This is the mind with the most counterreactional tendency on this forum. I am impressed. how old are you?
I still haven't seen anyone outside of Texas wearing a Tim Duncan or Manu Ginobili jersey. Ben Wallace is more marketable though, and a lot of people wear his jersey already.
Tim 'Wood' needs to learn how to laugh and also stop shoting these stupid commercials (such as the credit card commercial I saw last night) before anyone outside of SanAntonio to like him.
I predicted the Pistons would be the first East team to win the finals in 2 years. It appears they have won pre-maturely . DAMN YOU PISTONS!! WHY COULDN'T YOU WAIT SO I COULD BET ON YOU FIRST!!
It's already started. Pistons look like Motown one-hit wonder Enjoy this title, Detroit fans, because it won't happen again next year Rasheed Wallace may not return to the Pistons next season, one reason the team is unlikely to defend its title, according to columnist Bob Duff. COMMENTARY By Bob Duff NBCSports.com contributor Updated: 2:42 p.m. ET June 16, 2004AUBURN HILLS Funny folks, these Detroit fans. When their beloved Red Wings are denied the Stanley Cup because some trapping team such as the New Jersey Devils or the Anaheim Mighty Ducks downs them with their smothering defensive system, it’s a pox upon the game. But when their beloved Detroit Pistons capture an NBA title by utilizing their own brand of smothering defense to completely obliterate the Los Angeles Lakers, it’s a work of art on par with the Mona Lisa. And much like Leonardo Da Vinci’s smiling lady, the Pistons’ title could very well turn out to be a one of a kind item. There’s reason to celebrate in Motown after the Pistons wrapped up their first NBA championship by defeating the Lakers 100-87 Tuesday in Game 5 of the best-of-seven series at the Palace of Auburn Hills. It was yet another dominating performance in what was a very un-NBA like championship run for the Pistons. Every game starts the same way for the Pistons. Huddled together in the hallway outside their locker room, embracing as a group, bouncing up and down like excited children around the tree on Christmas morning. Their love for each other is genuine. In the, "I’m gonna get mine" world of the NBA, they are an anomaly. They are a true team. Their sum is far superior than any of their individual parts. "Anything’s possible if you play together as five, both offensively and defensively," Pistons guard Richard Hamilton said. "We showed America the way to play basketball." Relentless. Unyielding. That’s the Pistons way to play the game. Even in the fourth quarter, with the game well in hand, Detroit owning a 23-point advantage over the Lakers, they didn’t let up. In their mind, the contest was far from over, so the Pistons opened the period with a full-court press. It’s what got them here and it’s what got them the title, so they weren’t about to take any chances. They simply outworked and wore down their older, albeit more individually talented opponents. "The whole series, the Lakers were trying to get the ball to Shaq (Shaquille O’Neal) or Kobe (Bryant)," Detroit center Ben Wallace said. "We don’t put that kind of pressure on one guy. We just ask everybody to work as a team and good things will happen." The Pistons are the epitome of what the Motor City is all about, a lunch-bucket group who put their hard hats on each day and don’t mind getting down and dirty to get the job done. But now the hard part begins. Sure, the climb to the top is an arduous one. Staying there, though, is the real mark of a legendary team. For all their faults in this final, the nucleus of this Lakers club won three straight championships. In the Pistons case, one might be the loneliest number. What they accomplished this season was truly remarkable. Coach Larry Brown, who can finally call himself an NBA champion after nearly three decades of coaching, was the mastermind behind the success. He’s the man who convinced a dozen millionaires to sacrifice their stats and their bodies to deploy a system that’s all about work ethic and discipline and requires everyone on board to pull their weight. It isn’t a lot of fun to play this way, but Brown was combative with his players. He was harsh in his criticisms at times and unwavering in his demands, but he made his team believe this was their path to success. "We knew we could play with any team in the league and we proved that," Pistons forward Tayshaun Prince said. Doing it again will be even more demanding. True, defense wins championships, but dynasties are built by all-around teams. The only way the Pistons can play the game successfully, no matter what the time of year, is to play the way most teams only perform in the playoffs, by playing all defense, all the time. Teams built solely around a defensive scheme can win a title, but seldom capture multiple titles. Yes, the Devils have won three Stanley Cups, but each has been separated by at least three years. And every one of them was achieved with a different coach at the helm. Consider the Baltimore Ravens, who were virtually unbeatable without the ball during their Super Bowl run of a few years ago. Since then, they’ve been nothing more than just another team. The Pistons were a unique group this season, deep with schooled veterans, but beyond reserve guard Lindsey Hunter, not one of them owned a championship ring before Tuesday. That led to a lockerroom full of hungry players, willing to implement any system required to lead them to the promised land. Can they possibly be as hungry two years in a row? Isn’t it only human nature that some amount of complacency will settle into their psyches? On top of that, Brown and two of his key players, Wallace and Hamilton, are slated to play for the United States at the Athens Summer Olympics. Forget about an off-season in their case. Without a summer break and after a long campaign of playing the hardest basketball possible, how much will they have left in the tank come training camp next fall? On top of that, there’s a challenge of keeping this team intact. Reserve center-forward Mehmet Okur is almost a certainty to leave via free agency. And starting forward Rasheed Wallace is another puzzling problem. Detroit acquired him as the final piece of the puzzle. Rasheed was always going to be the X-factor on this team, a supremely talented player, but also a man with a checkered history of discipline problems. As a Piston, though, he was nothing but a solid performer and a solid citizen. Yet he still remains the X-factor, because he’s also a free agent and there’s talk that the New York Knicks will make a huge play for Rasheed, who earned $17 million this season. He was fired up to earn a title this season, but will he return to the old Rasheed, the walking technical foul, now that he’s got his ring? It’s a tough call for the Pistons to make, especially when Wallace didn’t exactly embrace his new club as his future home. "It’s a decision I have to talk over with my wife and kids and get their input," Rasheed said. "If it’s a situation or something here that they don’t like or they see as shaky, I have to take all of that into consideration." There’s a lot for the Pistons to take into consideration, but that’s something they’ll handle down the road. This week is all about celebration. So Pistons fans, savor the parade. Enjoy the rally. Revel in the festivities. Just don’t count on there being a sequel. Bob Duff is a frequent contributor to NBCSports.com and writes for the Windsor (Ontario) Star http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/5219658/
I dont hate Pistons.. but I hate those people who claim that Eastern Conference has surpassed Western
If this is how it's going to be, then I LOVE THE PISTONS. I will root for them against any team but the Rockets.
Screw the Pistons. They play in the Eastern Conference. I can't beilieve the way the bastards in that half of the country are talking **** now. We'll get 'em next year.
