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2005 NBA Finals Thread; San Antonio Spurs vs. Detroit Pistons
Topic Started: Jun 6 2005, 11:07 PM (1,182 Views)
MagicMadness
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Who: San Antonio Spurs vs. Detroit Pistons
What: 2005 NBA Finals
When: Series starts June 9, 2005
Where: SBC Center, The Palace at Auburn Hills

Position-by-Position Matchups For the NBA Finals
By: CHRIS SHERIDAN, AP Basketball Writer

CENTER: Nazr Mohammed vs. Ben Wallace. Mohammed was acquired at midseason from the New York Knicks to be a complement to Tim Duncan in the low post and to be a more productive presence than former starter Rasho Nesterovic. He will get his share of second-chance points and easy shot opportunities if Detroit's defense doubles down on Duncan, but he is ineffective outside of 8 feet. Wallace will spend more time defending Duncan than he will Mohammed. The Spurs will look to foul him Wallace if he gets the ball near the basket and make the 47-percent foul shooter earn his points from the line. Edge: Pistons.

POWER FORWARD: Tim Duncan vs. Rasheed Wallace. Another matchup in which the two players at this position will spend little time defending each other. Duncan is the best in the NBA at using the backboard to score, a master of the bank shot along with being a deft passer and an above-average defender. Wallace has one of the best inside-outside games of any big man in the league. If he can stay out of foul trouble and keep his temper in check, he'll be a tough matchup for the Spurs. Edge: Spurs.

SMALL FORWARD: Bruce Bowen vs. Tayshaun Prince. Again, these two might not be matched against each other for very long. Each is an outstanding defender and likely will be used against the opposition's shooting guard. Prince is the better offensive player, also with a strong inside-outside game, but Bowen is a highly accurate 3-point shooter from the corners who cannot be left alone. Edge: Pistons.

SHOOTING GUARD: Manu Ginobili vs. Richard Hamilton. Two of the league's most underrated players at their position. Ginobili is more of a slasher and creator and has the better 3-point shot, while Hamilton is quicker and has the better mid-range game. If Ginobili is assigned to defend Prince rather than Hamilton, he'll be susceptible to being posted up by Prince. Edge: Even.

POINT GUARD: Tony Parker vs. Chauncey Billups. Parker has the edge in speed, while Billups is the steadier player. Parker often gets going offensively in the first quarter, but his production tends to drop as the game wears on. Billups has evolved from a shoot-first to a pass-first point guard, but he won't hesitate to take what the defense gives him and rarely makes mistakes. Edge: Even.

RESERVES: Robert Horry, Brent Barry and Glenn Robinson vs. Antonio McDyess, Lindsey Hunter and Elden Campbell. San Antonio has the more capable offensive players, while Detroit has a decided edge in defensive skills. Horry and Barry must be respected at the 3-point line. Hunter is a tremendous on-the-ball defender who will could give Parker fits. Campbell has six fouls to use, and the Pistons won't be shy about sending Duncan, a poor foul shooter, to the line. Edge: Spurs.

COACHES: Gregg Popovich vs. Larry Brown. The two are the best of friends, and they've spent the past two summers attached at the hip while guiding the U.S. Olympic men's basketball team. Each man knows the other's preferred strategies and schemes, and each also has a pretty good idea of what the other will be disinclined to do. Whichever coach outthinks the other will win the series. Edge: Even.

http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/news?slug=ap-n...ov=ap&type=lgns
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zeke11
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At the begining of the season I said Detroit over San An in 7 (I have the links form the zeke11 forum to prove it LOL)

This is gonna be a great series!

GOOO Pistons !!!
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Drex22
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Yes, from the start of the season I said Spurs over the Pistons and I have links to prove it, but that from a private Rockets forum.. Clutchfans.com hehehe... I do hope you're right, as I'm a much bigger Pistons fan than a Spurs fan.. I like your forum BTW..
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True Magic
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Should be a great series. Can't wait for it.

I have a feeling the Spurs are going to dominate, though.
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MAGICMANEVAN
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i really dont know who i think will win. many times i have bet against the pistons and they have proved me wrong so im not sure.
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True Magic
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Takes forever for the game to start, with all this music, and intros before the game.
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bkt0506
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I know i hate all the pregame stuff. And I agree this should be a great series and I hope the Pistons repeat.
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Magic333
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McGrady and Howard... What could have been
That Was a great game for spurs...... They Absolutely owned Detroit....... 84-69
Duncan with the 24 points and 17 rebounds 2 assist 2 blocks

Duncan is the best player in basketball
.........
Ginobili with 26 points and 9 rebounds 2 assist 1 steal

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True Magic
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I think they're just too good for the Pistons.
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TheGreatOne
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The Spurs team has the classic combination of point(Parker)/slasher(Ginobli)/post(Duncan); each of whom is all star caliber or close to it. But, what scares me even more than that is their lack of ego. Popovich has really constructed an impressive team chemistry in an era that is dominated by egocentric players. Throw in their defensive stopper(Bowen) and the number of quality veterans they seem to be picking up on the cheap and you have a team that isn't going anywhere for a long time. Very scary.
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Black and Blue
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Wow, Spurs showed who should win these finals.
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True Magic
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They just flat out dominated.

Ginobili has been great, and Duncan, of course, needs to explanation.
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MAGICMANEVAN
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i would never have guessed that the pistons would get their asses whooped by the spurs.
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NYCMagicFan
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I think Pistons will be tougher on their home court, Spurs still take the series.

Spurs in 6
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MAGICMANEVAN
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Quote:
 
Duncan is the best player in basketball
and possibly the best ever as his position. also, ginoblili is so frickin good, just he is masked because he has duncan on his team who gets most of the attention.
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