The conference semis are winding down, and there ain't much to talk about. Especially since I'm trying to get caught up in the games (I've watched only the endings of games 5-6 of Detroit-Chicago and game 5 of Phoenix-San Antonio, and missed game 5 of Cleveland-New Jersey.) You know how I do though, I'll stir something up anyway.

So Detroit finally closed out Chicago in six. The Pistons have difficulty dealing with success, as we saw in game 4 and game 5 (so I'm told). The other vets have been getting more press, but how 'bout my guy Tayshaun Prince in game 5? I've watched Tay since his college days, and its good to see him finally assert himself like he did at the end of game 5, abusing Luol Deng on the block repeatedly with that lefty hook. Did you see him get in Rasheed's grill after the T? That's some leadership for a guy with a rep as being soft-spoken. Good for him. Now, let's see more of the same in the next round against King James.

As for da Bulls, their reliance on jumpers finally did them in down the stretch of game 6. You've got to respect these guys, but they get the broken record treatment: GET SOMEBODY WHO CAN SCORE IN THE  PAINT! A more experienced hand on the perimeter might not hurt either; the Bulls had 5 turnovers in the fourth quarter, including some devastating ones down the stretch when the Detroit offense was stalling out. Props must be given out again to Deng though. He was up to the challenge the entire series, playing aggressively on the glass, finishing with strength, and hitting his midrange jumpers. I still don't see him as a franchise player, but he can be a key cog on a championship team.

The same cannot be said with certainty about the Bull guards, however. Granted, Gordon and Hinrich drew an extremely tough matchup, going against in Billups and Hamilton the toughest and most playoff-tested backcourt in the L. But 39% isn't going to get it done, regardless of who you're playing against. Chalk it up to a learning experience, but it will be interesting to see how these young guys respond in the future to this grade A ####-whupping.