Pistons @ Celtics Preview Detroit Pistons(29-16) @ Boston Celtics(22-24) Series: Pistons lead the series 2-0. Last Meeting: Pistons 78 @ Boston 68 Previous Game Hawks 91 @ Pistons 82 Celtics 91 @ Nets 110 Streaks Pistons: Lost 3 (7-3 in last ten) Celtics: Lost 1 (5-5 in last ten) Head Coaches vs. Probable Starters PG: vs. Billups vs. James SG: vs. Hamilton vs. Pierce SF: vs. Prince vs. Welsch PF: vs. Wallace vs. McCarty C: vs. Okur vs. Blount 6th Men vs. Atkins vs. Davis Players to Watch vs. Hamilton: 18 Points (.447 FG %), 3.6 Assists, 3.8 Rebounds Pierce: 23 Points (.401 FG %), 5.5 Assists, 7 Rebounds, 1.8 Steals Injury Lists Detroit Pistons Tremaine Fowlkes Lindsey Hunter Boston Celtics <font color="black">Raef LaFrentz</font><font color="black">Chris Mills</font> <font color="black">Chris Mihm</font> <font color="black">Kendrick Perkins</font> Keys to the Game <u>Detroit Pistons:</u> <ul> [*]Guard Pierce (Paul Pierce is Boston's main threat and it would be wise for the Pistons to contain him) [*]Don't turn the ball over (This has been killing the Pistons in their losses and they need to minimize the turnovers) [*]Rebound (The Pistons need to start dominating the boards again) [*]Get Hamilton and Billups going (They have been horrible on the offensive end recently and they need to regain some momentum) [*]Play Larry Brown's style of basketball/Spread the ball around (They need to just keep doing what helped them create the streak and create a new one) [*]Make open shots (This didn't happen against the Pacers and it cost them the game) [*]Play with confidence, including Darko (It is always important to believe in the team and yourself and play with confidence) [/list] <u>Boston Celtics:</u> <ul> [*]Force turnovers (This has been the Pistons undoing in the last few games and Boston will need to take advantage of any turnovers) [*]Guard Hamilton and Billups (They are the Pistons offense and without their contributions the offense is dead) [*]Match the Piston's bench (The Pistons bench has been making these last few losses decent, and are playing fairly well) [*]Give Pierce the ball (He is a great player that needs to have a good game to allow Boston to pull through) [*]Rebound (Some games the Pistons allow the other team to get too many offensive rebounds, so Boston needs to try to pull down as many rebounds as possible) [/list] PyroManiac's Prediction The Pistons are rested and are ready to prey on Boston. Boston's head coach has just resigned so they should look lost at some points in the game. If Billups and Hamilton score their averages, then Boston will find it hard to contend. This game won't be a 50 point blowout, but we may see Darko tonight. Boston needs Paul Pierce to have a great game to keep them close. Pierce is very clutch at the end of the game so if Boston keeps it close then they may pull through. However, I expect the Pistons to come out and get another winning streak going. Pistons by 14.
Alright! That was too long of a break without Pistons basketball Boston might come out strong with a new head coach change, so we've got to watch out. As long as we come out sharp and intense, we should come away with an easy win. Pistons by 8.
whew, good win. it was a lot closer than i'd like, but a win is a win. it's always good to win a close game on the road.
<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post"><font color="black">Chauncey Billups</font><font color="black"> scored eight of his 21 points in the final five minutes and the </font><font color="black">Detroit Pistons</font><font color="black"> beat Boston 106-103 Wednesday night, spoiling John Carroll's debut as coach of the Celtics.</font> <font color="black">In his first full day on the job since Jim O'Brien's resignation, Carroll watched his team rally from a 68-54 deficit midway through the third quarter and take a 93-90 lead with 2:56 left.</font> <font color="black">The Pistons then went on a 7-0 run to take a 97-93 lead that Boston couldn't overcome.</font> <font color="black">The Celtics cut it to 104-103 on a 3-pointer by </font><font color="black">Mike James</font><font color="black"> with 10 seconds left. Billups followed with two free throws, and another 3-point attempt by James went off the rim at the buzzer.</font> <font color="black">Detroit broke a three-game losing streak that followed a 13-game winning streak. Boston lost for the sixth time in eight games.</font> <font color="black">Mehmet Okur</font><font color="black"> also scored 21 points for Detroit and </font><font color="black">Ben Wallace</font><font color="black"> added 14 points and 15 rebounds. Boston was led by </font><font color="black">Paul Pierce</font><font color="black"> with 26 points and </font><font color="black">Jiri Welsch</font><font color="black"> with 19.</div></font> Recap<font color="black"> Box Score</font> Well, this is a good win. It was a close game and we managed to win by playing well in the clutch. The Pistons that took the free throws in the final minutes were pure clutch, and that is inlcuding Ben Wallace (4-4 during that time) and Bob Sura (2-2). Ben Wallace had another very good game and helped us out in the final stretch. Hamilton was not shooting very well from the field but managed to get his numbers from the line. Billups played very well too, hitting a few threes at the end. Also, Sura played excellent defense on Pierce which is why he played for 18 minutes. The Pistons had a bad start, but managed to get through it and get a win. Time to start a winning streak.
Interesting stats Detroit shot 37-43 from the line, 86% Boston shot 30-33 from the line, 91% Pistons needed this win to get back on track and they got it. Credit to big Ben for going 4-4 late in the game from the line.
Jiri Welsch is the next Andrei Kirilenko. He's Mr. Efficient. I am happy for the Pistons, but they let this one come too close. The Celtics aren't the team they used to be, especially with out Jim O'Brien. However, the Celtics just couldn't miss from the free-throw line. How many times do teams shoot 30-33 from the line? 9-18 from three-point line isn't bad either.
I love the Pistons and all and was glad that they could pull in a great win. But man, the poor Celtics. Losing O'Brien and now losing again? That's just not right. Pistons deserve every win they get though, they're a team of pure and raw effort. Congratulations Pistons Fans, sorry Celtics Fans, tough luck, better luck next time, you'll get a win again sometime, but damn this was so close.
Great ending for the pistons for them coming out victorious after the 3 point miss at the end of the game.
As a Pistons and Celtics fan, I hated this game. I decided beforehand that I wanted the Celtics to win because they just lost their coach, and they've already had a rough season. I know I'm a Pistons fan at heart, though, because right away I changed my mind and started rooting for Detroit. I just hate games that are so close like this, and I was watching with my dad, who loves the Celtics practically more than life itself. He was so disappointed, he thought they had that one. I really hated that game.
Close win, too close. Pistons let them come back late in the fourth, like how they let Memphis come back last night. It seems like Pistons just get really careless when they have a sizeable lead with 3-6 minutes left in the game. But in a way I feel the game wasn't as close as it appeared, cause those 2 Boston three's at the end were luck. Too bad they scored 100, time to start the streak back up.
