Auburn Hills, Mich. – While Detroit Pistons coach Larry Brown expects his team to move on to the NBA Finals, his sentimental side has caused him to wonder if his last game as a coach is on the horizon.
Brown, who is having bladder and hip problems, has said his reign as coach of the Pistons could end if he doesn’t have a favorable medical checkup after the season. There also has been speculation he could become the Cleveland Cavaliers’ president.
With his health in mind, Brown acknowledged he did think about it possibly being his last game as Detroit’s coach before the Pistons’ 91-66 rout of the Miami Heat in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference finals Saturday. And with Game 7 tonight in Miami, those thoughts could arrive again.
“I told my wife (Shelly) before the game, there was a thought because you have so much time before games,” Brown said Sunday before an afternoon flight to Miami. “I thought about it. But, I also know I want to do this. One, I hope we can keep playing for this team. That’s the most important thing.”
Brown believes winning in Miami tonight will be the Pistons’ biggest challenge yet, and Detroit’s playoff history echoes that statement.
There have been 90 Game 7s in NBA history with the home team winning 74. The most recent team to win a Game 7 on the road was the Los Angeles Lakers, which featured Shaquille O’Neal, over the Sacramento Kings in the 2002 Western Conference finals.
The Pistons are 3-4 in Game 7s. The four losses came on the road: in the 1998 NBA Finals against the Lakers, the 1987 Eastern Conference finals against Boston, the 1974 Western Conference semifinals against Chicago and as the Fort Wayne Pistons playing at Syracuse in the 1954 NBA Finals.
“I hope history doesn’t repeat itself,” Brown said. “This has been a great series. It’s a great opportunity for both teams. The reward is incredible. Hopefully, we’ll relax and play and have a positive result.”
Detroit and Miami players were not made available to the media Sunday, and neither team practiced. Miami coach Stan Van Gundy also didn’t have a media session.
For the Heat, which never has played in the NBA Finals, this is the biggest game in the franchise’s 17-year history.
Miami also has a 3-4 record in Game 7s. During the Heat’s only other visit to the Eastern Conference finals, in 1997, Michael Jordan’s Chicago Bulls won the series 4-1. The Heat has sentimental reasons to get to the NBA Finals. Center Alonzo Mourning, one of the franchise’s all-time greats who has been hampered by kidney problems, never has been there. O’Neal could make it back without former Lakers teammate Kobe Bryant. And going to the Finals could cement guard Dwyane Wade as one of the league’s premier players.
“It’s really going to show a lot,” Mourning said Saturday about Game 7. “It’s going to expose anybody that steps into that arena that’s not ready.”
Wade, who missed Game 6 because of a strained rib-cage muscle, is questionable for Game 7. He spent Sunday undergoing massage, icing, whirlpool and electric stimulation.
Despite his 27-point scoring average in the series, Brown hopes to see Wade in uniform.
“It will probably affect him more offensively,” Brown said of Wade’s injury. “He’s so acrobatic and athletic. He’s had some time to rest. And I mean this, I really hope he can play.”
A win in Game 7 gives the Pistons a chance to repeat as NBA champs for the second time in team history. It also would give Brown a chance to finish his coaching career on top.
“When you’re growing up as a kid, I’m sure you think about these things,” Brown said. “There were so many great rivalries in our league. Boston and the Lakers. Chicago … (Ex- Lakers star) Magic (Johnson) talked about playing three Game 7s in one championship run when they won the title. I remember being with (former Houston coach) Rudy (Tomjanovich) in 2000 and he talked about all the elimination games they faced when they won.
“I don’t think it gets much better than this, and I hope it’s a great game. It’s good for our league.”
Staff writer Marc J. Spears can be reached at 303-820-5449 or mspears@denverpost.com.
