I started off pulling for Dallas, mainly because of Stack. SAN has won me over. I am glad they won. With the trouble the Pistons have had in this series SAN has been sort of a kindered spirit as both team fight to stay alive.

Of course SAN is facing a much better team and have been in a much tougher spot but now it all boils down to a final game 7 at home for both teams.

That SAN/DET Finals re-match is looking pretty for the 1st time in awhile. SAN has had to struggle in both rounds but a win in game 7 will pit them against probably their easiest competition out West. Win game 7 on Monday and they are just about in. But don't make the same mistake the Pistons made and underestimate a lesser team.

Mark Cuban continually blurs the line between being an owner of a professional basketball team and being a fan(atic) of one. I guess it's his privilege, if he wants to pay those fines and say a classless thing like that. It's a free country. But it is inappropriate for him to say such a thing as an owner. If it was just a fan in the stands, I'd laugh real hard at that though. Part of being a fan is having the fun of saying over the top and sometimes politically incorrect things. If he wants to say something like that, he should write it up and hand it to someone else to say.

Hi Aurora (like your name), I see your point, but I think it was Cuban just being "dallas", D hates SA especialy since we became 2nd largest city in Texas, knocking them to 3rd, and that gave us advantage of securing large companies moving their home bases to SA, creating jobs and getting national recognition. Cuban just sees it as a way to get a reaction, from SA Exp News:

Some cities are great and heckle with style and humor," Cuban wrote on blogmaverick.com. "Then there are cities with zero sense of humor. ... The worst? San Antonio.
"There isn't even a close (second). The bleacher bums have filtered down to the lower bowl, and they are living up to their past."
Cuban said his pregnant wife was "verbally abused" at the AT&T Center last week.
"It didn't represent the city or Spurs fans," he wrote. "But that doesn't change the fact that they are the rudest and curse the most."

Avery Johnson was embarrased that his boss talked against the city that will be retiring his #6 jersey. I have to admit it wasnt as gross as Sacramento's hate display against the city of Detroit during season, which was thoughtless and totally out of line. I think the fine should have been much higher.

Pop just says Cuban needs to chill out and have a margarita.

Well, these skeeters wont get under spurs skin.

Go Pistons...you have all the experience and skill to take a game 7. I just heard on a sports show that only Cav w/game 7 experience is Damon Jones, who played game 7 with Miami against Pistons, and he lost the last possession causing Miamis loss, and says he watched the tapes of last years game and is trying to make Cavs believe every second counts.

So c'mon guys, do your job and we will try and do ours tomorrow to get that rematch

Barbara - apparently the West Finals came early this year. Its going to conclude Monday night. No cake walk or guarantees for sure. Dallas is a tough opponent that is sick of losing game 7's. Suppose I should not discount PHX or the Clipps considering what the Pistons have went through but those kind of near upsets do not happen very often.

I can only imagine what Cuban will have to say about Detroit. Hopefully the Spurs can spare us from that.

I had Dallas winning this series in 5 games, just missed on that prediction........would have made me a genius.

I don`t see Dallas winning a game 7 in SA, WONT HAPPEN. I look back to the mistake Stackhouse made early in the series when he retreated to the 3 point line instead of going to the hoop.

That one play in my opinion cost the Mav`s dearly. I also don`t see Phoenix or the Clips beating SA in a 7 game series either. Dallas was the only team capable of eliminating the Spurs, and once again thay blew it.

__________________
"You got to go wit da flow" Rasheed Wallace responding to Rip Hamilton's disbelief of him becoming a Boston Celtic.

You did it! Now, sweep Heat in 4-0, they should be fat and sloppy from their wait in the wings, even if it will be at home I felt kinda sorry for Lebron, he looked so stunned post-game. I think he actually bought into all that King James hype and figured he was entitled to the win, just by virtue of showing up.

Well, kid, you gotta lot ahead of you, and you will be in more game 7 play-offs later, just not now. Join the "big boys" club, top teams who all have felt the pain of elimination at one time or another.

Speaking of elimination, it better be Mavs, you guys definitely don't want dallas anywhere detroit, they will really stink it up

Folks I talked to about game yesterday were mixed: some wanted Cavs because they would be easy to beat (fans are afraid of Pistons) and most want Piston win, cause they really want a re-match

I think suns and clips play about the same, but I hope Clips win because I dont want Steve Nash shoved down my throat like Lebron James was Pistons. Honest to God, you would have thought it was King James with no name cast, playing some ghost no-name team, the way it was hyped

Interesting styles & contrasts in these playoffs.

* You've got teams like the Mavs and Suns, built to win spectacular games and look great doing so ...

* And teams like the Spurs and Pistons, built to squeak by in ugly games when they look like crap.

* Plus teams somewhere in the middle, like the Clips and Heat.

History says crap is the prevailing condition in playoff basketball, which must frustrate Cuban and the network guys no end.

I just saw an interview on Chris Myers (?) with Cuban. You know, I kinda like the guy, especially since he is NOT from Dallas originally but from Indiana. He seems more like he should be in Austin or Houston. Anyway, he's an energetic entrepreneur, and Mavs are a business with him (still gets depressed when Mavs lose) as is the whole NBA.

He wants to take 2% of NBA income and put it in marketing, especially to 18-24 y/o. IMO, if he can generate that kind of influence with NBA owners, surely they can figure out some way to bring ticket prices down.

Tickets that were $110 last week for game 6 are now $1500 game 7. Finals are at $5000. No wonder NBA like games to go to 7.

Cuban is a workaholic, made his money from scratch (and the internet) and demands that kind of work ethic from his employees and players. He was asked if he would ever hire (? name) university coach from Indiana and he said "no", not because he wasnt a good coach and a good person but that coaching NBA players was different than college and many didnt understand that. I still hate the Mavs and hope they lose

I hope this isnt my last post...in case we get eliminated

BSA, that means that you need to start posting in the Pistons threads. Remember, you have TWO GREAT LOVES!

Scrappy teams, Purrs 67, Mavs 74.
It aint over til it's over.