It has been more than two months since the Pistons saw Shareef Abdur-Rahim. They didn't forget the 50 points he hung on them on Nov. 23, and Wednesday they turned it around.

"They did what they were supposed to do," the Hawks power forward said.

"They fronted him and they played behind him. They were all over him," Jason Terry said. "They played it the right way."

A frustrated Shareef Abdur-Rahim turned as if he wanted to go after Ben Wallace. Wallace stepped right up into his face as if to say, "What are you going to do?"
  Seconds later, Abdur-Rahim started jawing at Jerry Stackhouse. Stackhouse gave a wicked smile and pointed up to The Palace scoreboard, which read: Pistons 88, Hawks 71.
  It was a bad night for All-Stars, and for the Hawks.
  "I think Ben gave all the people who voted on the All-Stars something to think about," Cliff Robinson said.
  Wallace, who was kept off the Eastern Conference All-Star squad in favor of Abdur-Rahim and Alonzo Mourning, limited Abdur-Rahim to 4-for-14 shooting and 10 points.
  "It wasn't about the All-Star Game," said Wallace, who achieved his 13th double-double (10 points, a season-high 19 rebounds). "I wish him the best of luck at the All-Star Game. But he wasn't about to get 50 tonight. That's what this was about."

Here we go again. The Pistons just completed another back-to-back set (their 13th) and are in the midst of another stretch of four games in five nights (their fifth).
  So, you wonder, do the players have any tricks to help them get through these grueling stretches?
  "Just show up," Jon Barry said.
  "Get some rest and stay off your feet," Chucky Atkins said.
  "Just take care of your body, as always," Ben Wallace said.
  The consensus seemed to be that playing four games in five nights is more of a mental strain than physical strain.
  "If you think you are tired, you will be tired," Barry said. "I honestly don't mind these. I liked it when we played three games in a row during the lockout year. We are trained to do this. It's no big deal."

Shareef Abdur-Rahim was the topic of conversation leading up to Wednesday night's game at the Palace between the Pistons and Hawks.

The Atlanta forward, who scored 50 points against the Pistons on Nov. 23, was named to the All-Star team for the first time in his six-year career. Last Friday, Abdur-Rahim missed the Hawks' 107-90 loss to the visiting Pistons because he was serving a three-game suspension for fighting with Houston's Kenny Thomas.

Pistons forward Ben Wallace, who like Jerry Stackhouse didn't receive an All-Star invite, was eager to face Abdur-Rahim again Wednesday night. Abdur-Rahim, who played for the Grizzlies his first five seasons, entered the game averaging 20.1 points and 9.8 rebounds. He entered this season averaging 20.8 points and 8.2 boards.

"I know what happened in that game -- we went out and jumped on them early and we sort of got away from the defense we were playing," Wallace said of the Hawks' 106-99 victory Nov. 23 in Atlanta. "We had such a big lead we allowed him to catch the ball where he wanted to and pretty much do what he wanted because they were trying to get back in the game. Before we knew it, the game was close and he was on a roll.

Family members of former Detroit Piston George Trapp say they are outraged because they've been told by Detroit police that the man accused of fatally stabbing Trapp will not face criminal charges.

But Wayne County prosecutors said Wednesday that the investigation into Trapp's death is ongoing and no decision about charges has been made.

Trapp, 53, died Jan. 21 at Sinai-Grace Hospital of complications from stab wounds suffered Jan. 11.

Detroit police said Trapp and his 49-year-old roommate fought at their home in northwest Detroit. The roommate was struck with an ashtray, and Trapp was stabbed in the stomach, police said.

The roommate was treated and released, but Trapp needed surgery to repair his colon. While hospitalized, Trapp developed pneumonia and lack of oxygen to the brain, and never recovered

Why does Michael Curry start? Why does he play so many minutes?
  This is why.
  With 18.8 seconds left and the Pistons clinging to an 88-86 lead Tuesday, Curry flat-out refused to let Michael Jordan touch the basketball.
  Jordan, who had scored 14 of his 32 points in the fourth quarter to lead the Wizards back from a 10-point deficit, didn't get to take the last shot. Instead, Chris Whitney and Hubert Davis did -- and they both missed -- enabling the Pistons to hang on for an 89-86 victory over the Wizards at the sold-out MCI Center.
  "I was focused on trying to make him catch it far beyond the arc," said Curry, who helped limit Jordan to 18 points on 7-of-20 shooting through three quarters. "I just kept on denying. Most of his baskets were in the top-of-the-key area, so I just wanted to keep him out of there."
  It was the Pistons' fifth victory in six games and their third straight road victory.

For the first time in three years, Jerry Stackhouse wasn't selected for the NBA All-Star Game. No Piston was named to the Eastern Conference team Tuesday. Stackhouse's chances were hurt by Michael Jordan's return and the defection of Shareef Abdur-Rahim and Jason Kidd from the West to the East.

Stackhouse was left off the team despite being the 11th-leading scorer in the league at 23.5 points and second among all shooting guards in assists with 5.2 per game.

"I was disappointed -- I would have loved to have had the opportunity to go," Stackhouse said. But, he added: "I'd much rather have our team success than maybe having a little better numbers and having more of an opportunity to go to an All-Star Game and my team not having the success we've been having."

Pistons Coach Rick Carlisle would prefer not to look too far into the future, but there is no denying the importance of the upcoming stretch of games, starting tonight at Washington.
  "In any type of tiebreaker situation, head-to-head is the No. 1 criteria to determine who wins the series," Jon Barry said. "We are one up on them now. If we can get one at their place, then we are in a position where all we have to do is win the next home game and we have the series.
  "And it looks like it's going to come down to the wire with this thing. There's like 10 teams who are right there, so every time you play against a team you are running with, it's big."
  The Wizards (21-20), Pistons (21-20), Philadelphia (22-21) and Orlando (23-22) are in a virtual tie for fifth place in the East. The Pistons play Orlando on Friday and Philadelphia next Tuesday.
  "Every game we play against an Eastern Conference team is very crucial," Cliff Robinson said. "They are more meaningful because you are talking about moving up a whole game rather than a half-game."
  But Carlisle, wisely, points out there are 41 games left.
  "Rather than talk about playoff implications when you are just halfway through a season, it's more important for us to continue to build our game around solid defense and unselfish offense," he said. "This is an opportunity to build on what we have done the last couple of games. I prefer to keep it that simple right now."

Perry A. Farrell takes a look at each Piston player and grades their performance in the first half of the season.

No one knows better than Michael Curry that Michael Jordan is getting his legs back, and the greatest guard ever averaged 40.5 points over his past two starts.

Curry, the Pistons' small forward, is expected to get the first crack at His Airness when the Pistons travel to Washington to face the Wizards tonight.

Both teams are one game over .500 in what is expected to be a tight race for the sixth, seventh and eighth playoff spots in the Eastern Conference.

The Pistons and Wizards have met three times: two exhibitions and a regular-season game.

"Any time you have Jordan and Doug Collins over there, that team is going to have a chance to win," Curry said. "He has his legs now compared to earlier in the year. Before he was creating a lot of space and taking jumpers. Now, he's driving right, driving left, finishing in traffic. He looks like the old Mike now as far as his finishing ability."