" "

Game 7 Preview

1. Chauncey Billups has been killing the Spurs. Bruce Bowen, who has played amazing defense on Rip Hamilton all series, will guard him at least part of the time tonight. When Popovich put Bowen on Billups at the end of Game 5, the Pistons weren't ready for it, setting up Horry's heroics. Larry Brown, make your money tonight. Get the Pistons ready to hurt the Spurs if Bowen matches up with Billups.

2. I'm stealing this point from Abe, but there's a problem with all the commentators who are predicting a huge night from Tim Duncan...it's not going to happen. He hasn't been able to get comfortable against the Pistons' big and quick front line, and he won't tonight, either.

3. It's scary to root for a team that's only seven players deep. The Pistons have no backups for Prince or Hamilton should they get injured or in foul trouble. We got a taste of what life would be like without Prince, when he tweaked his ankle in Game 6. They just need to hold out one more game, though. One more game. Look for the starters, barring fouls, to all play 42+ minutes. Swingman reinforcements are on the way next year, in the persons of Carlos Delfino and maybe Ryan Gomes or Julius Hodge.

4. But I don't care about next year right now. I don't care at all if Larry Brown comes back, either. I wish him well, but if his legacy is two titles then gone, or even two Finals then gone, I can handle that.

5. No one has any idea what is going to happen tonight, least of all me, a pessimistic Pistons loyalist who proclaimed the Pistons done after Game 2. The pundits at ESPN and CNNSI are evenly split, though I take some solace in the fact that the Spurs backers seem to be making the shakiest of shaky predictions. Lots of history is cited about road teams in Game 7 -- that's ancient news, though, and any predictive power it has over tonight's action is remote and coincidental. I'm reminded of a much more recent historical precedent: last year's Finals. Don't 2005's Games 3-6 remind you of 2004's 1-4? Three Pistons wins coupled with an overtime loss on the back of an outrageous individual performance? We all know how Game 5 ended last year, with Abe and I sipping mossy old scotch in a Days Inn in Manitoba, literally jumping for joy. Miracles are rare, by their nature. There weren't two for the Lakers last year in the Finals, and I get the feeling that their won't be two Horry-borne miracles this year. It's just a feeling, but it's all I have and it feels pretty good. Go Pistons.

posted by Jeff Gray @ 12:38 PM