Finally!

5/26 

 

            After the Celtics lost game two of the Eastern Conference Finals at home, everyone knew what had to happen now.  The Celtics had to win on the road against the Pistons at some point in the series; otherwise they could not win the series.  For any NBA follower they knew it would take a miracle for this to happen. 

Well I guess miracles do happen because the Celtics did beat the Pistons in game three on the road.  The Celtics really handed it to the Pistons in this game.  At one point in the game, the Celtics were winning by over twenty points.  Everyone was playing well for the Celtics as they were firing on all cylinders.  Something finally clicked for the Celtics in game three.  The “Big Three” played well for the Celtics as they combined for 47 points.  But the real story was the role players coming out and giving a good effort.  They combined for 47 points as well.  It is important for the Celtics that the role players match or exceed the point count of the “Big Three.” Even Ray Allen continued to come out of his shooting slump as he had fourteen points.  The Celtics were due to have a break out game on the road.  I mean, they were the best road team in the NBA during the regular season, so you have to figure they would win on the road soon.

Game four is tonight in Detroit and is a pivotal game for the series.  If the Celtics can get a win tonight, they will be leading the series three games to one as the series heads back to Boston.  The Celtics would then be in terrific shape to win the series at home.  If the Pistons win tonight, they will have leveled the series as it heads back to Boston. The Pistons have showed they can win in Boston no problem.  This would give the advantage to the Pistons.  As you can see, game four can really throw the series in the direction of one team, giving them the advantage.

If the Celtics are going to win tonight they need two things tow happen.  They need their bench and role players to step up again and have another great game.  The Celtics also need Ray Allen to play well.  Ray Allen had been in a slump, but has started to get rolling again.  If he has a stellar game, the Celtics have a superb chance of winning.  When each member of the “Big Three” is playing well, the Celtics are a tough team to beat.

The Pistons, however, need to seriously regroup.  They looked very unorganized and abnormal in game three.  The scary part for coach Flip Saunders is that the game was on their home floor.  The Pistons had a young point guard, who I had never heard of, playing major minutes in place of their star, Chauncey Billups.  At one point, most of the starters were benched for the Pistons for a significant amount of time in game three.  The starters for Detroit just didn’t have it in game three.   

Overall the Celtics definitely have the momentum in this series.  I think they will come out fired up for this game knowing that they can win on the road in the playoffs.  The game three road win gave them a lot of confidence towards winning on the road.  I expect a big game from the Celtics tonight just like in game three.