The weekend brought some clarity with regards to which 8 teams would be competing in the Eastern Conference playoffs, but there is still some jockeying for position going on for slots 5-8. While the Pistons await the results to discover their first-round oppenent (the 8th seed), we want to know who you would like to see them play. We asked a similar question previously, back when things were still a bit unsettled. This time around, your choices are:
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a) Washington Wizards
Pistons season record against: 0-2 (with one game left to play on Wednesday at the Palace)
Most memorable moment of the season series: Matt and I watching the 'Zards stomp the Pistons at the phone booththe former MCI Center turned Verizon Center in Washington, DC, and Matt's subsequent post, displaying an almost eerie foresight into the 'Zards playoff fate (achieved using a free t-shirt and Microsoft Paint).
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b) Indiana Pacers
Pistons' season record against: 3-1
Most memorable moment of the season series: Jermaine O'Neal claiming that he wanted a piece of the Pistons in the first round of the playoffs. O'Neal's statements are humorous on so many levels: 1) he was basically advocating slipping into the playoffs (injuries or not, you have to shoot for higher than .500 ball); 2) Flip's subsequent shrugging off of O'Neal; 3) the Pistons statement-making smackdown of the Pacers last weekend as the regular season wound down. Meanwhile the Pacers' making the playoffs probably delayed this team's implosion by about ten days.
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c) Milwaukee Bucks
Pistons' season record against: 3-0 (with one game left to play, tonight in Milwaukee)
Most memorable moment of the season series: Aside from the Pistons' frantic second-half comeback on March 31, the Rasheed Wallace/Andrew Bogut back-and-forth (and-back-and-forth-and-back) with the guys over at Milwaukee Bucks Diary (our favorite Milwaukee Bucks blog) was entertaining as the season wore on. The discussion was one born of boredom, but it is always interesting to get an intelligent enemy perspective of the Boys in Blue.
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d) Chicago Bulls
Pistons season record against: 4-0
Most memorable moment of the season series: The war of words between Bulls coach Scott Skiles and Flip Saunders, Rip Hamilton, et al, following a chippy 95-87 Pistons win in Chi-town on February 24. The game featured an awkward shoving match between Kirk Hinrich and Rip -- two guys who should never be starting shoving matches with anyone other than each other, as well as Skiles saying the following about the Pistons:
"They literally complain about every call all night long," Skiles said. "They are having a great year doing it. I'm not sure what that says."
Good times.
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