OGT: Pistons-Lakers Game 5 [Archive]

Timone

10-17-2007, 02:54 PM

AUBURN HILLS, Mich., June 15 (Ticker) -- In one for the ages, the Detroit Pistons are NBA champions. And they did it the right way.

The Pistons completed the biggest upset in NBA Finals history, toppling the mighty but misguided Los Angeles Lakers with a 100-87 victory that was entirely emblematic of a team triumphing over individuals.

In front of a raucous and unrelenting sellout crowd at The Palace of Auburn Hills, Detroit closed out the series in five games for its first title in 14 years, harkening back to the days of the "Bad Boys."

"It's about players," said Pistons coach Larry Brown, emotionally drained from winning his first title. "This sport is about players playing the right way and showing kids that you can be a team and be successful and it's great for our league."

Leading the way was Brown, the nomadic coach who fronted for a group of cast-offs and convinced them that they could overcome tremendous odds by playing "the right way." In his seventh NBA stop, Brown finally broke through, becoming the first coach to win championships on the pro and college levels.

"We did it, man," said Finals MVP Chauncey Billups, who has found a home with his seventh team. "We came into this series, nobody gave us a chance, but we felt we had a great chance. ... We knew as a team we just felt we were a better team."

"Chauncey's career is a lot like mine," Brown said. "I think I might have been a couple more places than him, but he's still been through a lot."

As time wound down, Brown emptied his bench, sending in rookie Darko Milicic, the "Human Victory Cigar." He put his face in his hands and took a moment to himself, contemplating the victory that completes his Hall of Fame career.

Brown's way begins with defense, the staple of "DEE-troit BASS-ketball!" The Pistons limited the Lakers to an average of 81.8 points in the series, turning counterpart Phil Jackson's vaunted triangle offense into a new, disfigured shape.

"They do play the right way, and I'm very proud of them," Brown said.

And while the Lakers leaned too hard on superstars Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant, the Pistons shared the ball and the spotlight. In fact, Billups was named MVP despite having little impact in the clincher.

"It's unbelievable,' Billups said. "Really, I'm just speechless."

Fittingly, Detroit's leading man was center Ben Wallace, who baited O'Neal into early foul trouble from which Los Angeles never recovered. A throw-in in the deal that saw Grant Hill leave town four years ago, Wallace had 18 points and 22 rebounds and displayed the hunger, determination and backbone that are the trademarks of his team.

Detroit flashed a little offense, too, as all five starters were in double figures. Richard Hamilton scored 21 points. Tayshaun Prince, who harassed Bryant the whole series, added 17. Billups contributed 14 and outscored Gary Payton, 105-21, over five games. And Rasheed Wallace again overcame foul trouble to offer 11.

"I never thought of this Piston ballclub as my team," said Wallace, who was acquired in a trade in February and instantly became Detroit's best all-around player. "It's a band of guys. It's veteran guys. I think when you have veterans who are hungry and are willing to sacrifice things to win, you don't necessarily need to be a leader because everyone knew what they have to do."

Bryant scored 24 points but was just 7-of-21 from the floor and shot 38 percent for the series. By firing away at will, he helped the Pistons neutralize the effectiveness of O'Neal, who scored 20 points but made just 6-of-16 free throws.

When the series began, the Lakers were odds-on favorites to win their fourth title in five years. But their dreams of a dynasty died amid defense, dysfunction and dissension.

It also did not help that Karl Malone was hobbled by a sprained MCL for the entire series and sat out this one. His pursuit of an elusive championship continues, as does Payton's.

"We missed (Malone) tonight, a lot, and we missed him through this series," said Lakers coach Phil Jackson, who lost in the Finals for the first time in 10 tries and remains tied with the legendary Red Auerbach with nine titles.

The Pistons ended the five-year stranglehold the Lakers and San Antonio Spurs had held on the league and became the first champ from the East since Michael Jordan's Chicago Bulls in 1998.

A quick start by LA was neutralized by two early fouls on O'Neal, who took a seat midway through the period and watched Detroit score eight straight points for a 15-14 lead.

Bryant was off the mark again, but his leakout dunk capped a 7-0 spurt and gave the Lakers a 31-30 lead. But with O'Neal not defending with any activity, the Pistons attacked. The previously invisible Mehmet Okur and Ben Wallace combined for 13 points in the final 5 1/2 minutes of the half to build the advantage to 55-45.

"We got into quick foul trouble and then they just had us on our heels from that point," O'Neal said. "I feel like we lost our poise a little bit."

Two free throws by O'Neal had the Lakers within nine points before the floodgates opened. Ben Wallace was everywhere, controlling the defensive boards and putting home a follow dunk for a 69-55 lead.

Billups had a three-point play, then sank a free throw as Devean George was whistled for a technical foul. That began a parade to the foul line capped by Prince's coast-to-coast layup, closing the quarter and giving the Pistons an 82-59 lead.

Hamilton's driving layup made it 88-61 with 10:32 to play and the celebration was under way

http://www.nba.com/games/20040615/LALDET/recap.html