from Minnesota, and Hamilton, who Detroit obtained in a trade with Washington for Jerry Stackhouse, have advanced in the playoffs for the first time.

“We can’t celebrate too long,” Billups said.

The Pistons will play Philadelphia in the second round beginning Tuesday night.

McGrady, who led the NBA in scoring during the regular season, has been knocked out of the first round the past three years in Orlando after it happened during his final season in Toronto.

“To try to put this series on T-Mac would be wrong,” Orlando coach Doc Rivers said.

McGrady was cocky and confident after scoring 89 points in Games 1-2, saying he couldn’t be contained. But his demeanor was the complete opposite Sunday.

“The better team won,” McGrady said.

McGrady again had difficulty with Prince — a seldom-used rookie who averaged just 10 minutes during the regular season and sat out 40 games — and the NBA’s top defense.

“I’m only human,” McGrady said. “I’m not going to play great every night. Fatigue is definitely a factor.”

Orlando’s Drew Gooden, of Kansas University, had 20 points and 17 rebounds. Gordan Giricek scored 16 and Pat Garrity added 10.

“You can’t think that T-Mac is Superman every night,” Gooden said.

Prince’s insertion into the lineup was one of the most critical moves in the series made by Detroit coach Rick Carlisle. After not playing in Game 1, Prince made McGrady’s life difficult in Games 2-3 and set a career-high with 15 in Game 5.

Carlisle’s predictability and inflexibility were the subject of criticism in Detroit when it appeared the Pistons were about to be eliminated. But Carlisle, last year’s NBA Coach of the Year, refused to say he felt vindicated.

“This isn’t about me,” Carlisle said. “This is about the team. This is a great tribute to what I believe is a true team.”

The Pistons won Game 5 by 31 points, and won the next two by 15 to knock the Magic out in the first round for the third year in a row.

The Pistons have advanced in the playoffs for consecutive seasons for the first time since they did it five straight times from 1987-91.