Now that would be fun.

An early best-of-seven grudge match.

Perfect.

The Bulls do not like the Pistons, and the Pistons do little to hide their lack of respect for the Bulls. The mutual contempt bubbled to the surface last week when Detroit scored a wild 95-87 victory in Chicago.

Seven technical fouls were called and Pistons guard Rip Hamilton was ejected.

Then the real fireworks started.

Bulls coach Scott Skiles blasted the Pistons for what he believes is constant lobbying of the officials.

“They literally complain about every call the whole game long,” Skiles told reporters. “That's their style. That's what they do. [But] they're having a great year doing it.

“I thought we really handled the game with a pretty good amount of dignity and class - in a game that was sorely lacking in either one of those.”

At least one of Skiles' players agreed.

“They stay on the refs,” said the Bulls' Tyson Chandler. “They stay on top of everything. Every little nick-knack foul, they complain about. And you know what? They get great respect from the refs. How, I don't know.”

The numbers seem to support Chandler's claim.

Detroit averages 24.2 free-throw attempts per game. Piston opponents average only 20.5 attempts. That's a differential of 3.7 free throws per game, which ranks Detroit third in the league behind Cleveland (4.8) and Philadelphia (3.8).

On a personal level, Skiles and Hamilton blasted each other after the Pistons' hard-fought victory.

“I kept on hearing somebody talking slick from behind me,” Hamilton said. “I'm like, 'Who is talking to me?' Me and [Kirk] Hinrich, we got a little battle going on, and that's all fun and games.

“But I keep hearing someone behind me and it's [Skiles]. So I said, 'Wow.' His job is to coach the team. His job is not to say stuff to me. That's what kind of [ticked] me off, because he opened his mouth and tried to talk slick behind me.”

Skiles offered a different version of the same story: “He either made an honest mistake or he's purposely not telling the truth to cover his poor behavior. I'm not sure which one.

“There were some guys on our bench telling him, 'Just play basketball.' [But] he was saying much worse than that to our guys. I went to the ref and asked, 'Are you going to keep letting him talk to our bench like that?' Then he just verbally went off on me.”

As a coach, Skiles insists, he would never instigate a war of words.

The Pistons don't believe it.

Worse, they believe Skiles got his message out, and the league's officials heard him.

In Detroit's next game - at Cleveland - veteran referee Joe Crawford called a pair of early technicals on coach Flip Saunders and Tayshaun Prince.

“Look, a referee's main job is to control the game,” Saunders said, “and Joey always controls the game. . . . [But] I told him I didn't think Tay or I were trying to show him up. His thing was, he was saying he wasn't having any conversation.”

Oddly, Skiles admits to voting for all five Piston starters on his All-Star ballot.

At least he doesn't hold a grudge.