Yeah but only 7 or 8 reams (IIRC) have come back from being down 1-3
W00+ go Lakers!!!
I, too, wouldn’t be upset if the T’Wolves made it to the Finals. Sort of. I’ll be happy if Sprewell never gets a ring. But I love Mark Madsen - he gives hope to every awkward white guy out there. And he plays hard. So I’ll cheer for any team he’s on.
As for the East. Why the hate for Detroit, World Eater? I love Detroit. They’re one of the most entertaining teams out there, IMO.
And I’m definitely rooting against Indiana. I mean, I love Reggie (since I’m a Bruins fan and all), but here’s the thing. Peter Vecsey picked them to win it all (and he did it in a really irritating article). And since I can’t stand Vecsey - in fact, I hate him - I have to root for Detroit.
Diogenes - doesn’t Scotty Bowman have ten or eleven Stanley Cups?
Bowman has 9.
You know, nothing really personal, I just never really liked the defensive grind it out style of play. Simply put, I find them boring as hell to watch. They also don’t have a single player that interests me.
Eh? These aren’t the early 90s Knicks and Heat we’re talking about here. I think I’m going to have to quote Bill Simmons here:
I love this team. And the Pistons have a lot of ball movement on offense, it’s not like they’re just standing around running iso plays. They’re constantly running off screens and such. I don’t think you’re giving them a fair shake.
And plus, if they win, then Vecsey is wrong! Then we get to read his column the next day moaning about how even though his prediction was wrong, he was actually right and it was screwey reffing that sent down the Pacers or something like that.
Bonus!
Those court dates that Kobe keeps going to somehow improves his game (maybe it just pisses himself off so much that he ends up taking it out on the opposing team)…I think every post-season game he’s had, he has a good to great scoring game, and I think the Lakers have won every game when Kobe has court that day. Anyone know for sure?
Well watching Mase and Oak push people around was fun, but I’m still not feeling it for Detroit. I will say that game 2 was a great basketball game, with the prediction on the line, and “the block”.
I tried to dig that info up Rex but too much stuff came up. I’ll keep looking though.
I’m going with Pacers getting the W tonight.
That would be five for five.
One more gone!
I thought it was three.
Three in the playoffs plus two during the regular season.
GO LAKES!
Haj
Funny how you say that and then Rip Hamilton scores THIRTY-THREE FREAKING POINTS while wearing a plastic face mask! Pistons will take the Eastern Conference title tonight at the Palace, and I really don’t know who will win overall, but Lakers offense + Pistons defense = fun basketball. 
Watching Sheed and Malone go at it should be fun. I agree that Detroit will win tonight, and then I say Lakers in six.
Lakers in six at the most. Maybe more like five. Let’s break this puppy down Dr. Jack style:
Center: Shaq vs. Wallace. Wallace is a good defender, but he’s not that good. Shaq’s got a 4-inch height advantage, and while he’ll have a tougher time against Wallace than anyone else he’s faced so far - in the end, it’s Shaq vs. Ben Wallace.
Forward: Malone vs. Crazy Wallace. Malone just had to deal with Duncan then Garnett. I don’t think we’re too worried about him handling a crippled Rasheed.
Forward: George vs. Prince. Beats me. I might give this one to Prince because of the frustration George has given me over the years. But it’s probably closer to a wash.
Guard: Bryant vs. Hamilton. I guarantee you Hamilton won’t be giving Kobe the slip anytime soon. And there’s no way on earth Hamilton can guard Bryant.
Guard: Payton vs. Billups. Have to give Billups the edge here. Considering Payton can’t guard wet noodles anymore, Billups is going to have an edge here.
Bench: Pistons have all the quality big men on the bench and the Lakers have the quality guards on the bench. But considering the big men are all going to be used to simply foul Shaq, I give it to the Lakers. Fisher can come in and bother Billups after we’ve watched him torch Payton for a while and Rush can come in and do a decent job for Kobe. And both can hit some clutch shots when needed.
Of course, there’s also a done Rick Fox that the Lakers can pull out from wherever they’re storing him.
Coaches: Larry Brown vs. Phil Jackson. Larry Brown is probably the better coach, but we all know that good players are what matters.
Intangibles: Who cares? The Lakers are better.
Woohoo, the pistons make the finals vs. the lakers. That means I can legally post here 
I’m not going to pretend that I think that the Pistons will whip the lakers. By all accounts the lakers offense should take them to the championship. I will say that the Pistons do have a chance to win.
Neurotik, you ignored one major thing that weighs in the Pistons favor. One on one they may be outplayed, but when the Pistons get the defense going they are the basketball borg. If they can slow the mighty lakers down for long enough, the lakers will turn on each other (and maybe the refs) in frustration.
That’s why I hate the lakers. They are a team in only the techincal sense. They have really no sense of strategy. They all want the championship, the ball, and all the minutes. If they lose they whine and cry more than anybody about the refs and more frequently than should be about each other. That sort of crap is disgusting.
As I said, I don’t think the Pistons have anything better than a slim chance to win this. Still, one can hope. 
Funny, Rasheed is the king of them all when it comes to whining to the refs.
The Kings of all whiners are the Kings of Sacramento. No one else comes close.
Haj
Needless to say, game 2 will be critical. I can’t imagine the Lakers pulling that brickfest again. They ought to dump it to Shaq every possession.
Eh. The Pistons did pretty good back in the day against the Bulls and Lakers (well, not '88), when those teams actually had talented players. A similiar situation is developing: Detroit has a deep line, no real stars, but lots of good players, along with a tight defence. LA has a few stars, but also a lot of ass-scratchers.
BRUTUS’ PREDICTION OF THE CENTURY: Detroit takes it in 5. LA blames Kobe. Pistons actually manage some ticket sales next year.
The junk offense keeps on rolling.
Lakers, do what you did when you had Mikan, Wilt and Kareem: feed Shaq. There is no excuse for a center to have an 81 percent shooting game and have only 16 shots. Absolutely none.