Playoff Pre-Game Stream of Consciousness

Just a couple hours to game time. I've got my bathing suit on and I'm channel surfing, trying to find something worth watching until game time.  Yeah, I could watch the Chicago Bulls/Boston Celtics game, but I think that will push my nervous anticipation to an uncomfortable boiling point. 

However, I may be forced to watch because the best thing on TV right now other than the basketball game is Bring it On.  Yes, the Kirsten Dunst and Eliza Dushku cheerleading flick that my girlfriend actually loves.  Spirit fingers, cheerocracy, male cheerleader jokes, dancers gone retarded, and all.  Admittedly, I flipped it on for a few minutes and it's just as I remember it:  Cheerleaders coming together to make a hilariously bad movie. 

Who am I kidding, I'm still watching and I'm legitimately laughing at some of these parts. For example, the football team loses 42-7, yet one of their "star" players still enthusiastically makes fun of the male cheerleaders as they walk off the field.  The male cheerleader replies, "Dude! You just lost."  The football player then looks at the scoreboard and gets that, "Touche" look on his face.  Funny, right?  Maybe my sense of humor is lacking today, as I'm awaiting a game that could realistically be a laughable blow out.  I feel like I have to laugh at these silly things, because I might not be laughing later.

Then I switch it back over to the Bulls/Celtics game and I realize I need to take a deep breath, eat my first full meal since yesterday, and stay away from the Encore channels.  They suck you in like tractor beams and it could be very embarrassing if someone walks in on me applauding a Toros choreographed routine.

I digress.  The NBA is a funny game.  It's a game of runs and momentum, unlike any other game.  It's so fast paced, you could easily score 10 points in a matter of a minute, but then not score a single point for half a quarter.  Then I think how the Pistons are very capable of winning not just one game, but two, three, and even four games against the Cavaliers.  The Pistons have all the playoff experience (and winning experience) so they know how to act comfortable enough not to get caught up in all the hype. 

The Pistons have done a terrific job switching from their cocky attitude in the past to a reserved, yet confident present.  They have almost been non-chalant in their manner.  Not like they don't care, but the type of attitude you'd expect from an underdog.  And the Pistons know exactly how it feels to be an underdog.  If you recall, the Pistons were picked by virtually every expert in 2004 to lose to the Los Angelas Lakers in the NBA Finals.  We all know what happened in that series.

As played out as it might sound, we have to get acclimated to the Pistons unfamiliar position in the playoffs and get ready to cheer on an underdog that's not out of the fight just because there's only a 9% chance of the Pistons winning according to the oddsmakers.  As far as I'm concerned, this is a 0-0 series with there being a 50/50 chance one team or the other will win.  So, get your foam fingers out and be prepared for a very exciting series.  Maybe the Pistons will "bring it on" and raise an eyebrow or two.  GO PISTONS! or as another Pistons fan here has said, "Pistons Nation Rise!"