Too long and too much formatting to paste the article here.
http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?page=Roundtable-East

A couple quotes for you, though.


John Hollinger, ESPN.com: I don't like to put too much weight on any one regular-season game. But between the hype, the crowd and the Pistons' melting down after a fourth-quarter technical, it felt just like June, didn't it?

Biggest impact is that home court is now settled in Boston's favor -- it will be tough for Detroit, or anyone else, to steal a win there this spring.


Chris Sheridan, ESPN.com: Read today's Daily Dime, and you'll see that I said it as declaratively as possible: The Celtics are better than the Pistons.

Detroit's lack of hunger has been its Achilles' heel for a couple years now, and I see no hunger pangs from it now.

The Celtics? They're only getting better, not just getting older like Detroit.


Chris Broussard, ESPN Mag:

3. Joe Dumars: The architect of the conference's most dominant team over the past five years. What changes will he make when the Pistons fail to reach the Finals this year?


J.A. Adande is the only writer of the 6 interviewed to choose the Pistons to win the East.

I don't like to put too much weight on any one regular-season game. But between the hype, the crowd and the Pistons' melting down after a fourth-quarter technical, it felt just like June, didn't it?

Nice.

I watched the NBA show last night and Legler, Steven A Smith and whoever else was on there (escapes my memory right now) all said that game meant nothing and the Pistons will win the ECF because only part of Boston's players play defense and they have no post presence (KG doesn't do it much). They said Boston would have a harder time with the Cavs than the Pistons because of the lack of total team defense and the fact that the Pistons know what Lebron can do now.

This is a quality point:



Who are the three most important people in the East so far this season?

1. The folks who ran the lottery machine: If the Celtics had landed one of the first two picks in the draft, they would be building their future around Greg Oden (http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/players/profile?statsId=4243) or Kevin Durant (http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/players/profile?statsId=4244) and would not be factors this season. Getting the fifth pick changed their entire outlook last summer.

In a playoff series there won't be games where the pistons have to travel sea to shining sea for a back to back, drive through a snow storm and play a boston team kicking back on three days rest in a home stand.

The game was certainly a measuring stick and the pistons deserve to take some shots for coming up short but it's not definitive by any stretch.

Broussard is a Cavs slappy (I've listend to WKNR Cleveland sports radio and Broussard is a weekly interview where he sucks LBJ's balls)...also we all know the type of garbage Sheridan spews out...

I'm shocked that Adande, a west coast guy, likes the Pistons...I would've thought a guy like Stein would pick us instead...

I know Chad Ford likes us....per his podcast

You know guys, there really is no real reason why they should pick the Pistons over anybody else. We have a history of melting down and getting bitchslapped in the ECF. This team really isn't that mentally strong, and hasn't been since the LB years. Broussard is a tool, but this hollinger quote is one of those quotes that nobody likes hearing but is absolutely 100% true:


John Hollinger, ESPN.com: I don't like to put too much weight on any one regular-season game. But between the hype, the crowd and the Pistons' melting down after a fourth-quarter technical, it felt just like June, didn't it?

I mean, once you chuck out the Larry Brown years, all the usual crap (they've been there before, they have playoff experience, etc etc) suddenly doesn't seem so impressive, it seems very..... Phoenix Suns.

I agree, unfortunately.

It sucks that our favorite team is basically known these days for being arrogant, erratic and uninspired.

It sucks that our favorite team is basically known these days for being arrogant, erratic and uninspired.


Red Wings Hockey?

Wil, the sad thing is that you said that and I started thinking about it and it fit.

Talk is cheap.
ESPN is proof.