Tonight’s match with the Celtics isn’t a playoff game, but judging how the first game went down, I won’t be surprised if it feels like one. I’ll be at the game for HOOPSWORLD with pre-game, halftime and post-game posts.
As usual, leave your thoughts about the game in the comments.
Update: I didn’t get nearly as much stuff up as I wanted to before the game and during halftime, but I wrote a fair amount after the game (and as a result it was posted a bit later than usual). Just thought I’d point that out, in case you looked immediately after the game and didn’t see anything.
Here’s what Rob Peterson on NBA.com has to say about tonights Celtics game.
“One thing everyone can agree upon, however, is Saturday night’s game in Auburn Hills will be one of the best regular-season matchups in NBA history.
Watch not because you want to, but because you need to see history in the making. Watch because it will be the NBA at its highest level. Watch because you owe it to yourself.”
Over/under on Kendrick Perkins points: 6
I’m tempted to go all Michael Wilbon and push, but I’m going to actually go over and say 7. I’m wondering if he can top his performance from last night against the Grizz and get called TWICE for offensive goaltending.
I’m looking for our bench to open this game up in the 2nd quarter-
Team in green going home with an L,
‘Stones winstreak continues.
p.s. Early Prediction, Mike Abdenour: 9-10 FG, 5-5 FTA-M, 1-1 3PFGA-M, 17 RB, 3 BLK, 2 STL, 0 TO, 6 PF, 46 MIN.
Hot Tip: As of right now (Saturday at 6), the Pistons.com site has the Karate Kid theme blaring during its Flash intro.
Go amp yourself up now!
Best. Franchise. Ever.
I’ll take the under. 2 FGs, 1 FT.
Perkisachump.
…
Where’s our boy from that other blog? You know, the one who does the goofy rhymes?
Someone should tap Rob Peterson on the shoulder and tell him that the NBA neglected to make sure this game was nationally televised.
“watch because you owe it to yourself”…Damn! If the internet link I found for this game doesn’t work out, that line will really feel like a slap in the face to a fan that’s unable to view the game.
If this game lives up to expectations and I don’t see it…well, David Stern, like Dave Chapelle says, “Bitch, I’ll never forgive you for this!”
hey walton, what link are you using? I’m out of town right now and upset that I’m going to have to miss this game :S
It’s days like this I am glad my Slingbox up in Metro Detroit is currently piping TV20 into my tv down here in Ohio.
This is gonna be one heckuva game tonight!
Keegan: Ha! You’re the best…! Arooooound…! Nice. Kudos to the Pistons site manager person.
And I hope this Channel Surfing thing works. As of right now, I get a message saying, “The league pass game you have currently chosen is NOT available live.” WTF, league. WTF.
Oooo, channelsurfing.net is working! Time to get some popcorn.
I actually think the Celtics will take this game. It means more to them and they will come out with a lot of intensity.
Should be a good game though. Any thoughts on what’s better? Getting the First seed and playing Cleveland in the Second Round or Having the Second seed and not having home court advantage in the EC Finals?
Just look at the last 5 years. 2 years we’re the 2 seed, NBA Finals. 3 years we’re the 1 seed, bounced in ECF. We should be glad Boston’s come along
Here we go, boys and girls, lets give those green bastards hell.
and we’ve got Boston coverage on League Pass. Dammit…
I’m going to add another thing to the list of things I don’t like in the NBA…
the fact that Tommy Heinsohn is an announcer. could this f-stick be anymore annoying?
I’ve got the game working! I feel like I just won a free monkey! Wow, this Heinsohn guy is kind of a dimwit. He reminds me of John Madden after a stroke.
I hope the fans at the Palace blow the roof off.
http://www.myp2p.eu/broadcast.php?matchid=4270&part=sports
I watch it on soapcast using Chinese T.V, no commentary but I can do.
Rasheed Wallace just touched Ray Allen’s butt…
does anyone have channelsurfing.net working for this game?
got it! here we go…
Whenever Chauncey puts up a three like that, all I can think is “hubris”, but when it goes in, all is forgiven.
Kendrick Perkins, really?
I guess Perkins better not touch the ball again tonight… eek
nope
See, here’s the thing. Teams play Boston like they have three of all-time legends playing for them. Perkins and Rondo are going to make wide open shots close to the basket. Allen and Pierce are not hall of famers. Just man up and play D.
According to Tommy H the only difference between the Pistons and the Celtics is maturity. That’s it. Other than maturity they are exactly the same, you know.
Maxiell just ate a baby on a nice pick and roll from Billups.
Babies eaten!
Mmmm love how Maxey brings the energy!
And he knocks Garnett out on fouls - go Max!
Kevin, I dunno man, that’s kinda cold to shut Allen and Pierce out like that.
Maxiell becomes China’s official ambassador to infant overpopulation control with that dunk.
And then Maxiell comes back and takes a charge from Garnett!
Babies, Babies, Babies!!!
I suppose Allen could work his way in by busting the three-point records.
Two on Garnett.
MaxiellIsABeast. 2 babies.
Apparently Maxiell read that HoopsWorld column about our bench. He was not amused. Babies across the world are trembling in fear as a result.
Ha ha! “Rondo… no foul… but he did end up getting BLOODY!”
Rajon Rondo looks like Boobie Gibson. Just FYI.
Well, I don’t get to watch, so as I might as well try to keep up by following along here.
So do both teams look good? Bad? One look good, the other bad?
Walton, you have Mediaplayer 11, yes? And you’ve downloaded what Channelsurfing wants you to, and you are in IE?
If so, keep trying. It should work.
Detroit is looking sharp. Boston is looking tentative. Maxiell is looking like Charles Barkley 3000.
Boston started out good, led 10-3… Dyess got 2 quick fouls, Maxey came in and brought the energy and drew an off. foul on Garnett to give him #2… we’ve brought it to 10-9 now.
And yet the Celtics have a 1-point lead. Weird.
We’ve got to feel good about Perkins being their star thus far, right?
sounds like if garnett’s out, this is a stretch to try to get a little cushion
“Charles Barkley 3000″ … love it
My feed works! (knock on wood) haha rondo with a missed layup
Everytime I try to click the link on channelsurfing.net, the pop-up comes up for half a second, disappears, and then a script error notice pops up saying that the call did not execute, etc…
Anyone know what that might be about?
If not, thanks for the tips before, just gotta send good vibes Detroit’s way I guess.
Rondo misses a layup. Rip comes back and drops a mid-range. Boston seems to be lost without KG. Another Boston TO and a Rip-Tayshaun oop. Missed open mid-range for Rondo. Apparently there’s a lid on the rim on Boston’s end.
And so it begins. Tommy just started to say how “physical” Detroit is on the defensive end, but his thought about how they’ve been getting away with stuff was interrupted when he tried to accuse Rip Hamilton of palming the ball.
My friend says that each Boston player should have to wear a bandage by game’s end (Rondo and Garnett already sporting them). Sheed abuses Perk for a short jumper. Heinsohn’s dumbass screaming “Finally” after a Hamilton foul call. He’s like the verbal equivalent of a flop.
Hamilton was just playing some crazy pesky defense on Tony Allen as he tried to dribble across half-court like an 8th grader, and he got called for a bump and Tommy yelled, “FINALLY! FINALLY! FINALLY!” as if Detroit has never been called for a foul in the history of the NBA.
Lookin good, lookin good… you can’t say enough how much important energy Maxey brings to us… Sixth Man of the Year!
Wow, a political ad. Minnesotans don’t know what those look like, since our primary is irrelevant.
Go McCain.
Is it really 17-10 with 2:00 left in the 1st?
17 unanswered points, not bad.
Sheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeed!
22-12, 44.1 left, WLM1.
thanks
same score, end of quarter
Tony Allen’s jumper is ugly. He hitches it back like a catapult. Good to see Stuckey get some minutes right away, and the Boston commentator called him, “the Piston’s outstanding rookie”. Yay!
19-2 run in that quarter… nice!
The post 1st quarter spin: “The Pistons have expended a lot of energy.”
Nice.
Boston sports commentators, how I despise thee.
DAMN! If only the score was even before that run! Still, sounds like Detroit came ready to play, let’s hope the passion is there all night.
LET US ALL PRAISE JASON OF THE MAXIELL, EATER OF BABIES!!! THE CELTICS ARE NOTHING UNDER HIS HUNGRY GAZE…
I was a little worried at first when we were down 3-10, but to go up to a 22-12 lead from that had to shake Bostons confidence. Nice first quarter comeback. In the time we went from 3 to 22 points, Boston scored 2 points, ouch.
so we held them to 2 points for like 7+ minutes?
Afflalo sighting in at the start of the 2nd.
Oooo, burn: “Detroit celebrating their 50th year as a team… although we’re nowhere NEAR Detroit. *chuckle* We’re, like, 45 minutes away or something…”
“We’re nowhere near the city of Detroit”, funny joke Boston commentators. Bite me. At least Baby Eater made 2 straight FTs. It’s been a minute since I’ve seen him do that.
No matter how well our Rookies play, seeing Chauncey and Rip on the bench will always make me a little uneasy.
Suddenly the refs have decided they’d like to determine the outcome of the game.
Maxiell is unconscious. Not quite in a rugged baby-devouring manner, but man is he just owning them.
Holy crap, Maxiell…
Boston…. the three headed punching bag.
Man, these commentators crack me up. Tommy thought he could make a point about how lopsided the reffing has been:
Tommy: How many fouls on the Celts?
Other guy: 8.
Tommy: *chuckles* And how many on Detroit?
Other guy: 4.
Tommy: *silent*
What about the refs? Please don’t tell me they’re going to make those little ticky-tacky calls that slow a team’s momentum. Please don’t tell me it looks that might be a possibility tonight.
Rookies look rattled.
Maxiell is the Speedy Oil Change of the Game
Is Lindsey Hunter active tonight?
let’s hope the women of auburn hills have put their children to bed… maxiell is on the prowl
Good learning experience… might be one of the best chances we have to give it to the rooks before playoff time.
He just stole KG’s babies… impressive!
Garnett’s soft. He doesn’t want to step to Max.
Ok that was just too official’s handing the game to Boston-ish.
Rip’s trying to do to much.
Garnett THOUGHT he wanted some Maxiell, until Max actually turned around and was like, “Excuse me, kind sir, but did you say something to me?”
New slogan for the Celtics - “The Fragile Winners”.
The John Kerry of basketball teams, they.
Jarvis Hayes is shaped like (and moves like) Vince Carter.
Jason is almost single-handedly playing this game for us right now!
Primoz Brezec? Seriously?
Maxiell needs a rest. And McDyess has 3 fouls. Brezec matches up well with Perkins.
Brezec just fought Garnett for a rebound, and made Garnett pick up his 3rd foul. Nicely done, Accessorized One.
Tommy is speechless! Ha!
Glen Davis looks like a keeper. Much better pro than I thought he’d be.
Doesn’t sound like the 2nd is going very well?
big ass ups to the gangsta of many accesories
My word, they have gotten every single batted ball.
Up two at the half. What a physical game! This is definitely a playoff vibe.
thoughts at the half?
Halftime:
- Exactly like we expected from both teams, solid defense and relatively low scoring. We had a serious run to open things up and take charge in the first but Boston slowly chipped away in the second and it’s 43-41 at the half.
- Balanced scoring for the most part, led by The Baby Eater (12 points) who threw it down with reckless abandon while playing seriously solid defense. Sheed’s got 9, Tay has 7, Rip’s got 6 and seems to be forcing shots, Chauncey’s got 5, and Stuckey and Jarvis with 2 each.
jarvis and rip are pretty cold. jarvis is having trouble just getting a shot off and rip is trying too hard to force a move with the ball instead of before he gets it.
Sounds like Detroit needs to take advantage of the homecourt and open the third with a run.
If recent history serves us well, the third is ours. Tho I doubt we’ll see any sort of super domination against Boston.
great game, maxiell and a key play by primoz brezec were the highlights for me. maxiell sparked and was the bulk of a huge run in the first quarter and primoz came in for a handful of plays and drew garnett’s 3′rd foul (maxy drew the other too, boosh!), garnett’s been out most of the game and we’ve pretty much dominated when he was gone.
oh and hearing another team’s announcers bitch because they’re losing is really not enjoyable to listen too.
I woulda loved to see Max smack KG around. Reminded me of how KG was running backwards away from Mcdyess after shoving him. Acts all hard but the minute someone says something back to him he runs.
if we can keep garnett off the floor we can dominate, he is the only one out of all of them that i fear.
Thoughts on first half:
Lots of loose balls bouncing Boston’s way that lead to bad things…Allen three comes to mind.
Boston announcers ridiculous
Prince should play every minute that Pierce does…we’d be up 5 or more if he had stayed in.
You have to let Stuckey drive, Flip!
God I love Jason Maxiell.
In a way, more positives for Boston than us. We should be up more right now. That said, if Garnett picks up a cheapie early in the third, they’re screwed.
Also, House is a great fit for them. And I echo that Davis looks like a keeper. A lot different than his “two pumps and done” in Boston.
And I live in Boston, so I’m glad you guys have to put up with this Boston announcer bullshit too haha. I would be pissed if you all got to listen to Kelser and I had to hear about Tommy points.
Hopefully Lindsay the Headhunter’s active, so we can get some strong pressure D like last time.
Detroit can’t hope for KG to be out any longer, they need to be able to extend the lead while he’s in the game. If they’re able to do that, it’s a great sign that we’ll be able to beat this team in the playoffs.
I don’t know about the Boston announcers, but the Detroit broadcast is torturing us at halftime with a look at the 87 series and Bird’s late game steal.
Stuckey’s a little out of control but the kid is fearless. Hit a big pull up jumper with the clock running down.
I like Brezec. He’s got no lateral quickness but he’s not afraid to mix it up. He’s really taking to this whole Piston thing.
i was just thinking it would be nice to have lindsey come out and cause some havoc, goodbye amir?
Dunno if anyone saw, but the little montage right before the half on the Boston broadcast clearly showed Garnett say something to Maxiell, followed by Maxiell becoming irate. So the chain of events was 1. Garnett swings around and stares down Maxiell. 2. Garnett says something. 3. Maxiell says something. Good decision by refs to T Max up and not KG though…when in doubt, assume it’s all one player’s fault I always say.
Let’s save Lindsay for the playoffs. Don’t give Boston another chance to adjust to him. He’ll give House fits.
Being in Redskins country, couldn’t get the game on Comcast - too much post Skins/Seahawks coverage. Thanks for the commentary - gives me a feel for the game. Love Stuckey.
Seriously, this week’s practice should consist of throwing a hundred basketballs everywhere and having everyone go get them.
Needless technicals. Playoff atmosphere indeed.
you have got to be kidding me with these refs.
Damn. Chauncey keeps draining shots and staring daggers at the refs.
is this officiating for real?
That foul on Billups was bananas.
Rip and Chauncey still trying to do too much. Rip missed Dyess for a wide open jumper.
THIS is the kind of game I expected to see back in December.
The closest thing to rough-and-tumble Daly-Pistons era that I can imagine. Good times. The clutching, pushing, and grabbing is making for the best TV all night!
we’re rushing our shots big time. we’re doing a good job of getting to the line though
We had 4 team fouls with more than 9 mins to go. That’s absurd. Prince straight up, Pierce to line. Billups straight up, Rondo to line. At least he missed them.
well… drawing fouls anyway, we need to attack garnett.
This isn’t Prince’s game at all.
I can’t see the game, but if they’re rushing shots, someone should remind them that they’re the better team and just need to execute, don’t they pay some guy named Flip or something to do that for them?
Both teams are settling for jumpers. Sheed is playing incredible defense.
Prince doing a great job on Pierce though. Dice is my goat.
Announcers accuse Billups of flailing. Replay shows Perkins to be flailing.
I’d actually give them that that’s ticky tack. But if we’re going to rank ticky tack fouls in this quarter, they’re going to lose that argument.
In a 30 second span, Tommy said the Perkins foul was ridiculous, said the tech was unwarranted, said the ref went after Doc, then snidely insinuated Billups fouled Pierce at the other end. Whatever, Blaha is a homer too I guess.
The (mostly) unbiased announcer is a rare breed. There’s Blaha, Ralph Lawler (Clippers), and probably not much else. THe Shaq-Kobe Lakers were actually not annoying to watch when Chick Hearn was doing their games.
I’m sorry, did they just call that “foul” on Big Baby a HARD foul? Wow.
I like Collabro quite a bit.
Blaha would annoy the crap out of me if I was an opposing fan. For one, “he has to foul him to stop him” is a pretty obnoxious way to describe a guy drawing a foul.
That foul on Prince. I have no words.
On the replay it actually was a foul. The Sheed foul was bull though.
How did Maxiell not go to the line…what do they think he was going to do there…it was a step back j…
Do these refs have money on the game or something?
(ba doom boom)
Will be fun when we cut Stuckey loose and let him be our Barbosa/Harris.
Threeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!
That three should have put us ahead…f’ing Billups and Hamilton going 1-4 from stripe…whatever, I guess Chauncey can’t choose which 9% he misses.
When does Billups start killing them again?
We’re a couple missed free throws and a stupid turnover leading to a Pierce dunk from winning this game…
Can’t ask for a better game down the stretch.
Well, unless we were the ones UP by two.
Glen Davis big offensive rebound and score.
Glen Davis, we’ll see you in March.
I wonder if the 30 teams who passed on Davis in the first round remember the final four two years ago. This guy doesn’t suck.
Billups missed that on purpose. Tell me he didn’t miss that on purpose. What the hell was that?
And that’s game. Terrible shot by Chauncey.
Why on earth did he jack that 3?
I think Flip kept a few cards up his sleeve. We didn’t go to the zone once in this game.
SIXTEEN points in the fourth quarter? Who woulda seen that?
Billups . . . when he missed that free throw . . . and he got the ball back . . . I screamed at the television, “now set a play, DO NOT SHOOT IT.”
Of course, I screamed more when he threw the airball without setting the play.
If you’re going to criticize Chauncey, that’s the exact moment you do so. Mr. Big Shot is not exactly that . . . . most of the time.
The rebound off the improbable missed Billups free throw . . . stroke of luck. Shooting the ball without setting a play . . . stroke of stupidity. Flip Saunders better have a say in that too. When Billups rebounded the missed free throw . . . no timeout? How about after the airball?
Glen Davis just snubbed Eli Zarat on an interview.
Nice game by Glen Davis. He was the difference. Congrats to Boston.
See you in the playoffs.
All the way around, that felt like EC finals. Pistons get testy, refs rally against them, second-tier players beat them. Billups rebounding a free-throw to himself looks genius if he makes the play, but the end result was bizarre.
The substitutions with Maxiell were strange. Is this a glimpse at the playoffs?
Bad things:
Pulling Prince in first half before Pierce sat down and letting him get a rhythm
Not boxing out Glen Davis
Not allowing Stuckey to do the thing that he got drafted for (driving)
The down-the-stretch play of a certain point guard who hasn’t been deserving of his nickname since 2005
Good things:
Maxiell
Prince’s defense on Pierce
Putting a lid on Allen
A kick in the crotch to keep the Pistons hungry and make them realize they need to move their expiring contracts for one more player (I’d move Amir Johnson, the Charlotte guys, Hunter, and Murray for Gasol…the salaries match…question is would you throw in a pick to get it done)
I think everyone was shocked at the STUPIDITY of that f**king shot! MY God! I know it’s just one game, but come on. You can’t do stupid shit like that, win or lose. Shooting over Pierce is not a smart play, hit or miss. You play hard for 47.5 minutes and then he jacks up a three and ruins it. I would be very pissed at Billups, were I on the court at the time.
“(I’d move Amir Johnson, the Charlotte guys, Hunter, and Murray for Gasol…”
LOL. Now we’re suddenly ready to revamp the roster. Suffice to say, the Grizzlies do not take that trade.
That was a good game. The officiating was about a C, but it didn’t favor one team overall. Davis was huge at the end of the game, what else can you do but tip your cap.
If you like one thing about Boston being our main competition, it’s how well we match up with them. As good as Garnett is, he doesn’t beat you in the last 2 minutes. The “man” for Boston in the crunch is Pierce. And Prince does a much better job on him than he does on Wade or James. And Hamilton doesn’t take defensive possessions off, which is how Allen gets all his points against most teams (you leave him, it’s three 80% of the time.)
I like us in 6 or 7 against them at this point.
^ great analysis … i have to agree … bring on the playoffs!
I like that playoffs to be the lock of the entire NBA playoffs for must-see TV, provided Boston keeps this up during a much tougher 2nd half Boston schedule . . . if they’re 60-65 wins come playoff time, each game, if Boston and Detroit face, even if there’s only 4, those will be memorable ones.
Well, season series is now even, props to Boston for coming in and picking up a win at the Palace. Welcome back to earth Detroit, no streak lasts forever. Hopefully this game serves as a tune up much like the last one did for both teams. Just would’ve been nice to see Detroit win the bench battle and not let Glen Davis be the game’s leading scorer (sounds like a Langlois red-flag to me), but hey, it’s January and Wednesday provides the Pistons a great opportunity to bounce back strong if they can pick up a rod win in Dallas.
Two close games that came down to the final minute, still too close to make any definite assertions as to where both of these teams will be four months from now.
Again, congrats to Boston
Kevin, revamp the roster? I’m talking about trading 5 guys who didn’t play today (well ok Brezec played 2 mins). Criticize the idea for hurting the future (Johnson, the expiring deals, and possibly a pick). But don’t make it seem like I’m suggesting we blow up the team. I’m saying you add at the deadline, not swap out someone in our core.
Also, what happend the last time we added a stud at the deadline in exchange for cap relief? Oh yeah, we got Rasheed and won a championship.
glen davis was a monster and i give him credit, the celtics have their own jason maxiell. i’m not terribly depressed we lost this though, it’ll keep us hungry.
And to answer your point on Grizz not taking that trade, Gasol has a bad contract. This is a team that owes him 17MM in a few years, and he’s never won a playoff game. That feels a bit rich…totally agree with you if he’s got a good contract, but he doesn’t. Moreover, they’re right at the cap. So every expiring $ is a $ they spend in free agency next year. They’re not in a “that just gets us further from the tax threshold” situation — it puts them in a great position to sign someone in 2008, which has a few decent free agents I hear (as in, best class in last 5 years). It also ensures they tank this year and get a Beasley, Rose, Mayo, etc. And finally, Johnson is a nice young player who would go top 10 if he entered the draft today.
Their fans would flip out, but it’s hardly a “ridiculous” trade from their perspective.
Last point: is it any worse than what Philly got for Iverson? And Iverson is WAY better than Gasol.
Is there anyone that can be “terribly” disappointed that we lost this game? We are PISTONS fans, are we not? Been through much much much more depressing games than this one. The power rankings is where the affects of this game will be felt the most. My guess, the sun will rise tomorrow.
I’ll also throw in the McGrady comparison: would you rather have Francis or all the cap relief and a young guy (Johnson) who makes <4MM per.
Agreed Walton.
BTW…Don’t be too hard on Chauncey for hoisting one bad shot. Rather have that mental lapse now than later. He is, of course, the man that delivered the win in Boston, is he not? Trust me, he’ll not forgive himself until the Celtics are headed back to Boston to watch him play in the Finals. The name’s Mr. Big Shot, not Mr. Perfect.
Well unlike the immature Celtic fans who came in here all butt-hurt about the lost they recieved a couple weeks ago, I’m going to actually give the Celtic’s their dues. Alot of us had questioned their bench and ironically, it was one of their bench players who destroyed us. I’m not saying their bench is amazing or even average but Glen Davis should be starting over that other guy (can’t remember his name, it had something to do with a “beast”). So Congrates on the victroy, you guys obviously wanted it more than we did, (it was obvious because of all the poor shot selections we took at the end of the game). That Celtic fans, is called “being the bigger man”.
One thing I’ll say in Chauncey’s defense: I would have been going “Chauncey Buh Buh Buh Billups” if he stroked that lol. I don’t want to play down a terrible decision by saying “it’s always a bad shot when you miss,” but man it’s fun when he nails the crazy ones lol.
Celtics should not have lost at home….bs play by Tony Allen….tonight was proving the point……you let Paul Pierce and Big Baby run all over you in the fourth quarter…..this might shut up the national media and “Experts” for a little while…..dont cry too much tonight donkeys!! LOLOLOLOL
Now I didn’t see the game, but if Glen Davis scores 16 in the 4th when Detroit was leading by 3 entering the quarter, I’d have to say that Detroit made someone other than Pierce, Allen, or Garnett beat them and that’s just what happened. I’m sure the Pistons feel like they let this one slip away, but, if history has taught me anything, this team bounces back very well. January should be interesting…
Also, why wouldn’t any team pay Tom Thibodeau (sp?) a lot of money to coach d for them? I know Garnett is a phenomenal defender, but you can’t tell me one guy takes them from the joke they were last year to the best defensive team in the NBA by a considerable margin. Bringing him in to coach defense has completely transformed their team defense.
In general, aren’t front-office guys and coaches very undervalued? If you owned a big market team, why not spend ~10MM per year on guys like R.C. Buford/Joe Dumars/Mike D’Antoni/Thibodeau? They’re worth it.
Good game Matthew Roark, you guys deserved it tonight. Boston’s a great team.
I don’t want to be too hard on Chauncey but that was a terrible shot. He had so much time left on the shot clock and he had the ball in his possession the whole time. That’s a shot I wouldn’t mind in the previous 3 quarters but not when we are in the dieing seconds of the game. I’ve seen Chaunce make better decisions but I’m with who ever said “it’s better to make mental mistakes now than later.”
I think most people’s frustration with Billups is based on his play in the last two ECFs, not tonight.
Come on Matthew, would you even be here if you guys would’ve lost? Nope! Act like a man, not a chump. Your team owns the night, but not the world. Just enjoy the Celtic media frenzy that’s sure to follow and be happy you have a team that will provide you and the rest of the Celtics nation with realistic title aspirations. Don’t try to shit all over us by saying you should’ve won at home. What exactly does Dec. 19th have to do with Jan. 5th? Nothing at all, just like March 5th won’t have anything to do with the outcomes in May. Just ask Chicago fans how much regular season victories mean in the grand scheme of things.
His poor-play in last year’s ECF was more evident than in the ECF where we lost to Miami. I hold nothing against him (he is my favorite player so I’m a little more critical on him), these guys are human. But in that situation, I expect him to make smarter decisions.
Regular season victories against Detroit that is
“If it ain’t ruff, it ain’t right” - you already know
gee waltonlikesmen1, i seem to remember hearing richard hamilton on ESPN last night when asked about the pending game against the Celtics say “its not a big game” such bs arrogance, cause everyone knows its a big game - just like the one in Dec was and just like the one in March will be……..you took round 1,we took round 2, each away from home…….pretty significant REGULAR season victories for each team……
what would you like Rip to say: “it’s a huge game, if we lose this, we should blow up our core and rebuild for 2009?” i agree with you that it’s a big regular season game, but i can also sympathize with a guy who’s won an NCAA title and an NBA title who isn’t getting too excited.
and i’d note he said that last night, before the teams had played…he wasn’t taking anything away from boston.
uhoh…seems like someone snuck out of bed after mommy tucked them in for the night to post comments to try and make true hardened fans feel bad…can only be true for someone who says LOLOLOLOL…grow up son apparently you, just like your celtics got a lot to learn. Regular season wins dont mean nothin if you cant back it up in the playoffs. You and the celtics havent gone through what any of us have gone through the last 6 years of eastern domination with all the ups and downs. So until your little boys in green knock detroit from the east I wouldnt run my mouth too much.
Roark, don’t be a fool. It’s not “bs arrogance.” The Pistons are smart enough to know that this game means nothing. Yes, they wanted the win and they love the test, but this team is all about the playoffs (they don’t even care about home court advantage).
This team has won the Eastern Conference regular season two years in the row and didn’t make it to the finals. Dallas fans will tell you the same thing. Yes, it’s nice to win, but it means nothing in the long run.
That was a hell of a game, and I gotta give BB Davis his due. That kid can ball.
Something tells me that we can stop him next time, though!
Matthew: Rip was right, these games are not at all that important. Sure they are great to watch but the Pistons are really only trying to get a feel for the Celtics. Like when Boxers trade jabs in match, they are just trying to test each other’s reach. And I really hope Boston is taking these games the same way because it is almost useless trying to throw a “knock-out blow” in a sparring match. We as Piston’s fans know what happens when you put too much emphasis on the regular season. It’s too bad Boston can’t learn from our mistakes.
Boys Boys Boys………the only reason you are saying it dont mean nothing is because you lost…..let me tell you something, it meant alot to the Celtics when they lost at home in December - and they said it straight up…stop kidding yourself about not wanting home court either……if it were the other way around you be talking it up about how the celtics wont get through them in the playoffs because they have the HC advantage…..believe me, im not some kid, and im not sonme donkey who doesnt know the sport….the realistic feeling inside the Pistons right now is that they had an OPPORTUNITY to put the Celtics at a tremendous psychological disadvantage by winning away and home against the team with the best record, and they couldnt do it…..IT MEANT ALOT AND YOU ALL KNOW IT….see you in March
Damn Celts. The most frustrating part is being beaten by Glen Davis. Big Baby? Really? The whole knock on Boston was supposed to be that they had their Big 3, and nothing else. If their other guys keep playing above what people expect, Boston should keep on keepin’ on well into the playoffs. Hopefully we’ll get the next one.
Actually, now that I re-read this, the most frustrating part was having to listen to Tommy Heinsohn.
btw…the Tommy comment by Garrett is funny
Roark, again, don’t be a fool. Everyone on this site was laughing at how hard Boston took the last defeat because WE KNEW it wasn’t that big a deal. You need to save a gear for the playoffs.
And you are SO WRONG about home court advantage. The two times this team went to the Finals was when they were a two seed. The last four years the Eastern Conf. champ has not been the first seed. I think Pistons fans are fine with Detroit being a two seed and letting Boston face Lebron in the second round.
LeBron……lol…please
And mark my words, Pistons fans. Flip has learned from his mistakes. He’s saving something for the playoffs. Zone is dangerous with Pierce and Allen on the floor but I bet he’ll unleash it on the Celtics second unit ( or when one of those guys is off the floor) during the playoffs.
Roark, you won’t be saying “Lebron… lol… please…” when he gets every call in the playoffs.
“Also, what happend the last time we added a stud at the deadline in exchange for cap relief? Oh yeah, we got Rasheed and won a championship.”
Oh, don’t get me wrong. If we somehow picked up Gasol for Amir & change, I’d be ecstatic. I just thought it amusing that fans were calling for personnel moves within seconds of our first loss in weeks.
“Celtics should not have lost at home….bs play by Tony Allen….”
If it was BS play by Tony Allen, then the Celtics should have lost at home. Tony Allen is a Celtic. The Pistons should have lost at home because our boy hatched a weird scheme to miss a free throw and then knot the game up with the three.
Actually, the first part of that plan worked well, he just should have passed up the three once he realized it was severly contested. Nonetheless, if our best player makes a mistake, it is a deserved loss.
I still think the Celtics success relies on teams overplaying the big three. When the T-Wolves had (a younger) Garnett, Cassell, and Sczierbiak, nobody just let Sprewell, Olowakandi and Co. just take wide open shots.
I don’t think we should be in the business of letting Big Baby, Kendrick Perkins, and Boobie Rondo beat us with wide, wide open looks. Most NBA players can hit open layups.
smh @ Matthew Roark
Your points might of been valid a couple years back but now, our philosophy is totally different. While you are waiting for the re-match in March and a possible match-up in this year’s playoffs, we will keep our eyes on the prize and that’s not facing the Celtics again but getting some Championship gold. Good game, though. I enjoyed it.
WE’RE THE BEST TEAM IN THE LEAGUE! RAAAAGGHGHGH!!!!
(Garnett promptly gets injured in the next game, out for season, Celts miss playoffs)
It would’ve been nice to win, and I was ticked at the poor shot selection/no points in the paint in the 2nd half, but let’s be real here. Factor in injuries, road trips and direct games against each other, and DET and BOS are pretty similar. Stuckey will get better and better, Maxiell’s J will get more consistent, and I predict the Celts will hit a rough spot in the regular season. The Celts ain’t the bulls, that’s for sure. This game means nothing. BOS gets 1st seed, they will have to face LeBron while the Pistons feast on the Wiz, Nets or whomever. Pistons are playoff VETS, not prime time CHOKERS like Garnett is. This team BEAT a Laker team that was BETTER than the one Garnett lost to… Pistons in 6-7 in ECF
It’s too bad there was so much disparity in the reffing. I thought they REALLY let them play in the first half, with both teams getting pretty chippy. But in the second half it seemed like they tightened up on the whistles.
Plus, everyone hates Boston. How will they fare under the bright lights of the playoffs when it matters? Has Boston even made the playoffs yet? When is the last time BOS won a playoff series? Didn’t THE TRUTH get smoked by AI, basically by himself? Boston is a regular season wonder, just like Dallas. Heck, a resurgent Miami or Chicago could take them in the 1st round while they are looking forward to DET too much. BOS got baseball and probably football, DET gets hoops and hockey. Nuff said.
“Boobie Rondo”- o, the similarities!
Where to start…First, I just gotta say that, Matthew, any man (or in this case, whatever is pretending to be one) that starts a written sentence with “gee”, is never going to garnish my attention or earn a well-thought out response, so, well, just eat a shit sandwhich and go find something to do with yourself that doesn’t involve aggressive rebuttal or quick use of language.
As for my LAST thoughts on this game now that I’ve at least seen the highlights and looked at the stats, I’d say that Boston’s bench carried the team and showed that there could be some valuable untapped depth on the Celtics bench. That is a potentially frightening thought, not just for the Pistons, but for the rest of the league as well.
Pistons gave themselves more than an adequate chance to win this game, they just came up short in the fourth. The second quarter also hurt, considering it followed a 19-2 run to end the first. The lead at halftime was a couple of points instead of double-digits. 2nd quarter, huge!
“Boobie-Rondo”, the similarities do present themselves quite nicely!
Well, that sucked. It was a really good game, though. Maxiell was out of his mind in the first half.
What we watched was definitely a preview of the East Finals, a series that will easily go 6 or 7 games. Should really be a great one. I won’t get too worked up about this one, just like I wasn’t too worked up about the earlier win against Boston.
I’ve been concerned the last few years about the Pistons in the playoffs because of Flip, but I really have a hard time finding faults with the way he’s coaching this year. Plus, and this might be the biggest factor, if there’s one guy in the league that the 2005-2007 Flip Saunders could out coach with half his brain tied behind his back, it’s Doc Rivers. Maybe the Celts are so talented that even Doc can’t screw them up. But in a 7 game series I’m not worried even a little bit about the match-up of Flip v. Doc.
WLM1, Big Baby got 20 points. There’s nothing potentially frightening about that. Every dog has his day. So what? This isn’t to take anything away from Big Baby (especially his performance tonight), who looks good and may just be a solid bench player, but where’s the depth of Boston that’s supposed to evoke fear? Tony Allen? My friends and I were calling him Tony Rattled just watching how mentally weak he was down the stretch in the 4th quarter. When he went to the bench during a timeout (I believe after we hit a 3 to cut the lead to 1) he had a look of defeat on his face. And I know we all remember what happened to Tony Allen at the end of the first meeting. We have had plenty of letdown games this season, this was one of them that just so happened to be against the Celtics. This was far from the best the Pistons have to offer.
Dice should’ve been sat down often, not just early. We played great defense up until Big Baby was able to find holes and we were late collapsing on him, but our offense outside of Max was rather anemic.
I want to state UNEQUIVOCALLY for the record that tonight is a reminder, and thankfully these reminders seem to be coming fewer and farther between these days, that Chauncey is NOT deserving of his “Mr. Big Shot” moniker. Apparently he can still be all ego sometimes. His last second three was kind of vintage Chauncey. I guess people forget that Chauncey turned the ball over back in May ‘04 in Game 5 against New Jersey trying to make too much happen for him right before he had to hit the half court three to send it into OT. Revisionist history, I suppose.
Anyway, it’s just another game is the right tone. Dallas Wednesday, San Antonio Thursday. Let the chips fall where they may among the pundits, we clearly don’t believe them anyway.
we’re not good front-runners. never have been. and when this team starts listening to their own hype, it always has a detrimental effect. it would have been a nice way to keep boston in their place going forward, but the reality is if these two squads face-off in the playoffs, it’s going to be a tough, hard-fought series no matter what happens in the regular season. i’m sure there ain’t a pistons fan who’s ever visited this site that’s going to be the least bit upset about not being the #1 seed. we don’t do well that way.
lawerboy - all that I meant was that Boston’s bench was surprisingly efficient during the crunch time when Detroit was able to clamp down pretty well on the big 3. It adds another dimension to Boston in the 4th quarter that the Pistons will have to pay more attention to next time. I fully agree that this wasn’t the best the Pistons had to offer. In fact, in my opinion, had the Pistons given the best they had to offer, the starters wouldn’t have needed to even play in the 4th quarter because it would’ve been a twenty point lead at the half, not two.
To take it a step furter…
There isn’t a team in this league that can handle Detroit at its best.
*further
Full disclosure: In case you were wondering why some of the more obnoxious Boston fans didn’t show their face around these parts tonight, rest assured, they tried. And like last time, their comments were moderated and deleted.
It’s not about being a poor loser (especially since the policy went into place after Detroit’s first win), it’s about not letting a handful of idiots get their kicks out of purposefully lowering the level of discourse.
if Hermann would have played instead of receiving the DNP- Stones by 67.
Also… the gig on Jesus Shuttlesworth is that you just smother him off the ball and frustrate the hell out of him (See: Shuttlewsorth vs. Kobe, Bowen, Bell, Hamilton).
Solid D by Prince…but when his shot is not falling the team takes a significant hit.
When House and E.T. Hands are in the game, back them the hell down and shoot over them.
Got to see most of the game. I have no complaint with Chauncey’s shot at the end, except, where’s the TO? They really didn’t start attacking the rim in the 4th until they got Boston in the penalty.
The one thing that hasn’t been pointed out in the 216 previous comments is that we had the tougher opponent and the tougher game last night, the score may have been a blowout, but it really wasn’t decided until the last 2 minutes. I feel that has something to do with what looked like fatigue last night down the stretch on the Pistons’ part.
I agree with Wolf’s comment directly above. I still like our side better than the Celts.
Matt, if you have some usernames, email addresses and IP addresses of idiotic Celtics fans you would like to send my way, please do so and I’ll check them against our membership database at CelticsBlog. If I find some individuals who match up with info you send, we’ll deal with them sternly about their behavior over here.
I don’t get a chance to get by DBB very often, but as I’ve said in the past, I love this website. You do a terrific job here and you have a smart community too. The post-game discussion here this evening has been a testament to that. It is shame when such nice things get stunk up by trolls and drive-bys.
BTW everyone, fine game tonight and congratulations of the previous win in Boston too! I couldn’t be happier to see the Pistons having another great season. They are one classy, crafty, intelligent and talented ball club. I think there’s a lot the Celtics and other teams as well can learn from them.
Of course now it is looking quite possible that if Boston and Detroit stay healthy, they may well end up facing each other in the playoffs. If that turns out to be the case, it ought to be a wild. However it goes, best wishes to all of you.
Wolf Blitzer: It was fun watching Rip guard Ray on and off the ball. He played him TIGHT, and it definitely looked like it was frustrating him. It didn’t help that, when Ray came up tight on Rip, Rip would put the ball above his head with two hands and throw his elbows to “create space”. Step off, Jesus.
Bob Day is my hero.
He’s a true Celtics - and true basketball - fan exemplified, 100 percent.
I don’t think Maxiell’s jumper is inconsistent, when he actually takes them is inconsistent. According to espn.com, after his brilliant first half he only took 1 shot. I’ve been watching all season and I can’t remember more than a couple games where he missed more jumpers than he made. Right now he’s shooting that free throw curl as well (if not better) than Rip is. Give the kid more shots. If Tay can’t hit ‘em, Maxy will.
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Tay loses his shot when he has a tough defensive assignment. Perhaps Herrmann is the eventual solution to that. It’s kind of a major problem.
i genuinely wonder if he fixed his awkward shot if he’d do better when his legs were tired.
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There was some stuff going on in the 4th that I’d be interested to hear about from anyone in attendance. They seemed reluctant for a while to give it to Dyess and he was pissed about it.
Then in the last minute the painful (see below) Boston announcers mentioned that there was a lot of yelling going on by the Pistons. I wonder who was attacking who and for what specific reason, was it losing Glen Davis, Chauncey’s 3 etc.? The wrong part of me wants to know it, and part of me rather wouldn’t, but there it is.
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When Chauncey got that ball I yelled “Hit that!” No one can dispute that he was WIDE OPEN. Taking the wide open shot, to me, is one of the key principles of this team. So I don’t fault him at all for taking that three. Four times out of five, in a big situation, he’s gonna hit it and we’ll all love him. I think the main reason we’re criticizing him so harshly is because he missed it so damn bad. Really, that was a painfully bad shot. Embarrassingly bad.
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Tom Heinsohn should never be allowed to broadcast a game again. I already sent them a comment complaining here:
http://newengland.comcastsportsnet.com/Contact.jsp
I suggest all, Detroit fan, Boston Fan, basketball fan, broadcasting fan, the fan of pleasant and informative tv chatter, rise up and let them know that Mr. Heinsohn is icky, and most probably has cooties. Or that the games are being broadcast globally and it would behoove them not to put on a broadcaster as alienating and awkward as Tom Heinsohn. You know, whichever you want.
Be warned Van Gundy, you’re next.
Cause now you know,
and knowing is half the battle!
Big Baby had a good game but the problem was that the Pistons were allowing too much penetration. Give the kid credit though for having the strength to finish when he got fouled and for making his free throws. He also had a nice move in the post against Sheed.
But, overall, I don’t think we have to worry about Big Baby as much as it seemed. It was Pierce that was doing the damage.
Is Heinsohn the one that told Violet Palmer to go back to the kitchen?
Why are we attacking Heinsohn? (sorry, I had the privilege to listen to George Blaha and Special K.)
The Pistons can make like the game meant nothing, but from the way Rasheed was crying, I’d beg to differ.
JackDutch - I am going to be upset if we don’t get the #1 seed. Yeah, a part of me knows that in the past it hasn’t been good to us so we should probably root against it, but I always want us winning, even if it’s long-term consequences seemingly may outweigh its short-term gains.
Anyone who defends Chauncey’s shot at the end of the game, I still vehemently disagree though obviously we are entitled to our conflicting opinions. And specifically to Kyl, when you said about Chauncey, “Four times out of five, in a big situation, he’s gonna hit it and we’ll all love him.” From my own perspective, I couldn’t disagree any more than I do.
I often find myself screaming at him to pass it (where I think he’s so much more effective), and even if I’m praising him (usually after a “big shot”), it’s far short of 80% of the time. I just don’t think I’ll ever believe he’s as money as I view people making him out to be. Sorry. Some people (I’m reticent to say “friends”) I know say that makes me a bad Pistons fan. Of course they would be of the intelligence level of a certain “Crack Staff” we’re pretty familiar with. We’re all entitled to rational differing opinions.
LB, Chauncey is a clutch player but not in the way most people percieve him to be. He makes a lot of big shots in the fourth quarter and he’s a great free throw shooter.
But, he’s not a great last second shooter. He’s not athletic enough to be able to create his own uncontested shot in the way that Kobe, Wade, Lebron can. Really, none of the Pistons are that kind of player, although Stuckey has the potential to be.
When the Pistons win close games, it’s when they execute in the last five minutes and get ahead so that Rip and Chauncey can ice the game at the line.
I like the players reactions after the game. They admitted defeat and identified where the problems were. There was no “we’re the better team, we beat ourselves” crap.
Damn, I woke uo this morning, finally get online and see that people are really going nuts over this game. I expected the media blitz and all, but one thing I just came to learn was that Pierce declared his team the best in the league after the game. Wow! Talk about providing your enemies with ammunition. While I’ll be the first to agree that as of right now, his claim is technically (according to the numbers) correct, it doesn’t make it right. Of all people, a guy who’s never won a title and is just now experiencing winning, should be a bit more cautious with his words.
If Detroit has been dubbed as “under the radar” this year, then Boston is the ying to their yang. The spotlight is them. It’s not on them, it is them. They have been the media darlings since before the season started and will be until the end of the season. But by delcaring your team as the best in January, well, I can only see that giving each opponent Boston will face a much stronger desire to beat them. You know that San Antonio is sitting back, looking at Pierce like, “This guy crazy? They ain’t even played us yet, and we’re the ******* champs!” Then there’s Phoenix, not to mention Dallas, along with a few others that are now looking forward to their meetings with the “best” team in the league.
When I saw the Pierce clip after the game, I was reminded of a post-game interview with Sheed a couple of years back when they were owning the league, in which the reporter asked him if he felt they were the best team in the league? While the logical answer was clearly a resounding “HEll YEAH!”, Sheed instead just said it’s not about being called the best team, it’s just about playing good ball. This coming from a guy who has won a title and experienced a fair amount of success on a team that at times, would be perfectly sound in calling their team the best in the league.
All of this was swarming through my mind and kind of irking me, so I went ahead and popped in the first Boston vs Detroit game from a few weeks ago just to watch the moments following the game. The thing that stood out the most, there wasn’t any jersey popping (BTW Paul, that shit got played out real quick in NCAA play!) or declarations of superiority from Detroit, whereas with Boston, Pierce felt he and his team had just confirmed something.
Perhaps they did, and by the time June rolls along, Pierce’s comment will reign true. But for now, Pierce helped place a giant bullseye on the back of those cute green uniforms, and proving his statement will become all the tougher.
After watching that game last night I came away with the following:
1. Glen Davis will one day have his own “BABYISABEAST” site.
2. The only thing difference on D from the last game was that Ray Allen didn’t get any good looks at all. KG got looks but he wasn’t hitting, and Paul Pierce still forced his shots.
3. Jason Maxiell would start if he were on the Celtics team, over Perkins.
4. KG proved again why he’s never won a championship. When Maxiell challenged his shot he got pissy, but then backed down. KG dissappeared when the game mattered most. The only big on the roster that KG matches up with well on D is McDyess. He can’t check Sheed, he doesn’t want anything Maxiell has.
5. The Celtics post defense is softer than I imagined it to be.
6. I’d take Stuckey over any guard coming off of the bench for the Celtics. Tony Allen? Eddie House? come on man… those guys are 11th and 12th men on any other championship contender except maybe Cleveland.
7. I’d take Hayes over anyone coming off of the bench for the Celts too.
8. I can honestly say that one player who will never be a Piston is James Posey.
9. The Celtics “big 3″ play very unselfish, which lead to the loss last night. If this game were in Boston, no way Pierce passes up chances to be the hero.
Like Sheed has said in the past: “The sun even shines on a dog’s ass somedays”. This Celtics team while good, is not overly impressive to me. They have a great 3 but not a great 5. The argument from C’s fans is how their “bench” outscored Detroit’s 39-23 when one of those guys had 20 of those 39 points. There’s still nothing coming off of that bench that scares anyone. I’d be surprised if Davis has another game this season where he sniffs 20 points. Stuckey is getting better, and that 2nd unit is the best in the league for the Pistons. There are guys on our 2nd unit that would start on any other team in the league, plain and simple.
I agree that he’s not as clutch as the Mr. Big Shot moniker might suggest, but this wasn’t a case of him jumping into a defender and forcing up a shot, that would have pissed me off too. There wasn’t a defender within ten feet of him. He could have stopped and reset the offense, but the most they could have hoped for was a shot almost as open as the one he just passed up. It was a wide open three, which for Chauncey is a high percentage shot. If he’d passed it up and Rip had airballed we’d all be chewing out Chauncey for not taking the shot, and that’s a fact.
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anyone else notice that Pierce is most definitely not adjusting well to HIS team becoming KG’s team. He’s had diva moments in both the games against the pistons cause he didn’t feel like he was getting enough shots and now he’s getting all cocky to the papers. somebody feels like he’s being left behind.
Boney,
totally agree with you on Posey. as soon as i saw that hit on Heinrich he popped irrevocably into the “Trash” category. I’m still debating on the whole Big/Cheap Shot Bob issue.
celtics fan here
great game last night, and always liked your team and they scare me more than any other team, even San Anonio.
I have a quesiton for you all - how does chauncey do with bigger guys on him. He can usually just run over other pg’s but I thought ray allen’s size bothered him last night, in fact, I thought it was the key to the game (usually chauncey just destroys teams in the 4th).
Kyl - I only saw the Chauncey shot in real-time so I can only recall what I perceived to transpire, but it must’ve been contested for him to miss it that badly. Even an ardent Chauncey antagonist like myself would give him his just due that he doesn’t whiff that shot when he’s wide open at any point in a game. Also, I never chew out Chauncey for passing up a shot, EVER. He’s a point guard, that’s fundamentally what he is supposed to do, DISTRIBUTE. Would I have chewed out Rip however, if he had missed it as outlined in your scenario? Maybe. But no one wrongly (my opinion) annointed Rip “Mr. Big Shot”. That’s the fundamental problem for me. It’s not that I think Chauncey sucks, I just don’t get all this “Big Shot” love. QD is right, Chauncey’s moniker should be applied to countless big 4th quarter shots, not 4th quarter, game-winning shots.
QD - I like what you say about Chauncey and I feel it’s more accurate/insightful than any words I could come up with.
Boney - At least Davis can stake some claim to deserving his own fansite after last night’s performance. It’s more than Perk’s ever done besides be a great punchline. And yeah, KG is kind of proving himself to be pansy-esque.
The Pistons played this game off like it didn’t mean much. Is that their true feeling? If so, why did Rasheed react so emphatically? Why did he leave the arena the way he did?
they didn’t play it off DavidB. you can tell by how emotional they got when they feel they got bumped on the offensive end of the ball, especially rasheed. rasheed was getting mugged on the block by baby and perkins with no call, and as soon as someone touched (or by maxiell’s block not touched) KG it was a foul.
the game was called really tight, and I would’ve liked to see it played with playoff officials and not officials that are ready to chirp at any moment.
Boney: I thought the first half was pretty rough and tumble, until Maxiell got called for the tech for standing up to Garnett. After that, the refs called it pretty tight, probably to prevent something like that from happening again.
You can’t use Sheed’s emotion as a reflection of the team’s general attitude towards the game. Sheed has a deeper emotional investment in basketball than maybe anyone else in the game today. I’m not saying that means he works the hardest at his game or anything, but he really takes pride in his team. Seeing his team not give its best when it had a great opportunity to win against a rival opponent, especially with how last year ended, well, damn, what do you expect him to do? Him leaving the arena was probably for the best. That post-game interview would’ve just added to the event, an event a guy like Sheed wants out of his head immediately. Sitting around talking about a loss right after it happens would only trigger a guy to say something that the sports media could run with for the next couple of days. Props to Sheed for not giving some jerk-off like Chris Sherdian something else to criticize the Pistons and fill out articles with.
ChicagoGreen, I thought Ray Allen had trouble staying in front of Billups. Allen’s size did come in handy when Billups wanted to shoot a trey.
What was really effective though was trapping Billups hard on the pick and roll. That was what Cleveland did effectively in the playoffs.
Chauncey’s not fast enough to split the double team or to back away from it and fire a pass to the screener.
Everytime the Celtics did this, it stifled the pick-and-roll and forced the Pistons to reset their offense with the clock running down.
The Celtics don’t have a lot of lockdown defenders but they play great team defense.
First I am sad to notice there is another Jason on this site. maybee it was just a one time visit…. Ill have to think of some kind of crafty name like waltonlikesmen1. Only thing which one? I hate all waltons regardless of their preferences. Sorry it took so long to post but ive been busy.
Value is a funny thing. the biggest diamond in the world is only worth what someone will pay for it. If suddently my girlfriend didnt want a big rock on her hand they wouldnt be worth as much. How much did this game mean? you tell me.
too me… not much. I hate when we lose. But this game doesnt really mean a whole lot, other than what we already know. we are both good teams.
Why im glad we lost…. you cant say that we didnt overlook cleveland last year. At least to some degree. I dont want pistons at the all star game. I dont care about home court or our record. Let the young kids play enough to learn and the vets enough to take us to the playoffs.
Rodney has played what, 9 games? remember when we all hated the nets with a passion? Its lame, cliche, and overstated. That doesnt mean that it isnt true: we need to be “underdogs”, we need motivation. Flip doesnt provide that.
BtW nice post jackdutch
I’ve seen us play the celts and I know we can beat them. We are good enough to beat them and vice versa, thats what the playoffs are for. When the real money is on the table, who takes it? All I want to see now is us measure up against the Spurs when they are at full force. If we can prove we can play with the spurs then we have a great shot at the title. Ill take that.
Also nice post by bob day. I can handle Boston fans saying we suck and whomever saying they are the best. Ill handle it a lot better when we bring a trophy back home to motown.
Time for bench to rise
Jay Maxiell eats Big Babies
LET THE MAN PLAY FLIP!!!
I don’t mind Walton. I do mind Sheridan. I did enjoy WLM identifying Sheridan exactly for what he is.
Look, if anyone here is bothered at all by the implications of my screen name, I’ll change it. But if “crafty” is the only adjective thrown my way with regards to my SN, well, then I’m sticking with it.
BTW…I’m out of the loop, what did WLM do to indentify Sherdian?
I’ve just never been able to stand his writing style or the conclusions he draws with little evidence to support them.
who is wlm? forgive my ignorance…
I don’t know either, I just want to know what it is this WLM did to Sherdian.
Boney, care to elaborate?
uhm, waltonlikesmen1, you’re WLM. get it, WaltonLikesMen1? WLM. and this is what you said about Sheridan:
“Props to Sheed for not giving some jerk-off like Chris Sherdian something else to criticize the Pistons and fill out articles with.”
so there’s that.
Lawyerboy,
I looked back at the game, and upon further review you’re right, it was a terrible shot. I think if he’d just popped as soon as he got outside the 3 line things might have been different, but he tried to both reset everyone else AND take the open three. He wasted time directing two players and then jacked it up. It was like he waited for Pierce to come get a hand on the ball. If he’d just taken the shot or reset the offense it would have been fine, but half assedly doing both was not.
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I gotta say it’s really weird seeing how the boston fans and players are reacting to their success. I don’t see the point of declaring yourself the best team at the beginning of January. I guess we’re all jaded by success and they’re desperate for good news, but really, the Celtics are a great team and a great story, why sully it with silly superlatives?
then again it was pierce and posey, one who’s desperate for attention and one who is just used to riding much better players to success (when not tackling them to the ground).
Kyle,
Yeah, I was pretty sure the shot was badly contested and I seem to remember, since you’ve jogged my memory, some very serious hesitation on Chauncey’s part. Ick.
I don’t even want to think about that anymore. I’m trying so hard to love Chauncey this season and maybe even accept that he’s the star of the team, but every time I enthusiastically hear the “Mr. Big Shot” moniker or some sort of blindingly exaggerated praise of Chauncey I seethe.
HA HA! That’s pretty good! Damn, sorry for not catching that, feeling pretty dumb for that one.
Kyle, the way the NBA has performing over the past five-seven years in regards to ratings, it needs some kind of sotryline to sell. What better than the return of Boston?
I just think it’s funny how many Celtic fans have emerged, considering you’d be hard-pressed to even giveaway courtside tickets to a Boston game last season.
Flava Flav’s voice usually comes into my head when I think of Boston, just reminding me not to believe the hype.
Whew! I think I need a cigarette after reading all those posts.
Boston’s rise has been great for the league. In LA, there was so much hype and excitement for the game against Boston.
I think the Pistons have a harder road to the championship now than the Spurs do. Phoenix will never beat them. Dallas isn’t bad but Boston’s much better.
I agree that it’s a great storyline for the NBA and I’d love to see them play up both the Celtics and their revived rivalry with the Pistons. However, It’s the players that confuses me. I don’t know Posey or Pierce’s full NBA or NCAA resume, but to me, if you’re that excited about game 2 of 4 of a regular season series, you’ve probably never won anything in your life.
I guess, IMO, it makes them less frightening. I want the Celtics to be cold blooded winning machines, so that when we beat them it means something. Right now they’re acting like an expansion team that just won their first nationally televised game. Nobody likes feeling awkward pity, and seeing Posey and Pierce parade around popping their jerseys and genuinely believing they’d done something profound and significant made me feel just that.
I agree with Kyle, the Celtics didn’t handle themselves with that professionalism that great teams usually show. That attitude of, “Well, what did you expect to happen?”, after a big win. It’s, understandable though. Pierce was acting like they had just recieved a ring. Almost makes me think that the Celtics got past a mental block as to whether or not they could even beat Detroit.
When Detroit beat Boston, Chauncey walked off the court calmy, telling the lady interviewing him on the court that it was just another game between two good teams. Contrast that with Pierce’s statements and it’s pretty clear which team’s leader (people will argue that KG is their leader so maybe spokesperson is a more appropriate term) is more secure with their team.
Muhammad Ali excluded, those who say they’re the best usually aren’t. Just like the loudest guy at the party is usually the weakest.
I don’t think Golden State even pulled out the jersey popping, and they knocked out the west’s #1 seed.
Without even beating the defending champion Spurs (gotta acknowledge them, it’s only right), Pierce should keep his thoughts to himself. As much as I love the Pistons, the team to beat this year is San Antonio, no matter the early season records.
Looking forward to Thursday!
The Spurs were exactly who I was thinking of. They’re terrifying. Tim Duncan is that team, and Tim Duncan is a cold blooded killer. Maybe they just set the bar too high for modern Piston’s foes. KG scares me because he can do everything and changes the game so dramatically by just being on the court, but seeing how soft he turns when confronted takes any sort of psychological edge off of him, for me anyway.
Just to clear up a slight error made by Kyle (is he the same as Kyl? My head hurts.), We only play Boston ONE more time in the regular season. So it’s 3 regular season meetings, not 4. It’s Wednesday, March 5th in Boston at 7:30 and currently does not have any TV listing, local or national, which is probably code for ESPN had their sights on it at the beginning and had reserved the right to air it and will probably exercise to do so, but that’s just my view.
And for those of you conspiracy theorists out there … we play Seattle at home the night before, while Boston PLAYS us on two days’ rest.
Sorry, plays was an unfortunate caps lock accident.
When do the Celtics play the Spurs? That’s a game worth watching, which means the NBA probably won’t put it on national television.
I’m pretty amazed that both Pistons games will be on national tv this week.
WLM1, since I have nothing better to do than make up abbreviations for your name and look up NBA schedules … Boston plays San Antonio at home on February 10th and on the road on March 17th. The home game will be a Sunday night ESPN broadcast (7:00PM ET), but the March 17th game, being on a Monday night scheduled @ 8:30 PM ET apparently won’t air nationally. It’s currently listed on Yahoo! as airing on Fox Sports Southwest but no Boston listing. Boston goes to Houston the following night then Dallas that Thursday. Both of those games are on slated to air on TNT. Boston rounds out that road swing with New Orleans that Saturday (22nd) and that’s only listed as having local coverage (COX in New Orleans).
Good to know. Thanks for the update.
Pistons suck. Let us know when your ready to play some real basketball. Oh and where’s Perkisabeast when u need him. He’s so good at setting u guys straight.
Chauncey Billups, in my opinion, is one of the most obnoxious players in the NBA. He’s got talent and comes through in the clutch, but how couldu respect a guy that cocky? Rasheed Wallace isn’t a threat to me. He seemed so out of his element with Garnett all over him! Oh, and this one I might be a lone on, but did anyone c Tony Allen before his injury? He may not be completely back now (or even close), but who expected him to have the will to come back THAT quickly after such an injury. That, right there says something to me, and he’s gonna be a force to be reckoned with when he comes back. Oh, when was the last time that Detroit saw 3 teams achieve championships all in one year. No disrespect to u fans, but the Celtics are a better basketball team, so u guys need to give perkisabeast the respect he deserves. U can’t deny that he’s funny. Btw: The COunting Crows are a good band in Lawyerboy’s defense.