In Which The Pistons Are The Snakes, And The Bulls Are Lunch

This is what 19 for 19 at the line from Chauncey Billups and Rip Hamilton looks like, especially in the fourth quarter when you're behind.

Some days, it looks like the Pistons are just playing for drama. Up 3-0, it was all going too easy. So punt a few games, look slow on defense, get lit up at home when everyone expects you to close. Are they too old? Do they want it enough? Is Rasheed Wallace going to explode? Will people keep adding "ess" to the end of Tayshaun Prince's name?

The answers tonight were no, yes, kind of but not really, and ye gads, maybe Prince really is better than Carmelo Anthony or Chris Bosh. (Well, no, not really. But when he's playing the fourth quarter like he did tonight, it's easy to miss that.)

The Pistons advance to another series that they should win fitfully, conserving their energies to whenever it amuses them, but the clock is ticking -- this team could easily fall apart without Billups, who has the option to be a free agent this summer.

As for the Bulls, they may be the future of the Eastern Conference, in that they are the only team in the East that's good and relatively young. Their front office appears to not take a short yellow bus to work, putting them significantly ahead of much of the rest of the conference.

But before we start sucking each other's Pulp Fiction references, let's look at these facts...

1) They have no low post game, and that's been true since Eddy Curry was in town. Now, I understand how Curry could put you off having a low post game, but it's been two years, gents. Turn the page.

2) With Wallace's back hurting, they could not control the glass when they had to tonight. 33 year old backs usually don't get better, especially for a guy with a lot of court time on his body.

3) The Knicks pick might be pretty ordinary, really. (But if they get Durant somehow... good gracious.)

4) Their best player, Luol Deng, is nice and all, but not exactly someone that causes sleepless nights for opponents.

5) Scott Skiles got outcoached in this series... and for a guy that was busting nuts over headbands earlier this year, it's telling that he's soft-pedaling his players showing up late for the game. Check out this (hat tip to the AP):

Chicago's Ben Wallace showed up at the arena about 1 hour, 15 minutes before tipoff -- just as he did before Game 3 -- and Chris Duhon and Gordon were a few minutes late. Players are supposed to be there 90 minutes before the game. Coach Scott Skiles shrugged it off, saying, "It took (general manager John Paxson) well over an hour to get down here."

Sure, Scott, sure. So, do the players have your balls 24/7, or do they give them back to you on off days?