Special thanks to PN contributer Jay Scott for putting this together

Pistons 87, Celtics 85: A Full House Beats Three of A Kind

What’s happening fellow Piston fans? Fresh off another one of those (don’t call it a) statement games, this time with the newest flavor of the month team the Boston Celtics, the main things I learned about the Pistons would be that this team is as savvy as it gets when it comes to high pressure situations. They did to the Celtics what they have done to every flavor of the month East team this decade, which was go into their environment, when the entire country was rooting against them and humble them.The meat and potatoes of the game: Pistons win 87-85 on two free throws by Chauncey Billups with just 0.1 seconds left (Which isn’t even enough time for Knicks security to kick out another fan with a “Fire Isiah” sign). Chauncey got to the line after he pump faked Tony Allen out of his shoes and into a foul. But that game had no business coming down to that final attempt. Both sides would agree. KG was his usual self (26 points, 12 Boards). Ray Allen Was A Beast, dropping 24 including two killer triples in the 4th. Rip had 21, and Chauncey scored 28. The Celtics led for most of the first three quarters, including being up 10 in the third. But there was just never a sense that they had this one sewn up. My Mother, a basketball fan for as long as the game has existed, has a saying for games like Wednesday’s: “If They Tie It Up, They Are Going To Beat Them”. I was thinking the same thing as I noticed the Pistons would widdle the lead back down to 1, then watch it balloon back to 8 or 10. If they tie it, they will win it because they have broken the opponent’s spirit, which is exactly what happened. If it weren’t for Ray Allen (who scares the crap out of me when he has the ball behind the three-point line), that could’ve been a 12-17 point Pistons win.


Here are three reasons why the Boston Celtics, despite having their vaunted “Big 3″, are not quite ready for prime time when it comes to matching up with the Pistons:

1. Rajon Rondo is Their Point Guard. Ok, now I know this cat has steadily improved this season (He Averages 9 Points and 5 Assists per game and is shooting a staggering 54% from the field this season) and he did go off for a quick 14 in the first half on Wednesday, which included him making great moves with his speed, a couple of acrobatic And-1s and I could’ve swore I saw him throw a bucket of confetti on Rasheed late in the 1st Quarter. The problem was that games aren’t won in the first quarter. What happened in the second half and on the defensive end are why this cat isn’t ready for the big time yet. He was shut out in the second half and it was horridly apparent that Chauncey must see the Burger King when Rondo comes up to guard him because he can Have it His Way All Night against him. Chauncey Torched Rondo for 28 Points, including a Dirty Dozen in the pivotal 4th quarter, which led Doc Rivers (a great PG in his career) to put Tony Allen on Chauncey late in the game. And we all know what happened there! The Celtics will lose the point guard battle every time unless hey make a serious upgrade. Paging Dr. Beyonce!

2. Kendrick Perkins is Their Center. KENDRICK PERKINS!!! Now I’m not saying this dude should be the Second Coming of Robert Parrish, but come on! This Guy Stinks! He doesn’t play defense. He Cannot Score In The Low Post. He’s Not a Shot Blocker. He averages 7 Points and 5 Boards a game! Numbers like that might get you $60 Million from the Chicago Bulls, but he’s literally stealing money from the Boston Celtics! There was a stretch on Wednesday night where on consecutive trips down the floor, Perkins threw one ball away, blew a sure 2-Foot Lay up, and fumbled the ball out of bounds. Plus, one cannot forget the stiff rejection he took from Rasheed in the 4th quarter when anybody in Celtic Green not named Ray Allen could not find the bottom of the basket. At least when Ben Wallace was scoring 6 Points a night for the Pistons, he would grab 12 boards, make great defensive plays and block shots. I Think I Saw Perkins eating a Sandwich in the lane while Rip went around him on Wednesday. Simply put, The Pistons have three guys on their bench that could start at Center for the Boston Celtics…which Brings Us To Reason #3.

3. The Celtics Essentially Have No Bench. Can anyone name the reserves for the Boston Celtics? :::crickets::: Don’t worry, I’ll Wait! Times Up! Here’s what the Celtics have to offer off of the pine: James Posey, Eddie House, Scot Pollard, Tony Allen, Brian Scalabrine, Glen Davis, Gabe Pruitt, and Leon Powe. That’s right, Scot Pollard is the first Big Man off of Boston’s Bench! Outside of James Posey and Eddie House (who never saw a three ball he didn’t like), Boston’s bench SUCKS! Give me Jason Maxiell, Lindsey Hunter, Jarvis Hayes, Arron Afflalo, Amir Johnson, Flip Murray, Primoz Brezec, and the soon-to-return Rodney Stuckey over those slugs coming off of Boston’s bench. Look at what Lindsey did to the Celtics alone on Wednesday. He came up with three steals, played tough defense, hit a baseline J, and later a triple that gave the Pistons a 68-67 lead (and they would not trail again). When it comes to the Bench, The edge goes to Detroit hands down!

There you have it! The Celtics are a Good team with a great record and three stand out starters (albeit I think Paul Pierce is overrated). While K.G. will be K.G. and Ray Allen apparently inherited Reggie Miller’s soul, and while they may be good enough to have the best record in the rancid Eastern Conference, let’s hold off on Crowning These Guys Asses until they Have Proven They Can Beat Teams such as Detroit, San Antonio, Phoenix, Utah, and Dallas. Thank You For Your Time. Have A Merry Christmas, and Go Pistons!



Until Next Time…Don’t Get Attached To The Flavor of the Month