Luke Waltons Forehead presented by the Sports Dude.

So the playoff beard lives to see at least another couple days, but something tells me come Friday night I will be getting rid of the grizzly Adams look. I love these guys, I really do, but there is just something there this series, or rather not there actually, that just is sticking in my gut and telling me that they can’t do it this time. I hate typing it, I hate thinking it, I hate saying it but my heart and my gut are battling it out and it is not because I ate some bad Chinese food last night either. No I am not jumping ship, I have always said with this bunch that until someone beats them to four wins in a series I will never count them out, but I am not the only one feeling it right? Didn’t think so.

Some random thoughts on the game:

I was at the bar last night watching it so the post game stuff was not audible, way too damn loud in the place, but I read in the “blogosphere” this morning that the block on Shaq by Ben (I agree fellow bloggers, biggest play of the game) has the big fella’s panties (great visual) all in a bunch because he feels he was fouled. Let me tell you something buddy, Ben knocked you on your ass fair and square there partner, thanks for the big dent you left on the Palace floor when your embarrassed and pouting ass hit it. Could that block be just as big of a momentum swing as Tayshaun’s from two years ago when he got Reggie? I guess we will have to wait and see this Friday.

Here we go again, except it is the Heat this time saying that they beat themselves and the Pistons had nothing to do with it. What am I talking about – the fact that they shot 6-20 from the free throw line and were in the game all the way. Hey, maybe that makes up for the 47 freebies you were all but given in a basket in game 4 by the ref’s there cupcakes, get over it. Also I would like to point out that even though you missed a bunch of “bunnies” we still won with Rip going 7-21, Chauncey going 3-12, Sheed going 3-11 and as a team going 2-15 from three point land. So you can say all you want about beating yourselves but something tells me my boys ain’t going to shoot that bad again either so shut up, it goes both ways.

For all the people throwing Flip under the bus you should be ashamed of yourselves, it is pretty damn petty. Wasn’t he just getting praises from all of us for guiding this team to the best record in not only the league but franchise history? Is he the one that all of a sudden taught us to shoot blanks? To take Cleveland too lightly, go to seven games and have no rest or prep time to prepare for the Heat? Didn’t think so! Maybe they are spending more time on offense than defense in practice but even that is a lame excuse, does that mean you guys suddenly forget to play it? “Oh, we are not practicing how to move our feet and stay in front our defensive assignment, damn I forgot how to do it!” Come on guys that is pretty lame. Besides the way you guys have been shooting in this series I would spend more time on the offense too if I was him! Don’t blame it all on Flip, yes there are some things he could have done better but trust me it is more you than him. If you would have played all series like you did last night this would not even have been an issue.

The teams also seem to be going back and forth as to whom has the most pressure now, is it the Heat or the Pistons? Look, even though Miami got game 1 at the Palace I say there is more pressure on them than the Pistons. Do you really think they want to come back to the Palace for a game 7? Didn’t think so there either! Say what you want but they know, in the back of their minds that their game 7 is tomorrow night in Miami, trust me they know.

Not getting ahead of myself because I AM NOT GUARANTEEING JACK SHIT THEREFORE NOT CAUSING A JINX HERE PEOPLE but how great would it be to see the look on the faces of assholes like Walker, Mourning, Payton, Shaq and Wade if the Pistons somehow come back and win this thing? If it were to happen (AGAIN NO JINX BECAUSE I STRESS IF) that would to me almost be as great as winning the title back. I say almost, but not quite.

Look, I still just have the feeling this ends tomorrow because it just seems too big a hole for these guys this time and the way they just look tired. I mean this has been a long four year run with a lot of games, a lot of minutes and a lot of basketball miles put on those bodies. Can they still do it? Yes, I think we all know with these guys anything is possible, but the bigger question is do they still have enough left in the tank to actually do it? Heart says one thing, gut says another, but all I know is that they played for pride last night and I am damn proud to call myself a Piston fan this morning. Some teams would have just laid down and played dead but those guys left it all on the court and hopefully they will get to come back home one more time for game 7. Win or lose Friday it has been a hell of a ride and something tells me it ain’t over yet, but I guess we just have to wait and see. Later – the sports dude.