A newer version of the Bad Boys is going to the NBA Finals after a clinching victory Tuesday night in which the operative word was ''Bad.''
In one of the lowest-scoring games in NBA playoff history, Richard Hamilton hit the clutch shot of the night shortly after being flagrantly fouled by Ron Artest, and the Detroit Pistons defeated the Indiana Pacers 69-65 in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference finals.
A thing of beauty it wasn't, even to Pistons fans who booed in the first half but were on their feet by the end of the game.
And it certainly couldn't have thrown anything resembling a scare into the Los Angeles Lakers, who will be the host for Game 1 of the NBA Finals on Sunday night.
This will be the Pistons' first trip to the finals since 1990 when the team nicknamed ''Bad Boys'' for their physical style of play won their second consecutive title.
It's 14 years later, and the Pistons will enter the championship round with a team that plays superb defense put struggles to put points on the board.
The teams combined for just 60 first-half points, breaking the record of 61 set by the Pistons and New Jersey Nets during the second round, and finished with a combined total of 134 just four more than the record-low.
In one of the lowest-scoring games in NBA playoff history, Richard Hamilton hit the clutch shot of the night shortly after being flagrantly fouled by Ron Artest, and the Detroit Pistons defeated the Indiana Pacers 69-65 in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference finals.
A thing of beauty it wasn't, even to Pistons fans who booed in the first half but were on their feet by the end of the game.
And it certainly couldn't have thrown anything resembling a scare into the Los Angeles Lakers, who will be the host for Game 1 of the NBA Finals on Sunday night.
This will be the Pistons' first trip to the finals since 1990 when the team nicknamed ''Bad Boys'' for their physical style of play won their second consecutive title.
It's 14 years later, and the Pistons will enter the championship round with a team that plays superb defense put struggles to put points on the board.
The teams combined for just 60 first-half points, breaking the record of 61 set by the Pistons and New Jersey Nets during the second round, and finished with a combined total of 134 just four more than the record-low.
