Larry Brown was outcoached and Austin Croshere made the Pistons pay. In his first start in two years, the forgotton forward scored 14 points to help defeat Detroit 83-68.

"We weren't ready to play and that's on me," said Brown, hired last summer after Carlisle was fired following two successful seasons in Detroit. "They were better prepared and better coached. I have to do a better job."

The series resumes on Sunday in Indiana where the Pacers now have regained their homecourt advantage.

Although they won away from home, Jermaine O'Neal has said the win will not give the Pacers anymore credibility.

"We have not been given credit all season," he said. "We won 61 games in the regular season and people kind of blew it off and said we were playing in like a JV league."