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DETROIT -- Even by the Detroit Pistons recent standards, this was an abrupt change. Detroit fired coach Maurice Cheeks on Sunday after less than a year as coach, with the Pistons languishing well below .500 despite off-season moves aimed at putting the struggling franchise back in contention. Detroit is 21-29, and although the Pistons still have a decent chance to make the playoffs in the Eastern Conference, their new roster has performed erratically. "This was a difficult decision for the organization to make but we needed to make a change," team president Joe Dumars said in a statement. "We have great respect for Maurice and appreciate his hard work." A person with knowledge of Detroits plans said assistant John Loyer will take over as interim coach. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the team had not announced an interim coach yet. The Pistons havent made the playoffs since being swept in the first round in 2009 -- in Michael Currys only season as their coach. Since then, Detroit has gone through two seasons under John Kuester and two under Lawrence Frank. After neither of them could make any real progress, Cheeks was brought in as Detroits ninth coach since the 1999-2000 season. In addition to hiring Cheeks last off-season, Detroit signed forward Josh Smith and traded for point guard Brandon Jennings, trying to bolster a roster that already included young big men Andre Drummond and Greg Monroe. But the mix has been uninspiring for the most part. The Pistons have had problems defensively and have struggled to close out games in the fourth quarter. The poor attendance thats become commonplace at The Palace hasnt really improved -- and Detroits 11-15 home record hasnt helped. "Our record does not reflect our talent and we simply need a change," Pistons owner Tom Gores said Sunday. "We have not made the kind of progress that we should have over the first half of the season. This is a young team and we knew there would be growing pains, but we can be patient only as long as there is progress." Detroit is only a half-game out of the final playoff spot in the East, but thats largely because so many teams in the conference are having similar problems. The Pistons are only three games better than they were after 50 games last season. Cheeks became the first coach to leave or be fired after 50 games or fewer with an NBA team since Bob Weiss, who coached only 30 games for Seattle in 2005-06, according to STATS. That does not include interim coaches. "The responsibility does not fall squarely on any one individual, but right now this change is a necessary step toward turning this thing around," Gores said. "I still have a lot of hope for this season and I expect our players to step up. I respect and appreciate Maurice Cheeks and thank him for his efforts; we just require a different approach." The Pistons have won four of six, including back-to-back blowouts at home against Brooklyn and Denver on Friday and Saturday. They host San Antonio on Monday night, and the team has not made any announcement about who will coach that game. Cheeks previously coached Portland and Philadelphia, a team he won an NBA title with as a point guard. The Pistons gave him his third shot to be an NBA head coach in June. Gores was in attendance at a recent game and said he thought the team was better than its record. "Im not satisfied. Our job is to make sure that our players are at their maximum," Gores said after that Feb. 1 game against Philadelphia. "Im not satisfied with the job Im doing. Im not satisfied with the job anyone is doing." At that point, speculation centred around the upcoming trade deadline and the possibility that Detroit might shake up its roster again. Now, the Pistons are hoping another coaching change can improve the franchises outlook. Detroit made the conference finals six straight years from 2003-08, but the teams fall was swift after that, and rebuilding has been difficult. This year marks the 10th anniversary of the Pistons championship in 2004 -- and the atmosphere at The Palace could hardly be more different. "Were focused on how to make our players the best," Gores said earlier this month. "I dont think weve done our best job of making sure they are at their best. They are working at 100 per cent, but these are young men who need a lot of preparation." The Pistons became the third major pro team in Detroit to make a coaching or managerial change in the past six months. Jim Leyland of the Tigers stepped down and was replaced by Brad Ausmus after last season, and the Lions fired Jim Schwartz in late December, eventually replacing him with Jim Caldwell. So Ausmus, who has yet to manage a game, is now the second-longest tenured manager or coach of the citys four major pro teams. Yahoo Sports first reported Cheeks firing. DeAndre Jordan USA Jersey . -- Challenged for the first time under Major League Baseballs expanded replay system, umpires got it right. Derrick Rose USA Jersey .Mateo Kovacic and Andrea Ranocchia scored for Inter, which had goalkeeper Samir Handanovic to thank for several crucial saves.Its an important victory against a Chievo side which plays well, Mancini said. http://www.teamusaolympicsshop.us/Olympics-DeAndre-Jordan-Usa-Jersey/ . The 36-year-old Colts receiver is going back to the playoffs as a division champion. Klay Thompson USA Jersey .com) - The game was all punts and field goals before Kodi Whitfields catch. Kevin Durant USA Jersey . Marie rink got back in the win column at the Olympic mens curling tournament with a 7-4 win over the host Russian squad on Wednesday.BOSTON - The Boston Bruins have plenty of time to develop consistency. For now, scoring in spurts seems to be working just fine.The Bruins scored three goals in a span of 2:34 on Thursday night and rode the third-period flurry to a 5-2 victory over the Edmonton Oilers that extended Bostons winning streak to four games.Those games arent always perfect, but you like the way your team responds to different situations, coach Claude Julien said. Were down 2-1, instead of panicking we just picked up our game and put our foot on the gas pedal and found a way to get some goals here.A pair of Edmonton penalties helped, and Boston improved to 5-1 since losing captain Zdeno Chara to a knee injury. The Bruins are still adjusting to playing without the big defenceman — and winning while doing it.It took barely 2 1/2 minutes for the Bruins to turn a 2-1 deficit into a 4-2 lead. Louie Eriksson tied it at 2, Carl Soderberg gave Boston the lead 1:25 later and Dougie Hamilton scored just 1:09 after Soderberg.We didnt play a really good game, but as soon as we got that goal we started to get going and I think finished off pretty strong, said Soderberg, who assisted on Erikssons goal with 8:56 left in the third.Soderberg was initially credited with the next two goals, but officials reviewed the video and concluded that Hamiltons slap shot from the point was not deflected in by Soderberg. With a 4-2 lead at that point, the Bruins didnt care much about who got the goal.It doesnt matter. Im just happy it went in the net, Hamilton said. I didnt really look at the goalie..dddddddddddd I knew Carl was in front and I just tried to shoot low. Wherever it went, it went. I didnt even see it go in.Boston won its 13th in a row against the Oilers, who have not beaten the Bruins since Oct. 17, 2000.Tuukka Rask finished with 24 saves for Boston, which also got goals from Reilly Smith and Milan Lucic.Ben Scrivens made 27 saves for Edmonton, which lost its fourth consecutive game.Boyd Gordon scored in the first period and Mark Arcobello deposited a rebound 1:44 into the third to give the Oilers a 2-1 lead.Hamilton and Soderberg assisted on Erikssons goal that tied it, then Soderberg put Boston ahead 1:25 later with a power-play goal off a centring pass from Patrice Bergeron.Bergeron made the pass while being taken down by Edmontons Nikita Nikitin, who was called for tripping on the play. Boston capitalized on the power play again when Hamilton scored with 6:22 remaining.We had a critical mistake off the rush, Edmonton coach Dallas Eakins said. A bad decision, one that cost us and led to the next one as well. Thats a hard one to frame. It goes to the mindset that every moment is critical.Lucic, playing his 500th career game, added an empty-netter with 7 seconds left.Smith scored late in the first to tie it 1-all.NOTES: The teams combined for only 13 shots in the first period. ... Oilers defenceman Andrew Ference did not play against his former team as he sat out the second of a three-game suspension for an illegal hit against Vancouvers Zack Kassian on Saturday. ... Edmontons Iiro Pakarinen made his NHL debut. 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