[TomWilkinson]

The Detroit Pistons have lost very few games, have the best record in the NBA by far, and have four starters headed to the All-Star game. The Pistons think there is room for improvement though.

The Pistons beat New Jersey 85-71 on Tuesday night to avoid heading into the all star break on a losing streak.
"It was a good win for us, especially coming off a tough loss to Miami," said Chauncey Billups. "You've got to be proud of what we have done so far, but our work is far, far from over."

"Usually, these games are tough to play, because you're looking at a week off," said Richard Hamilton, who added 18 points on his 28th birthday. "But our energy was great. We didn't want to lose two in a row, and we wanted to make a statement."

The Pistons are 42-9 and have a 10 1/2-game lead over their closest competitor in the Eastern Conference. "I told the team that it is always a good sign when you get to the break with a single-digit loss count," Pistons and Eastern Conference coach Flip Saunders said. "When we come back next week, we'll be on the downhill of the season, and it will be going 85 miles an hour like the Olympic luge."

The all-star game should be a big celebration for Detroit and Saunders plans to play all four Pistons as a group. "That locker room is going to be very Detroit Pistons-oriented, and it will be special when we put all four of them on the floor together," he said. "I expect they will get a very nice ovation, because people appreciate the way we play."