Friday, June 11, 2004
More Horsepower
Those of you that know me know that my game is, first and foremost, hockey. So once again, it only makes sense (not) that I be giving props to the local team that's making good right now: the Detroit Pistons.
I've been following it and certainly been pulling for the Pistons, but having not been on the basketball bandwagon since the mid 90's, I can't throw my heart and soul into it the way I would the Detroit Red Wings. Heck, I knew more about what was going on with the Calgary Flames-Tampa Bay Lightning Stanley Cup series than I did the NBA Conference Finals. Plus, I'm not the type of person who goes jumping on the bandwagon of a team or sport that I didn't pay close attention to just because we're winning.
That said, this is more than a basketball series right now. It's now about respect. The respect that glitzy Los Angeles gets and hardworking Detroit does not. That's an ironic statement in itself. One town is all about style, celebrity and plastic surgery. The other about blue collar work, grittiness and every hardship lined in your face. And yet, it's the style, celebrity and plastic surgery that get taken more seriously. LA is the prom queen. Detroit is the geek who gets pointed and laughed at by the jocks and high school princesses.
Maybe not for long though. In the three games of this series, Detroit has shown the ability to dominate this series with defense, much like their Bad Boy ancestors of the late 80's. Showtime has gotten shut down. Shaq looks befuddled, Malone and Payton look old, and the only fight that Kobe might have a chance in may be the legal one that he has coming up.
Still, it's a seven game series and only three have been played. Strange things can happen over the course of a series, but if any team knows there's still work to be done, it's the Pistons.
Go Pistons! Make the legend of Zeke, Dumars, Laimbeer, Vinnie, Salley and the Worm proud.
