NBA FINALS Series shifts to Auburn Hills

The Pistons say Kobe Bryant's 3-pointer in Game 2 won't affect them tonight.
AUBURN HILLS, Mich. (AP) -- Just a few years ago, Kobe Bryant's unbelievable 3-pointer pretty much would have wrapped up the NBA Finals for the Los Angeles Lakers.
Not so long ago, the Lakers held a mental sway over the rest of the league that was nearly as difficult to overcome as their prodigiously talented duo. Los Angeles' three recent titles were built on a litany of improbable shots and rallies similar to the circumstances leading to Bryant's last-gasp, game-tying jumper.
If you don't believe it, just ask the Sacramento Kings about Robert Horry.
"You build your own luck in this game," Lakers coach Phil Jackson said Wednesday. "What [the Lakers] do have is that competitive zeal, that extra effort that shows up."
Fearless
But though they just got a firsthand look at it, the Detroit Pistons believe that mystique is fading.
Sure, Bryant and Shaquille O'Neal have roughly the same skill level as in years past, but the mere sight of the Lakers isn't nearly as frightening -- particularly to a team that came within 40 seconds to two straight upset victories in Los Angeles.
As the Pistons prepared for Game 3 tonight back home at The Palace of Auburn Hills, they had no doubt in their abilities to rally past their Game 2 collapse.
"Granted, they're a good team, but we ain't scared of nobody," Detroit forward Rasheed Wallace said. "I don't know why all you cats think we're scared of the Lakers, or that the Lakers are this dominant force. We ain't scared of those cats, man."
Coach Larry Brown's decision not to foul the Lakers in the final seconds drew tremendous scrutiny from fans and media alike, but he insists he would play the final moments the same way.
A foul would have given the Lakers two free throws -- when they needed three points to tie -- with less than 10 seconds left. The Pistons had plenty of opportunities to send a bad free-throw shooter to the line before Bryant launched his shot.
"We don't foul in a situation like that," Brown said, explaining he feared a four-point play. "I thought about it. We talked about if they threw it inside, yeah, when Shaq gets it, put him on the line. But I don't want to take a chance like that."
Brown's decision allowed Bryant to complete the Lakers' rally from a six-point deficit in the final minute. The Pistons were eviscerated, scoring just one basket in the overtime period -- a historic low in a finals game.
Nullifying the shot
But there's ample reason to believe Bryant's shot won't carry the same dramatic weight as Horry's game-winning 3-pointer against the Kings two years ago. Or even Derek Fisher's game-winning jumper in Game 5 of this season's second round against San Antonio.
The Pistons soundly outplayed the Lakers for nearly all of the first two games in Los Angeles, running their simple pick-and-rolls and post-up plays to perfection, then hounding the Lakers' supporting cast into near-complete ineffectiveness on the other end of the court.
Chauncey Billups has embarrassed Gary Payton and Fisher, the Lakers' struggling point-guard duo -- though Fisher is less than full strength with a knee injury. Wallace also has dominated Karl Malone, who re-injured his knee during Game 2 and might not be available in Detroit.
Payton and Malone weren't a part of the Lakers' championship teams, so they've only seen the mystique from the opposing bench. In search of the first titles of their career, they don't subscribe to the laid-back approach of Bryant or Jackson.
"We've got to get the first one, that's the most important thing [in Detroit]," Payton said. "We've got to go into Game 3 thinking we're going to get it. We need three, and we probably ain't going to get three in a row, so we've got to get a good start on it."
Rowdy fans
The next three games will be played in the Detroit suburbs before a rowdy crowd that will bear no resemblance to the fans at Staples Center, which has been quiet even by its own standards this postseason.
Unless one of the teams wins all three games, something a home team has never done since the NBA switched to a 2-3-2 finals format in 1985, the series returns to Los Angeles on June 17.
As Bryant calmly stated after each game in Los Angeles, both teams expect a long series. Brown probably will have another opportunity to make a game-changing strategic decision -- and Bryant probably will get a chance to make Brown regret it.
"The hangover was [Tuesday] night," Brown said. "That's over. We went to L.A. and gave ourselves a chance to win two games against a great team. That's the way we're going to look at it."