Darvin Ham was merely the first member of the Milwaukee Bucks to compliment the Detroit Pistons' overachieving ways when he said, "They play with so much enthusiasm.

"They are genuinely enthused when they do something good on defense," he continued. "I'd like to see us perform like that, win some games defensively and not depend on that three-point shot."

He probably won't be the last.

If the Pistons have demonstrated anything at this late juncture of the regular season, it is that they may not go away in their Central Division race with the Bucks. With a style of play diametrically opposed to that of Milwaukee, the Pistons, under first-year coach Rick Carlisle, have become one of better Eastern Conference stories of the year.

Predicted to be a lottery team, Detroit has risen to challenge the defending division champions while the Bucks have regressed during the second half of the season.

But Saturday night, the Bucks, with two victories against Detroit, could earn the season tiebreaker.

That could be important because the teams play on the final day of the regular season in Auburn Hills, Mich., and the Bucks would like to have the division title, and at least the No. 2 playoff seeding, wrapped up by that point.