Detroit Free Press

INDIANAPOLIS -- So there was Chuck Daly, standing in the hallway before the game, and a little kid in a Pacers ...

We lost a great man this week. He died in a hospital bed in Philadelphia. Few people noticed, because he didn't have a hit TV show or a People magazine cover. You make your living playing jazz saxophone in America, you don't expect a big funeral.

The season begins now. You can forget all those January nights in Denver and Charlotte when you just want to get to the buzzer and get to the plane and get out of town. That is the opening act, the lube job. This is the real thing. Inside the Palace Thursday night, the minutes ticked down and the Pistons were ready. They marched through the tunnel, heads up, eyes glazed, like rock stars sucking in the last breath before they leap onstage.

The season begins now. You can forget all those January nights in Denver when you just want to get to the buzzer ...

You hate to wait. I know this. You want answers. I know this. Who will win the NBA title? Who will be the stars? ...

SAN FRANCISCO -- Today we are going to talk about babies, because I have been out here all week waiting for a ...

"Everything we do is insane. It keeps us sane."-- Scott Hastings, philosopherSo where's the popcorn?""Huh?""The popcorn. Don't you know the rules?""Yeah. Any fan sitting in that seat has to buy us popcorn. And beer.""But . . . the game is going on!""We know that.""Wait a minute. . . . You guys eat during a game?""Of course.""When else?""Are you serious?""We're serious.""And we're hungry. Get going."

First of all, put down that sandwich. You cannot fill out your tax return one-handed, with tomato and mayonnaise ...