Yesterday, after lsitening to all the sports shows, one conlcusion can be made crystal (not as in Billy) clear; A rematch of the 2005 NBA Finals is something everyone can live without. Most hope that both the Spurs and the Pistons do not, under any circumstances, make the Finals. There are reasons for such hopes. I'm here to give my reasons why, and to clear up some misnomers.

1. It's not star power, silly. It's star wattage: The most common misperception is that both teams lack star power. That's ridiculous. The Spurs feature Tim Duncan, perhaps one of the greatest big men in history, along with Mr. Eva Longoria (Tony Parker) and the Grandmaster Flopper (Manu Ginobili) who also happens to be one of the best clutch players on the team. Detroit has Chauncey "Mr. Big Shot" (and Mr. Give me the Free Throw, Refs!) Billups, Rasheed Wallace and Richard Hamilton. So what's not to like about that?

The problem is that none of these guys seek the attention that comes with stardom. In many ways, the NBA has created that problem. Even Michael Jordan, the posterboy for I over team (in terms of media coverage) said as much in an ESPN the Magazine article. Remember the league in the 1980s? When the Lakers and Celtics met in the Finals, it wasn't strictly Magic vs Bird (although that was a big draw), it was Lakers vs Celtics. The teams were the big attractions, and the league was at it's best marketing those teams. After Jordan dominated the league, it became all about the star players.

With that being the case, it's no wonder the Finals have had bad ratings in recent years. The Spurs are the ultimate team, yet their Finals have been the worst rated ever. Even when you had Lebron James last year, the ratings tanked. So let's not say a Spurs/Pistons final is bad because of no star power; there's no wattage in those stars.

2. Because the Lakers and Celtics is what Stern really wants in the Finals: Stern will not say it publically, but he wants these teams in the Finals not so much because of star wattage (Kobe vs the Big 3) but because the cities have star wattage. He wants to see Jack Nicholson jaw with whoever comes from Beantown. No other league tries to slant their championships through big cities more than the NBA. MLB does it because of their salary structure, but the NBA wouldn't mind if the Finals were exclusively in big cities like L.A., New York, Boston, etc. Look at the NFL; they don't have a team in L.A. (yet) and yet the Super Bowl does just fine. Why not market the teams instead of the cities?

3. Defense wins championships, but not ratings: Just observe the game last night; the Pistons won 84-80, a score that would be good in the 1950s, but not so much today. Need more data? Look at the Finals in 2005; they were just the second Finals since the league went to a 2-3-2 format to go seven games, and few people outside of S.A. and Detroit cared. It was because the defensive style of both teams doesn't appeal to people. The Spurs have won the most games in the league since 2001-02, and Detroit is third (behind them and Dallas) because nobody plays defense better than these teams traditionally have. But while both can run the ball occasionally, they'd rather set up isolational plays for their slashers (Parker/Ginobili and Billups/Hamilton) to draw fouls and get free throws. It wins games, but I can't watch slop ball for very long before I get bored and change the channel.

Looking at these three reasons (there may be more, but these are key), it's no wonder the NBA would feel like it took a shot in the stomach if these two teams meet in the Finals. I'm from Detroit, and it makes me feel ill (although if the Pistons faced the Lakers, it might work out). Hopefully, the curse of the Spurs (never won back-to-back) and the Pistons (complacency) causes one or both to lose in the playoffs. Let's just hope.

Today, in lieu of having any good topics to talk about (I've already had a Rockets post, and college basketball tournaments don't appeal to me) I've decided to debut a new feature on my blog. I call it the Kilpatrick award, in honor of Detroit's mayor, and it's premise is simple. I'm going to nominate sports figures who have said or done something they wish they hadn't, and then it's up to you who wishes they could have a mulligan. Without delay, here are this week's nominees:

Butch Harmon and John Daly: For having a nasty public divorce after Daly's recent behavior which included having Jon Gruden caddy for him. Harmon said the most important thing in Daly's life was getting drunk, and then Daly was DQed for missing his tee time at the recent tournament.

Joe Girardi: For compalining about how hard the Tampa Bay Rays players came at his Yankee catchers (which, in fairness, cause an injury) despite making a career out of such hustle, then allowing Shelley Duncan to morph into Ty Cobb and slide spikes first into the second baseman, starting a fight.

David Stern: For saying many NBA owners had lost money even though league profits exceeded $3 billion; and for allowing the theft of the SuperSonics by 'conspiring' with Clay Bennett to move them to Oklahoma City. (just my opinion)

Stephen A. Smith: Sorry, the list just felt devoid without him. Although he could win a lifetime achievement award (lol)!

My choice would be Stern, if you can believe it. Daly's life has been a mess for years, and no one should be surprised to see this happen. Girardi is new to the Yank's post, and as tempting as it would be to choose him, after 12 years of the stoic Joe Torre, maybe the Yanks need a swift kick in the pants to spark them. That leaves Stern, who keeps talking about image, then backstabs Seattle fans by holding their team for ransom while Bennett puts a noncompetitive product on the court to force a move (did you see ESPN's NBA FastBreak last night? They commented that the Sonics looked like a sorry product on the floor). Stern has spent 24 years as commish of the NBA, and in the last decade has seen a strike, the brawl at the Palace, the lowest rated Finals in history, etc. He's looking alot like Pete Rozelle did at the end of his tenure, and Pete was smart enough to get out of there. Stern might wan't to think about doing the same.

What do you think? Is there a candidate you think should win the Kilpatrick award for this week (keep that in mind; this isn't about the enitre career, just this week)? Look for this post again next week, either Thursday or Friday.

The Houston Rockets may be the hottest team in the NBA right now. With an 19 game winning streak, the buzz around them has reached a new high. With that in mind, can the Rockets do something that they haven't done since 1997; win a playoff series? Right now, I can't see it happening.

The Rockets' streak is impressive, no doubt, but observe the competition they've beaten to get those wins. Only New Orleans and I think Denver (don't take me at face's value) have been elite victories. Looking at the schedule, they haven't faced the Lakers, Spurs, Celtics, Pistons, Suns, or Jazz, just to name a few. How can you really boast if you're beating the Memphises and Tiberwolves of the league? Until you beat the best, you shouldn't be considered among the best.

Secondly, we haven't seen when Yao Maing's injury will affect them the most; in the playoffs. To win in the West, you'll have to beat at least two of the following; Tim Duncan, Bynum & Gasol, Shaq & Stoudemire, Boozer & Okur. Luis Scola hasn't been through an NBA playoff, and Dikembe Mutombo is 179 years old, and shouldn't be playing as much as he has (although he has looked good). Against those elite front lines, I don't see Houston holding up for long.

Finally, here's the trump card; the history of Tracy McGrady. It sounds like a broken record, but the fact remains that McGrady has never won a playoff series. Granted, his Orlando teams (plus the one in Toronto in 2000) were never serious contenders, but he has had Yao for two postseasons (one with homecourt) and failed too. It's worth mentioning that he has had a phenomenal stretch (22 PPG, about 5 RPG and 6 ASG) but when the pressure is amped up, will he revert to vintage McGrady (i.e. shoot a lot, pass only if the sun is in the right phase)? One never knows.

In summation, the Rockets are in great position to make the playoffs out West. To win a series, they need McGrady to play like he has recently, and for Scola and Mutombo to belie inexperience and age to escape round one. If they get homecourt, the possibility of a victory goes up a little, but if I was a betting man, I'd have to bet against it until they prove their true worth.