Better Then....& Now <div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">Who needed a reminder? A little snapshot of how far the Lakers have tumbled? A tidy one-game capsule for everything that has changed so dramatically in the course of a single season? The Lakers and Pistons met, that in something of a stretch, could be called a rematch of last year's NBA Finals. The Pistons looked a lot like the team that stunned L.A. in five games last June. Tough underneath. Suffocating defense. Quick-strike, multi-pronged offense. The Lakers looked like a team still in search of itself. Still a little unsteady, with a defense that comes and goes and an erratic offense. The Pistons were better then, so it should come as no surprise they are dramatically better now. Before plenty of empty purple seats and vacant luxury boxes, the results Friday were predictable, if not familiar. The late, great Lakers couldn't beat the Pistons with Shaquille O'Neal in June, and had zero chance of beating them in February. For those with a sentimental slant, it was a painful little memento. It was only a David Stern heartbeat ago that the Lakers ruled the NBA. Were the dominant team, coached by Phil Jackson and making trips to the Finals as if it were ordained. "They won three championships and went to the Finals four out of five years," Pistons coach Larry Brown said. "I thought they were one of the great teams. "You hate to see anything like that change, and they were relatively young. And I hate to see Phil not in the league after what he accomplished." The Lakers came in having won three consecutive games for the first time this season. Feeling pretty good.</div> Source
