Dein erstes Forum » al playoff win over the Ben

ATLANTA -- Point guard Ish Smith has the Detroit Pistons talking to each other on the court, moving the ball fluidly and getting stops on defense.The result has been an impressive run against quality opponents.We were just flying around, Smith said. Thats going to be the key for us going forward, just constantly getting better defensively. If we can do that, then well be pretty good.Kentavious Caldwell-Pope scored 23 points, Tobias Harris added 18 and Detroit beat the reeling Atlanta Hawks 121-85 on Friday night.The Pistons, who tied a team record with 17 3-pointers, have won five of six and are 3-1 on a trip that included stops at playoff contenders Oklahoma City, Charlotte and Boston.To win three in a row against three teams ahead of you in the standings, all over .500, on the road, in four days? coach Stan Van Gundy said. Thats a pretty good trip. So now the challenge is dont get full of ourselves.Andre Drummond finished with 14 points and 14 rebounds and Smith had 13 assists as seven players scored in double figures for Detroit.The Hawks, losers in eight of their last nine games, were 9-2 and tied for the Eastern Conference lead after beating Milwaukee on Nov. 16. Now they are one-half game behind eighth-place Detroit and headed to play Toronto, the Easts second-best team, on Saturday.Dennis Schroder had 17 points and 13 assists for Atlanta. Tim Hardaway Jr. and Mike Muscala scored 11 each.Caldwell-Pope had 15 points in the first quarter and finished the first half with 20 points on 8-for-16 shooting, 4 for 5 on 3s. The former University of Georgia standout and former Southeastern Conference player of the year finished 9 for 20 from the field.The outcome was decided early and resembled Atlantas recent blowout losses to New Orleans and Utah.Its been a difficult run and the Hawks worst stretch of games under coach Mike Budenholzer, now in his fourth season, since they lost 14 of 15 from Feb. 4-March 8, 2014.The Hawks played their second straight game without leading scorer Paul Millsap, who averages 16.1 points and is sidelined with a left hip injury. But star center Dwight Howard had just two points, took only four shots and was whistled for five fouls.I think as a team weve got to find a balance that we play inside and outside, Schroder said. Weve got to keep moving the ball. We cant throw it into Dwight and he plays 1-on-1. Thats not how we play, but Ive got to do a better job of finding him and getting him more post touches.Atlanta missed 10 straight shots from the field during a stretch in which it trailed 51-32 in the second.The Hawks never led after Caldwell-Pope hit a 3 at the 4:39 mark of the first. Detroit led 58-34 on Drummonds dunk of an alley-oop pass with 2 minutes left in the second.TIP-INSPistons: Two games after hitting 12 3s in Tuesdays win at Charlotte, Detroit was torrid beyond the arc. Jon Leuer, who finished with 16 points, went 4 for 5 on 3s. Caldwell-Pope finished 5 for 8. The team record of 17 3s was first set Dec. 28, 2014, at Cleveland.Hawks: Budenholzer went with his second unit -- Hardaway, Muscala, Malcolm Delany, Taurean Prince and Kris Humphries -- to begin the third quarter. The starters -- Schroder, Howard, Kyle Korver, Thabo Sefolosha and Kent Bazemore -- combined for 20 points on 8-for-28 shooting. They were outrebounded by Detroits starters 24-13 in the first half.UP NEXTPistons: Host Orlando on Sunday.Hawks: Visit Toronto on Saturday.Buy Shoes Ireland . Thousands of fans at Mosaic Stadium will be cozying up to each other in an effort to stay warm in chilly temperatures and block the Prairie wind that locals say can knock your socks off. Wholesale Shoes Ireland . -- The Sacramento Kings are set to become the first major professional sports franchise to accept Bitcoin virtual currency for ticket and merchandise purchases. https://www.shoesirelandsale.com/ . The quest begins with what is supposed to be an easy one, although Germany has traditionally been a stubborn opponent to Canadian teams at international tournaments. Cheap Shoes Ireland Online . The Oilers come in having lost five in a row (0-4-1) and 16 of their last 20 games, dropping a 2-1 decision to the Vancouver Canucks on Tuesday. Discount Shoes Ireland . The Olympic champion curler and TSN curling analyst immediately went online to look at the Halls long list of honoured members. Thats when the enormity of the honour sunk in.SAN DIEGO -- While speculation swirls about what might lie ahead for the Chargers and their head coach, Mike McCoy said Monday that he was more focused on the near future.We got to worry about going on the road and playing Cleveland, he said. That is my No. 1 concern right now.Still, many questions linger after a tough 19-16 loss to the Oakland Raiders on Sunday that said a lot about where the Chargers stand right now. The score almost took a backseat to the environment, in which thousands of Raiders fans filled Qualcomm Stadium and black and silver were more prevalent than Chargers colors.The Chargers (5-9) were even forced to use a silent count on offense because of the noise generated by the Oakland contingent.It stinks, said McCoy. Its not what you want. Its unfortunate. But I think the players and coaches responded the right way.Worries about the Chargers potentially relocating to Los Angeles, and consecutive losing seasons, have demoralized the fan base.Everyone is frustrated, McCoy said. These players and coaches work extremely hard and they deserve to win these games.But that seldom happens of late. The Chargers have lost 21 of 30 games and 12 of their past 13 against AFC West foes.McCoys Chargers have sunk to the depths of the last-place Chargers squads from the 2000 and 2001 seasons. They won a combined six games over two years and were the last Chargers teams to produce consecutive losing seasons.Mike Riley, the coach of those teams, was fired after the 2001 season.The ball doesnt always bounce your way from year to year, McCoy said. There are certain teams that have gotten every break in the business this year. I was on one of those in Carolina in 2003 when we went to thhe Super Bowl.ddddddddddddMcCoy was also on the Panthers staff two years earlier when Carolina went 1-15. Then, and now, he knows where the blame lands.Im the head coach, he said. I take full responsibility for all those mistakes. Thats my role and I understand that. (But) no one is out there trying to make a mistake.McCoy, a first-time head coach at any level, is 27-35 in his three-plus seasons. He broke fast in 2013 when leading the Chargers to a road AFC divisional playoff win over the Bengals. Since then, theres been little to celebrate.McCoy said he hasnt been offered a contract extension. Its routine that a coach receives an extension going into the final year of his deal but McCoy said there havent been discussions about one.McCoy is clear about wanting to return.I love my job, I love what I do, he said. This is the greatest job in the world. I love working for these players and coaches and being the leader of this group. We got a special group of people that are very talented.McCoy said he feels for Chargers fans anxious about the team leaving. But that, just like his job security, will be determined by team chairman Dean Spanos.Dean has said he will make his decision after the season is over, McCoy said about the team moving to L.A. Theres nothing that has been finalized. We are focused on the next two weeks, on what we need to do, and especially this week in what we have to do in Cleveland. We have to find a way to win the next one and that is what it is all about.---For more NFL coverage: http://www.pro32.ap.org and http://www.twitter.com/AP-NFL ' ' '