Empty the Bench

Whether you’re a Celtics fan or a Pistons fan, let’s all just be honest with each other: that was one of the best fourth quarters of this year’s playoffs and certainly one of the top two or three games period. The flurry of made shots by one All-Star after another down the stretch felt like a tug-of-war match between titans of Roman coliseum battle.

Rip Hamilton sinks a 18-footer.

Ray Allen nails a triple.

Tayshaun Prince spots up a jumper.

Paul Pierce scores again.

Rasheed Wallace hits one in P.J. Brown’s face.

That was intense basketball. Like my fingernails are gone, I need another beer, I can’t sit down intense.

The NBA’s top two defenses pitted against two offenses that can be deadly when they’re clicking—and they were. But there was perhaps no bigger shot than Rip Hamilton’s running leaner with the shot clock ticking down with under a minute to play and the Pistons hanging on to a tenuous four-point lead. It looked like a 24-second violation was inevitable when Hamilton dribbled backwards from the three-point line, Kevin Garnett in his face, with 5 ticks left on the clock.

But like the Pistons were for most of the game, he calmly gathered himself, drove right past KG, and pulled up in the teeth of the Celtics’ defense. Score. That put Detroit up by 6 with 48.2 seconds to go. It wasn’t the game-winner—that honor belongs to Mr. Big Shot for extending the lead back up to 6 points with 18.2 seconds left—but it was a massive shot made in an improbable situation.

The setting for what I personally think is the NBA Finals now shifts to Detroit with the series tied 1-1. We’re going to hear a lot over these next few days about how the Boston Celtics have yet to win a road game, about how they let one get away in Game 2, how we’re going to learn a lot about the Celtics.

Horseshit.

The Pistons won Game 2 because they earned it. They beat Boston; contrary to what ESPN or biased yahoos at Yahoo! might say, that win said a lot about Detroit than it did about Boston. It was Boston’s first loss at home thus far in these playoffs. It was the first time Boston allowed 100+ points on their home floor. But guess what? It’s not about what the Celtics didn’t do–for one night, at least, it was about what the Pistons did.

More notes and observations from Detroit’s Game 2 win over the Celtics after the jump…

- For the record, I’ve been a Rodney Stuckey advocate for awhile now. “Grown Man” Stuckey, as ESPN’s Mark Jackson referred to him at one point in Game 2, was super-mega massive for the Pistons, finishing with 13 points, 3 assists, and 2 steals in 17 minutes off the bench. Detroit doesn’t win this one without his contributions.

He scored in a variety of ways: spot-up jumpers with and without a hand in his face, driving to the basket, making free throws (Stuckey is now 33-36, good for 91.7%, from the line during these playoffs, good for 2nd overall). And he paired well with the ballhawking veteran Lindsey Hunter for extended spells, especially during the 3rd quarter when the Celtics made a run and tried to put themselves over the hump by forging a double-digit lead. Stuckey hit some huge buckets to stem the tide and impressed once again. This kid has a very bright future.

- Flip Saunders made two early adjustments in the way he chose to utilize Chauncey Billups in response to the All-Star’s poor performance in Game 1. On their first possession of the game, the Pistons ran a set designed to get Billups on the blocks in a post-up opportunity on Rondo. A few minutes later, Tayshaun Prince and Rip Hamilton began taking turns bringing the ball up the court so Billups could run from a more off-guard starting point, a change that happened infrequently throughout the entire game.

Did it help get Billups back on track?

Well, he was five times more aggressive than he was in Game 1 and doubly effective, scoring 11 points in the first half and playing like the most talked-about hamstring of these playoffs wasn’t on his mind nearly as much as it was on Tuesday. Billups finished with 19 points, 7 assists, 1 steal, and 0 turnovers in 32:23 minutes; a strong effort, to be sure, but he’s still capable of playing better.

- Ray Allen’s poor shooting has been a big storyline in Boston for the past few weeks, but Rajon Rondo’s confidence on offense is fast developing into one too. The leopard-quick Rondo passed up at least three open jumpers in the first quarter alone, which the Pistons picked up on immediately by letting Rip Hamilton roam around on defense and leave Rondo open. It worked for a few games when the Cleveland Cavaliers did it, and it worked for awhile here too.

When he finally took a shot, he clanged it off the back of the rim. On the game Rondo was 2-9 from the field for 10 points, but to his credit he found other ways to contribute and didn’t let his shooting woes get to his head. He came this close to a triple-double, in fact, with 9 rebounds and 8 assists to go along with 3 steals and just 2 turnovers. The second-year PG has been a pest on defense in both games and now has 8 steals combined. You can bet Saunders and the Pistons are going to give Rondo a few “dare shots” in Games 3 and 4—if he can hit them it will dramatically alter the way the Pistons want to defend Paul Pierce and the Celtics.

- And speaking of Ray Allen, he finally got into a groove, scoring 25 points on 9-16 FG in less than 30 minutes; his bigger problem in Game 2 was, of all things, foul trouble. Allen, who hasn’t fouled out of a game once this year, picked up his 4th foul midway through the third quarter just after he started looking like the sweet-shooting Allen we’ve all grown accustomed to over the years. Doc Rivers decided to leave him in, a move that backfired a few minutes later when the Celtics’ starting SG was tagged for his 5th foul with about 3 minutes left after falling for a Rip Hamilton pump fake.

Either way, Allen’s performance is a good sign for the Celtics… especially since it’s looking more and more like “Big Three or Bust” for Boston. Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce, and Allen scored all 20 of the Celtics’ first-quarter points and combined for 75 of their team’s 97 points. By contrast the Pistons had six players score at least 13 points. Who from Boston’s supporting cast is going to step up and knock down some shots on the road? My candidate: Sam “Big Brass Balls” Cassell.

- Antonio McDyess was again big for the Pistons, helping make up for Rasheed Wallace’s failure to make a field goal in the first half by going 5-7 for 10 points, 2 rebounds, and 2 steals over the game’s first two quarters. Dice went on to finish just shy of a second consecutive double-double with 15 points, 8 boards, and 3 steals on 7-12 FG. Through two games he and Garnett look the most desperate for a chance to win it all in the Finals.

- I’m putting the over/under on Glen “Big Baby” Davis’ weight when he’s 35-years-old at 325 pounds. Any takers?

- Maybe the Pistons should just try giving Paul Pierce wide-open jumpers instead of closely contesting 90% of his shots; it feels like the guy hasn’t missed any shots taken with a hand in his face. I’ve never been a big Pierce fan, and I think he’s one of the biggest embellishers of normal contact in the NBA (think Manu Ginobili), but if you can’t respect the way he’s been playing not only during this series but through the entire playoffs, you’re lying to yourself.

Pierce has been nothing short of spectacular, bagging another 26 points in Game 2 on 9 made buckets. He earned every single of ‘em, then went back down the other end of the floor and played as good a defense on Prince as the Pistons’ small forward was on him. As predicted, this is turning into a nice nip-and-tuck matchup.

- Final note: I wish the NBA wasn’t encouraging Def Leppard by featuring their “sporty rocker” entitled “Nine Lives” in the background of highlight segments after commercial breaks. Look, I liked “Pour Some Sugar On Me” as much as the next… kid back in ‘87, but I don’t think the world needs to hear a duet with Tim McGraw. Have you no dignity left, Def Leppard?

Related: Eastern Conference Notes, Chauncey Billups, Kevin Garnett, Rasheed Wallace, Rip Hamilton, Ray Allen, Rajon Rondo, Boston Celtics, Detroit Pistons, Tayshaun Prince, Antonio McDyess, Glen Davis, Paul Pierce, Flip Saunders, Rodney Stuckey