LIKE HAN SOLO SAID: I got a bad feeling about this.

Magic calling out the Lakers, Shaq and Kobe returning to their creative tension method of winning games, the Lakers talking up the magic triangle, Shaq being asked about his decline all weekend, Phil Jackson calling out the refs, the Pistons' well-publicized problems with Game Fours, a weekend of rest....I'm seeing some Laker stepping forward for a big game who isn't Shaq or Kobe, along with big games from them. Possibly GP or that huckster and hack, Devean George. If Slava Medvedenko is the Lakers' hero tonight, I'm quitting.

But the tea leaves are coming up Lakers for me tonight. I just hope it's an effort win either way and not a magic triangle win. Effort wins keep the Pistons' chances alive.

While Chris Hitchens went inside to freshen his drink, Laura Rozen cornered a Chalabi-friend. You should read Laura's whole blog, of course.

Remember: If you're a Lakers fan, you are actively choosing evil. Even if you're from LA you could be a Clippers fan. No other evil sports franchise gives you the chance to turn away from it due to the presence of an alternative if you're a native of that area, save the Yankees.

Detroit News: Pistons at pivotal point. Wounded Lakers are primed for comeback. I'm not the only one with a bad feeling.

The one bright spot for the Pistons is that Rasheed has done jack thus far. If Karl isn't playing tonight, one suspects he won't get fouled onto the bench quite so quickly, as the refs won't treat Medvedenko or George or Luke Walton with the same respect they give crafty veteran Karl Malone. So a big game from Rasheed will counteract any offensive trickery the Lakers employ, in my opinion. I will leave it to bigger basketball theorists than I to decide if using the triangle will have that great of an impact, given Fisher's injuries and the Lakers' inadequacy at the other two positions. Fisher can still make that shot from the corner, though.

I love this 2004 Pistons=1979 Sonics thing. Once every 25 years a team arises within the Matrix, able to change it from within....

This extra day between championship games is one day too long. I bet the whole state of Michigan got the bad feelings right now.

Over in the Arena league, it's meet the new boss/same as the old boss for your Arenabowl XVIII: SaberCats vs. Rattlers. We were this close to the AFL credibility-destroying Crush vs. Rush Arenabowl. I await the credibility meltdown of future VooDoo vs. Soul Arenabowls.

I will deaden the pain of tonight's game by catching up on much neglected homework and watching it in silence in the backgroud. If I end up deadening feelings of joy, so be it, Jedi.