VS.
CELTICS/PISTONS II
Dueling Diaries going on tonight as I’m here with the second half of the Celtics/Pistons rematch. Coup will obviously be doing the Blazers/Jazz game, it should be either right above or below me. I’m not sure I could have watched another Blazers/Jazz game without fire shooting out of my eyes. Plus the Hornets/Suns game became less appealing when David West got hurt…thankfully its just its hip. Paul vs. Nash is no joke though.
Story of this game has been UGLY. KG didn’t have a field goal in the first half and the C’s haven’t been able to find their shot shooting an anemic 33 percent. If it weren’t for Jason Maxiell and his 12 first half points the Pistons would be in the same boat.
6:16 PM: We’re joining in progress as the Celtics are up 53-52. They’re on a 6-0 run. Chauncey Billups hit a free throw to put the Pistons up 52-46 with 9:21 left in the third. Detroit hasn’t scored for about three minutes.
6:17 PM: Of course as I write that sentence Sheed hits a jumper and Billups hits a transition three. 57-53 Detroit.
6:19 PM: James Posey picks up his fourth foul driving recklessly in transition and McDyess picks up the charge. In comes Tony Allen who should be looking for revenge.
6:20 PM: KG takes Sheed baseline, ignores McDyess trying to hell and makes a hell of a layup. I can’t describe it I’ll just say you’re more than likely going to see it on SportsCenter. Chauncey tries to do the same thing but he steps out of bounds. Timeout, 57-55 Detroit with about 4 left in the third.
6:22 PM: I’ve got the Boston announcing crew for this one and they are making an ugly game even uglier. Plus the Patriots commercials are driving me nuts and I don’t even hate them like that. Also staring at the TV and seeing New Orleans and Phoenix trading jumpers back and forth makes me wonder if I made the wrong decision. Crap.
6:23 PM: KG was in foul trouble early and Maxiell has entered back in the game. KG makes a tough fadeaway over McDyess. Why Flip Saunders has McDyess trying to cover KG is mind-boggling the man has one knee for pete’s sake.
6:25 PM: They go right back to KG who drives by McDyess again. This time it leads to a Tony Allen layup. Tied up at 59.
6:27 PM: Rip drops in two free throws for the Pistons. Celtics come back and immediately throw KG the ball. He is shaving days off of Antonio’s life right now, this time drawing a foul. The fourth on McDyess. Interesting. I’m also wondering if Flip Saunders sees that Antonio is getting demolished right now. Tied up at 61.
6:28 PM: Doc Rivers picks up a technical foul in a boring way. The refs called a foul on Kendrick Perkins as he bumped Chauncey as he was coming off a ballscreen. It was a questionable call but not a huge deal so Doc picks up a needless T. Then Boston’s announcers talk about how they can’t believe the refs would fall for Chauncey Billups ‘flailing’. Even though…he didn’t stop dribbling.
6:29 PM: From Coup “Celtics announcers are bigger homers than ours”. Wish I had known that before I started good lord I didn’t think it could get worse than Barrett and Rice.
6:33 PM: 66-63 Detroit as we start the 4th quarter. By the way they are doing a stupid ‘Celtics/Pistons Round 2’ gimmick with boxing gloves like its a fight every time from commercial. This bothers me a lot. Apparently Kendrick Perkins picked up a technical foul at some point and Rip nailed the free throw so its really 67-63 to start the quarter.
Lineups: Pollard, Tony Allen, House, Pierce and Big Baby for the Celtics. For Detroit it’s Rip, McDyess, Maxiell, Javis Hayes and Rodney Stuckey.
6:34 PM: Tony Allen goes by Billups and dishes to Big Baby who lays it in to cut the lead to two. Pierce is the only one of the C-3 on the floor for the C’s. Maxiell misses a jumper for the Pistons and Scot Pollard tip-in ties the game.
6:35 PM: Rodney Stuckey erases that tie with a jumper. Both teams are trading misses right now with the Celtics announcers crying about a fall nearly everytime or bemoaning a turnover. The streak of non scoring and ugly basketball ends as Jason Maxiell gets fouled on offensive rebound and Chauncey and Sheed return.
6:38 PM: Maxiell makes one of two to take the lead to 70-67. I’m in shock I just saw Marcus Banks make a three for the Suns. Also KG is back in the game for Pollard.
Coup: “Pistons are showing exactly why their depth gives them an advantage in a 7-game series.” I’d have to agree with that, Boston’s bench is very hit and miss and they’ve been way more miss when the Pistons come to town.
6:39 PM: Big Baby gets hacked going up for a layup as we go to break. Detroit up 70-67 with 9 minutes left in the game.
6:42 PM: Big Baby knocks both free throws down to cut the lead to one. Tommy Heinsohn says that win or lose the Celtics are telling the Pistons that they’re pretty good and he thinks Detroit isn’t getting much better and that Boston will. I’m paraphrasing but I kid you not that’s wat he legit said.
6:43 PM: Rodney Stuckey with an offensive rebound and he gets fouled on the way back up by Eddie House. Ray Allen returns to the lineup for Boston. Stuckey nails both to put the Pistons up 72-69 with a little under 8 minutes to go.
6:44 PM: Big sequence for Boston. Ray Allen gets double teamed off a ballscreen and nearly throws it over and back. Paul Pierce saves him, shakes Tayshaun with a hesitation move and pullups. He hits the jumper, the refs call the foul. Add the free throw and we’re tied at 72.
6:45 PM: Pierce drives by the Pistons defense and dishes to Big Baby who finishes a tough layin. I like him better in that role than Kendrick Perkins for some reason he doesn’t drop passes. Sheed answers on the other end with a deep 2.
6:47 PM: Questionable foul call goes in Boston’s favor as Sheed blocks KG’s shot from behind but they give KG the call. He makes both free throws to put Boston up 76-74 with 6:40 left in the game.
6:48 PM: A..lot..of….fouling. Big Baby fouls Maxiell on the ground. FYI, the Detroit crowd has shown absolutely zero energy except for booing bad foul calls. Detroit misses a couple three pointers. On the other end, KG slips the pick and roll, Pierce hits him, KG immediately drops it to Big Baby who throws it up. The refs blow the whistle and his shot rattles in to put Boston up 78-74 with 5:54 left in the 4th.
6:50 PM: Davis has 12 points and has been the key to victory with his finishes this quarter. He nails the free throw and the C’s are up 79-74.
6:52 PM: Ray Allen needlessly picks up his 5th foul pressuring Chauncey Billups. Then Rip Hamilton backs Eddie House down and nails a jumper over him. Down the other end Paul Pierce runs over Maxiell and they call a charge. I’ll give you a guess to see if Boston’s announcers agreed.
6:54 PM: Just as I was wondering how Boston was going to defend with Ray mismatched on Billups and House mismatc
hed on Rip, Rip tries a skip pass. Pierce intercepts it and dunks it to take the lead back up to 5.
6:54 PM: A part of me dies inside everytime Sheed misses one of those fadeaway jumpers in the post. House fouls Rip as he tries to post him up and the Pistons go to the line thanks to the penalty. Rip misses the first free throw and Heinsohn screams ‘That’s justice!’. Oh….sheesh. he maks the other. 81-77 Boston.
6:55 PM: KG travels down the other end and we get a ‘DEE-TROIT BAS-KET-BALLLLL!’. The Pistons crowd is officially just a bunch of trained monekys. Billups is relentlessly attacking Ray Allen trying to pick up his final foul. He almost did but the refs gave it to Paul Pierce instead. Billups uncharacteristically misses both free throws, Heinsohn gives Gorman a Tommy Point for his ‘witchcraft’ efforts in jinxing Billups. He said he got his degree in witchcraft from Salem U as 97.9 percent of the TV audience doesn’t get it.
6:58 PM: Ugly basketball. Detroit had about three offensive rebounds and couldn’t score and Boston can’t take advantage and cut their throats off. Prince had House in the post, spun off, forced the D to help and hit Rip in the corner. He drains the three. 81-80 Boston with 2 minutes left.
7:00 PM: So apparently the Plain White T’s are performing after the Celtics/Wizards game on January 14th. I don’t know if I’m more amazed that they are performing or that there is a black guy in the group. Definitely the latter.
7:01 PM: Doc Rivers makes a coaching move taking House and his defensive liability out and putting Tony Allen in. They throw the ball to Big Baby in the post on Sheed. He rolls to his left, tosses the left layup in and draws the and 1. He converts and Boston is right back up to 4. Big Baby is coming up with big buckets. Chauncey takes a quick, bad three…he misses. Rip fouls Tony Allen on the box out and he’s shooting free throws.
7:02 PM: 86-80 Boston after the two free throws. Detroit comes back with penetration and McDyess hits that top of the key midrange that he almost always makes. Tony Allen turns it over and Detroit has a big chance right here.
7:04 PM: Rip Hamilton drops in a runner off the baseline and the Celtics call timeout. Boston is up 86-84 with 1:25 left in the game. Boston definitely needs a bucket, Pierce and KG should run a pick and roll or something right about now.
7:06 PM: Boston has murdered Detroit 48-34 and are only up two. Also KG was demanding the ball in the timeout. Tony Allen almost turned it over again….there goes that experiment. In comes Rondo. Pierce drives to the rack and doesn’t get bailed out by the refs as he gets bumped. He misses the fadeaway but Big Baby comes up with a big offensive rebound. Pierce penetrates again and finds…guess who? Big Baby who gets fouled and makes the layup. Holy crap he’s balling.
7:07 PM: He misses the free throw. Boston is up four with less than a minute left. Chauncey drives to the bucket and if anyone not named Glen Davis takes that charge they call it a charge. Unfortunately its a block and Billups is going to the line. Billups makes one of two, he’s missed three this quarter. But he gets his own rebound…and then takes a three pointer. Airball.
7:09 PM: Boston can get the dagger. This is when its nice to have three superstars on the court. Pierce dribbles all over, finally penetrates to the paint and drops it off to Big Baby who lays it in with the left hand. I feel redundant but it keeps happening. Good adjustment Flip Saunders. 90-85 with 8 seconds left. KG gave Big Baby the old Sam Cassell ‘you’ve got big balls’.
7:11 PM: Pierce has 19, 9 rebounds, 7 assists. 16 of Big Baby’s 20 points have come in this fourth quarter. Who is this D-Wade? He has 16 of the Celtics 27 points as the Pistons are quarreling according to Tommy Heinsohn.
7:12 PM: Prince misses a three, Tony Allen with the rebound he is fouled and these are just for fun now. By the way if there is a team that has proven that it can’t face adversity very well its this Detroit Piston team. They fold. They folded against the Heat two years back and they folded against Cleveland last year. Interesting to see where they go after this big loss.
7:13 PM: Allen makes both and the Celtics win 92-85.
There goes Detroit’s 11-game win streak and Boston gets the biggest win this team has ever gotten. And it’s all thanks to Glen Davis who was able to make the layups but give it up to Paul Pierce for continually beating everyone Detroit threw at him on dribble penetration and creating those little dump-offs. I think last year Pierce may have settled for a jumper or forced something up. Big sign of Boston’s chemistry that he believed in Davis enough to keep dumping it to him. On a night where KG had early foul trouble, Ray Allen was constantly in foul trouble and the shots weren’t falling…Boston found a way to win. On the road nonetheless.
Detroit couldn’t get anything going and really didn’t look interested in trying to. Billups missed three free throws in the fourth quarter, I think Rip missed at least one. They took terrible shots, the worst being Billups jacking up a three instead of re-setting their offense. This is the bad Piston team that comes out every now and then. It just seemed like Boston wanted/needed this game more than Detroit did. Who knows what could happen in a 7-game series.
Go read Coup’s Blazer diary.