2005 NBA Finals

They say defense wins championships. And we will see a lot of it coming up this week. Yes, we are in June and that means the 8 month NBA season is coming to an end. This year, the Finals pair the San Antonio Spurs from the Western Conference and last year's champs, the Detroit Pistons from the East. Both teams are defensive juggernauts and play a "team game" rather than emphasizing one particular star.

And that is why this will be one of the most boring Finals in memory.

I respect the teams for getting this far but the play of both is pretty ugly. There are a lot of loose balls, no prolific dunkers and hardly and fast-breaks. This will come down to a half-court battle involving a ton of rebounds and blocked shots. The most interesting matchups will be at the point and at power forward.

Detroit's PG and team captain, Chauncey Billups, has proven to be a solid, albeit injury-prone, player. He can spot up and drain the three and is great at finding good looks for his teammates. French-born Tony Parker, the Spurs' PG, is making a big name for himself in the playoffs. His play elevated the Spurs to sweep Phoenix in the Western Conference Finals. Both are great defensively and team players who should get everyone involved offensively.

Tim Duncan and Ben Wallace are known for their defense and horrid foul shooting. They both pound the ball in down low and are very active on the boards. Ben Wallace is not that much of an offensive threat but his defensive ability makes him a key player in this series. It will be interesting to see if he and the other Wallace boy, Rasheed, can contain Duncan down low.

With all that said, I think it will be a battle with Detroit coming out on top. Both teams have been in the Finals before and both have strong bench players, but Detroit has seemed like a team of destiny this season. Everyone counted them out last year and they swept L.A. 4-0 in the Finals. They overcame the melee with the Pacers earlier this season and played well even through the suspensions. Detroit is still hungry and looking to earn their respect and the top spot once again as champs of the NBA in 2005.
*babes updated*

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