3C
SP0RTS/®6c Charlotte
Thursday, June 1, 2006
ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO
Continued from page 1C
“Tliat’s how players are. You talk to some of
them about whe:e they’re at, but I think what
you do more than anything, we talk more
about challenging. You challei^e them. It’s a
matter of going out and executing what we
want to have done.”
Detroit starts the same five players as it did
during its title run in 2004 and march back to
The Finals a year ago. The only major lineup
difference is the coadi; Saimders replaced
Larry Brown before this season.
“Some of us, a lot of us, have been here more
time than he has,” Pistons guard ChaTmcey
Billups said. “We can pull fiom a lot of o\ir
experiences. ... We’ve been here before.”
MYSTERY FLOOR: There’s a mystery sm*-
roundir^ the Miami Heat in this Eastern
Conference championship series, one not
involving offensive schemes or defensive rota
tions.
It’s about what’s in the middle of thdr locker
room.
After Game 3, large towels covered the center
of the room, folding chairs were set up as tem
porary fencing as media milled about and six
"Do Not Tbuch” signs warned curious visitors
to stay away
Before Game 4, a green drape covered what
appeared to be a huge bowl, with four “Do Not
Tbuch” signs.
‘It’s no big deal,” Heat coach Pat Riley said.
“Let’s just say unity is power, or power is unity
That’s aH it is. ... It’s somethir^ we’ve been
about aH year. It’s about us. Ain’t, about any
body else but us.”
And since that’s the case, no one dares say
what it’s all about.
‘T can’t tell you. It’s a secret,” forward Udonis
Haslom said. "If I teH you, Riley’s going to fine
me.... Pm not a rat.”
Riley clearly appreciates the team’s silence
on the issue.
“Man law. Heat law,” Riley said.
ARTEST SPEAKS: Here’s a stunning devel
opment; Ron Artest is rooting against the
Detroit Pistons.
Artest, who was at the center of the infamous
Indiana-Detroit brawl nearly two years ago
and suspended for the final 73 games of the
Pacers’ 2004-05 season, told Miami television
station WSVN he’s cheering for Shaqiulle
O’Neal’s side in the Eastern Conference finals.
‘Tm hoping the Heat win,” Artest said. ‘T’m a
big-time Shaq fan and I’m not a Detroit fan.”
Artest - now with the Sacramento Kings -
expects to see this season end with O’Neal
winning his fourth NBA title, regardless of who
advances out of the Dallas-Phoenix West final
series.
“If the Heat go to the championship, the Heat
is winning the championship,” Artest said. ‘Tf
Detroit goes to the championship, which I
doubt, I can see it going either way But if the
Heat gets to the championship, it’s over. It’s a
Heat championship ”
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Detroit Pistons Chauncey Billups (left) and Richard Hamilton react to a call in Game 4 of the
Eastern Conference Finals. Miamia took a 3-1 lead into Game 5 Wednesday in Detroit.
Pistons take to pointing
fingers during struggles
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