| Here’s Something New For Pistons: A Healthy Opponent Authored by Graham Flashner - June 7, 2005 - 4:22 am
Those who don’t believe in the Detroit Pistons’ legacy will put an asterisk to their Game 7 win over the Miami Heat and say that, once again, the Pistons benefited from a key injury to an opposing star.
Those who do believe will say that this battle-tested group may be every bit as good as the Bad Boys of the late 80s.
Whatever you believe, the facts are as follows: the Pistons won for the 10th straight time when needing a victory to clinch a series (including four straight wins when faced with elimination), became the first team in 23 years to win an Eastern Conference Finals Game 7 on the road, and are the first Eastern team since Kidds's Nets to go to the Finals in consecutive years.
Their 88-82 win at Miami was a marvel of poise and execution down the stretch. The Pistons never panicked midway through the fourth quarter, when they trailed 74-68 and the Heat had three straight tries to go up by eight. The Heat missed on all three possessions, and the Pistons responded with an 8-0 run that turned the game for good.
And when it came time to make free throws, the Heat missed two critical ones in the final two minutes, while Chauncey Billups calmly sank six straight
The Pistons withstood Shaquille O’Neal’s best offensive game of the series (27 points), weathered an emotionally pumped home crowd, galvanized by the return of Dwayne Wade, and survived a spectacular 12-point third-quarter display by Wade himself.
For the series, they survived the distractions of Larry Brown’s next career move and Rasheed Wallace’s Game 5 meltdown.
Which brings us back to the non-believers, the ones who say the Pistons have lucked out on the injury front. In 2004, they beat the Pacers with an ailing Jermaine O’Neal, came back from a 3-2 deficit to beat the Nets and an ailing Jason Kidd, and whipped a Lakers team with a hobbled Karl Malone in the Finals.
This year, they beat a Pacers team minus Ron Artest, and came from 3-2 down once again to beat a Miami team that was clearly not the same with its leading scorer and floor general unable to break down the defense and play end-to-end with his customary zeal. In the fourth quarter, Wade missed all six of his shots, appearing exhausted and in pain by the end, though some of his pain was doubtless caused by Keyon Dooling’s shot selection. As good as the Pistons played, with Ben Wallace setting screens and breaking free for a crucial dunk, and Rasheed Wallace tipping in a huge shot to preserve a three-point lead—Heat fans will remain convinced that a healthy Dwaye Wade would’ve made the difference.
So which is it? Are the Pistons that good, or have they caught a break in every big series they’ve played?
The San Antonio Spurs will offer the best test yet. The former champs against the current champs.
Though Tim Duncan’s ankle has been suspect since a bad sprain suffered in March, he was as dominant as usual against the Suns. Duncan is healthy, as are Manu Ginobili, Tony Parker, Bruce Bowen, and Robert Horry.
Both teams play great defense. Both teams play sound, old-school, fundamental basketball. Both teams feel like they don’t get respect. Both teams depend on a trio of scorers (Rasheed Wallace-Rip Hamilton-Billups vs. Duncan-Parker-Ginobili), yet both teams are more known for selfless, five-man play than individual heroics. Finally, both teams have marvelous coaches in Larry Brown and Gregg Popovich.
Detroit vs. San Antonio may not get the TV ratings the NBA hopes for, but it should be a classic. The difference may come down to the effectiveness of the role players, guys like Brent Barry, Nazr Muhammad, Linsday Hunter, Elden Campbell. For that, I give the edge to the Spurs, who will seize the title back in a thrilling Game 7 home court win. |
