AUBURN HILLS, MI — The Palace of Auburn Hills used to be the setting for some strange Bulls occurrences when the building first opened in 1988, and for the Bulls' final visit they turned back the clock in the worst way.
Their fourth quarter offense grinded to a halt and their defense again faltered after a decent start, with Pistons guard Reggie Jackson regaining some of the lost swagger as the Pistons pulled away to win 109-95 Monday night.
In a statement that will be full of painful nostalgia from the days of yesteryear, Bulls coach Fred Hoiberg said the Pistons "punched us in the mouth" — a little surprising considering Bill Laimbeer and Rick Mahorn were in the building but not in uniform as they were reminiscing about the Pistons-Bulls rivalry of the late 1980's and early 1990's.