<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">AUBURN HILLS -- Two years ago, Charlie Bell and his wife, Kenya, hopped in the family car and drove down I-75 from their Grand Blanc, Mich., home to downtown Detroit. It was a happy occasion for the Bell family. The Pistons were putting the finishing touches on winning their first NBA title in 14 years and Bell, from Flint, and Kenya, from Detroit, wanted to celebrate. How quickly things change. Now Bell, a 6-foot-3 guard for the Milwaukee Bucks, is trying to prevent the Pistons from winning their second title in three years. He made an impact on Game 1 of this Eastern Conference quarterfinals Sunday by hitting two three-pointers that helped slice a 19-point Pistons lead to four. But the more experienced Pistons went on an 11-0 run to cap a 92-74 victory. Game 2 is Wednesday at The Palace and Bell, who had 13 points in Game 1, figures to play another big role. "My wife and I are big Pistons fans," Bell said. "We came down and were riding around and celebrating like anybody else. Now I am here playing against them in the first round of the playoffs. It is like a dream come true. The only thing is you dreamed of playing on the Pistons team. But this is the same thing." Bell, 27, grew up less than a half-hour from The Palace and became Flint's career scoring leader at Flint Southwestern Academy before going to Michigan State and helping the Spartans win the 2000 NCAA championship. He played sparingly after signing free-agent contracts with Phoenix and Dallas and spent the last four seasons in Italy and Spain, where he broadened his shooting range and sharpened his ball-handling. Now he is home again, competing against his 'hometown' team. Bell is not a bit player. Bucks assistant coach Brian James said Bell was the Bucks' best defensive player and second-most consistent scorer in the stretch drive behind Michael Redd. During one stretch, he scored in double figures in 12 consecutive games, including a 29-point outing at Miami. "He is coachable and whether he plays five minutes or 35 minutes he runs to the scorer's table every time," James said. "There is not anything he has done that we are disappointed in. He is just a tough kid." He also is a hard worker. But Bell did not always work hard on his game. He always was a great scorer and did not believe he needed to put in extra time in college. He was a bit overweight and did not always defend the way MSU coach Tom Izzo wanted him to. Surprisingly, Bell began getting late-night phone calls in Europe from Izzo, who reminded Bell to work on his game. Bell took his words to heart. After practices when the Bucks weren't playing, he would got home but return to the practice facility in the early evening for extra shooting. "I had better get up and do something now," Bell said, laughing. "I am thinking coach Izzo might come from nowhere and start yelling about me playing better defense." Bell works hard because he does not want to return to Europe. The experiences were great, but he wants to watch his children Charlie IV, 2, and Casey, 3, grow up. Bell does not want to return to a life where he had to hit a U.S. Army base in Italy to pick up goods he needed. "I'd watch (NBA) games late at night and I would be up there saying I can do what that guy does," he said. "I felt I could play in the NBA too. A lot of guys in Europe and the NBDL can play here too. They just need the opportunity,"</div> Source
