By Kevin Henkin

Have I repeatedly strolled down memory lane since the Celtics clinched their invite to face the Lakers in the NBA finals? To paraphrase Jack Nicholson in A Few Good Men:

YOU’RE GODDAMNED RIGHT I HAVE!!!!

And why wouldn’t I? This is huge. It’s worthy of the indulgence of reminiscence. If you can’t appreciate the relevance of the past to what is unfolding at present, then you have missed one of primary common truths about sports and life, namely that the past matters. The past connects us across generations. And when a once-great rivalry is revived, we are transported back to our origins as fans and reminded of why we began to love sports as we do.

I’ve always valued the basketball analysis of Bob Ryan, largely because of his ability to incorporate that “I was there back then and here’s how it’s relevant today” historical perspective into his narrative. I’m not Bob Ryan and I won’t ever pretend to be, but in this case, I will step forward and try to explain why this pending Celtics-Lakers series means so much to my generation.

To begin with, it’s necessary to paint the landscape of the Boston sports scene in the early 1980’s. In terms of Boston sports coverage, there were two iconic institutions in place. After you watched the games, you followed the sportscasts during the news with Bob Lobel on Channel 4 and you read about them in The Boston Globe. That was how you got your daily fix, and that’s how it was for everyone I knew. Lobel. Globe. Discuss. If you were a die-hard sports fan in Boston, those two mediums felt like an essential part of your life. You took them for granted and never questioned whether you needed any more. It seems quaint, in retrospect.

Also, during that time period there was far greater parity among the four teams in terms of attention paid by both the fans and the media. The Red Sox were certainly popular but it was nothing compared to their present domination as a cultural phenomenon. The popularity of the Patriots came and went according to their win-loss record but it was more difficult to follow them because their home games were rarely televised due to the lack of sellouts. On the flip side, the Bruins were far more popular back then when Ray Bourque and Cam Neely roamed the ice and they were perennial Stanley Cup contenders. Back then, the Bruins had a very real presence and they justified the contention that Boston truly was a four sport town.

Regardless, none of the above teams held a candle to the Boston Celtics during the 1980’s. During those years, Celtics games were the toughest ticket around. Also, the excellence of the team was infectious. While everyone played little league, it was pickup basketball that was the dominant activity of male youth. During the halftime breaks of playoff games, if you walked out to your front stoop you would see kids expending their pent up energy by shooting hoops for as far as the eye could see. It’s not a cliché. It’s how it was.

Then there were the two teams themselves, which were the very personification of how teams should play the game. Passing was an art form. Almost every player on the floor could shoot. Fundamentals were set in stone but, as has been said repeatedly during these current playoffs, good offense beats good defense and that was never better demonstrated than when those two teams played. Consider all of the Hall of Famers involved in those three Finals showdowns. Looking back, it’s almost unreal. Those teams really were that good.

Which brings us to the present, and the future still unwritten. So much is on the line, legacies in particular. Paul Pierce has the most to gain, the lifelong Celtic who at last has a chance to sit amongst the legends of the most storied franchise in basketball. Garnett and Ray Allen have the chance to engrave their resumes with the stamp of “Winner”, which is notably listed above “Great Player.” Doc Rivers has the chance to speak the final word (or finger gesture) to his nay-sayers. On the flip side, Phil Jackson has absolutely nothing to prove and yet can surpass Red Auerbach in coaching rings, most fittingly against Red’s team. Kobe Bryant can finally separate his own legacy from that of Shaquille O’Neal. The Celtics can extend their lead on most NBA titles to 3. Or see it reduced to 1 at their expense. It goes on and on, as it does within a rivalry so special.

It’s time. Cue up the theme to “Terms of Endearment”, show the requisite clips of Bird, Magic and McHale’s magical clothesline…and let the games begin.

By Matt Richardson

We’re going to the Finals!! The Celtics beat Detroit 89-81 in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference Finals to advance to the NBA Finals for the first time in 21 years. Awaiting the C’s in the Finals are the LA Lakers, who Boston will tussle with for the title for the 11th time.

In getting to the Finals the Celtics closed out Detroit on their home floor for only their second road win of these playoffs, and closed out their first series in less than 7 games. All the above make this an impressive win, but the way they won the game was the most impressive thing, and should silence the critics who harped on the “barely hanging on” nature of Game 5.

The C’s got important contributions from each member of the Big Three as they seemed to complement each other throughout the game. Ray Allen got off to a very hot start and allowed the C’s to keep the game close and competitive early on, avoiding an early Detroit surge that many fans assumed was coming. Ray had 13 points midway through the 2nd quarter and ended up with 17 points on 6-12 shooting, including 3 3-pointers, 6 rebounds, and 2 assists.

Kevin Garnett was ice cold early on but found his shooting stroke in the second half to hit several big buckets for the C’s down the stretch while battling foul trouble. KG finished with 16 points on 7-16 shooting with 6 rebounds and 4 assists. The Captain hung tough offensively throughout the contest, mixing in a variety of shots in and around his 2 cohorts hot streaks. Pierce finished with a team high 27 points, going 8-12 from the field and 10-13 from the line. The free throws were significant in two regards; first they indicate that he did not settle for jumpers but instead attacked the basket, and second he made sure to be aggressive in the fourth when Detroit was in the penalty. Pierce also added 8 points and 3 assists and on the defensive end held Tayshaun Prince to 10 points on 30% shooting. All around an excellent game for number 34.

While the Big Three all made key contributions in the game, the single most impressive thing about the win was withstanding a withering Detroit run that had them up by 8 going into the fourth and up by ten a couple of minutes into the final frame. At 3:36 in the third I wrote “the wheels are coming off” in my notes, you could feel the game slipping away and the C’s were only down by 3. Then, at the 1:30 mark, Bennett Salvatore made the single most ridiculous foul call in the history of officiating (hyperbole I grant you but I’m still absolutely astonished by it). Pierce had a wide open look at a three with a defender running at him. He faked the shot to get the defender in the air, then pulled back to let the defender crash into him, then knocked down the three. Boston fans immediately rejoiced at what appeared to be an opportunity for a 4 point play, but Salvatore inexplicably called an offensive foul on Pierce, waving off the basket. That play is a staple of crafty NBA veterans; we’ve all seen it a million times by the likes of Larry Bird, Reggie Miller, Chauncey Billups, and a thousand other players. I’ve never once in my life seen it called an offensive foul.

Anyway, that horrible call helped conspire to put the C’s down big early in the fourth. Doc Rivers, not particularly lauded for his game management acumen, made the key decision to sit Ray Allen in favor of James Posey. Doc also realized (12 minutes too late, but still) that Sam Cassell was bringing nothing to the table, and put Rajon Rondo back in. Boston then went on a monumental run featuring stifling defense and KG and Pierce leading the way on offense. They tied the game at 74 with 5:24 left and then took command for good. Pierce scored 5 straight points and KG added a jumper to put the C’s up by four, 81-76. The C’s iced it down the stretch with free throws (although KG missed 2-2 with :36 left and the C’s up by six; a seven point lead would’ve been better Big Ticket).

In battling back from a 10 point fourth quarter deficit on the road in a close out game, the C’s showed the heart and toughness of a team ready to compete for a championship, and Doc Rivers showed the coaching chops occasionally lacking from his repertoire. The C’s now get some much needed rest, as the Finals start on Thursday in Boston.

Other random observations:

What was more egregious last night, Flips Saunders tie or his mullet? As the game was about to start, my buddy Joe thought a big game from Ray Allen would be a key factor, while my buddy Ed thought containing Detroit’s role players, like Antonio McDyess, would be critical. Meanwhile I was wondering why NBA teams continue to play “The Final Countdown” by Europe. Wasn’t that a crappy song when it came out, umm, 17 years ago?? By a fringe, much maligned hair band no less? There must be better choices, no? Antonio McDyess looks older than his 33 years, he’s got some Otis Nixon in him. When Doc put Cassell in at the end of the first, I immediately try to find Saunders and Lindsey Hunter salivating on the Detroit bench. Sure enough when Sam starts the 2nd Quarter, Lindsey is out there too, hounding Sam into submission. I haven’t seen this level of “whose your daddy” humiliation sense Kenyon Martin made Antoine Walker his b*tch in the 2001 Eastern Conference finals. Richard Hamilton is the American Manu Ginobili. The new anti-flopping rule should be called the ManuRip Doctrine. I’m going to throw up if we’re forced to listen to several days of sports media talking heads trying to figure out if Kobe Bryant is better than Michael Jordan. Uggh. Yes, he is, just like when Dirk Nowitzki was the best white player ever a few years ago. I saw Leon Powe at the grocery store in Waltham earlier this week. He look confused. When was the last time you think KG was in a supermarket? 1994? I don’t like seeing Dave Cowens on Detroit’s bench. Doesn’t feel right. Our buddy Ed was in the can in the 4th when the C’s started their comeback. He tried to come back into the room but we banished him until the C’s tied it up. Karma, baby.

By Kevin Henkin

A win is a win is a win. Remember this and forget everything else.

For example, forget the inexplicable loss of composure by the Celtics in the fourth quarter that allowed the Pistons back into the game. Forget the grand total of 3 points contributed by the Boston bench. Forget all those unforced turnovers. Forget the steady stream of defensive lapses throughout the game. Forget the fact that Rajon Rondo had to play 46 minutes because the Celtics had no answer for Lindsey Hunter’s traps. Forget all those open looks that Kevin Garnett bypassed down the stretch. Forget Kenny Mauer’s maddening incompetence.

In short, forget all of the above because this was the crucial swing game of the series and Boston came away the victors. As a result, Boston is now firmly strapped into the driver’s seat and positioned to cruise into the NBA Finals. This is now officially their series to lose.

The game was won by the five Boston starters, but most notably on the backs of Ray Allen and Kendrick Perkins.

Allen brought out his vintage self and it was his offense in the second half that first drove the lead up to 17 points and then brought his team home in the final 62 seconds. With the game on the line, he hit a jumper just shy of the arc with 1:02 remaining that brought Boston’s lead back to three. The importance of this jumper cannot be overstated because the lead had just shrunk to 1 (from 17 earlier in the half) and the Celtics appeared to be wilting under the pressure depsite their home surroundings. Detroit’s defense had become suffocating and no one else wearing green appeared to want to take the shot. Then, after a pair of cool free throws by Piston rookie Rodney Stuckey, Allen sunk his own two freebies with 6 seconds remaining to all but put the game away. If you’re still wondering if Allen was feeling it, check out his 5-6 shooting line from deep waters.

Perkins submitted one of his occasional monster first quarter efforts (8 rebounds and 8 points) but then uncharacteristically keep the pedal to the metal to finish with 16 boards and 18 points on 8-11 shooting. He also had 2 blocks and 2 steals. The man was indeed a beast.

The Big Three, after a lackluster prior game, returned to form to score 78 of Boston’s 106 points, shooting a cool 58% from the field on a combined basis. Rondo had a tough night with his own offense, frequently turning down the open looks that resulted from Detroit’s 5-on-4 defense on the other Boston players, although he did dish out 13 assists with only 1 turnover and converted on a sick left-handed layup during crunchtime when he attacked a gap in the Detroit interior defense. Perhaps his jumpshot was affected by flat out fatigue, considering Sam Cassell’s ineffectiveness that caused Doc Rivers to yank Rondo back into the game after a two minute respite in the first half.

In other news, Kenny Mauer reasserted himself as the worst official this side of Violet Palmer. In the wee hours of the night, some people fear the Bogey Man and his weapon of choice. Me? I fear Kenny Mauer and his reckless whistle. Having Mauer as part of the assigned crew of officials for an important game is like hearing a seven day forecast of rain on the night before your vacation. Maybe he won’t quite ruin everything but you’re frustrated by your lack of good fortune nonetheless. Mauer predictably blew several calls, including one late in the fourth when he overruled the nearer official who had whistled a Pistons foul on the play to call a travel on Ray Allen.

But I digress. I’m no longer worried about Kenny Mauer. Or unforced turnovers. Or anything else about Game 5. It’s all in the rearview mirror, and there it best remains. Meanwhile, straight ahead are two more games on the EC Finals docket, only one of which Boston has to win, and the latter of which is back on the parquet floor. There are far, far worse places to be at this time of year.

By Kevin Henkin

Last October at the end of preseason, I ran a Van Halen-themed Celtics column to coincide with the band’s reunion show in Boston. That was 66 regular season wins and two playoff round advancements ago. Fast forward seven full months later and we find the Celtics exactly where we expected them to be, namely deadlocked with the Detroit Pistons in the Eastern Conference Finals. With the return of Van Halen to the area in Providence on Sunday night (tremendous show, by the way), it seemed fitting to close the loop with another VH crossover piece. As such, I offer the following insights on all things related to this epic Celtics/Pistons series unfolding before our eyes, structured within the aforementioned Van Halen song title format:

Jamie’s Cryin’

I’m just wondering, has there ever been a foul call against the Pistons that one of their current players have ever agreed with? I mean it. Ever? Even in the cases where blatant visible contact is made, the Detroit players act amazed and outraged by the call that follows. Honestly, Billups, Wallace or Hamilton could lay a Kermit Washington haymaker on Rajon Rondo on his way up the court and then act shocked beyond belief at the sound of the official’s whistle. If they played clean, this might just be a minor annoyance. But they don’t. The Pistons seem to pride themselves on their ability to either draw fouls on exaggerated flops or to get away with arm hooks, moving picks and sneaky push offs. Johnny Most would positively despise these guys. We can only imagine the nicknames. McBaldspot and McFacemask? Little Lord Chauncey-pants? The possibilities are endless.

Where Have All the Good Times Gone

Did anyone catch Dan Shaughnessy’s piece in the Sunday Globe? I had to check the date on the paper to make sure it wasn’t April 1st just because of the sheer ludicrousness of the theme of the article. In short, it was a lamentation by Shaughnessy that the media rules have changed to the point where A) too many people (read: bloggers) are getting media passes and therefore are ruining access for everyone else, B) neither he nor Bob Ryan share rides to the airport with Celtics players and thus don’t really know them anymore, and C) that because media icons like Shaughnessy and Ryan have to petition for access to the players just like everyone else, the poor readers end up suffering from that lack of access. This is just too rich, coming from a guy who includes “Antagonize readers” on the top of his list of daily chores, next to “Rigorous One Mile Run”. Shaughnessy also mentioned that the players are growing increasingly distrustful of the media under the present rules in place. Again, this from a guy who once called Jose Offerman a “piece of junk”, David Ortiz a “sack of you-know-what” and has since engaged in his own personal and highly unprofessional war of words against Curt Schilling. Are you kidding me? This is like Hannibal Lecter preaching to us about the evils of cannibalism. It would be funnier if it wasn’t yet another stark reminder of just how far the quality of the Boston Globe sports page has fallen over the past two decades.

Outta Love Again

I’m putting together a petition that says “Can We Go Back to Sitting Sam Cassell in Favor of Eddie House Again?” I’m pretty sure I can get 10,000 signatures by noon. Yes, yes, I know all about Lindsey Hunter and his effect on House’s handle coming up the floor. However, I thought Boston’s previous switch to Pierce and Posey on ball handling duties with House in the game worked fairly well. Beyond Cassell’s superior ball handling, there is simply no other reason to play him over House. On defense, Cassell has been getting burned more often than Charles Barkley at a Casino table. On the other end, he famously hogs the ball (did you see Pierce steadily denying him the rock two games ago?) and, too often, he alters the offense to fit his own game. Cassell also has a disturbing tendency of hefting up ill-advised long jumpers before the offense even has a chance to set up. To justify such a bold shot selection, he damned well better be knocking those down, but he hasn’t been. As they say, the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results. Sam Cassell is clearly insane but if Rivers continues to send him out there, then I’ll begin to wonder about the coach’s mental health as well.

I’ll Wait

Think about the huge play of Pistons’ players such as Rodney Stuckey and Jason Maxiell. Lindsey Hunter has also done an exceptional job in filling his role as the primary harrasser on the ball. Unfortunately, the Celtics have received nothing close to such a sustained level of contribution from their bench players thus far in this series. It’s been a major issue for Boston and will continue to be so unless the reserves find a way to step up their game. At this point in the season, the Celtics need several things to happen at the same time to continue winning: Play lockdown defense, receive strong offensive play from two of The Big Three, and receive a lift from the bench (Rondo’s play is also important but, for the sake of argument, let’s keep things simple). The Celtics’ starters are obviously tired and that fatigue is leading to breakdowns on the defensive end. How many times have we seen them play excellent defense for the first 20 or 22 seconds, only to see it fall apart at the end of the possession? It’s the legs. They’re running short on juice. To help alleviate the problem, the starters need more rest but Doc Rivers hasn’t been able to provide that rest because his reserves haven’t been getting the job done. How this issue plays out will have a crucial impact on the reaminder of this series and (hopefully) beyond.

Happy Trails…

…until we meet again, in the wake of the monumentally important Game 5…

By Shirley Coshatt

The Celtics came out flat at the start and never seemed to get it going as the Pistons led from start to finish in Game 4 of the Eastern Conference Finals. The Pistons rushed out to a 10-0 lead before Kendrick Perkins hit a layup with 4 minutes gone by to stop the run. The Pistons then ran out to a 14 point lead with 4:07 left in the first quarter. The Celtics hung around and chipped away at the lead to finish the first quarter down 22-17. In spite of shooting just 20% and allowing the Pistons to shoot 43% for the quarter, the Celtics were still in it.

The Pistons started the 2nd quarter on an 11-2 run to jump out to a 33-19 lead 4 minutes into the second. Perkins then hit a jumper in the paint, Kevin Garnett hit two free throws and Perkins scored on a dunk to cut the lead to 33-25. On the next possession, Rajon Rondo got a steal then kicked the ball and chased it all the way to the baseline. He flipped the ball to James Posey for a layup as he was falling out of bounds and the lead was just 33-27. The Pistons then went on another run to push the lead back to 10 with 5 minutes remaining in the half. Just as they did in the first quarter, the Celtics chipped away at the lead and cut it to 43-39 at the half. Rondo once again made a big play as he drove to the hoop and flipped up a shot as he was falling out of bounds, drawing the foul with just 4.2 seconds left to cut the lead to 4 points going into half time.

The Celtics started the 3rd quarter with KG hitting two free throws to cut the lead to 43-41. The Pistons once again went on a run to push the lead back to 10 8:01 left in the 3rd. The Pistons kept the lead between 9 and 11 most of the quarter with the Celtics going on a little run to finish the quarter down 65-58.

In the 4th quarter, the Celtics twice cut the lead to 5, the last coming with 4:50 left in the game. However, every time the Celtics made a run, the Pistons would come right back. When they built the lead to 14 with 1:16 left, Doc threw in the towel, pulling the starters and going the final minute with Powe, House, and Tony Allen getting their only playing time of the game.

The Celtics’ defense that was so good in game 3 was nowhere to be found in this contest. The Pistons had open looks and easy baskets, shooting 51% for the evening. Antonio McDyess in particular killed them with 21 points and 16 rebounds. Also curiously missing as the flow of the Celtics’ offense, as they shot just 32%. Considering the disparity in shooting, free throws played a large part in keeping Boston in the game as they shot 39 free throws to just 26 for the Pistons. The Celtics also failed to take care of the ball turning the ball over 14 times while their lackluster defense forced only 7 turnovers for the Pistons. The Celtics won the rebounding battle 38-34 but they allowed the Pistons to out rebound them by 7 in the second half.

Individually, no Celtic stood out. The Big Three weren’t so big in this game as KG shot just 6-16 for 16 points, 10 rebounds and 3 assists. Paul Pierce shot 3-14 to finish with 16 points, 8 rebounds and 1 assist but also led the team with 4 turnovers. Ray Allen was 2-8 from the field to finish with 11 points, 2 rebounds, and 2 assists. Perkins spent most of the game in foul trouble and fouled out with just under 4 minutes to go in the game. He finished with 10 points and 6 rebounds. It seems that as Rondo goes, so goes the Celtics and Rondo struggled tonight, finishing with 4 points (2-8), 2 rebounds and 4 assists.

The Celtics’ bench that came up so big for them in game 3 also struggled as Sam seemed lost in running the offense and finished scoreless on 0-3 shooting with no assists and just 1 rebound to show for 16 minutes of play. Big Baby also seemed lost at times as he went 1-4 for 3 points and 4 rebounds. P.J. Brown was solid with 4 points and 3 rebounds in 16 minutes. James Posey had a good game off the bench with 11 points on 3-6 shooting to go with 2 rebounds and 2 assists in 22 minutes.

The Celtics didn’t come to play in this game, much like the Pistons didn’t come to play in game 3. It seems as though neither team can put two good games in a row. The Celtics came out strong in game 1 and dominated on both ends but failed to show up defensively in game 2. The Pistons had a great game 2 and shut the Celtics down but then, they didn’t show up in game 3. The Celtics dominated the Pistons in game 3, blowing them out on their own court, but once again, they didn’t show up in game 4. If this pattern continues, the Celtics should come out the winners. Game 5 is very important as the Celtics must now protect their home court. The team that comes out with the most energy and aggressiveness to start the game has won in each case. It will be up to the Celtics to be sure that they are the ones that come out with that energy to start game 5 because they don’t want to have to go back to Detroit down 2-3 in the series.

By Matt Richardson

Luckily, as it turns out, I missed the first quarter. I caught a snippet as we were leaving a dinner engagement (up by 11!) and then more on the radio on the way home (tied ?!?!?). Anyway, seemed like a roller coaster which would’ve been entertaining but not good for my blood pressure.

Long story short, I made it to my buddy’s just as the second quarter was about to start. He’s putting his daughter to bed, so tells me to make myself at home. Here’s a running diary of the next minute:

9:01: Walk into his kitchen and see a pint glass on the counter, filled with ice, a brand new bottle of Bacardi next to it, with a freshly cut lime and a can of diet coke.

9:01:05: Ummmm…..

9:02: Enjoying a rum and coke on the couch as the 2nd quarter starts, I wish my buddy would stop complaining so I can hear the game.

I think the highlight of the second quarter, other than my fantastic rum and Coke, is Garnett jumping over Lindsey Hunter for an emphatic dunk. Lindsey may be an excellent perimeter defender, but he had very little to offer by way of resistance to that play. Mark Jackson sums it up nicely: He earned the right to be on the poster. And does anybody know when Hunter reinvented himself as a ball-hawking harasser of fellow point guards? Was there an Extreme Makeover, Fringe NBA Veteran Edition that I missed? Oh by the way Hunter was drafted in 1993, the same year I graduated college. I can barely defend my 3 year old, much less Rajon Rondo. I feel ancient, but I digress. Also, when Garnett gets these running starts and a semi-open path to the basket, time and again I underestimate how far the man can travel in the air. It always seems like he takes off too early, but he, ummm, covers quite a bit of ground. I feel like the guy in Major League saying “too high” on the home run and looking like a moron.

Halftime observations:

First, this is a little awkward, but what the heck is going on with Stu Scott’s eyes? My buddy and I debated about which eye has the problem. My buddy thinks he has a glass eye on the right, I think he’s got a droopy eyelid issue on the left. Either way, it’s distracting, and those glasses only draw more attention to it. I hesitate to bring this up because I’m probably just unaware that he has cornea cancer or something.

Second, the Celtics are up by 18. I write in my notes: “This will be a 5 point game midway through the fourth”.

Third, they cut to Doc’s halftime speech. He’s talking about active D, and how they’ve forced Detroit to make tough passes, etc. etc., but I start tuning it out because there is a guy in the background. I can only see him from the shoulders down, but he’s got a tie on that barely makes it halfway down his shirt. Literally, the thing is at least six inches too short. Buddy, you might not have realized you’d be on national TV, but really, you shouldn’t go out of the house like that at all. Get it together man.

Third Quarter

Rondo makes an ill-advised pass. He makes dumb decisions sometimes. Garnett and Perkins are being active and aggressive around the basket. Perk hits a baseline jumper and Mark Jackson calls him “underrated”. I’m not sure what to think of that. Ray Allen hits a layup. He’s now 2 for 10. Apparently, his hot hand didn’t get on the plane to Auburn Hills.

Hey now… 2:29 in the third and the wheels just came off the broadcast. First, I forget the context, but Jeff Van Gundy uses the word “quagmire”, but pronounces it “quag-meer”. Now, any self-respecting Family Guy fan knows it’s pronounced “quag-myer” (giggity). But wait, it gets worse. Mark Jackson calls Van Gundy out for his “high priced vocabulary”, to which Van Gundy’s response is to question Jackson’s intelligence, complete with the insinuation that as a Division I athelete, Jackson got all his school work done for him. Awkardness ensues. This seems like a good time for a bathroom break. While I’m away Jackson apparently does not decide to beat the crap out of his fellow broadcaster and Van Gundy spends the next five minutes blathering about Jackson’s aptitude for running 3-on-2 fast breaks.
Rondo closes the third as follows: turnover, foul, charge, turnover, leading to 4 Detroit points. Remember what I was saying about dumb decisions and a 5 point game in the fourth? The good news is we’re up by 18 so Detroit and Rondo have more work to do. In defense of Rondo, the guy gets no calls whatsoever; blocking fouls apparently cannot occur when he has the ball, even if he gets blocked out of bounds by Rasheed Wallace. Also I’m beginning to think that Rip Hamilton wears that face mask to draw attention away from his rapidly receding hairline.

Fourth quarter

Detroit does make a game of it but the closest they get is 9; the C’s are shaky on offense but make some big buckets to keep the Pistons at bay, and more importantly that stingy “close out the game” D is in evidence.

This is a big win for the C’s, obviously. After Game 2, I sent the following email to a buddy: Remember in A Bronx Tale when the renegade bikers invade Sonny’s bar? Sonny tries to be nice but they start tearing up the place so he asks them to leave and they refuse. So he calmly walks to the door, locks it, turns to the now silent bikers and says “now you can’t leave”… That’s what Detroit did to the C’s by winning Game 2; they said “now you have to win a road game”. The C’s met that challenge pretty convincingly and played on the road the way we knew they could. Frankly, this method of gaining a 2-1 series advantage feels way better than the “win the first 2 at home but lose on the road” formula of the first two series. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: The Celtics are better than the Pistons. They can’t beat Boston in a seven game series. Boston can only beat themselves. On to Game 4…

By Shirley Coshatt

The Celtics came into Detroit needing to win a game and they accomplished their mission with a 94-80 trouncing of the Pistons, earning their first road win of the post season. The Celtics set the tone early as they scored the first 11 points of the game before Rasheed Wallace finally got a layup to stop the run with 3:10 gone in the first quarter. The Pistons went on a run of their own to take their only lead of the game at 17-15 with 1:28 left in the first quarter. The Celtics finished the quarter with a 10-0 run to give them a 25-17 lead at the end of 1.

KG picked up his 2nd foul with 7 minutes left in the first quarter and went to the bench. PJ Brown played very well in Garnett’s absence. PJ finished the game with 4 points and 4 rebounds and he played solid defense in 21 minutes. Ray Allen also got in early foul trouble, picking up 2 fouls and going to the bench with 4 minutes left in the first. James Posey got the call and played an excellent game finishing with 12 points, 4 rebounds, 1 assist and 2 steals.

The Pistons started the second quarter with an 8-4 run but the Celtics continued to be aggressive and built the lead to 50-32 at half time. The Celtics took their biggest lead at 73-49 with 50 seconds left in the third quarter and took a 73-55 lead into the final period. The Pistons made a run in the fourth, cutting the lead to 9 with just under 3 minutes to play but the Celtics hung on for the 94-80 victory. The Celtics bench, which let them down in game 2, put in a strong performance in this game with 23 points and excellent play on the defensive end as well.

Rajon Rondo once again outplayed his counterpart on the Pistons as he finished with 12 points, 3 rebounds, and 4 assists and ran the ball at the Pistons at every opportunity. Billups on the other hand once again looked as though he was slowed by the hamstring injury as he finished with just 6 points. Rodney Stuckey had a strong performance at the back up point guard spot, finishing with 17 points. Doc went with Sam Cassell to back up Rondo in this game. Sam came out rusty to start as his first shot was blocked and then he turned it over on the next possession, but he settled down and finished with 5 points in 8 minutes.

Ray Allen still struggled with his shot but was very active on the defensive end and played very well in spite of his shots not falling as he finished with 14 points (5-16), 6 rebounds and 6 assists. Paul Pierce didn’t dominate on the offensive end as he had just 11 points, but his defense on Tayshaun Prince was impressive as he held him to just 4 points. Pierce also had 4 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals and a block.

As he did in the first game, Perk set the tone early. He finished with a double double scoring 12 points and pulling down 10 rebounds along with a steal and a block. Perk’s interior defense also made a big difference in this Celtics’ win. KG also had a double double with 22 points, 13 rebounds, 6 assists, and 2 steals. It is an amazing thing when your power forward leads both teams in assists. Big Baby played six minutes and finished with just 2 points. Leon Powe, Tony Allen and Eddie House did not play.

The Celtics’ defense was the difference in this game as they held the Pistons to 38% shooting for the game. The Celtics were the more aggressive team from start to finish. They attacked the boards and had a 44-28 rebounding edge. The scoring was evenly distributed as the Celtics had 6 players in double figures. The officiating was not a factor in this game as it was pretty much evenly called. The Celtics shot 30 free throws to 26 for the Pistons. There were a few blown calls on both sides but there wasn’t the bias that we have seen in previous games. The Celtics now reclaim their home court advantage and once again are in control, up 2-1 in the series. The gorilla is off their backs and they have once again answered the critics who were already counting them out after the loss in game 2.

By Shirley Coshatt

Like most Celtics fans, I have been frustrated with the officiating in the playoffs. I have never been one to blame a loss on the refs, but in the first two series, I would find myself feeling that the outcome of the games had been influenced by the officials. It seemed as through the Celtics were getting mugged every time they went to the basket with no calls and yet on the other end, they would be called for fouls with very little contact. It has been frustrating to watch LeBron pull Pierce’s jersey right in front of the ref and no call. I guess I should be grateful that the refs didn’t give Paul a technical for not having his jersey tucked in. I realize that sometimes when watching a game it may seem more one sided than it is because you notice the fouls on your team more than on opponent but even the ESPN and TNT commentators were mentioning a number of bad calls and non calls. On NBA Daily, Peter Vescey mentioned that he couldn’t understand how the Celtics could outscore the Pistons in the paint by 22 points and yet shoot 6 fewer free throws. When the neutral commentators are noticing it, there has to be a problem.

Doc mentioned the disparity in the free throws for the teams several times in his post game remarks. The fifth game in the Cleveland series particularly stood out as the Cavaliers shot 41 free throws to just 23 for the Celtics. Some fans were quick to defend the difference by explaining that the Celtics simply didn’t get into the paint as much as the Cavs and so didn’t get the calls. This would be a good explanation if it were true. I decided to do some research to see if indeed this was the case.

It would seem that points in the paint would be a good indicator of whether a team was attacking the basket. The team with more points in the paint would be the team going to the basket more aggressively and thus have the better chance of drawing fouls. In the first round series against the Hawks, the free throw discrepancy was very clear in that the Celtics shot 128 free throws to 220 for the Hawks. In that same series, the Celtics scored 288 points in the paint to only 240 for the Hawks. In the pivotal game 6 in Atlanta, the Hawks shot 47 free throws to just 25 for the Celtics, yet the Celtics scored 50 points in the paint to only 38 for the Hawks. This would dispute the conjecture that the Celtics weren’t going to the basket as much as the Hawks.

In the second round against the Cavaliers, the Celtics shot 167 free throws while the Cavs shot 196 free throws. In this series, the Celtics once again got to the basket more in that they had 204 points in the paint while the Cavs had 186. In game 5 of this series that I mentioned above where the Cavs shot 18 more free throws than the Celtics, the Celtics scored 38 points in the paint to 30 for the Cavs. In the pivotal game 6, the Cavs shot 25 free throws to just 13 for the Celtics but yet again, the Celtics scored more points in the paint than their opponent.

Over the first two series the Celtics shot a total of 295 free throws to 416 for their opponents. At the same time, they scored 492 points in the paint compared to 426 for their opponents. This indicates a bias on the part of the referees to call more fouls on the Celtics in spite of the fact that they were the more aggressive team in trying to draw fouls by scoring in the paint.

Only in the Celtics series do we see such a big disparity. In the Pistons first two series, they shot 236 free throws to 396 for their opponents. As would be expected in a fairly officiated series, their opponents also scored more points in the paint ( 236 for the Pistons and 321 for their opponents). In their first two series, the Spurs shot 259 free throws while their opponents shot 287 free throws. As in the Pistons’ series, the team that shot more free throws also had more points in the paint (Spurs 259, opponents 287) In the Lakers’ first two series, they shot 344 free throws to 294 for their opponents while their opponents scored 26 more points in the paint. While this is a disparity, it is nowhere near one that the Celtics had to face.

The numbers in the Celtics’ series are too great to be a coincidence. The media would have us believe that the league wants a Lakers-Celtics finals but the way the officials have called the Celtics games, you would never know it. Do the referees have a personal agenda as Tim Donaghy did? Or, do they just subconsciously (or even consciously) dislike the Celtics because they are the favorites? We may never know the motives or then again, we may be reading about another officiating scandal this summer. In the meantime, the Celtics have to continue to play 5 on 8 and win in spite of it.

By Kevin Henkin

And now, the road will be the Celtics’ salvation. Or not. Regardless, it’s time to put Ubuntu to the test.

With a 103-97 victory by Detroit in Game 2, Boston will now be forced to win their first playoff game on the road in order to continue their season. The good news? Ray Allen played the role of prodigal son and returned home with a 25 point performance on an efficient 9-16 shooting line. In the second half in particular, Allen again became the feared sniper, turning the Pistons back on their heels time and again. Alas, it wasn’t enough.

For starters, you can point to the second quarter as a deciding factor, when the Celtics’ defense took a extended nap and allowed Detroit to score 32 points to Boston’s 23. The officiating was also once again questionable (For example, crashing into a teammate but within close proximity of an opponent does not constitute a foul. I checked). Mostly, though, the credit goes to the Pistons for flat out executing when the game was on the line.

I was at the game tonight and composed a running commentary, which by the way seems to work better as a concept when the Celtics win. Anyway, here is the game as I saw it unfold:

A house is made of walls and beams; a home is built with love and dreams. Or something. Anyway, I’m happy to be back on site beside the hallowed parquet floor here in Boston. So too are the Celtics, I’m sure. For them, this must feel like the last day of a tremendous vacation. Try as they might to make each moment last, they cannot escape that sinking feeling of…the road. It’s like the Celtics deserve their own series of commercials with still shots and dramatic piano music in the background. The NBA…The Celtics on the road in the playoffs…where offensive stagnation happens…where bad defense happens…where Sam Cassell happens…where losing to inferior teams happens…Regardless, that’s a problem for another day. The Celtics are still at home for Game 2 against the Pistons and they need to hold serve to keep their leg up in this series. As usual, I’m going to offer up my observations made as the game progresses.

Pre-Game

One of the songs they have in the pre-game rotation is Tom Petty’s “Runnin’ Down a Dream”, which of course reminds Patriots fans of the halftime show of the Super Bowl and thus of the Super Bowl itself. Can we all agree not to play this song at any Boston sporting events going forward?

Speaking of songs, someone named Kat DeLuna oversings the National Anthem. She starts out with “Oh say can you see, like the dawn’s early light…” To her credit, she did not say “bunch ’a bombs in the air.” Regardless, Enrico Palatzo would have been proud.

First Quarter

Rasheed Wallace picks up his first technical foul of the game at the 7:18 mark. The drunken face-painters sitting behind me gleefully approve.

Chauncey Billups is guarding Ray Allen again. After Allen drifts by him, Billups falls down for no apparent reason and looks at the nearest official, who thankfully doesn’t bite. Honestly, Billups is a poorer actor than most porn stars and yet he still gets some of those ridiculous calls.

Holy crap. A Tony Allen sighting with 18 seconds left in the quarter! At this point, after so many DNP-CDs thrown his way, I just assumed that Tony’s legs had atrophied and that he’d taken over Michael Olowokandi’s former full time role of ignoring Doc Rivers and staring at the Jumbotron and the cheerleaders during timeouts.

Ugly quarter. It feels like Boston is playing quite a bit better than Detroit but they’re only up 20 to18. For the quarter, the Pistons shot 37.5% with 5 turnovers but the Celtics weren’t able to capitalize. Of note, the Big Three scored all 20 of the team’s points.

Second Quarter

In the first minute, Rasheed Wallace picks up his second foul. On his way back to the bench, he looks angry and confused, like he’s just finished reading a Tony Massarotti column.

At 8:41, Ray Allen gets mugged and then called for his third foul. Looks like it’s Big Game James Posey time.

Yikes. The Celtics commit 4 turnovers and miss their first 8 shots before finally scoring with trips to the line on successive possessions. Then James Posey reminds Ray Allen what a big three point shot looks like. Even so, the Celtics are often slow to rotate and are giving up way too many easy baskets to the Pistons on the other end.

Did I call the first quarter ugly? It was a work of art compared to the second one, during which the Celtics allowed Detroit to scored 32 points versus their own 23. As mentioned above, the Pistons shot 37.5% in the first quarter but were up to 51.5% by the end of the half. Not helping the cause was the 3 points in total contributions from the Boston bench.

In other news, Rivers expanded his rotation to 11 players in the half, leaving only Sam Cassell sitting in his warm-ups. When Rivers sees someone who looks like Antoine Walker sitting in the crowd, he frantically waves him over to the scorer’s table.

Third Quarter

Boston comes out of the gate fast, punctuating their rally with a jumper by Ray Allen. The crowd instantly recognizes the significance of Ray’s shot. The relief is collectively felt by over 14,000 people in attendance. It’s inside of four minutes and Detroit’s tenuous lead is already erased.

Here’s the sequence at 4:37. Rajon Rondo cheats on Chauncey Billups, trying to get the steal because Rajon Rondo loves steals. Unfortunately, Billups holds onto the ball and, because Rondo is already committed to attempting the steal, Billups blows right by him and draws the easy foul on the help defense, in this case Kendrick Perkins. Rondo’s steals are nice. He has two in the game already. However, it should also be noted for the record that his over-aggression often hangs his teammates out to dry. Rant over.

Someone forgot to tell the Celtics that quarters actually last twelve full minutes. After coming out of the gates strong, their offense sputtered again. Meanwhile, the Pistons got hot from behind the arc then rebuilt their lead again, actually increasing it by two from their 7 point halftime advantage. To say that the next 12 minutes might become a deciding factor in the series would not be an understatement.

Fourth Quarter

After five minutes of the teams trading baskets, Ray Allen converts on a monumental baseline dunk. I guess Ray’s ankles are feeling better. He has 17 points thus far in a comeback performance that at this point his team desperately needs.

P.J. Brown, the sequel, is now 2 for 2 in open jumpers down the stretch.

Alright, I officially declare it: Ray Allen the shooter is back amongst the living, hitting a monster three and then a two. If Detroit didn’t keep answering with relentless baskets at their own end, I suppose the re-emergence of Allen would feel even sweeter,

At the 2:30 Allen gets fouled twice in the same possession and the Celitcs lose their composure complaining to the officials on their trip up the floor. Predictably, Detroit scores.

Down by 4 and needing the stop with under a minute to play, Boston plays 22 seconds of excellent defense before allowing Rip Hamilton to slip free and hit a running jumper.

I’ll leave the rest to the beat reporters. The Pistons outplayed the Celtics in their own building, end of story. In summation, those 66 regular season wins were just rendered meaningless. Homecourt advantage now belongs to Detroit until Boston can likewise answer on the road.

To be continued…

By Kevin Henkin

Okay, enough is enough. I cannot remain silent on this issue any longer. Let’s all finally acknowledge the 800 pound gorilla that’s been sitting squarely in the middle of the room and state the obvious:

Ray Allen has somehow angered Babe Ruth.

There, I said it. By now, it’s become painfully clear, hasn’t it? The shooting woes? The air balls? I mean, do you honestly expect reasonable people to believe that Wally Szczerbiak is able to defend one of the purest scorers in the league without the help of evil spirits? It’s true. The fat slugger with a grudge is back in Boston and he has cursed Ray Allen’s shooting. Unless we do something about it immediately, generations of families across New England will be doomed to suffer countless years of hideously heart-breaking Celtics losses, prolonged periods of obnoxious self-pity and more books by Dan Shaughnessy.

At present, there are several theories in play regarding why this has happened. Maybe it’s the fact that Ray Allen doesn’t consume alcohol and dresses so nattily that offends the sensibilities of the Babe so much. Maybe it’s the stupid ending to He Got Game that has the Bambino’s knickers in a knot. Regardless, I can assure you that nobody affiliated with the Celtics wants any part of this fickle ghost.

Rather than fret over what the Babe will do next or obsess on the reasoning behind his wrath, let’s instead channel our energies into some more constructive actions. Like dredging up old underwater pianos, for example, or fiendishly burning Yankees hats on top of mountains. Unfortunately, these brilliant schemes have already been used up in efforts to overcome the old curse. Therefore, it will be necessary for us to design some fresher solutions. In short, we need some new ideas for Ray Allen to rid himself of this latest apparitional plague on Boston sports. Although I am merely a blogger, I nonetheless boldly step forward to propose the following actions for Ray Allen’s consideration so that he may break free from this insidious new curse:

For starters, Ray needs to study up on the old curse. Read the book. Watch the HBO documentary. Sort through the thousands of previous columns that Shaughnessy devoted to the topic. After all, knowledge is power. Once armed with such valuable information, Ray then needs to take action by adding some key items to his extensive and highly-publicized pre-game routine. Specifically, after his 71 minute early afternoon nap and his daily lunch of grilled chicken cut into isosceles triangles along with 13.5 ounces of skim milk served in a Scooby Doo cup with Shaggy facing north, Ray might consider adopting the following additional practices into his routine once he arrives at the arena:

Schedule time for more magazine cover shoots with Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett. After all, Good Housekeeping and American Handgunner have yet to feature The Big Three looking happy but serious on their respective covers.

Then, once back in the safe confines of the locker room, undertake the following actions:

Meet with Michael Felger to gain a finer understanding of the nuances of the game of basketball. Remember, even the best players can continue to learn from the masters.

Smear liberal amounts of pine tar on your athletic supporter. This will make you feel more manly and also show people what a hard-nosed player you are.

Down a few shots of delicious Jack Daniels with Kevin Millar. Aside from the obvious benefits of liquid courage and the wisdom of Kevin Millar, the incorporation of booze into your routine will grant you some favor with the Bambino.

Read Tony Massarotti’s columns to gain a better understanding of how to improve relations with your fans (Extra tip: Don’t ever pay. Pick up the Herald for free in front of South Station on your way into the game).

On your way onto the court, rub the belly of Glenn Ordway for good luck.

Have James Posey say, “It’s not your fault…It’s not your fault…” over and over during your pre-game hugs.

Throw a few handfuls of powder on Mike Gorman just before tip-off. Don’t be fooled by the towel that he suddenly covers himself with or his mixed expression of shock and annoyance. He loves it!

If at anytime during this routine you find yourself overcome with emotion, simply bang your head repeatedly into the padding that’s attached to the base of the baskets. This will make people think you are incredibly intense and obsessed with winning.

Let’s all keep our fingers crossed, folks, as this new plan to foil the latest curse unfolds. Honestly, I don’t think I can take another 86 years of misery.