Man, it was great to see the Pistons whoop up on the Fakers. It was well needed. They should be up 3-0 now. The Fakers are lucky. Rip and Billups stepped up and kicked ass. That defense was unbelievable. The Wallace boys stood their ground and took care of Shaq and Jazzhole Malone. Great game. Can't wait for Game 4.
Man, I am really rooting for this Piston team to win it all. They really play like a team on both ends of the floor, and have no big names, unless u consider Rasheed and Ben big names. For the underdog hard working Pistons to defeat the "Mighty big four Lakers" etc would be FANtastic.
awesome win. pistons did a great job. although it looks ugly scoring-wise, it really shows you that defense can win the game. under the terrific defense from the pistons the fakers can do nothing, shaq only got 17 points and the whole team hit a new playoff low - 68! go pistons! another thing crack me up ... i'm not sure if any of you noticed... they were reporting that the pistons fans gathered outside of the hotel where the fakers stayed the night before the game, shouting, partying, making all kinds of noises till very late into the night. they didn't stop untill the police showed up. way to go pistons fans!
I agree completely. As much as I hate the Lakers, the media kissing their ass (Shaq, Kobe, and Phil Jackson especially) makes it unbearable for me. The sad thing is that it brainwashes so many people out there, including numerous people that post at this place. Funny, how we are not hearing anything from them now - the same ones that said that the Lakers were going to sweep this series. I guess no one is going to mistake them for being the next Nostradamuses.
if you don't believe defense wins championships in this league. i mean real defense..strategic defense...and team defense where people hustle like hell to get back and contest scoring opportunities...if you don't believe that...you should. And this series is Exhibit A.
WOW, I just watched a replay of the game on ESPN. What a great game. The first two in LA were close, and then a HUGE whooping in the Palace. LA got their asses handed to them. They were out hustled badly. They are playing like a bunch of old guys. Go Pistons! Beat LA.
Great game...I'm glad that the Pistons came out strong and never let up...They should be 3-0, but I'll take 2-1... Go Pistons...
Can I get a "hell yeah"! On another note, who knew Elden Campbell could still dunk. Yeah baby! Throw it down!
How true. I hope Pistons will take the serie, not only will they kick Lakers' a$$, destroy Malone's wet dream permanently, but also set a good example to the league, especially our Rockets, how basketball should be played. Rockets are playing good defense, thanks to JVG and their inside strength, but I am no sure whether everyone is convinced with JVG's system, whether they are just playing along or actively seeking their defense. If they can play like the Pistons - contesting every shot, sticking with the system, just watch out, we will be a team to beat. No matter how great a shooter is, you will have off-nights, and opponents' defense will affect you, but your hustle and defense will always stay with you, which gives you a chance to win night in and out. Not only Byron Scout, but also Doc spook out about Pistons' defense. Finally, I guess they figured if they didn't give credit where it's due, they probably will lose credibility in their new teams. Doc said, it was always about Lakers, something wrong with Lakers when they lose, but this serie is all about Pistons, how good their defense are, and their defense makes all those things happen. I can't stand that white guy, what was his name? His nonsence about this is not soccer, what the hell does he know about soccer, his nonsence about ugly games. For me, the ugliest games are those up and down 125-120 games, coz that not a game, but a shooting contest.
real_egal -- it's tom tolbert. and i don't entirely disagree with him. i do like to see some scoring. or better yet, i like to see scoring that's well-earned. in recent NBA Finals' history, i would argue that we haven't seen defense as good as the Pistons of old....and those teams played great defense by holding incredible offensive teams to under 100 points...that was their benchmark. though this current Pistons crop is holding teams under 70, i don't think they're as good as that old Pistons bunch that would hold the Magic Johnson era Lakers under 100. or under 90. That's more of an accomplishment. being able to hit a jump shot is a good thing. seems like a lost art, many times. but i give this pistons team huge credit. they play as a team...and like their predecessor pistons...and the rockets of the mid-90's...the whole is greater than the sum of the parts. AND THAT'S WHAT EXCITES ME ABOUT TEAM SPORTS. Not some individual accomplishment with a guy shooting 40 times a game...but a team where the players blend their talents...and make each other better.
Amen. Maybe it's basketball itself, which makes individule players much bigger impact on the game. There are star players in soccer and hocky, but in soccer, even player lost his assignment for a second, could cost you a game. So we don't see this Me-First too often. In hockey, excellent players set the tone of the game, but you need a 20-man rotation to play the game effectively, and your top gun only log in less than half of the game time, there is no Me-First or Only-Me mentality. That's what team sports is about, otherwise I would watch tennis.
At the beginning of the season, it was assumed that the Lakers would trounce everybody with their 4 HOF'ers. Now, holding that same team to 68 points (for the first time in 560 LA playoff games since the shotclock) is something to brush aside? Sure, Malone is hobbled and Payton is grumpy, but the team still has a player that people are desperate to compare to Jordan and the self-proclaimed MDE.
Based on the first 3 games, it looks like those that predicted a short series may be right. They just picked the wrong team.
where in the world do you get that i'm brushing them aside? i'm merely saying that in my opinion they are not better than the team i still regard as the best defensive team in the NBA during my lifetime! i'm not exactly criticizing them! scoring numbers are down across the league big time...all season long. it should be no surprise that they're down in the playoffs as well. what the old school pistons did to showtime lakers and other teams in an era where players could actually hit jumpshots and teams could score 100 points regularly was amazing to me. and it broke the mold of the time.
Last night's game is so satisfying. All I can say is "Woooo Hoooo!" That said, us Lakers haters shouldn't cheer too soon. If you didn't look at the games, and just look at the results, the Pistons are just up 2-1. The Lakers only have to win one of the next two games to hold the home court advantage again. IIRC, the Rockets were down 3-2 against the Knicks with two home games left. And someone with the Rockets said, "We have it just where we wanted." So, I'm still holding my breath.
If the Lakers had been up 3-0, no one would have said, "No way!" It would have been accepted as another trounce on some poor unsuspecting Eastern team. But the fact the Pistons have bounced back was *not* expected. Brown has these guys mentally prepared! I have to say that I'm impressed. I didn't think they had it in them! It's not only defense. But a real belief they can win. How can you measure that? Brown has to be commended on this. A few years ago, the Sixers (coached by Brown) stunned the world by winning the 1st game vs the Lakers. Yet they faltered the next few games after the Lakers turned up the heat. The Pistons could have easily "given up" after game two. But Brown didn't let them. Incredible! By the way, can anyone believe the job that Big Ben is doing on Shaq? 14 points for Shaq. What the hell? Anyways... If the Piston win this series, there will be a few that say "Yeah, I knew it all along." Well, not me. In my eyes, this will be one of the biggest upsets in sports history and a complete surprise to me! (ESPN actually talked about some of the biggest upsets in the past, before the series started) By the way, who here thinks the Pistons are better than the Wolves and Spurs? Anyone, anyone, Bueller....? P.S. Seems to me that the Pistons are winning are for many reasons... Great D, clutch shooting (no fear shooting), mental preparation from Brown (more hunger than the Lakes), the Lakers unerestimating the Pistons, and last but not least...the Lakers, after long play-off run thorugh the western conference, are finally getting worn down (nagging injuries). I wonder if the Pistons smell blood? They better. Because if they give the Lakers any life, they will act on it.
Definitely a big upset. Though I felt the Pistons had a chance to compete, I had no idea they were going to out play the lakers up to this point. I do not like Larry Brown at all but I have to commend him on keeping this team mentally tough and hungry. I do like the pistons line-up except for rasheed, but I only like Kobe and Fisher on the lakers and I'm indifferent to shaq but hate payton and malone. I just hope lakers can make this series competitive and hope it's not a blow out from here. Wow...never expected to hear the east team blowout the western team.
