Last June the Detroit Pistons played the Lakers two consecutive days in games 1 and 2 of the NBA Finals and came out of L.A. with a split.

This year they have a tougher stretch of road games on consecutive days, a Thursday game at Phoenix and a Friday game at Seattle, two of the Western Conference?s three best teams.

This two-day stretch of games is giving NBA fans a preview of what they should expect this June, because there is no way that the Pistons will not return to the Finals.  

It?s really too bad that the Pistons didn?t have to travel to San Antonio on Saturday, because it is a virtual guarantee that one of those three nights will be the match-up we have waiting for us.

Somehow the Pistons have become the forgotten story this season.

Everyone has talked the Palace brawl to death, but in terms of how it has spoiled the season of the Indiana Pacers season.

Everyone has talked about how Lebron James is remaking the Eastern Conference and the NBA.

Everyone has talked about how Dwyane Wade and Shaquille O?Neal have turned the Heat into an instant powerhouse.

Everyone has talked about the beauty and success in which the Suns and Sonics play basketball.

But it seems that nobody outside of Detroit is talking about how the Pistons have recovered from a shaky start to regain that machine-like form they exhibited in last season?s playoffs.

Watching them in Oakland last Sunday, they allowed a rebuilding Warriors team to stick around for the better part of the game, but there was never a doubt that the professionalism and the absolute expectation and demand on themselves to be victorious would result in a hard-earned road win.

Watching the Pistons in Phoenix on Thursday, the Suns came back from 10 down going into the 4th quarter to take the champs down.  Phoenix played a near-perfect 4th quarter to get the victory, but as good as of a frontline Marion, Stoudemire and Richardson might make, over a seven-game series Wallace, Wallace, Prince and McDyess will simply wear them out.

The thing is that as great as last season?s Pistons team was, this season?s squad is significantly better.

Rasheed Wallace is one of the purest shooting power forwards the world has ever seen and now is completely at ease with his teammates, where last season he seemed to play at times like he was merely a rent-a-player, but after resigning with Detroit, the blue 36 is his jersey.

Antonio McDyess is a former All-Star and while he isn?t the same player of a few year?s back and while Corliss Williamson is a nice player, he adds an extra layer of depth.  Larry Brown is able to give the Wallace?s extended rests while not losing a single step on either side of the floor.

The Carlos Arroyo trade was the steal of the season, as they only gave up Elton Campbell, whom they will have back on their bench.  Arroyo will one day be a starting point guard in the NBA and would be there already if it weren?t for Jerry Sloan and Chauncey Billups.

TayShaun Prince is a year older and his offensive game has matured during that year.  He is able to post smaller small forwards and also consistently hit his jumpers.  And his defensive abilities will continue to make him one of the league?s most valuable commodities for the rest of the decade.

The Larry Brown gypsy rumors will not affect this team at all.  There are too many veterans on this team for that to cause them to unravel.  

This team that Joe Dumars has assembled is so clearly focused on one objective that it will undoubtedly repeat itself again this June.  The question remains whether it will happen versus Thursday?s opponent, Friday?s opponent or the champions of 2003.