<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">It's been a topsy-turvy season for the Pistons. They celebrated a championship before undergoing international scrutiny for The Palace brawl. They beat good teams such as the Heat, Spurs and Suns but also lost to dismal teams such as the Raptors and Hawks. So, where do the Pistons stand, with 23 games left before the playoffs? And what lies ahead in their chase to repeat as NBA champs? NBA analysts Bill Walton (ABC), Stephen A. Smith (ESPN) and former Pistons coach Doug Collins (TNT) take their shots at sorting out the Pistons and the playoffs: Q. What's your opinion on the current state of the Pistons? Smith: I picked them to win the (NBA) championship again at the start of the season, and I have not deviated from that prediction. However, I have to add that San Antonio has looked fabulous. Shaquille O'Neal and Dwyane Wade down in Miami will test Detroit very hard in the playoffs. But the bottom line is that the Pistons are the champions. They're still very well coached, their signature is still defense, their nucleus is still in place, sometimes they struggle a little offensively. They still pose problems for every team offensively and defensively. Walton: I've been high on the Pistons ever since they won the championship. Far too many people think they won because the Lakers collapsed. But the Pistons are for real. They are a great basketball team. I was disappointed with the way they started the season. They had losses to Utah, Memphis, Milwaukee -- they shouldn't lose to those teams. But then the Pistons seemed to hit their stride six weeks ago. The Pistons are still the team to beat, the most complete team in NBA. It still all comes down to Ben (Wallace) and Rasheed (Wallace) and (Antonio) McDyess looking at Shaq in the Eastern Conference finals and saying, "OK, let's go one more time." Collins: I think they're a little better offensively than the year before; Tayshaun Prince has improved. I don't see them being as dominant defensively as last year. I think there's been slippage in that, with new rules or the way the game is called on the perimeter. We haven't seen that kind of defensive stranglehold. I do think the Pistons are a better offensive team. I am very glad to see they've been able to get Elden Campbell back. That will be important against Miami. They will need four, five big bodies to throw at Shaq. </div> Source
