There were about 16 seconds left, the Pistons were down 89-87 and had the ball to inbound for a final play against the Lakers. Rasheed Wallace got open for an 18-footer left side, but missed. Tayshaun Prince got the rebound, dished it to Chauncey Billups at the right elbow and moved to the 3-point line on the right side. Chauncey drew the defense, passed to Prince and he hit from behind the arc to beat the Lakers 90-89.

What a great end to the day, 12 hours after it had begun.

People ask me what I do on a Pistons game day, and last Thursday was both typical and unique. That’s why we love sports: No two games are alike and you never know what will happen. What I try to do as a sideline reporter and Pistons TV host is get as involved as I can in every aspect of the drama so I can be a good reporter and enjoy myself at the same time.

When the visitors win at the Palace, which doesn’t happen that often, we talk to an opposing player on The Palace floor in the moments after the game. When Prince hit his game-winning shot, I was crouched under the basket waiting to grab Derek Fisher and then have George Blaha throw it to me for what we call a “Walk-off” interview.

As I followed the arc of the ball from point-blank range, it looked like Prince’s shot might be short – but it eased over the front of the rim, by an inch at most, and dropped straight down. All around me, Piston fans leaped to their feet, pumped fists, high-fived and exulted in joy. To my left, the Laker bench sagged in disappointment. On the court, Fisher, who would have otherwise been about to cheerfully describe how the Lakers had fought back from 17 down and finally broken an eight-game Palace losing streak, instead began dejectedly walking to the Lakers bench amid The Palace pandemonium.

In the blink of an eye, the atmosphere had gone from nervous anticipation to unrestrained joy.

But let’s go back 12 hours. After the Pistons game day shootaround ended at 11:30 at the practice facility, a few reporters gathered around Rip Hamilton. He didn’t want to speculate on whether he’d be named an All-Star reserve that night, but he gladly chatted about defending Kobe Bryant. He was in a playful mood and also joked about wanting to get in the 3-point contest at All-Star weekend and predicted that if he got in, he’d win it. He said that MC (Michael Curry) as a former member of the league front office ought to be lobbying the forces that be and getting him an invitation.

I checked my watch and realized that the Lakers were due to work out until noon and I had a chance to catch Kobe before they went back to the hotel to rest up for the game. Bryant, like Rip, was in a great mood. The Lakers are doing well and he has embraced their direction after some well-documented off-season griping. And when he started going off on old pal and rival shooting guard Rip Hamilton, he smiled ear-to-ear.

Kobe reminded us that he and Rip went head-to-head for three years as a pair of scrawny high school players back in Philadelphia in the early 90s. But as area stars, they also were summer roommates when they traveled to AAU tournaments. When asked about trash talking, Kobe fired the best shot of the day: “When Rip starts yapping too much, I remind him of when I took a lob pass and dunked backwards on him at his gym in Coatesville.” When told of Rip’s prediction that he’d win the 3-point contest at the All Star game Kobe laughed and shot back, “Not if I’m in it.”

I thought during the day of how Kobe and Rip must have stood so very far above the competition back then that they almost had to become friends, and did. When I reminded Kobe of how they go at each other like blood enemies on the court each time they play, including the 2004 Finals that tore the Lakers team apart, he said, “We play hard against each other because of the respect we have for one another and for where we came from.”

Nine hours later Rip was named to his third All-Star team. Twelve hours later, as the Pistons got ready to inbound the ball amid the tension of the fateful final play, Rip and Kobe pushed off each other to jockey for position. On Rip’s right arm I glanced at his tattoo, “Never forget where you’re from” and thought of its particular significance.

Moments later the game and the day were over. Rip from Coatesville went out one end. Kobe from Lower Merion went out the other. The day and the moment, duly recorded in their personal archives as a still buzzing Pistons crowd headed for the exits.