---

Note: Exclusive coverage of the NBA Finals on ABC (with analyst Doc Rivers) and ESPN Radio (with analyst Dr. Jack Ramsay) will begin with Game 1 Sunday night. Coverage for all games will begin at 8:30 p.m. ET on ABC and ESPN Radio.

PRESCRIPTION FORM
Date: June 3, 2004

Prescription for: Detroit Pistons vs. Los Angeles Lakers

Doc Rivers
ABC Sports
New York, NY 10023

DIAGNOSIS:
"The Lakers have more talent and the Pistons are tougher mentally. It'll go deeper than people think -- 6 or 7 games.

PRESCRIPTION AS FOLLOWS...

Dr. Jack Ramsay
ESPN Radio
Bristol, CT 06010

DIAGNOSIS:
"If the Lakers play efficiently and without the peaks and valleys that frequently accompany their game, they should win in five."

PRESCRIPTION AS FOLLOWS...

Detroit Pistons:

- The first thing Larry Brown will tell them is that they are going to win... not that they can win, but that they will win. I've always thought if a coach tells his team they "can" win, what that means is they have to play perfectly to win. He won't say this publicly, but privately he's got to get them to believe they will win.

- The Pistons have to score some points, and they will score more than they did against Indiana. The Lakers are a good defensive team, but not a great one. Detroit is not a fastbreak team, but they have to push the ball up court whenever possible.

- If Detroit averages 95 points per game, they will win the series. But to do that, they have to play turnover-free basketball and not give the Lakers any easy baskets.

- We're going to find out if the Eastern Conference Finals was bad offense or great defense, and I think we'll discover Detroit and Indiana were playing amazing defense.

- On defense, Detroit will throw as many big guys at Shaq as possible. They have a lot of fouls to exhaust and it still won't hurt their team.

- A bigger problem is Detroit's matchup with Kobe. Nobody matches up well with him. Prince has the size but not the speed, while Hamilton has the speed but not the size. Los Angeles Lakers:

- Phil Jackson has to convince his team this will be a tough, hard- fought series. Secondly, he has to get the Lakers to respect the Pistons' offense. Everyone thinks Detroit can't score.

- Offensively, everything goes through Shaq. He needs lots of touches because the Pistons don't start a true center.

- Despite the Hall of Fame lineup, the Lakers' bench could be a big factor, especially Derek Fisher and Kareem Rush. They will have to play well.

- It will be interesting to see who guards Rip Hamilton. If he is the NBA's best athlete, then Kobe is second. I think Kobe will guard Hamilton a lot, so that will be interesting to watch.

Detroit Pistons:

- Larry Brown will tell them this is a chance that comes along not too often and they need to jump on the opportunity. History will tell them the underdog has won many Finals and they can be one of those teams. He will remind his team they have been acknowledged as the best defense in the NBA and defense wins championships. They have to forget what others are saying.

- Detroit's first decision is how to defend Shaq. You can't let him get the ball in the paint. Of course, that's the objective and it's easier said than done. They will likely have Ben Wallace in front of Shaq with Rasheed Wallace on the weakside playing in the lane or even right up in back of Shaq. They have plenty of bodies to accumulate fouls on Shaq if need be.

- Detroit's second problem is Kobe. He scores from everywhere, but if anyone gives him problems, it's someone with length, and Tayshaun Prince's wingspan is equal to Shaq's -- 7' 2". He is a good defender who is tenacious. He needs to make Kobe shoot tougher shots further from the basket than he wants.

- Offensively, the Pistons will run a lot of screens and rolls to get Shaq involved, making decisions on the floor.

- Being underdogs, it's an advantage to start on the road. If they can steal one in L.A., they'll be all fired up. Los Angeles Lakers:

- Phil Jackson will tell his team to take nothing for granted. He'll say "We all know what we're after and we didn't come this far to waste the season. Let's get this done."

- Phil is very good at getting players to understand what they need to do and get motivated to play a team game. Players trust him that the plan will work.

- The Lakers don't have to change their game in any regard. If you look at the matchups, there should no way the Pistons can keep Shaq under control.

- My guess is that Kobe will want to play Hamilton, but it takes a team to guard him. The Pistons will run Hamilton off baseline screens and side court screens on the same play, so Kobe will need help from his teammates.

Refill up to 6 times.