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I'm not getting excited unless the Pistons win game 2. The Sixers did the same thing three years ago, and ended losing four straight.
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I'm pulling for the Pistons. The Lakers are quite good, but they aren't so far ahead of the Pistons that the series is a foregone conclusion. The Pistons are a great basketball team, with a great coach, but I somehow doubt that they can beat the Lakers twice in a row at home. Winning game one was a bonus. If they win game one
and game two, people will start calling them the favorite.
Mabye the Lakers are destined to get to the finals and lose this year. Who knows. At this point all we can say is that the Pistons did come to play, and that it probably won't be a blowout by the Lakers like a lot of people thought.
It was interesting that Payton and Malone both had a slow game. Sure, LA will do better if they get involved as well, but can't you say that about any team? If their 4 best players do well, they win games? Hell, Rasheed Wallace only played 29 minutes, and Ricky Hamilton shot 5/16.
There's a ton of uncertainty, as these teams have rarely played each other. Adjustments will be made, and it will be interesting to see what happens. In my mind, the adjustments favor the Lakers in game two, as Detroit won't be making huge changes to their already successful game plan. The challenge for detroit will be in winning at least two of their home games. Naturally, they can close the series at home if they win all three, but it remains to be seen if that's possible.