NBA Finals: Pistons vs. Lakers
 

Who will win the Finals and in how many games? Personally, I think the Lakers in 6 is reasonable. Home court helps the Lakers in this case.

Lakers in 5 is my guess.

Pistons in 7! Got to keep a positive additude, but I know i'm gonna get harrassed seeing as most of this board are piston haters for some reason =(

Hey.. I LOVE the Pistons. I just love the Lakers more. GO LAKERS! SWEEP!

Lakers is 5

i'm saying pistons in 7 but I dont know. I think that the lakers will win it but Detroit will give them a run for the money. I'm hopeing for the Pistons. we will see.

Lets go pistons

Pistons in six. They have the D to beat the Lakers.

Lakers in 5: 4 easy wins, 1 token home win for long-suffering (paying) Detroit fans.

Lakers win 1+2 at the Staples center, lose #3 at the Palace, win #4, clinch the title on home court in #5.

Pistons in 6. Hopefully.

LA in 5, I am not a Piston hater. They just don't have enough scorers imo.
I would love to see an upset though.

LA will be handed the title because its good for ratings.

Pistons in 6.

I hate the lakers, but after knocking off the Spurs AND the timberwolves I doubt the pistons will have much of a chance. Lakers in 5.

You take a Championship now rather than a few potentials down the line. Watching the Pistons I laugh because Carmelo Anthony would open up their offense so much and then with Rasheed Wallace?!?!?!?

The Lakers will cream the Pistons.

I'm hoping the Pistons in 6, but I'm realisitic that the Lakers will take it. If the Pistons can keep Kobe from scoring, and Shaq from dominating, then they'll have a shot.

Pistons have to score of the Lakers tight defense, and as we all know, the pistons have piss poor scoring capability. To even have a slight chance of winning the Pistons will need to play insane defense in every game, which they won't be able to do. The Pistons one advantage in the series is Rahseed because lord knows Karl Malone can't D up on the perimeter nor fly like him, only problem posed is if Rahseed still has it in him to TAKE OVER.

The Pistons are a good team......but they aren't the Lakers. The Lakers are going to run the Pistons into the ground, I don't even care how good their defence is. The Pistons can't score! Richard Hamilton is a good weapon, but that's all they have. If he's off, they aren't going to win a single game. In my opinon, it looks like Karl and Gary and finally going to get their championship ring. GO LAKERS!

I disdain the Lakers but the way they are playing right now it wouldn't surprise me if they beat the Pistons in 4 or 5 but I played it safe and voted for 6.

I voted for Pistons in 7, just because that would be a dream series for me. I don't want a sweep from the Lakers, but if Detroit sweeps it would be cool. That will NEVER happen, though, and I'm saying that as someone who hates the Lakers with all my heart.

Pistons in 7 would mean it was a damn good series.

Dammit who am I kidding the Lakers are going to win.

i voted lakers in five but changed my mind i think the lakers will win the frist 2 then get lazy in detorit lose 2 close games come home win one and then close it out on the road in detorit

I say Lakers in 5, I agree that after the Lakers win the first 2-3 games they will get lazy/bored and drop a game before finishing the series. The Glove and Malone finally get their long awaited rings this year.

Lakers in 5 maybe 6. the real danger is if they underestimate detroit. If detroit wins one of the two games in LA then I think they have a shot. If the don't win game or 1 or 2 then the lakers will win in 5.

lakers in 5...

err uh, edit:

Lakers in 6. Detroit will win a home game, and the Lakers will get overconfident or make mental mistakes and lose another one. I really think the Pistons can do well if they out-hustle the Lakers, especially on defense. Sure, the Lakers have beat San Antonio and Minnesota, but those teams are not very similar to the Pistons. It will be interesting to see them get a feel for each other in game 1. Should be a good series if Detroit puts up a fight.

Ditto.

Stop reading my mind please :)

I hate the Lakers so my heart is with the Pistons. Unfortunately, if you only score 69 points against a dead Pacers team...how the hell do you win one game against the Lakers?

Lakers in 4.

--jaded

Since this series is a 2home/3away/2home instead of the 2/2/1/1/1 format of the rest of the playoffs, I'm thinking Lakers in 6; Pistons will win 2 of 3 at home. If the format were like the Semi's then I'd agree with Lakers in 5.

interesting: 13 people (so far) believe the Pistons actually have a chance at winning this series.

I voted Lakers in 5, but wouldnt be surprised if they swept.

Detroit has one of the best defenses in the league, and against any other team from the west, would have a legitimate shot at the title. But there is NO defense for Shaq, other than breaking one of his legs in game 1, and even then, it'd be only a 50-50 proposition the rest of the way.

The ONLY team from the east that could possibly beat the Lakers in the finals is....
never mind, there is NO team from the east that could beat the Lakers.

My observations about the voting so far:

Not a single person has voted for the Pistons in 4 or 5 games, but 13 people, making up 32% of the votes, think the Pistons can win in 6 or 7 games.

Less than 10% of voters think the series will only last 4 games.

Nobody thinks the Lakers will win the series if it goes to 7 games.

It's a small sample, but it's interesting how it has worked out.

You don't mention the Lakers defense which has two first team all nba defense members (correct Shaq and Kobe?). Plus you got the glove and Karl Malone, who may be slower then he used to be, but he is still a presence in the paint. Pistons defense is not all that stellar compared to the Lakers, and when further comparing the two teams it won't come down how well the Pistons defense holds up, rather their only hope at winning is out scoring the lakers, which will not happen.

let's just say if the pistons win, a LOT and i mean a LOT of people are going to be mad/laughing/insane.

Don't forget happy.

You gotta realize that the Lakers offense is meant to pick apart teams like the Pistons. Also, if you think Kareem Rush blew his wad in game 6, you've got another thing comin'

Welcome to hell, Pistons fans!

The only chance the Pistons would have at winning this series is if the real Bad Boys from 15 years ago were playing. These pussies don't stand a chance. They are good defensively, but they aren't complete badasses like the Pistons that won titles.

Cant stand Lakers, I say Pistons in 6!

I think people are forgetting this is not the standard 7 game series format. There are 3 home games for the Pistons in the middle. So I voted Lakers in 6 rather than 5.

1. Sun, Jun 6 – at LA Lakers, 8:30 pm EDT (ABC)
2. Tue, Jun 8 – at LA Lakers, 8:30 pm EDT (ABC)
3. Thu, Jun 10 – at Detroit, 8:30 pm EDT
4. Sun, Jun 13 – at Detroit, 8:30 pm EDT (ABC)
5.* Tue, Jun 15 – at Detroit, 8:30 pm EDT (ABC)
6.* Thu, Jun 17 – at LA Lakers, 8:30 pm EDT (ABC)
7.* Sun, Jun 20 – at LA Lakers, 8:30 pm EDT (ABC)

* - If necessary

The question will be focus. If the Lakers are focused...it could easily be a sweep.

Since they tend to take a few games off in the series.....Lakers in 6.

The Lakers could win 1 of 3 at Detroit, and win the series in 6... IF they stay focused. Most of you are very mistaken in your underestimation of the Pistons. They beat the Lakers without Rasheed, and pushed them to the limit on their home court in their loss in LA.

If LA plays lazy and let's Detroit steal game 1 or 2, the Pistons might steal the whole series.

What the hell, why give the team with the worst record the chance to win/go 3-2 up at home.

There is nothing wrong with the old tried and tested format.

To do their best that the series isn't a sweep, to make more money.

Agreed. The Pistons do not have the offensive threat to take on the Lakers down the stretch. Look at their winning scores against the Pacers. What a joke. Wasn't it like 60 something final score? They are going to need more than a miracle to win the title. I say start praying.

YEAH BABY!!!! Pistons can't score!?!?!

game one to the Pistions!!!!!!

see you tuesday

THAT was unexpected...more the Lakers asleep at the wheel maybe?
(Anyone else see that chick in the crowd with the monster cleaveage over Phil Jackson's right shoulder?? Holy mother...)

Congrats Pistons on a solid Game 1. Unfortunately, history often repeats itself, so just like 1991 when the favored Bulls lose Game 1 at home, and 2001 when the favored Lakers lost Game 1 at home, I think the Lakers will make the adjustment.

And please GP, Karl, and the other Lakers, where ever you are, us Lakers fans would appreciate it if you showed up at the game on Tuesday, thanks.

Hell, it just wasn't their night, so many shots didn't get the right roll. So many guys wasted open looks.

The Lakers better Cowboy Up (tm) for game 2, or the Pistons might even win this thing :eek:

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.

there go the lakers in 4 people

Hmm, i'm gonna go out on a limb and say the pistons of now are better then that sixers team. By a lot.

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.

Color me sad.

I agree. Detroit played about as good as they can while LA can adjust. They don't play many teams like Detroit during the season. But I like the way that Detroit gave up trying to shut down Shaq and Kobe and turned their attention towards stopping the Laker's role players. I also agree that Detroit is no Sixers team, they are one of the very best defensive teams to come along in a while.

Yay! My predictment is out the window! Go fucking Pistons!

--jaded

My notes about this game:

Larry Brown had an excellent game plan going into this game. Basically to throw what you can at Shaq, but not to double him much at all to focus on the other lakers players. They're all really used to Shaq drawing the double, which is why I think Malone and Payton struggled, Payton especially.

The only thing that kept the pistons from winning that game by 20+ was their turnovers. They also didn't get much from Rip, who was guarded by Kobe (and did a damn good job).

I think game 2 is going to be much closer, and very intense, but impossible to predict. Obviously i'm going to side with the pistons, but that is biased =) You just can't count out either team.

I guess 5 people are already wrong :)

Something that stands out at me is that the Lakers just became impatient and took long shots... some were open, some were not, but hardly any of them went in. They just weren't in their game.

it was just one game but I still strongly feel that Detroit can win this in 6 or 7 (I voted last week for Detroit in 7)
If the Laker bench actually shows up on the floor then LA has a very good chance of winning the series.

Exactly. The problem with Shaq isn't so much the points he scores, but the way he disrupts the game. A lot of that disruption IS the way that he draws multiple coverage. I think the Lakers could have just given him the ball on every possession and made Detroit deal with it. It's just crazy enough to work.

Why'd the Lakers lose? Even with Shaq going 14-16, they shot just under 40%.

Ouch.

This next statement is from a total HOCKEY fan so please don't rip on me too much......

I want the pistons to win... being from Michigan...i guessed DET in 6. but about last nights game....

I didn't see the lakers get more then a Handful of shots where they didn't have a hand in their face.... I think that Shaq WON'T have a better game then he did in game one. If Detroit can keep up that Tenacious D They should be fine... As for people that think Detroit has a lack of scoring???? One of their better scoring guys (Hamilton) got held to 12 or so points and they still win by double digits? Where as the Lakers only had 2 guys in DD (Shaq and Kobe) the next guy on the team had what ,5 points? Game 2 though could tell a different story.... we'll see.
GO PISTONS!!!!!

Weel, so much for the argument that Detroit's defense won't stand up to the Lakers' offense. La looked bad because the Pistons MADE them look bad. Fantastic game plan!

Detroit scored 87, while missing 9 free throws and missing several easy shots (Rip will shoot better than 5-16). Payton can't handle Billups... that was apparent in their regular season match ups. and when Fischer comes in, the mismatch is even greater.

Kobe did a great job on Rip, and displayed his personal greatness on offense. But he has to get his teammates involved--other than Shaq. Shaq's 5 offensive rebounds are the only thing that kept the game close.

I expected Detroit to win game 2, if any, in LA. Nice bonus. With 3 of the next 4 in Michigan, LA has a big problem on their hands.

ps: Karl who?

Funny.... I just love watching Laker haters get excited over one loss. Phil always makes the right adjustments. Karl has been playing great until last night, so if you're expecting him to play that poorly all series you have to be nuts. And anyone who thinks Prince can control Kobe for an entire series is also crazy. The rest of the team will never play that poorly either. Pistons are in trouble Tuesday night.

It's also pathetic that Prince was considered to have showed "personal greatness on offense" with only 11 points..... Don't make me laugh. And Chauncey was the only person to shoot over 50% for the game, and they will never control Shaq. Little Ben looked like he needed to go back to college last night. This doesn't even worry me a little. If the Pistons played in the loaded west they wouldn't have had a better record than the top 5 teams out west, and there's no way they can win a series against LA.

And to say GP can't handle Chauncey is also foolish. We heard that same shit after the first games against the T-Wolves(Cassell) and the Spurs(Parker). Payton will adjust and Chauncey won't play that good the entire series. He's no Isiah fucking Thomas.

You're right, anyone that thinks the lakers will play that poorly again is foolish. But we proved that our defense will be effective. Come on, you have to admit that it wasn't just them having a bad night.

There's no way to prove what their record would be out west, but I think it would be in the top 4. Just my opinion though. As for Payton... Parker is young and wasn't used to the pressure, and Cassell got injured. Payton is old, and much slower than he used to be. You always speak big and call everyone crazy, nuts, etc, but have yet to be right about situations i've talked to you with. Although this is your best chance, we'll see.

Interesting fact, pulled from someone on the Lakers newsgroup:

the lakers had lost game 1 of the finals at home 4 previous times.

their record in those series outcomes? four titles, zero losses.

2001 won 4-1 vs. philly
1988 won 4-3 vs. detroit
1972 won 4-1 vs. NY
1953 won 4-1 vs. NY

It won't be 4-1 this time, 4-3 is looking very likely. Maybe Shaq will knock down two free throws to win Game 6, a la Kareem in '88.

My mind says Lakers in 6, but my heart says Pistons! So I voted Pistons in 7

Interesting, maybe. But the only one of those that is in any way significant is the sixers one, and thats only because they had shaq and kobe then. As i've said, the pistons are a lot better than that sixers team, who had injuries plaguing many of their players. LA fanboys are just reaching, because they all said LA would own detroit at home both games. What excuses are going to surface after game 2 if they lose? I'm sick of it.

LA came out with no energy and missing everything. I wonder if that was because everyone was already handing them the series?
I doubt we'll see that again, just not probable.

Sixate: I wrote that KOBE showed "personal greatness on offense", not Prince. I never mentioned Prince. I don't think that Detroit contained Kobe in any way, and never said so.

I'm not getting excited. I picked the Lakers in 6 and hope I'm wrong. These are two great teams. It's entirely possible for both teams to have commendable qualities.

I'm just growing weary of angry rhetoric being hurled over this issue. If you want to spew venom, though, at least quote the posts correctly.

Sorry, I misunderstood what you said.

HERE IT IS-- THE ULTIMATE REASON WHY THE LAKERS LOST GAME ONE:


Phil Jackson is a nice guy. He feels bad for poor Larry Brown, who will never win a championship. Phil, therefore, gives him the first game, as a token of respect. Mr. Jackson will then continue to win yet another Finals series, making him the best coach. ever.

Fixed

:D

my thoughts:

winning game 1 in Lakerville by double digits was THE WORST thing Detroit could have done. Pulling out a last second squeaker victory would have been much better for them. Why? Because now Phil Jackson will work his magic on the Lakers, using this embarrassing defeat to motivate and to instruct. And Woe Unto the Pistons, for they will be sorely abused in game 2.

This Laker fan is STILL predicting Lakers in 5.

Yeah, I guess you gotta hand it to Brown, he knows how to get game 1 on Phil :p

Detroit has to be worried. Malone rarely shoots that poorly and Detroit shot pretty well. I don't see very many areas where Detroit can step up it's game. I think the Lakers have a lot of options.
Detroit can try to better contain Kobe and Shaq but they've already seen (in the previous series)that L.A.'s role players step up and make the open shots when that happens. Therefore I think that Detroit has to play the defense they played in game one. The lakers will probably score more points than they did in game one in every other game in the series. That means to win the Pistons are going to need some more offense. I don't know where they are going to get it from.

Rip Hamilton had a bad game. Rasheed didn't play much because of foul trouble. They're our two leading scorers.

LUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUKE!!!!!!!!!!!!

Kobe's 3 = SICK SICK SICK

Holy shit...talk about highs and lows. What a game. Kobe has cemented himself as one of the best clutch players EVER. At this point, let me just throw out some random points:

1. For Nimbletoe :) The Pistons have surprised me (and everyone else), they are the toughest opponent the Shaq/Kobe era Lakers have faced in the Finals by far.

2. Luke Walton was born to pass.

3. Rip Hamilton has not impressed me.

4. Detroit's offense was underestimated.

5. Lakers can't allow this many second chance possesions and expect to win again.

6. Gary Payton, thanks for taking off Games 1 and 2, we'll meet you in Detroit.

Holy SHIT what a great game...hope it stays this competitive to the end...2nd half comeback by Detroit was a thing of beauty...phenomenal shot by Bryant!!:crazy:

http://www.phunfactory.com/images/behindphillum.jpg

edit: added the rack

What a shot....I almost shit myself. Lakers showed much better defense and matchups. Walton surprised me. He played better than Malone and Payton combined.

It's 2 games in and your telling me you can already tell Detroit is the toughest opponent yet? Wow. The Spurs beat them the first 2, and Lakers probably lose the series without Fishers amazing-once-in-a-lifetime-ever-monkey-out-of-his-ass-3-pointer.

Don't read too much into it. Even Houston took a game from the Lakers. Detroit didn't look to great in overtime. However, Indiana or any other squad in the east woulden't give them anything like they are getting now. When the Lakers turn it up, Detroit can only hope to contain them.

I think you're referring to my post, here. Keep in mind I said that the Pistons are the Shaq/Kobe Lakers toughest FINALS opponent yet. The Spurs are definitely better than Detroit, IMO. The experience of being down 0-2 to the Spurs only helps in this situation. Despite the great Laker's victory, much of the momentum is still in Detroit's favor.

This is a really great series! Did anybody expect Luke Walton to play like he had Magic Johnson's hand up his ass? Rip Played really well. It's clear that Kobe's defense bothers Rip.

Detroit has to be happy at almost winning 2 on the road. If the Lakers can play like they did in overtime then they can win in 5. But the Lakers have been so flaky this season that I expect this to go to 7 games.

I think Rasheed is key to Detroit's success. The matchup between Malone and 'Sheed looks favorable to Detroit. I doubt that Malone's knee will be 100% by Thursday. Detroit has to capitolize on that. If Malone is outplayed/benched then someone will have to come over to help on 'Sheed and the Lakers will pay. Detroit should let Sheed play with the fouls if they are behind.

Lakers in 5? People seriously think the Pistons will lose ALL 3 of their home games? Give me a break.

I think the series will go to 6 or 7 games. My prediction is that the Pistons will win 2 two of their home games, and that the challenge will be for the Lakers to hold on at home in games 6 and 7.

I was correct in predicting that the Lakers would make adjustments and win game 2. Turns out, they had to take it to overtime to do it. I figured it would just be a straight-up 10 point win. I suppose I was close enough. :)

Kobe is as clutch as Reggie was in his prime. Damn that was nice.
Hats off to Detroit for nearly stealing 2 games on the road.

--jaded

Go boobcam!

Fuck you Kobe. You're too damn good.

That being said, the pistons didn't deserve to win that game. They missed way, WAY too many open shots and layups, again. Sheed yet again got in foul trouble, and Kobe is fucking with Rip's head. But still, with both teams playing near their best, I can't be too mad how the pistons matched the Lakers, after handing them their asses in game one, on the road. I think the Pistons are going to win the first two home games, and the third is going to be a big battle. We'll see though!

We witnessed Larry Brown's philosophy of "playing the game the right way" cost the Pistons a 2-0 series advantage. LA handed Detroit the game when then in-bounded the ball to Shaq on that last posseession in regulation. They should have fouled Shaq to make him shoot 2 free throws instead of letting Kobe even touch the ball, but Brown doesn't coach that way.

Great game. Luke Walton saved the Lakers' ass. Kobe was heroic, but the rookie was the key.

Looking forward to Thursday.

I agree with everything grumpyolddude said.
How do you not foul Shaq on the last possession. Unbelievable shot by Kobe but it never should have gotten to him.

Yeah, but now, if you foul in the last 2 minutes don't you get free throws and the ball back?

I thought that was a new rule in the NBA this year. Maybe that's only at the end of a half or somthing.

if the lakers continue to get bullshit calls, they will win undoubtedly

That rule applies to fouling a player without the ball, I believe. Shaq caught the in-bounds pass, should have been fouled:mad:

BLIND! You're BLIND! What kind of bullshit calls were there? I saw so many non-call moving screens on Detroit, I was flippin' out. Oh what about Rasheed completely pushing Malone over with his head? Now what did YOU see?

Quit trying to bail your team out by blaming the refs. Nobody else is using them as a complaint. These were good games over all.

That call on Shaq at the end for the three point play was CRAZY. If that was anyone but Shaq, there would have been no call.

No doubt...the refs treated shaq like a little princess last night; if they treated rasheed like they treat shaq, it would easily be 2-0. rasheeds foot looks like its fine and hes playing ok, but he gets zero respect from the refs.

All I know is Phil Jackson must have thought he was seeing Michael Jordan all over again when Kobe dumped that 3. Man.... what an exciting finish to regulation. I am so looking forward to game 3.

GO LAKERS!

You mean when Rasheed speared Malone with his head, right? You mean when Ben Wallace flopped on Shaq's fifth foul, you mean when Kobe got hit on the wrist by Tayshaun Prince on a jumper from the foul line, right? The bullshit calls were at best a wash between the teams.

I think it's this way 99% of the time, and I try my hardest to never resort to complaining about the officials, because it's subjective, and arguing about it rarely gets anyone anywhere.

FWIW, I think game 3 is gonna go to the Pistons. They're probably kicking themselves over the way they lost game 2, and are going to defend their home court pretty fiercely.

The Pistons lost game 2 in OT because they were, frankly, stunned by Kobe's shot. No other way about it. That shot had the same effect on them that Fisher's shot had on San Antonio. I think they're done for.