Since there was a Lakers/Pacers thread, I thought I would predict Lakers/Pistons. I really think Detroit has the best chance of knocking the Lakers off their high horse. The Wallace boys can do some muscling on Shaq and Malone, while Billups and Hamilton can contain the Bryant/Fisher/Rush fiasco. And let's not forget the Prince.... I want to go for the upset - Pistons in 7.
Seriously, how much better are the pistons than our Rox? The Rox match up just as well with the Lakers and even though our offense completely sucked this year, it wasn't as horrid as the Pistons. Can their bigs contain Shaq the way Cato and Yao did? Can anyone on that team guard Kobe?
On paper, the Piston look like they could have a shot, but games are not played on paper. The open jumpers that Fisher, Rush, and George were able to get will not come as easily against the Pistons. I think that Kobe is showing signs of fatigue, and chasing around Hamilton is going to really tire him out. Wallace and Billups should be able to outplay Malone and Payton. The key will be the Big Ben vs. Shaq match up. I don’t really think it was Shaq’s scoring that killed the Wolves. They were able to contain him with Hack-a-Shaq. It was the rebounding that really hurt. Shaq was getting 17/18/19 rebounds every game. If Big Ben can dominate Shaq on the boards, the Pistons may have a small chance.
houston had one on the better Defenses in the League. And no offense. Detroit, in general, is the same. I would be willing to bet on a sweep or 4-1.
Really ... San Antonio, Minnesota, and Houston all had as good or better defenses than Detroit. I don't know why people keep hyping up Detroit's defense, like it's something nobody's ever seen before.
C'mon guys, Yao Ming can back down and dunk on Ben Wallace, remember that? (BTW, does anyone still have that clip??) "Now that's what ya call attitude!!!" -Calvin Murphy How the hell is he supposed to push Shaq out of the paint?
darko will get some playing time in this series, his fouls will be neeeded. Should be a good series hopefully. I want pistons to win.
Pistons are gonna have to score much more than 70 if they expect to compete. Getting away with dreadful offensive showings vs Pacers will simply not cut it with the Lakers.
I will only watch this series with the slight hope that Karl Malone and Rasheed will get into a fight and beat each other silly until neither can move. That would make me happy. After watching the ECF, I've come to the conclusion that Rasheed Wallace is probably the most overrated player in the league. He's not really a good rebounder, and the only reason he looks like a decent defender at all is because Big Ben is in the paint with him. His low post game consists of a low percentage fadeaway jumpshot. The only thing he has going for him is a decent jumper, and he thinks that makes him a good 3 point shooter. On top of all that he's an idiot and he's full of himself.
this will be a murder...lakers in 2 games. the nba will force the pistons to forfeit by invoking the little known 100 point rule after losing the first 2 games by a total of 137 points. jesus the east sucks so bad. i want to cut my ears off and firebomb my tv everytime i hear these morons try to pump it up as if its actually great defense and how amazing the pistons are. i heard one moron host on austin sports talk radio say that rip hamilton will wear kobe bryant down. oh the stupidity!
You know the east really sucks when seemingly a player like Rasheed Wallace can take a mediocre team to the nba finals. Seriously, when are some western players ever gonna go or get traded to the east? The talent is so one-sided, it's like night and day.
money. i would argue that they are not better than our Rox. same thing's bound to happen, lakers in 5... or less.
Shaq is going to tear the Pistons up. This series is going to be a joke. They should just give the title to the Lakers right now.
The only thing in this series that will be worth watching is Karl getting tangled up with either Wallace. I'd prefer Ben because Big Ben might just clean his clock. Lord...........puhlease????
