NBA Finals

NBA Playoffs

The Detroit Pistons completed one of the most jolting upsets in the history of the NBA Finals on Tuesday night, soundly defeating the largely favored and once-infallible Los Angeles Lakers to win the NBA finals in a 100-87 victory.

Post staff writer Mike Wise was online Wednesday, June 16 at 1 p.m. ET to discuss the NBA finals and last night's Pistons-Lakers game.

The transcript is below.

Editor's Note: Washingtonpost.com moderators retain editorial control over Live Online discussions and choose the most relevant questions for guests and hosts; guests and hosts can decline to answer questions.

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Mike Wise: Hello and welcome to the Post chatroom, where we will discuss how well-paid sports writers and broadcasters have no clue when it comes to predicting the NBA Finals.

Why were we so wrong? Well, I think we all just got caught up in the Laker mystique, the idea that Kobe and Shaq would show up and the finals would be over. Recent history told us that.

And we all bought into the notion that the East cannot possibily compete against the West. Heck, if the Memphis Grizzlies came out of the Western Conference, we would have picked them to beat the Pistons.

We did not take into account how talented and driven Detroit was.

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College Park, MD: Do you see the Lakers totally splitting up or will they try to keep Shaq and Phil Jackson and work around them.

Mike Wise: I don't believe the Lakers are going to completely split up. I do believe Phil Jackson's day are numbered, however. Shaq will come back, Kobe will return to LA if he is acquitted in his sexual-assault trial and the Lakers will be in much the same position they were a year ago: trying to find a healthy power forward to help them win again. Karl Malone breaking down with the knee injury cannot be minimized. I do see a lot of the Laker role players -- the Rick Foxes, Derek Fishers, those types -- not on the roster next season. The nucleus is still in tact, even if Shaq is getting older.

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Columbia, MD: Well, I think it is pretty clear that Kobe needs to go. He did not step up when needed, he did not dictate the tempo of the game, he did not pass enough to Shaq, he clearly showed that he was more concerned about his own stats than the good of the team. Has a "superstar" ever had a more disappointing big series than Kobe?

I think that it's time for the Lakers to get rid of him ASAP. How about a sign and trade with Chicago for Tyson Chandler (coming home to California), Jamal Crawford, and Jay Williams (if he ever recovers he can replace Fisher)?

Mike Wise: It's time for the Lakers to get rid of Kobe? Columbia, come back to Earth, please. : ). That logic would mean entail the Nets ditching Jason Kidd, because of his awful Game 7 performance against the Pistons, the Pacers would move Jermaine O'Neal because he did not get them to the finals and, well, go down the list.

Kobe played poorly but he was also defended spectacularly. He is still the best all-around player in the game when he has his head on straight. Tyson Chandler? He can't shoot.

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Washington, DC: Mike: If this is the end for Karl Malone, he will be missed. But I hope the Wizards show some originality for once and call him today to offer him a position as their big man's and strength and conditioning coach.

Mike Wise: Karl Malone will be missed, if this is the end. But I have to think he will have better job offers than buffing up the Wizards. I could be wrong. I mean, I thought Michael Jordan had better things to do.

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Herndon, Va.: Mr. W: My question is why were nearly all the experts wrong? Was it "over belief" on the Shack/Kobe duo, was Malone's injury the major factor, or something(s) else?

washingtonpost.com: Big Ben Shows It's His Time (Post, June 16)

Mike Wise: Experts are wrong because we're not really experts. We give insight, news tidbits. But, really, we're not in that locker room before tipoff. We don't know what goes on in the minds and bodies of elite athletes as well as we think we do. I've often tried to play amateur psychologist in my stories, and I'm always amazed how many players just don't get that deep over it. They just want to win and find a good meal after the game. Bottom line, Ben Wallace wanted the basketball more than anyone on the Lakers roster last night.

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Washington, D.C.: How realistic is it for the Wizards to move Stack? With the 5th pick included they should be able to get a quality big man, right?

Was this good? He seemed to get better and better and better with everygame. Very impressed with the second year player. Matt

Mike Wise: I think the Wizards could move Jerry STackhouse, but the problem now is he is perceived as a lemon, and the idea of equal value in return will be tough. Something will happen, though, because I just can't see him coming to training camp with all the ill will out there. So even if it means eating a portion of his contract, I could see that happening.

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Washington, D.C.: Shame on Phil Jackson for whining about his own team's woes instead of giving the Pistons their due. Kobe and Shaq showed far more class. Good riddance!

Mike Wise: To be fair to Phil, we in the media often make it all about the person we're interviewing. We want to know what Phil is doing next year before ever asking him what he thought about that incredible Piston blitzkrieg. And coaches and players being as egocentric as they can sometimes -- throw chat-room journalists in there too -- they just naturally start talking about how everything relates to them, instead of the obvious praise that the Pistons were due.

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Leesburg, Va.: Hi Mike. Thanks for taking our questions. (In this case more of an observation than a question). As a long suffering bullets (wizards) fan, I truely believe in TonyK's "lez curse o'lez bulez", and if this finals wasn't further evidence of that, I don't know what is.

Rip Hamilton, Rahseed, BigBen.

I usually blame Polin/O'Malley/Unseld, for the peronell gafs in the past, but the Hamilton trade for Stackhouse (who it seems we're now going to release, essentially getting zero for Rip) was a Jordanism. If Jordan can't even get it right, there must be outside forces in the mix (the curse).

Mike Wise: I've gotten tons of questions relating to the same topic: Why Can't the Wizards Be the Pistons? And Why Did They Part With Rasheed, Ben and Rip?

Having not lived in the area that long, I cannot identify with the long-suffering Wizards fan the way maybe Tony or Mike or Tom Boswell can.

I thought Steve Wyche wrote a great piece about why Hamilton ended up in Detroit, featuring candid comments from Michael Jordan.

I also think it's a copout to solely blame management for these personnel blunders, because you could go down the line of every NBA team excluding maybe the Lakers and Spurs, and find many of the same regrets over the years.

Sometimes, players simply blossom later and teams trying to win now don't want to be patient enough to see who they will become. The Wizards have this quandary over Kwame Brown right now.

Should they have held on to Ben Wallace and Hamilton? In hindsight, of course. But who knows who the coach would have been, what the locker room atmosphere would have been, whether they would have been playing with all-stars or knuckleheads. You just can't say.

And as far as keeping Rasheed goes, that would not have been a good move. He was powder keg for much of his career and it wasn't until he wanted to prove he could not be disruptive that he eventually contributed to a championship team.

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Lincoln, Neb.: Penny Hardaway was the first to achieve super-stardom from Shaq double-teams, now it's Kobe. Should Kobe leave, will the NBA hold a lottery to see which scoring forward or big guard gets to see dozens of wide-open shots and shots over smaller defenders for the next few years and to get put into the conversation with Jordan?

Mike Wise: Good question, but no one should be put into the conversation with Jordan. These players need to start worrying about their own legacies instead of someone else's.

Tracy McGrady is pretty good when he's healthy, so I could see him playing with Shaq at some point.

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Cincinnati, Ohio: The Nets and Pacers both gave the Pistons much better series than the Lakers did. Does this mean that the East is no longer the Least?

Mike Wise: The East is still hard to watch and the stars are out West, but you could see more free agents start looking East and thinking, "Hey, wait, someone to grab me rebounds instead of taking shot away from me? That's it, D.C., here I come." Wait, if Gilbert Arenas and Stack are still there, never mind.

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Washington, DC: What ill-will do you see with Stackhouse? With the media and those always intelligent sports talk radio listeners, or with the team itself? The typical Wizards thing to do is trade a player when his value is lowest, so trading him would be no surprise. If his knee is better, however, I suspect he will have a great year. Bad teams don't get better by dumping their best player.

Mike Wise: The Wizards and Stackhouse are equally to blame for how the team soured on him this past year. When I say ill will, I mean a lot of guys in that locker room do not see him as a leader. And if your alleged franchise player is not a leader, you have a problem. That's why they must move him, unless they can bring in a guy to lead.

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Washington DC: Do you think the Pistons will stay together and be contenders for years to come?

Mike Wise: Yes, but you never know. Rasheed Wallace might just be whined and dined by another team. Because of their contract situations -- many are tied up in long-term deals -- I would suspect that Detroit stays together. I would be more worried about Larry Brown jumping ship.

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Bethesda, Md.: As a transplanted Knicks fan, this finals has interested me because the rumor mills have named both Kobe and 'Sheed as possible NY defections this off-season. Is either of those a realistic possibility or am another disillusioned New Yorker reading to much back page of the NY Post?

Mike Wise: You're reading the New York Post. Shame on you, unless it's Page 6, which is a guilty pleasure. I cannot see Kobe leaving the Lakers or 'Sheed leaving the Pistons. It is not unrealistic, but both moves would have to include some real scheming and dealing.

And, food for thought, is everyone just assuming Kobe Bryant will be found not guilty in a sexual-assault trial in a small town in Colorado? I find it interesting everyone has just sort of written off a life- and career-altering moment as an afterthought.

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Anonymous: Why does Hamilton wear that face mask?

Mike Wise: 1. Because he is a big baby and 2. Rip believes he is a super hero. Seriously, I think he suffered a facial fracture earlier in the playoffs and the mask is to protect him from further harm. I'll go on the 'Net and try to find something more specific.

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New York, NY: Mike, I respect your knowledge and opinions about the NBA. I also think that you probably have the best pipeline into Shaq of any other writer that I have come across. In his press conf. after the game last night, he semed to intimate that he had some plans for the future that he was mulling over, but not certain of. What is he thinking?

Thanks

Mike Wise: Shaq is thinking: Get me the hell out of here. But that's today. Tomorrow, the pain of losing will hurt a little less and the next day he will probably realize that the Lakers had a very good finish given all the tumult. I cannot see him going anywhere or forcing a trade right now and I just don't see the Lakers moving him. After he signs a three-contract extension this summer, I would suspect he will put more energy into the offseason than he has in some time. He spoke of working out with Malone during the summer, but those plans might be on hold because of Malone's injury. Either way, if he is not in purple and gold next year, I'll be shocked.

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Greensboro, N.C.: As a whole, do you think the media has been fixated on Los Angeles in this final? Every story is seemingly geared to the Lakers: Will they come back? What's wrong with the Lakers? Can Phil Jackson win his 10th ring? Only until Philly took a 3-1 lead did the pack journalists seem to take a look at the wonderful storylines coming out of Detroit. Or am I wrong?

Mike Wise: Great point. I am guilty of not spending enough time in the Pistons locker room and not anticipating what a great story they were earlier, although I think Wilbon and Wyche did a great job of seeing that early on.

You hate to say this, but the Pistons are not as great a story if they don't slay the Lakers. I mean, if Tim Duncan's team goes down, big deal. It's just the boring Spurs to a lot of people. But the Lakers represent something else -- the big bully, the mercurial guard, the Yoga Coach. They were everything LA, just as the Pistons were everything Detroit. It was kind of like a Ali-Frazier thing. They needed each other to become as big as they did.

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Raleigh, NC: Who's the better rebounder and why: Rodman, Barkley, Ben Wallace?

Mike Wise: Personally, I would say Barkley, only because he was much shorter than both players and still went through those trees to get that basketball. Rodman was the greatest anticipator I've ever seen of where a ball would end up after it was shot. And Wallace is just flat-out driven, going for anything at anytime. That's a tough one, like comparing really good sushi to eggplant parmesan. I should have eaten before I started this thing.

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Los Angeles, Calif.: Mike,

Why shouldn't the Lakers put Shaq on the market? It doesn't look like he's got more than a few years left. Just think what they could get for him. Speaking of which, if the Lakers did trade Shaq, who do you think they would try to pick up?

Mike Wise: On one hand, it's not the dumbest thing in the world. I mean, the Knicks probably lament holding onto Patrick Ewing for those extra few years that he lost his step and rhythm. On the other, it is the dumbest thing in the world. There is no player or two players on any single team you can get equal value for. Tim Duncan and Tony Parker? Yeah, that might work. Webber and Peja? No, I wouldn't do that deal as much as I like Webber's game and believe he has something left.

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Tysons Corner, Va.: There is a lot of talk about Malone's injury and how it contributed to the Laker's loss, but not much is said about Fisher and his injury. While not as critical as Malone, Fisher not being 100 percent hurt the Lakers in this series as well, don't you think? They just didn't look like the same team that we saw in the San Antonio and Minnesota series, not even close.

Mike Wise: Fish was not 100 percent, but I don't think he was the key either way. He's a great complimentary player, but you know what? Every player who ever played with a future Hall of Famer -- Jud Buechler in Chicago, Howard Eisley in Utah -- looks great when they're playing with greatness. I don't see Derek Fisher doing much on a team that does not create kick-out opportunities for 3-point shooters.

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Baltimore, Md.: The Pistons got great finals performances from former Wizards Ben and Rasheed Wallace and--my favorite!--Rip Hamilton. Rip, for one, did not hide how devastated he was by being traded to the Pistons after having made his home in DC. My husband and I loved watching Rip in Washington, love watching him now in Detroit, and would both like to hear your comments on this sweet and unexpected close to this part of Rip's story. And also any conjectures as to why MJ has not yet, at least as of Sunday, called to congratulate his former player and teammate on his recent success on the national stage?

Mike Wise: Rip was very adamant about not being a second fiddle to Michael Jordan, which probably got him traded. I don't think many people in Washington would want to trade the Michael years, because though they were fantasy and fleeting, it did give the franchise hope again. But what if you knew Rip was going to develop into an all-star and lead your team to the finals, and what if coming back as the focus of a team hindered that development? I'm not saying Jordan did that, I'm saying it's worth pondering. And either way, you're right, when players who work so hard finally get their happy endings, there is something nice and good about that.

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Washington DC: Any chance you'll give us your top five ever? Ok, Jordan we know...so..top 2-6?

Mike Wise: Top five all time, meaning the top five players I would start a team with:

1. Magic, because he would get the ball to me. 2. Jordan, because he would not let you lose. 3. Bird, because he would find a way to win the game 4. Russell, because he always had your back on defense and 5. Oscar, because he never got credit for being Jordan before Jordan.

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Mike Wise: I'll take question for about 15 more minutes. I'm thinking with the draft coming up next week maybe I can convince the Post to do a separate Wizards chat. Because I'm getting so many Wizards questions I don't know what to do with them all. So, save your Wizards stuff for next week, please. I promise I'll get to them all.

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Washington, D.C.: Any word on how Rasheed fits in with the working-class ethics (ok, so they are a bunch of multi-millionares) of guys like Wallace Rip and Larry Brown?

Mike Wise: Rasheed is a complex guy. His teammates love him and the media hates him. He can be surly, nasty and completely out there. Other times, I've seen him cracking up his teammates and being the ultimate support system for young struggling players. It's too early to label him, but I do think his Piston teammates like him.

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Oakton, Va.: The best part of this was how the Pistons played as a team... hoping kids will learn something from this.

Did you have any idea Tayshaun Prince was this good? He seemed to get better and better and better with everygame. Very impressed with the second year player.

Mike Wise: Tayshaun was taking it to Kobe. There are few things better in sports than watching a young, frail player develop confidence before your eyes. About the only thing better is watching an old player get it back.

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Detroit, Mich.: Rick Hamilton wears the face mask because he's broken his nose several times. If you watched any of the games, you would have seen him get hit in the face, knocked down, fall and land on his face, so, he knows better to wear it and be safe from experience.

Mike Wise: Thank you, Detroit Rock City. Not only that, but Rip got nailed in the face by Ron Artest at the end of Game 6 of the Eastern Conference finals. That plastic mask pushing against that cheekbone and nose had to be throbbing.

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Rockland, Maine: Do you think that teamwork trumped selfishness in this series?

Mike Wise: I think that's a bit simplistic, but since I wrote that this morning, yes, I agree. : ). I do believe the Lakers thought they could rely on their stars in the clutch, and the Pistons never put that pressure on any of their teammates. It was an amazing thing to watch, to see Shaq and Kobe's team dissected by five guys who played better together.

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Maryland: There seemed to be a bit of baloney in yesterday's column about Michael Jordan's relationship to the finals. The article says that Jordan did Rip Hamilton a favor in trading him to Detroit because he "figured Hamilton would develop and that the Pistons, loaded with depth, defenders and having Brown as the coach, were a perfect fit for Hamilton."

Ummm, thing is, Brown wasn't the coach of the Pistons at the time he made the trade. Rick Carlisle was.

It is true that the trade ended up well for Rip, but Jordan is taking for more credit than he deserves for it.

Mike Wise: Good point, but everybody is a little bit of revisionist historian. I mean, I still contend I left my high school girlfriend when, in reality, she dumped me for a future venture capitalist.

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Washington, D.C.: Hello Mike!; Will NBA franchise owners look at the Pistons and consider creating teams that emphasize team-work over star-power?

Mike Wise: Good question. I think it's a possibility, but Joe Dumars said it better than anyone earlier this week. "If you don't have Shaq and Kobe, you have to do it with numbers and bodies." That is good advice for any franchise without a future Hall of Famer, including the Wizards.

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Detroit, Mich.: The Pistons had tougher competition from the Nets and Pacers this playoff series than they did from the Lakers. Do you think that this could be the start of a shift of dominance from the Western to the Eastern conference?

Mike Wise: I still think most of the stars are out West, but it's all cyclical. Eventually, some of the stars will come back to the East, you saw this with Stephon Marbury and Jason Kidd the past few years.

Do I think the Nets and Pacers would have knocked off the Lakers? No. Maybe with Malone going down they had a shot, but Detroit was just so determined. I did not see that same determination in either Indiana or New Jersey

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Down by the River, Virginia: In your colleague Michael Wilbon's column today, he stated the rhetorical question: "Kobe missed 14 of 21, and that's after missing 17 of 25 shots in Game 4. Can we officially stop with favorably comparing Kobe with Michael Jordan?" People want to cry that Shaq and Kobe didn't have the supporting cast around them, and that's why the Lakers lost. Yet, to my memory, Michael Jordan had only Pippen and ... role players he made great. Do you feel Kobe's lack of passing (to Shaq and wide open teammates) was the biggest reason the Lakers lost? Do you see him ever winning a championship without the help of Shaq?

washingtonpost.com: In the End, It's Just Like We Figure (Post, June 16)

Mike Wise: No, I don't think Kobe cost the Lakers the series. But I don't feel he can win a title without Shaq, unless he's got a complimentary big man.

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Washington, D.C.: Mike-
Thanks for your time! Just wondering-all the writers liked to say "Without Malone the Laker's can't win". When did Malone become the heart of this Laker's team? I seem to remember the Lakers either winning, or losing to the winner, of every NBA championship for the last 5 years, without Malone OR Payton being there. The rest of the team is basically the same, with the addition of some solid players (Cook, Walton, Rusch). Why all the focus on Malone?

Mike Wise: Good question. Why the focus on Malone? Because when the Lakers were winning titles, they had one thing in common: a healthy power forward, whether it was Horace Grant or AC Green or whoever, someone big to guard the other team's big players.

Without that key ingredient -- the Lakers were 33-9 with Malone this season and he basically shut down Duncan the last four games of that series -- there is nothing the Lakers could do to win.

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Flint, Mich.: Now that the Pistons have kicked the Lakers to the curb to win the NBA Finals, will other NBA teams emulate the method the Pistons used to win a Championship; have a team 7-9 players deep that help each other out, play defense, and treat each offensive possession like a football game?

washingtonpost.com: Motown Jams To NBA Title (Post, June 16)

Mike Wise: Yes, I see this definitely happening more -- especially with teams who don't have superstars.

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Washington, DC: Mike: A different sort of question. More and more many sports reporters, especially on television, do not analyze or report facts, but just offer predictions of what will happen in a particular game, series, etc. It is of course easier to just toss out predictions rather than doing the legwork to conduct interviews and gather information, but don't reporters lose credibility when their predictions prove wrong? One of ESPN's so-called experts loudly screamed prior to the Finals that the Lakers would win in 4 games, and Detroit had NO chance. Can this guy be considered an expert anymore? Should he be let go? Patrick Ewing was and still is widely criticized for his guarantees in particular playoff games. Shouldn't reporters be held to the same standard, or an even greater standard since they are supposed to stick to the facts?

Mike Wise: Did you get an answer to this one yet? I really liked this question.

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Herndon, Va.: Was it only obvious to me that Ben Wallace should have been the MVP?

Mike Wise: Yeah, probably. But you know what, you could have given the award to Rip, Ben and Chauncey. In fact, I would have done one of those corny Miracle on Ice things, where Eruzione gets all the other players to join him. But that's just me.

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East Windsor, NJ: Many of the commentators picked the Lakers based on the Pistons offense against the Pacers in the Eastern Conference final.

How do explain the disparity between their performance in the Conference final and the NBA Finals against LA?

Mike Wise: The Pistons, it turns out, were that ugly duckling that did not turn into a swan until the grandest stage of all presented itself. It's kind of like that reality series, without the plastic surgeons.

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Raleigh, NC: Who do you think should have received the Finals MVP? I though Ben Wallace was really the heart of the team and deserved it more than Billups. I don't know if the Pistons win without Wallace cleaning up the boards.

Mike Wise: I'm not big on awards, unless I'm receiving them. So, yes, Ben maybe should have gotten it. But they got the big award, so I don't see it as a crime.

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Annapolis, Md.: It was obvious from the first quarter of game one that the Pistons were young, aggressive and hungry, while the Lakers were old, tired and just going through the motions. Yet throughout the series, as always, everything was focused on Kobe and Shaq. In my opinion, that is the biggest problem with the NBA: it's all about the hype (Lakers, movie stars, etc.) and superstars, not about the teams that deserve more recognition than they get.

Mike Wise: You speak the truth.

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Down by the River, Virginia: Answer me this:

The Piston's went 54-28 during the regular season (18-4 in their last 22 with R. Wallace). The Laker's were only two games better (56-28) and did not win a championship last year (the Spurs offically ended this dynasty). How in the world could this be considered 'one of the biggest upsets of all time in the NBA Finals' as some are calling it? Also, wasn't it a little low-class for Commissioner Stern to bring up the magnitude of their upset at the trophy presentation?

Mike Wise: Well, let's be honest here: The East had not won a title in six years and the lakers had won three of the last four. And who exactly on the Pistons is headed to Springfield, Mass., anytime soon? I can tell you three Lakers who are: Shaq, Kobe and Malone, and possibly Payton. We're talking perennial all-stars against some nice role players and couple of scorers. So, yes, it was one of the greatest upsets in the history of the finals, damn the records. (P.S. I had to back up my point forcefully because that was the first paragraph of my story, but you make a great point -- only two regular season wins separated them. Maybe we got carried away.).

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Washington, D.C.: Do you think the Wizards organization is kicking itself right now for trading Rip Hamilton (not to mention Ben Wallace)?

Mike Wise: I think the Wizards are kicking themselves for getting rid of Webber.

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Durham, NC: Do you see the Wizards building more around Kwame Brown as the franchise player now than STackhouse? Are the Wizards going to eventually sign Kwame long term?

Mike Wise: The Wizards won't build around Kwame, but he will be an important part of their franchise if they show faith for at least two more seasons. He's a great third player on a playoff team someday. Trust me. Stackhouse is out. Trust me on that, too.

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Tampa, FL: What does the Pistons championship say about the Wizards organization? There were 3 former Wizards starting for the Pistons last night, all of whom were also on the Wizards roster at the same time. Let's face it: the problem with the Wizards has nothing to do with the people on the court; it's the people running the organization that should go esp. Abe Pollin.

Mike Wise: The Wizards problems run deep and there is blame to go around. But things will get better. I mean, they have to, right?

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Alexandria, VA: Three key Pistons are former Wizards...I know it's pointless to wonder what could have been, but is that what Abe Pollin is doing?

Mike Wise: It's a good point, but then, you can wonder what might have been with every NBA team, including the Lakers had they signed another power forward to give them insurance in case Malone went down. Juwan Howard and Isaac Austin were former Wizards, too. No one is regretting that they're gone.

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Cliff Diamond Bar, Calif.: Hi, Mike

Everyone has talked about Detroit's defense, but how important was Detroit's offense in this Finals? Basketball has become a much more conservative sport in the last decade, and the conventional wisdom is that you need a great half-court offense to be sucessful. For example, Popovich's gameplan was to bring the ball up slowly and treat each possession as carefully as a football possession. Because of the lack of a true low post scorer, another element thought to be essential to winning a championship, Detroit's half court offense was considered to be too weak. However, Detroit was able to score by rediscovering the lost art of the fast break. The fast break also allowed Detroit to get many offensive rebounds by not giving the Lakers enough time to react. Do you see other coaches imitating Larry Brown by having more faith in the players to create plays on the fly?

Mike Wise: Cliff, thanks for getting up early in Calif. By the way, isn't Keith Van Horn from Diamond Bar? Tell him I thought he was a good Knick and Isiah shouldn't have traded him.

And, good point, Detroit's offense was completely overlooked.

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Bethesda, Md.: Mike,

You mention that many of the Laker role players are likely to be gone. Are Rick Fox, Derek Fisher, Deavan George still effective NBA players? And is Luke Walton on the verge of becoming a major contributor to the Lakers??

Mike Wise: Fluke Walton, you mean? Nah, I love Luke. His Dad cracks me up, too.

Fox and Fisher are on their last legs, I think. George is just so inconsistent, you never know what he's going to give you. Walton should develop into a nice sixth man on a perennial playoff team. I could see him playing for 10 years if he stays healthy.

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Wheaton, Md.: Today's stories emphasize how the Lakers were expected to walk over the Pistons, but weren't many surprised that the Lakers even made it to the playoffs, much less the finals? Many sports journalists would have bet on seeking the Kings rather than the Lakers make it this far (though, like the Red Sox, the Kings seem to find a way to choke in the end). That said, the Pistons deserve congratulations (I'm from L.A., but was happy to see a "new" team get to the top; just wish we'd see some REALLY new champions-- maybe if Kobe Bryant realy does go to the Clippers, as one story hinted . . .nah, wouldn't make a difference).

washingtonpost.com: Big Ben Shows It's His Time (Post, June 16)

Mike Wise: Good point to end the chat on. You know the amazing thing? Everyone looks at the Lakers as failures because they did not win it all. I'm thinking, they were four-tenths of a second from going home in the second round. What's wrong with second? I remember looking up at a Nike billboard in Sydney and seeing this pre-pubescent Chinese gymnast smiling under the words, "You don't win silver. You lose gold." What a lousy message our country sends to the world, no? But that's a soapbox rant for another day. The Lakers had a tremendous season given the madness surrounding them. End of story. And.....

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Mike Wise: End of chat. Thanks for logging on and taking part of my second Post chat. The questions were great. Knowledgeable, insightful -- all the things us sportwriters want to be. : ).

Have a great week,
Mike

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