Pistons Win!

Well, they haven't won just yet with the 4th quarter left to go, but it looks like LA has just about pulled up LA-LA-LAME as Prince takes the inbound and goes coast-to-coast at the end of the 3rd period. So much for the Malone and Payton's "gimme" championship rings.

Despite the Lakers' propensity for come-from-behind last second wins, I think it's very safe to say the series is over. I'm glad the Lakers have been so shamed in Game 5 because, with the main exception of Shaq, the stars and role-players have fizzled out into nothingness. What a sloppy basketball team...they're playing like a team that shouldn't have made the playoffs.

But big congrats to Detroit, who did what you're supposed to do--rachet up the intensity and not lose their cool. They've played nearly picture-perfect basketball the whole series. And Larry Brown deserves this trophy--what a class coach.

It was inevitable.

Congratulations to the Pistons. They sure as hell earned this title.


With that said, as a die hard laker fan, this series was a fucking slap in the face to every laker fan old, new, and current. I have NEVER seen such a horrible performance over a playoff series in my 10 years of understanding and watching basketball. What a fucking joke of an effort. Every mistake that the lakers have been making the whole season continued to be made. Every shortcoming the lakers had on their team, was never addressed. Every time something was done right, 5 things were done wrong in response. Fuck this team and fuck what they put on the court these last 6 games. Fuck this team.

Above all Fuck Mitch Kupchak and Jerry Buss. Who the hell told them to go out and get old legs, granted Malone and Payton were great pickups, but why the fuck did he pick up Horace Grant?! This fucking team's lack of depth has never been more prevalent than this series. God it was gross. What a horrible offseason and Mitch Kupchack needs to be fired for it. I think its time for a big change

Bring me Pat Riley
Bring me a Pj Brown type hard nosed rebounder
Bring me a reliable outside shooter
Bring me fucking defense for the pick and roll.


www.ditchmitch.com

I LOVE IT. I loved looking at the Lakers the other night when they lost game 4. They just had total confusion on every one of their faces. Like they had no idea what was going on. "What?! We're the Lakers! We don't lose!" I love it. And now they've totally given up and gotten completely blown out. HAHAHAHAHA!!!

I'm betting this is the end of the Lakers' hot streak as a franchise. After this poor showing, Jackson is gone, which means Shaq is gone. Kobe will likely follow. This team is toast.

Repost from the finals thread

You know its interesting in the Playoff thread I talked alot about what was wrong with Pro Basketball. I talked about the I'Players and the lack of team basketball. That Jordan helped bring on the mamoth superstars. The lack of good defense. Tonight the Pistons showed their stuff. Tonight the Pistons played as a collective unit and throughout these finals squeezed and suffocated 2 mamoth (supposedly) hall of fame players and their teammates and destroyed the Lakers in 5 games. A team no one gave a chance came and showed the league what true heart and defensive intensity was.

Ben Wallace undrafted playing in Italy at one time. A player traded for Grant Hill a guy no one wanted. Has 18 point and 22 boards. Billups a castoff point guard with 7 different teams. Larry Brown coached 7 different teams. Rip Hamilton traded for a Tar Heel supposedly better than him (Jerry Stackhouse) basically given away by Michael Jordan. Rasheed Wallace the NBA problem child. A guy who everyone thought was unprofessional. What did playing with Detroit, Larry Brown and the rest teach this guy? How about class, professionalism and hard work.

This is a special team. The Lakers got outclassed by perhaps one of the greatest defensive teams ever. This wasn't that bullshit shootout western style ala The Kings and the Mavs. This was hard nose tough eastern defense. We saw things that literally never happened before. We saw Hamilton, Billups make Bryant work his ass off on D. Shaq have to run up and down the court to keep up with Ben Wallace. Lots of talk about the Jordan rules and if the Kobe rules were made up by these Pistons to shut him down. Even this last game Kobe said everyone shouldn't be counting them out that they weren't done. He simply couldn't believe or realize he was being schooled. Phil Jackson doesn't get his 10th NBA crown. Did he deserve it?

The only 2 guys that stayed on the court and congratulated everyone was Derek Fisher and Kobe Bryant. The rest left right away dejected. After the game when one reporter asked Shaq " Now that this great run is done what happens now over the summer? " Shaq replied " I'm gonna do whats best for me. ". Amazing I feel sorry for Laker fans. Where is the loyalty? Where are the thoughts for his teammates, fans or the organization. Match this fuckwads comments with Magic Johnson when he found out he had a life threatening disease and his abundant thoughts on his team and teammates and organization and how sorry he was that he couldn't play with them. Seems like lightyears ago now. Whats the most hilarious thing is that a few days before the finals started Jeannie Buss (Co-owner of the Lakers and girlfriend of Phil Jackson) said Phil was staying for sure and that Kobe would be resigned. Wow what a difference 5 games and losing the finals makes. What loyalty and selflessness. What a beautiful thing to watch such a selfish team lose to a selfless hard working bunch of guys in Detroit. Boy did Jerry West do right and bail on the Lakers. He knew the type of guys they were long before they imploded. Good luck GM Mitch Kupchak its gonna be a long summer indeed.

Mass props go out to Monkiholic who called this series. Detroit was better and you were right dude. This Piston victory is pure bliss and totally sweet.

The lakers are selfish, but I don't think you can say that it only implies to them.

All major superstars in the NBA are selfish and would/will have acted similarly. THe pistons are a team without true superstars. They are a throwback to the great teams of the 80s that won with good ole fashioned team play and my hat goes off to them.

As a laker fan, I don't want this team back. I am tired of all this soap opera bullshit. Kobe is going to be the next jordan...i still stand by that quote!...and I would love for him to be in purple and gold next year, but this loss is going to bring out the worst in all the Laker's personalities.

Alright Fazer no problem with what you said overall. Except your first lines about selfishness. Is Tim Duncan selfish or Tom Brady? My point is those guys are real winners on and off the court. Thats all. Sure there are those who win that talk a lot of shit and back it up but my point was about the Lakers heart and character. Their very honor. Thats all.

BTW i'd keep Fisher, Walton and Russell. Kobe as well if he agrees to stay. Shaq and the rest i'd let go.

Just heard Jerry Buss left after the 3rd quarter in Detroit. Things will be quite shaken up this summer in Lakerland. I remember rooting for Iverson a few years back and feeling sad they were stomped 4-1 by the Lakers. My my how things change.

This is awesome.

There will never be another Jordan, fuck Kobe selfish asshole.

Play that song again, Don't come back no more no more no more..

:-D

maybe now malone should join detroit and see if that "ring project" of his could get real there next year.
or not.

You know its funny the last guy you'd think Kobe would get cozy to is Karl Malone. However that has happened. I wouldn't be surprised to see Karl follow Kobe to wherever he goes.

The better team won, but a lot of people in the media are starting to scare me. They're now going on about how much better than everyone else the Pistons were, and how everyone just didn't see it. Did they not just go 7 with a NJ Nets team that had a hobbled Kidd?

Seriously, it was more how weak this particular Laker team was. True, the Lakers beat the Spurs, but Karl Malone was healthier then and they simply match up better against them. Could the Pistons have beaten the Spurs? I don't know (and I lean towards no, but damn would that have been a fun series), the Spurs were the #2 defense in the league, and in no way would I classify them as either "old" or "slow."

Anyhow, congratulations to the Detroit Pistons, thanks for giving the Eastern Conference some much needed respect.