Detroit is a great team, but Flip Saunders lacks the intensity necessary to instill proper focus in his guys. No way that Cleveland series should have gone 7 with an elimination game in Game 6 in Cleveland which Detroit might have lost if they didn't get three lucky offensive rebounds on the last series.
Against Wade (who's a better closer than LeBron) and Shaq, with Riley coaching, they're going down. And I hate the Heat, and still love the Pistons for knocking off the Lakers two years ago, but they're going down. The guys are too lax under Saunders.
Dallas-San Antonio - those were the two best teams in the tournament. Dallas will roll over Phoenix in 5 - 6 at most. Miami will win in 6 or 7. The Pistons have great heart, but under Saunders they don't play with enough discipline.
Dallas-Miami will be a war - Avery Johnson is as intense as Riley/Larry Brown/Popovich - he's for real. We'll see the great Dirk Nowitzki vs. the great Dwyane Wade. But I'm picking Dallas because Shaq won't make his free throws down the stretch, and Stackhouse, Josh Howard and Jason Terry will come up just a little bigger than the Heat supporting cast.
Posted by Chris Liss at 5/22/2006 10:07:00 PM
