Empty the Bench

It remains to be seen how effective he is, but Detroit Pistons All-Star shooting guard Rip Hamilton will be in the starting lineup tonight as his team faces elimination in Game 6 against the Boston Celtics.

Despite hyperextending the elbow on his shooting arm during what looked like a rather innocent play late in Game 5, Hamilton said there’s “no way in hell [he's] not playing tonight.” He’s been getting treatments on that golden elbow for two days straight from super trainer Arnie Kander, but it was perhaps Hamilton’s father who will ultimately be credited for getting his son back on the court.

Hamilton said he talked to his father Thursday, and his dad simply told him to “spit” on it. “This is now or never,” Hamilton said. “Usually when you talk to your dad he is like take your time son. But he said spit on it. You are at war right now. You ain’t got no choice. I told guys today don’t look at me as a handicap out there. I am ready. I am good to go.”

One strategy that has worked especially well for the Pistons so far in this series is going small with three guards on the floor at the same time. Any combination of Hamilton, Chauncey Billlups, Rodney Stuckey, and Lindsey Hunter has absolutely wreacked havoc on the Celtics’ various backups behind starting PG Rajon Rondo. That has forced Rivers to either heap more minutes on Rondo, ask someone else (like Paul Pierce) to bring the ball up the court when Sam Cassell or Eddie House is in there, or to simply pray for no stupid turnovers; all approaches have seen varying levels of success but none of them has as of yet entirely solved the problem.

Rip Hamilton Photo Credit: Icon SMI

Given Hamilton’s tenderized elbow, I wouldn’t be surprised to see him rest during those stretches where Saunders feels it’s more important to pressure the Celtics and cause turnovers as opposed to needing buckets. Hamilton has 8 steals through five games against Boston and has done a good job of finishing on fast breaks off turnovers, so it could hurt the Pistons if he does indeed see a decrease in minutes.

It now becomes even more essential than it already was for the Pistons to get out to a fast start, establish an early lead, and maintain it. That means Billups and Rasheed Wallace will need to be at the top of their offensive games and that Tayshaun Prince (13-45 FG in the last four games) needs to rediscover his shooting touch. And once again Stuckey could be called upon to step up his game and make his presence felt in a big way, just like in the Orlando series when Billups went down with a hamstring injury.

If Hamilton’s sweet shooting stroke looks markedly off in the early stages, Flip Saunders needs to recognize it and make the minutes adjustment sooner rather than later. Anyone who’s watched Saunders at work knows that he tends to leave players on the court a few minutes too long at times before pulling them; he can’t make that mistake tonight in such a big game.

Okay, so now you want my prediction: surprise surprise, I like the Pistons by 10+. Both of us here at ETB have been calling for and hoping for not only a Celtics-Pistons Eastern Conference Finals, but also a hard-fought, seven-game series. We’ve gotten the first two, and damn it if I don’t want to see the Game 7 too.

Related: Chauncey Billups, Rasheed Wallace, Rip Hamilton, Rajon Rondo, Boston Celtics, Detroit Pistons, Tayshaun Prince, Paul Pierce, Flip Saunders, Rodney Stuckey