It shouldn't hamper the Pistons, a team built to win now and playing their best ball of the season within the past month.

That doesn't make the nature of Tuesday's incineration any more palatable, because the power of the NBA still resides in the Eastern Conference and the Pistons' important clutching and grabbing down the stretch -- of their own throats, I mean, not that super-shaky offensive post foul against Rasheed Wallace in the final half-minute -- is what separates the Clevelands and Orlandos from the Detroits and Atlantas.

Those Rip Hamilton defensive concerns with the return of the small-ball lineup didn't seem so important when he actually blocked the shot of 6-foot-11 Emeka Okefor -- just his fourth block of the season -- and got a good positioning stop against Gerald Wallace with the shot clock winding down, both during key moments in the fourth quarter.

Except the offensive advantages of the three-guard lineup imploded simultaneously.

It looked good when the Pistons closed the first half strong, including a buzzer-beater by Allen Iverson, and appeared destined to carry that seven-point halftime lead throughout the game.

Except Charlotte closed the fourth quarter strong, scoring the final nine points, including a buzzer-beater by Raymond Felton for its only lead of the second half, spoiling a front-running effort with a head-bob victory at the wire for head Bobcat Larry Brown, the last coach to win a championship in Detroit. Brown is now marking new territory: The Bobcats came here with the third-worst record in the conference, but are 8-8 since trading for Raja Bell and Boris Diaw.

Charlottes's lowly standing wasn't the only reason for the Pistons to come out flat. The 253rd consecutive announced home sellout reflected the malaise of an icy midweek night, such that it's difficult to tell whether the franchise actually is using all the balls on its abacus when counting ticket sales. At least 8,000 alleged buyers didn't pay for concessions. Or parking.

Coming out flat wasn't the problem.

The Pistons' last 15 offensive opportunities included four turnovers and 0-for-8 marksmanship. Like Lee Marvin's dual characters in "Cat Ballou," they transformed from Silvernose to a drunken Kid Shelleen before our eyes. Their four points came on free throws, though they clangedy-clanged two others.

The focus of the day was the lineup change, with Hamilton returning from injury to resume his starting role after a bigger lineup had some defensive success during his absence. But Hamilton had some big defensive plays and was tepid offensively, and the safest analysis all day is that Amir Johnson (nine minutes, four fouls) did not respond particularly well in his return to the bench.

The lineup problem is a nice one to have, by the way.

The problem of not closing a game isn't.

Allen Iverson called it "unacceptable" and "inexcusable" and "alarming." And he was right, even for one night.

Cleveland hasn't given away an apparent pat-hand victory all year. Boston has. Orlando has. But not the Cavaliers. They have become the measure of the Eastern Conference during the defending champion Celtics' struggles.

That doesn't mean LeBron James is going to the NBA Finals, mind you, any more than a single blown lead should matter to the Pistons by then.

What happened Tuesday will be all but forgotten by April, even if it didn't look so hot on a chilly mid-winter night.