Red Wings...Oh No!

Now if you thought you were excited for the Stanley Cup Finals, check out this group of fans…Embarrassing.

Rodney Stuckey and Lindsey Hunter are Key Elements to Victory

Great Pistons game last night. This was about as good of a basketball victory that you'll ever see. It goes down with some of the best Piston playoff wins of this era, right along with Game 6 in 2004 vs. New Jersey and Game 1 in 2004 vs. Los Angeles.

Notice both of those games came in 2004, Detroit's championship year. Not a coincidence in the least. One of the key parts of that team was the Lindsey Hunter/Mike James guard combo coming off of the bench. Those guys were animals on the ball, grabbing steals, forcing turnovers and being generally annoying to opponents. Best of all their attitude was infectious to the rest of the team. When they came in for Billups/Hamilton, you knew something good was about to happen. They just brought a great change-of-pace and a different intensity to the game.

Flashforward to Game 2 of the Boston series, and the Pistons may have found their game-changing guard lineup again. One of the names is familiar… Lindsey Hunter. The other one, however is a newcomer, Rodney Stuckey.

Stuckey played fantastic last night, and was about as big of a part of a win as you can be while playing only 17 minutes. But that's exactly what makes his contribution so important. With Billups and Hamilton eating up at least 70 minutes of floor time between them, there's not much extra to go around.

Hence, to be important to the game you have to bring something extra to the table. You have to be ready to go balls-to-the-walls for the entire time you're checked into the game. This is why I think this is the Pistons best chance to win out of all of the teams since 2004. The secondary guard line is top-notch, and will be a huge advantage over everyone left in the playoffs.

A likely comparison?

So I'm trying to read up on some NHL Playoff coverage and I happened to stumble on some Canadian coverage. These people are weird about their hockey. Consider this quote from Cam Cole of the National Post…

The most anticipated Cup showdown since, some think, the dynasty-in-waiting Edmonton Oilers played the already-there New York Islanders in 1983.

Man, do I remember those highly anticipated finals. I was on the edge of my seat for 4 days waiting for that thing to start! It seemed like it would never come.

Again more comparisons to the '83 playoff series, this time from Randy Turner of the Winnipeg Free Press…

Because they are the New York Islanders of the 1980s to Gretzky's upstart Edmonton Oilers. They have more veterans who understand what it takes to win a Stanley Cup.

Who would have known that this was a likely comparison? Oh the things you learn from Canada. My pick for the series I like the Red Wings in 5. I have to reason to say so, but that's my analysis and I'm sticking with it.

Red Wings v. Pistons

First things first, vote on the poll to the right, under the advertisements. It's a pretty hotly contested debate between who's the favorite "Official ATB'er" around.

Number two, to the "Official ATB.com Ex-Roommate" I am very unhappy that you suggested this post topic in the comments. Now it looks like I have to give you credit for this post, when in fact, it was almost entirely written...

So there's some big drama with the fact that the Red Wings and Pistons will be playing on the same nights for the first three games of the Stanley Cup Finals. Sure maybe it seems a little shady, but in reality does anyone actually care that both games will be on at the same time?

Now I'm about as big of a sports fan as you find out there. But rarely will I sit through an entire game without moving, changing the channel or getting a little bored. Sports are great, but sports are also 3 hours long. That's a long time to be sitting in front of the TV with nothing changing.

That's exactly why I'm a fan of both games on at the same time. For one, if you're someone who likes to go to the bar for a game, the environment will be off the charts. There will be twice as many people there, twice as many big moments and twice cheers. Sounds like a great place to be, right?

Then if you're like me, and you enjoy watching the games at home, it give you ample opportunity to switch back and forth allowing for maximum excitement. And you won't have the deal with the lulls in action during the game. Just flip the channel, and bam, you've got something new and exciting to watch.

The real problem here, is that I'm not even going to have this problem for the first two games of the overlap. Why? I DON'T HAVE VERSUS. So I guess this was all a moot point. So be happy if you ARE able to watch both games. It will be some of the best television programming that you'll get all year.

Wii Sports HR Derby(!!)

So I was a little late getting on the Wii bandwagon, and until about two weeks ago I had hardly played the system. Luckily due to some fortunate circumstances, I had a Wii fall into my lap for the summer.

That being said, Wii Sports is an excellent game. Sure, there's almost nothing to it, but that's the beauty of the game. There is nothing more satisfying in all of video-game-land than when you hit a home run in the Wii Sports home run derby. You hear the crack of the bat after solid contact, and you get to see the ball fly "OUT OF THE PARK!" as the announcer bows down to your home run power. Very inspiring to say the least.

This is how I on got hooked on the quest to hit 10/10 home runs in the home run derby training game. It seemed like an attainable goal, something that would hold my interest for an hour or two. Little did I know, I was about to undertake a journey of epic proportions.

Two weeks later, I was still flailing away hopelessly. I had done everything imaginable EXCEPT hit 10 HRs in a turn. A summary of my "accomplishments..."

1. 9/10 HRs including 5 Out of the Park for a total distance of 5220 feet. (Not to mention the last 3 flew OOTP)
2. 29/32 HRs hit spanning 4 turns. Including 3 turns in a row of 9 HRs
3. 15 HRs in a row (twice) spanning 2 different turns.

Pretty "impressive," right? I mean there's not much more you can do in the HR derby than what I just listed...except hit 10/10 in a turn!! It didn't help that The Official ATB Roommate had already accomplished the feat twice. It seemed I would never be able do it.

Then this morning happened. After warming up with some Wii Fitness Training, I thought I'd give the HR derby another go-around. With the Official ATB Roommate looking on (and heckling) I finally reached down deep, fought the pressure and the demons and hit 10 in a row. It was over. There are no words for how relieved I am that this quest is over. I wasn't even having fun playing, it was just something that I needed to do. I finally feel satisfied.

Now I need another mountain to climb. What are some other challenges that need to be defeated in Wii Sports?