Coming in, there was a gap between 1 and 2 after the Pistons' 85-70 win over the defending champs on Christmas. But we saw just how significant the difference between the two is during the Pistons' 83-68 win in San Antonio. If they played a playoff series tomorrow, it would be a sweep.

Detroit (28-5) knew where to attack right away. In that building, the Pistons know that if the Spurs get off to a good start, Tony Parker, especially, then they'll be tough the rest of the way. But they had the perfect strategy to take the air out of the building.

Feed Rasheed.

Tim Duncan has said Sheed gives him problems. It didn't help matters that with the plantar fasciitis Duncan's battling in his right foot, he's not getting much lift.

Wallace came out and took control, scoring Detroit's first three baskets. When you have a team going right at your best player, and succeeding, there's one word for that:

Demoralizing.

After that, the Pistons soon gained the upper hand. Sheed finished with 27 points and 10 rebounds, canning three 3-pointers for good measure.

Despite the gloomy ending for the Spurs, they are capable of beating the Pistons, when at least two of their Big Three (Manu Ginobili, Parker and Duncan) are playing at a high level. But nobody in the power trio scored more than 17 or played particularly well.

Obviously, the Spurs (27-9) aren't clicking. Duncan is not close to 100 percent. They're still working out some things with some rotation, with Ginobili working his way back from the bench. They haven't seen Nazr Mohammed do much yet. They're a work in progress. We haven't seen their best yet.

However, we are seeing the best of Detroit. We're seeing some of the great things coach Flip Saunders has brought to the mix, including emphasis on offensive movement on the weak side, away from the ball.

One of Detroit's clear strong suits in this game was its boardwork. Tayshaun Prince and Ben Wallace each pulled down a dozen rebounds, leading a 56-32 advantage on the glass. Rip Hamilton had 22 points and Chauncey Billups had 14 assists.

Detroit's trademark balance was in full effect. You can't say you're going to shut down Billups, because the other guys will hurt you. You can say you're going to throw three guys at Kobe Bryant, but you can't try that with the Pistons.

The only pitfall is Detroit's not a real deep team. Antonio McDyess does his thing well, but Carlos Delfino and Carlos Arroyo are up and down. Lindsey Hunter coming back will help.

And don't forget, they have had a remarkable run of good health, which just doesn't happen in NBA.

Tim Legler, an NBA analyst for ESPN and former NBA 3-point champion, is a regular contributor to Insider.

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Squaring off with a formidible foe in LeBron James, Kobe Bryant hit his last three shots, lifting the Lakers to a 99-98 victory.

Looking Out For No. 1

Gonzaga's Adam Morrison is having a phenomenal season, but there are still plenty of questions about how his game will translate in the pros. Still, given his talent and charisma, it's no longer out of the question that he could be the No. 1 overall pick in the draft, especially if a regional team like Portland or Seattle were to get the No. 1 pick.

The dark horse might be Italy's Andrea Bargnani. After getting off to a slow start, he really has turned it on of late against top Euroleague talent. Bargnani scored 20 points, shot 3-for-4 from 3-point territory, and had five rebounds and four steals last week against Strasbourg. It was his third consecutive strong showing in the Euroleague. Foul trouble kept Bargnani from repeating his success this week, but every international NBA scout I've talked to continues to claim that Bargnani is the real deal.

There has been a general backlash against international talent the last two years. However, given the dearth of players with superstar potential at the top, Bargnani has a shot at No. 1.

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