While their offense isn't always the greatest, the Detroit Pistons have still shown us some absolutely beautiful basketball. I don't quite know what happened in their game two overtime against the Lakers, when the Pistons couldn't sink a basket to save their lives, but up to that point and at all times since, they've absolutely dominated.
While part of me wouldn't mind seeing Karl Malone get a long overdue championship ring, I do think that the Lakers need to be humbled, from Coach Jackson, to his golden wonder twins (Shaq and Bryant), and on down the chain, all the way down to super Laker fan #1, Jack Nicholson. All throughout the season, the Lakers have only occasionally come together as a team. Much of their success has been due to their superstars and the occasional whiz kid off the bench who delivers an amazing night. Detroit's mean team-based defense play, along with good size match-up, has been a great challenger to the glitz and glamour of Lakers basketball. The frustration on Phil Jackson's and Karl Malone's faces Sunday night in game 4 spoke volumes about the effectiveness of Detroit's efforts.
With game 5 coming up tonight in Detroit, the Pistons have a very good chance to take the championship this year. The Lakers are going to fight hard, facing elimination, and I hope all members of the Pistons are planning for that. I'd love to see Detroit win on their home court.