Deng Dong, The Bulls Are Dead

The Bulls had that game. As the clock wound down and Chauncey playfully dribbled in circles, my friends and I looked to each other in giddy disbelief, searching for the answer to the same question: how in the hell did the Bulls lose that game? They had that game locked up! We watched the ensuing Sportscenter’s highlights and still, the Pistons should not have won that game. And they did. Last year’s Pistons were too tired to win those games, or too unfocused, or just too unclutch. So, welcome to the 2007 NBA playoffs, where the Pistons just don’t lose.

Which brings us to the next giddy, disbelieving question: are the Pistons the favorite to win the NBA playoffs? Quite possibly. Sure, in a series between the Pistons and the Suns/Spurs existing in a vacuum, the Pistons would be underdogs. But after the Western Conference winner emerges in a bloody pulp to participate in the finals, it could be a whole different story. Either way, I learned one important thing during game three: Chicago’s traffic is a bitch.