Last week, USA TODAY's David Dupree asked his readers who they thought would win the NBA Finals. The emails piled in, and in the end the vast majority picked the Pistons:
The Detroit Pistons and San Antonio Spurs will meet in the NBA Finals for the second consecutive season, according to USA TODAY readers responding to this week's question, but the outcome will be different.
By a 2-to-1 margin, readers said the Pistons will prevail and win their second title in three seasons.
"This team has been on a mission from the first game of the season," Jeff Wright of Roslindale, Mass., said in picking the Pistons. "The scoring droughts that they may have had in past playoffs will not happen in Flip Saunders' offense, and I believe that they want to prove that they can win a title without Larry Brown. Also, the East is so weak that they should have an easy ride, at least to the conference finals."
Marvin Meeks of Toledo, Ohio, reluctantly picks Detroit to win as well: "I'm a (Miami) Heat fan, but as a true lover of the game, I can't see anyone who has played better — offensively or defensively. Nor has any team played more like a team than these Pistons."
Sure, the poll was completely unscientific, but it's always good to see the Boys in Blue getting national respect -- even if Dupree went against the grain and picked the Spurs to win their third title in four years.
Readers' pick: Pistons over Spurs [USA TODAY]