word
06-24-2005, 02:51 AM
Column:Going into Finals, Spurs are the better team
Wednesday, June 8, 2005
By A. Sherrod Blakely
AUBURN HILLS -- The comparisons between these two NBA heavyweights are unavoidable, but necessary to realize that they aren't created nearly as equal as some believe.
The Detroit Pistons play the kind of defense that leads to rules changes. San Antonio's defense just rules.
Detroit has Chauncey Billups, one of the best clutch shooters in franchise history.
San Antonio has Robert Horry, one of the best clutch shooters in NBA history.
You can go down the line and look at the players on both teams, the benches, the cheerleaders . . . it doesn't matter.
The Pistons have many things going for them heading into what should be one of the better NBA Finals we've seen in years. But for everything they have, the Spurs seem to have that, and then some.
It's like taking the prettiest girl in school to the prom, only to find out your friend is bringing Halle Berry.
No matter how hard the Pistons try -- and believe me, they will try with all their might to win a second consecutive NBA title -- it just seems the Spurs can do everything Detroit can do, only better.
San Antonio looked and played like a team on a mission all season, rarely losing their focus along the way. The only consistency the Pistons displayed this season was their disdain for (most) officials, often using it as a (lame) excuse for poor play.
But when the games that counted most -- playoff elimination games -- finally arrived, the Pistons were right there, ready to play with the poise and composure one expects from a defending NBA champion.
That kind of mettle is forged from the fires of surviving playoff elimination games, something this Pistons team has more experience with than they would prefer. It'll come in handy in this series, one in which the Spurs are expected to dispose of the Pistons.
It's not just because the Spurs are a more talented team.
But rather, it's because the very essence of what makes this Pistons team go -- mental toughness, underrated talent, players thriving in sometimes two-dimensional roles -- also serves as the engine to a San Antonio team that, if not for a last-second, prayer-of-a-shot from Derek Fisher (then with the Los Angeles Lakers) in the Western Conference semi finals last year, would have played the Pistons in the NBA Finals then.
The Spurs will never admit it, but there is a feeling that had they advanced to the Finals instead of the Lakers, they could have, at the very least, put up a better fight against the Pistons than the Lakers did.
Then again, the Miami Heat will likely say the same thing after the Pistons benefited greatly because of the Heat's horrifically-timed injuries that factored heavily in Detroit's series-clinching 88-82 win on Monday night.
But while all logic tells us that the Spurs should win this series rather convincingly, the Pistons have proven too many people wrong in the past.
In fact, this series is looking a lot like the Finals last year when the Lakers were expected to romp over Detroit, only to wind up losing, 4-1, to the Pistons.
But there's one big difference between that Lakers team and this Spurs team.
Respect.
The Lakers didn't respect Detroit last season, and treated it like a runt who was finally getting a chance to play with the big kids at recess.
San Antonio won't make that same mistake.
They know that the Pistons are not to be taken lightly.
The Pistons feel the same way about the Spurs, especially after the San Antonio-Phoenix series.
It wasn't all that surprising that they dominated the Suns in the Western Conference finals. But who would have thought the run-and-gun Suns would have been run into the ground by the Spurs?
"I don't think anybody could have expected them to go up and down (the court) so much and be so effective, basically beating the Suns at their own game," said Detroit guard Lindsey Hunter.
Uptempo, no-tempo, it doesn't matter. The Spurs can adapt to whatever style they need to play in order to win, which is why the Pistons reign as NBA champions will end soon.
It won't be because of officiating, injuries, off-the-court distractions or anything like that.
It'll be because of the one thing that we know for sure heading into this series -- the Spurs are a better team.
Wednesday, June 8, 2005
By A. Sherrod Blakely
AUBURN HILLS -- The comparisons between these two NBA heavyweights are unavoidable, but necessary to realize that they aren't created nearly as equal as some believe.
The Detroit Pistons play the kind of defense that leads to rules changes. San Antonio's defense just rules.
Detroit has Chauncey Billups, one of the best clutch shooters in franchise history.
San Antonio has Robert Horry, one of the best clutch shooters in NBA history.
You can go down the line and look at the players on both teams, the benches, the cheerleaders . . . it doesn't matter.
The Pistons have many things going for them heading into what should be one of the better NBA Finals we've seen in years. But for everything they have, the Spurs seem to have that, and then some.
It's like taking the prettiest girl in school to the prom, only to find out your friend is bringing Halle Berry.
No matter how hard the Pistons try -- and believe me, they will try with all their might to win a second consecutive NBA title -- it just seems the Spurs can do everything Detroit can do, only better.
San Antonio looked and played like a team on a mission all season, rarely losing their focus along the way. The only consistency the Pistons displayed this season was their disdain for (most) officials, often using it as a (lame) excuse for poor play.
But when the games that counted most -- playoff elimination games -- finally arrived, the Pistons were right there, ready to play with the poise and composure one expects from a defending NBA champion.
That kind of mettle is forged from the fires of surviving playoff elimination games, something this Pistons team has more experience with than they would prefer. It'll come in handy in this series, one in which the Spurs are expected to dispose of the Pistons.
It's not just because the Spurs are a more talented team.
But rather, it's because the very essence of what makes this Pistons team go -- mental toughness, underrated talent, players thriving in sometimes two-dimensional roles -- also serves as the engine to a San Antonio team that, if not for a last-second, prayer-of-a-shot from Derek Fisher (then with the Los Angeles Lakers) in the Western Conference semi finals last year, would have played the Pistons in the NBA Finals then.
The Spurs will never admit it, but there is a feeling that had they advanced to the Finals instead of the Lakers, they could have, at the very least, put up a better fight against the Pistons than the Lakers did.
Then again, the Miami Heat will likely say the same thing after the Pistons benefited greatly because of the Heat's horrifically-timed injuries that factored heavily in Detroit's series-clinching 88-82 win on Monday night.
But while all logic tells us that the Spurs should win this series rather convincingly, the Pistons have proven too many people wrong in the past.
In fact, this series is looking a lot like the Finals last year when the Lakers were expected to romp over Detroit, only to wind up losing, 4-1, to the Pistons.
But there's one big difference between that Lakers team and this Spurs team.
Respect.
The Lakers didn't respect Detroit last season, and treated it like a runt who was finally getting a chance to play with the big kids at recess.
San Antonio won't make that same mistake.
They know that the Pistons are not to be taken lightly.
The Pistons feel the same way about the Spurs, especially after the San Antonio-Phoenix series.
It wasn't all that surprising that they dominated the Suns in the Western Conference finals. But who would have thought the run-and-gun Suns would have been run into the ground by the Spurs?
"I don't think anybody could have expected them to go up and down (the court) so much and be so effective, basically beating the Suns at their own game," said Detroit guard Lindsey Hunter.
Uptempo, no-tempo, it doesn't matter. The Spurs can adapt to whatever style they need to play in order to win, which is why the Pistons reign as NBA champions will end soon.
It won't be because of officiating, injuries, off-the-court distractions or anything like that.
It'll be because of the one thing that we know for sure heading into this series -- the Spurs are a better team.