Terry Foster

Pistons' small ball a big thing

Auburn Hills -- Welcome to small ball.

The Pistons unleashed their secret weapon on the Milwaukee Bucks Wednesday night at The Palace, playing much of the second half with a three-guard rotation the Bucks could not keep up with.

It won't win the Pistons an NBA title, but it will make things uncomfortable for some teams during those grueling nights when legs turn sluggish and teams are not in the mood to defend.

For one night it worked as the Pistons ran away with a 113-104 victory to remain unbeaten during the preseason and surpass coach John Kuester's goal of averaging 100 points per game.

First, Kuester showered the Bucks with Ben Gordon, Rodney Stuckey and Richard Hamilton. That worked like a charm. It got even better when Will Bynum replaced Stuckey at the point and literally ran the Bucks into the ground.

"They are ballplayers," Kuester said. "Other teams might try to use their size to try to post those guys up. That is where we are going to have to continue to do a good job on defense. We will have to help out. Those are three guys who can explode. That is a nice problem to have."

Gordon looks good

Ben Gordon showed he is more than a shooter, scoring 24 points by hitting open jumpers and using a little funk in his game to keep defenders off-balance. Hamilton (4 points) did not do much but he doesn't have to prove himself at this point.

"I think it will be great with how athletic we are," Hamilton said. "We have bigs that can defend and allow us to get up and down the floor. And when you have guys who can shoot, you always keep the floor spaced out."

The real treat was Bynum (23 points, six assists), who runs the point better than anyone for the Pistons and that includes Stuckey -- the man they want to run it.

Bynum is not an elite point guard, but he gives the Pistons exactly what they want. He is an unselfish player who can get into the lane and make good decisions.

Bynum's nifty pass to Austin Daye ignited a three-point play and brought the tiny Palace crowd to its feet. He also found Hamilton inside for a reverse layup on a backdoor cut, and that will motivate guys to keep their eyes open.

terry.foster@detnews.com (313) 222-1494