Sudden Death

Sudden Death

Don't look now, but the NBA Finals that started out as a best-of-seven series has now come down to a single knockout game. We have a Game 7. There are no tomorrows; it's literally "Win or go home".


One more win.

Now, more than ever, the odds are stacked up against the Detroit Pistons. And it seems that everybody else is giving San Antonio the trophy in advance just because they have home court advantage; just because history and conventional wisdom is on their side. Let's not forget that only 1 point in Game 5 separated these Pistons from celebrating their second-straight title today. But I'm not about to go into that "shoulda woulda coulda" talk because it's all done. Right now, the Pistons have everything working for them except history.


One win away from a repeat.

Just some facts:

No team, however, has ever won Games 6 and 7 on the road. Ever since the NBA introduced the 2-3-2 format way back in 1984, no road team has ever won the last two games in the opposing arena. It simply hasn't happened yet.

No team has ever won two Game 7s on the road in the same postseason Detroit recovered from a 3-2 deficit in this season's Eastern Conference Finals to push the series to seven games and defeat the Miami Heat. They won the series as Eastern Conference champions and earned their right to defend their title in this season's NBA Finals. Now, they're in the same predicament again.

Oh yeah. I almost forgot.

Since the 2-3-2 format was introduced in 1984, no road team had ever won a Game 6 on to set up a seventh and deciding game. Detroit shouldn't have won Game 6. No one has ever done it before and they shouldn't have gotten the big "W" Tuesday night. One down, two to go.

I have an affinity for this team because they are able to play well in must-win games. Like what I heard before, "They only win when they have to." It's actually amusing because it borders on cockiness but you don't see their Finals MVP, Chauncey Billups stare down the crowd, head high after hitting a crucial basket. He just moves on, plays "D" and gets another one. When Tayshaun Prince sinks a floater, he doesn't go on a Alonzo Mourning pose. He just plays on. It's almost as if they're all in the same frame of mind when it comes to down-the-wire games. No doubt, they will be focused and ready on Game 7.

Frankly, I would like Detroit to win. But if San Antonio proves to themselves and to the world that they want it more than the other team, then so be it. We are only days away in finding who responds more positively to pressure.

Word of advice to San Antonio: Take the Pistons seriously. And don't ever tell them that history is against them. They just might go ahead and change it.