NOTES
AUBURN HILLS, Mich. – The question to Antonio McDyess was blunt: “Was there anyone who didn’t believe you can come back?”
The answer was more blunt.
“New York. Phoenix,” McDyess, now with Detroit, said yesterday.
After his sensational second half in the Pistons’ 96-79 win over the Spurs in Game 3 of the NBA Finals on Tuesday night, McDyess, a reserve forward, was the center of a heavy media crush yesterday as he retold the tale of his comeback that hit rock bottom with the Knicks.
After Isiah Thomas shipped him out last season, the Suns shut him down after seeing him hobble for five games. McDyess, who said the Knicks had rushed him back, was devastated.
“I told my agent to tell Phoenix to cut me,” McDyess said. “He wouldn’t do it. It was a mental breakdown for me. I didn’t even want to talk about basketball.”
Now he’s three wins from a championship ring, spurring Detroit with steals, defense and nifty post shots Tuesday, finishing with 12 points, nine boards and three thefts in his most clutch 19 minutes of the playoffs.
“I thought my career was over,” McDyess said. “This just has been a blessing.”
Thomas phoned McDyess’ agent, Andy Miller, last summer when McDyess became a free agent, but the Pistons topped his list after he talked with team president Joe Dumars. The Suns made a lower offer.
“He told me he watched my last 18 games [in Phoenix],” McDyess said of Dumars. “On the East Coast, that’s pretty late.”
*
Credit Chanda Wallace for an assist in Detroit’s Game 3 win. Ben Wallace was spurred by a rare critique she had when the Pistons returned home from San Antonio down 0-2. “My wife told me I wasn’t playing the way she was used to seeing me play,” said Ben Wallace, who erupted for 15 points, 11 rebounds, five blocks and three steals Tuesday. “When it comes from home, she doesn’t have to say much. You’re at home, off the court. You ain’t supposed to be bringing basketball home. Then when it comes to your house in the form of your wife, you got to take that serious.”
One reason to root for the Pistons: “Desperate Housewives” star Eva Longoria, Tony Parker‘s girlfriend, has a bet with John Salley. Longoria said she’ll appear on Fox’s “Best Damn Sports Show, Period” in a bikini if Detroit wins the series. Salley will wear a Speedo on her show if the Spurs triumph.
