Scott Morganroth: I’m not surprised that the Pistons lost to Boston because the Celtics proved they were the better team and were hungrier. What bothered my about this series was not seeing the Pistons going as deep into their bench as they did during the regular season. Arron Afflalo and Amir Johnson should have played much, much more than they did. The only bright spot in this series was the emergence of Rodney Stuckey.

            Eichorn: I think Saunders must go. The man simply cannot take a team into the NBA Finals as was shown the past three seasons here with losses to the Heat, Cavaliers and Celtics. Also, it appears that many of his players may be dancing to their own music on and off the court. Let’s put it this way, Saunders is a solid coach but the team needs someone who is willing to kick some booty when needed, to keep some discipline on the bench and in the locker room. I’m convinced that Flip is not that coach.

Morganroth: The easiest thing to do is to fire Flip and even though Michael Curry is the coach in waiting, is he really the answer right now? When the Pistons fired Rick Carlisle, they had their succession plan in line in Larry Brown that subsequently paid off with a title. Even if Saunders were to get fired, there are enough teams that would be waiting in line to hire him. He does well in the regular season and with the NBA being an offensive oriented league, his teams would score points and put posteriors in the stands.

The Pistons had a good year winning 59 games in making it to the conference finals. Do you think that Pistons fans that watched them play in Cobo Arena and the early years of the Pontiac Silverdome would ever complain about reaching the conference finals year in and year out. I understand that the championship standards are higher these days but the fans are getting their money’s worth compared to the bad old days.

Eichorn: I think Rasheed has to move on but it is going to be difficult for team president Joe Dumars to move his large salary for 2008-2009. ‘Sheed is talented yet inconsistent as was proven in the Boston series. It’s time to make room for youngsters like Maxiel, Afflalo and Jonson, or obtain a veteran center such as Jermaine O’Neal or Kurt Thomas who can step in and help Detroit win the East. Rasheed was at his best when his old buddy Larry Brown from North Carolina was here to act as a father figure.

Morganroth: Trying to figure out Rasheed’s future would be like tackling the Rubik’s Cube. The Pistons couldn’t have won a title without him. Should he leave as a free agent after this season, you know Brown and Michael Jordan would love to have him in the Tar Heel State playing for the Charlotte Bobcats. Brown loved Wallace and since Jordan’s teams in Washington and Charlotte have never made the playoffs, Michael might actually show that he as executive qualities. He’s been a failure so far. I know Joe Dumars will be smart enough to figure this out.

            Eichorn: Well, well, well…ABC and ESPN got what they wanted in the Boston match up against the Los Angeles Lakers. The league and networks could not have scripted this any better. Kevin Garnett of Boston told me following his Game 6 win over Detroit that he can still remember watching the Boston-LA games on Sunday afternoons as a teen at home, listening to Dick Stockton and Hubie Brown. He’s right. This is a Finals series made for the ages. The ratings should skyrocket with Garnett, Paul Pierce, Ray Allen and Kobe Bryant in the best-of-seven series. I predict a Lakers’ series win in six games.

Morganroth: The Boston-LA series is to the NBA as the Red Wings-Pittsburgh Penguins is to the NHL. ABC and NBC each got their dream matchups therefore ratings should be strong. I’m glad that Allen, Garnett and Pierce will get their chance to win a title. The late Al McGuire would be proud that his student — Doc Rivers – finally has a chance to win a championship on his own. The two won one together with the Marquette Warriors in 1977. I’d like to see the Celtics pull this one out.

How often can a league say that every team in one conference such as the Western would win 50 games to get in the playoffs? The Lakers truly earned their way to the finals. But this season proved that you could see big names like Jason Kidd and Shaquille O’ Neill change hands but that doesn’t guarantee a trip to the finals. San Antonio still battled hard but I was happy to see the New Orleans Hornets make a great playoff run. I was in New Orleans this past December and drove through the areas hit hard by Hurricane Katrina and was sick to my stomach. In the East, Orlando and Philadelphia are making progress but I’m real surprised at how hard the Miami Heat has fallen two years after winning a title. Seeing their stadium less than half full when the Pistons were here was very sad.

            Reach George Eichorn at geichorn@yahoo.com and Scott Morganroth at scottbullm@aol.com.