Luke Waltons Forehead presented by the Sports Dude.

Just wanted to take this moment to say Happy Mother's Day to all the mom's in the world!

To my wife and the mother of my wonderful children, there is no way any of us could make it without you! We may take you for granted sometimes, but we do need you! (All right, don't let it go to your head woman!)

To my mom, the mother of this wonderful child, thank you for not killing me when I was a teenager! Obviously, I wouldn't be here today if you decided to off me during my rebellious days! Love you mom!

Yes, the sports dude can be sappy from time to time, so deal with it! Remember, take the time this weekend to say thanks to your mom! Look, I have kids of my own - I have seen the nine months of hell pregnant thing, I have been in the delivery room and witnessed the so called "Miracle of Birth". Quite frankly, the only miracle I found in it was the fact I didn't pass out! Trust me, your mom went through hell to just birth you and then to raise you and put up with all your shit! Say thanks, say "I love you" - they deserve it!

Later - the "sappy" sports dude.

Happy Mothers Day Moms!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

For what it is worth, I really hope it is not the Pacers. There is no fear in me as far as them losing to the Pacers are concerned, it is just all the other crap that comes with it. We all know that every sports writer with a pen or tape recorder will have only one word on their mind - "BRAWL". That is what scares me more than anything, reliving the ghost of November 19 past and having it be a major distraction for this team.

The other thing that bothers me is the fact I could see the Pacers taking a cheap shot and injuring a key Piston player - basically that would be any starter, so take your pick. If it all works out the way it should, there is no way the Pacers should beat the Pistons. The only way for the Pacers to win this series is if all the weight, all the pressure gets to the Pistons and they beat themselves. But if it plays out correctly and the Pistons take control of the series, I could see one of the Pacers taking a cheap shot at a Pistons player to take them out for the remainder of the playoffs. Surprisingly to me Jermaine O'Neal has been the only stand up guy in the post brawl days, but I could see Stephen Jackson or Reggie Miller trying to hurt a Piston and, in turn, ruining any chance that they have of defeating Miami. Call me paranoid if you will, but it is a major concern of mine. The Pacers feel that Detroit ruined their season before it even started (even though it is more Indiana's fault than Detroit's), so I could easily see one of the Pacer players employing some "goon" tactic and taking a Detroit starter out, you know, to ruin our season before it ends! It might be a stretch, but any team with Reggie Miller on it I could easily see it happening.

The Pistons should easily handle the Pacers in six games, make no mistake. Tayshaun will own Stephen Jackson, Rasheed and Jermaine O'Neal is a great match up, Dale Davis will be embarrassed by Big Ben, Rip can easily handle Reggie and Jamaal Tinsley is all but Chauncey Billups bitch. That being said, you know it will be a physical series, you know the pressure will be high and the Pacers want revenge, I just think it will be a tough fight for the Pistons. Physically, mentally and emotionally it may take too much out of them to compete with Miami and that is what scares me as well. I would much rather see Boston, who probably would give the Pistons some competition, but I think the Pistons would come out of that series with a lot more left in the tank for Miami than they would against the Pacers. It all could be answered tonight, but for the first time in a long time I am rooting for the Celtics, believe you me.

Well, that is all I got for now. I would like to close by saying that Allen Iverson is truly one of the most exciting basketball players I have ever seen. Say what you want about his antics, his tattoos and his "PRACTICE?!?!" rant from a few seasons ago, but the dude has got some heart. It was fun to watch, but I am glad he is gone. Thanks A.I. for a great series, you are a true competitor. Now, hopefully, it will be on to the Celtics! So all you people out there that call yourselves true Pistons fan, you better be rooting for Boston tonight! We may beat the Pacers in a series, but it may take too much out of us to compete against Miami in the Conference Finals. Later - the sports dude.

Just heard a "rumor" on the radio here, but I figured I would post on it anyhow. Again, the key word is rumor, but usually they turn to truth from this radio station source. They just reported that their source has been told that our very own Big Ben Wallace will be named the NBA Defensive Player of the Year later on this afternoon. The award comes back to the player that never should have lost it, and not a moment too soon. He deserves it, he earns it and he is the premier defensive player in the league, hands down. As Ben goes the Pistons go, we all know that crazy catch phrase "Going to Work!" by heart by now! Last year was fraudulent at best, giving the award to Ron "I Love Beer Cups" Artest, he didn't deserve it and we saw how good of a defender he was in last years Eastern Conference Finals. He was the third best defender on the floor, behind Ben and Tayshaun, and if memory serves me correctly Rip owned him all series and a last second frustration foul in game 6 all but sealed that! There is no one in the league that plays better "D" than Ben and I am so happy he got the award back because it never should have left in the first place!

Way to go Ben and stop toying with the Sixers already, take care of business on Tuesday night! Especially if they give you the award before the game, let's move on to the second round already! Congrats Ben! Later - the sports dude.