Before the Pistons sang their swan song, Chucky Atkins took some parting shots at the Nets. Although the Nets are headed for a second straight Finals appearance, Atkins said they will never stir a lot of buzz in these parts.

“Regardless of what the Nets do, they’re always going to be in the shadow of the Knicks because of the great tradition the Knicks have,” Atkins said before last night’s 102-82 loss. “The Knicks have been around for years and years and they have a great following. Regardless of what they do, they’re always going to be in the shadow of the Knicks, much like the Clippers are [in the Lakers’ shadow] in L.A.”

Atkins said he was happy the Pistons stayed in Manhattan instead of New Jersey. “A lot more to do, a lot more going on,” Atkins said. “We stay in Jersey during the season and it’s pretty boring.”

Pistons coach Rick Carlisle gave the Nets their due.

“You have a team that has won 10 straight in the playoffs,” he said. “The Nets are playing an unbelievable level. You’ve got to say there is some separation between the Nets and the rest of the East. I think they have a real chance against whoever comes out of the West.

“I got my start in coaching with Chuck Daly 14 years ago, and everyone said this could never happen; the Nets couldn’t be a championship contender, and it has.”

If this playoff series has proven anything to Pistons management, it’s how much they need the second pick in the draft to get out of the East next season. Pistons GM Joe Dumars is likely to take Yugoslavian 7-footer Darko Milicic over Carmelo Anthony.

Striking gold in the lottery was a happy diversion to the misery on the court for the Pistons. Naturally, for the players, it’s been a distraction, but Ben Wallace will one day realize how important Thursday night was when he gets a chance to play alongside Milicic, whose low-post and perimeter offense could be the perfect complement to Big Ben’s lunch-pail game.

“It’s not my decision,” Wallace said about whether the Pistons should take Milicic or Anthony. “All I care about is whoever it is, they come here ready to work hard. If not, they’re going to sit down.”

Wallace, a bit agitated with all the fuss about the future, added, “All everybody wants to talk about is the lottery, but we still got a game to play here. I guess it should be exciting we’ve got the second pick in the draft and everyone says there are three great players out there, but that’s later down the road.”