Going Toe To Toe

Sky

Tonight the heart of a champion will be tested. Tonight it's game 7 of the Eastern Conference Finals. Tonight is the definition of going for broke, of a must win, of truly giving it your all. We SPANKED the Heat at home, big time, and Wade or no Wade, there was no chance the Heat had a chance in that game. If you couldn't count on Rasheed's guarantee (where he'd been 2-0 before) or the fact the reigning world champs were at home facing elimination, you could count on the fact the NBA was going to set this up as a seven game series. The two sweeps Miami had in the first two rounds wouldn't make as much money as the most anticipated matchup in the NBA in a few years, so the league wants to drag it out. Don't think otherwise; the league may not have the power to control the shots players make or the rebounds they grab, but they have more power than you think and they for damn sure can influence a seven game series.

The Pistons were against the ropes, but now they've evened the odds with a strong knockdown to Miami. A 25 point victory is a statement (it would've been 27 if not for a last second jam), and even though Miami fans will cry it's about DWade being hurt, it just goes to show how most of the NBA squads are predicated upon one or two all-star players. Most teams have a superstar (if they're fortunate, two) who carries the team on their back, doing most of the scoring, rebounding, blocking, or maybe all of em, a la Kevin Garnett. But what has made the Pistons great since Grant Hill and Jerry Stackhouse left is the fact that the Pistons have NO all-stars. Yeah, that might seem weird to all the non-Michigan people reading this, but it's true. Ben Wallace might be considered an all-star, and is probably the most widely known of the Pistons, considering he's been elected to the all-star team the past couple of years, but he has no offense. He is the heart and soul of Detroit, and is an all-star in our hearts, but to truly be an all-star, you have to have both parts of the game (and as much as you believe Ben has offense, he really doesn't... I cringe everytime he takes a jump shot). Rasheed Wallace was an all-star in Portland, but since he's come to Detroit he really hasn't been. In Portland, he was averaging 20 and 8; in D-Town, only 14 and 8. But yet he still plays an integral role here; he is no longer the man, and as much as that takes away from his all-star status, it serves him well because the pressure isn't on him so much. Chauncey Billups has been a vagabond up to his signing with Detroit, and despite the fact he has found a home here and that he won the Finals MVP last year, he still hasn't achieved that all-star status. The biggest knock on him is that he's a shooting guard in a point guard position, that he scores too much from the point guard spot. PLEASE don't be stupid. Since when are point guards supposed to be passers? The reason Steve Nash is getting so much attention this year is BECAUSE he is a passing point guard, BECAUSE the concept is becoming revived. We haven't seen a purely passing point guard in years and years, so don't go criticizing Chauncey Billups for being a 2 in a 1 spot; his big shots should be worth it. Rip Hamilton hasn't achieved all-star status either, despite the fact he's the leading scorer on the NBA champ team. Tayshaun Prince isn't there yet, but he will. It just goes to show you that you DON'T NEED an all-star to win it all, you need TEAMWORK and HEART. The Motor City Bad Boys, the Pistons who won the back-to-back Champions in 89' and 90', they all had different integral role players - Isiah Thomas, Joe Dumars, Bill Laimbeer, Dennis Rodman, Vinnie Johnson, Adrian Dantley, Mark Aguirre. They won with teamwork. The big three categories in basketball, scoring, rebounds, and assists, are held by THREE DIFFERENT PLAYERS on the Detroit Pistons (factor in FG%, and that's Antonio McDyess, a fourth different player to lead a category). Look at Minnesota, where Kevin Garnett leads all three categories. Sure, it looks good on his card, but the teams success doesn't reflect upon it. Phoenix is another great team. They're comprised of a team of all-stars, which is why they were the best team in the NBA, but the key to their success is teamwork. The other key to success is defense, which is why they didn't beat San Antonio, but is the reason Detroit will beat Miami.

No doubt the critics and the fans in Miami will bitch about DWade being hurt after we beat them, but too bad, shit happens. If say, Ben Wallace or Chauncey Billups were to go down, what would Miami fans say? Absolutely nothing. So too bad, take it like a man and shut the fuck up. Wade is an amazing player and I personally think is better than Carmelo, but if you believe in fate, him and the Heat are not destined to win tonight. You can say the timing of Wade getting hurt is bullshit. But here's another example. On the TV show The Contender, where boxers fought against each other to win $1 million, one of the guys came down with chicken pox during the event. Of all the times to get chicken pox, it had to be now, during the biggest moment of this guys' life. He took it like a man and withdrew from the tournament, and the Heat and their fans have to do the same. Bitch about Wade, but again, it just goes to show how reliant Miami is upon him. If Ben Wallace were to go down, McDyess would step in; if Chauncey, Arroyo or Lindsey would. Sure, they wouldn't be as good, but they would get the job done. Miami's bench is overrated, with the dipshit Keyon Dooling (I really hate him with a passion) and Rasual Butler leading the way. Only Alonzo Mourning makes a real impact for them; once we get him and Shaq in foul trouble, it's down to draft bust Michael Doleac and former dropped Piston Christian Laettner. Of course Wade is going to try and play, because this is the biggest game of his life. He definitely won't be 100%, probably not even 75%, because an injury like that isn't going to heal after one days' rest, but no doubt he'll try his best.

Under no circumstances can we take Wade's injury too lightly... and I don't think we will. We have to try and hurt him, maybe give him a shot or two to those ribs. You may be laughing, but I'm dead serious. There was one game against Sacramento last year where the Pistons beat the SHIT out of Brad Miller. First, Zeljko Rebraca thought he was fouled badly, so he punched Miller in the back of his head. On the next play out of NOWHERE Corliss Williamson (ironically, now with Sacramento) ran and literally DECKED Brad Miller. I remember the replays, Brad Miller went flying; the hit was harder than an NFL tackle. Brad Miller was crying. Next, after both Zelly and Corliss had been ejected, Rip Hamilton jumped in the air and "accidentally" kicked Miller in the nads. All this happened within two minutes. We stick out for each other, that's for damn sure. I'm certainly not saying we should go to these extremes against Wade; he's a good guy and a great player, but what I'm proposing is to do little things. When Wade goes into a post up, whoever is guarding him should put his defending hand right on those ribs. A flak jacket can only do so much protection. We should trap him constantly, make him twist and turn to protect the ball, and make him try to make a pass when he's in a compromised position. Whenever he goes up and we foul him, we should make sure to foul him real hard, maybe even get a flagrant. You might think this is morally wrong, but I'll tell you that as long as you win, it doesn't matter how you get there. The ends justify the means. If I was a professional wrestler, you'd see me poking eyes and doing low blows all the time.



THERE IS NO SHAME IN VICTORY.

If winning means taking out the opposing teams' best player, then WHY NOT DO IT? Because it's wrong? Get a new mindset, this isn't a goddamn comic book, this is real life. Personally, I think Wade will have a great game, but it simply won't be enough.

Some expert predictions:
*ESPN's experts selected Detroit to win game 7 with a 7-3 vote.
*Yahoo! Sports NBA analysts Steve Kerr (working the game tonight) and Dan Wetzel have picked Detroit to win
*All three of CBSSportline.com's "experts" (expert meaning fucking moron in this case) have picked Miami to win, two of them predicted in six games, one in seven.
*The Las Vegas line is Miami -1.5, but as a betting man I'll tell you that that small of a line in a game this big is negligible, it will probably turn into a pick 'em by 7 PM. This could be the most wrong line since Indy was only -7 to the Detroit Lions on Thanksgiving Day.

*I've predicted the first two rounds correctly, Detroit over Philly in 5 and Detroit over Indy in 6 (if you don't believe me, look at my AIM profile, they've been sitting there before the playoffs have begun), and I've also predicted Detroit over Miami in 7. I haven't been wrong so far, and I definitely won't be tonight.

We have more game 7 experience than Miami. We live for this shit. We're going to step up to the plate and knock one out of the park. It's the end of the line for Larry Brown; if we lose, he's gone, he might as well get one more ring. Of all the "it's" to be "this-sed", this is it. With that, I'll leave you with the chorus from Nelly's song "Heart of a Champion".

Ain't no way they can stop me now
Cause I'm on my way, I can feel my rain comin
It's the blood of a champion
Pumpin deep inside my veins, too much pride to be runnin
I'ma get what I can and more, even if
My blood, my sweat, and my tears don't mean nothin
It's the heart of a champion in me


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