i am impressed...

maybe i'm not giving rip enough credit for being a good 1-on-1 defensive player...

it's true that i consider him to be the worst 1-on-1 defender out of all the pistons' starting 5... my order would be something like ben, tayshaun, rasheed, billups, rip... granted, they're still a great defensive team, so rip has to be good in some manner, but i just really don't see it that way, after watching repeatedly superstar x blow by rip or shoot right over him, whereas get hampered by the long wings of prince, unable to drive or get a clear shot.

but to be able to contain wade and not give him any great looks, while still being flat out brilliant on offense(remember; lb doesn't care how many pts rip scores; he wants to see his assists, and rip handed out about 7), that's awesome...

let's not forget he's doing all this on a hurting leg(with tiger balm!). miller would be proud.

but maybe that's cause wade's not used to rip; i love tayshaun(actually i love all of detroit's starting 5, but definitely tay and ben are up there), but you never want to give good offensive players the same looks all the time; i guess after a while wade can figure out how to take apart billups, prince and lindsey.

if rip does this again in game 5 and detroit comes away w/the double-u, i will seriously be impressed.

and maybe pistons will enter the finals again, leaving the conf finals with the same words that al michaels said last year, "who was that masked man"