All that being said, I was disgusted with the Lakers' performance. They came in overconfident and didn't work hard for at least two of the first three games. By then, the Lakers had been psyched out by the Pistons, and the entire mindset of the series had changed. The injury to Malone hurt also, but the worst thing was the way the team tore themselves apart by dissension.
I don't begrudge the teams themselves. If you're the best, you're the best. What I hate is the arrogance. Thanks for having the class to turn it down a notch after a defeat, something that Yankees fans had trouble doing after losing to the D'backs.