tuesday
- Thread starter RAYMOND
- Start date
Why are the Pistons huge dogs again?
Julian Dickinson
What's going on here? Don't they have televisions in Las Vegas? Did nobody see the way the Detroit Pistons tore down the facade the Los Angeles Lakers fronted?
After an unmitigated 87-75 victory that tarnished L.A.'s perfect playoff record at Staples Center and gave the Pistons a 1-0 lead in the NBA Finals, oddsmakers came out with an identical line for Game 2.
Exactly as it was before Game 1, when nobody thought the Pistons had a prayer, the Lakers are laying eight points heading into Part II of this suddenly competitive series.
<script><!-- //<!-- //--> </script> <noscript><a href="http://affwiz.covers.com/progs/banman/banman.asp?ZoneID=257&Task=Click&Mode=HTML&SiteID=1&PageID=70287" target="_new"><img src="http://affwiz.covers.com/progs/banman/banman.asp?ZoneID=257&Task=Get&Mode=HTML&SiteID=1&PageID=70287" width="300" height="250" border="0" /></a></noscript>
Is this a case of a public team getting too much credit, or do the oddsmakers know something we don't?
"It's this simple," said Betcom.com 's Director of Wagering Jimmy Mason. "We just want to find a line that will split the action evenly between the two teams. We had a perfect split (Monday) night and expect the same balanced, two-way action with this line in Game 2."
That doesn't change the fact the Lakers look like they are in serious trouble against the Pistons. They didn't even play that badly in Game 1 and still lost by 12.
The Lakers got good performances from their big players. They played decent defense. They even slowed down Rip Hamilton. They did everything they possibly could and it wasn't enough.
The chatter before the game was about the Pistons maybe, possibly, if their stars are aligned, catching the Lakers snoozing and stealing Game 1. But the Lakers were wide awake Monday evening and the Pistons didn't steal anything. They walked through L.A.'s front door and snatched up the game that was supposed to be in L.A.'s palm.
The Pistons' game plan was simple - you're not going to stop Shaq or Kobe, so don't sweat it. Instead, Detroit focused on stopping the other, more human members of the Lakers' roster.
It worked.
Shaq and Kobe combined for 59 points, but their teammates were non-factors. The other seven Lakers who saw the floor combined for 16 points on 6-for-30 field-goal shooting.
"We played Shaq and Kobe honest," Piston center Ben Wallace said. "They got their numbers and we played everybody else honest. We didn't let the role players come out and just line up shots from outside."
On the other side, Bryant's fly-paper defense frustrated Detroit's biggest offensive weapon. Rip Hamilton finished with just 12 points. However, point guard Chauncey Billups stepped up with 22 points after averaging fewer than 13 in the Indiana series. Rasheed Wallace, Ben Wallace and Tayshaun Prince also made significant contributions on offense.
So now the question is, can the Lakers make the necessary adjustments?
Bryant suggested the Lakers go "deeper into our offense", but that could be a problem for first-year Lakers like Karl Malone and Gary Payton. Coach Phil Jackson simplified the offense at the end of the season to make it easier for Malone and Payton.
They could try the screen-and-rolls used against San Antonio, but Detroit's defense will jump on that like Shaq on a Whopper. They seem to be running out of offensive options.
All things considered, Detroit looks good against the number heading into Game 2. So far, the line is holding steady, but don't be surprised if the gap closes by a point or more before tip-off tonight.
"It's fashionable to jump off the Lakers bandwagon these days," Mason said. "We actually saw more bets on the Pistons on Monday and probably will again."
Julian Dickinson
What's going on here? Don't they have televisions in Las Vegas? Did nobody see the way the Detroit Pistons tore down the facade the Los Angeles Lakers fronted?
After an unmitigated 87-75 victory that tarnished L.A.'s perfect playoff record at Staples Center and gave the Pistons a 1-0 lead in the NBA Finals, oddsmakers came out with an identical line for Game 2.
Exactly as it was before Game 1, when nobody thought the Pistons had a prayer, the Lakers are laying eight points heading into Part II of this suddenly competitive series.
<script><!-- //<!-- //--> </script> <noscript><a href="http://affwiz.covers.com/progs/banman/banman.asp?ZoneID=257&Task=Click&Mode=HTML&SiteID=1&PageID=70287" target="_new"><img src="http://affwiz.covers.com/progs/banman/banman.asp?ZoneID=257&Task=Get&Mode=HTML&SiteID=1&PageID=70287" width="300" height="250" border="0" /></a></noscript>
Is this a case of a public team getting too much credit, or do the oddsmakers know something we don't?
"It's this simple," said Betcom.com 's Director of Wagering Jimmy Mason. "We just want to find a line that will split the action evenly between the two teams. We had a perfect split (Monday) night and expect the same balanced, two-way action with this line in Game 2."
That doesn't change the fact the Lakers look like they are in serious trouble against the Pistons. They didn't even play that badly in Game 1 and still lost by 12.
The Lakers got good performances from their big players. They played decent defense. They even slowed down Rip Hamilton. They did everything they possibly could and it wasn't enough.
The chatter before the game was about the Pistons maybe, possibly, if their stars are aligned, catching the Lakers snoozing and stealing Game 1. But the Lakers were wide awake Monday evening and the Pistons didn't steal anything. They walked through L.A.'s front door and snatched up the game that was supposed to be in L.A.'s palm.
The Pistons' game plan was simple - you're not going to stop Shaq or Kobe, so don't sweat it. Instead, Detroit focused on stopping the other, more human members of the Lakers' roster.
It worked.
Shaq and Kobe combined for 59 points, but their teammates were non-factors. The other seven Lakers who saw the floor combined for 16 points on 6-for-30 field-goal shooting.
"We played Shaq and Kobe honest," Piston center Ben Wallace said. "They got their numbers and we played everybody else honest. We didn't let the role players come out and just line up shots from outside."
On the other side, Bryant's fly-paper defense frustrated Detroit's biggest offensive weapon. Rip Hamilton finished with just 12 points. However, point guard Chauncey Billups stepped up with 22 points after averaging fewer than 13 in the Indiana series. Rasheed Wallace, Ben Wallace and Tayshaun Prince also made significant contributions on offense.
So now the question is, can the Lakers make the necessary adjustments?
Bryant suggested the Lakers go "deeper into our offense", but that could be a problem for first-year Lakers like Karl Malone and Gary Payton. Coach Phil Jackson simplified the offense at the end of the season to make it easier for Malone and Payton.
They could try the screen-and-rolls used against San Antonio, but Detroit's defense will jump on that like Shaq on a Whopper. They seem to be running out of offensive options.
All things considered, Detroit looks good against the number heading into Game 2. So far, the line is holding steady, but don't be surprised if the gap closes by a point or more before tip-off tonight.
"It's fashionable to jump off the Lakers bandwagon these days," Mason said. "We actually saw more bets on the Pistons on Monday and probably will again."
