May 20--Welcome to the Pistons live blog for Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals!
Pre-game
Here are a few pre-game things to think about:
--The Pistons have to win at least one game in Boston, and tonight might just be their best chance. While they've had nearly a week to talk about preparing for the Celtics (because you know some of those discussions began before they knew their official opponent) the Celtics have had one day to decompress from their tough seven-game series against the Cavaliers and get to know the Pistons. Who could blame the Celtics for playing a little mentally or physically fatigued tonight? Sure, there's the question of whether the layoff has left the Pistons rusty, but I'd say being rested and well prepared is a better advantage at this point. Winning tonight would also put all the pressure on the Celtics, and although they've had to gut out two seven-game series, they haven't been down in a series yet. Who knows how they would respond to that pressure? It's certainly not a must-win game tonight, but to win would be a huge thing.
--It will certainly be interesting to see how Chauncey Billups looks after not playing for two weeks. He has said many times that he's feeling 100% himself and that his hamstring is healthy. I'd think that's a little bit of an exaggeration, and there might be a twinge of pain in there somewhere. But NBA players play through twinges of pain all the time, so if that's all that he has going on, he really should be fine. We'll have to see if Flip Saunders uses him any differently tonight and whether Billups shows any signs of hesitation or stiffness.
--It will also be worth watching to see who Saunders leans on in his rotation. Other than Jason Maxiell and Rodney Stuckey, Saunders has fluctuated which bench players he uses game by game throughout the playoffs. Remember that Lindsey Hunter played a big role in the second-half of the Pistons win back in December in Boston. There's speculation that Amir Johnson will be activated, but I doubt Saunders uses him unless in the case of major foul trouble or injury. However, he has talked about wanting to pick up the pace and Johnson is certainly capable of playing that style, so we'll see.
--Finally, we'll have to see how the home court affects tonight's game. We all know the Celtics are undefeated at home in the playoffs, and I can tell you that the buzz in the two games in Boston this season was intense, almost playoff-like. I'm expecting tonight's atmosphere will be truly bananas. I would tell you what it's like right now, but unfortunately I'm sitting on my couch at home tonight because I can no longer travel, doctor's orders. That's what I get for being almost 32 weeks pregnant. Anyway, even if the crowd is as hyped up as I'd assume, the Pistons typically feed off of those atmospheres, and we know they're capable of winning on the road. Of course, it would be smart to try and take that crowd out of it as early as possible.
--I'll do my best throughout the game to point out what I see from my spot here at home. Should be an entertaining game, so let's get to it.
--The pre-game crew (Mike Wilbon, Avery Johnson, Stuart Scott and Tim Legler) are discussing how the pressure is all on the Pistons right now. They're making some good points -- the Pistons have been to five-straight conference finals before this season but have only one championship. Someone said the Pistons are quickly becoming the Atlanta Braves of the NBA -- always in the hunt, never the champions. They're also saying that Joe Dumars would have to break up the core if the Pistons fail for the third year in a row to get back to the Finals. It's a familiar refrain, and one of these years, it will probably be right. Given the core of youth on the Pistons roster right now, I'm not really sure it is right quite yet. If they play a long, tight series with the Celts but lose, should they really break up the team?
--Still waiting for tip-off, but the NBA Draft lottery is on right now, and former Pistons vice president John Hammond is in the seat representing his new team, the Milwaukee Bucks. It's still a little odd to see Hammond -- Joe Dumars' right-hand man for so long -- working for someone else.
--Chauncey's sporting the full-length tights. Strength and conditioning coach Arnie Kander said earlier this week that they'll be great support in keeping his hamstring warm throughout the game. Still a little odd to see him wearing them. Reminds me of Dwyane Wade, who, by the way, just saw his hopes of playing alongside point guard Derrick Rose next season get severely damaged when the Chicago Bulls beat the odds and won the draft lottery.
--Sheed and Garnett shared quite a warm pre-game hug. These two guys compete so hard against each other but you get the sense that there is a deep, deep mutual respect there.
First quarter
--A rough start for the Pistons. Three straight missed jumpers, the third an airball three from Hamilton. Then a charging call on Tayshaun Prince. Meanwhile, Garnett has already gotten onto a roll. A 6-0 Celtics lead.
--Leave it to Rasheed Wallace to spring a surprise on everyone. Just checked in with Chris Silva, who is in Boston, and he said no one knew Wallace would be sporting the full-length tights tonight alongside Billups. Not sure what's up with that, whether he's feeling a little gimpy or whether it's an act of solidarity with Billups. Wouldn't put it past him to do something like that.
--The Pistons have started to get some good, open shots resulting from good ball movement. But the Celtics are getting too many easy shots inside -- they're just not falling at a high percentage right now. Pierce made a driving lay-up with his left hand to put the Celtics up 12-5 and the Pistons scored the next six points to cut the score to one. Kendrick Perkins and Rajon Rondo both missed lay-ups, and Ray Allen missed a bunny in the lane. Can't let the Celtics get that many close looks at the basket.
--Jeff Van Gundy just called Saunders an "extremely underrated coach" and "one of the top coaches in the NBA." Probably deserving comments but I do happen to know Van Gundy and Saunders are buds.
--The Pistons took a one-point lead before the Celtics started pushing the pace a bit and ran off eight-straight points to go up by seven. After one quarter, it's Boston 22-17. A few concerning trends -- both Kevin Garnett (8 points) and Ray Allen (6 points) are playing aggressively at the offensive end. Allen had been shooting 38% in the playoffs, but he looks like he's finding his rhythm right now. He went 3-of-7 in the first quarter and closed it with a nice pass inside for another lay-up, this one for P.J. Brown. With the easy looks inside, the Celtics are shooting nearly 48%, while the Pistons are muddling around 37%. That's got to even out for the Pistons to have a chance. On the good side, Antonio McDyess is off to a nice start with eight points and seven rebounds
Saunders in his interview with Michelle Tafoya said he thought his team was lucky to be down only five. Also, he thought Billups tired at the end of the first quarter.
Second quarter
--The Pistons' ball movement has come to a halt. There's a little too much one-on-one action right now. They are taking good advantage of turnovers, scoring on four free throws this quarter that came from turning steals into drives inside for lay-ups. They can't rely on that to feed their offense. Meanwhile, a few baskets by the Celtics bench players have keep them in front by four with 8:28 left in the half.
--Stuckey just got burned on a misread, leaving Eddie House free to hit a jumper. Nice to see him recover with an aggressive give-and-go from Rasheed Wallace, which turned into a three-point play opportunity. He missed the free throw.
--This the Pistons have to love. There's 7:23 to go and they're in the bonus. Rasheed Wallace just flashed a huge smile when the official called an off-the-ball foul on Kevin Garnett.
--Don't know that Kendrick Perkins deserved a foul for his block on Rodney Stuckey, who just made the smart play driving inside for a lay-up. Perkins might have got him a little with his forearm as he blocked the lay, but it wasn't by much. If that was a Rasheed Wallace block and foul, he'd be fuming.
--Pistons just took a three-point lead when Tayshaun Prince hit a three at the shot-clock buzzer. He's got seven points.
--Prince backed down Pierce and sank a jump hook over him in the lane. When he makes plays like that, it's a reminder that although he looks so much slighter than some guys, he's physically as strong as almost anyone he matches up with.
--The Celtics went to halftime with a one-point lead. Pierce has been a big factor for the Celtics although he only has nine points. He's getting penetration into the lane, sometimes off pick and rolls, sometimes off simple dribble penetration. That's forcing the Pistons defense to collapse and Pierce keeps finding open guys outside. That's a big reason they have 16 assists and are shooting more than 50%. They also have 26 points in the paint, far too many easy baskets.
--Pierce said at his halftime interview that he wants to see his team run a bit more, which means they need to get more stops. They did get quite a few -- the Pistons shot 39% in the first half. But the Pistons stayed alive at the free-throw line. They shot 17 free throws, 10 more than the Celtics.
--Billups played the least of any of the starters in the first half, and he's looked just OK. He's running and keeping up but doesn't seem to be making quick decisions. Offensively, he's deferred, which isn't always a bad thing. But he doesn't have an assist and is 1-for-3 from the floor. Stuckey was by far more aggressive and scored six points off the bench.
--I wouldn't say the rust vs. rest factor has gone in the Pistons favor right now. But hey, the Pistons haven't played great yet and they're only down by one on the road. They still have a great chance to win the game, and no doubt they feel good about that right now.
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