The Pistons captured game six last night 88-79 to top the Indiana Pacers four games to two. In doing this they accomplished two major items, advancing to face the Heat in the Eastern Conference Finals and sending Reggie Miller to retirement.

I will talk about the Heat first. This is the series most basketball fans have been waiting for all season. It’s going to be a war. No one seems to know Shaq’s status at this time, but I know this, he is going to play and play well. Ben Wallace is preparing like he will be there and be 100%. That’s a good move. The only shot the Heat have is a healthy Shaq and I don’t even know if that’s enough to overcome Detroit’s depth and starting five. Every position is even or leans Detroit’s way except for maybe center (and I would take Big Ben over Shaq anyday). I think Rip can more than hold his own against Wade. Chauncey should dominate Damon Jones and that is going to be the matchup that will push the Pistons over the hump. Chauncey is playing better and will be the difference that sends the Pistons on the NBA Finals.

Reggie Miller. Just saying his name can bring up a hatred for him. But there’s also a deep respect for his career. I always love players who stay with one team their entire career (just one of the many reasons I am such a big fan of Tram and Lou). Reggie in his prime was a dangerous scorer and could take over a game at any time. He will ultimately be penalized for playing the majority of his career during the Jordan era, so he lost out on a couple of title shots. His highlights versus the Knicks will go down as some of the best clutch shooting ever. I am holding up my Diet Orange Sunkist right now to a Hall-of-Fame career and a happy retirement for him. He earned it, along with my respect.

This entry was posted on Friday, May 20th, 2005 at 3:47 pm and is filed under Leland Comets. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.