At Boston Dec. 19th, 7:30 PM

TV 20 Detroit, ESPN


Is this a preview of the EC Finals? It very well could be. "The Big Three" are well known for their offensive prowess, however, Boston is leading the NBA in points allowed (87) and opponents FG% (41%). Ray Allen is expected back to play in this game.

Sheed and or Rip will most likely both get T-d up in this one.

I expect two or more of our starters to go to the bench early in the first quarter with two fouls, especially if we get ahead by any decent amount.

This is a nationally televised game in Boston. Take the normal NBA home court advantage and add 5 + points to the Celtics for the games location and media venue.

:hoops:

Sheed and or Rip will most likely both get T-d up in this one.

I expect two or more of our starters to go to the bench early in the first quarter with two fouls, especially if we get ahead by any decent amount.

This is a nationally televised game in Boston. Take the normal NBA home court advantage and add 5 + points to the Celtics for the games location and media venue.

:hoops:

sadly i agree with you, but... i also see this as a game that we should show up to play the whole 48 and if they keep there heads from the bogus calls we all know that will show up I think we have a chance. Even better.... somehow wouldn't it be cool after a big man gets in trouble that a certain player makes his national splash.... Ok probably won't happen but should would be a great game for AJ to make a huge impression.

sadly i agree with you, but... i also see this as a game that we should show up to play the whole 48 and if they keep there heads from the bogus calls we all know that will show up I think we have a chance. Even better.... somehow wouldn't it be cool after a big man gets in trouble that a certain player makes his national splash.... Ok probably won't happen but should would be a great game for AJ to make a huge impression.

Yes we have a chance because we have talent and experience and our guys will be up for this one. We will also be well rested.

I think it would be interesting to see AJ go up against KG, though as much as I like AJ, I think KG might take him to school at this point in AJ's career, but one never knows until after the ball gets tossed up.

:hoops:

Detroit Pistons at Boston Celtics

BOSTON -- Flip Murray hit the winning shot and Amir Johnson set career highs with 20 points and 12 rebounds, leading the Detroit Pistons to a 91-89 win over the Boston Celtics


ESPN - Detroit vs. Boston Conversation, April 18, 2007 (http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/conversation?gameId=270418002)

:hoops:

One quarter into the season, you can scan the Eastern Conference and see one team, really, that poses any threat to the rampaging Celtics. Yup, it's the Pistons, who make their first Boston appearance of the season Wednesday.


Again a well-oiled machine - The Boston Globe (http://www.boston.com/sports/basketball/articles/2007/12/16/again_a_well_oiled_machine/?page=1)

My biggest worry is that Pistons have 2 days off. They usually don't play well after breaks like this.

The Celts are now the best defensive team. At least the numbers say so. I know they are known for their "Big Three", but I think the true leader of this team is KG. We need to get him out of the game either literally by putting him in foul trouble or by exhausting him making him play lot of defence. This will be Rasheed’s main task and I think J max can have part of this.

I am not worried about the other two if we managed to deal with KG

Again a well-oiled machine - The Boston Globe (http://www.boston.com/sports/basketball/articles/2007/12/16/again_a_well_oiled_machine/?page=1)

It seems that pistons is not only team, who has problem how to share minutes, that "boston globe" article mentions that spurs had to trade beno udrih (shining in sactown now) b/c there wasn't sufficient minutes for beno.

The Celtics are on a 9 game winning streak. Stern and the media would love to keep it going and going. From a financial perspective it is great for the league to have the Celtics on top again.

Go Pistons

:hoops:

I think it would be interesting to see AJ go up against KG, though as much as I like AJ, I think KG might take him to school at this point in AJ's career, but one never knows until after the ball gets tossed up.

I completely get that you're no Celtic fan, but do you honestly think it's that close?

That there's a "one never knows" involved?

This is a game underdog Pistons love.
Won't even be close.
95 - 89 PISTONS

Tay was downplaying it in the interview after the GS game. He said that it isn't a statement game, they are just going to try to have fun.

Not a bad attitude, but a statement would be nice too.

I'm curious to see if Boston's league leading defense will affect us, or if we have one too many mismatches for them. Sheed and Dyess need to get KG out of the paint.

This is a game where starting Dyess can pay really big dividends. KG is marginally better than Sheed, but Dyess is miles ahead of Perkins. I worry about Tay, Tay plays has been playing really soft as of late when he has to guard a premiere player. When Tay plays like the cowardly lion, Billups and Hamilton make it a point to try and carry more of the load, which for us is never a good thing.

If Tay can neutralize Paul P. and get 7 pts it's a big win for us. 4 or less and he's off his rocker.

Max will be the key in this game, along with Afflalo and Jarvis. This is the game where Hayes comes out of his slump, Afflalo provides the defense and hustle he usually does; we win this one going away.

Doc Rivers will have no answer for Max.


In other words, if our bench produces, the Pistons win!!!!!!!

This is a game underdog Pistons love.
Won't even be close.
95 - 89 PISTONS


But um.....95-89 is pretty close.

Not for a road game. Celts try to close late.
CB won't miss 4 in a row again.

Ray Allen has an ankle injury and is supposed to be back for this but it looks like they are runshing him back so who knows how effective he will be. He played on for about 2 weeks prior with noticable effects.

I completely get that you're no Celtic fan, but do you honestly think it's that close?

That there's a "one never knows" involved?

We have been to the ECF 5 years in a row. Ray Allen is having a pretty mediocre year. The Celtics have only played one game west of Cleveland so far and that was in Chicago, which they won.

We have a more balanced starting five and a better bench. Rondo is playing very well for them and they do have a couple of real legitimate 3 point threats coming off the bench. Baby Shaq is coming on nicely and probably playing better at this time then most people thought he would.

They have a better team then I thought they would because they have some guys other than the big 3 who contribute night in and night out.

Having said that the key to them is KG. There is no doubt about that. Our chance of beating them I believe lies in Sheeds ability to if not neutralize KG at least to reduce his performance enough.

If Uncle Sheed can defend KG and cause him to have a sub par performance against us then yes I believe that we can beat them, though with the NBA and the media wanting them to be in the Finals, because it would bring tens of millions if not hundreds of millions of extra funds to the NBA over the next 5 years or so it will be tough for us to keep them out of the Finals unless one of their big 3 is out for the playoffs against us and even more so if it looks like he wouldn't return if they made it to the Finals, thereby diminishing their marketing value for the NBA.

:hoops:

Ray Allen has an ankle injury and is supposed to be back for this but it looks like they are runshing him back so who knows how effective he will be. He played on for about 2 weeks prior with noticable effects.

He is as I suspected the first one of the big 3 to fall subject to the injury bug this season. He has not and continues to not be in the best of physical condition as far as avoiding injuries goes. It would not surprise me to see them lose him for an extended period this year.

Regarding Paul Pierce, this was from a year ago almost to the day


BOSTON -- Boston Celtics (http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/clubhouse?team=bos) forward Paul Pierce (http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/players/profile?statsId=3253) has an injury in his left foot that will keep him out for two to three weeks.
Pierce has a stress reaction, a swelling of the bone and the soft tissue surrounding it, team spokesman Jeff Twiss said Thursday. Pierce will miss Friday night's game against Philadelphia and the five-game trip that starts Tuesday in Denver.
"I'm not sure if he's going to accompany the team, but he will not play on the road trip," Twiss said.
He is playing a lot of minutes again and things like a stress reaction can lead to all kinds of complications for a NBA player over 30 who is playing heavy minutes. Pierce actually missed over 30 games last year.

ESPN - Celtics add Pierce to growing injury list - NBA (http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=2705279)

KG is healthy and of course he is their key, but I think that we can definitely beat them in a seven game series if they only have 2 out of the big 3.

:hoops:

The only negative vibe about this game is that it is on ESPN, so far we are 0-3 this season on the all Boston-NY network:). Not sure if our guys are trying to hold back something or not, but we seem to be tight on these nationally televised games and the free flowing hitting on all cylinders offense disappears.

Although the defense tries its best to keep us in the game, Rip tries to much, tay doesn't try enough and Sheed gets in foul trouble. To top if off, Flip shrinks to a 8 man rotation and by the time the 4th quarter rolls around we don't have the energy to pull it out and Flip continues with the cold guys instead of putting in an x factor off the bench.

I just hope I am wrong here with what I stated above.

If Tay gets 12+ points and the bench gets at least 25-30, we should win this one, but it will be close and no blow outs from either team unless the Pistons get KG in foul trouble. (If Stern allows it of course):sssh:

The only negative vibe about this game is that it is on ESPN, so far we are 0-3 this season on the all Boston-NY network:). Not sure if our guys are trying to hold back something or not, but we seem to be tight on these nationally televised games and the free flowing hitting on all cylinders offense disappears.


Good observation. It could be a lingering hangover from the media garbage that we had to put up with in the Cavs series.

:hoops:

I would not expect the bench to play much in this one unless there is foul trouble. 2 days rest going in against the best team in the East, it will be like playoff basketball and here I give the Pistons the advantage. If you are looking for player development this probably won't be the game.

We will see. You know KG will get his calls so perhaps Amir will get a shot and save the day. Never know whats going to happen in a game like this. Both teams do not have a history here with the current players so the refs should let them play - I hope. Too many of these East matchups are mucked up by the zebra's but that should not come into play here.


Its the game everyone in the East has been waiting for.

I would not expect the bench to play much in this one unless there is foul trouble. 2 days rest going in against the best team in the East, it will be like playoff basketball and here I give the Pistons the advantage. If you are looking for player development this probably won't be the game.

We will see. You know KG will get his calls so perhaps Amir will get a shot and save the day. Never know whats going to happen in a game like this. Both teams do not have a history here with the current players so the refs should let them play - I hope. Too many of these East matchups are mucked up by the zebra's but that should not come into play here.


Its the game everyone in the East has been waiting for.

Next year this game will be on X-mas day instead of the usual Kobe/Shaq Santa facial mugs we have been forced to endure the last six years:P

I would not expect the bench to play much in this one unless there is foul trouble. 2 days rest going in against the best team in the East, it will be like playoff basketball and here I give the Pistons the advantage. If you are looking for player development this probably won't be the game.



I believe Max, Hayes and Afflalo will see some time. IMO, their contribution could be the difference in a win or loss.

Afflalo better get some serious burn on Ray Ray. I also think Max will play a big role. He needs to get their shotblockers (KG, Perkins) in foul trouble. Obviously the main guys need to show up. Especially Tay and Sheed. Tay can't get smoked by Pierce like he did by T-Mac.

It's always good when I'm being pessimistic.

I see a letdown. We usually lose games like this. It's frustrating yes but I'd rather lose now than in the playoffs.

I might be biased but I think we can still beat the Celtics and any East or West team for this season's championship.

Flip will go all out with the starters playing them near 40 minutes, with JMax, Hunter, Hayes, and AA off the bench. Good luck for us seeing Amir in this one.

Anyway, hoping I'm wrong again.

:)

Coach changed Celtics' fortunes

Assistant Thibodeau introduced defensive style which is the key to team's 20-2 start.

Chris McCosky / The Detroit News

AUBURN HILLS -- Which new acquisition has done more to change the culture of the Celtics this season -- Kevin Garnett or Ray Allen?
The answer, as great as both those stars have played alongside Paul Pierce, might be neither.

The day assistant Tom Thibodeau walked into the gym was the day the Celtics got serious about winning. Thibodeau is perhaps the premier defensive coach in the NBA. He has coached defenses for 17 seasons, 14 for teams that finished among the 10 stingiest in the league.

"What he does is, he makes you beat them from outside," said Pistons coach Flip Saunders, who brings his team to Boston for a 7 p.m. game Wednesday. "They pack it in and take away the paint."
The Celtics are No. 1 in five defensive categories, including points allowed (86.5) and shooting percentage against (.413). That, more than any other factor, is why they are 20-2.


Herrmann time tonight? We shall see.

Coach changed Celtics' fortunes (http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071218/SPORTS0102/712180397/1127/SPORTS0102)

:hoops:

i think a lot of people are forgetting this game is tomorrow, not today :D

this is a lot bigger game for boston than it is for us. whether we win or not doesn't say much, while if boston wins they'll see it as validation to their status in the east.

unlike the other televised games we've lost to chicago, i think the pistons actually get up for this game and play well.

Should we let them win and then sneak up on them in the playoffs?

Should we let them win and then sneak up on them in the playoffs?


let them win.... no, but I don't see how the outcome of the came hurts us in either way... only bad thing that comes from this game is if a player gets hurt. Let us loss and add to the hype of the boston train.... win and the national media will come up with an excuse for us winning, Our team doesn't need to win to believe they can win come playoff time, if anything they might need another challenge to keep them motivated....

On the other hand this is a HUGE game for boston. If they lose there going to start looking for another piece to the puzzle that could break there chemistry they seem to have. If they win, they were suppose to win a home game... its what your suppose to do.

Here are the priorities we should have going into this game.

1) Prepare for the playoffs.

Here are the priorities we should have going into this game.

1) Prepare for the playoffs.

Priority #2 - Prepare for the playoffs
Priority #3.........................................

Priority #2 - Prepare for the playoffs
Priority #3.........................................
Priority #3-Destroy all teams in our path in the playoffs

Priority #3-Destroy all teams in our path in the playoffs

Priority #4 - Make Tommy Heinsohn sad.

i'm way diggin' the countdown clock

THIS GAME WILL BE A 7:00 PM START!!!!!
Not 7:30 PM!!!!!!

Should we let them win and then sneak up on them in the playoffs?
Ah, no TaS.
Ruin their confidence now.
Priority #1 and 4 get minutes for AJ.

i'm way diggin' the countdown clock

I don't understand the clock.

Right now the countdown says 1 day and 15 minutes.

The time in Los Angeles is 6:45 PM.

That means the game begins at 7:00 PM Los Angeles time which is 10:00 PM Boston time???

The time right now in Detroit and Boston is 9:45 PM so the countdown in Detroit and Boston time is 21 hours and 15 minutes not 1 day and 15 minutes.

:hoops:

Yeah, they better put all the Time Zones up there.
One could get confused.

I don't understand the clock.

Right now the countdown says 1 day and 15 minutes.

The time in Los Angeles is 6:45 PM.

That means the game begins at 7:00 PM Los Angeles time which is 10:00 PM Boston time???

The time right now in Detroit and Boston is 9:45 PM so the countdown in Detroit and Boston time is 21 hours and 15 minutes not 1 day and 15 minutes.

:hoops:

It looks like it counts down based on your computer clock. But it doesn't take the time zone into account. So if everyone lived in ET, it would be fine. I wonder what coul;d be done to fix that?

I really dig the design though. Are you responsible for that, 'scoe? Nice job integrating it into the header. I noticed it used to be bulkier than the threads, but now it is fixed. You are amazing.

All I know is this:

Tommy heinson can put a tommy point ON MY BIG SHINY HONEY-COLORED http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/7b/Donkey_1_arp_750px.jpg/250px-Donkey_1_arp_750px.jpg (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Donkey_1_arp_750px.jpg)!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!!


GO PISTONS..LIKE BACK IN THE DAY!!!

I probably won't be able to show up until the second half, so y'all better not let this game get out of hand until I'm there. At least, not unless the Pistons are kicking butt. :D

This is where it gets interesting, right? No, this is where it fizzles out. McDyess started advancing toward KG, who actually threw a punch, but by that point KG was backpedaling so much he either missed or barely grazed McDyess’ chest. Words were exchanged and McDyess clearly tried to get to KG, but KG was in full-fledged Carmelo hit-and-run mode, putting just enough space between the two for them to be separated by teammates, coaches and officials but staying close enough to hurl insults.
For more comments on this including the video, click on the link.

I wonder if any of the same officials will be working tonights game.

Detroit Bad Boys (http://www.detroitbadboys.com/)

:hoops:

For more comments on this including the video, click on the link.

I wonder if any of the same officials will be working tonights game.

Detroit Bad Boys (http://www.detroitbadboys.com/)

:hoops:
Those would be Eddie F. Rush , Pat Fraher and Violet Palmer.

Those would be Eddie F. Rush , Pat Fraher and Violet Palmer.

Are you saying that those are the officials that worked the game on the video or those are the officials that are working tonights game or both?

Thanks

:hoops:

Bavetta. I can feel it.

:frusty:

According to the LV line the Celtics are heavy favorites.

:hoops:

To win tonight we need to do three things.

1. Have Sheed neutralize Garnett. I believe that it is imperative that Sheed get 35 minutes tonight and not get into foul trouble early.

2. Keep their 3 point guys off the scoring sheet. The Cavs killed us in the playoffs last year with their 3 point shooting. The Celtics are averaging 7.4 - 3 point goals a game on 38% shooting. They are actually making slightly more 3 point goals per game on the road so far. I believe that we need to limit them to no more than 5 - 3 point goals tonight, especially since,
A. They will be getting to the free throw line maybe 25 - 30 times or even more.
B. It will probably be a low scoring game with the loser scoring under 90 points

3. Stay out of foul trouble as much as possible. (see point 2A above)

:hoops:

Are you saying that those are the officials that worked the game on the video or those are the officials that are working tonights game or both?

Thanks

:hoops:
That's last years refs.

That's last years refs.

Thanks

:hoops:

wow 50+ replies BEFORE the game starts.

Anyways--people must be stone drunk to think AJ has any chance whatsoever at defending KG--nope. This is the same kid who almost fouled out in 10 minutes of garbage time a couple of games ago (legit or not, it happened).

Should be a great game though. I for one am unsure of this great advantage that CB has over Rondo--supposedly when Rondo came into the league he was great on D but couldn't muster enough O...so we'll see. I know he's young, but again, that was his claim to fame - defense.

Sheed vs KG/Duncan is always good though. Such smart players matched up and intense...I enjoy watching those matchups.

Those would be Eddie F. Rush , Pat Fraher and Violet Palmer.
" Who are THE UNDISPUTED TRUTH??".......OOPS i'M SORRY. i Thought we were playing Jeopardy!

Their D is so good on paper that I don't think they have any obvious weak links. Rondo MUST be a solid defender.

Like we saw with Ben, KG makes these perimeter guys better by allowing them to cheat out towards the players they are guarding.

That's why we gotta get KG out of the paint. Having Sheed or Dyess (whichever one he's guarding) get hot on the jump shots at the beginning of the game could really help throw Boston out of whack.

wow 50+ replies BEFORE the game starts.

Anyways--people must be stone drunk to think AJ has any chance whatsoever at defending KG--nope. This is the same kid who almost fouled out in 10 minutes of garbage time a couple of games ago (legit or not, it happened).

Go back and reread the my post. I said that I would like to see AJ go up against KG tonight, knowing that KG would take AJ to school, (because it would be a measure of how well AJ's defense has progressed going up against KG)

:hoops:

Their D is so good on paper that I don't think they have any obvious weak links. Rondo MUST be a solid defender.

Like we saw with Ben, KG makes these perimeter guys better by allowing them to cheat out towards the players they are guarding.

That's why we gotta get KG out of the paint. Having Sheed or Dyess (whichever one he's guarding) get hot on the jump shots at the beginning of the game could really help throw Boston out of whack.


The day assistant Tom Thibodeau walked into the gym was the day the Celtics got serious about winning. Thibodeau is perhaps the premier defensive coach in the NBA. He has coached defenses for 17 seasons, 14 for teams that finished among the 10 stingiest in the league.

"What he does is, he makes you beat them from outside," said Pistons coach Flip Saunders, who brings his team to Boston for a 7 p.m. game Wednesday. "They pack it in and take away the paint."
If Rip C-Bill Tay, Hayes, Sheed and Herrmann? can hit the tres tonight we should win provided we can do 3 things I mentioned in an earlier post of mine.

Coach changed Celtics' fortunes (http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071218/SPORTS0102/712180397)

:hoops:

Did my computer go wacko?

The clock says that the Pistons - Celtics game will be 38 days, 2 hours and 59 minutes.

:hoops:

Did my computer go wacko?

The clock says that the Pistons - Celtics game will be 38 days, 2 hours and 59 minutes.

Man, you guys are hard to please!

Man, you guys are hard to please!

Just trying to "play the right way"

By the way for those of us on the West Coast the game is scheduled to be started 2:30 hours from now. My computer says 5:30 hours.



:hoops:

Just trying to "play the right way"

By the way for those of us on the West Coast the game is scheduled to be started 2:30 hours from now. My computer says 5:30 hours.

Yes, we are hyper aware. We are working to resolve some server time issues that affect what users in other time zones see. For now, the targeted start time for the event is conflicting with the relative times in other zones. EST was fine for us to begin with (because the Pistons AND most fans are there). But, we are planning to have the issue solved by the next tip off if not tonight.

It's a little harder to test these kind of things in theory because you actually have to have them live on the server to verify certain variables. It's likely you'll see it one of three ways 1) it's simply gone. 2) it goes haywire again before it gets right (38 days) or 3) it gets fixed and works flawlessly.

Please bear with us.

I guess the lesson here is that while it's fun to see a countdown timer on your favorite forum, you really shouldn't use it to plan your life.

I guess the lesson here is that while it's fun to see a countdown timer on your favorite forum, you really shouldn't use it to plan your life.

Ouch! :blackeye:

the fact that it counts down puts it ahead of 85% of the projects implemented by my work place.

I guess the lesson here is that while it's fun to see a countdown timer on your favorite forum, you really shouldn't use it to plan your life.

Unless you are planning to "time travel" LOL

:hoops:

Unless you are planning to "time travel" LOL


Quick point about time machines.

Since the Earth is always moving, wouldn't the joke be on you if you were transported into the future and you just ended up in space, where the Earth used to be? The pop would be so anticlimactic.

Keeping up with the position of the Earth is no easy task.

•How fast is the Earth spinning?0.5 km/sec •How fast is the Earth revolving around the Sun?30 km/sec •How fast is the Solar System moving around the Milky Way Galaxy?250 km/sec •How fast is our Milky Way Galaxy moving in the Local Group of galaxies?300 km/sec

Even though this analyst is a bit of a hack, thought I'd post it here. :stirthepot:

http://http://www.nba.com/news/coachscornerpistonsceltics.html

Talked to 'Horn today and he is stoked as well to see how we do. His analysis is that the true mismatch is CBill. He should really eat them up and our bench according to him is also much better. Don't expect the newbies or even Amir to have any PT. JMax is his special pupil. He's been talking to him before games and helping to address the problem of fouling so much. If you notice he somewhat is improving and staying on the court.

Quick point about time machines.

Since the Earth is always moving, wouldn't the joke be on you if you were transported into the future and you just ended up in space, where the Earth used to be? The pop would be so anticlimactic.

Keeping up with the position of the Earth is no easy task.

•How fast is the Earth spinning?0.5 km/sec •How fast is the Earth revolving around the Sun?30 km/sec •How fast is the Solar System moving around the Milky Way Galaxy?250 km/sec •How fast is our Milky Way Galaxy moving in the Local Group of galaxies?300 km/sec

I will put someone on it today and get back to you with the answers when he have them.

:hoops:

Talked to 'Horn today and he is stoked as well to see how we do. His analysis is that the true mismatch is CBill. He should really eat them up and our bench according to him is also much better. Don't expect the newbies or even Amir to have any PT. JMax is his special pupil. He's been talking to him before games and helping to address the problem of fouling so much. If you notice he somewhat is improving and staying on the court.

I find it an absolute shame to use a "big game" to avoid doing your homework. Preparing for the playoffs is the task that must never take a back seat. Furthermore, to assume that Amir would not help win the game - that we might otherwise lose, is a dangerous assumption, that just plays into the hand of a coach who is desperately trying to fight Dumars on Dumars' goal of infusing some youth into this team. Amir should have no further DNP's. Joe Dumars' word should be upheld.

I find it an absolute shame to use a "big game" to avoid doing your homework. Preparing for the playoffs is the task that must never take a back seat. Furthermore, to assume that Amir would not help win the game - that we might otherwise lose, is a dangerous assumption, that just plays into the hand of a coach who is desperately trying to fight Dumars on Dumars' goal of infusing some youth into this team. Amir should have no further DNP's. Joe Dumars' word should be upheld.

I agree with that Lee. This is a very important game for Amir to play but Flip won't do it. I don't think Amir gets any pt tonight. Does anyone seriously think he will get any minutes?

Talked to 'Horn today and he is stoked as well to see how we do. His analysis is that the true mismatch is CBill. He should really eat them up and our bench according to him is also much better. Don't expect the newbies or even Amir to have any PT. JMax is his special pupil. He's been talking to him before games and helping to address the problem of fouling so much. If you notice he somewhat is improving and staying on the court.

Horn is mentoring Maxey for the #4
Uncle Sheed is mentoring AJ for the #5

sounds great to me.

C-Bill is indeed bigger than Rondo, but it wouldn't surprise me if the Celtics bring a double team on C-Bill if he tries to post up which means kicking out to an open man for the jump shot including threes. If we hit the 3s and the short jumpers on those plays we will be fine, if not Rondo will neutralize C-Bill because C-Bill won't get the calls if he takes Rondo to the hoop.

:hoops:

Who gets more minutes tonight, Walter or Amir?

I agree with that Lee. This is a very important game for Amir to play but Flip won't do it. I don't think Amir gets any pt tonight. Does anyone seriously think he will get any minutes?

It depends. Most likely not, however I can think of a couple of situations other than a blowout where AJ may get some minutes.

If Sheed gets in early foul trouble AJ may get a few minutes when the Celtics pull KG if Sheed is still on the bench due to the fouls.

If Sheed gets tossed early then AJ may get a few minutes to rest Dyess and Maxey. Though it seems to me that those minutes would probably go to Brezec if he dresses tonight.

It could be however that Flipper doesn't even dress AJ tonight but rather Brezec and Herrmann.

:hoops:

Who gets more minutes tonight, Walter or Amir?


Might as well have both of them in a coat and tie.

Chat is open!!!!

http://www.pistonsforum.com/misc.php?do=flashchat

Well it seems like it's too soon to call it (2:50 left in the first quarter) but it looks like the calls could put our team in foul trouble. And Garnett is like untouchable so what will that mean for Sheed? I usually hate that "jumping into players to get to the line" strategy, but we may need to get them in foul trouble. Are we supposed to swallow the idea that their supposedly great defense is not fouling our guys ever?

Nice to see a few of our bench guys out here at the end of the 1st however.

GO PISTONS!!!!

What a way to win and shut up the Celtics fans. Billups pump fake, 2 free throws for the win at the end.

Unbelievable. I gotta go find a Celts forum so I can soak up the sour grapes.

The bench won this one. Lindsey and Maxiel had direct effects on the outcome while AA just seems to get it done. It's going to be great when Stuckey gets back, and AA gets more mins, he practically played a perfect game.

Nice adjustments on defense during halftime by Flipper
:hoops:

RESPECT, BABY!!!!!!!!

What a heart-stopper...a flurry of clutch plays to go up 6 late, a string of godawful chokes to let Boston have a chance to win in regulation, but then CB wins it with the veteran craftiness.

Props to CB for a MONSTER 4th quarter, and to Lindsey for sparking a huge run to start the quarter with by far his best stretch of the season. Dice and Sheed were big on the boards when we needed it, JMax and AA played well early in the 4th, and even Tay made up for a horriffic game on offense (1-10 from the floor) with some great D on Pierce (5-16 from the floor).

Pistons D was IMMENSE in the second half...Celtics scored 52 in the first half but only 33 in the second. Part of it was terrible execution on their part, but there was a lot of great D being played. And some of the Celtics' big buckets late were only the result of incredible superstar shots by Ray Allen; plus two of Pierce's five buckets (I think his only two in the second half?) were insanely difficult shots that no one could have stopped.

Aside from the terrifying near-collapse in the last two minutes, this game was won in the 4th quarter with vintage Deeeeee-troit bas-ket-baaaaal...lockdown D, CB getting into the lane and going to the line, plus plenty of hustle and rebounding. The biggest game of the season to this point, BY FAR, and they won it by playing OLD SKOOL! YEAH BABY!

How Sweet It Is!

Nice adjustments on defense during halftime by Flipper
:hoops:
Whatever, Nice adjustments by Sheed in the 4th qtr, he finally started to give darn.

The bench won this one. Lindsey and Maxiel had direct effects on the outcome while AA just seems to get it done. It's going to be great when Stuckey gets back, and AA gets more mins, he practically played a perfect game.

Go Lindsey go! Old man still has some moves. I'm little worried about him hobbling off the court though. Also, it looked like Boston got away with a little more than I would have liked, then again we got a couple lumps too, Chauncey definitely pushed Rondo and stole the ball which was awesome to watch, but surely was a foul. Overall a great win, and i really like AA out there, the kid was cold blooded, pulled one of those patented Chauncey pick and roll fouls with KG playing the foul-man, really impressed to see his quick progress.

Whatever, Nice adjustments by Sheed in the 4th qtr, he finally started to give darn.

I think for now Sheed and Flipper are getting along. Kudos for Flipper for working it out.
:hoops:

WHEW!!!!!!!! Got something to have fun with tomorrow with 'Horn.

You guys ought to get in on the fun and listen in on Sirius tomorrow. Channel 127 from 1-4pm eastern

The bench won this one.

Well, let's not take our starters QUITE that much for granted...CB was slaughtering the Celtics in the 4th, and all the starters were playing outstanding defense. Not to minimize the contributions of Lindsey, JMax, and AA in that last period, but CB's clutch offense and everyone's clutch defense were the primary reasons for this win.

I will give an extra tip of the cap to Lindsey for sparking that big run at a time when the Pistons kept getting within 1 or 2 without being able to get over the hump. They finally did it because he made a string of great plays early in the 4th quarter.

In chat I was in a forum of experts, realists, and more importantly pessimists. I stated the whole game that even though we trailed and shot a very low percentage from the field that we would win this game and/or be extremely very competitive.

My how things come to pass and I was right the whole time. In any competitve venture when all sides are equal the opponent who wants it more usually is victorious. We had played hard all game although friendly spectators disagree, we gave Boston their 1st L at home the whole season. I really hope that we as the Pistons faithful be faithful in supporting our very talented team. We all know that we have a hinderance in Flip but despite that we have the means to go back to the Finals and win it. Lets stay loyal to our team and support it all the way through. A RARE EXP POST

I think for now Sheed and Flipper are getting along. Kudos for Flipper for working it out.
:hoops:
Nah. Tonight, looking at Sheed there are 1 one of 2 things going on:

Sheed is still not totally buying into Fliposophy
Sheed can't bring 100% focus and effort ALL THE TIME!!!!!Seriously Joe needs to ponder Sheeds status. There's a HUGE difference between what Sheed CAN do and what Sheed WILL do.

We won Yeah. Mr big shot was the MVP as he forced 1st qtr terror Rondo to the bench in the 4th and faked Tony Allen out of his shoes to seal the game with the the winning FT's . Give some props to Lindsey Hunter for turning the momentum to the Pistons favor with his pressure defense near the end of the third qtr.

The Pistons managed to turn on the defense after giving up 29 in the first qtr by holding the Celtics to only 56 the rest of the game. (Funny only one block the whole game though.) After jumping to a 7 point lead in the waning minutes, the Pistons offense stalled in the last 2.5 mins and allowed the Celtics to tie the game before the winning FT's

Without the 3 balls in the first half, who knows if the pistons would have been able to climb back in this one. They hit nine to Ray Allens' 3 (and Eddie 3 ball house's one. ) They were nearly flawless at the FT line 20-23

They held Pierce to 5-16 shooting despite Tay sitting out the 2nd qtr (or was it the whole game??:):sssh:) Tay was a cold 1-10 shooting:cold:

The rivalry has begun again and all we did was win round 1. Wonder what the Blue/red map voting is now as it was 49 states to 1 in favor of the C's at halftime.....

The Celtics lead the league in defense giving up 87 points a game and yes they were able to hold the Pistons to 87, but could not score enough to win as the Pistons # 2 defense upheld it's own. Pistons are now 12-2 vs the east (dang those 2 Bulls losses)

Nah. Tonight, looking at Sheed there are 1 one of 2 things going on:
Sheed is still not totally buying into Fliposophy
Sheed can't bring 100% focus and effort ALL THE TIME!!!!!Seriously Joe needs to ponder Sheeds status. There's a HUGE difference between what Sheed CAN do and what Sheed WILL do.

Sorry I wasn't clear.

It is Flipper that has changed and buying a lot more into Sheed's philosophy than he did the last two years. That is why he is coach Sheed.
:hoops:

In chat I was in a forum of expertS, realists, and more importantly pessimists. I stated the whole game that even though we trailed and shot a very low percentage from the field that we would win this game and/or be extremely very competitive.

My how things come to pass and I was right the whole time. In any competitve venture when all sides are equal the opponent who wants it more usually is victorious. We had played hard all game although friendly spectators disagree, we gave Boston their 1st L at home the whole season. I really hope that we as the Pistons faithful be faithful in supporting our very talented team. We all know that we have a hinderance in Flip but despite that we have the means to go back to the Finals and win it. Lets stay loyal to our team and support it all the way through. A RARE EXP POST
You was right.......so what....you wanna cookie or sumthin'......jus kiddin man, GO PISTONS!!!!! And FYI, we're on the same page, I just get frustrated during games because I want to see perfection. After the game I put things in perspective, we just beat a very good team on the road.

Pistons are now 12-2 vs the east (dang those the 2 Bulls losses)

The Celtics have more losses than us against Eastern Conf teams 3 - 2 and we have done that playing without one of regular rotation guys. Lets see how they do when they go out West.

:hoops:

WHEW!!!!!!!! Got something to have fun with tomorrow with 'Horn.

You guys ought to get in on the fun and listen in on Sirius tomorrow. Channel 127 from 1-4pm eastern

I'll be tuning in

What a game. I only caught the second half, and it looked like the Pistons were sleepwalking at times.

What is going on with Tay? Some might say he was exhausted from playing defense against Pierce, I don`t buy that. He missed layups, open looks, and his shot looked weak and lethargic. However, his D on Pierce was decent.

Isn`t it amazing how CB can go from the goat to the hero in a matter of seconds, he does that a lot. He knew he had the clear advantage over Rondo and took it to the youngster.

J-Max didn`t let KG slam in his face, much to the suprise of KG I might add; that play ignited a run by Detroit. Sheed was very well behaved for not getting T`d up on that phantom foul on KG. Hubie Brown actually said it wa s a bad camera angle when it clearly showed Sheed didn`t touch KG.

This game showed without a doubt that Boston`s backcourt will be exposed against an experienced backcourt that is well coached.

Just a little more than a couple of weeks and we get the Celtics again, at the Palace this time.

This game showed without a doubt that Boston`s backcourt will be exposed against an experienced backcort that is well coached.

Especially if Allen goes down with multiple injuries and the odds are strongly in favor of that happening.

:hoops:

What a game. I only caught the second half, and it looked like the Pistons were sleepwalking at times.

What is going on with Tay? Some might say he was exhausted from playing defense against Pierce, I don`t buy that. He missed layups, open looks, and his shot looked weak and lethargic. However, his D on Pierce was decent.

Isn`t it amazing how CB can go from the goat to the hero in a matter of seconds, he does that a lot. He knew he had the clear advantage over Rondo and took it to the youngster.

J-Max didn`t let KG slam in his face, much to the suprise of KG I might add; that play ignited a run by Detroit. Sheed was very well behaved for not getting T`d up on that phantom foul on KG. Hubie Brown actually said it wa s a bad camera angle when it clearly showed Sheed didn`t touch KG.

This game showed without a doubt that Boston`s backcourt will be exposed against an experienced backcort that is well coached.

Just a little more than a couple of weeks and we get the Celtics again, at the Palace this time.

It looked like Tay felt like he was being fouled when he took it to the hole a couple times and the no-calls just took him out of the game offensively, he became pensive, and hesitant. Not the first time this has happened...

The phantom foul and Sheed's reaction to it were both incredible, Sheed just walked away despite clearly knowing the truth, that he DID NOT TOUCH KG.

Isn`t it amazing how CB can go from the goat to the hero in a matter of seconds, he does that a lot.
My dad used to always say: "There's a fine line between a hero and an Azwhole"


This game showed without a doubt that Boston`s backcourt will be exposed against an experienced backcort that is well coached.
Soooooooo how does that help us, we got plenty of experience in the backcourt but..........

Just watched the last 5 seconds and Tays D on PP was great as KG tried to set a hard screen. Too bad he doesnt have Mahorn's ass!! Good rebound for Sheed as well.

My dad used to always say: "There's a fine line between a hero and an Azwhole"







:pound::pound::pound::pound::pound::pound:

Soooooooo how does that help us, we got plenty of experience in the backcourt but..........

I knew somebody would catch that!

My dad used to always say: "There's a fine line between a hero and an Azwhole"

Soooooooo how does that help us, we got plenty of experience in the backcourt but..........

Sometimes they are one in the same especially if they are Hollywood people.

:hoops:

AA should get 20 MPG. He was fantastic. There is no reason for Rip and CB to play heavy minutes with him. The 1st foul against Sheed was as bad as the 5th. That put him back on his heels in my opinion. He played great in the 4th though. Tay was really getting to me in this one. I almost went through the roof when he got blocked by Perkins. Only 38 + minutes for Dysse? Maybe him and Ray Allen can race when they're both cripple in a few months?

Hell of a game.

Hell of a crowd too. I wish our crowd could get at least half that rowdy.

Yes, we are hyper aware. We are working to resolve some server time issues that affect what users in other time zones see. For now, the targeted start time for the event is conflicting with the relative times in other zones. EST was fine for us to begin with (because the Pistons AND most fans are there). But, we are planning to have the issue solved by the next tip off if not tonight.

It's a little harder to test these kind of things in theory because you actually have to have them live on the server to verify certain variables. It's likely you'll see it one of three ways 1) it's simply gone. 2) it goes haywire again before it gets right (38 days) or 3) it gets fixed and works flawlessly.

Please bear with us.
I love the addition of the countdown! What a cool feature. Thanks Low!

AA should get 20 MPG. He was fantastic. There is no reason for Rip and CB to play heavy minutes with him.

AA is not a point guard and neither is Rip, though he has played it some.

No way to give AA 20 minutes a game. Rip plays a lot better when he gets more minutes like 35 or so.

I can see AA getting 15 or so minutes but no more.
That should be about the number of minutes that Hot Rod gets once he gets into the flow of things.

:hoops:

AA is not a point guard and neither is Rip, though he has played it some.

No way to give AA 20 minutes a game. Rip plays a lot better when he gets more minutes like 35 or so.

I can see AA getting 15 or so minutes but no more.
That should be about the number of minutes that Hot Rod gets once he gets into the flow of things.

:hoops:
Rip is capable of defending alot of SF's in the league. You can get AA 5 more mins/game if you play Rip at the sf spot, and sit (no J)Arvis Hayes, when he's off the mark.

Rip is capable of defending alot of SF's in the league. You can get AA 5 more mins/game if you play Rip at the sf spot, and sit (no J)Arvis Hayes, when he's off the mark.

You are correct.

AA can also defend the 3, though I think Rip would score okay when playing the 3, whereas AA would probably score less from the 3 than from the 2.

:hoops:

Just got home. Glad to see AA did well again. I agree he needs 20 min at least.

Didn't watch the game or read the posts yet, but how the hell did we win w/ Tay going 1 for 10, and Sheed 3-10?!

We are deeper than they are, now, and we should get deeper later. Important minutes by Hunter and Afflalo as they exposed their point guard play. But again it was Maxiel's key boards that tilted the balance.

Won' t get too high by this one but we should get better as the season goes on.

Didn't watch the game or read the posts yet, but how the hell did we win w/ Tay going 1 for 10, and Sheed 3-10?!

Tay escaped major consequences for 1-10 by holding Pierce to 5-16. Sheed 3-10 was rough, but Rip was 8-11.

Tay escaped major consequences for 1-10 by holding Pierce to 5-16. Sheed 3-10 was rough, but Rip was 8-11.

Sheed was actually 3 - 5 on threes and 0 - 5 from inside the arc. Maybe he wasn't getting all the calls that he should of. But why would that surprise me.

:hoops:

Tay escaped major consequences for 1-10 by holding Pierce to 5-16. Sheed 3-10 was rough, but Rip was 8-11.


Even more baffling is that sheed and tay were 2 for 14 in the first half and 2 for six in the second half and Tay was the only starter with a +stat. The difference will have to be the bench in the subsequent games as they cannot continue to rely on the big three to win for them... our bench was a +18 to their -15, and outscored them 14 to 5. Hayes was the only negative out there for the Pistons.

The big 3 averaged over 39 mins in this one where our starters were at 37. Flip stuck to the nine man rotation due to the closeness and none of us expected AJ to get any PT.

Like Blaha said, the point guard, and the center, are the two most important positions on a team. Boston is lacking at both positions. Their big three: shooting guard, small forward, power forward.


Billups exploited Rondo in this one going for 28 points. And Billups won it at the end by upfaking Allen, drawing the foul, and making two free throws to put us up 2 with .1 seconds left.

PS, Rondo got loose for 14 points in the first half, getting near the rack way too easily. The Pistons adjusted in the 2nd half, closing his driving lanes, and Rondo went scoreless in the 2nd half.


Late in the game, when Boston needed a bucket, Rondo and Perkins did not come thru. Sheed absolutely stuffed Perkin's attempt inside.

Our starters were not doing so well for the most part. The one thing they had going though was the 3 ball. Rip kept spotting up beyond the arc and kept nailing 'em. Sheed hit a few.


Our bench did very well, save for one player. Hayes continually missed shots in the first half. They were close to going in, but they were not going in. He did not play in the 2nd half.


Hunter came up with several good defensive plays and hit a couple of clutch shots early 4th quarter. His shift ended a bit early after he bumped knees with someone. Good job Hunter.


We took some control of the game with Billups, Afflalo, Tay, JMAX, and Sheed in. This is one excellent defensive unit. Billups was providing the needed scoring. Our starters managed to barely hang on.


Dyess hit a few outside shots, but helped us almost zero as far as getting Boston into any foul trouble. Unlike his last game, he did not do enough work inside. But we needed the points, and he rebounded well.

Let me see. Rip, Billups, Sheed, and Dyess all contributed decent offense for the starters. Tay, no. Four out of five is really all you can ask for.
Afflalo hit a pull up from about, what, 15 feet maybe, and got to the line and made both free throws.


Amir did not play, as just about everyone predicted. But he could have helped in this one, at small forward in place of Hayes. Considering how bad Hayes did, and we still won, well, I guess I would not worry about Boston too much. (And Stuckey is coming back, and hopefully, Dumars talks Saunders into playing Amir.) The Pistons have a ton of upside yet.


JMAX did not do much in this game other than play solid D. His highlight was an up and under layup on a post move. Nice. Oh, and he got plenty of offensive rebounds. In contrast, our starters had no offensive rebounds in the first quarter as usual, and got out rebounded 10-5.


On youth development. Amir not playing is not right. Not at all. No way. No excuses accepted. (Especially considering Dyess was up to near 40 minutes.) However, Afflalo got some decent minutes in this one, including a good long stretch in the 4th quarter. Afflalo just continues to play excellent basketball, hitting shots when given the chance and playing fantastic D.


GO PISTONS!!!!!

Right now the Celtics are the only team in the league with a better record than us and we just beat them in a road game.

:hoops:

Lee,

Maxiel's stats are deceptive. He got into their bigs so to speak with some key boards that turned the tide. He is doing Ben-like type things on the court most nights as far as rebounding and blocking shots. They held him at bay early but they could not cope with him in his later stint while still handling our other players. His basket was awesome and at a time in the game where it was a real body blow. I actually wanted him in over Dyss at the end.

Agree, I was really impressed with Afflalo too. If he can D it up, he should play and his offense looked pretty good too. Hayes is a puzzle. I can't make up my mind on his game.

The deeper we go against the Celts, the more trouble they will have with us.

Thanks to the Pistons for proving me wrong.

I'm going all out and say that the Pistons won't win it all this year. (hehe, prove me wrong guys).

Anyway, like I said, Flip has his rotation down. During big games like this one, he's going to have our starters play near 40 minutes and his bench will be JMax, Hunter, Hayes and Afflalo.

Not playing Amir is not an injustice, yet. But it could lead to another quality talent fluorishing somewhere else, if he doesn't get time.

Not too much to complain about.

A win is a win

GO PISTONS! :gun1:

That was one of those games where after listening to the announcers for a while, I just wanted the Pistons to win at all costs for the sole purpose of shutting them the F up.

So, mission accomplished I guess.

Chauncey- Oh my. Boston fans must hate him. He took advantage of every possible thing he could. Picking up fouls rounding picks. Pump faking. And of course keeping them paranoid by draining shot after shot. On the final play, I knew that his sole intent was going to be to draw a foul. Rivers screwed up by not communicating that possibility to all of his players.

LINDSEY! What a spark. Maybe he just needed a high pressure game with some inexperienced guards to really work his magic. Huge shots from him kept us in it. I like Afflalo paired with him (and not paired with him too I guess).

Sheed- Awesome rebounding, great defense, and tough makes from deep.


I don't really care about anything else this game. This was about beating a rival in a playoff atmosphere to notify the NBA that we are the beast of the East.

Chauncey- Oh my. Boston fans must hate him.

If you think that the Celtics fans hate C-Bill wait until you see what Miggy does to the Red Sox in 2008.

:hoops:

Check out the two Murray's R. and F. in the box score and they both got DNP's. LOL

NBA - Detroit Pistons/Boston Celtics Box Score Wednesday December 19, 2007 - Yahoo! Sports (http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/boxscore?gid=2007121902)

:hoops:

Who would have thought letting Rondo score early was part of the Pistons game play?


Rondo had scored 14 in the first half, including 10 straight in the first quarter to get the Celtics off and running. But Billups' size and strength began to wear on him. Rondo got into foul trouble and didn't score in the second half.
"He's young, but he's really good," Billups said. "A lot of times it's a mental game. He did what we wanted him to do early. We wanted to make him a scorer. Make him finish. Make him hit jumpers. He did that early, but it kept the ball out of the hands of those other guys."
BOSTON POPPED: Late foul, Billups' free throws lift Pistons past Celtics in marquee matchup (http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071219/UPDATE/712190488)

:hoops:

Check out the two Murray's R. and F. in the box score and they both got DNP's. LOL

Dang, Saunders not only benched him, but also his ego. That's a serious message to send.

Tay did a great job defensivly on Paul Pierce to make up for his shooting. Think its safe to say that he has too many of these off-nights to ever make up Rip's production on a consistant basis.

So what have we learned?

Billups ownes their PG's. The best part of the game was probably watching Billups bring the opportunist Rhondo back down to earth. Could tell the guy thought he was a baller. What a hot shot trying to use both hands to play call and getting offended when CB took it away. Plus he looked a bit like Boobie Gibson which added to the fun. And what is Eddie House doing on a team?

Hunter can still play in limited mins.

They have no center. Perkins can sometimes put up the numbers playing alongside Garnett but is no match for Sheed/Dyess.

I like the matchups. Garnett will always get his and there is no defense for Ray Allen when he gets hot. But the Pistons effectivly controlled everyone else ( incl Pierce ).

Just one game though. Lets try to keep that in mind. I have a feeling there will be at least 7 more ( incl the post-season)

The interesting thing is that Billups said that Tayshaun told him to consider pump faking on the final shot.

Tay is wise beyond his years, that's for sure.


Also, Max, look at the shots Garnett was getting. He was doing damage, but that was the best possible scenario, having him take contested outside J's. Next game, maybe he misses some of those.

Check out the two Murray's R. and F. in the box score and they both got DNP's. LOL

NBA - Detroit Pistons/Boston Celtics Box Score Wednesday December 19, 2007 - Yahoo! Sports (http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/boxscore?gid=2007121902)

:hoops:

This is priceless!
http://img171.imageshack.us/img171/3082/boxscoregx0.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

There are some interesting comments about the game on Celtic Nation. A lot of their posters said that the refs favored us and that C-Bill and Rip grab and bump on a lot on defense.

There are even a couple Pistons fans posts on the game thread.

I think that the Celtics fans think that any game that they don't get at least 35 foul shots and at least 15 more than their opponent is a poorly officiated game.

12/19/07: Pistons @ Celtics - Page 3 - Celtic-Nation.com: Boston Celtics forums (http://www.celtic-nation.com/forum/showthread.php?t=9993&page=3)

:hoops:

Well, as we've hoped for, Rip and Allen canceled each other out, Tay and Pierce close to canceling each other, KG did better than Sheed, but KG+Perkins got matched pretty closely by Sheed+Dyess. The benches were close, except Pistons bench played better defense. And Chauncey owned the PG position. If Tay can hit a few of his shots and Sheed's post ups bring results, Pistons should have an upper hand in this match up. And Allen is not going to keep hitting those 3's with a hand in his face. He hit a few of those falling out of bounds while Rip was wide open for his. Afflalo kept Allen more or less in check. The guy's defense is very good. He's probably going to replace Lindsey as the best on-the-ball defender on Pistons team. His offensive game is underrated. He could've scored more if he tried, but he knows that that will get his playing time cut, so he sticks to the defense and picks his opportunities to score here and there. He's a very smart player. Lindsey had a great game. I wonder if he's starting to round up into the shape after not playing much at all to start the season. He'd be a great help if he can provide 8-10 min of the same D and hit his shots.

What I didn't like (and that's probably the only thing) is that Pistons had numerous chances to close the game and let Celtics right back in. This won't work in the playoffs - Chauncey will most likely not get that call to decide an outcome of a playoff game.

And, who are bigger whiners? I mean, please, Boston was so much worse than Pistons. And they call Pistons the worst whiners in the NBA.

There are some interesting comments about the game on Celtic Nation. A lot of their posters said that the refs favored us and that C-Bill and Rip grab and bump on a lot on defense.

There are even a couple Pistons fans posts on the game thread.

I think that the Celtics fans think that any game that they don't get at least 35 foul shots and at least 15 more than their opponent is a poorly officiated game.

12/19/07: Pistons @ Celtics - Page 3 - Celtic-Nation.com: Boston Celtics forums (http://www.celtic-nation.com/forum/showthread.php?t=9993&page=3)

:hoops:

The last second call shouldn't have been an issue if the pistons would've closed the deal up by 6 with just over a minute to go. A made shot would've put this baby away. But they didn't score until those foul shots and let Celts tie the game. As far as the tempo of the game slowing down, that's called imposing your will. And Pistons did just that in the 2nd half.

I have not watched the game, so not much comments. However, I have read the Celtics national forum and I have few comments:

1- They think the refs have bet on the game (with pistons win)
2- They did not like that pierce took the last shot
3- Most of them do not discuss their shallow bench
4- Last, they have only 4 pages on this game, compared to 13 so far for the pistons

I have not watched the game, so not much comments. However, I have read the Celtics national forum and I have few comments:

1- They think the refs have bet on the game (with pistons win)
2- They did not like that pierce took the last shot
3- Most of them do not discuss their shallow bench
4- Last, they have only 4 pages on this game, compared to 13 so far for the pistons

They also have some immature posters, unlike here (well, if you ignore Darth, of course). :stirthepot:

They also have some immature posters, unlike here (well, if you ignore Darth, of course). :stirthepot:

I think they have already won more games than all of last season.

I think they have already won more games than all of last season.

That's just sad. :sssh:

That's just sad. :sssh:

Can you imagine the level of excitement over there? Take our 01-02 team, how we felt about that transition, and multiply it by 5.

They also have some immature posters, unlike here (well, if you ignore Darth, of course). :stirthepot:

Some of the comments in fact most of them mirrorred some of the comments our forum fans have scribed over the past couple of years. They complained as we do expecting more and the same arrogance that existed over here two years ago appears to be in force pver there. Two of their hall of famer posters:) made some good points and tried to consul the panic stricken fans to calm down. Looks like most or their posters are regional where as we get views and posts from an intenational flair of folk. Good BB reading from both sites!!

Can you imagine the level of excitement over there? Take our 01-02 team, how we felt about that transition, and multiply it by 5.

I guess you could say that. Except I'm not sure we thought we could win it all at that time.

Check out the two Murray's R. and F. in the box score and they both got DNP's. LOL

NBA - Detroit Pistons/Boston Celtics Box Score Wednesday December 19, 2007 - Yahoo! Sports (http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/boxscore?gid=2007121902)

:hoops:


Wonder which Murray is the ball hog an which one sometimes plays under control?

The interesting thing is that Billups said that Tayshaun told him to consider pump faking on the final shot.

Tay is wise beyond his years, that's for sure.


Also, Max, look at the shots Garnett was getting. He was doing damage, but that was the best possible scenario, having him take contested outside J's. Next game, maybe he misses some of those.

Watching the game i thought Sheed seemed kinda out defensively of it when Garnett did most of his damage. Maybe he was trying to keep himself calm and not freak out about the calls ? I expect a better effort next time, but i agree let Garnett get his like that.

If we can limit everyone besides him and one of the other big 3, it'a a good enough strategy. If we get offensive production from Tay and Sheed, even better.

The last second call shouldn't have been an issue if the pistons would've closed the deal up by 6 with just over a minute to go. A made shot would've put this baby away. But they didn't score until those foul shots and let Celts tie the game. As far as the tempo of the game slowing down, that's called imposing your will. And Pistons did just that in the 2nd half.

Going to Dyess isn't exactly a great option in the clutch. He was wide open though both times. I think Chauncey tried to take over a little too much (and a little too much dribbling). It still irks me that we don't drive when we have a lead like that in the last few minutes.

Can you imagine the level of excitement over there? Take our 01-02 team, how we felt about that transition, and multiply it by 5.

Sorry pal, but I could care less.

:hoops:

Watching the game i thought Sheed seemed kinda out defensively of it when Garnett did most of his damage. Maybe he was trying to keep himself calm and not freak out about the calls ? I expect a better effort next time, but i agree let Garnett get his like that.

If we can limit everyone besides him and one of the other big 3, it'a a good enough strategy. If we get offensive production from Tay and Sheed, even better.

In addition to your excellent points, it seems to me that we won because we played good defense, they didn't get to the foul line 35 times and we hit 5 more threes than they did.

Sheed was effective enough on offense making 3 of 5 threes. His rebounding was about the best he has done all year.

:hoops:

Going to Dyess isn't exactly a great option in the clutch. He was wide open though both times. I think Chauncey tried to take over a little too much (and a little too much dribbling). It still irks me that we don't drive when we have a lead like that in the last few minutes.

You should become less irritated once Hot Rod gets into the flow of things.

:hoops:

There are some interesting comments about the game on Celtic Nation. A lot of their posters said that the refs favored us and that C-Bill and Rip grab and bump on a lot on defense.

The officiating seemed pretty bad in both directions to me. CB did get away with a couple of plays in the third quarter--one where he assaulted Rondo and stole the ball without getting called for a foul, and the one where he drew a foul while shooting a 3 was questionable as well. But the Celtics clearly got some calls going back their way late in the 4th--Allen hitting a 3 that was really a 2, Sheed getting called for his 5th on Garnett when there was no contact whatsoever. If the Pistons had ended up blowing this game, I would have been mad about those late calls, but I wouldn't have chalked up the loss to the refs because I know the Pistons got the better end of some bad calls earlier.

What a good game!

One of my highlights of the night was at the 6 minute mark of the 4th quarter. Celts are bringing the ball up the court and KG sets a hard pick on AA near midcourt...AA gets up right away and throws his body into KG! I like his intensity!

I was glad to see Maxiell and AA get into this game and both play in the 4th. Though it seems it would have been a great opportunity to also get Amir some PT in a playoff-like atmosphere without the fear of some mistakes costing us a playoff loss. I expect Chauncey, Rip, Sheed and Tay to play 35+ minutes in a game like this, but I don't see a reason for Dyess doing it.

Of the Big 3 it seems clear that Pierce is most likely to hoist up bad shots just for the sake of getting his shots. It also seemed like KG didn't want to shoot in the last few minutes of the game. Just like Sheed, he should be calling for the ball in the post at that point.

One of my highlights of the night was at the 6 minute mark of the 4th quarter. Celts are bringing the ball up the court and KG sets a hard pick on AA near midcourt...AA gets up right away and throws his body into KG! I like his intensity

I got to watch the second half and that was a highlight for sure...also Sheed's stuff of Perkins under the basket. I loved that.

For those who didn't see this game, the third quarter was actually pretty brutal. Both teams were committing terrible turnovers and generally not executing anything properly. The final score for the quarter was only 16-13, in favor of the Pistons. Both teams generally executed better in the 4th quarter, but it was the Pistons' D that made the difference.

What a good game!

One of my highlights of the night was at the 6 minute mark of the 4th quarter. Celts are bringing the ball up the court and KG sets a hard pick on AA near midcourt...AA gets up right away and throws his body into KG! I like his intensity!

I was glad to see Maxiell and AA get into this game and both play in the 4th. Though it seems it would have been a great opportunity to also get Amir some PT in a playoff-like atmosphere without the fear of some mistakes costing us a playoff loss. I expect Chauncey, Rip, Sheed and Tay to play 35+ minutes in a game like this, but I don't see a reason for Dyess doing it.

Of the Big 3 it seems clear that Pierce is most likely to hoist up bad shots just for the sake of getting his shots. It also seemed like KG didn't want to shoot in the last few minutes of the game. Just like Sheed, he should be calling for the ball in the post at that point.

It was refreshing to see the Pistons get some calls in Boston. They did seem to try and make it fair for the most part. Perhaps this is a result of the ref scandle.

Hunter came up with several good defensive plays and hit a couple of clutch shots early 4th quarter. His shift ended a bit early after he bumped knees with someone. Good job Hunter.

Not nearly enough props for Hunter IMO. GREAT job, Hunter. Hunter changed the momentum single-handily. And he gave us 5 points, which is never expected out of him.

Here in New England, some radio callers criticizing Doc Rivers for his coaching and in-game adjustments. Something tells me Doc will be watching those Cavs-Pistons playoff tapes and Mr. Billups will see some traps the next time Boston and Detroit meet.

I agree about Hunter. If he could play like that more often, I'd be right back in his camp.

But as far as the calls, I honestly thought we were getting screwed. Sheed's first foul was bogus. The foul they called on him when he set a normal screen was terrible. The phantom call at the end when he was guarding KG? It's like they were trying to set him off.

The worst part about most of the whistles were how late they were. We were already fast breaking half the time before they called them.

I told you we would blow them out.
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if Tay got 4 pts.

McCrapsky has been working on his adjectives and adverbs. Maybe he took a writing course:


The Pistons struggled mightily against the stingy Celtics defense, shooting an icy 40 percent.


Good job, Chris!

Take the "y" off his keeboard and he'd be screwed.

McCrapsky has been working on his adjectives and adverbs. Maybe he took a writing course:


The Pistons struggled mightily against the stingy Celtics defense, shooting an icy 40 percent.
Good job, Chris!

Instead of what he wrote I would have thought a Detroit News writer would have written something like:

The Pistons took advantage of the Celtics "Pack The Paint" defense by getting many open three point opportunities and making 9 out of 20 compared to the Celtics making only 4 out of 14 enabling the Pistons to beat the Celtics for the 14th time in the last 15 tries

McKrapsky is a definite troll

:hoops:

I agree about Hunter. If he could play like that more often, I'd be right back in his camp.

But as far as the calls, I honestly thought we were getting screwed. Sheed's first foul was bogus. The foul they called on him when he set a normal screen was terrible. The phantom call at the end when he was guarding KG? It's like they were trying to set him off.

The worst part about most of the whistles were how late they were. We were already fast breaking half the time before they called them.

I thought we were getting screwed too. Particularly sheed guarding garnett -- it seemed as though subconsciously the refs are so used to garnett making a play (like finishing near the bucket or something) that when he doesn't there's an automatic assumption that kicks in that he must have been followed, which may also be why the calls seemed to come late. the only real break i thought we got was when rondo was trying to keep the bouncing ball away from chauncey and it seemed like chauncey sort of shoved him to be able to get a hold of the ball.

I thought we were getting screwed too. Particularly sheed guarding garnett -- it seemed as though subconsciously the refs are so used to garnett making a play (like finishing near the bucket or something) that when he doesn't there's an automatic assumption that kicks in that he must have been followed, which may also be why the calls seemed to come late. the only real break i thought we got was when rondo was trying to keep the bouncing ball away from chauncey and it seemed like chauncey sort of shoved him to be able to get a hold of the ball.
There were bad calls going both ways, I'd say neither team got the advantage on the whistles.

There were bad calls going both ways, I'd say neither team got the advantage on the whistles.

I agree with that. Especially since we got the last call with 0.1 sec's left. There is no way that would have been called in the old days at Boston.

I agree with that. Especially since we got the last call with 0.1 sec's left. There is no way that would have been called in the old days at Boston.

Probably a no call in playoffs as well.

That play would always get called. The defender was in the air coming down backwards with his big butt right into CB's grill.

Its hard to say how that would be called because it looked a lot worse live than on the replay. It was a foul but on the replay it appeared that Billups also did a good job selling it.

Adds more fuel to the rivalry I suppose.

too late to remember my game thoughts, but this was a great regular season game. it kind of felt like a game 7, really nerve-racking from start to finish.

I've seen guys get defenders in the air and go for the foul and the foul is on the Ofense. Only once tho.

Pretty good line from McCoskey here, even if some of the guys he mentions weren't point guards:


Chauncey Billups dominates Rajan Rondo in the second half of one game and every ex-point guard thinks he can suddenly be the answer for the Celtics.

Both Gary Payton, who is retired, and Travis Best, playing overseas, told their agents to make a call to the Celtics after watching the Pistons' win last week. There's no word on whether Litterial Green, Jimmy Jackson, Mateen Cleaves or Kendall Gill have called.
:laugh:

Pretty good line from McCoskey here, even if some of the guys he mentions weren't point guards:

:laugh:

It seems to me that the addition of any of those guys will not change the situation for the Celtics

:hoops: