In Game 3 Ben Wallace became the first player to ever hold Shaquille O'Neal to fewer than 25 points in a Finals game. Elsa/Getty Images

SI.com's Jack McCallum answers five of the more intriguing questions to arise out of the 2004 Finals after three games.

1. Wasn't this series supposed to be a cakewalk for the Lakers?

For one thing, I think the "cakewalk" idea had pretty much disappeared by the time the series was ready to start. For example, I said the Lakers would win the series in six or even seven; that doesn't constitute a cakewalk, in my view. I'm sure there were some "experts" who picked the Lakers in four or five, and certainly L.A.'s diehard fans expected that, but the consensus was that it would be a tough series. Second, the Lakers' injuries, particularly Karl Malone's, have been a factor, especially in a series in which there was only one day of rest between Games 1 and 2, and one day of rest (along with travel) between Games 2 and 3. And, third, against a decimated Lakers defense (Malone is often their best defender), Detroit's inconsistent offense has executed much better than people expected.

2. Has Detroit coach Larry Brown defended the Lakers any differently this time around than he did when he coached the 76ers against them in the 2001 Finals?

This is not to detract from the Pistons effort, but remember this: The Lakers are not the same as they were in 2001. I think Brown has largely done the same thing from a strategic standpoint, though with better interior defenders, such as Ben Wallace and Rasheed Wallace. But Shaquille O'Neal is not the same Shaquille O'Neal, and the triangle offense that functioned so well back then, with Rick Fox and Derek Fisher playing key roles, is not the same.

3. Many people were comparing Kobe Bryant to Michael Jordan after Kobe's Game 2 heroics. After a Game 3 in which Kobe scored 11 points, can we set those comparisons aside? Were they ever accurate?

Well, as somebody who covered Jordan closely, I never bought them. But Kobe is good enough, certainly, for people to have raised the question. The big difference is maturity. Don't forget, Jordan was a hardened 28 by the time he got to his first Finals in 1991. He was a MAN who had gone through a lot, having been tossed around by the Pistons for several years. Kobe doesn't have Jordan's physical gifts, and, in a sense, this championship thing came rather easily to him, since he won his first when he was only 21. He's still growing, as a player and as a physical presence.

4. It's obvious Gary Payton is none too happy. Has his game deteriorated that much this year or is he that bad a fit for the Lakers' triangle offense?

Both. Even before he signed on the dotted line last summer, Phil Jackson was worried about Payton's capacity as a defender and thought he had lost a step or two, which is a lot when you're a perimeter defender. The fact that Payton was never able to crank it up on the defensive end carried over to his offense. Yes, he's a bad fit for the triangle, but he's a bad fit, too, to be playing with Kobe at this time. It's one thing for a player who's always been the focal point of the offense to enter the ball to a center, which Payton can do. But, suddenly, he's being asked to cede much of his perimeter game to a superior player (Bryant), and Payton has been unable to figure out how to do that.

5. The Pistons have shot almost twice as many free throws (91-56) in the first three games of the Finals as have the Lakers. Why have the Pistons been so effective at getting to the line and the Lakers been so ineffective?

Aggressiveness and tired legs. I didn't think Game 3 was the proudest moment for the officials, who called some ticky-tack fouls and ignored some serious contact in what was an extremely physical game. But by and large, the personal foul advantage will go to the team taking the ball to the hoop. And the Pistons have at least four or five players who are doing that -- Chauncey Billups, Rip Hamilton, Rasheed Wallace, Tayshaun Prince, even Corliss Williamson, who made both of his free-throw attempts on Thursday night. Who's driving for the Lakers? Bryant. Period. The most incredible stat from Game 3 was that O'Neal never got to the foul line while drawing a call going to the basket; the only free throws he shot came as the result of a loose ball.

Sports Illustrated senior writer Jack McCallum covers the NBA for the magazine and is a regular contributor to SI.com.