I'm calling it now...

[Leetonidas]

Detroit won't come out of the East, it will be Miami.

Honestly, I've been thinking about it, and I think they can. I believe someone is going to get injured on Detroit's roster and they're going to suffer. Delfino won't be with them either apparently, so that takes away. Limited bench and what not, the Heat with a vastly improved Shaq can beat them. And Wade is just unstoppable.

Thoughts?

[T Park]

Why won't Delfino be available?

Just curious.

[Leetonidas]

There's a thread in here somewhere talking about him playing with Argentina instead.

[Amuseddaysleeper]

Why won't Delfino be available?

Just curious.

he wants to play for the argentinian team this summer and it coincides with the NBA playoffs. he may rather play for his country than the pistons apparently though the article that spoke about it seemed sketchy

[Leetonidas]

Why won't Delfino be available?

Just curious.

http://spurstalk.com/forums/showthread.php?t=38418

Yep, there it is.

[DisgruntledLionFan#54,927]

Predicting injuries now?

They have no 3rd scorer, Payton is done, no bench and they're ancient. They have a shot, but it's real slim...

[ChumpDumper]

You guys are lucky the Magic began their run five games too late.

[T Park]

If Mourning comes back healthy, they have a 50/50 shot.

Its more likely though that Spurs fans along with I, will be rooting our collective asses off for the Heat.

Sorry Pistons Fans, Im a selfish asshole, I like buying new Championship swag :lol

[DDS4]

Miami hasn't shown me enough that they're capable of knocking off Detroit in a 7 game series.

[Aggie Hoopsfan]

Um, no.

[T.F. Storm]

Even with a significant injury to one of our starters, if we lose to Miami it will be a disgrace. Last year, MAYBE Miami was better than our team. It's really close...But this season, No. Miami is not better than Detroit this season.

Wade would have to completly DOMINATE the series for Miami to take it. I'm talking like 40PPG. They would need alot of contributions from their roleplayers, too. If we can let Shaq get his points, and shut down everyone else it should be fairly easy. Containing Wade is no easy task, though.

...With that said, they have a chance. Anything can happen.

[Leetonidas]

Predicting injuries now?

They have no 3rd scorer, Payton is done, no bench and they're ancient. They have a shot, but it's real slim...

Think about it...

Shaq and Wade are their main guys. Posey can shoot the three, and Williams has been doing good for them. Walker has played good recently, and he can shoot if he's hot. Payton can still run the offense and shoot, and Mourning is a defensive beast. They got all the necessary ingredients, they just need to mix them right.

Plus, they have Pat Riley.

[Leetonidas]

And I agree it's a long shot, but I just have a feeling and I wanted to express it. No harm in that.

[Sense]

Predicting injuries now?

They have no 3rd scorer, Payton is done, no bench and they're ancient. They have a shot, but it's real slim...


The 2000-2002 Lakers had a third scorer?

[Josh810]

You're banking this prediction on an injury happening? Umm, no. And even if one of their players went down, still no.

[atxrocker]

don't know about all that.. Detroit is a strong, solid and experienced team. it would be silly to underestimate them going into the playoffs. spurs fans should be worried about the loss tonight and home court losses adding up. how strong will they be at home come playoff time? detroit is a force, dont fool yourself into thinking otherwise.

[Kori Ellis]

Teams with Antoine Walker don't make it to the Finals.

[DisgruntledLionFan#54,927]

The 2000-2002 Lakers had a third scorer?


The 2000-2002 Lakers had 2000-2002 Shaq. Plus, Kobe is just a tad better than Wade(right now)...

[atxrocker]

still, i like miami being a sleeper in the east.. along with indiana who looks good with a consistent Peja and JO.. actually I am rooting for Pacers in the east, though that would be an easy series against the spurs should they go that far. would be nice to see though!

[Sense]

Some people actually thought that the game Ben Wallace didn't want to get in the game, it was because of "fatigue".

Not because of the above reason....
I think it was Mark Stein....

It's not only about injuries.

[ChumpDumper]

Teams with Antoine Walker don't make it to the Finals.Here endeth the thread.

[SuperManu!!!]

Detroit won't come out of the East, it will be Miami.

Honestly, I've been thinking about it, and I think they can. I believe someone is going to get injured on Detroit's roster and they're going to suffer. Delfino won't be with them either apparently, so that takes away. Limited bench and what not, the Heat with a vastly improved Shaq can beat them. And Wade is just unstoppable.

Thoughts?
I think it will be NJersey....but i think you are overrating delfino....he can't do shit

[Obstructed_View]

I'm not sure Miami is even the second best team in the East.

[Nbadan]

Teams with Antoine Walker don't make it to the Finals.

Yeah, but I'd still give my right nut and Brent Barry for Walker.

[Kori Ellis]

Yeah, but I'd still give my right nut and Brent Barry for Walker.

You must hate the Spurs (and your wife) :lol

[ShoogarBear]

I'm not sure Miami is even the second best team in the East.
Larry Hughes is back.

[anthologyct]

Think about it...

Shaq and Wade are their main guys. Posey can shoot the three, and Williams has been doing good for them. Walker has played good recently, and he can shoot if he's hot. Payton can still run the offense and shoot, and Mourning is a defensive beast. They got all the necessary ingredients, they just need to mix them right.

Plus, they have Pat Riley.


You don't just suddenly turn it on in the playoffs. It's not their record against so-called "elite" teams ........... it's their record against winning teams that makes me not even give them a 2nd thought.

Think about this for a minute ............ most teams in the league have losing records. Hard to imagine, but think about it. Then think about this: The Heat's 5th best record has been made up primarily on beating those teams.

[Nbadan]

You must hate the Spurs (and your wife) :lol

If they can turn GR around, imagine what they can do for Walker.

:hat

[Darrin]

Larry Hughes is back.

New Jersey took 3 of 4 from the Heat in the regular season, and they are on a collision course in the 2nd round of the playoffs.

[Sense]

The 2000-2002 Lakers had 2000-2002 Shaq. Plus, Kobe is just a tad better than Wade(right now)...


Then your previous statement can't be credible can it?

Contradicting urself....



Anyways, Wade will be better in the playoffs than Kobe....
Wade has interior game, Kobe relies 80% on his jumpshots...
In the playoffs, interior game will be the key...

Don't count out the heat.
Everyone in the playoffs will get their shit straightened out, you can see Duncan creeping out of his injury.... Shaq can start to get back into it knowing it's the playoffs, if he's motivated... the other team is in trouble.
And wade is always commited to get to the basket, which will obviously hurt detroit... in the playoffs, anythin can happen.

[FreshPrince22]

No one is counting out the Heat entirely. But I like our chances. We hear the same thing every year... "I know they beat them last year, but come on... There's no way they do it again. Shaq and (insert swingman superstar here) are too good".

It's the same old story.

[Leetonidas]

Don't get me wrong, I do believe Detroit is the better team, but I just have a "feeling."

[Nbadan]

Don't get me wrong, I do believe Detroit is the better team, but I just have a "feeling."

Nothing wrong with that, if a few things went Miami's way, maybe they could pull it off, but they would need some serious breaks.

[cs100]

Detroit will make it to the finals. They may not sweep their way there, but they will get there.

NJ may be their biggest threat because of one person - Jason Kidd. He can find people before they even get there. Detroit has also shown recently that they like to run and gun, which plays into NJ's hand.

But in a 7 game series, I pick Detroit over the rest of the east.

[FreshPrince22]

Detroit has also shown recently that they like to run and gun, which plays into NJ's hand.


Just to clarify... The Pistons are actually the 2nd slowest paced team in the league next to the Grizz.

http://insider.espn.go.com/nba/hollinger/teamstats?sort=pac&order=false&league=nba&action=login&appRedirect=http%3a%2f%2finsider.espn.go.com%2fnba %2fhollinger%2fteamstats%3fsort%3dpac%26order%3dfa lse%26league%3dnba

Rip and Tayshaun occassionally like to mix it up in transition (Rip on the pull-up or Tay on the alley-oop), but when the ball's in Chauncey's hands the Pistons play a very slow and deliberate style of offense.

[Tanya]

Think about it...

Shaq and Wade are their main guys. Posey can shoot the three, and Williams has been doing good for them. Walker has played good recently, and he can shoot if he's hot. Payton can still run the offense and shoot, and Mourning is a defensive beast. They got all the necessary ingredients, they just need to mix them right.

Plus, they have Pat Riley.

Think about it... Sheed, Rip, Tay, Billups, and Tony Delk all can shoot 3's, All of them including the bench have been playing good recently, Delk blend in well with the team, and he can shoot if he is hot, Hunter can still run the offense and shoot, Dice has been playing like a beast. We got all the necessary ingredients, and we mix well.

Plus, Riley is a bit overrated.

Just like you said :"They got all the necessary ingredients, they just need to mix them right." They already have used almost six months to mix those ingredients. But not so good. Do you really think they can ALL OF A SUDDEN gel in the playoffs?

[slayermin]

If Zo comes back healthy, which I doubt, and the Heat play an inspired, near perfect series, is the only way Miami makes it out of the East.

[Tanya]

Then your previous statement can't be credible can it?

Contradicting urself....



Anyways, Wade will be better in the playoffs than Kobe....
Wade has interior game, Kobe relies 80% on his jumpshots...
In the playoffs, interior game will be the key...

Don't count out the heat.
Everyone in the playoffs will get their shit straightened out, you can see Duncan creeping out of his injury.... Shaq can start to get back into it knowing it's the playoffs, if he's motivated... the other team is in trouble.
And wade is always commited to get to the basket, which will obviously hurt detroit... in the playoffs, anythin can happen.


Wade will be better than Kobe? I will take Kobe with no doubt. Wade is not good at shooting jumpers, he can't hit 3's, he turns the ball over quite often. Only thing he does is drive to the basketball. That's not enough when you play a team have Wallace X 2 waiting for you under the basket. That move risk you more to get injuried. I don't think he wants the same thing to happen like last year. We have proved we could limit Wade in the past two meetings. Their role players need to step up otherwise they are even worse than both DAL and PHX.
No one is counting out the heat. The heat is just the mavs or the suns to the spurs. I don't think the spurs count out mavs and suns. But they should be confident they can beat them.

[Darrin]

The 2000-2002 Lakers had a third scorer?


Yes, they did. It was a question every season, but they found one. When they stopped finding a 3rd scorer is when they stopped winning Championships.

In 1999-00, it was Glen Rice: 12.4 ppg, 4.0 rpg, and 2.1 apg.
In 2000-01, it was Derek Fisher: 13.4 ppg, 3.8 rpg, 3.0 apg.
In 2001-02, it depended on the series. Fisher (10.2), Fox (9.8), and Horry (9.2) took turns.

[Dre_7]

Detroit won't come out of the East, it will be Miami.

Honestly, I've been thinking about it, and I think they can. I believe someone is going to get injured on Detroit's roster and they're going to suffer. Delfino won't be with them either apparently, so that takes away. Limited bench and what not, the Heat with a vastly improved Shaq can beat them. And Wade is just unstoppable.

Thoughts?

Dude, I have been saying MIA is commin out the east for MONTHS now.

[FreshPrince22]

Yes, they did. It was a question every season, but they found one. When they stopped finding a 3rd scorer is when they stopped winning Championships.

In 1999-00, it was Glen Rice: 12.4 ppg, 4.0 rpg, and 2.1 apg.
In 2000-01, it was Derek Fisher: 13.4 ppg, 3.8 rpg, 3.0 apg.
In 2001-02, it depended on the series. Fisher (10.2), Fox (9.8), and Horry (9.2) took turns.

Not to mention

Kobe >> Wade
99-02 Shaq >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Shaq now.

Shaq puts up 26/10 now and it's a fantastic game. That was a shitty game for him in the playoffs back in the day.

[Bruno]

Shaq is in a good shape and you can deny that Miami is a very talented team.
There are lots of question marks about them but they have the upside to beat Pistons and Spurs.
So yes, they can beat Detroit but it's unlikely.

[Lebowski Brickowski]

Heat's record against the top 5 teams this year: 2-10.
I thought at the beginning of the year they would take the Pistons out but I think they messed up their team too much in the off season by losing Jones and getting Walker.

[td4mvp21]

Look up Miami's record against Detroit and other good teams, and I think you'll change your mind. Detroit will make it to the finals.

[ALVAREZ6]

There's no way New Jersey would beat the Pistons in a 7 game series. No way.


If the Pistons stay healthy, they are back in the finals. I would put all my money on it. They are more of a lock than the Spurs are.

[Obstructed_View]

Last year's Miami team, if healthy, would have gone to the Finals. This year's team, if healthy, might win two games against Detroit.

[JamStone]

1. Miami or New Jersey beating Detroit to go to the NBA Finals is as likely as Dallas or Phoenix beat San Antonio to go to the NBA Finals. Any of the four scenerios could happen, but it would be extremely surprising if any did happen.

2. Carlos Delfino has been relegated to essentially the 10th player off the bench, especially after the addition of Tony Delk, who has spent quite a bit of time at the 2-guard position. While many Pistons fans want Delfino to play more, if he isn't available for the playoffs, it really won't be that detrimental to the Pistons, the way the rotations have been most of the season.

3. The 2000-2002 LA Lakers--as already mentioned--did have Glen Rice and Derek Fisher. And, a third scorer was not as necessary with those Laker squads when the top two scorers were producing around 60 ppg in the playoffs. Shaq was still playing 37-40 mpg. Shaq plays around 30 mpg now. You just can't make the analogy. Different teams, different Shaq.

4. If an season ending injury happens to one of the Pistons starters, Detroit probably won't make it to the Finals. If an season ending injury happens to Tim Duncan, Tony Parker, or Manu Ginobili, the Spurs probably won't make it to the Finals. Any injuries that still allow those players to continue to play, I think Detroit and San Antonio still make it all the way to the final series.

If you have two 18 year old kids, both who have been driving since they were 16 years old, and KID A has a clean driving record and no accidents, and KID B has been in five accidents and has been ticketed 7 times, are you going to predict KID A is going to get into an accident because he's due for one??? Why do people continue to predict an injury on Detroit's players???

[Lebowski Brickowski]

Heat's record against the top 5 teams this year: 2-10.
That was just an edumacated estimated guess. :lol
When I checked it against the top 4 teams: Dallas, SA, DET, PHX,
they are 1-8. Pretty close anyway. They did beat DET 1 out of 3. They won by 2 points. they lost by 5, 9, and most recently, 13.

[Ariel]

Sounds more like wishful thinking than anything else.

Much in the same way you assume a Pistons' player could be injured, it could happen to anyone else in any other team. Some seem to think that, since they've been fortunate so far, the Pistons are due for an injury. That's simply not the way things work. Chance doesn't have memory. In other words, if you toss a coin 10 times and you got all heads, the probability of heads happening again on the 11th time is the same as if any given combination had occurred.

As for Shaq and Wade being unstoppable, that may very well be the case, but it's not a 2 on 2 game, it's 5 on 5. And, when it comes to basketball, the best lineup in the league wears the Pistons' jersey.

As far as Delfino goes:
There's a thread in here somewhere talking about him playing with Argentina instead.Read that article again and tell me where does it say what you claim, in Delfino's words. Do not bother quoting some sentence twisted by the journalist to come up with an enticing title... just Delfino's own words. He simply doesn't say that, no matter how badly people want to read otherwise.

he wants to play for the argentinian team this summer and it coincides with the NBA playoffs. he may rather play for his country than the pistons apparently though the article that spoke about it seemed sketchyIt's just a part of the schedule that overlaps with the NBA finals. Manu, for instance, will play for Argentina at the WC and hopefully will be in the finals as well.

Sorry. I wish I could say different, but I can't see any logic that would lead me to agree with you. At least not going by your arguments. Half truths and a prolific imagination don't add to a fact.

[ShoogarBear]

If you have two 18 year old kids, both who have been driving since they were 16 years old, and KID A has a clean driving record and no accidents, and KID B has been in five accidents and has been ticketed 7 times, are you going to predict KID A is going to get into an accident because he's due for one??? Why do people continue to predict an injury on Detroit's players???

Horrible example. You're comparing events with clear correlation to correctable behavior versus events which have a close to random distribution.

[JamStone]

Horrible example. You're comparing events with clear correlation to correctable behavior versus events which have a close to random distribution.


Which events have clear correlation to correctable behavior and which have a close to random distribution?

Each set of events are random: car accidents and freak injuries

Each set of events have clear correlation to correctable behavoir: driving more safely and conditioning better


Even if a driver is safer and more aware when he/she drives, a freak accident can still happen. Even if a player does everything in his power to prevent an injury, a freak injury can still happen.


Why is it a horrible example? It seems to apply just fine.

[anthologyct]

Detroit won't come out of the East, it will be Miami.

Honestly, I've been thinking about it, and I think they can. I believe someone is going to get injured on Detroit's roster and they're going to suffer. Delfino won't be with them either apparently, so that takes away. Limited bench and what not, the Heat with a vastly improved Shaq can beat them. And Wade is just unstoppable.

Thoughts?

My thoughts, you ask?

I mentioned this earlier: Against +.500 teams, Miami's record is 15-18. That's a damning stat. How in Hell can you beat the team with the best home record, and best road record in the league in a 7-Game series, when you can't even win half the games against winning teams? Let alone win a Championship! And you already know what their record is against "so-called" elite teams. Please!

Even if Detroit suffers an injury to a starter, I'm confident we'd still send them packing.

The Suns and Mavericks have a better chance of beating the Spurs than do the Heat have of beating the Pistons. Don't believe Riley, Shaq, and all that overblown pre-season hype comin' outta South Beach!

............................

And as far as Delfino not being there? ........... First off, he'll be there. To leave would be nullify his contract, resulting in a suspension from the League. But who cares anyways? The guy's givin' us 3.2ppg, and he "used to get", [past tense], most of that in GARBAGE TIME. Now, he's not even playing. Once Delk came over at the trading deadline, he took his rightful place at the end of the bench beside Jason Maxiel, Amir Johnson and Alex Acker. Yeah, haven't heard of those guys either, have you? Delfino is a non-factor! He's about as much of a factor on the Detroit bench as is Melvin Sanders on the Spurs bench.

[Vinnie_Johnson]

Detroit won't come out of the East, it will be Miami.

Honestly, I've been thinking about it, and I think they can. I believe someone is going to get injured on Detroit's roster and they're going to suffer. Delfino won't be with them either apparently, so that takes away. Limited bench and what not, the Heat with a vastly improved Shaq can beat them. And Wade is just unstoppable.

Thoughts?

That's as dumb as saying Dallas is going to knock off the spurs think before you post. :depressed

[ShoogarBear]

It's bad on so many different levels it's hard to know where to start.

First off, it is an anomaly for five starters to go through a single year without injury. It is not an anomaly for somebody to go for X amount of time, where X can be just about any number you pick, without an accident or ticket. So just on simple probabilities the distributions of the two examples don't compare.

Second, while I don't have access to primary literature, I feel pretty confident that a guy with a bunch of tickets and a bunch of prior accidents is a phenomenally larger risk to have another accident than someone with a clean record. I'm sure any insurance company would agree with me.
Even if I go along with the silly comparison it implies that the current Pistons have always been injury free (the clean driving record), while the other teams are loaded up with players who have known injury track records.

[Vinnie_Johnson]

Why won't Delfino be available?

Just curious.

GOING NOWHERE: According to a report on the International Basketball Federation Web site, Pistons swingman Carlos Delfino told Ole newspapers he would like to play for his native Argentina in this summer's South American Championships.

Delfino will likely represent his country in July, but he will not miss the Pistons' playoff run to join the Argentinean team early to train, as the report speculated.

[Leetonidas]

That's as dumb as saying Dallas is going to knock off the spurs think before you post. :depressed

This is the NBA, and as Sean Elliot has said before, anyone can beat anyone.

Before anymore insults get hurled at me, I do believe Detroit is better and likely will be in the Finals, something just tells me it's not going to go the way it's expected...I mean c'mon, no one has even seriously considered anyone but Detroit coming out of the East. It's odd.

[Vinnie_Johnson]

This is the NBA, and as Sean Elliot has said before, anyone can beat anyone.

Before anymore insults get hurled at me, I do believe Detroit is better and likely will be in the Finals, something just tells me it's not going to go the way it's expected...I mean c'mon, no one has even seriously considered anyone but Detroit coming out of the East. It's odd.

Well I can't change the way you feel but you are right anyone can beat anyone but in a seven game series the best team comes out on top most times. Sorry I didn't mean to insult you but I thought the way The Heat are playing they have little chace of getting by Detroit.

[theMUHMEshow]

Miami has NO SHOT...NJ has a better shot at knocking off my Pistons...

[Vinnie_Johnson]

Miami has NO SHOT...NJ has a better shot at knocking off my Pistons...

Bill D is that you ??? :lol

[SenorSpur]

Shaq sniffed his last career NBA finals appearance in 2004

[exstatic]

If they can turn GR around, imagine what they can do for Walker.

:hat
Uh, that was for like two months, and you'll notice that they DIDN'T invite him back.

[whitelyt]

The 2000-2002 Lakers had a third scorer?

Uh... Remember that guy named Robert Horry??? Yeah, that guy with tons of playoff experience? The same guy that won Game 5 of the Finals for, who was it - oh yeah, the Spurs.

Also Rick Fox and Derek Fisher did the intangibles. Oh yeah, Ron Harper was on one of those squads as well. Plenty of playoff experience outside of Shaq and Kobe.

[exstatic]

Miami has NO SHOT...NJ has a better shot at knocking off my Pistons...
NJ is definitely the threat to Detroit. Too bad they're not the #4.

[exstatic]

Uh... Remember that guy named Robert Horry??? Yeah, that guy with tons of playoff experience? The same guy that won Game 5 of the Finals for, who was it - oh yeah, the Spurs.

Also Rick Fox and Derek Fisher did the intangibles. Oh yeah, Ron Harper was on one of those squads as well. Plenty of playoff experience outside of Shaq and Kobe.

Nobody denies that BSB is clutch, but a third scorer needs to at least put up double digits. Horry's career average is 7.4, and he only scored double digits 3 times, all with Houston, with a whopping high of 12 ppg one year. He's a role player, probably the ultimate role player, but a role player nonetheless. Fisher is cut from the same cloth. Fox is a scrub that you never heard about until he landed in LA LA land. Harper was old by the time he landed with the Lakers.

Those Laker 3-peat squads did it with no third scorer.

[Trainwreck2100]

Yeah, but I'd still give my right nut and Brent Barry for Walker.


Dan in my limited tenure here I've seen you say some really stupid shit, and I mean REALLY REALLY REALLY bad, but this far surpasses all of that.

[whitelyt]

Nobody denies that BSB is clutch, but a third scorer needs to at least put up double digits. Horry's career average is 7.4, and he only scored double digits 3 times, all with Houston, with a whopping high of 12 ppg one year. He's a role player, probably the ultimate role player, but a role player nonetheless. Fisher is cut from the same cloth. Fox is a scrub that you never heard about until he landed in LA LA land. Harper was old by the time he landed with the Lakers.

Those Laker 3-peat squads did it with no third scorer.

Horry has scored double-digits in games played while in the playoffs for the Lakers. Did he average double digits, no. But he was able to put the ball in the basket when shots were needed. Same with Derek Fisher. They had guys who could spread the floor when Shaq or Kobe was getting double teamed. I have to also throw in Glen

Compare that to today's Heat squad. They don't have consistent scorers that can put the ball in the basket. You don't necessarily have to be a consistent double-digit scorer. As long as you are a consistent scoring threat that forces the defense to play you honest allowing the two main scorers to operate more.

That is what I meant by referring to Horry and Fisher. Actually Devin George was not very bad at putting the ball in the basket. Today's Heat just don't have consistent players that will force defenses to play honest. An added advantage to Detroit is they are one of the few teams that will not double on Shaq.

The Heat of last year was very different. Damon Jones and Eddie Jones was consistent in the playoffs and they burned defenses everytime they doubled on Shaq or Wade. Also Rasual Butler and Keyon Dooling was starting to develop at the right time. Lest we forget they also had a healthy Mourning. So they had a lot of weapons. This years team don't have that.

[SenorSpur]

Miami has proven all season that they cannot play with any of the big boys. They'll succumb to either Detriot or New Jersey, whomever they meet first.

The Nets recent run has been very impressive. They can get out in the open court and run on the rest of the league. However, they will most certainly wilt under the defensive pressure of the Pistons in a seven-game, half-court series.

Detroit wins the East. Book it! Bet the farm and your life on it!

[zeleni]

Vince Carter is spinning the Sun on his finger for 5 minutes. I have it on tape.

[DisgruntledLionFan#54,927]

VC is only averaging 39 against the Heat this year...

[Darrin]

Detroit won't come out of the East, it will be Miami.

Honestly, I've been thinking about it, and I think they can. I believe someone is going to get injured on Detroit's roster and they're going to suffer. Delfino won't be with them either apparently, so that takes away. Limited bench and what not, the Heat with a vastly improved Shaq can beat them. And Wade is just unstoppable.

Thoughts?

It's true; Miami is the closest team to the Detroit Pistons in the East. Shaquille O'Neal and Dwyane Wade are rare talents, and their coach is no scrub. But I am fully confident the Pistons can beat the Heat. Here are a few of the reasons why:

*Pat Riley's recent playoff results:
2001: 3-0 sweep by the Charlotte Hornets
2000: 3-0 win over Pistons, 3-4 loss to the New York Knicks.
1999: 3-2 loss to the New York Knicks.
1998: 3-2 loss to the New York Knicks.

Despite having homecourt advantage in every series that I just mentioned, Riles coached the Heat to 3 opening-round exits in 4 seasons. That's not to say the same thing is going to happen, but it's a long way from beating a two-time Conference Champion with the best record in the league in a series the Heat don't have homecourt advantage. He hasn't coached in the Conference Finals since 1997, coached in the Finals since 1994, and has not won the NBA Finals since 1988.

This would be like the 1988-89 Cleveland Cavaliers claiming that Lenny Wilkens can make the difference because he coached the 1978-79 Seattle SuperSonics to an NBA Championship.

* Injuries: The Miami Heat are not a young team, and that's why injuries are a major concern:

Jason Williams - 21 games (currently injured with knee tendonitis)
Shaquille O'Neal - 21 games
James Posey - 14 games (currently injured with ankle tendonitis)
Alonzo Mourning - 13 games (currently injured with a calf tear)

That's 69 games for four of their top eight players. That isn't a direct concern. But all of those guys are going to be back for the postseason, and will have a tougher road to the Conference Finals than last season. Last year, Shaq was able to rest in the second round because they had a Washington team that A.) th Wizards had no interior presence, B.) the Heat had a healthy Alonzo Mourning, C.) Washington was a team elated to be in the second round because they hadn't won a playoff series since the Reagan administration and D.) Washington played little defense even when they were trying.

Try resting Shaq versus the New Jersey Nets (Nenad Kristic, Jason Collins, Cliff Robinson) or the Indiana Pacers (Jermaine O'Neal, Jeff Foster, Scot Pollard), especially with all their perimeter talents in (Pacers: Peja, Stephen Jackson, and Jamaal Tinsley. Nets: Vince Carter, Jason Kidd, and Richard Jefferson). Between those two teams they have 3 appearances in the Conference Finals, two appearances in the NBA Finals.

* History of success:

The Pistons beat the Heat in last year's Conference Finals - a game seven on the road. That's a rare feat - something like 1 chance in 5 of winning that game as the road team. The Pistons have won 3 games of 4 from the Heat this season, and in the only loss, the Pistons had an opportunity to win - an open 3-pointer from Tayshaun Prince. This was after Wade went off for 17 straight Heat points in the fourth quarter.

But that's not where this ends:

- The last time the Pistons faced Gary Payton in the playoffs, Billups out-scored him 105-21 on his way to the Finals MVP.

- They are 12-7 against the Heat since Dwyane Wade joined the team.

- The Pistons are 2-1 in playoff series versus Shaquille O'Neal, 8-4 (.667) in the last two postseasons. O'Neal hasn't beat the Pistons in the playoffs since 1996 (3-0 sweep with Magic in Pistons first playoff series in four years).

- Jason Williams and James Posey have never played outside the second round of the playoffs, and have never won a playoff game in their time in Memphis. If it comes down to them playing the role of Steve Kerr or Robert Horry, will they be able to perform?

The only player who can claim to have success against the Pistons is Antoine Walker, who averaged 19.4 points, 7.8 rebounds, and 2.2 assists in a 4-1 series win with the 2001-02 Boston Celtics. The Celtics were involved in one of the three series (of 30) in the history of the Palace where the Pistons surrendered 2 home games (2002-03 Nets, 2001-02 Celtics, and 1990-91 Bulls). Still, only Ben Wallace remains from that team.

* Benches:

Although the Pistons got off to somewhat of a slow start, the bench has come along nicely. Tony Delk has become the Pistons leading scorer off the bench. His scoring at the point guard position has freed space for Antonio McDyess in the pick-and-roll.

Last 5 games:

The Scorers:
Antonio McDyess (6): 11.2 ppg, 8.0 rpg, and 1.8 apg in 26.2 mpg.
Tony Delk (7): 13.6 ppg, 4.2 rpg, 1.6 apg, and 1.6 steals in 21.5 mpg.
The Defenders:
Lindsey Hunter (8): 3.2 ppg, 3.0 apg, and 1.2 rpg in 15.4 mpg.
Dale Davis (9): 2.5 ppg and 3.3 rpg in 11.3 mpg.
The X-Man:
Maurice Evans (10): 4.4 ppg and 1.4 rpg in 11.5 mpg.

This doesn't include Kelvin Cato, Jason Maxiell (the guy who went in for Big Ben as he sat on the bench in Orlando), Carlos Delfino, and the two guys who have been tearing it up for the Fayetteville Patriots, Alex Acker (18.0 ppg, 4.9 rpg, 4.9 apg, 1.88 spg in 16 games) and Amir Johnson (16.9 ppg, 7.3 rpg, and 1.50 bpg in 18 games). The Patriots went 10-8 in their stay, a team that was 6-24 before their arrival. Those are the 14th and 15th men on the roster; don't think I'm touting those accomplishments as anything above those roles.

Anyway, I have droned on enough. The fact of the matter is that Miami would be an upset. It van be done, I'm not disrespecting the Heat and I can appreciate an underdog. But I like the Pistons' chances.

[bdubya]

The more I contemplate the Heat and the Nets, the I'm convinced the biggest threat to us in the East is Chicago. They've got a balanced attack, and they've got more fight in them than the Nets and Heat put together. Lucky for us they're relatively short on talent.

Quit laughing; I'm halfway serious about this.

[Darrin]

The more I contemplate the Heat and the Nets, the I'm convinced the biggest threat to us in the East is Chicago. They've got a balanced attack, and they've got more fight in them than the Nets and Heat put together. Lucky for us they're relatively short on talent.

Quit laughing; I'm halfway serious about this.

If they can keep their mental toughness as the talent level rises, they will be a force.


But not this year. I give them a 4-1 series loss to the Pistons.

[Leetonidas]

Just wanted to bump this in hopes of jinxing the Heat. Let's go Pistons.

[MadDog73]

That's as dumb as saying Dallas is going to knock off the spurs think before you post. :depressed


Son of a....

[Leetonidas]

If they can keep their mental toughness as the talent level rises, they will be a force.


But not this year. I give them a 4-1 series loss to the Pistons.

How ironic eh? You predict a 4-1 loss while Miami is up 3-1.

I really wish Detroit could win. I don't want to see Dirk, Cuban, Shaq, or Payton and Walker with rings.

[MadDog73]

How ironic eh? You predict a 4-1 loss while Miami is up 3-1.

I really wish Detroit could win. I don't want to see Dirk, Cuban, Shaq, or Payton and Walker with rings.

Better hope the Suns pull off a miracle then...

[Leetonidas]

I should get a Spur for this. :depressed

Well, when you're right, you're right. I really was pulling for Detroit.

[Spurologist]

Teams with Antoine Walker don't make it to the Finals.

:lol It was you Kori. Didn't know. I just called you out on a thread I made up. "Antoine Walker doesn't win Championships"

[spurs=bling]

:spless:

[Leetonidas]

^Whoulda thunk it?

[spurs=bling]

i sure as hell didn't think the heat would win the east. guess i was wrong.

[Leetonidas]

I knew they would come out but I didn't want them to after the way our series ended.

[spurs=bling]

i guess Shaq really wants another ring.

[Leetonidas]

i guess Shaq really wants another ring.

I guess Chauncey and Rasheed didn't.

[WalterBenitez]

Detroit won't come out of the East, it will be Miami.
Honestly, I've been thinking about it, and I think they can. I believe someone is going to get injured on Detroit's roster and they're going to suffer. Delfino won't be with them either apparently, so that takes away. Limited bench and what not, the Heat with a vastly improved Shaq can beat them. And Wade is just unstoppable. Thoughts?

Oh boy .. .could you tell me sth about my future, will I get that girl I want? Will I pass my english test this semester? Will Spurs be the same? TP will married EVA? Manu will last til his 30s?

About Heat ... you were rigth ... I wasn't ... so good for you.