Celtics Fall Against Pistons

The Pistons proved to be too much for the Celts today, handing the green a 105-95 loss at the Garden. After taking the first two games against the Pistons this season, the Celtics were not able to complete the sweep. Paul Pierce had a game high 26 points and if not for his efforts, the Celts would have been playing Gabe Pruitt and Bill Walker for most of the fourth quarter. Glenn Davis had put together solid back to back games, he added 18 points and 6 rebounds.

The story of this game was three point shooting. The Pistions shot 50% (7-14) from behind the arc, while the Celtics shot an anemic 14% (2-14) from long distance. Going into the fourth quarter, the Celtics were 0-9 on 3 pt. attempts. Eddie House attempted to revive the offense late in the fourth, however, Detroit's gunners, Tayshaun Prince and Rip Hamilton combined to go 4-6 from downtown. Hamilton showed today why he deserves to be in the starting lineup. He added 9 assists and 6 rebounds to compliment his team high 25 points. On the defensive end, Hamilton held fellow Husky, Ray Allen to 10 points on just 2 of 10 shooting.

The Celtics missed KG's defense against Detroit, it seemed that the Celts rotation was too slow to catch up with the Pistons perimeter offense. With this loss, the Celtics move down to second in the eastern conference behind the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Side note: Marbury was scoreless with 2 turnovers and 4 fouls.

89 Celtics, 81 Pistons

The Celtics had a great season, a storybook play-offs and now the finals built by destiny. The Celtics vs Lakers not only is a huge rivalry it's a pride issue. Pierce, KG, and Ray Allen have never made it to the finals before and to beat beat Kobe and the new "Showtime" Lakers. The Celtics who won 24 games last year finished off the season with an impressive 66 wins then although they couldn't finish the Hawks in the time I thought they would they beat them in seven games, then beat the defending Eastern Conference Champions in LeBron James' Cavs in seven games, then beat the always tough defensive minded, experienced Detroit Pistons in 6 games in DE-Troit.

Although James Posey's stat sheet will say only 3 points and 4 rebounds, he is my MVP for this game. If not for his unbelievable defense on basically every player, and in the final minutes keeping Chauncey Billups at quite. Also he had the play of the game with a minute on the clock and the Celtics up by 4, Tayshaun Prince got a rebound and Posey snuck behind him and stripped the ball, ultimately sealing the deal for the game. For all of this I label him M.V.Posey.

K.G. had a terrible first half but was able to right the ship with 16 points and play good defense on Antonio McDyess at the end of the game. Another guy who deserves to make it to the finals.

With Rip Hamilton's status being in question before the game he proved to everyone he is a baller and still a queer. Rip is the new Reggie Miller in my eye, he gives everyone cheap shots and flops whenever possible. With that being said he had 21 points on 9-14 shooting, but luckily the Celtics UConn guy Ray Allen had 17 points of his own and proved he still got game.

Another guy I am happy I won't get to see again these play-offs is Chauncey Billups. Billups was an absolute pain in the ass, he had 29 points, 6 rebounds, and 6 assists and was able to score at will for a majority of the game. He scares me more than anyone else in the league, and with Rondo guarding Derrick Fisher, I'm very content with that match-up. Rajon last night had 11 points, 4 rebounds and 3 assists, and with those 11 points, he hit a crucial jumper with a minute left and proved he can score if needed.

Rasheed Wallace had a terrible series this series. In his final game he finished with 4 points on 2-12 shooting and had 10 boards, but in the final minutes Kendrick Perkins (7 points, 7 rebounds) played magnificent defense giving him zero opportunities for shot attempts.
One of the most touching moments after the game was watching Doc and Pierce embrace each other. With Pierce only making it to the Eastern Conference Finals once and Doc never making it out of the first round, it was a very good sight to see, and you felt good for them.
Bye Rasheed


They won this game much like they won many games this season; as a team and hopefully that will carry over to the next series.
Box Score

With that being said:
BEAT LA

Celtics vs Pistons

With one game away from the finals I have one word to win this game intensity. If the Celtics can play like they did in game 3 this should be an easy one. Doc needs to stick with Rondo the whole game like last game, and if Perk can do close to what he did last game we should be in good shape. Also, Ray Allen hopefully stays hot and with Rip Hamilton shaken up he can take advantage of him early and often.

The things that have worried me are the lack of intensity in the forth quarter blowing big leads, and also, enough with these two foot passes they are ridiculous and sometimes leads to an easy turnover.

I'll let Red Auerbach do the rest of the talking:

106 Celtics, 102 Pistons

In a must win game 5 the Celtics played good enough to win, and I guess that is all that matters. A couple guys were the reason this happened Kendrick Perkins, Ray Allen, Kevin Garnett, Rajon Rondo, and Doc Rivers.

Lets start with Perk who pulled down 16 rebounds and scored 18 points. Perk seems like he hasn't progressed that much but you can see Kevin Garnett's influence on the big fella. Perk is creating his own shot and while not the best jumper he was able to get to almost every ball for the rebound. If Perk continues to be a force on the inside that will open up a lot for Ray Allen, and Paul Pierce.


Kevin Garnett had the most points on the team with 33 but none came bigger than at the two free throws he knocked down with the time dwindling down. Even though Rasheed Wallace scored 18 points, he had zero points in the paint and that I believe is his strong point. And when I am on Rasheed Wallace he got a momentum killing technical when the Pistons were on a run, and believe the technical could be another reason they lost.
Rajon only scored 7 points and 3-14 from the field but he did have 13 assists, 1 turnover, and played a game high 46 minutes. That 46 minutes can be praised to Doc Rivers who played Sam Cassell for only two minutes and realizing he can not take the defensive full court pressure. Also, to Docs credit I liked in the final minute when the Celtics were up by three he chose to foul the Pistons to make them shoot at the line rather than possibly giving up a game tying three pointer. I have been critical of Doc this year but he coached the game masterfully yesterday
That brings us to Jesus Shuttlesworth aka Ray Allen who scored 29 points on 9-15 shotting and was 5-6 behind the line. Ray looked very confident and back to himself and hopefully it will continue. He also hit two critical three throws and an inbound jumper to basically put this game out of the reach of the Pistons.

Some side notes:
Jason Maxiell only played 11 minutes after playing a great game the night before
Rip Hamilton hurt his right arm and had an MRI that was negative, but is in a sling today.
Rasheed Wallace is one technical away from being suspended from a game.


Box Score

Celtics vs Pistons

O.K., last game was a lot closer than the 19 point game that the scoreboard. Also, my biggest fear happened Jason Maxiell, and to win this game the Celtics need to find a way to make the guy be a non factor like the first two games. On the positive not the Celtics probably would have won the game if not for a perfect game from Antonio McDyess and a great game by Maxiell. I have putting off the inevitable but Ray Allen needs to do something, if not for the Celtics offense but to tire Rip Hamilton on the defensive end. Also, the Celtics need better guard play, Rondo and Cassell were terrible and they need attack, and the Celtics need to stop settling for jump shots. Paul Pierce, Rajon Rondo, KG, and to some extent Ray Allen all need to attack the basket.

Celtics vs Pistons

Okay, so what did we learn from game 1? Chauncey Billups is not 100%, and KG can dominate Sheed on both ends of the court. With that being said, I believe Rondo and KG will be the biggest factors in tonight's game. We need to expose Chauncey's injury forcing Lindsey Hunter in, and then KG will get into Sheed's head. I believe 100-78 tonight with Rondo winning the Tommy Award.

88 Celtics, 79 Pistons

Pop your jersey KG because you deserve it. In game one the restless Celtics found a way against the restful Pistons. Kevin Garnett played unbelievable scoring 26 points, 9 rebounds, and 4 assists, while dominating Rasheed Wallace (3-12 shooting) on both end of the floor. This is a key to winning this series because if you get in his head early, he might not be able to recover mentally. Paul Pierce on the other hand, coming off of the 41 point game, kept up his momentum by scoring 22 points, 6 rebounds, and 6 assists. Paul was able to establish himself as the better stronger player, going against Tayshaun Prince. Tayshaun scored 16 points and was effective offensively, but since he is such a question offensively I don't think he will score this high again during the season.

As for Ray Allen, he only had 9 points on 3-10 shooting, but he did look a lot better and had a more confident look on his face. The guy he defended Rip Hamilton only scored 15 points, and Ray did a very serviceable job defending him. I believe Ray is going to have a big game on Thursday.

This leads to one of the match-ups I worried about before the game, Chauncey Billups vs Rajon Rondo. In game one Rajon won this match-up by scoring 11 points, 7 assists and 5 steals, whether or not Chauncey was hurt or not, Rajon was on him like a fly on shit all game, while running all over the place on offense. At one point they even put Rip Hamilton on Rajon, which is a bad move because Hamilton hates playing defense.

I was most impressed with Rajon in the fourth quarter when he scored 7 of his 11 points in, including a huge 3 points with 1:47 seconds making the score 86-75, sealing the game. As for Chauncey Billups he scored 9 points, 2 assists and left him looking like this:

Jason Maxiell the other guy I worried about wasn't much of a factor scoring 2 points and 4 rebounds.

Celtics vs Pistons

If you're a Celtics fan, you want this series to happen, you want to bitch slap the Pistons and send them on their merry way. I believe the Celtics will sweep the Pistons, however, I have said that about every series. But here is the team breakdown.

Rajon vs Billups

I think will Rajon excel and be able to get the best of Billups here. I feel Rajon will be able to exploit Billups on defense more than the other way around. Sure Billups may be a "better, proven, player", but I believe this is Rajon's series. I expect numbers to be around 16 points, 7 assists and 5 rebounds a game for the youngster, and believe he can tire out Billups on the defensive end.

Ray Allen vs Rip Hamilton
Both essentially the same player, guys who can run around and hit mid range to three point range defense to stretch the defense. Ray had a terrible series against the Cavs and I believe he will get his shit together and be able to get it done. He is stronger than Rip and will be able to drive on him because Rip Hamilton is not a defender. I believe both players will be around 15 points a game, but I expect Ray to have a turn around series.

Paul Pierce vs Tayshaun Prince

Paul Pierce coming off the best game of his career, proved to put this team on his back and carry them. I do not believe Prince will not be able to contain him. Sure Prince is a very long defender, however, Pierce will be able to push him around and get some easy buckets. Prince on the other hand can knock down some threes and is my favorite player on the Pistons.

Kevin Garnett vs Rasheed Wallace
I would love to hear this match-up be mic'd up. I bet it would make Lindsey Lohan blush, but this is the most intriguing match-up you got. Rasheed has more range than KG, but KG is a better defender/ low post presence. I would look for KG to bang down low early and often to set the pace of the series.

Kendrick Perkins vs Antonio McDyess
Both players are who they are. Perkins is a big body that will be able to clog up the lane and get easy points, while McDyess is an old vet, that has more range than Perk but isn't as much of a defensive threat.

I am looking for a high intensity start, but for the Celtics to take this game easily tonight. 102-87 is the score. Rajon gets the Tommy Award.

Celtics vs Pistons

So I am already thinking of tomorrows game against the Pistons and I will point out some factors that will be in the decision in the series. To tell you the truth, I am no worried about Rip Hamilton, Rasheed Wallace, Tayshaun Prince, or Antonio McDyess, I think two match-ups will decide this series Rondo vs Billups and Powe, Davis, and Brown vs Jason Maxiell.

Rondo vs Billups
Rajon Rondo has had a very good post season for a second year player this year putting up some huge numbers some nights. However, he has disappeared on other nights and that has killed the Cs. Beside the big three, he is the most important player on the court, sometimes even more important than the big three. He is the quickest player in the NBA and he will have to use that to his advantage when he is going against a rested, but banged up Chauncey Billups. Rondo's shot will still be a major concern to most media and NBA fans alike, but I believe he can counter that with dribble penetration and taking open shots that Billups will give him. Billups is a seasoned veteran that knows how to win. He is the player on the court I fear the most and the most clutch on his team. So this match-up is quickness vs strength and for the Celtics lets hope quickness wins.

Powe, Davis, Brown vs Jason Maxiell
Before the Play-offs started I said I didn't want to play Orlando because Dwight Howard scares the shit out of me, well Maxiell is a mini version of Howard but none the less terrifying. During the season we saw Maxiell play against the Celtics and do really well on both ends of the court. He is an aggressive player that loves contact and looks for the huge block every night. The question is, who can possibly contain him in this series Powe, Davis or Brown? During the season we have seen Powe and Davis play incredible in some games but disappear in others, and we just saw PJ Brown have an excellent last game in game 7 vs th Cavs, but who can keep up with Maxiell? My first inclination would be Powe because he is probably the quickest and most athletic of the bunch, but who knows. Davis has more size to keep him out of the paint and PJ has more experience and is known as a defender. It will probably be a few games before Doc figures out the correct match-up.

Celtics 90, Pistons 78

Tonight, the Celtics not only clinched a play-off birth and won a potential tie-breaker with the Pistons, but beat the crap out of the so called "best team" of the East. The Celtics did what the Celtics do; start fast, screw up and let the other team back in, then when their opponents hopes get high enough, crush them to win it. Everyone had a great game tonight. The stars for the C's were KG with 31 points, Perk with 10 points and 20 boards (which is ridiculous), and Rondo had 16 points and 5 boards. Paul Pierce(15 points) and Ray Allen(8 rebounds and 5 assists) had mediocre games but Rondo and Perk picked up the slack.

Perk has had an unbelievable stretch recently, and Rondo seems to be growing up in front of our eyes every day shown by his monster dunk tonight.

For the Pistons, Chauncey Billups and Rasheed Wallace both had 23 points. Billups shot 16 free throws but Rondo and Tony Allen did a great job defending him.

Sam Cassell and P.J. Brown both didn't play, but it'll be exciting to see how good the Celtics can be if both of them work out.

Box Score


Fuck Detroit

Celtics - Pistons Pre-Game

If anyone is excited about a high octane, intense, defensive game, this is going to be it. Tonight is the battle of the East; the 46-12 Celtics host the 42-13 Pistons. Tonight's game has a fewof implications other than bragging rights. If the Celtics win, they clinch a play-off spot and home court if it goes to a tie breaker, and if they lose, they lose home court if their is a tie breaker between the Pistons. The starting line-up for the Celtics is Rajon Rondo, Ray Allen, Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett, and Kendrick Perkins and Chauncey Billups, Rip Hamilton, Tayshaun Prince, Antonio McDyess and Rasheed Wallace. However, they might not be the reasons why any of these clubs win tonight.

If we Remember from the first match-up, this foul:
Cost us the game. I don't blame Tony, he was just put in a shitty situation.

In the second game, Big Baby, Ticket Stub, Glen Davis put the game away with clutch lay-ups and free throws. But Jason Maxiell was almost too much to handle.

The bench will be intricate in this match up. James Posey, Tony Allen, Big Baby, Leon Powe, and Eddie House will need to play flawless games if they want to grind this one out.

The Celtics will probably be without P.J. Brown, and Sam Cassell (who won't be with the team until Friday). Rajon will have a man sized task of covering Chauncey Billups. If he can use his quickness, and smarts on defense he will be the player of the game. Prediction: The Celtics will shut up their critics tonight and win by 10.

Tommy Award winner Rajon Rondo

Not Too Early To Hype This Game

As everyone knows the Celtics play the Pistons tomorrow and it's not to early to start talking shit.

This picture resembles Sheeds "O" face after the Celtics get finish pounding his ass:


Fuck the Pistons!
Fuck Detroit!
Fuck the Celtic's critics.
The Celtics are the best team in the east, Face it, Fuck off.