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Thats the biggest joke of an article i've ever read. Its in very poor taste.
Good luck seems to drive Pistons
By Tom Knott
THE WASHINGTON TIMES
Count luck as one of the attributes of the Pistons.
The Pistons do not prevail in Game 7 in Miami if Dwyane Wade is remotely healthy.
The Pistons do not prevail in Game 7 if Shaquille O'Neal is not limited because of a deep thigh bruise, if Damon Jones is not hobbled with a bruised heel and sprained ankle and if Eddie Jones is not playing with a bruised foot.
This is how it was with the Pistons in the NBA Finals last June. That series turned in favor of the Pistons following the knee injury to Karl Malone that merely exacerbated the tenuous physical condition of the Lakers, notably the sub-par status of Devean George and Derek Fisher at the time.
It is hard to brush out all these fortuitous cir stances in the rise of the Pistons. They are a solid team, no doubt. They commit themselves to the little functions that all too many teams neglect.
There was no better evidence of that than 6-foot-3 guard Chauncey Billups sneaking into the three-second lane and getting a put-back in the second half. That is something that happens in January against a dog-tired team playing on back-to-back nights. That never should have happened in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference finals against a team as experienced as the Heat.
But that is the Pistons. They have a tenacity about them. If you let them hang around instead of closing the door on them, you just might find yourself paying a dear price, as the Heat did.
But it never would have come down to a few plays at the end if Wade had not been slowed by a rib muscle injury that necessitated a painkilling injection before the game.
Wade finished with 20 points on 20 shot attempts, one rebound and five turnovers. It could be argued his decision to play undermined the cause of the Heat, except in the third quarter when he showed some semblance of competence.
Not that Heat coach Stan Van Gundy, the pizza parlor guy, had viable options besides playing Wade. It was what it was with this broken-down Heat team.
Shaq and Co. were extremely vulnerable, and the Pistons exploited it, as they did with the Lakers last June.
So let's not confuse the opportunism of the Pistons with greatness. Let's resist the obligation to shower superlatives on a team seeking to claim two championships in a row.
The Pistons are a good team, a solid team and all that. But they also are an extremely fortunate team.
They possibly would not even have advanced to the conference finals if the Pacers had been whole, if Jermaine O'Neal had not been saddled with a sprained right shoulder and if Ron Artest had been in the lineup.
Now the Pistons are looking to challenge Tim Duncan and the Spurs, looking to win over a few more skeptics.
It won't happen against the Spurs, even if Duncan is playing on two sore ankles. Just forget it. The Spurs play with the efficiency of the Pistons, only they are better at it. And unlike the Pistons, the Spurs do not come down with the occasional bout of anemia on offense.
Of course, because this series involves the Pistons, Duncan is liable to break both ankles in Game 1, Manu Ginobili is liable to get run over by the team bus and Tony Parker is liable to come down with scurvy.
Perhaps the Spurs should hire a professional food taster. You would hate to see the series decided on food poisoning.
That is just the way it is with the Pistons.
Their ascendancy comes with a big, fat asterisk, for strange things break their way, including the brawl of November.
The latest was Wade attempting to execute a crossover dribble in Game 5, as he has done a zillion times, only this time he strained a rib muscle, and that was the series.
Some teams just have all the luck.
http://washingtontimes.com/sports/20...2828-7245r.htm
Thats the biggest joke of an article i've ever read. Its in very poor taste.
Wade was remotely healthy enough to play 43 minutes in game 7.
Lindsey Hunter had the exact same rib injury that Wade did, twice in fact, and never missed a game.
Rip had the same injury Shaq did, in his calf, and never missed a game. He certainly had a lot of pain to deal with and limited mobility, but he never used it as an excuse.
Injuries are part of the game. Team's that can't find a way to deal with it get what they deserve. The teams that beat them deserve what they get. Crying towels are issued in the locker room.
The truth hurts.
Losing is what hurts. That's why the crying follows.
I just read the first two lines and stopped. I guess it's because he's from Washington and he has no other team to write about that's worth it. , even luck couldnt save wizards or....the redskins :vomit
Actually it doesn't. We beat the best teams in the East to get here. We beat the best teams in the league last year to win a championship. And after we beat the Spurs, there will be some other excuse. Does it matter to some people? Probably but it certainly doesn't to me. We did everything that was asked of us to win a le. And did more so then the teams who eventually all lost. Its not a fluke, its not luck. And if you truly believe that it is, then i feel sorry for you.
If the pistons had just come out of nowhere to the finals the luck theory might have some merit but they paid their dues and went through a progression just like most other championship teams.
50-win season, 2nd round playoff exit
50-win season, ECF playoff exit
50+ win season, upgrade coach and frontline, Finals Win
50+ win season, same coach/starting five, Return to finals.
That's a pattern of building on a foundation and being a real contender, not a flash in the pan... in much the same way that the Spurs have been right up near the top of their conference for several years. Solid talent, good coaching, good front office makes for some consistent success.
It takes luck to actually get the trophy but maintaining excellence over a number of years takes organization and skill.
Washington Times, financed by some asshole, Korean, money-grubbing "Christian" huckster of a "minister".
there's a lot of truth to that article, but that's why this series is so appealing. If Detroit can beat the spurs, the pistons will validate their last championship. Just like the spurs did when they won in '03, it validated their '99 championship.
However, this 3rd ring for the spurs will propell them into the discussion of being one of the all-time great teams. Of course, they will have to win 2 to 3 more but we spurs fans know that we may have one of the all-time great teams.
I just said it because some of the early posters didn't acknowledge the fact that at least the injuries to the lakers last year and especially the heat this year greatly improved your chances this year.
I'm willing to admit that if dirk nowitzki was healthy in 2003 that the spurs might not make it to the nba finals. I just don't see any pistons fans acknowledging that fact. It's not a knock on the pistons they won to get here but you have to admit there is a chance things would be different with a healthy wade and shaq.
Now don't get us Piston's fans wrong. We are generally a good bunch of guys.
But don't go believing for a minute that the only thing that got the Pistons to the finals is luck!
Pain, passion, pride and perserverance count too!
Desire, Determination, and Defense count too!
Before this series is over you will learn.
Fear the Fro...
But can't you say that about almost every team the loses in the playoffs?
If Sam Cassell is healthy maybe the Lakers don't even make it to the Finals last year..
Actually fear the fro's jump shot. That would scare anybody.
I knew that article would piss off Pistons fan! Hey man, imagine all the we Spurs fans put up with from the outside-of-Texas media!
We don't make excuses down here, except for the occassional .04 which is an absolute joke. You guys win you will get all the praise in the world, because it will take a great team to beat this spurs team.
I agree. Luck is also involved . The spurs got some luck when horry missed that 3 pointer in the 2nd round against the lakers. If that goes in the spurs go home. Same with fisher's shot next year, if that shot doesn't go in, I believe the spurs win the championship.
You know what they say, "better lucky than good."
Exactly. Which is why this article is sooooo stupid. Basically, this is the same that Spurs fans had to put up with after 1999(*), until 2003.
But, hey, why not put a big fat (*) on the Lakers' 2000 le. After all, Tim was hurt....
Noone makes the finals by just luck
That article is full of bull. The author just doesn't like the Pistons.
Beer is Proof, is that Hollywood Di?
""We don't make excuses down here, except for the occassional .04 which is an absolute joke. You guys win you will get all the praise in the world, because it will take a great team to beat this spurs team.""
Same right here. This team isn't going down without a of a fight. I can guarentee that.
What if the Queen had balls? She would be the King. If this and if that, injuries are part of the game. Deal with it just like every other team. Miami had plenty of chance to close out that game. Detroit was jut more poised. You could say Miami choked. I'm a Laker fan and I have to give Detroit their props.
Not really even in 2003 the Spurs took flack for injuries to other teams. Those jerks at the Sporting News had a front page headline calling the Spurs Accidental Champions.
"But that is the Pistons. They have a tenacity about them. If you let them hang around instead of closing the door on them, you just might find yourself paying a dear price, as the Heat did."
This the thing that scares me most about the Pistons. They really know how to finish games down the stretch and have the ability to come back even when you have a lead...see Game 1 against them this year. We had a 21 pt lead in the 3rd and we barely won by 3 points at the end of the night.
Thing I'll give the Pistons credit for, they are a very mentally strong team---maybe even more so than the Spurs.
And hey, luck is part of every championship run, that's why you never know who's gonna with the trophy at the end. Games can come down to one miracle shot, one dream ending injury in the blink of an eye. It's sort of the appeal in playoff basketball.
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