Game
02, Friday, Nov 01, 7:30pm: Celtics vs. Detroit Pistons
The Celtics came into this game after the supreme embarrassment of
being beaten in their home opener two days before, after a moving
tribute to the recently deceased Red Auerbach, to whom the Celtics
dedicated this season. After practice the next day, the Celtics
were all required to shoot 100 free throws in the gym, in hopes of
avoiding the misery at the line that contributed to the loss.
Detroit was also coming off an opening night loss, and was looking to
prove they really could win without Ben Wallace, their premiere
rebounder. So the question was, would the Celtics find their
offense first, or would Detroit find their defense first? The
game would be tough no matter what happened.
The Detroit starters were introduced: Chauncey Billups, Richard
Hamilton, Rasheed Wallace, Tayshaun Prince, and Nazr Mohammed, under
Coach Flip Saunders.
Then came the Celtics lineup, but first, they had to show off the new
jumbotron scoreboard. This was, unfortunately, followed by the "Celtic
Dance team" (whom I refer to as the "Moosiers" after the "bovine
hoofer" comment someone made), making their debut, fulfilling my worst
expectations about what they would be doing--making this look like a
college basketball game instead of an NBA game. After they
bounced their way across court in a manner that reflected no kind of
"dancing" I'd ever seen outside a few really bad movies, they lined up
to flash their wares as player introductions were made. The
Celtics starters, when they were finally introduced, were: Paul Pierce,
Sebastian Telfair, Wally Szczerbiak, Ryan Gomes, and Kendrick Perkins.
1st
quarter:
The tipoff was won by the Celtics,
who promptly dribbled the ball up the court as the Detroit defense had
all day to set up. The C's did pass the ball better, but still
weren't moving well without the ball. Ryan Gomes did get a decent
look at an 18-foot jump shot that bounced out and into the hands of the
Detroit defense. Hamilton brought the ball up as the Celtics
barely beat him dribbling the ball up to their basket. It was
obvious the C's had been instructed to tighten their defense, as they
blanketed the strong side of the court, Billups took--and missed--a
shot nearly identical to the one Gomes had taken and missed at the
other end, and the Celtics took the ball up, showing patience as they
worked the ball into Perkins, who made sure the ball went in with a
nice hook shot as the Detroit defense totally failed to react to him
under the basket. Mike Gorman, a recent guest on CSL's webcast,
pointed out that the Celtics had gotten their first lead of the season
one minute into the second game.
The Pistons were unable to convert at the other end, and Pierce took
down the rebound. Prince fouled him, and tested the ref's
patience in the new era of zero tolerance for the Stanislavsky method
on the court. So far, the C's defense was better, and the offense
was--for the moment--holding up. Now, the Good Guys would face
their first test at the free throw line as Paul Pierce walked to the
line. The first shot bounced off the rim, the backboard, and the
rim again, before finally dropping through the net. The second
one looked more like a proper free throw, whispering through the net as
the relieved Pierce ran back on defense with the rest of the team.
Prince was still complaining as the Pistons went up, and I was
surprised he wasn't hit with a "T", given the really short fuses the
refs had previously shown this week for such demonstrative
behavior. Rasheed was able to put it up over Gomes, despite good
defense by the young Forward, drawing the foul in the process, and
going to the line for two. Justice prevailed as he missed both
free throws. Wally went up pretty quickly from the corner on the
ensuing possession, and the shot just didn't look good to me. He was
open, but he just didn't extend well, I thought. Detroit couldn't
capitalize as Pierce took down another defensive rebound, immediately
getting the ball to Telfair, who got a good look that didn't go in from
beneath the free throw line. Hamilton blew an easy shot, but so
did Pierce, despite taking it right to the hoop, the ball bounced out
of the net. Wally got his offense in gear after yet another
Piston miss--and they had a wide open look, too as the C's defense
broke down completely on the play.
The Pistons finally got themselves on the scoreboard with 8:48 left in
the first quarter, off a Billups feed to Mohammed. Wally
responded at the other end with a baseline jumper. But Billups
was finding his teammates, and Mohammed scored again, from just under
the hoop. Pierce got in the paint, rebounding his shot after
Mohammed blocked it and went back up to put the ball back in for two
more. After Billups missed a jumper, Telfair went to the hoop
(missing a wide-open Gomes) to go for two more. Timeout was
called with 7:19 to go in the quarter and the Celtics leading it, 12-4.
During that timeout, there was a new promotion added for the Garden,
where you can get your group a chance to play for five minutes on the
Parquet floor, with PA introductions and a DVD of the game. Sounded
like a good deal to ME!
Following the timeout, the Celtics tightened their defense, as Detroit
was determined to make up for missing bunny shots earlier. The
C's offense looked a bit disjointed on the trip up,and got nothing out
of it. The Celtics defense was MUCH better than the previous
game, to my great relief. Mohammed provided two more at the free
throw line after drawing a foul. The Celtics next offensive trip
was a mess as the Pistons came away with the ball after a bad pass by
Perkins, who compounded the matter by managing to trip over a Piston
player, committing his second foul. Perk sat for Al Jefferson,
and the Pistons and Celtics traded baskets. It was nice to see
Pierce passing out of the triple team to an open Telfair, who nailed
the shot. The Celtics played tight defense, but the refs blew it
when the shot clock was wrongly restarted, and then a foul was called
on Prince's shot. I looked at the play again, and there's no
question the shot clock would have sounded before the Pistons got a
shot off originally. It was a dumb foul by Telfair, but the refs
and the timekeeper blew it first. Telfair sat in favor of Rajon
Rondo as the Pistons went 2-2 at the line, closing in on the Celtics
lead.
Gomes was able to hit a shot clock jumper at the other end as the
Pistons defense got tighter, forcing the Celtics to move the ball
around the perimeter. After a couple of possessions, Delonte West
came in for Wally. I have little other than my observations to
support it, but I'd swear Wally's hurting when he tries to shoot.
What pleased me was that so far, the Celtics had consistently looked
inside before trying the outside jumpers. Both teams were playing
halfcourt ball, and at this juncture, the Pistons were slightly more
successful as they closed in on the Celtics. Billups went
back to the line for two more points. I still get annoyed when I
realize we traded him away ages ago. Al Jefferson was still
playing in close to the hoop and was rewarded with a trip of his own to
the line, where he sent both shots through the net.
Billups responded with a deep two, after which the Celtics continued to
try to work the ball inside to Jefferson--perhaps the Celtics were
reading some of the online comments following the last game.--but the
Pistons were beginning to defend Al seriously. Both teams had
played mostly halfcourt and I was surprised to see how effective the
Celtics offense was in that set, though I'd rather see a few more fast
breaks. timeout was called with 1:49 to go and the Celtics
leading it, 21-18.
The timeout featured another appearance by the Moosiers, dashing my
hopes that someone had herded them on a plane to Los Angeles. and
barred the Garden doors behind them.
After the timeout, the Pistons, courtesy of Hamilton, added two more
points, once more closing in on the Celtics lead. Olowokandi had
come into the game, looking to cement the newfound reputation he'd
established in preseason. Rondo accepted the gift of the Pistons
playing off him with a 10 foot jumper. Pierce then sat for a rest
as Tony Allen entered the game. Delonte earned a trip to the line
where he continued the Celtics perfection at the line in the first
quarter. A bit of sloppy play in the final minute and a blown
fast break opportunity--one of the few--kept the Celtics from extending
the lead as the quarter ended with the Celtics ahead, 25-24.
The First quarter had showed me that the Celtics had learned the hard
lessons of the previous game--the defense was vastly improved and the
free throws were perfect for the team in the opening quarter. I
was impressed that the Celtics were leading despite playing a halfcourt
game, which led to my main concern--the Celtics had not had many fast
breaks and managed to mess up two of them. Detroit's defense was
bound to improve, and frankly, a large reason for the early lead the
Good Guys had enjoyed was because the Pistons missed a bunch of easy
shots. I really felt that the Celtics needed to run and beat
Detroit's defense or they might be in trouble.
Statistically, the FG percentage slightly favored the Pistons, 40% to
39%. The C's were a perfect 6-6 from the line, but Detroit
was 8-10, meaning they made 2 more then the Celtics attempted.
Thanks to their discovery of the inside game, Boston led rebounding
14-11. This reinforced my concern that if the Pistons played to
their potential, the Good Guys could have a rough night ahead.
2nd quarter:
The
quarter opened with the Pistons walking up the ball, and the Celtics
defense collapsed nicely--this was one of several times I saw 3-4
Celtics under the defensive basket, a marked contrast to the prior
game, when Al Jefferson was left in the wind. The C's ran up the
court, but Delonte pulled up for a three with 20 seconds left on the
shot clock. The problem was that with all the C's working the
defensive basket, nobody was in position to receive an outlet pass,
letting Detroit stay in front of the ball all the way. The
Celtics were also committing silly fouls, as Tony Allen proved the next
trip up. But justice prevailed once more, as Flip Murray missed both.
I was heartened to see the Celtics continue to send the ball inside to
Al Jefferson..This will pay big dividends for Boston if they can master
that on a consistent basis. I also noted the Al is learning when
to keep the ball up, and not take it down before making a shot.
Less chance of someone taking the ball away from him.
The Celtics were moving the ball well, and moving a little better
without the ball, allowing Rondo to go up inside for two. But
they need to move more, and spread out the opposition defense to make
that successful on a regular basis. Detroit was playing Boston
for the outside shot, so the C's were doing well going inside.
Bur Rondo tends to dribble the ball too much, and that gets him into
trouble. He needs to get rid of the ball faster when the play
develops.
Tony Allen tore the ball away from McDyess on a defensive rebound,
which was very cool. Wally came back into the game, leading me to
think that they're using him in short spurts right now, or at least
picking those times when they want him on the floor. Meanwhile,
Tony Allen can't hit the outside shot. He really needs to work
the inside and only take an occasional 18 footer to keep the defense
honest. Wally saved what was nearly another blown transition
basket. This led to a timeout with 9:27 to go in the half, and
Boston still ahead, 29-24.
As time went back in, it was weird to see Dave Cowens on the Piston's
bench as an assistant coach. I have to admit, I wondered for a
moment if he'd make a good coach for Boston, but what little I heard
about his coaching record wasn't so hot. The Celtics blew another
transition opportunity when the wrong man had the ball. I'm glad
to hear--and occasionally see--the Celtics running, but they have to
move with purpose or the running does them no good. This is not
to say the game is going at the pace of a slug in molasses like when
Jim O'Brien coached, but I believe the Celtics need to start outrunning
the opposition defense more. Someone needs to drop back faster
and be ready for the outlet pass--and when that DOES happen, the rest
of the guys need to look up more before settling for a quick dribbling
up the court.
Bob Cousy commented that considering the shooting woes of the Pistons,
the Celtics should be ahead by a larger margin. He was right,
there had been a few bad shots, but most of the misses were from good
looks at the hoop. Another area of fundamentals to work on--if
you're going to be a running team, with minimal defense, you HAVE to
make your baskets.
Rasheed Wallace then scored his first points of the season, with 8:27
left in the first half--and this was the Piston's second regular season
game! I hoped that a similar amount of time would pass before he
scored again, but looked at the Celtics defense and realized the odds
weren't so good on that happening.
Tony Allen drove to the hoop this time, but looked obviously like he
was playing for the foul, which they called--but it was a possession
foul, which meant no free throws. This brought Pierce off the
Bench, whilst Tony took a seat. Next play, Rondo got robbed when
the ball popped out, but he and Olowokandi did a great job following up
and keeping possession. This set up a nice play for Wally to go
to the hoop. I think Wally's having trouble playing from outside,
and the inside moves are working because the defense expects him to
pull up and take a three.
On the ensuing possession,the Celtics once more converged on the basket
and came away with the rebound. But once more, there were three
guys under the hoop, one more along the baseline and only Wally headed
back upcourt. That makes the outlet pass predictable, assuming
someone looks up to start with. But once more, any attempt at a
fast break was stifled by the Piston's defense. The Celtics were
not getting any chances to run the open court and beat the Detroit
defense. Al Jefferson was fouled, and his second free throw was
the first Celtics missed free throw, making them 7-8, with 7:28
left in the half. I hoped the miss was an aberration and the Good
Guys would continue to take full advantage of their trips to the line.
I was concerned that the Celtics were giving Billups all the time he
needed to set up offensive plays--nobody was harassing him, or rushing
him, so he could dribble and wait for a teammate to be open. On
this particular play, the ball stayed in Chauncey's hands for 14 of 24
seconds, only passing the ball when McDyess was open under the
hoop. The Celtics were playing decent defense, given the obvious
weaknesses, but the Pistons were too good at finding each other.
But on the other end, the Pistons defense broke down as Pierce faced
single coverage and got the ball close to the hoop for an easy jump
shot. This is EXACTLY the kind of offensive play they need to run
for Pierce. Let him move without the ball, get in near the lane,
then hand over the pumpkin for an easy two against single
coverage. He can do that to about 97% of the opponents, and the
rest he can back off for the three and/or drive to the hoop and draw a
foul. Next trip up, Wally gets rewarded for passing the ball on
the previous trip as he hits the open jumper. Detroit called time
with 6:24 left in the half and the Celtics maintaining a 36-28 lead.
When time came back in, the Pistons let their Point guard once more
handle the ball, which led to another McDyess jumper. The Celtics
offense was getting slower and slower as Olowokandi barely beat the
shot clock when he put the ball up for two. But the halfcourt
game is exactly what the Pistons wanted, as they were bigger and more
easily able to fight the ball inside for baskets over the smaller
Celtics. McDyess was sparking the Pistons on the offensive side
and I could see the Good Guys were in serious trouble after McDyess
stole the inbound pass, which led to another Detroit basket. The
Pistons were becoming more and more confident, making aggressive plays
at the basket. Meanwhile, the Celtics began committing more
turnovers, which was a very bad idea, given that the C's really needed
to make as few mistakes as possible if they wanted to win.
Perkins, Gomes, and Telfair came back in for Olowokandi, Jefferson, and
Rondo in an attempt to stifle the Pistons' momentum and shore up the
Celtics increasing lethargy.
But Telfair almost instantly picked up his third foul, another silly
foul, which put Rondo back in the game before he could sit down.
Meanwhile Detroit made the most of the latest trip to the free throw
line, once more closing in on the C's. Rasheed returned the favor
by fouling Pierce, who went to the line to shoot two, making
both. I have to say that Pierce's release on the free throws
looks a little awkward, making me wonder if he's not unconsciously
still favoring the elbow that was operated on over the summer.
But at this juncture, Boston was shooting 90% at the line, going 9-10,
by far their best free throw shooting half of the last two months,
counting preseason. Between the free throws and the defensive
rebounding--combined with Detroit still missing a few easy shots here
and there, the C's were barely able to maintain their lead, but were
totally unable to extend that lead.
Perkins lost a basket when an offensive three seconds was called on
Pierce was called, and even Cousy speculated it was a makeup call. Perk
has obviously been working on that hook shot, it looks pretty good,
though you can spot the setup a mile away. He needs to learn to
flow into the shot, but the shot itself looks good. The Celtics
were still moving the ball up too slowly, but they were at least
passing the pumpkin around looking for the open man, Gomes hitting the
shot this time up.
But Hamilton was really starting to heat up, hitting a deep two,
despite decent defense just inside the arc. But the Celtics
managed another turnover, and time was called with 2:10 to go in the
half and Boston still ahead, 42-40. During the halftime, the
crowd endured another appearance by the Moosiers, who, so far as I
could tell, don't really dance as much as they bounce around the floor
almost in unison. Thank goodness for Tivo.
When time came back in, the Celtics reverted to their standby play when
the offense goes nowhere--hand the ball to Pierce, and let him draw a
shooting foul. The problem is, this puts a LOT of wear and tear on
Pierce, and the rest of the team needs to step up and play better
instead of constantly making Pierce salvage a bad offensive set.
But just as Tommy Heinsohn was commenting that Pierce was practicing
following through on his free throws and making them, he failed to do
so on the second attempt, nearly missing it! Talk about
demonstrating a point!
As the Pistons brought up the ball, Rondo got mugged by Billups, who
elbowed the young Rondo out of his way, then did a nice stunt fall to
pretend that Rondo hit him. Sadly, the ref fell for the
performance, which qualifies Billups for an Emmy
nomination. Give Rondo credit,all he did was get back up
and move close in as the ball came back in, forcing Billups to give it
up. Detroit was unable to convert, so the Good Guys won out in
the end of that situation.
Detroit pulled an obvious goaltend at the other end, robbing Pierce of
a basket. The refs, apparently, were busy elsewhere, perhaps
admiring the Moosiers on the sidelines. You'd think at least ONE
of three guys would be watching the ball, but the Pistons ran almost
unopposed to the other end for two as the Celtics were still shocked
there was no call on the obvious goaltend. The refs did
manage to return from their break in time to whistle Wally for
traveling on the next play, however. Granted, he WAS travelling,
but there also WAS a goaltend. The refs aren't making themselves
look good right now, and Tommy Heinsohn was being remarkably
restrained.
After a tough defensive stand to keep Detroit from scoring again,
Boston had the ball and a chance for the final shot of the half.
Pierce was fouled on his way to the hoop, and then Billups was hit with
a technical foul to boot! Wally went up to shoot the "T", which I
thought was odd, since Pierce was having himself a good night at the
line. But he sank it, so no harm done. Al Jefferson came in
for Perkins for defensive reasons, then Pierce stepped up to shoot his
free throws. But his follow through wasn't there and Pierce
missed the first shot, after which, Delonte West and Tony Allen came
back into the game.
As this happened, in referring to the technical foul called on Billups,
FSNE showed a statistic listing the relative number of technical fouls
and ejections called this season as compared to last season at this
time. In the first 17 NBA games last season, there were a total
of 6 technical fouls called and one ejection. This season, after 17 games, there
had been 29 technicals called and four ejections, an increase of nearly
500%! The whistles were blowing freely, perhaps the refs venting
a little themselves. It was not a rule change, they could ALWAYS
make those calls for "overly demonstrative behavior", but simply saying
that NO such behavior would be tolerated took away the wiggle room most
players had previously.
Pierce then attempted his second free throw, which went in. With
just over four seconds left, the Pistons ran the ball up, and Hamilton
launched a time clock three with one second left, that bounced around
and went in as the buzzer sounded. The first half ended with the
Celtics lead now cut to 46-45.
Halftime:
So far, I had to admit, the Celtics had been able to maintain the lead
throughout the first half by a combination of a MUCH improved game at
both ends of the court, combined with some miserable Detroit shooting
early in the first quarter. Boston was running, but not fast beak
running, only beating the Pistons back once or twice in the half.
I doubted the Celtics could win a halfcourt game against the Pistons,
who were much bigger than the Celtics. Hamilton and Rasheed were
warming up, and they could do considerable damage if they got
loose. Boston's halfcourt game could be best summed up by today's
comic strip "Cleats" by Bill Hinds:
The Celtics were shooting 44% to the Piston's 37%, but Detroit was
getting more shots, and the Celtics had committed 8 turnovers, where
Detroit had none. I was amazed to see that the Celtics were
outrebounding Detroit 27-22, but that was partly a product of some of
the Piston's poor performance in the opening quarter. Given
this--and the one point difference at the half, told me the Celtics
really needed to step it up or Detroit would make this a long
night. Thanks to commercials and Tivo, I bypassed the Moosiers,
and went to the second half of the game.
3rd
quarter:
Things started badly right away as Prince blew by his man and got
a easy shot to give the Pistons their first lead of the game just 12
seconds into the start of the second half. Telfair tried and
failed to answer, and this time, the Pistons were the ones clustered
under the hoop for the rebound. Prince missed his next shot, but
was left wide open to take it in the first place. Perkins and
Pierce played a two man game next trip up, and once more, there wasn't
enough movement without the ball, allowing the Piston defense to
collapse in. Perk made the shot anyway, but had to dribble far too long
before getting his shot off.
Billups missed his first free throw after getting fouled driving to the
hoop, but managed to rattle the second home. Cousy noted that
Telfair simply wasn't guarding Billups at all. Pierce
launched a deep two from just inside the elbow of the arc to put Boston
ahead once more. But Hamilton drove down the middle and tossed it
in for two of his own. Pierce fired back with a shot from the
free throw line that "clunged" through the hoop. Wallace, getting
hotter now, successfully launched a three.
Even now, both teams seemed content to move the ball with the dribble
rather than the pass, both in coming up the floor, and once they were
on the offensive end. This played right in to Detroit's hands, as
their defense worked a lot better against a halfcourt offense. It
could be terrible for Boston, as Detroit had plenty of time to work for
the open man. Telfair, on the other end, had to launch a shot
clock two after the offensive set broke down. It went in, but
highlighted the problems the C's were having, using too much clock to
set the offense up in the first place.
The Pistons exploited the halfcourt game again,with Hamilton blowing
past Wally, who picked up a "T" with his overly demonstrative
complaint, before remembering the zero tolerance. After looking
at the play again, Wally did, in fact,commit the foul; and he made
things worse by the silly technical he picked up. Billups shot
the technical free throw, which went in, then Hamilton went to the line
for his free throws, which also went in.
Boston walked the ball up, then Pierce lost it on a turnover, which the
Pistons converted into another two points. The Celtics called
timeout, perhaps so they might be reminded they need to RUN, since
they're supposedly an athletic team. Detroit had gotten
themselves a 58-54 lead with 8:21 to go in the quarter.
When time came back in, the Celtics made a one and done effort, which
Detroit blocked, then took the ball back up to score again.
Boston recovered on the next possession, and Wally made it count. But
Detroit looked stronger with every possession, as if they were draining
the Celtics' energy. Mohammed's face klonked Perkins on the back
of the head, creating a foul, and probably making Mohammed count teeth
to make sure they hadn't been knocked out. Perk had to go to the
bench, looked like there was some blood, so Al Jefferson came in to
replace him.
The Celtics ran down the shot clock before getting off a shot from
Jefferson. The C's were just taking WAY too long to set up the
offense, and Detroit was making it tough to get a shot off. the
Pistons like the halfcourt game and Mohammed made his next shot look
easy--which it was, having faked the defender out of his feet.
On the next possession, Hamilton simply took the ball away from Wally,
and Wally had to hustle to take the charge before the Pistons got
another easy two. This created the first Piston's turnover of the
game, with 6;10 to go in the third quarter and Detroit now ahead,
62-56. For some reason, the Celtics are making the same mistake
with Wally that they make with Pierce, giving him the ball too far away
from the hoop to do any good. At least Pierce can move and create
a shot for himself, but Wally's simply not going to put the ball on the
floor without something going wrong. There's no help coming on
those plays and Wally's looking very lonely way out there.
After the teams traded missed outside shots, Rasheed launched a three
from the top of the key that went in smoothly. This led to a
Celtics timeout with 5:11 left in the quarter and the Pistons now
leading it, 65-56. When time came back in, Pierce dribbled into
the teeth of the defense, and drew the foul, but it was before the
shot. Perkins sat for Jefferson, then Wally took the inbounds
pass for a quick basket and drew the foul to boot. That's the
kind of thing they need to do with Wally--quick passes near the
hoop. Telfair then sat for Rondo as Wally went to the line, but
the shot bounced out over the rim. Wally seemed to be pushing the
mall, more than shooting it.
McDyess went up for a dunk, but Jefferson put a quick stop to that,
sending the ball flying back. This left the Pistons with 4
seconds on the shot clock, as they tried to inbound the ball
again. Rondo knocked it out again, leaving 2 seconds on the shot
clock. Sadly, history repeated itself as Rondo was called for the
foul with one second on the shot clock, sending Billups to the
line. Doc looked torn between calling Rondo an idiot and
reassuring him that it was just Billups showing his experience against
the rookie. Meanwhile Chauncey made his free throws as both
broadcasters and fans grumbled that the Celtics former management had
let Billups go after only 51 games with the Celtics.
Wally helped the cause by making a three, but Billups set up McDyess
perfectly for two points and a trip to the line. Justice prevailed as
the free throw missed; and after another miss from the floor, the C's
took the ball and roared back up but turned it over in one of their few
transition opportunities in this game. Gomes sat in favor of
Olowokandi, as four Celtics started collided with each other for a
defensive rebound, nearly losing the ball out of bounds, and once more
allowing the Piston defense all night to set up. Even Cousy
commented, "If the guy has the same color uniform, it usually indicates
he's on your side." This is basketball 101, and it's really
annoying to see the Celtics keep doing this.
As Pierce knocked down a shot, we learned the Perkins was in the locker
room with trainer Ed Lacerte, with 3:11 left in the third quarter and
the Pistons still ahead, 69-63. Meanwhile, the Pistons put on a
passing clinic and you just KNEW they were going to score off it.
At the other end, the Celtics were still holding onto the ball too much
and Detroit prevented a basket, taking possession once more but
committing a rare turnover, which led to a Celtics 2 on 1 break.
Rondo kept the ball however, then blew the shot. Wally, running
hard with him, couldn't get the ball against 2 Detroit defenders, and
Billups made the outlet pass, where the only reason Prince didn't
convert an easy two was his momentum carried him out of bounds.
Delonte West returned to the game, and Kendrick Perkins returned to the
bench, with reports that he had three stitches in the back of his head
after the earlier collision, but was ready to play. Meanwhile, Al
Jefferson made another offensive rebound, and scored another two points
for the Good Guys. The Celtics turned up the defensive pressure,
only to be foiled when Billups finally drew a foul going to the hoop
after Detroit missed several shots.
As Billups made his free throws, Mike Gorman, Tommy Heinsohn and Bob
Cousy all praised Olowokandi for his efforts thus far. Pierce got
two back at the other end, and the Celtics finally got a stop, with
Delonte leading the break--but Delonte made the same mistake Rondo made
previously, not letting the play develop, instead taking it to the hoop
himself. But this time, Pierce snagged the ball on the side then
launched a three that went up and straight down through the hoop.
Detroit took the ball and Billups held for the last shot of the
quarter, a three that didn't go. The third quarter ended with the
Pistons in the lead, 73-70, but the Celtics carried the momentum into
the break.
The third quarter had proven out most of my concerns--that the Pistons
would rediscover their offense and start using their size to overpower
the Celtics. The Celtics had continued their decent shooting
percentage, of 47% over Detroit's 37%, but that was partly negated by
the Pistons having taken more shots. Also, the Celtics had an
11-4 edge in turnovers committed, which helped Detroit immensely,
By the end of the third quarter, Detroit was also outrebounding the
Celtics, 38-36. Only Pierce's last minute three had minimized the
Detroit lead down to three points. I knew the C's were playing
hard--and for the most part, playing well, given the turnovers--but the
Celtics overall were simply not running like they were supposed to, and
if they tried to play the rest of the way in halfcourt, Detroit stood
every chance of winning this game.
4th quarter:
The closing quarter of the game started with the Celtics playing to the
inside, where Al Jefferson got another basket, closing the lead to one
point. At the other end, Olowokandi forced a turnover, and the
C's came back up on offense. It was interesting to see Rondo and
Delonte oncourt together, as the C's set up the play. Al
unleashed a hook shot that gave Boston the lead once more with 11
minutes to go in the game.
Olowokandi took the ball away from Murray at the other end, and Boston
finally started to run! The lead pass to Tony Allen was off a bit
to the left, so he couldn't make the fast basket, and barely avoided
colliding with one of the officials as he moved along the sideline to
set the offense. Rondo ended up in the paint, where he was
promptly fouled going to the hoop. His first free throw was too
strong, bouncing cleanly off the back of the rim. The second one
went in as Cousy worried about Rondo's ability at the line.
This was the culmination of a 10-0 run by the Good Guys, which is
exactly how they needed to start the quarter. Hamilton finally
made a shot, a very deep two with his feet on the line, to even things
up at 75 with 10 minutes left in the game. Tony Allen drove along
the baseline and was fouled, sending him for some free throws.
The first one went scraped a lot of paint off the rim, but went
through. The second one bounced all over the rim before tipping
out into the waiting hands of the Pistons.
The amazing thing--which I must admit had to be pointed out to me by
Mike Gorman, showing why he gets paid whilst I do this for free--was
that Pierce had started the quarter on the bench, and was resting up as
the C's had made their run! Meanwhile, Delfino fired up an
airball, which the C's easily retrieved. They worked the ball in
as the Detroit defense stiffened up. Al Jefferson's hook didn't go this
time, in the face of a very tough defense, but I was glad the C's were
going in to him. He could, however, have used some help there.
The next trip up, the C's defense left the center open and Rasheed went
in for two. It was a small defensive lapse as they go--the
Pistons had spread the Boston defense out quite a bit--but Detroit
lives for those plays. At the other end, Detroit closed up the
middle, mindful of what they'd just done a few seconds ago.
Delonte ended up taking a shot clock three that didn't go in, but
Olowokandi, Jefferson and Tony Allen mixed it up under the hoop with
Detroit and when the ball scooted out of bounds, the ref made the
correct call, giving the ball back to the Good Guys. This
prompted a timeout as the crowd roared it's appreciation, and the
Celtics were down by one point, 77-76, with 8:31 left in the game.
The Moosiers did their thing during the break--whatever the thing
they're doing is, it just doesn't look like dancing to me--and Mike
Gorman revealed the answer to a trivia question posed earlier, which
four Celtics were named season MVP by the NBA: Bill Russell (5 times),
Larry Bird (3 times), Bob Cousy and Dave Cowens (1 time each). Gorman
referred to Cowens as "sitting with the Bad Guys", and I thank him for
backing me up. We're the Good Guys, the other team is the Bad
Guys. Mike Gorman, I owe you a cookie.
As the game got back underway, Pierce was back on the floor, and I
hoped that his presence would not break the flow and trust the players
had during his time on the bench--sort of like the Metropolis Police
Department when Superman shows up when the cops have things mostly
under control.
As it happened, Pierce was the only relatively open guy on the first
possession and he made a VERY nice baseline drive to the hoop, but
Rasheed timed the block perfectly. I have to admit, it was a case
of great offense meeting brilliant defense. It was tough to see,
as Paul doesn't get very many open drives. 'Sheed recovered
beautifully.
Jefferson nearly had the rebound but couldn't quite hold on as he got
sandwiched by two Detroit players. Al also got caught in the lane
at the other end, when the man he was guarding from in front stepped
back while Al watched the ball. Jefferson knew he'd been
schnookered, and made no protest, wisely learning from Wally's mistake
earlier in the game. Hamilton went to shoot the technical free
throw only because Billups wasn't in the game at that time. The
attempt went in, giving Hamilton 20 points so far in the game, and
Detroit took the side out. Despite the C's playing decent
defense, Rasheed shot over the double team for two more. I've got
to admit if he wasn't such a pain in the basketball, I'd like him on
our team.
On the next trip, Delonte failed to catch the pass from Rondo, losing
the ball out of bounds. I watched it again in slow motion.
Rondo made the correct pass, and Delonte obviously was ready for it,
facing Rondo with his hands up. It looked like the ball slid
right through his hands and bounced off Delonte's right shoulder and
out of bounds. Since West normally isn't ham-handed, I think it
was the new compost ball getting too slippery. Unfortunately, it
was still a turnover, the 12th for Boston against 6 for the Pistons.
At the other end, Rasheed missed a three and Olowokandi got the
rebound, and passed it quickly to Pierce, who was almost instantly
surrounded by the entire Piston's team. Wisely, Paul passed the
pumpkin to the wide-open Delonte West, who's three point attempt just
bounced off the inside of the front of the rim, sending the ball up off
the backboard and down into the hands of the Pistons. It was a
good attempt that was so very close from dropping cleanly through the
net. This made Delonte 0-7 for the game, emphasizing he wasn't
quite up to contemporary professional standards yet. At the other
end, Hamilton nailed a baseline jumper over the upstretched hand of
Rondo, prompting Doc Rivers to call timeout with 6:55 left in the
game, and Detroit ahead, 82-76.
When the game resumed, Boston brought the ball up the length of the
court, as the C's fielded a team consisting of Rondo, Jefferson,
Szczerbiak, Gomes and Pierce. Gomes immediately launched a shot
from nearly the exact same spot in the corner where Delonte had fired
it up, with about the same result, save that Gomes' shot was short off
the near side of the rim. Delfino took the rebound for Detroit,
and what had earlier been the loud roar of a sold-out Garden became the
nervous voices of worried fans.
Murray's shot at the opposite end was no good, but Boston lost the
rebound when, once again, Wally, Pierce, Rondo, and Jefferson collided
in trying to get the same ball, which promptly scooted out of bounds.
Tommy's commented about this--loudly enough, I guarantee, for the guys
to hear--before. Yell "I got it" and stop fighting your own
teammates for the rebounds!!! Doc was standing on the sidelines
encouraging them, but that was a bonehead play. Were the choice
mine, the team, one at a time, would each spend 10 minutes at practice
repeatedly yelling "I GOT IT", to make sure they DID get it.
Then, practice letting the guy who yells "I got it", actually get the ball. Aaugh!
Has the teaching of fundamental basketball become so poor that they
can't understand why things like that are important?
Yes, that's a rhetorical question. *sigh*
Meanwhile, as the Celtics were clearing their overloaded noggins,
Detroit scored off the inbound pass to Hamilton. Back at
the other end, Rondo cut nicely to the hoop for two off a Jefferson
pass, but several Boston players were standing around. On defense,al
snagged another defensive rebound, showing his lighter weight was
indeed making him more effective in the post. Gomes came up
firing, but missed short. He only played 27 minutes all night, so
he wasn't tired. Lucky for him, Al Jefferson got rebound number
10 off the miss, but his hook shot was too long. He was a little
too far out to try the hook, and he overpowered it off the back of the
rim. Detroit barely kept ahold of the ball, and called timeout as
soon as they were over halfcourt. With 5:10 left in the game,
Detroit held an 84-78 lead over the Good Guys.
When play resumed, Billups quieted the raucous Garden crowd with a very
deep two. Telfair had replaced Rondo. Pierce drew in the defense
and passed the ball out to Gomes, who hit a very deep corner two that
rolled around the rim and into the net. But, as Bob Cousy pointed out,
something had to happen defensively and soon, before the gap got too
wide to close. At that moment, Billups promptly blew past
Telfair, zoomed down the left side of the lane, and scored a layup,
which Cousy rightly decried as "unacceptable".
At the other end, Pierce got cut off by the Detroit defense, and fired
up a shot, hoping in vain for a foul call. The ball missed
everything, but Wally snagged the ball--sadly, he then stepped out of
bounds, his foot just grazing the baseline as he drove to the
hoop. At the other end, Rasheed celebrated as he converted the
pass from Hamilton into a basket. This gave the Pistons a 10
point lead. Doc, looking really annoyed, ordered Telfair to get
the ball over halfcourt, then called timeout with 3;31 left in the game
and Detroit leading, 90-80.
By this time, we learn that Boston is shooting 4-12 whilst Detroit is
8-13. Between the greater number of shots and the higher
percentage made by Detroit, and the Boston turnovers, The
fact that the lead is ONLY ten points is pretty amazing. As play
resumes, Wally's inside pass is deflected by the Pistons, who are
gambling off Gomes and Perkins to keep two extra players to cover
Pierce. Rasheed runs the clock down before drawing the foul on
the way to the basket. Two free throws later, Detroit had a 12
point lead.
Things fell apart quickly after that. Telfair's pass was stolen,
and Billups went to the hoop and drew a foul off Pierce, who
shook his head, knowing--as the replay showed--that Billups pushed off
Pierce. Doc was visibly upset, but the refs forbore to call a
technical at this juncture as a timeout was called with 2:44 left in
the game and Detroit maintaining a 92-80 lead.
After the timeout, Billups went to the line, making the first, but
rolling the second back over the front of the rim. Wally missed a
three at the other end, and Detroit was content--as they had been all
night--to move the ball up slowly. Rasheed drained a turnaround
jumper that extended the Detroit lead to 15 points. There was a
momentary bright spot as Rondo made a nice bounce pass to Telfair for
two.
As Pierce rebounded a Piston miss, the bench was emptied, awaiting the
next whistle to enter the game. The ball dropped out of bounds,
but the C's maintained possession, as Gerald Green made his regular
season debut, whilst Pierce walked resignedly to the bench. Wally
also sat, his night's work over as well. With 1:36 left in the
game, Detroit held a 95-82 lead.
A nifty long inbounds pass from Rondo to Delonte across the baseline in
the far corner resulted in a three point hoop. On the next
attempt by Detroit to inbound, Tony Allen nearly picked off the long
entry pass. The third time, at halfcourt, Rondo knocked the ball
out of bounds again. However, by the end of the possession,
Billups had once more driven to the basket, dropped the ball in and
drew the foul. The free throw was good, and Detroit's lead was
not 13 points.
Rondo went end to end and got nothing out of it, looking like a little
kid as a Detroit player easily snagged the ball from over Rondo's
head. the Pistons ran down the shot clock in the face of a
frenzied Celtics defense, and came away with nothing as Boston jogged
up the court. On the following possession, Detroit ran down the clock,
only putting up a shot to prevent a turonver. The shot, launched with 1
second on the shot clock, went in for three. the Celtics ran back
the other way, and Gerald Green's three point shot was the last of the
game as the game ended with Detroit winning it, 101-88.
Cookies
and Crumbs:
Cookies go to:
The Celtics effort on offense and defense, they showed a lot more
effort than the last game.
Celtics free throw shooting, perfect in the first half, and ending with
15-20 for 75% I normally want 80% but this represented a major
improvement by the team.
The halfcourt game, which for three and a half quarters was more
effective than it had any right to be against the Pistons.
Al Jefferson, who continued his solid play.
Paul Pierce, who showed a consistent willingness to pass the ball out
of the double and triple teams, made 7 of his 8 free throws, and shot
well from the floor. His only three point attempt was the one at
the end of the third quarter.
Michael Olowokandi, who worked hard and played smart.
Mike Gorman, for being such a great and gracious guest on Celticsstuff
Live this past week.
Crumbs left for:
The Celtics running game. "What running game?" you ask.
Exactly.
Celtics rebounding. when there's three times in the same game
that you turn over the ball after colliding with your teammates, it
negates the positive aspects of otherwise decent rebounding.
Turnovers. Some really, really dumb ones, too.
Sebastian Telfair's defense.
Tony Allen's offense.
Celtics basketball fundamentals, which have taken a beating this week.
The Celtics now face an 0-2 record and travel to Washington, D.C. to
face the Wizards, in a game that will be broadcast on NBAtv, unless the
guys at NBAtv.com saw the last 2 Celtics games. Boston MUST make
the running game work, first of all, by actually running. Then, they
have to stop with the cheap fouls and silly turnovers. They
looked a lot better tonight than in the previous game, but that's a
long way from where they need to be. Hopefully, they'll learn
from these two difficult games and walk out of Washington with a win.
Next game, Saturday Nov 4 at the Washington Wizards.
And that's the view from the doghouse.