PISTONS DOMINATE LAKERS IN FIVE
About two weeks ago all you heard the "experts" saying was that the Lakers would sweep the Pistons. This was supposed to be one of the most lopsided NBA Finals ever. Well, the Detroit Pistons had something to say about that. They dominated the Lakers in all five games, and realistically should've swept the series if they wouldn't have had a mini-collapse in Game 2.

JOE DUMARS has turned almost into the BILLY BEANE of the NBA. Look at some of the deals he made since he took over the Pistons. Things like acquiring BEN WALLACE when he traded GRANT HILL, trading JERRY STACKHOUSE for RIP HAMILTON, picking up RASHEED WALLACE for the stretch-run this season and many other moves. He did a great job assembling that team and I think deserves a ton of credit for finding undervalued players while dumping overvalued ones (like Stackhouse and Grant Hill).

I'm really glad that the Lakers plan of signing Hall of Famers for the league minimum didn't work. The failure of the 2003-2004 Lakers might at least curb that trend for the next few years. A lot of people feel that the Lakers are going to be completely dismantled now. KOBE BRYANT will leave, PHIL JACKSON will retire, KARL MALONE and GARY PAYTON won't be back, and probably some others too. I don't know if the team will be that much different, but it should be interesting to see how it all unfolds.