12 might be all they get

Since I'm getting to this much later than I thought I would, I won't say much about the Pistons getting crushed by the Spurs last night, 97-76. For one thing, this photo by Robin Buckson of the Detroit News says so much.

Detroit has been run over by a 53-foot semi truck. They've been laid out like a squirrel running across a eight-lane highway. If we didn't know already, we surely know now: the Spurs are really good and play basketball like they're making instructional videos. They do everything right (remember "playing the right way," Detroit?) and they do it as a team. Any time a San Antonio player had an opportunity to make one extra pass to ensure a better shot - even though he had an open shot himself - he made it. Brent Barry is open for a mid-range jump shot, but there's Manu Ginobili open for a three-pointer, so Barry passes the ball. And of course, Jabroni made it. That happened repeatedly throughout the game.

I'd love to work up a healthy hatred of Jabroni, his long hair that sticks to his sweaty forehead, that awkward-looking left-handed jump shot, and that elbows-and-knees-flailing style of his, but he's just too damn good to make fun of - especially when he's making the Pistons look like fools.

The Pistons haven't played a game in Detroit yet, so there's a possibility they could put up a fight on their home court. But after the way they've looked in the first two games of this series (John sums it up nicely at peregrine.blog), it's hard to imagine that happening. If Detroit can win two games at the Palace, Pistons fans should be happy with that. At least it would indicate some form of competition.

And I'd love to link to some columns from the Detroit newspapers, but Terry Foster has a much better take on the series at his blog. In his eyes, the Pistons have (at least partially) quit on their coach, are continuing to worry way too much about the referees, and the Spurs play better basketball than any team has over the past 15 years.

Okay, Michael Rosenberg's column in the Detroit Free Press is pretty good.