Are the Suns hanging onto Gentry and Weber just to spite D'Antoni, or does Kerr consider them candidates?
False Sense of Entitlement
For the third year in a row the Pistons didn't fail to disappoint us in the Eastern Conference Finals.
With Detroit down 3-2 heading into tomorrow night's Game 6, I find it hard to believe they'll win a Game 7 in Boston, even if they tie the series in Auburn Hills.
Why?
They couldn't beat inferior Miami and Cleveland teams the last two seasons, so why should I believe they'll beat a superior Celtics team in Boston?
The Pistons had a golden opportunity to take control of the series in Game 3 and they did what they always do—they played like they deserved to win instead of playing to win.
How many times does this team need to be humbled before they realize they're not as good as they think they are?
The problem is that their lone championship and their success in an inferior conference has made them believe that they'll always be a contender, when in actuality all they'll be is good enough to get to the Conference Finals.
Would the series have played out any differently had Chauncey Billups had a healthy hamstring? I'm not sure.
I do know that you won't get any sympathy from this Laker fan who watched the Pistons sweep the Lakers in the 1989 NBA Finals because Magic Johnson and Byron Scott both missed the series with hamstring injuries.
Trivia Hint No. 1: He was born in Baton Rouge, Louisiana and played for LSU.
Speaking of the Pistons...
Joe Dumars has done an amazing job of rebuilding the Pistons bench with youth while maintaining their status as an elite team. Rodney Stuckey, Aron Afflalo, Amir Johnson, and Jason Maxiell all look like NBA ballers. The issue is whether or not the starting five is good enough to win another ring.
Will this be the summer that Joe D makes a change amongst his starting five? Is there a chance he trades Rip Hamilton, Rasheed Wallace, or Chauncey Billups this summer just to shake things up, or will he hope that all the team needs is more experience from their bench to put them over the top?
Sheed has one year left on his deal and would probably retire if he got traded to a non-contender. I think Sheed retires after next season anyway.
Billups just signed a new deal that still has three more years and a team option for an additional year.
Tayshaun Prince has three more years but he just turned 28, so I don't think he's going anywhere.
Hamilton, though, has only two years left on his deal. I don't know if Dumars makes a move this summer, but if he does the logical choice is to go to Hamilton.
Don't be surprised if you start hearing Rip's name floating out there in rumors.
Cry Me a River-Walk, San Antonio
Did Brent Barry get fouled? Absolutely. Should he have even had a chance to tie or win the game? Absolutely not.
The Spurs didn't lose that game because of a non-call. They lost the game because they came out flat, they were out-rebounded and out-hustled the entire game, and because Manu Ginobili went back to being the Manu of Games 1 and 2.
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