Game 4 - Pistons 88, Lakers 80
What say you guys? All but over? I’d be very surprised if the Lakers lose game 5. I’d be shocked because that would indicate they folded the tent and they never seem to do that in their title years. :s
well, i couldn’t call myself a fan if i gave up on them before the biggest game of the season. like they say, this team is all about drama. i’m not going to underestimate the enormity of the hole they’ve dug themselves into. here’s hoping they bring more energy and poise into game 5…
I think I’m just gonna keep my mouth shut. 
Eh don’t worry about it DB. You should have seen me after the Patriots upset the Rams in Super Bowl 36. Man…I don’t want to relive that madness… :raspberry:
Watching this series reminds me as to why Rick Pitino was a horrible NBA coach. The Celtics drafted Billups and gave up on him in less than 2 years. He may not be a “pure” PG, but the guy can flat out play hoops. MVP.
Despite the losses and struggles in this series, Kobe is still the most talented player in the game. He also plays hard all the time. If he raped the CO girl, then he deserves to go to prison, but the game will miss his talent. (I’m sure he’ll get off.)
GP is a punk. (I said that in an earlier post, but I can’t help repeating myself when it comes to this guy. He is a punk.)
Ben Wallace is fun to watch. He explodes to the rim on dunks and rebounds. Dig the hair.
Luke Walton has game. It’s fun to watch a guy create plays for teammates. Once he sures up his outside shot, he’ll be a force.
Shaq is a bore to watch. Looking forward to his retirement. The game will be better off without him.
I wonder if the Pistons would be here if Carlise was still the coach. Brown is a great coach, but he has Rasheed Wallace, a great player Carlise did not have last year. That makes a big difference IMO.
actually, i think kobe’s horrible series is a big reason the lakers are doing so poorly. his shots aren’t going down. he barely scores at all in the first half and he ends up having to throw up bad shots in the second half because nobody besides shaq is scoring. 
i do think he’s immensely talented…he just hasn’t shown it in the finals. everyone remembers his shot at the end of game 2, but he missed a bunch before that. he does seem like he’s trying hard, though.
You think he’ll bolt for free agency or re-sign, Flipper?
i have no idea. i have a feeling phil is gone after this year and other than that, everything is a huge toss-up. while i do see the logic in concentrating on building the team around kobe rather than shaq, this series has shown that just having kobe is not nearly enough. we’ll see where everything falls in the next few months.
Might as well put this thread in the flounder forum. I suspect it will become rather quiet around here. Up by 21. BaaaHaaaHaaaa.
Feel bad for Shaq. The guy is a stallion.
But to Rick TaShaun Rasheed Chauncy and BIG BEN, et al…What a fantastic display of basketball. Wherever you five play for the rest of your careers, I will be your fan.
Where will Kobe be next year? Starring in a new reality show? HBO’s The Real Oz? Good riddance you finger waggin’, tongue flickering, hail mary tossing play-yuh. You’re gonna find out a whole new meaning of “double team”. Oh, wait…America doesn’t incarcerate the really big stars.
Huh…my cable just went out. This is way too cliche. 4th quarter, final game upset in the works. My cable never goes out…WTF…
Live from ZhongHo, Stewart Pendous is pissed…
Well, the series is over. And believe it or not, I put money down that the Pistons would win it in 5. Got $100 bucks (U.S.) on its way to me. 
In all seriousness, I’m happy more than anything that the bandwagon Laker fans are chowing down on crow and humble pie at this very moment, and will be until the start of next season.
And to real fans like Flip and DB…hey it happens to all great teams. The ride can’t last forever. Trust me when I say I know how you feel. 
Well, I gotta say that was one of the most enjoyable series I’ve ever watched (and, being in the Eastern Time Zone, I got to watch it in the right time zone drinking real beer! Kinda reminiscent back in June of 2002 when we went back to Taiwan for a month-long visit for World Cup heaven).
One thing that bugged me a few games back was how apologetic the dickhead commentators were about the series as if it weren’t great to watch. “Well, this may not be a pretty one…” “You’ve gotta realize that great offense is not always the key to winning games…”
Cripes, what series were they watching? It was edge of the seat the whole time, the drama was fantastic. Granted, part of the appeal was schadenfreude, but still, and this no longer needs to be emphasized because everyone now sees the fact for what it is–the Lakers did not lose this series. The Pistons won it.
Congrats to the Pistons. They worked harder and played together better than the Lakers. A great team effort
In my 30 years of being a Lakers fan I have never been so disgusted with the attitude of the Lakers’ players. They didn’t deserve to win. 
:fume:
[quote=“Durins Bane”]Congrats to the Pistons. They worked harder and played together better than the Lakers. A great team effort
In my 30 years of being a Lakers fan I have never been so disgusted with the attitude of the Lakers’ players. They didn’t deserve to win. :fume:[/quote]
I felt bad for the mailman though. bad luck he couldn’t be out there on the court.
The Piston’s showed how the game should be played.
The new star to watch for - Rip Hamilton. That guy has got Game and growing into a complete player. 
It will be interesting to see how the US Olympic team fares against the world in Athens. I think their lineup will have some problems against the stronger Euro teams. No real shooters to bust up the zone defenses.
Most interesting thing to watch for - how much Yao Ming improves the Chinese team.