Go Pistons

Yesterday, a friend and I had an interesting discussion on whether it would be worth it to place a small wager on Detroit to win the finals. The initial odds were +550, meaning you could lay down $100 to win $550 if Detroit could pull it off. Question is, do they even have the slimmest of chances? Will Ben Wallace be able contain Shaq? Can Tayshaun and Rip put Kobe on lockdown? What role will Karl and Gary's hunger for their first ring play in the Laker's success?

My friend, the guru, suggests that on paper, the Pistons have a legitimate shot to win this thing for the following reasons: They play some serious D, Kobe will get worn out chasing Rip around all game, Karl and Gary are just too old, and Tayshaun on Kobe could prove effective considering his length and his ability to recover after getting beat early off the dribble. Simply, the Lakers aren't that good compared to West Finals representatives from the past while the Pistons are one of the better, if not the best, team from the East since the Bulls.

While I don't agree completely (Kobe will absolutely own Tayshaun and Rip), my boy has a solid point.

The Lakers are not that good.

In fact, I'd even go so far to say that they don't even belong...

What if the Rockets didn't choke in the final minutes of games 1 and 4? We would've been in the drivers seat with a 3-1 lead. I know damn well we would've let our nuts hang and won 1 of the next 3.

Next, what would've happened if Fish's shot didn't drop with .45 (or whatever it was) seconds left on the clock in the Spurs series? San Antonio wouldn't have lost confidence and given up. Instead, the pussy-ass Spurs play like they got their balls chopped off in game 6.

Finally, Minnesota. What if Sam "I Am" didn't suffer the hip injury? The results would've clearly been different. Not only would Sam have contributed 22-27 points per game and provided the Wolves with a leader at the one, but he would've knocked down key shots in the clutch.

I guess one could argue that the Lakers are a team of destiny and all that crap but not in my eyes. They got lucky. Bastards.

Go Pistons.