The Bad Boys Would Beat Today's Heat
By: Terry Foster
Once up on a time Shaquille O'Neal called Chris Bosh the Ru Paul of big men.
Shaq scored 45 points that night when he beat up on Bosh and the Toronto Raptors. He promised to do it again the next time he went up against Bosh.
"I am going to make him quit," O'Neal promised.
Today I began a debate why the Bad Boy Pistons would beat today's Miami Heat in six games if they played a series against each other. The reason it would happen is because the Pistons were deeper, more experienced and they would be able to cut off everything not named LeBron James and Dwayne Wade. Many believe the Heat have a Big Three with James, Wade and Bosh.
They would have a big two against the Pistons and many of the other teams that played in the 1980s and 1990s. Bill Laimbeer would make sure of it.
Many would talk about Isiah Thomas and Joe Dumars against James and Wade. They would even talk about the Pistons deeper bench against the Heat energy guys. But this series would turn because Laimbeer would turn Bosh into a child and frustrate him until he either quit or simply clanked jumpers all over the place.
The Pistons had a way of going after your weaker links. Laimbeer was the master. He was not all thuggery and knocking people out. Laimbeer got inside your head and stayed inside of it. He made Portland center Kevin Duckworth quit in the 1990 NBA Finals. He made a number of others do the same. He was tough, physical and could guard the inside and outside.
He'd pull Bosh away from the paint because Laimbeer could hit open jumpers. And if Laimbeer was not in the game Rick Mahorn would mess even more with Bosh who apologized to teammates after his dreadful performance in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference Finals against the Indiana Pacers.
So how would the Pistons bench make a difference? Visit my other blog at terryfostersblog.com to find out.
(I will sign my book 100 Things Tiger Fans Should Know and Do Before They Die Wednesday (7 pm) at the downtown Detroit Buffalo Wild Wings. Books are $15 each or two for $25.)
