by Cathryn Whitehead

Created on: April 23, 2008   Last Updated: October 31, 2008

DEEEE-troit BASKET-ball! This is a familiar cry to anyone who has been to the Palace of Auburn Hills to watch the Pistons go to work. It bruises the ego of the unfortunate player on the opposing team who turned the ball over to one of the best defensive teams in the NBA. That cry has been heard at the playoffs for the past five years, at the Eastern Conference Finals for five years, and in the NBA finals a couple times, including a title. Why should this year be any different.

It shouldn't. The winning combination of Rasheed Wallace, Chauncey Billups, Tayshaun Prince, and Richard Hamilton is intact. On good nights they're better than ever. They led their team to 59 wins this season, beating teams that should have been unbeatable. And they have that component that makes good teams great-players coming off the bench that play really well and bring a spark of energy when they're on the floor. A trip to the Eastern Conference finals should be inevitable; a trip to the NBA finals should be likely.

Yet. . . they have to get through the first round. Then they have to get through the second. With the Pistons, beating the teams they should beat easily can be the hard part. And in Game 1 with the Philadelphia 76ers, Detroit lost their home court advantage by losing the game to that group of young, confident, athletic men. What happened?

Rasheed came ready to play and had an excellent game. But he missed a crucial fourth quarter shot that could have made the difference between a win and a loss. In fact, nearly everyone on the floor missed crucial shots that could have made a difference. They play well, but they need to step it up a little more.

In spite of the loss in the first game, the Pistons should come back and win the series. Their starters and bench players are better and they have experience, which is crucial in playoffs. Detroit won't allow their team to be embarrassed two times in a row on their home court. They won't mess around in the second round either, even though they let Cleveland outplay them last year. This year, Boston will be the team to beat.

The Celtics have an excellent team this year. They're talented, they clinched the top playoff spot in the east before most teams were thinking of playoffs, and they won more games than the Pistons. But the Pistons proved that they can beat the Celtics, and they are more experienced. If they make that experience count, play defense as only they can, rebound, and minimize turnovers, Detroit should beat Boston and make another trip to the NBA finals.

They just have to want it more than the others.

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