Rookie Tayshaun Prince Takes Over in the Clutch (2003 Game 2 vs. Philly)

May 8, 2003 - Just to be clear, at the time we were talking about the 23rd pick in the 2002 NBA Draft (right behind Casey Jacobsen). This was a guy who caught 40 DNP-CDs his rookie year; a guy who averaged just a hair over 3 points per game for the season; a guy who scored 13 points in the entire month of March.

This was also a guy who never saw the floor for two of his team's first four playoff games; someone who had little choice but to stand idly by as Tracy McGrady lit his team up for close to 40 points per game through the first portion of their series.

But then, with their backs against the wall, Pistons head coach Rick Carlisle made the call, doubling and at times even tripling Tayshaun Prince's minutes as the Pistons fought to claw back from a 3-1 hole to the eighth seeded Orlando Magic. As it turned out, Prince's length and defensive prowess was just enough to make McGrady a bit uncomfortable, kicking his field goal percentage down toward 36 percent for the final four games of the series. Prince's offensive production—15 points in Game 5, 20 points in a Pistons blowout in Game 7—were a welcomed bonus.

And so here we are, in Game 2 of the 2003 Eastern Conference Semifinals, the Pistons holding court without their most dangerous offensive weapon in Chauncey Billups, a sprained ankle taking him out in Game 1. Who takes the big shot in the absence of Mr. Big Shot? Well, the rookie with 40 DNP-CDs, of course. And you know what? It worked.

Prince finished with 20 points in all but saved his best for last, cashing in a one-footed spinning circus shot to induce overtime then piled on seven more points in the extra session to propel the Pistons to a 104-97 Game 2 win over the Philadelphia 76ers.

Prince's clutch performance and subsequently steady play throughout the series would reverberate for generations. His emergence as his team's third leading scorer in the series, alongside his defensive prowess and ability to remain calm under fire led the team to believe they'd found their small forward of the future. And in truth, they had. Prince spent 12 seasons in Detroit, finishing with the eighth most points in team history to go along with four All-Defensive Team selections and an NBA championship in 2004 (propelled, in part, by Prince's legendary block on Reggie Miller in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Finals).

On the flip side, Prince's rookie star turn is also what led the Pistons' front office to shift their focus toward finding a prospect to fill their gap in the frontcourt, likely pushing Carmelo Anthony off their draft board in favor of Darko Milicic.

Box Score: https://www.basketball-reference.com/boxscores/200305080DET.html Receive SMS online on sms24.me

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