Despite having a full week’s rest, the Pistons failed to break through in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals against the hottest home team in the league.
Kevin Garnett beasted his way to 26 points and nine rebounds, while Paul Pierce added 22 points and six assists to lead the Celtics’ to an 88-79 victory over the Pistons. The victory marked Boston’s 15th straight home win.
With only one days rest since their epic Game 7 win against the Cleveland Cavaliers, Boston got out of the gate quickly, scoring the first eight points against a well-rested, and perhaps rusty Detroit squad that had to wait six days for the series to begin.
Kendrick Perkins contributed early on the boards, grabbing 10 rebounds for Boston, while Rajon Rondo contributed late, scoring seven of his 11 points in the fourth quarter, hitting a clutch 3-pointer with 1:47 left after the Pistons cut the deficit to 83-75. In one of the series key matchups, Rondo clearly outplayed Chauncey Billups, dishing out seven assists along with five steals. Billups was clearly slowed by his recent right hamstring injury, managing only nine points with two assists in his first action since injuring the hamstring May 7 against the Orlando Magic in the conference semifinals.
Tayshaun Prince scored 16 points and Antonio McDyess added 14 points and 11 rebounds for the Pistons, who must win in Boston on Thursday night to have any realistic shot at winning the series.
Rust was clearly a factor early for the Pistons, who missed its first five shots, allowing Boston to jump out to an early 8-0 lead. But the Pistons quickly erased their first-quarter deficit, going ahead 13-12, only to trail 41-40 at halftime. After the break, Detroit could only muster 17 points in the third quarter, 10 from Richard Hamilton, while the Celtics took a 69-57 lead on Eddie House’s 3-pointer with 2 seconds left.
From the fourth quarter on, the Celtics simply looked like the fresher more confident team, as the Pistons played out of sorts, turning the ball over carelessly after setting an NBA record with only three in its series-clinching win over Orlando. The Pistons finished with an uncharacteristicly high 13 turnovers, seven in the third quarter alone, with Prince, McDyess, and Hamilton each having three apiece.
vs. 
(57-25) (56-26)
Ricko Says:
In the NBA, the regular season is more about a team’s talent than coaching. In the playoffs, it’s often the opposite, since the farther teams advance, the more equal the talent is. By the way, raise your hand if you think Lakers’ coach Phil Jackson is a better coach this year than he was the last two. How he must have been longing just for the opportunity to get to the post-season and be able to match wits and square off against one team in a series. Now, with added talent, he’s able to, and has a fighting chance. Something he and his Lakers haven’t had the past couple of seasons. And his Laker team this year has shown perhaps the best ability in the league to win games of different styles, be they against either offensive or defensive opponents. And Jackson is not a coach who will be outsmarted by Popovich when it comes to playing into the hands of the rule book. As the Lakers have done in each of their previous two series, they will again create some matchup problems for the Spurs, though they won’t be as pronounced as in the first two rounds. Kobe Bryant and Pau Gasol create matchup problems for nearly every team. And chances are Bruce Bowen will not be allowed to do to Kobe what has been largely ignored by the officials when Bowen plays against other scorers. Kobe is the free throw king, and Bowen’s physical style would only increase that number. Pau Gasol and Lamar Odom would normally be a nightmare for the opposition in a seven game series, but this is no normal opponent they’re facing now.
Tim Duncan has shown that he can be effective on both ends of the floor while staying out of foul trouble for the most part, and one has to think that he will eventually get the best of Gasol if the two are faced off against each other for any stretch of time. The underrated role player Fabricio Oberto may be able to handle Odom just enough that Odom will finally be slowed down a bit, something that hasn’t happened in the playoffs so far.
Seemingly, opponents defending the Spurs at crucial times get too caught up in trying to ensure that Duncan doesn’t beat them. But the fact is that in the last four games that Duncan has scored at least 40 points and grabbed 15 rebounds, the Spurs have lost three. The lone exception being their double-overtime win over the Suns in game one of that series. But in the last two games versus the Hornets, San Antonio shot 47% from behind the arc, which makes them much more dangerous. The Spurs may not have anyone who could be called a sharp-shooter, but with Manu Ginobili, Michael Finley, Tony Parker, and a few others in Brent Barry, Robet Horry, and Bruce Bowen, they have just enough to make you pay for leaving them open.
In comparing these teams, it comes down to a few major items; star players, coaching, experience, depth and balance. With the teams being different but equally effective in most of these areas, I’ll give the nod to the team whose players have repeatedly gone to war with – and for – each other. And for their coach. The Lakers time may very well come, but not now. Spurs move on to face the Pistons in the Finals.
Season series: 2-2
Players on Big Board (rank):
Los Angeles - K. Bryant (BDG-1), L. Odom (PFC-7), P. Gasol (CEO-3)
San Antonio - T. Parker (Reigning BDG), M. Ginobili (BDG-3), T. Duncan (PFC-5)
MeanD’s Big Board - Lakers
MeanDovine - Lakers
Ricko - Spurs
Ricko Says:
Often we must be reminded that the more things change, the more they stay the same. What I thought would be a changing of the guard in the Spurs-Hornets series, whether significant or not, failed to materialize. I picked the Hornets going in. But in game seven, I was reminded of something very important; Spurs coach Gregg Popovich has a knack in big games of coaching in segments, not a whole game at a time. He seemingly has a plan for each quarter, and in some cases partial quarters. In a one-game playoff, he is adept at preparing and adjusting. In game seven against the Hornets, New Orleans played defense well and held their own on the boards, but had difficulty hitting their shots. They finished the period in a sizable hole. In the fourth quarter, the Hornets were shooting well, but lost their defensive and rebounding edges. San Antonio meanwhile, continued to execute their offense, and New Orleans was reduced to simply trading baskets. In the prior New Orleans victories in the series, they had outscored and outplayed the Spurs handily in the third. In the series finale, Popovich had his guys focused on the third quarter, and while it’s debatable how much effect their consistency had on the play of the Hornets down the stretch, one fact is clear. After San Antonio was repeatedly able to capitalize on most of New Orleans’ mistakes, the game was, in effect, over. Popovich’s Spurs just continued to do what good basketball teams do, play as a team in all facets. It proved to be too much for the up-and-coming Hornets, as they finally displayed some desperation by taking some ill-advised, unnecessary shots before desperation was necessary.
Speaking of the Hornets, one can be sure that they will be back for another run next year. In addition to an excellent core with Chris Paul, David West, Tyson Chandler, and Jannero Pargo, they are in a very good situation with regards to free agent decisions within their own roster. The only significant player in question is Pargo, who has a player option for two million. Chances are he’ll return. (Peja Stojakovic’s deal may constrict them a bit down the road, as he has three years remaining at a total of about 42.5 million). But they also have some user-friendly deals with Julian Wright and David West, both of whom will only get better. Bonzi Wells comes off the books after this season, and a replacement for him and a well-placed, though minor, trade in addition to an astute draft pick will put them right back in the thick of things. It’s ironic how in this day and age of the NBA being a guard/small forward/hybrid oriented league, we always point out when teams need another big man come playoff time. We saw it with Utah, and New Orleans could use one as well. I’m a big fan of the way Tyson Chandler has come along. One more low post player to back him up or play alongside him when the situation calls for it would be extremely beneficial to the Hornets this time next year. So would sliding Pargo over to take some minutes from Paul, or finding someone who will.
NBA DRAFT
The Chicago Bulls expected to be in the playoffs, not the lottery.
This will ease the sting a little.
The Bulls won the NBA’s draft lottery Tuesday night, giving them the right to choose between star freshmen Michael Beasley and Derrick Rose.
Coming off a miserable season and still without a coach, the Bulls vaulted from the No. 9 spot, where they had just a 1.7 percent chance of landing the top choice.
Chicago will almost certainly choose between Beasley, the Kansas State forward who averaged 26.2 points and an NCAA-best 12.4 rebounds, or Rose, the point guard who carried Memphis within minutes of the national title.
The Miami Heat, who had a 25 percent chance of landing the top pick thanks to their NBA-worst 15-67 record, fell to second. The Minnesota Timberwolves will go third.
If Pat Riley’s cryptic comments are any indication, the Heat may trade the pick to get a seasoned player.
“Based on their performance and what they did in one season, both of them showed that they can help their team win,” Riley said. “Both showed enough physical maturity to be dominant at times as a 19-year-old. All of the intangibles when it comes to competitive desire and when it comes to leadership and character and all of those things, we still have a lot of work to do in terms of a lot of players in the draft.”
Now that Denver is actively shopping ‘Melo, perhaps they’d be interested in a top-two pick? So Chicago may also be looking to shop their pick as well.
Chicago has Hinrich, who they’d have to move if they draft Rose. And they also have Deng, who they’d have to move if they draft Beasley.
Miami, on the other hand, already has Shawn Marion, who’d they’d likely move if they draft Beasley. However, the Heat can obviously use Rose, whom they openly like, as like Wade, Rose is a Chicago native so the two player’s games would likely mesh right off the bat.
MORE NBA
Disgraced basketball referee Tim Donaghy told investigators in the NBA betting probe that relationships among officials, coaches and players “affected the outcome of games,” his attorney said. The league said the charges were unfounded.
Donaghy’s attorney made the assertions in a letter filed in U.S. District Court in Brooklyn on Monday, in which he argued that his client should be sentenced to probation because he fully cooperated with prosecutors and has been undergoing treatment for his gambling addiction.
The attorney also suggested that Donaghy told investigators about the gambling activities of other NBA officials and about a referee who passed “confidential” information to an unidentified coach.
The attorney, John F. Lauro, wrote that the U.S. attorney’s office for the Eastern District agreed to plea agreements with other defendants in the case, even though his client told investigators about NBA matters outside of the government’s initial investigation. Lauro said the disparity in treatment could not be fully explained because prosecutors have “surrounded this case with a cone of silence.”
The U.S. attorney’s office said Tuesday it has no comment.
In a footnote, the attorney suggested that the NBA might have “pressured” the attorney’s office “into shutting down this prosecution to avoid the disclosure of information unrelated to Tim’s conduct.”
Donaghy, 42, pleaded guilty last August to felony charges for taking cash payoffs from gamblers and betting on games he officiated. Donaghy’s sentencing was pushed back to July 14 on Monday; by law, he faces up to 25 years in prison and a $500,000 fine, though the term could be much lower under sentencing guidelines.
Photos:
Garnett-Stuckey: Jim Rogash/Getty Images
Player photos: NBAE
G. Popovich: AP /Ann Heisenfelt
Credits:
AP: http://msn.foxsports.com/nba/story/8160772/Celtics-put-down-Pistons-in-Game-1
AP/Donaghy: http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=3404607
AP/Draft: http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/draft2008/news/story?id=3405648
Profiles/Teases are done for the season.
LOTL Postseason Edition posts Monday & Friday mornings.
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Did you guys catch David Stern’s comments on Tim Donaghy at the lottery? I thought they were very appropriate.
I got L.A. tonight, but I like the Spurs to take five of the last six.
Chicaca…….
Left by Lefty on May 21st, 2008