Hill re-injured ankle in Game 2 loss at Miami
Associated Press
AUBURN HILLS, Mich. -- The season is over for Grant Hill.
The rest of the Detroit Pistons might not be far behind.
Doctors said Wednesday that Hill has a fractured left ankle that
will need eight weeks to heal. That means the Pistons' leading
scorer will have to sit out the rest of the NBA playoffs.
|  | | Pistons star Grant Hill sits with his crutches at a press conference in Auburn Hills, Mich. |
The announcement came less than a day after the Pistons lost
84-82 to Miami to fall behind 0-2 in the best-of-five first-round
series. Game 3 is Saturday at The Palace.
"I felt it at some point in the first half," Hill said during
a news conference at The Palace. "I tried to go back out, but it
hurt. All I can do now is try to get healthy and see what
happens."
Hill, wearing blue sweat pants and a gray pullover shirt, had
his head bowed as he hobbled into the news conference on a pair of
aluminum crutches. Team physician Ben Paolucci said Hill won't need
to wear a cast while the break heals.
Dr. Robert Teitge, the team's orthopedic specialist, said
playing on the already sore foot probably didn't cause this injury.
"You can speculate, but probably not," Teitge said.
Hill picked up the bone bruise late in the regular season,
missing the team's final three games. He played Saturday in the
first playoff game at Miami, scoring 13 points, but was clearly in
pain and was unable to defend Miami forward Jamal Mashburn, who drove past Hill with ease and scored 29 points.
However, treatment and anti-inflammatory medication had Hill
feeling better by Monday. He had a good practice and said he was
ready to go.
"It was my decision to play," Hill said.
"Monday, I felt really good," he said. "It was probably one
of the best practices I've had in months. I was running around,
running through screens. I had high energy."
And the second game started reasonably well. Hill sank his first
three shots in the opening five minutes. Sometime after that,
however, Hill said he felt something go 'pop.'
"I have no idea when I heard the pop," Hill said. "If I watch
the tape and watch myself, I probably could figure out when it
happened.
"You know, the adrenaline was flowing. I was pumped up pretty
good."
The All-Star forward was hurting so badly in the second half
that he could no longer play. Still, he tried.
"Even at the beginning of the third quarter, I said, 'Let me
give it one more try,"' Hill said.
He hopped to the bench 3:30 into the third quarter and kicked
the back of a chair in frustration.
"It was painful to watch him," interim coach George Irvine
said.
Hill scored nine points in 21 minutes.
"Nobody should ever question this man's courage," Irvine said.
"We knew we were taking a chance. But he wanted to be out there."
Michael Curry will replace Hill in the starting lineup. A solid
defensive player, Curry was victimized Tuesday on the winning shot by
Mashburn, who drove left, spun into the lane and floated up a
bank shot that gave Miami the lead with six seconds left.
Hill's absence puts even more pressure on Jerry Stackhouse, who
tried to pick up the slack with 26 points on Tuesday. However,
he had just two in the final quarter.
Neither Hill nor the two doctors could predict whether this
injury might keep off the Olympic basketball team this fall.
This is yet another bitter end to a season for Hill, who
averaged a career-best 25.7 points, tied for third in the league
with Vince Carter behind Shaquille O'Neal and Allen Iverson. He
has led the Pistons in scoring in all six of his seasons with
the team but has been unable to lead them past the first round
of the playoffs.
Although the sight of Hill hobbling off the court could be the
last look at him in a Pistons uniform, Hill steered clear of any
questions regarding his impending free agency.
"I'm not even thinking about that," Hill said. "I'm just trying
to get myself healthy and figure out what to do next."
Hill said the injury wouldn't influence his decision on whether to stay with Detroit.
"That never entered my mind," Hill said. "I'm just trying to
lend support to my teammates who are still in the heat of battle
right now. If we give the kind of effort we gave in Miami, we'll be
fine. We'll be going back down there." |
