7:00 PM on Tuesday, June 15th...

KIDS WHOOPING IN THE STREET. PHONES RINGING OFF THE HOOK, "ARE YOU WATCHING THE GAME?" RED AND BLUE AND WHITE BANNERS STRUNG. 'FROS UNLEASHED. SOUNDS OF MOTOWN BLARING. LUNGS BURNING. HEARTBEATS RACING. HANDS WRINGING. MUSCLES TENSE. SHEESH...

AND THAT'S JUST LIVONIA.

Two hours and counting before the Detroit Pistons and the Los Angeles Lakers face off in Game 5 of the NBA Finals at the Palace of Auburn Hills. The Pistons could win it tonight. If they do, they'll be the first team ever to win all three middle games of a finals series. If they win this series -- whether it happens tonight or in Game 7 -- their coach, Larry Brown, will become the first coach to obtain both an NBA and an NCAA championship. On the other hand, if the Lakers come back tonight and then sweep the rest of the series (as they must to win), they will become the first team ever to overcome a deficit of this kind -- down, three games to one -- to win an NBA title. So history will be made. Which team, coach, players, and, inevitabley, city will claim this victory... achieve this glory... command this respect... earn this honor... and write their names in the history books remains to be seen.

No matter what happens tonight, this is gonna be good, folks...
NBA Finals, Game 5
Detroit Pistons vs. Los Angeles Lakers
TONIGHT, 9:00pm, @ the Palace.
GET YOUR TV, YOUR RADIO, YOUR TECHNOLOGICALLY-SUPERIOR-CELL-PHONE-ON-STEROIDS, OR JUST CALL ME FOR UPDATES... CUZ ONE WAY OR ANOTHER, YOU'LL WANT TO BE THERE. IT'S TIME FOR SOME D-TOWN B-BALL.
GO PISTONS!

T-MINUS 90 MINUTES...