Pistons' Youth Helps Them Heal Quickly

Not that the Lakers aren't doing so well in the NBA Finals, but one fewer Kobe Bryant miracle, or one more Detroit foul, and the Pistons might be going for the sweep Sunday.

"We know we're playing against a great team," said Chauncey Billups after they walked on the Lakers, 88-68, to take a 2-1 lead in the series. "We just don't want to let them get any momentum.

"We think we're a great unit. We play together. We know they've got some great individual players who are almost unstoppable one-on-one. But for us, we just got a great unit."

The really bad news for the Lakers is the Pistons also have a younger, healthier unit.

For their part, the Lakers started the Finals with "savvy veterans," but three games in, they just look "old."

Karl Malone, 40, is trying to play hurt.

Gary Payton, 35, disappeared weeks ago and has apparently been replaced by a mannequin. Once called "the Glove," he's now known as "the Pot Holder."

Shaquille O'Neal, 32, had 15 rebounds in the last two games, and the Lakers were beaten on the boards, 97-77.

Coach Phil Jackson, who was supposed to be closing in on his 10th title, the one that would drop Red Auerbach into second place, is stuck on nine. Rather than acknowledge the obvious -- the Pistons are dominating the series with greater energy -- Jackson is trotting out lame explanations while hoping his players can catch their breath and make one last stand.

After the Pistons outrebounded the Lakers, 20-10 in the second half of Game 2, Jackson said his players "just didn't react to the ball," which would have been curious behavior, indeed.

Thursday night, he said they didn't "react very well to the game."

Jackson also said O'Neal, who scored his Finals-lows 14 point with eight rebounds, "couldn't get a break in the second half."

As Larry Brown did with the Philadelphia 76ers in the 2001 Finals, he's single-covering O'Neal, daring Shaq to beat him. Only this time, Brown is getting away with it.

Meanwhile, the Pistons help out wherever Kobe Bryant goes, trapping him when he comes off screens. It worked to perfection Thursday, when Bryant got so few good looks he had to force up most of his 13 shots, made only four and scored a harmless 11 points.