Hurt in last years playoffs, Pistons guard Chauncey Billups is taking his rematch opportunity with Nets guard Jason Kidd seriously.  Billups belives that his health was a factor, perhaps even THE factor, in his team being swept last season by Kidd and these same Nets.

"I think it would've been different [outcome] but you never know," Billups said. "I'm excited to be healthy. I couldn't really move like I wanted to. I couldn't get to the basket, couldn't go side to side. I was hurt. They knew I couldn't break anybody down and they didn't give me the open looks. They played it smart. I was hurt, man."

Count Larry Brown as one who thinks that there was more to the series loss than just Billups health, claiming it is a team game.

"I've read comments where he took last year's loss personally," said Pistons coach Larry Brown, who lost to Detroit as Philly coach in last year's playoffs. "That's not the case. That's why it's a team game. We need him to play well, but if it was just Jason against Chauncey, you'd stop it right now, let them play 1-on-1. They were better than us. You don't win four straight and say one guy was hurt and that's the reason."