namepeace said:

Anything could happen. It's definitely not over. If the Lakers win Game 5 and take it to L.A. It could go 7 games and it's anybodys series, or Detroit could win tomorrow by 20. Get ready for Game 5. It's gonna be a ride.

dumbass said:

Revolution said:

BAD, John, BAD!

Revolution said:

Consider the name, Rev.

applekisses said:

Hey, We'll refer to them as the Auburn Hills Pistons...'cause I don't
like to put such a negative spin on the city of Detroit...they don't
represent Detroit.

Usually I refer to them as "the pistons"...don't know why i used Detroit
is that last post....forgive me...

The Lions, Red Wings, and Tigers all play in DETROIT...
The Auburn Hills Pistons are in BFE...

Let us pray for the Lakers... c'mon guys, three in a row!!

Tayshaun PRINCE!!! Need I say more.
Go Pistons!!!!

Go Pistons. I hope they kick some LA ass tonight!

Revolution said:

you haven't stated facts, you've stated opinions on calls. if you watch any highlight you will find calls that aren't made and bad calls that are against every team in every game. it's just that the winning team usually gets more of them. like the lakers did for three years. I think it is awfully hypocritical for the Lakers to bask in the success of awful officiating then complain when it doesn't go their way. like I said, they wouldn't have won 3 in a row without awful officiating. that's a fact. look it up.

The Pistons are going to the line because they are more aggressive. no team gets foul calls by settling for jump shots. and lets not forget the Lakers led the league in foul shots, which shows the NBA gives them the benefit of the doubt on many of Kobe's flops. not to mention how many times Kobe takes three steps. Shaq charges. etc etc. unfortunately for them they aren't playing the Kings who never get the benefit of the doubt on calls because they don't play defense. Kobe who always got the benefit of the doubt because you know the refs figured that someone really can't guard him so if his shot is off it must be a foul, the Pistons are getting the benefit of the doubt for their defensive ability. that is the way the NBA is. if you don't like it, don't watch. that is how it has always been. that's a fact as well.

dreamfactory313 said:

TONIGHT IS THE NIGHT! GO DETROIT PISTONS!

dreamfactory313 said:

I'm scared!

dumbass said:

Hey DUMBASS,

FACT: Game 2, Lakers shoot their first free throw in the second half with 4:25 seconds
left in the game!

FACT: Thru 3 games, Pistons free throw attempts = 116 Laker free throw attempts = 64
It's decisively more pronounced now, but I don't have the energy to look it up.

With the refs giving the Pistons these calls, the Lakers are getting in the penalty sooner.
which gives the Pistons more free throws (more pts). FACT.

The Lakers are settling for more jump shots, i agree...but that doesn't mean they're not
getting fouled. The Pistons are all over them...a little too close. A whistle can be blown
on each play, literally. Blow a few more of those (obvious) fouls, and all of a sudden
you have Rip sitting, and Hunter in the game...you have Wallace on the bench, and Okur
in the game...TIC TAC CALLS MAKE A DIFFERENCE in the game. The Pistons have suspiciously
gotten their share of them this playoffs.

As far as flops are concerned, you have your opinion about Kobe, but you neglect to mention
the king of flop in this series...even more so than his mentor, Reggie Miller...Rip Hamilton.
Watch his antics on the court and you'll see what i'm talking about.

See Ya Lakers!

It's been real and it's been fun but it hasn't been real fun.

Title and Dynasty on Line for Pistons, Lakers in Game Five TONIGHT!

By Steve Keating

AUBURN HILLS, Michigan (Reuters) - An NBA title and a dynasty hang in the balance as the underdog Detroit Pistons look to complete their startling run to a championship with a Game Five win over the Los Angeles Lakers Tuesday.

With three titles in four years and a roster full of All-Stars and future Hall of Famers, the swashbuckling Lakers arrived in the Motor City last week expecting to earn coach Phil Jackson a record 10th crown and cement their status as one of the best teams in history.

But the Pistons, who rely on teamwork and gritty defense ahead of glitz and glamor, have removed the aura of invincibility surrounding the Lakers with a complete performance that has sent a buzz through the sport.

With the exception of a brief lapse at the end of an overtime loss in Game Two, the Pistons have utterly dominated the NBA finals with their inspired and athletic play.

Armed with a hunger and intensity the Lakers have been unable to match, the Pistons have defused LA's two biggest weapons, Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant, to take a 3-1 lead in the best-of-seven series and move to the brink of their first championship since 1990.

"We know we've got to come out with the same intensity," Detroit's Chauncey Billups, a leading candidate for Most Valuable Player honors, told reporters Monday.

"We talked in the locker room and we all said, 'we've got to play this game like we're down 3-1'. We've got to come out scrapping and playing with a sense of urgency because we know they will.

"It's crazy, we're so close but we're still so far away. We're playing against a team that, you give them any momentum and they can beat you three or four straight times.

"It feels good but we have nothing to celebrate right now. We still haven't won a championship."

The Lakers enter Tuesday's pivotal clash aware of the daunting task ahead of them.

In the history of the NBA, no team has ever rallied from a 3-1 deficit to lift the title.

But the Lakers are also quick to point out that if the Pistons want to celebrate a championship Tuesday they must also rewrite the record books, with no team having swept the middle three games of the finals since the league switched to the existing two-three-two format.

"We don't have a choice, we've got to win," said Bryant, who hopes to rediscover the scoring touch that has deserted him for much of the series.

"Just take it one game at a time, that's all, and understand that history isn't necessarily on their side either.

"No team has ever won three straight games at home. That's a bit of history they have to overcome."

Bristling with confidence and playing in front of a raucous crowd at The Palace, the Pistons will be determined to finish off the Lakers at home and avoid the series shifting back for Games Six and Seven to Los Angeles where the Lakers have lost only once this postseason with a record of 10-1.

"We have every intention of winning the game," said Jackson.

"We don't care what the records are in this situation in the past. We believe we can turn this thing around."
[This message was edited Tue Jun 15 12:25:31 2004 by July]

Pistons Seek to Put Lakers Away in Game 5 TONIGHT!

By GREG BEACHAM, AP Sports Writer

AUBURN HILLS, Mich. - With one more win, the Detroit Pistons will be impossible to ignore any longer. They'll be NBA champions, and even the Los Angeles Lakers will be forced to quit thinking about themselves long enough to appreciate one of the most amazing finals performances in league history.

"We don't care about respect from them, respect from the media, respect from the world," Detroit forward Rasheed Wallace said Monday. "We only care about the dogs in our room and the fans in this building. The rest of y'all can have each other."

Though the Pistons have beaten the Lakers in almost every aspect of every minute of every game while taking a 3-1 lead, this series has been all about L.A. About the infighting, the strategic blunders, the Malone-and-Payton sob stories, the colorful derailment of a burgeoning dynasty.

Detroit has stuck to the workaday, blue-collar image cultivated for its star-free roster. Except for an occasional ankle-breaking crossover dribble by Chauncey Billups, there's been nothing spectacular about the Pistons' game. But it has produced three decisive victories over the star-studded, heavily favored Lakers.

"I sense this team, and what they bring, would be a testimonial of how special our league is, because I think this team tries to play the right way and respects the game and respects one another," said Pistons coach Larry Brown, who's tantalizingly close to his first title after 21 seasons with seven NBA teams.

After seizing control of the series with consecutive home victories, the Pistons can clinch the third title in franchise history with a win in Game 5 on Tuesday night. The first two Detroit champions, in 1989 and 1990, both finished their title runs on the road, depriving the fans at The Palace of a firsthand celebration.

To do it, the Pistons must become the first team to win all three home games in the middle of a 2-3-2 series since the NBA moved to the format in 1985. But the Lakers' task is even more daunting: No team has ever recovered from a 3-1 deficit to win the finals.

"We have every intention of winning the game," Lakers coach Phil Jackson said. "We don't care what the records are about teams that are in this situation in the past. We believe that we can turn this thing around."

But Jackson, in search of his record 10th championship, is one game away from an offseason of tough questions that might even call his inimitable skills into question.

For starters, how could Jackson get so soundly outcoached by Brown, who's been a step ahead for four games? The Pistons haven't altered their Game 1 strategy of one-on-one coverage on Shaquille O'Neal, followed by countless pick-and-roll plays to set up countless open jumpers for Billups and Richard Hamilton.

How could the Lakers consistently fail to get the ball to O'Neal in the low post until Game 4, when he had 36 points and 20 rebounds? And how could Jackson, whose motivational skills are described with religious fervor by his former players, fail to get Kobe Bryant's attention during a miserable series for the superstar?

And how could the championship-tested Lakers fail to match the Pistons' desire?

"I don't think we've really showed how much we want it," said veteran forward Rick Fox, who has campaigned for more playing time. "This means a lot to the guys in here. You know how much it means to Gary and Karl, because they don't have a championship. We've got one game to show how serious we are."

Nobody doubts the Pistons' hunger. Even in their final home practice of the season Monday, they seemed calm and focused — until a goofy 3-point shooting contest at the end, won by the guards and swingmen when Tayshaun Prince banked in a shot from the wing.

In fact, Billups believes Detroit has given inspiration to undertalented teams across the world with its fundamentally sound performance. The Pistons soon could be the first team since the 1979 Seattle SuperSonics to win a title without a superstar.

"You never control how your shots are going to go down, and at what frequency, but you control your effort," said Billups, a likely finals MVP if the Pistons finish things off. "We control our defense. ... We've played this series with a chip on our shoulder."

Even with a 3-1 lead, the Pistons are wary of Bryant and O'Neal, particularly after Shaq's impressive work in Game 4. Detroit realizes Bryant is struggling under Prince's defense and double-coverages, going 22-for-65 in the Lakers' three losses, but Bryant rarely allows any defense to hold him down for long.

And O'Neal still believes a steady diet of low-post play will be just as effective as it was for 3 1/2 quarters in Game 4. Though the Lakers didn't practice Monday, O'Neal showed up at The Palace wearing workout gear and looking deadly serious about his desire to carry the Lakers.

Get ready for Game 5. It's gonna be a ride.

Los Angeles Lakers and Detroit Pistons

(Pistons win series 4-1)

Game 1: Detroit 87, L.A. Lakers 75
Game 2: Detroit 91, L.A. Lakers 99 (OT)
Game 3: L.A. Lakers 68, Detroit 88
Game 4: L.A. Lakers 80, Detroit 88
Game 5: L.A. Lakers 87, Detroit 100 NBA Championship!
x-Game 6: Detroit at L.A. Lakers, Thursday June 17
x-Game 7: Detroit at L.A. Lakers, Sunday June 20

x-if necessary


[This message was edited Tue Jun 15 20:52:50 2004 by July]

Slave2daGroove said:

Slave2daGroove, don't be too confident in that assessment.

I am a Lakers fan, and they have won 7 titles and been to 10 finals in the last 20 years, so I can't begrudge them if they lose tonight.

But if they win tonight, chances are very good they will not lose again.

If any team is talented, cocky, and crazy enough to come back from a 3-1 deficit, it's a Phil Jackson team. But if any team can finish off such a monumental upset, it's a Larry Brown team.

Tonight will be very interesting.

namepeace said:

Wish I had your confidence.
One thing's for sure: they're a jeckle and hyde team.

Revolution said:

I agree, but you are insinuating that the officiating has been bad because the Pistons are getting more calls. if the Lakers were getting more calls would that then mean the officiating is bad as well? the only FACT is that in every game and every series, one team gets the majority of the calls. for years it has been the Lakers and it was dismissed that it was because they were the better team and were drawing fouls.

the Pistons are getting more fouls because they are faster and more aggressive, and the older, slower and less talented players (because Kobe and Shaq have not been in foul trouble the entire series, it is the Lakers scrub players, Payton included) that are getting called, and deservedly so. The Pistons are blowing right past them as they stand flat footed and can do nothing but foul.

on the other hand, the Pistons have the ability to guard the laker scrubs one on one, who aren't drawing fouls. Shaq is drawing fouls because he is the one player that is being played one on one who deserves a double team. Kobe on the other hand is being drawn into double teams, with no where to go, and forcing up bad shots, trying to flop for calls (which he has done his entire career, just like the only player I hate more in the NBA than Karl Malone--Reggie Miller). like I said, if he was more interested in getting fouled instead of trying to convince the refs by flopping and contorting his body to make it look like he is (when he isn't, view the highlights) and then chucking up bad shots instead of just worrying about the shot and not the foul, maybe he's hit some more.

that being said, the Lakers are only in this series because they led the league in getting fouled. why aren't you criticizing the refs for that? or are the refs only right when they call fouls for the Lakers and not for other teams?

The Bottom Line

It's not really that complicated.
You simply score more points than your opponent.
At the end of the game you look at this device, that's usually suspended over the court, and the team with the most points wins.

It's called a SCOREBOARD.

Believe me, I know how easy it is to say "We wuz robbed" having grown up in Brooklyn.
The funny thing is, no matter how many times you say it, the SCOREBOARD doesn't change. Nor will it ever.

If the Lakers were taking the ball to the hole instead of honing their masonry skills...
If the Lakers were playing defense with their feet instead of their hands...
If Kobe understood that the route to another championship was through "The Daddy"...
If Phil would drop the apparant catatonic coaching style like he has the triangle...

If, if, if, if, if.

And to all the conspiracy theorists, who think the refs are on the take, your scripted Hollywood ending would go something like this. The Lakers manage to learn how to play defense, play unselfish offense and win tonight's game. They go back to L.A. and right before tip-off, Karl Malone would limp-run out of the tunnel ala Willis Reed to the cheers of the band-wagon riding L.A. fans. The MailMan would then for the next 2 games recapture his glory days with the Jazz. In what would appear to be an LSD induced Purple (& Gold) Haze, he would hallucinate Gary Peyton into the "Pasty Gangsta" (John Stockton) and become the illusive 3rd scoring threat that would lead the Lakers to a miraculous title win.

Cut back to reality...the Queen of Soul (Aretha Franklin) will sing the Laker's eulogy tonight.

OFFICIAL LAKER-HATER FOR LIFE

tA

Tribal Disorder

http://www.soundclick.com...rmusic.htm

theAudience said:

Did anybody catch ReeRee (gulp) LIP SYNCING??!!!! It was SO BAD, had to turn my tv off! Da horror!

CalhounSq said:

NO

I'm listening to it on the radio at work.

Say it ain't so
You know this means that the world is coming to an end.
The earthquakes out here today may have been an early warning signal.

I'm goin' home.

tA

Tribal Disorder

http://www.soundclick.com...rmusic.htm

Los Angeles Lakers and Detroit Pistons

(Pistons win series 4-1)

Game 1: Detroit 87, L.A. Lakers 75
Game 2: Detroit 91, L.A. Lakers 99 (OT)
Game 3: L.A. Lakers 68, Detroit 88
Game 4: L.A. Lakers 80, Detroit 88
Game 5: L.A. Lakers 87, Detroit 100 NBA Championship!
x-Game 6: Detroit at L.A. Lakers, Thursday June 17
x-Game 7: Detroit at L.A. Lakers, Sunday June 20

x-if necessary

heh heh

The Lakers were all like

2the9s said:

!!! No, they weren't even that good.

theAudience said:

OH YES 'Twas bad, dude

Supernova said:

BUT what FUN it would have been had they not blown that game in LA!! Would have been a clean sweep! OF THE MIGHTY LAKERS!!! Ohhh... I can dream

CalhounSq said:

Greeeeedyyyy.