Hey 101!!!
I think that this victory will positively affect the Lakers far more than it will be a downer for the Pistons. After so many miracle plays in this year's "winnin' time", 'Our Heroes' by now must have begun feeling that this is a 'team of destiny' - we all know that at the pro level, attitude is a tremendous factor in determining who wins and who loses.
Hey, I don't want this to be a re-peat of the series that ended the chance for an 80's four-peat before it ever got started - of course, I am talking about the LAL-Houston series in the 1986 WCF in which (the VERY under-rated, IMHO) Ralph Sampson, one of "The Two Towers' of the Rockets' center-dominated team (with (H)Akeem Olajuwon being the Other Tower) hit a rainbow to end the Kareem-era of 'Showtime'. The famous image of a stunned Michael Cooper laid out on the floor of 'The Fabulous Forum' in disbelief at 'Our Heroes' exit before the annual pre-ordained matchup could be enjoined against the (sound of lugy being hocked) Boston Celtics is still burned indelibly into my memory cells..."Never Again", I say!
It's great to see how involved Magic is with the Staples Center crowd - this guy will be Governator someday, if he wants...I hope he's a Democrat!!! LOL
-RB
Shaq #1