In the darkness of the video room, on the chalkboards of the offices of some of the best defensive minds in the coaching profession, the problem has been pored over. But no amount of rewinding or drawing in these coffee-fueled strategy sessions has rendered a solution to the problem facing the Detroit Pistons.

The Pistons prepared for the Eastern Conference finals with the Nets by searching for a way to slow Jason Kidd. In the first six minutes of Game 1 Sunday, those plans evaporated in a whirlwind of fast breaks and turnovers. The Nets won, 76-74, silencing the 22,088 fans at the Palace of Auburn Hills and sending the Pistons back to the drawing board.

"You can stop anybody on that blackboard," said Detroit point guard Chauncey Billups, who guards Kidd. "It's definitely harder to stop a guy like Jason Kidd, who's a great player. He gets the ball and he's going a hundred miles per hour most of the game."