Garnett's Shot Stops Pistons

The Minnesota Timberwolves lost their cool, their coach and their cushy lead Monday night. Kevin Garnett made sure they didn't lose the game.

Garnett scored 25 points and sank a 10-foot jumper at the horn as Minnesota recovered to defeat the Detroit Pistons 102-100.

After the buzzer-beater, Garnett ran around the court with his arms out like a little kid pretending he was an airplane.

"I'm just happy we won," he said.

And made it through a game that featured 60 fouls, dozens of debatable non-calls, three foul-outs, five technicals and one ejection and a blocked free throw, of all things.

Grant Hill scored 36 points and was 17-of-18 from the foul line, including the go-ahead free throws after Wolves coach Flip Saunders was ejected in the third quarter for clashing with the officiating crew.

Hill, playing on a tender left ankle, dunked with 16 seconds left to pull the Pistons to 99-98. After Wally Szczerbiak hit one of two free throws a second later, Hill drove the lane to tie it at 100 with six seconds left.

The Wolves called timeout at 2.4 seconds, and Sam Mitchell inbounded the ball to Garnett, who was closely guarded by three players as he stepped into the lane and let loose a 10-foot floater that fluttered through the net at the hon.

That capped a wild night which ended with the mild-mannered Saunders watching on television from his office.

"It really didn't surprise me. Flip's one of those gladiator coaches," Garnett said. "Sometimes he holds back too much and ends up taking it out on us in the locker room. It not only fired us up but it fired up our fans."

The game featured 30 fouls on each team. The Pistons shot 42 free throws, the Wolves 35.

Saunders was infuriated that Malik Sealy got a technical in the third quarter.

Sealy said official Joe Forte had no right calling the technical on him because he didn't hear what he said, and besides, he wasn't the object of his tongue-lashing anyway official Scott Foster was.

"I turned and walked away and next thing I know the other guy, Forte, is giving me a technical," Sealy said. "I'm minding my own business. ..."

Saunders was so frustrated with the officiating that he tossed his suit coat into the seats, ran onto the court and went into a profanity-filled tirade in the third quarter.

"I reverted back to my CBA days with my coat toss," Saunders said.

Foster gave him a technical, then tossed him when Saunders continued his harangue.

Saunders said he figures his team didn't get many calls because the Wolves have a reputation as a jump-shooting team that doesn't drive to the basket. His final outburst came when Radoslav Nesterovic collided heavily with Jerry Stackhouse and then Hill but no foul was called.

It was just the third time Saunders has been ejected in his four-year NBA coaching career, but the second time this season.

Hill sank both technical foul shots, giving Detroit its first lead, at 61-59.

After Hill hit back-to-back jumpers over Szczerbiak to give the Pistons an 84-75 lead, assistant coach Jerry Sichting sent in Sealy to guard Hill and the Wolves responded with an 18-2 run, led by Garnett's seven points, after which Christian Laettner was whistled for a technical.

"I made a few mistakes out there," Sichting said. "The biggest was not grabbing Flip fast enough."

The game turned comical with 1:28 left when Brandon charged and blocked Terry Mills' free throw because Joe Smith had picked up his sixth foul and was still on the court.

After Pistons coach George Irvine got an explanation and Smith left the court, Mills sank both shots while Brandon continued laughing.

"I had never seen a guy block foul shot before," Irvine said.

Brandon said he was just trying to do the right thing.

"I didn't know the rules, but I didn't want Terry to hit the free throw and then have the officials reverse it because Joe was still on the court," Brandon said. "I went up and asked Scott (Foster) if that was a technical, what I did, and he said, `No.' "

Thank goodness. There were enough of those already.

Notes