Pistons zeroed in for now

AUBURN HILLS, Mich. -- Oh, the burden of being the last undefeated team in the league. Just what is Detroit coach Flip Saunders to do with all that perfection? Well, luckily for Saunders, the 7-0 Pistons appear to be taking their early success in stride. While some fans may be eyeing the Bulls' all-time NBA best record of 72-10, the Pistons are trying to keep their early success in perspective.

When asked what he does to keep an undefeated team sharp, Saunders said, ''You just try to emphasize the things you're doing well and try to maintain and keep on working every day on things that you don't do well.

''The thing that's unique about this group is they're an extremely loose group. I think that's one of the reasons they perform in fourth quarters -- because they don't get very uptight."

That was in evidence last night when Detroit staged a second-half comeback.

''We came into the season very focused," said Chauncey Billups. ''Our No. 1 goal in the regular season is to get home-court advantage. It's a long season. But our focus is one thing: Win as many games as we can win. And when we win it, put it behind us and focus on the next one."

Gomes gets into it

Ryan Gomes undoubtedly wants to forget the Nov. 4 game against Detroit at the TD Banknorth Garden. That night, he recorded the first DNP-CD of his NBA career. Coach Doc Rivers hadn't figured out a way to fit the rookie into the rotation. But Rivers must have experienced a eureka moment about a week ago.

For the second straight game, Gomes was first off the bench, playing 15 minutes 1 second, finishing with 3 rebounds and 1 assist. Playing what Rivers like to call ''power small forward," Gomes cleans up on the glass, relentlessly pursuing loose balls around the rim. For now, he feels comfortable doing the so-called dirty work inside and running down the court for wide-open shots (though he went 0 for 1 last night).

''One of my goals was to come in and get some minutes and work my way up by the end of the season," said Gomes. ''So I'm going to continue to keep working in practice and show that I can play and I can help the team. If the only way I can seem like I'm involved in the game is by getting rebounds and doing the dirty work, that's fine with me."

Pierce vs. Prince

When asked who would match up with Paul Pierce last night, Saunders did not hesitate in announcing Tayshaun Prince. If Prince needed any extra motivation, he needed look no further than recent comments made by Pierce. When asked about the top defenders in the league, Pierce essentially called Prince overrated. ''I don't think he plays great defense," said Pierce. ''He has two of the best shot blockers in the game [on his team in Ben Wallace and Rasheed Wallace]. If you let a guy blow by you, then the shot blockers block the shot and you call that great defense." Ouch. Saunders defended Prince, noting that Tracy McGrady once said the Pistons small forward and Trenton Hassell gave him the most trouble . . . Al Jefferson looked impressive while scoring all 10 of his points in the first half . . . Ricky Davis continues to look for his teammates, as he led the Celtics in assists for the third time this season with 9. . . Tony Allen traveled to Chicago for a preliminary hearing in his battery case. He will return to Boston in time to sit on the bench for tonight's home game against Seattle.