When the Detroit Pistons were introduced before Tuesday night's game, the Arco Arena scoreboard flashed images of abandoned buildings, burned-out cars - nearly every outdated, offensive stereotype of their hometown.
Most of the Pistons didn't see the display, but they went out and wrecked the Sacramento Kings ' home opener anyway.
Tayshaun Prince scored 25 points while making 10 straight shots, and the Pistons emphatically snapped an eight-game losing streak in Sacramento with a 102-88 victory.
The Kings quickly apologized for the scoreboard montage, and the Detroit players didn't hear about it until they got dressed in their locker room after an impressive victory - their first in Sacramento since Feb. 26, 1996.
"To do something like that, it's embarrassing," said Detroit coach Flip Saunders, who saw the video. "It's not called for. There's no excuse for that. Whoever did that owes us an apology. ... I know the Maloofs pretty well, and they've always been nothing but classy. I'm sure they didn't have anything to do with that."
John Thomas, the president of Maloof Sports and Entertainment, claimed he didn't know who was responsible for the video, but promised immediate discipline.
"It was a terrible mistake," Thomas said. "That's not how we do things. We apologize to the great Detroit organization and to the city of Detroit. ... There's no explanation. It was a mistake, and it won't happen again."
The Pistons played with plenty of motivation even though they didn't see the show. Chauncey Billups had 16 points and eight assists, and Richard Hamilton added 21 points and six rebounds as Detroit (4-0) extended the club's best start since 1996.
"I just heard about it," Billups said. "I wasn't really paying attention. That's cold. Bet they won't do that again."
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"Kings Pre-Game Shows Offensive Images Of Detroit"
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