December 19, 2007
7:00 PM EST (Comcast SportsNet)
TD Banknorth Garden (Boston, MA)
Announcers: Mike An-Gorman-agement and Tommy "Want to Touch the" Heinsohn ; Gary PoonTanguay and Donny "We Are" Marshall (in-studio) ; Greg "Old Saint" Dickerson (sideline reporter)
Celtics Starting Lineup: Rayden, I've Got a Rajon Rondo, Perk'd Off, Kevvy G, Da Troof
Pistons Starting Lineup: Richard "Green Eggs and" Hamilton, Lepre-Chauncey Billups, Diaper-Rasheed Wallace, Antonio "Loaded" McDyess, Tayshaun "Of the Dead" Prince
People have been really hyping up tonight's game as the first true "test" for this Celtics team, to determine how they truly measure up against the Eastern Conference's elite ... Has this 20-2 record been the product of an easy schedule (with clubs missing their key players and whatnot), or are the "Not Big Three" the real deal?
Speaking of the "Not Big Three", Ray Allen is back in the lineup after giving his sore ankle a two-game rest ... We'll need him on the floor, as (like I said) the 17-7 Pistons are the second-best team in the East. If our guys wanna show that they deserve that number one spot tonight, they would do well to make a statement in this contest.
FIRST QUARTER
Pierce misses a three-pointer to open the game, as McDyess pulls down the night's first rebound. He passes to Billups, who makes his way up the floor, then gives the ball back to Antonio (who's been left open) and he hits the 18-foot jumper (0-2 11:26).
Rondo takes it back the other way, and gets the ball to Ray for his first touch of the game; he passes inside to Garnett, who gives a little pumpfake to get Rasheed in the air and absorbs the contact for the foul (no surprise that Wallace doesn't like the call). That puts KG at the line, where he makes both free throws (2-all 11:05).
Rasheed then tries to answer with the turnaround jumpshot over Perkins, but he's short of the mark and McDyess tips the loose rebound out of bounds; Boston regains possession, as Pierce makes a great move to leave Prince in the dust, and looks to have an easy dunk ... Unfortunately, he winds up getting stuffed by the rim (ooh, that's embarrassing)! Tayshaun collects the loose ball, then heads back the other way before finding Hamilton for the three-pointer (2-5 10:24).
A free throw by Allen (after Rasheed is called for the defensive three-second violation) gets Boston back within two. That's means that it's still Celtics' ball, as Ray eludes Hamilton and buries the pullup "jay" (5-all 10:07); Heinsohn applauds Allen for "taking his time" and not rushing the shot.
McDyess then scores (the Pistons have hit three of their first four shots), but Allen comes right back and makes another jumper (7-all 9:33) ... Looks like that little "vacation" did him good, as Ray has five of Boston's first seven points!
A basket by Billups puts Detroit up by two with 8:50 remaining in the quarter. At the other end, Rondo slices down the lane and uses his quickness to get around Chauncey, then fakes a pass to get Rasheed into the air (sweet move), and instead pulls up and banks in the shot (11-all 8:31)!
Wallace then misses the shot over Perk, and KG comes away with the rebound. He gives it to Allen, who dribbles upcourt, then passes to Pierce. Paul drives down the lane, which draws in the defense, so he kicks it back out to Rondo for another jumper (13-11 7:48); first it was Allen, now our young point guard is heating up with six points (3-3 FG).
But he's not done yet, as another bucket from Rondo (the Celtics are now 6-for-11 from the field) gives Boston the four-point lead with 6:30 on the clock. Hamilton then misses the three-point attempt, and Garnett pulls down another rebound; we head back the other way, as Rajon takes it right at Billup and scores with the little floater in the lane (17-11 5:48).
Detroit needs a timeout, as the Celtics' bench are on their feet applauding ... When play resumes, Hamilton is left wide open and buries the trey (17-14 5:26).
Garnett then misses the outside shot, and Rasheed nabs the carom; he passes to Hamilton, who dribbles upcourt, then dishes inside to McDyess. He then kicks it out to a wide-open Wallace, but he misses the three-point attempt and Allen snags the rebound.
Now we head back the other way, as Ray passes inside to Perkins, and he tries to back down Rasheed ... Unfortunately, Wallace pulls off the old trick where he backs away and lets the opponent trip over his own two feet falling backwards. Sure enough, that's exactly what happens to Kendrick, as he stumbles and loses control of the ball.
Rasheed picks up the leavings, then passes to Billups. He makes his way up the floor (as the Celts are slow to get back on defense), and finds Hamilton for the easy layup (17-16 4:37).
Pierce then scores, while at the other end Prince misses the hook shot over Paul and Allen is able to tip the loose rebound to Garnett. He gives the ball to Rondo, who dribbles up the floor, then gets it back to Pierce, who gives the upfake to elude Tayshaun and buries the jumper ... Wait a sec, waive off the basket, as the refs say that Prince fouled him before the shot (I'm not so sure about that).
In any event, Rondo inbounds the ball to Garnett, who passes back to Pierce (maybe he'll take another crack at it) ... Sure enough, he pulls up - with Prince right in his face - and hits it one more time (21-16 3:23); take that, referee!
Rasheed then misses the outside shot, and McDyess tips the loose rebound out of bounds for the turnover ... Boston regains possession, as Pierce draws another foul on Prince; that's his second, so Detroit calls timeout and when play resumes Jarvis "Purple" Hayes is in to replace him.
Meanwhile, Paul steps to the line with 2:50 on the clock. He makes the first free throw, then proceeds to miss the second ... However, he's able to get his own rebound (wow) and tries to quickly take it back in for the layup, but Hayes wraps him up and a jump ball is called.
Paul ends up winning the tip (he's doing it all tonight!) and gets the ball to Garnett, who makes a move around McDyess and is able to score on the layup (24-16 2:32).
It's down to a seven-point game with 1:51 left in the quarter, when Jason "Smooth Like A" Maxiell comes into the game for Rasheed, while Glenn Rivers M.D. counters by subbing Glen "Macrosomia" Davis into the game to give KG a rest ... Meanwhile, Davis is called for the foul as he tries to set the pick on Billups. Detroit regains possession, as McDyess gives the upfake to get "Big Baby" up in the air to draw the foul; that's his second foul in twelve seconds (yikes), as Antonio heads to the line and makes both free throws (25-20 1:39).
Rondo then misses a three-point attempt, but Hayes knocks the loose rebound out of bounds; that gives Boston a second chance, as Parker Posey comes in to replace Pierce ... Meanwhile, Perkins makes the nice pass inside to Ray who finishes with the layup (27-20 1:07).
Both teams trade baskets, then Hamilton knocks down the three-pointer with 7.7 seconds on the clock, making the score 29 to 25 (Celtics) after one ... A nice start for Boston thus far, as they're winning the battle of the boards (10 to 5) while shooting 57 percent from the field (12-21 FG) behind the solid play of their starting backcourt, Allen (10 PTS, 4-4 FG) and Rondo (10 PTS, 5-7 FG, 2 AST).
However, the Pistons are shooting pretty well themselves (8-17 FG) ... The C's better watch out for that down the line, as Detroit could put down the clamps on defense as the game wears on.
SECOND QUARTER
Posey, Davis, Ray, Hugh Laurie, and Scotty 2 Hotty start the quarter ... Meanwhile, Allen hits the three-pointer with 11:02 on the clock (still perfect), then Hayes misses the outside shot and House collects the rebound. He takes it upcourt himself, then passes out to Posey, who drives down the lane before kicking the ball back out to Eddie for the baseline jumper (34-25 10:19).
That gets the crowd noise up a few more decibels, as McDyess misses the shot - get rattled much? - but Hamilton comes away with the offensive board. He then tries the fallaway jumper over Allen, and knocks it down (34-27 9:52); that's 15 points in the game for Richard now.
It's still a seven-point lead when Garnett comes back into the game at the 8:49 mark; Allan Tony makes his first appearance of the night as well, while both Davis and Ray take a seat ... Meanwhile, KG scores on the pullup jumper (Boston is now 4-for-7 shooting in the quarter), but Arron Aff-LOL-o immediately comes right back and hits the shot with Allen in his face (38-31 6:40).
Rivers continues with the substitutions, as Pierce and Rondo are back on the floor with 5:42 remaining (Posey and House sit) ... However, they doesn't stop Billups from getting himself wide open behind the three-point line and nailing the shot (38-34 5:34); the Pistons had missed seven of their first eight shots of the quarter, but have now made three of their last four!
Garnett then scores (10 PTS, 4-7 FG), but at the other end Afflalo barrels his way down the lane and knees Pollard right in the chest trying to score on the layup ... However, the refs call Scotty for the foul (bull), so Arron steps to the line - as Perk makes his way back on the floor to replace Pollard - and makes both free throws (40-36 4:49).
Things are getting a little tight now, as Pierce tries to make the no-look pass inside to Perkins, but the big man wasn't expecting it and the ball sails out of bounds; Detroit regains possession with 4:37 remaining, as Ray comes in to replace Tony (and all of Boston's starters are now back on the floor).
Rasheed then misses the three-point shot, and Garnett pulls down the rebound. He sends the ball upcourt to Pierce, who executes the crossover move to lose Hayes ... However, rather than taking it all the way to the basket, he instead makes the crosscourt pass to Rondo spotting up in the corner. That causes Billups to step up and cover him, so Rajon gets the ball inside to Garnett.
He attempts to make the spin move around Rasheed ... Unfortunately, the refs aren't buying it and call him for travelling. That gives Detroit back possession, as Chauncey is again left open behind the three-point line and drains it (40-39 3:53)! Wow, three-pointers are keeping the Pistons in this game (which I'm not too happy about).
At the other end, Garnett makes the nice lob pass inside to Kendrick, who finishes with the two-hand slam; that "perks" the crowd up a bit (pun intended), as Billups tries to make the spin move around Rondo, but winds up fumbling the ball out of bounds. Boston regains possession, as Rondo takes it right at Billups and scores with the finger roll (44-39 3:04); that's 12 points (6-8 FG) now for Rajon!
Hayes then misses the shot, and Pierce snags the rebound ... Doc calls for time, and when play resumes Rondo finds Ray in the corner, where he pulls up for the off-balance shot over Linseed-Oil Hunter but is still able to nail it (46-39 2:32)! That makes Allen the club's leading scorer with 14 points (on a perfect 6-for-6 shooting)!
Chauncey tries to answer, but backrims the three-point shot ... However, the ref says that Allen was the last person to touch the ball as it bounced out of bounds (Heinsohn: "This guy is ridiculous"). The crowd doesn't like the call either, and neither does Doc, as he earns a technical foul!
Billups makes the free throw with 2:11 on the clock, as (not surprisingly) Tommy has more to say on the matter: "This is what destroys me, the guy makes a glaring mistake and then he calls a technical on the coach!" ... Deep breaths, Tommy, deep breaths. Let's try to stay calm, people!
The Pistons still have possession, but Pierce strips 'Sheed of the ball to start the Celtics fast break, as he finds Garnett who takes it in over the smaller Billups for the layup (48-40 1:48).
The Celts are starting to build some momentum, as Hayes misses the three-point attempt and Wallace tries to tip the loose rebound out to one of his teammates (he had his forearm right in Pierce's throat to keep him off the boards the whole time and the refs didn't call anything!) ... However, the ball goes right to Rondo and he dribbles the length of the floor before making the crossover move to elude Billups (nice); Hayes comes over and commits the foul, but that doesn't stop Rajon from scoring the layup!
That gets the building pumped up, as Heinsohn notes that the missed out-of-bounds call from earlier got the Celts' "dander up" ... However, Rondo can't convert the three-point play, as he misses the free throw (50-40 1:30); way to be a buzzkill, Rajon ;)
Hamilton and Garnett trade baskets, then Rasheed pulls up and buries yet another trey (52-45 :43.0); man, the Pistons are now 6-for-13 from three-point land!
Seriously, that's what's keeping the Pistons in this game, as they trail by only seven (52-45) at halftime ... However, the Celts are still doing just fine in the offensive department (23-37 FG), as they have three players with 14 points apiece: Garnett, Allen (6-6 FG), and Rondo (7-9 FG, 5 AST).
The Pistons, meanwhile, are now down to 38 percent (15-39 FG) ... and that number would be even lower if they weren't being so proficient from behind the arc; sorry to keep harping on that, but it could pose a problem, believe me!
THIRD QUARTER
Billups tries to open the quarter aggressively, by driving to the basket against Rondo ... but winds up shooting an airball (ha HA!). Perk grabs the rebound, and makes a fullcourt pass to Ray, who tries to do the same against Hamilton, but winds up having his layup attempt blocked (d'oh!).
KG is able to recover the loose ball, however, and passes out to Rondo; he finds Pierce behind the three-point line, but that shot clanks off the rim (Boston has been the polar opposite of Detroit in that department, just 1-for-6 thus far from three-point land.
Rasheed snares the loose board, as we head back the other way; Prince tries to feed the ball inside to Billups, but Rondo steps in to break up the pass and (while falling out of bounds) he's able to get the ball to Garnett. He quickly passes to Pierce, who's up the floor like a shot before sending it back to KG; he spots up for the 15-foot jumper and nails it (54-45 10:54).
The crowd is chanting for more defense, and Pierce obliges by rejecting the shot from Prince (who wanted the foul called); Allen collects the loose ball and takes it upcourt himself. He winds up being covered by Wallace, so Ray tries to beat him with his quickness but comes up short on the layup attempt.
'Sheed gets the rebound and gives it to Billups, who dribbles the length of the floor and tries to take it to the rim against Pierce, but Paul winds up with another block (!) ... However, McDyess is right there to recover the loose ball and finishes with the dunk (54-47 10:04).
At the other end, Pierce misses the jumpshot, but Perk tips the loose ball back out to Paul and (with Rasheed covering him) tries to drive to the basket; instead, he kicks it out to KG, and he tries to make the bullet pass to Perkins underneath the basket. However, it's a little too fast for the big man, and the ball winds up going out of bounds.
Detroit regains possession ... but only momentarily, as Allen steals the bad pass by Prince and takes it back the other way for the Celtics fast break. He lays it off to Garnett (who has just Rasheed to beat), but he shuffles his feet and the refs call him for travelling!
Possession changes hands yet again, but the Pistons still can't capitalize, as Wallace is called for the offensive foul setting the pick on Ray (although I must admit that Allen did a bit of an acting job with the flop). So, the C's get another crack at extending their lead, but Pierce misses the 20-footer and the rebound goes off Kendrick out of bounds ... Man, both teams have stalled completely on offense, as Perk fouls McDyess trying to prevent the layup, sending Antonio to the line for one-of-two free throws (54-48 8:13).
Rondo then makes the nice pass inside to Perkins for the layup (Boston is just 2-for-7 shooting in the quarter), but at the other end Rasheed buries another trey (56-51 7:36); egads ... Ray tries to answer, but his three-point attempt comes up short (he's cooling off) and Wallace grabs the rebound. He passes to Billups, who hustles up the floor and then (as Rondo sags off of him defensively) pulls up for another three-ball (56-54 6:43); Detroit is just 3-for-6 from the field in the third, but they're also 8-for-16 from three-point range overall!
"There's no rhythm to what the Celtics are doing now", postulates Heinsohn, but a pullup "jay" by Garnett with 4:33 on the clock gives Boston the four-point lead again. Hamilton answers with a layup (he now has 19 points), but KG comes right back with another jumper over Wallace (60-56 3:43); he now leads all players with 20 points (9-13 FG).
At the other end, Rondo tries to sneak up on Billups from behind for the steal, but winds up being whistled for the foul instead ... Not only that, but the refs say that Chauncey was in the act of shooting (yeah right) and - even though his foot was on the line - they award him with three free-throw attempts!
That is such baloney, as Billups makes all three to get his team within one (60-59 3:21) ... Wallace then commits the foul on Garnett; that's his third, but it's a non-shooting foul (like the last play SHOULD have been), so Pierce inbounds the ball to KG. He passes back to Paul, who gives it up to Ray Allen, and Rasheed comes over to help Hamilton with the double-team; Ray has nowhere to go, so he's forced to call timeout with 2:53 remaining.
When play resumes, Garnett has to put a shot up (there's only three seconds left on the shot clock) and misses badly. Wallace grabs the rebound and gives the ball to Billups, who dribbles upcourt, then passes back to Rasheed standing at the free-throw line. However, his shot is wide of the mark, and Pierce winds up with the rebound.
We head back the other way, as Paul takes it all the way to the basket against Prince, and Sheed comes over to help but only draws the foul while Pierce scores the layup (yay!). That's the fourth foul on Wallace, so Maxiell comes in to replace him as Paul steps to the line with 2:11 on the clock ... He ends up missing the free throw, and McDyess comes away with the rebound, but Rondo is able to poke it out of his hands and the ball goes right to KG (yes!). He then goes in for the dunk attempt, and Antonio is forced to foul, so Kevin takes his turn at the charity stripe and makes one of his two free throws (63-59 2:08).
At the other end, Hamilton tries to make the bounce pass inside to Maxiell, but Pierce steps in for the easy pick-off (that's Detroit's 12th turnover) and dribbles coast to coast before taking it right to the basket against Prince. However, the shot rims out (Heinsohn: "And he got fouled there!") and McDyess collects the rebound. He passes up ahead to Prince, where he gives the ball to Billups, who gets bumped by Rajon (Tommy doesn't like that neither!).
Now Rondo has four fouls, so House comes in with 1:35 to go in the quarter ("Big Baby" also comes into the game for KG). Meanwhile, Prince pumpfakes behind the three-point line to fool Pierce, then steps in for the jumpshot (63-61 1:26) ... The Pistons are now 5-for-11 shooting in the quarter.
Pierce tries to get his revenge with the strong move down the lane against Tayshaun, and appears to score the basket as the ref's whistle blows ... but no, it's apparently a travelling violation (Heinsohn: "It's either gotta be a jump ball or a foul, IT CANNOT BE A WALK!").
Detroit regains possession, as Prince misses the jumpshot and Maxiell knocks Davis to the floor going for the rebound (no call) ... but "Big Baby" is still able to get his hands on the ball, and McDyess jumps on top of him to try and make the steal. Instead, the refs call a jump ball.
Gorman: Just a funny move out there where Eddie House tried to pull Glen Davis up [off the floor] ...McDyess ends up winning the tap, but the ball goes right to Ray (ha HA!) and he takes it up the floor while being covered by Hamilton. He throws out the little crossover move to lose Rip (nice) and works the baseline before getting fouled by McDyess ... That causes Heinsohn to do his best "Special Ed" impersonation (comedycentral.com), screaming "Yay! Yay!" as Allen steps to the line and makes both free throws (65-61 :35.1); Boston is now just 7-for-12 from the line, while Detroit is a near-perfect 13-for-15!
Heinsohn: [laughs]
Gorman: ... It wasn't working out!
Heinsohn: Almost ended up with a hernia!
Gorman: Exactly right!
Neither team can score in the closing moments, as the C's still lead by four (65-61) entering the final stanza ... And the Celts are gonna have to watch themselves, as they barely shot 30 percent from the floor (5-17 FG) in that third quarter! That's not how you wanna close out a game against the likes of the Detroit Pistons.
FOURTH QUARTER
Davis, Perk, Pierce, House, and Posey begin the fourth ... Meanwhile, Pierce hits a fallaway jumper over Hamilton to open the quarter, but Hunter answers with the outside shot (67-63 11:15).
Perk is then fouled by Maxiell taking it to the basket, so he steps to the line at the 11:02 mark but misses both free throws (!); ugh, Boston is now just 50 percent from the line (7-14 FT), that is unacceptable ... That also gives the Pistons a chance to inch closer, as Davis leaves McDyess open and he buries the jumpshot (67-65 10:44).
I'm getting nervous now, as Hunter knocks the ball away from House and Hamilton comes away with it. However, he tries to get a little too fancy with the no-look pass to Maxiell, and "Big Baby" is able to step in and knock the ball out of bounds ... It's still Detroit possession with 10:27 remaining (as KG comes back into the game to replace Perk), but Prince misses the shot and Garnett snags the rebound.
He passes up ahead to Pierce, who finds House spotting up in the corner. However, he misses the shot and then fouls Maxiell going for the loose rebound ... Detroit again has a chance to tie the score or take the lead; they decide on the latter, as Hunter pulls up over House and buries the trey (67-68 9:42)!
Now the crowd is getting antsy, as Posey winds up bringing the ball up the floor while being covered by Hamilton. Once he makes it to halfcourt, Hunter comes over to harass him, and (sure enough) the double-team causes James to cough up the ball! Maxiell picks it up and sends it over to Rip, who is all alone for the uncontested dunk (67-70 9:25).
Doc calls for time, and when play resumes Rondo is back on the floor for House. Meanwhile, Pierce makes the bounce pass inside to Garnett, who winds up for the slammer but Maxiell stops him by committing a hard foul (Heinsohn: "I hope Big Baby, when he gets a shot at one of their guys going to the hoop, levels one of them ... because that's what they just tried to do to Garnett!"). Anyway, that sends Kevin to the line, where he makes both free throws (69-70 9:14).
The crowd is loud with their chants for "Defense", although Billups shuts them up with a fallaway "jay" in the lane over Rajon (69-72 8:55). Pierce answers with the basket, then Billups misses the shot (with Rondo right in his face) but Maxiell grabs the offensive board amongst four Celtics (!) and KG ends up getting whistled for the foul.
Boston is not yet over the limit, so it's still Pistons' ball as Billups misses the three-point attempt, but Rasheed (just in to replace McDyess) gets an offensive board of his own ... He ends up missing the pullup jumpshot over Davis, but now Afflalo gets the offensive rebound (dammit!) and kicks it back out to Billups for yet another opportunity.
Chauncey passes inside to Wallace, who tries to back down Posey, but "Big Baby" comes over for the double team and Rasheed winds up shuffling his feet for the travelling violation! Boston regains possession, as Pierce frontrims the jumpshot, but KG tips the loose rebound back out to Paul (nice to see the C's make some noise on the offensive glass). He gives the ball to Rondo, who tries to make the crosscourt pass to Posey behind the three-point line, but it's too high and sails out of bounds (for Boston's 13th turnover of the night).
Detroit regains possession, and Billups gives the upfake to get Rondo in the air to draw the foul; that's his fifth (!), so Ray comes in to replace him while Chauncey steps to the line and makes both free throws (71-74 6:54).
The Celts need to nip this in the bud before Detroit starts to pull away ... However, KG is called for the offensive foul setting the pick on Afflalo (that was a total flop job), so the Pistons regain possession and Maxiell makes the nice spin move around Perkins along the baseline for the layup (71-76 6:22); Detroit is now 60 percent from the field in this quarter (6-10 FG). Boston is shooting 50 percent themselves, but that's on just four field-goal attempts (2-4 FG)!
Man, someone light a fire under these guys (Garnett tries to do just that as he nails Afflalo with two nasty picks while Ray is bringing the ball up the floor, almost daring the refs to call another foul on him) ... The whistles remain silent, however, as Pierce is left open for the three-point attempt but misses badly (ugh) and Rasheed grabs the rebound. He proceeds to make a fullcourt pass to the hustling Billups, who is all alone for the layup (71-78 5:59); as soon as the shot left Paul's hands, Chauncey started motoring up the floor anticipating the miss, and none of the Celtics went to cover him. Bleh.
Boston calls for time, and when play resumes Rondo comes back into the game ... He passes the ball to KG, who swings it around to Ray and (as Posey sets the screen on Afflalo to get him open) he takes it to the basket and finishes with the one-handed dunk (73-78 5:44)!
Gorman muses "Guess the ankle's okay!", as the crowd is suddenly back into the game ... Prince misses the shot, but Maxiell grabs the offensive board and is fouled by Pierce trying to score on the putback. That puts Jason at the line, where he makes one-of-two free throws (73-79 5:21).
At the other end, Pierce makes the nice pass inside to Garnett, where he's fouled by Rasheed (his fifth); that puts him at the charity stripe, and he makes both free throws to get his team within four (75-79 5:03). That's 25 points (9-14 FG, 7-8 FG) for KG.
Billups answers with the fallaway "jay" over Rondo (24 PTS), then Ray (who's covered by Hamilton) tries the three-point attempt while falling out of bounds ... and still buries it (78-81 4:27)!
That gets the crowd on their feet, as Prince misses the shot ... However, Posey fouls McDyess going for the rebound, which puts Antonio at the line for two more free throws (78-83 4:08).
At the other end, Garnett tries to back down McDyess (might have got away with the double dribble there) but instead draws the foul; he steps to the line and makes his first free throw, but misses the second (79-83 3:54).
Billups pulls up and buries the deep jumper with Rondo right in his face (his tenth points of the fourth quarter) to put the Pistons up six, then Garnett passes inside to Pierce, where he's double-teamed and forced into the travelling violation; that's Boston's fifteenth turnover (10th in the second half!) ... Detroit regains possession, but Billups misses the off-balance jumper and Ray collects the rebound. He dribbles upcourt himself, then gives the ball to Rondo, who tries for the floater in the lane but comes up short.
KG tries to tip it in, but that too misses, and Rasheed comes away with the rebound. He passes upcourt to Prince, who finds Billups and he swings it around to McDyess in the corner; he winds up shooting an airball (!) and Pierce comes away with the rebound. He heads back the other way, and gets the ball to Garnett, who's immediately double-teamed. With no room to get a shot off, he makes the nice pass inside to Perkins, who goes up for the layup but Rasheed winds up with the big rejection (wow).
Billups ends up with the loose ball, and he slowly brings the ball up the floor as we're approaching the two-minute mark ... He gives it to McDyess, but he misses another jumpshot and Ray pulls down the rebound.
Doc calls for time with 1:42 left on the clock, and when play resumes he has all of his starters on the floor, save for one (House is at the point in place of Rondo) ... Meanwhile, Pierce makes the nice move around Prince and tries to take it right at Rasheed, but misses the layup attempt! Billups winds up with the rebound, as Detroit tries to work some time off the clock.
Chauncey ends up passing to Tayshaun underneath the basket, but he has his shot blocked by Perkins (!) and KG winds up with the loose ball ... We head back the other way, as Ray goes for the off-balance three-point attempt (with McDyess right on him); that comes up short, but Garnett grabs the offensive board and kicks it out to a wide-open House who buries the trey (82-85 1:01)!
Heinsohn asks "Is this fun?!?", as the crowd has turned up the volume a notch ... Billups tries the turnaround jumper over House, but is wide of the mark and Perk grabs the rebound. He passes to Pierce, who dribbles up the floor before passing inside to KG. He kicks the ball back out to House, who swings it around to Allen. He's covered by Prince, but Garnett sets a pick to get Ray an open look from three-point land and he knocks it down (85-all :18.9)!
That really gets the place jumping, as the Pistons are forced to call timeout ... When play resumes, Prince inbounds the ball to Billups, who's defended by Tony Allen (into the game to replace House). Chauncey tries to drive down the lane, but loses control of the dribble and KG collects the loose ball and calls for a 20-second timeout with 5.1 seconds remaining!
It's not quite Bird stealing the inbounds pass from Isiah, but I'll take it ... Posey and House come back on the floor (Perk and Tony sit), as Ray inbounds the ball to Pierce. He tries for the quick stepback jumpshot over Prince, but that misses and Rasheed grabs the rebound (dammit!). Detroit immediately calls for time, as there's still 1.7 seconds left on the clock.
Maybe not the best shot for Paul to take (Heinsohn: "When you find a guy willing to take that [game-winning] shot, you gotta let him take the shot he feels comfortable with ... Pierce thought he had it"), since the Pistons now have some time to break this tie ... Perk and Tony are back on the floor, as Prince inbounds to Billups with the crowd screaming like crazy. He pumpfakes to get Tony in the air and AH SHIT Allen fouls him with one-tenth of a second on the clock!
Sunuva ... That puts Chauncey at the line, where he makes both free throws (85-87 :00.1); dammit dammit dammit.
Obviously, Celts can't get shot a off, and the Celts drop a heart-breaker, 85 to 87.
FINAL SCORE: Boston 85, Detroit 87
GAME RATING:
14
SLAM DUNK
BOSTON TOP PERFORMERS:
- Garnett: 40 MIN, 26 PTS (9-15 FG, 8-10 FT), 12 REB, 5 TO
- R. Allen: 39 MIN, 24 PTS (9-13 FG, 3-5 3PTers), 5 REB, 2 AST
- Rondo: 34 MIN, 14 PTS (7-10 FG), 7 AST, 3 REB, 3 STL
- Pierce: 41 MIN, 11 PTS (5-16 FG, 0-4 3PTers), 4 REB, 4 AST, 4 TO, 2 STL
- Billups: 38 MIN, 28 PTS (8-17 FG, 10-11 FT), 8 AST
- Hamilton: 37 MIN, 21 PTS (8-11 FG)
- McDyess: 39 MIN, 13 PTS (4-9 FG), 10 REB
- Wallace: 37 MIN, 9 PTS (3-10 FG, 3-5 3PTers), 13 REB
TOMMY QUOTES:
- "[Dave Cowens] was a 'get outta my way or I'll kill you' rebounder, and also was just a ferocious player at both ends of the court ... I mean, this guy was a walking Tommy Point! We didn't have Tommy Points in those days, 'cause I was coaching, but he would'a got 'em!"
- This game was originally scheduled to be played at 7:30, but the league decided to broadcast it nationally on ESPN, so it was bumped up a half-hour.
- The Celtics were going for their first 10-game winning streak since the 1985-86 season (oh well) ...
- The Pistons actually shot better from three-point land than they did from the field, 45 percent (9-20 3PTers) to 40 percent (29-72 FG)!
- Boston, meanwhile, was just 29 percent from beyond the arc (4-14 FG), but they did shoot nearly 50 percent overall (34-69 FG).
- The Celts also missed eight free throws tonight (13-21 FT), while the Pistons were near-flawless (20-23 FT).
- Prior to tonight, the C's were the better defensive team, leading the league in points allowed (86.5 PPG) and opponents FG percentage (.413) ... although those numbers might have swayed in Detroit's favor after tonight.
- The Pistons have now won 14 of their last 15 meetings against the Celtics!
- Sadly, the Celts could not surpass the 1963-64 club's streak of 12 straight home wins to start the season; still, we ain't too shabby right now ...
- The C's got just five points from their bench tonight (all by Eddie House).
- Billups scored 12 of his points in the fourth quarter (going 4-for-8 from the field).
- Not surprisingly, Ray Allen was tonight's Tommy Award winner.
- Prior to the game, Paul Pierce was named Eastern Conference Player of the Week ... so kudos to you, Paul!
- Some sad news to report, as Snifter of Brandon Wallace was released today ... A shame to see a promising rookie like that go, but it does give Boston a couple of extra roster spots, should they feel the need to sign some veteran talent to the club for the stretch run.
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