Anyways, I want to be the first to congratulate the Pistons on their trip to the NBA Finals for the second straight year. After the season this team has had, it is a true testament to the strength of this team. But, have you noticed that in the national media, the defending champions receive absolutely no credit for advancing once again to the Finals. It’s like Corey Haim getting nominated for a second straight Oscar, but no one would give him credit.

Ok, Corey Haim and the Pistons should never be mentioned in the same sentence again, but you get where I am going.

I truly believe there is a conspiracy in the NBA against the Pistons, and this conspiracy starts at the top. Now, I know NBA Commissioner David Stern is an avid reader of my column, so before he logs onto Detroit Buzz and decides to fine me $100,000, listen to this Dave:

• I do not play, or coach in your league.
• Come try collecting $100,000 from me, good freakin’ luck.

After winning the Larry O’Brien Trophy last year, you would have thought that the Pistons have earned some respect from the basketball media. Far from it. After the Pistons won the Eastern Conference against the over-hyped, gutless Miami Heat, I heard a few of the following statements:

• In a post game interview on TNT, big mouth Charles Barkley, who is obviously jealous of anyone who has won a title, asked Rasheed Wallace “So, you beat Miami. So What? Now you have to play Tim Duncan and the Spurs, how will you ever beat the Spurs?” I’m sorry Charles, but it seems like you are showing some bias towards one team. That’s not objective journalism to me. Why don’t you go write another book that sells absolutely nothing….
• ESPN analyst Mark Jackson (another guy who has won between zero and zilch in the NBA) gave 3 out of the 4 key matchups to the Pistons. YET, he still says that the Spurs will win the series. Wait a minute! You can’t give the advantage on paper to someone, and then totally change your answer. Did someone get to Mark Jackson as well? I think so.

This was all just after the win to put the Pistons in the NBA Finals. But as Detroit fans, you know we’ve been putting up with this bias against the Pistons all season. The national basketball media wanted to portray our fans here in Detroit as soccer hooligans. Ah, excuse me, it wasn’t the Detroit fans that jumped into the crowd and punched a fan. That was Ron Artest. The Detroit fans didn’t run across court and slug some kid. That was NBA favorite (and classic whiner) Jermaine O’Neal. Guess what the Pistons did in the playoffs? Took care of business, and beat them in six games. Basketball Media, sit down!

All throughout the conference finals, we were told that Dwayne Wade was the next Jordan, and that Mr. Monotone, Shaquille “Kaazam” O’Neal, would demolish the Pistons. Once again, the basketball media downed Detroit, and said that their championship was a fluke. We even had a Miami Herald columnist, Dan LeBatard, say that Detroit was the “pit of the universe,” to hype his own team up. Guess what happened? It took seven games, but the Pistons sent Shaq home early once again this year. Pistons in seven. Somebody want to get Dwayne Wade (the whining wimp), the 18 guys named Jones on the Heat, and the whole ESPN crew some tissues?

But, where does all this hostility towards the Pistons come from? It comes from the top, back to David Stern. He realizes that the NBA could use some ratings, and that big stars draw big ratings. Stern’s precious players like Shaq, Kobe Bryant and LeBron James draw the casual fan in, fans that normally would be watching summer re-runs. He wants the Pistons to lose, maybe because of their team style, which he would probably deem as “boring.” Now he’s double screwed, because the Pistons are facing the Western Conference equivalent of them, the San Antonio Spurs. In what will be a good series, the Spurs and Pistons probably won’t draw the best ratings, but it should be hard fought and intriguing. But, to David Stern, there is no winner, because he thinks both teams are losers for him financially and in the ratings book.

Here you go David, extra tissues for you. And here’s a Bud-whiner for you too. Do you need some French cries with that?

Art can be reached at arthatesyou@detroitbuzz.com.