So give me one good reason, one good reason to stay tuned for the remainder of the 2005 NBA Finals.  

 Bryan Adams references aside, I dare you to give me a reason why a Finals matchup that initially had as much appeal as watching paint dry is worth paying further attention to at this point, now that the San Antonio Spurs enjoy a commanding 2-0 lead heading to Detroit.  

 Well, alright, I was hired to cover the NBA this season for RealGM, so I pretty much have no choice.  But other than that, I can?t possibly come up with a bona fide reason as to why I would continue to follow these Finals.

 It-is-over.  There will be no repeat for the Detroit Pistons; Larry Brown will ride off into the sunset - or more like Cleveland, Ohio, where he?ll likely stay there for no more than two seasons as team president before he decides he needs to return to coaching - and perhaps the Darko Milicic era in Motown can finally begin.  The Spurs, meanwhile, when they capture their third title in seven years can be regarded as the NBA's next dynasty.  They?re that good, and dare I say even getting better?  

 Although we did not have high expectations for this year?s Finals in terms of excitement, a competitive series, in the very least, was expected.  But after the Spurs? 97-76 annihilation of the Pistons in Game 2 at the SBC Center - a game in which San Antonio never trailed - it is painfully apparent that we?re not even going to get that much.  

 What have the Pistons shown through the first two games of the series that would have you believe they?re going to make a comeback?  At this point, the defending champs can?t even hit uncontested lay-ups (I counted about, oh, 15 misses or so from inside four feet in Game 2) and are not displaying the hunger of a team trying to repeat.  Detroit is simply outclassed and overmatched by a far superior Spurs squad.

 Richard Hamilton, for the most part a quiet, well-mannered star, has repeatedly shown signs of frustration as he can?t get any offense going (14 PPG on 12-of-36 shooting through the first two games), thanks in large part to the stingy defense of Bruce Bowen, who at the same time managed to outscore Hamilton in Game 2, 15-14.  Tayshaun Prince, one of the unheralded stars of these playoffs, has been a non-factor (14 points combined through Games 1 & 2).  As has ?Not so Big? Ben Wallace, the NBA?s Defensive Player of the Year, and Rasheed Wallace (8.5 PPG in the series).  In fact, other than perhaps Chauncey Billups, no one on the Pistons squad has bothered to show up.

 ?I don?t think we?ve been nearly as aggressive as they?ve been,?  Brown said.  ?Defensively, we?ve just been soft, and we haven?t been able to keep them in front of us.?

 ?Their execution is beautiful to watch.  They get what they want inside, and because of their dribble penetration especially, they can get what they want outside.?

 San Antonio finished the game shooting 47% from the field, including hitting on 11-of-24 attempts from beyond the arc.  Detroit, meanwhile, went 0-for-6 from 3-point land.  

 ?The game is much easier when guys are hitting so many shots from the outside,? said Tim Duncan, who finished with 18 points and 11 rebounds.  ?We?re just doing a good job right now of moving the ball around and getting wide open looks at the basket.?

 With the next three games to be played at The Palace of Auburn Hills, the Pistons will need to sweep in order to have a chance - something that just does not seem feasible with the way the Spurs are playing right now.  Even winning two out of three won?t be enough, because there?s no way San Antonio loses back-to-back games at home.  But at this point, Coach Brown would settle for a good quarter of basketball.

 ?Hopefully, going back home and playing in front of our crowd we can throw the first punch and be more aggressive.  With our crowd, hopefully we can get our confidence back.?

 Brown and the Pistons will need to get their groove back in a hurry because you know the Spurs are running on all cylinders at this point and aren't about to suffer a letdown; championship teams keep their opponent down for the count, which doesn?t bode well for Detroit.  

 So enjoy Pistons? PA announcer Mason?s chants of ?De-troit basket-ball,? because that will be about the only form of entertainment left in these Finals.  

Kostas.Bolos@realgm.com