According To ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski, The Next Head Coach Of The Celtics Will Be Ime Udoka

 

    If you know anything about the NBA, whatever Woj says is basically gospel so while the Celtics haven't confirmed this big news yet, I think that you can take it to the bank. First off, you are probably wondering who the hell is Ime Udoka? Well he was an NBA journeyman player turned assistant coach who has worked for San Antonio and Philadelphia before his most recent gig with Brooklyn. While he lacks the name brand of a Chauncey Billups (another finalist along with Darvin Ham for this job), he clearly has the resume of someone that has been around the league for a long time in multiple roles. Most importantly, he has the approval of Boston's best players-Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown-who he worked with at the 2019 FIBA World Cup on Team USA as an assistant coach. Marcus Smart was also on that team but unlike the Celtics, I'm not going to pretend like he is some linchpin of this club.  

    Without ever hearing it directly, I think it is safe to assume that one of the main reasons that Brad Stevens burned out as the Celtics head coach is that he probably failed to connect with many of his players. Right off the bat, Udoka checks many of the boxes that Stevens never can: he's Nigerian-American and he played for parts of seven seasons in the NBA with the Lakers, Knicks, Blazers, Spurs and Kings. He is also on the younger side (43) for a head coach like Stevens so that should also help him in terms of relating to current NBA stars some of whom are basically half his age. Off the court, he's obviously doing something right since his longtime partner is actress Nia Long-of Friday and The Fresh Prince of Bel Air fame.

    Stevens has a brilliant basketball mind but every coach-particularly those at the highest level and in a player-driven league like the NBA-has a shelf life. Boston has more than enough talent to finish better than seventh-place in the Eastern Conference like they did in the shameful 2020-21 regular season. It is all about maximizing their time with Tatum and Brown because once those current contracts end, who knows if they will still want to stay here for much longer? While the value of an NBA head coach on the surface is pretty low these days, one of their main purposes is to be liked (or at least tolerated) by the team's star players. If you have them on your side, then you have a shot at getting the most out of them. If not, you run the risk of losing your job very quickly since a coach is always easier to part with than a top talent in a league that is mostly built on accumulating it.

    Finally, in 2021 you simply cannot overlook the fact that in a league filled with players that are predominantly not white, it makes sense to have a coach that looks like most of the players. That is not to say that white head coaches can't be successful anymore but I am happy to see the Celts recognize that Udoka was a solid candidate (along with two other African-Americans) based on his own merits and it was long overdue to go in a different direction in terms of the race of the head coach. This is a franchise with a long history of great black head coaches: from Bill Russell to KC Jones and in more recent years Doc Rivers. Hopefully in the not too distant future, Ime Udoka will be remembered as one of the main factors in a positive culture shift within the C's when they desperately needed it most.

The Next Day After Bowing Out Of The Playoffs, The Celtics Made Some Major Personnel Moves

 

    Haha wow, that didn't take long did it? Mere hours after the short playoff stint ended for the Celtics, they were right back in the news this morning with the bombshell news that GM/President of Basketball Operations is retiring from the team while head coach Brad Stevens is being shifted over to that position. The C's hate firing people publicly so this lightning fast reaction to such a miserable season is curious. Ainge has had a bunch of heart issues so it makes sense that he needs a less busy schedule and the team is paying Stevens so much money in the near future that they might as well keep him around in some role. 

    NBA head coaches are mostly useless, their day-to-day purpose is basically to get out of the way for the star players and coach up the lesser talents while you pray that the top guys can tolerate you. Sounds fun huh? Nobody could argue that Stevens is one of the top basketball minds in the world but after eight seasons here, I'm sure he is a little tired of all the NBA drama after coming from a relatively low-key college environment at Butler. With that said, who Boston chooses is their next head coach is a very important decision. To connect with their two best players-Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown-it would make perfect sense to hire a young African-American that preferably played in the NBA in recent years. Getting a retread like former Hawks head coach Lloyd Pierce or Lakers assistant (and former Bucks head coach) Jason Kidd-who have already been rumored to come here-would be a mistake. I feel like a guy such as Chauncey Billups-current Clippers assistant coach-is the ideal candidate. He was a great player, won an NBA championship and is tough-minded so he wouldn't shy away from criticizing Tatum or Brown when they needed some harsh words. 

        As for Ainge, he did not officially retire from the NBA so don't be surprised at all if he pops up somewhere else. Obviously the Utah Jazz are a slam dunk choice for him since he's from Utah, went to BYU and is a Mormon. There was even talk today that he bought a property in Utah in the last few months. Ainge had a great run with the Celtics as a player and then as a GM (the only guy to win titles in both jobs) but it was clear, that he might be too old and out of touch not to mention his drafts have been mostly awful outside of Brown and Tatum. Every job has an expiration date and the Celts need some new voices and ideas. Clearly, they are going nowhere fast right now and while having the best players is what the league is all about, it also helps to have somebody that attracts the best free agents. Stay tuned, if today is any indication, it's going to be a wild summer for the Celtics. 

Winners (Celtics) win and losers (Bruins) lose

All it took was one playoff game or more specifically one fourth quarter to show why we have all the preconceived notions about the Boston Celtics and the Boston Bruins.

The Celtics played a terrible first half in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference quarterfinals last night at TD Garden against the New York Knicks. The Cs trailed by 12 (51-39) at the half and appeared old and lifeless.

However, unlike the Bruins who can't get out of their own way in any pressure-packed situation, the Celts calmly cut it to five (64-59) after three quarters and proceeded to reel off a pulsating 87-85 win as Ray Allen drained the game-winning 3-pointer with 12 seconds remaining.

Allen was the hero with a team-high 24 points and six rebounds. Paul Pierce had 18 points, Kevin Garnett added 15 points and 13 rebounds and Rajon Rondo notched 10 points, nine rebounds and nine assists.

Jermaine O'Neal was the pleasant surprise with 12 points and four blocks. There was a key stretch in the game where he actually energized the crowd and his teammates with a couple great blocks. He also hit some timely shots which made sure the deficit didn't get too big.

Amare Stoudemire put up a game-high 28 points and 11 rebounds, he was great. Carmelo Anthony had 15 points (on 5 for 18 shooting) but he dragged his team down since he was in foul trouble (five fouls) and took all the late shots despite having no rhythm. Chauncey Billups was the only other Knick in double figures with 10 points but he also struggled shooting (3 for 11). He rolled his ankle with less than a minute left in the game and departed to the locker room. His status is uncertain for Game 2.

Ronny Turiaf had nine points and four blocks for New York while Landry Fields was held scoreless.

Boston can't afford to dig themselves a large hole again like they did in Game 1. New York used a zone defense effectively in the first half but when Rondo and the Celtics' offense started to run in the second half, the Knicks showed why they gave up the third most points in the NBA during the regular season.

For the game, Boston shot 43.8% to 42.3% for New York. The Knicks hit three more 3-pointers (8-5) but the Celts made one more free throw (12-11). Boston grabbed 10 more rebounds (44-34) and had four more assists (20-16). New York registered four more blocks (9-5) but Boston had eight more fast break points (10-2) and nine more points off turnovers (26-17).

The Celtics want to keep this series as short as possible so they can converse their energy for the next round. That's why winning all home games is so paramount. Game 2 is tomorrow night at TD Garden.

An overrated team from New York? Now I've heard everything

Now that I'm slightly grown up, I don't want to hate New York. Some of my best friends hail from the metropolitan area along with dear family members. Still, New York's pro franchises and fans often make it too easy to make fun of them.

Since the Knicks acquired Carmelo Anthony, we were told how New York was now on the fast track to the title. Much like the championship-on-paper Miami Heat. How's that going?

In a possible playoff preview before a sellout crowd at Madison Square Garden, the Boston Celtics (50-19, 4th straight 50+ win season) erased a 15-point deficit (for the second straight game) and beat the Knicks 96-86.

More blood was shed in this game alone than a pay per view at the old ECW arena. Ray Allen, Carmelo and Troy Murphy were all left bloodied on the court and nary a blade was in sight.

Behind Mike Dantoni, the Knicks (35-35) play absolutely positively no defense and they have no depth, so tell me again why they're dangerous?

Under Melo, they're off to a great 7-9 start. Well at least LaLa gets to sit courtside with Whoopi Goldberg, that's what this is all about.

Kevin Garnett was the best player on the star-studded court with a game-high 24 points, 11 rebounds and four assists. Paul Pierce added 21 points, Allen scored 15 and Rajon Rondo had his first solid game in weeks with 13 points and 12 assists. Glen Davis was nice off the bench with eight points and nine rebounds.

Carmelo had 22 points but only five in the second half, indicative of the front-running joker that he is. When the going gets tough, you can always count on him to whine to the refs and turtle. I could say most of the same charges against Amare Stoudemire (16 points, 11 rebounds) as well. Chauncey Billups (21 points) is the only clutch player wearing a Knicks uniform but he can't carry a team at this stage in his long NBA journey. Ronny Turiaf was the only other New York player in double figures with 11 points and four blocks.

If one half of a regular season NBA game could better encapsulate a fraud team and fan base, these eyes haven't seen it. New York led 25-22 after the first quarter and 51-37 at the half. It was a perfect time for Spike Lee and the assorted celebrities to pretend this team is going somewhere this season.

Unfortunately for them, the Celts tightened up things defensively and outscored the Knicks 26-18 in the third and 33-17 in the fourth. Seeing the crowd running out like a fire alarm went off late in the fourth was a beautiful sight.

I'm conflicted about if I want to see the Knicks in the playoffs. Odds are it would happen in the first round. I know the Celtics would beat them (just like they have all three times this season) but it would likely take more of an emotional and physical toll than the no questions asked sweep of the Pacers.

Boston shot 46.3% to New York's 40.5%. The Knicks made six more 3-pointers (7-1) but the Cs pulled down 10 more rebounds (48-38). New York had three more assists (20-17) but Boston had five more steals (11-5) which made up for six more blocks (6-0) for the Knicks. In the most telltale stats, New York committed five more turnovers (13-8), the Celtics had 11 more fast break points (18-7) and 16 more points in the paint (44-28).

The Celtics come home to face the Memphis Grizzlies tomorrow night. It will be Tony Allen's first return to the TD Garden in another uniform so it's sure to be sold out and the lead on Sportscenter.

And John Denver is smiling somewhere

Talent-wise, you'd be hard pressed to find more than two or three teams in the NBA (Lakers, maybe Magic) more talented than the Denver Nuggets.

They can score with anybody, they're great at home and they've been on a roll lately. All this meant that yesterday's game at the Pepsi Center, wrapping up the four-game West Coast trip, was nearly impossible to win for the Celtics.

The Nuggets (37-19) proved in the first quarter of their 114-105 win why they're so good and later in the game why they'll probably never win a title, since they rely way too much on clowns like Carmelo Anthony, J.R. Smith and Kenyon Martin.

Chauncey Billups, who's having a career year, led the Nuggets with a game-high 26 points and seven assists, Melo added 23 points and eight assists while both Nene (16 points, 10 rebounds) and Martin (12 points, 10 rebounds) had double-doubles. Smith scored 19, including 16 in the fourth quarter.

Even though it was a loss, there were plenty of good signs for Boston. Ray Allen continues to play as if he just jumped out of a time machine, he had a team-high 25 points. Kevin Garnett (15 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 blocks) looked as explosive as I can remember him all season.

Rajon Rondo (15 points, 11 assists) and Kendrick Perkins (14 points) had another good game and Marquis Daniels was a revelation off the bench with 15 points in 18 minutes.

If Paul Pierce (2 of 10 shooting, 5 points) had been anything like himself and not the currently crippled Truth, the C's might have pulled this one out.

Denver was up twenty points in the first quarter and almost ran the Celtics (35-19) out of the building, up 37-19 after the first twelve minutes.

Thanks to great play from its second unit, the Celts clawed back into it and were down only 54-47 at the half.

Boston tied it in the third quarter but they were gassed by that point and the Nuggets had way too much firepower to be held down for too long.

Nate Robinson and Marcus Landry should be in uniform tomorrow night as the Knicks, their former team, come to town in Eddie House's first return to the TD Garden since he was traded last week.

Beat LA!

It doesn't matter how long it took to get there (20 games but who's counting), the Boston Celtics are in the 2008 NBA Finals thanks to a 89-81 win at the Palace of Auburn Hills last night in game 6.

After 21 years of mostly futility, the Celtics and Lakers fittingly take center stage, renewing a storied rivalry that had been dormant since the teams last met in the 1987 NBA Finals. It's the 11th time the two teams have met in the Finals, Boston has won eight of them.

So the Celtics couldn't win a road game against the Hawks, nor the Cavs, yet they pulled out two at the Palace against the Pistons? Makes sense, eh not really but who cares. The Celts took care of business and finally gave themselves a breather before they host LA on Thursday. After winning the previous two series in seven games, the C's couldn't afford to roll the dice again and go to seven with a team like the Pistons.

In the third quarter last night, the Pistons took advantage of some shady calls (how rough have the refs been this postseason, league-wide?) before settling into an eight-point advantage (68-60) going into the fourth.

With everything going against them and a game seven looming, the Celts played their best quarter of the playoffs. They outscored the Pistons, 29-13, and played lockdown defense while Detroit bricked one shot after another.

Paul Pierce led Boston with 27 points (12 in the fourth) and eight rebounds, Ray Allen had 17 points (13 in the first half) and six boards while Kevin Garnett posted 16 points (8 in the fourth) and six rebounds. Rajon Rondo had 11 points and Kendrick Perkins scored seven points, grabbed seven rebounds and blocked two shots.

For Detroit, Chauncey Billups (game-high 29 points, 6 rebounds, 6 assists) and Richard Hamilton (21 points) were outstanding but none of their teammates showed up. Tayshaun Prince (3 of 10 shooting) was the only other Piston in double figures with 10 points. Rasheed Wallace was 2 of 12 from the floor, Antonio McDyess had six points and Rodney Stuckey was 1 for 5.

The C's led 24-21 after the first quarter and took a 40-37 lead into the break. Allen was the early spark as he hit three 3-pointers in the half.

The third quarter was a complete disaster as Detroit regained the lead and Boston couldn't catch a break. Pierce hit a 3-pointer and looked like he drew a foul on Hamilton but somehow Pierce was called for the offensive foul. Just brutal.

In the fourth, the Celts used a 19-4 run (when Rondo was put back in for the ineffective Sam Cassell) to take a 79-74 lead. Billups made a three-point play to draw it to 83-79 but James Posey turned in the play of the game by picking Prince's pocket in the backcourt. Pierce made two free throws later on in the possession and Boston held on despite KG missing two free throws and Pierce missed one of two late.

With a combined 35 years of NBA experience between them, Pierce, Allen and Garnett finally get a trip to their first NBA Finals. It's been a bumpy road this postseason after such a smooth regular season but all three of them have stepped up when it counted.

The dream matchup of the Celtics and Lakers will finally happen. They've been the two best teams this season (after the Pau Gasol trade) so it has the potential to be a classic series considering all the talent involved. After the Cavs-Spurs snoozefest last June, the ratings for these Finals should be through the roof.

One Win Away from the NBA Finals

The Boston Celtics are now just one win away from the NBA Finals, thanks to a 106-102 win over the Pistons last night in game 5 at the Garden. Boston now leads the Eastern Conference Finals 3-1.

Two of the three most outstanding players on the Celtics last night were pretty unexpected: Kendrick Perkins and Ray Allen.

Allen had 29 points (9 of 15 from the floor, 5 of 6 on threes, 6-6 from the line) and scored a clutch hoop with a minute left to put Boston back up three after Detroit had cut it to one.

He had a few games which were statistically higher this season but last night was so far, the performance of Kendrick Perkins' NBA life. He posted a double-double in the first half and finished with 18 points, 16 rebounds, two blocks and two steals. Part of the reason he was able to do so much was that he stayed out of foul trouble, a constant issue with Perk.

Not to be outdone, Kevin Garnett had a game-high 33 points and seven boards. KG made two free throws at the end to give Boston the four-point cushion.

Rajon Rondo put up some crazy numbers, even for him: seven points (3 of 14 from the floor), 13 assists, six rebounds, four steals and a block. Oh and he only had one turnover.

For the Pistons, Chauncey Billups put up a team-high 26 points with six assists and five rebounds. Richard Hamilton posted 25 points, six assists and four rebounds. Rasheed Wallace was on fire from three-point land, making six of eight for 18 points and three blocks while Rodney Stuckey had 13 points off the bench.

The third quarter was the difference as the teams were tied 23-23 after the first quarter and Detroit actually led 52-46 at the half.

Spearheaded by Allen's shooting (really), the Celts stormed back in the third and at one point led by 17 points. The Pistons though are resilient, we're talking like Keith Richards can't die invincible.

Detroit kept making tough shots and plays in the fourth quarter, taking the frame 31-22. Boston held on by the skin of their teeth and they clearly have some work to do when nursing fourth quarter leads.

Both teams scoring over 100 points was a surprising occurrence in what has lived up to the defensive, hard-nosed battle it was expected to be. Boston shot 50.7% from the floor to Detroit's 46.3%. The Pistons stayed in the game by going 11 of 21 on 3-pointers while the Celts made eight of 15. Thanks to Perk's beastly night on the glass, the C's had a 42-25 edge in rebounding, including 11 offensive boards.

Last night was a huge win but it followed the script of the Celtics playoff run thus far: they've never trailed in a series and they've won every game 5. Hopefully they can revise the script and end this series in six (what a concept). After blowing out the Hawks in game 7 and having a career-defining game from Pierce to defeat the Cavs, I don't want to know what it would take to put the Pistons away. Richard Hamilton strained his elbow at the end of game 5 so he'll at least be banged up. The C's have finally notched one road win, why not make it two?

Well There Goes That Plan

It was inevitable. The Boston Celtics finally lost a home game in the playoffs. Detroit won game 2 of the Eastern Conference Finals, 103-97. This means that the C's will have to win a game on the road if they want to advance to the NBA Finals.

The Pistons played a great game from start to finish, making tough baskets and all the little plays that add up to a win in the playoffs.

Six Detroit players scored in double figures: Richard Hamilton (25 points), Chauncey Billups (19 points, 7 assists), Antonio McDyess (15 points, 8 rebounds, 3 steals), Tayshaun Prince (14 points, 8 assists) and Rodney Stuckey (13 points).

Boston had won 15 games in a row at the Garden, March 24 vs. the Sixers was the last loss by the Green and White on the parquet.

Surprisingly, for the first time in the playoffs, the Big Three all played well. Paul Pierce (26 points, 5 assists), Ray Allen (25 points) and Kevin Garnett (24 points, 13 rebounds) were all outstanding. Rajon Rondo (10 points, 9 rebounds, 8 assists and 3 steals) had his moments but the difference between the teams was Stuckey. The Boston bench combined for only eight points.

The C's led 20-18 after the first quarter but Detroit held a 50-43 halftime lead.

Boston came out on fire to start the second half and would you believe that Ray Allen was the catylyst? Allen made a couple hoops and a steal to push the Celts ahead 55-54.

It was tight the rest of the way but the Pistons made just a few more shots down the stretch.

For the game, the Pistons were 28 of 32 (Boston was 22 of 25) from the line and only had nine turnovers to the Celtics' 12. Everything else was pretty much even.

Game 3 is tomorrow night in the Palace at Auburn Hills. I know I'm looking forward to hearing that idiot yell Detroit basketball every three minutes. He must have some kinda life. Chauncey BaBaBaBa BILLUPS!

Can't Wait Until May

We can't get too ahead of ourselves: It is still the regular season but you have to admit, last night's 90-78 Celtics win over the Pistons was pretty awesome. Boston (47-12) not only clinched the season series with Detroit (44-17), 2-1, they also wrapped up a playoff spot (on March 5!) and put the Pistons five games back in the loss column as the teams vie for the top seed in the East.

Is their any doubt that the Pistons and Celtics will meet in the playoffs, most likely in the Eastern Conference Finals? Sure, the Cavs will always have a chance with LeBron in the lineup (who dropped 50 points, 10 rebounds and 8 assists on the hapless Knicks last night) but Boston and Detroit are two of the best teams in the game. Plus, the East is a joke.

After the game, the veteran Pistons-who have been to five straight Eastern Conference Finals (including two NBA Finals and one title), downplayed this loss and why wouldn't they? There's still plenty of time left before the games really matter. Even though Detroit is so tough, Boston would obviously prefer to have home-court since the Pistons are very hard to beat at the Palace.

Playing on the second night of a back-to-back, Detroit came out real flat in the first quarter as Boston jumped out to a 23-13 lead after one. The teams both put up 24 in the second and the C's held a 47-37 lead at the break.

Everyone knew the Pistons would find a way to climb back and not surprisingly they did just that in the third quarter (30-22). The Celts deserve a ton of credit though for hanging tough and shutting down the Pistons in the fourth quarter (21-11).

Kevin Garnett scored a season-high 31 points (including 12 straight in the second quarter), grabbed six boards and dished out three assists. The other star of the game was Kendrick Perkins, who had 10 points, a career-high 20 rebounds and two blocks. Rajon Rondo scored 16 points with five assists while Paul Pierce scored 15 points, grabbed five rebounds and had three assists. The Truth also hit the biggest shot of the game: a 3-pointer which put Boston up four late in the fourth. Ray Allen had just three points but submitted eight rebounds, five assists and no turnovers so he wasn't completely useless.

Chauncey Billups (7 assists, 5 rebounds, 2 blocks) and Rasheed Wallace each had a team-high 23 points. Billups took over in the third, scoring 18 points as he abused Rondo while also getting some help from the officials who gave him an absurd 12 free-throws in the frame. Richard Hamilton scored 15 but the Celts held Tayshaun Prince to seven points (10 rebounds, 5 assists) and Antonio McDyess to five.

Outside of KG and Perk, and thinking about the possible playoff matchup, the biggest storyline to take from the game was the weakness of the Pistons bench. The Celtics bench (on not their best night by any means) outscored them 15-5 for the game. Obviously, Detroit will usually get more production than that but it bodes very well for the C's (especially with Sam Cassell and P.J. Brown waiting to debut) chances of getting out of the East. Glen Davis had seven points and four rebounds, he was by far the best player off either bench.

Boston shot 46.1% and held Detroit to 36.4%. The Celtics owned the glass (50-38) and were more unselfish (23-16). Even in a relatively low-scoring game, turnovers were at a premium, Boston had 11 and Detroit only had eight.

Unfortunately, the two teams won't meet again in the regular season which is a shame given how weak the Eastern Conference is this year. There's something about this Celtics team that makes you love their chances in their playoffs. They have the right combination of young guys and hungry veterans. It should be an exciting final six weeks of the season and playoffs (for the first time in three seasons).

Chicago comes to the Garden tomorrow night. It's also the last game of the season series (Boston is up 2-0) and the C's should beat the disappointing Bulls.

Chauncey Ba-Ba-Ba-Billups

The Detroit Pistons have been to five straight Eastern Conference Finals. During that impressive run, they've taken home an NBA Championship and lost in another Final. With most of that same championship nucleus (Chauncey Billups, Richard Hamilton, Rasheed Wallace and Tayshaun Prince) back, the Pistons are still the team to beat in the East. The Celtics have gotten off to an amazing start (20-2) but as last night showed, they're not the Pistons. Not yet at least. Detroit won 87-85 at the Garden as Billups drained two free throws with 0.1 seconds left to ice it.

The loss snaps Boston's (20-3) nine game winning streak while also handing them their first defeat at home (12-1). It was a classic back and forth contest that resembled a playoff game even though it was mid-December. The Celtics jumped out to a 29-25 lead after one and a 52-45 advantage at the half. In the process, Celts second-year point guard Rajon Rondo played the half of his early NBA life. He had 14 points in the first half, including a sick ball-fake and hook shot around Rasheed Wallace and he also made an impossible off-balance layup while getting fouled. Predictably, he was completely shut down in the second half as he picked up five fouls and finished with 14 points, seven assists, three rebounds and three steals.

Boston's shots weren't falling in the third quarter (13 points) and some costly turnovers killed them in the final frame. Meanwhile, Billups (game-high 28 points, 8 assists) and Hamilton (21 points) were seemingly draining every shot. They couldn't miss. Antonio McDyess had a double-double with 13 points and 10 rebounds.

On the other side, Kevin Garnett played one of his best games as a Celtic, submitting 26 points, 12 rebounds and 2 steals. He was consistently knocking down jumpers while teammate Ray Allen (fresh off sitting the last two games) had his most complete game of the year. Allen has made two game-winning shots but last night he was locked in as he had 24 points (on 9 of 13 shooting) and five boards.

The Celts found themselves down 78-71 after Pistons guard Lindsey Hunter made a three. Ray Allen had the highlight of the game as he drove to the hoop and threw down a reverse jam, something that nobody in the building expected (or would have believed). Soon after, Boston came back as Eddie House made a three to cut it to a three point deficit. After a Kendrick Perkins block, Allen calmly drained a three-pointer around two guys to tie it up. Billups had the ball stolen away by KG and it looked like Boston would have the last shot, the worst case scenario being that they miss and go to overtime.

The first mistake was that Paul Pierce got the last shot. Pierce struggled shooting all night (11 points on 5 of 16 shooting, 4 boards, 4 assists, 2 steals) and he bricked a medium range jumper. Even worse, Wallace controlled the rebound and Detroit had the ball with 1.7 seconds left after a timeout.

Everybody in the building (myself included) and watching on TV knew it was going to Billups and he didn't disappoint as he pump-faked Tony Allen and Allen couldn't help but crash into him. Chauncey is only a 90% career FT shooter so this one was over.

For the game, Boston shot an impressive 49.3% from the floor to the Pistons 40.3%. The C's couldn't buy threes though as they shot just 4 of 14 from beyond the arc. Detroit was 9 of 20 for three. The Pistons were 20-23 from the line while Boston struggled, shooting 13-21 as a team. Detroit's bench outscored Boston 14-5. Celtics super subs Eddie House (5 points) and James Posey (0 points) each had their worst games in recent memory.

All in all it was a real exciting game that was hopefully a precursor of things to come in May (albeit with a different ending). The Pistons are still ridiculously efficient and calm under pressure. As proof of that, their head coach is bozo Flip Saunders. Even he couldn't mess this team up. The Celtics can only gain from a big game like this. Too many times already this season, they've simply overmatched scrub Eastern Conference and a few terrible Western Conference teams. You can only get better after facing a team like Detroit.

The Bulls come to Boston tomorrow night and who knows what to expect from them. Chicago is a talented team but they rarely have seemed to show up this year. The C's beat them a few weeks back in Chi-town.