Can the Pistons bounce back?

[mikelow]

Wow--Kobe's three pointer to force OT, and then they get outscored 10-2 turning a certain cover into a push.

BUT, Karl Malone is injured again and is a game time decision. The Lakers are much, much better with a healthy Karl Malone.

I think the Pistons will bounce back and I will be taking them in Game Three. Currently it's at PK.

Comments?

[Clarkmeister]

I'll just never understand why coaches of a team up 3 with time running down don't foul *before* the other team can attempt a 3-point shot. It is totally moronic, yet it happens all the time.

[anatta]

I took the Pistons +1. I took them in the second half of game 2 at +2, the reason was Rasheed vs. Malone. Rasheed was well rested, and Karl was clearly hobbled. I don't think he plays in game 3 or maybe very limited.


Lakers without Malone at one point this year lost something like 10 straight games on the road. Lakers are an old team, and game 2 comeback/overtime has to take something out of them.


Re: effect of heartbreak: I think crowd, the fact that Pistons did win game one, and Pistons are a close, emotionally tough team. They should be okay. I don't think Lakers come out with the desperation that they need to win game 3. I think Pistons know they have to win game 3, will have chip on their shoulders. Remember when Pacers punked them at home, then they went to Indy, and got back at them?

Are the Lakers going to show up and play, or maybe they might think, all we gotta do is take one game in Detriot... I think 55% they won't.

[anatta]

I told my friend during the timeout that Pistons are going to foul. I said, "you think Larry Brown is going to let Kobe sit back and crank a three-pointer? No way. He's going to foul."

I lost a lot of respect for Larry Brown, who, up until this point, I thought was among the best around.

I don't understand why he has to keep Wallace on the bench with two fouls during the whole first half. Gimme a break, Malone is hurt, its time to exploit. He waited until second half, they were down by 8. Sure they cameback, but they could have coasted. Oh my, can't risk Sheed getting three fouls? Why not? Malone is crippled. He isn't going to get fouls four, five, and six limping around the court. Wallace should go off for 25 plus against Lakers or force doubles.

[wateronrock]

Great points anatta,I don't get it either?
I thought Larry Brown was masterfull with his strategy/timeouts for the first two games, but how can you not foul with 9.5 seconds left and the Lakers having no timeouts?

I don't understand his handling of Rasheed either, it's the biggest missmatch they have. Seems you would leave him in untill he picked up his third foul?

The line for game three opened at Olympic at Lakers -2.5 and has been bet all the way down to Det pk -111 LA +101 at pinnacle! I was very impressed with Detroit, looks like it's going to be a dogfight. I knew Detroit would play great defence, but I didn't think they could come up with so many scoring options.

[wateronrock]

I just bet Rasheed over 13.5 pts -125$ at pinnacle. I think it should be closer to 16.5 pts. His points per minutes played are impressive.

He can score a lot of different ways so he's hard to stop.

[anatta]

I was looking for this line this morning on Wallace, I am going to bet it now.

[J.A.Sucker]

I think that the Lakers will roll in this game. Detroit is mentally decimated, and Kobe and Shaq will decide to play a 2-man game. No answer for either, and I like the Lakers to win this game fairly easily.

[wateronrock]

God that was an embarassing performance by the Lakers.
I think they will bounce back and win game four, but they are far from a great team.

The media truely makes me sick with how they change their tune. Listening to Tom Tolbert and Byron Scott you would think that they knew the Pistons were going to win this series? WTF, are these the same dudes who were talking about how this was a missmatch a week ago? No one was picking the Pistons... you sure wouldn't know it listening to these guys. I could puke.

I lost my ass on the Rasheed over 13.5 pts prop. /images/graemlins/frown.gif
I still expect the Lakers to win game four, six and seven.

[Clarkmeister]

[ QUOTE ]
I think that the Lakers will roll in this game. Detroit is mentally decimated, and Kobe and Shaq will decide to play a 2-man game. No answer for either, and I like the Lakers to win this game fairly easily.

[/ QUOTE ]

Whoops. /images/graemlins/cool.gif

[anatta]

The media guys are always either amusing or sickening. I got a good laugh out of Doc tonight with his "Luke Walton is doing a fantastic job denying the entry pass..." Yeah. Luke is playing great. I'd pick him first or second at the park for sure.

I took Rasheed and thought it was a good play. Rasheed really played bad, but he has such a good attitude. He's like M.L. Carr out there on the bench. He passes, he's unselfish, plays with great energy. He is also somewhat crazy in a Ali vs. Liston kind of way, like the bully fears nobody but the insane guy.

Like the HEPAP says on the back something like - poker is a complicated game calling on the balance of complex, often conflicting concepts. Well I am coming to see that sport handicapping is the same thing...Game 4???

Lakers pro: Must win. They must know this. They can't think they are good enough to lose this, can they? No. They will bring it, and the fundamental theory of this playoffs is and shall be, figure out whether the Lake show is coming to play, and bet accordingly...However...


Pistons: Malone hurt. I told you they lost a made up figure but still close to accurate 10 games in a row on the road this year without Malone! That's a key imaginary stat here!! Frankly, I am coming to believe after 12 quarters of hoops that the Pistons are just too much for the Lakers. The emperor has no clothes type thing. But the emperor is lucky, and we can't forget they can bring it like no other. Pistons lost shocker big at home to Indy last series.


We don't have to bet every game do we? Of course, its the finals!!!! Okay, I'll take the Lakers so as to not violate the fundamental theory of whatever I am talking about. Wonder what the line is...

[ElSapo]

Despite almost everyone saying "Pistons," I bet the Lakers in Game 3. After a horrible Game 1, and being lucky to pull out Game 2 (no, not luck, but that shot doesn't fall on the end and it's a bad spot for them) I really figured the Lakers to show up and play in Game 3.

At some point I'll stop making my own theories and just bet the way people on this board tell me to.

And so that logic is there again -- Lakers simply must show up and play in Game 4. And they can, but will they?

Depending on the spread I'll probably take the Lakers again, but feeling like I'm playing roulette (it can't possible hit red again, can it?)...

[J.A.Sucker]

Yeah, the Lake-show looked tremendous last night in their workout. I think that they'll be ready for tonight's game 3 in Detroit.

Oops. Yeah. This is why I play poker and don't bet sports! /images/graemlins/grin.gif