Can Boston pull some sort of continuity out of their ass to put down Detroit? After the sorry display on the parquet on Saturday, I’m not so sure. If Kevin Garnett has anything to say about it, I don’t think they are going to come out soft.
Paul Pierce may be returning to the lineup but Kendrick Perkins will be out sick. Will anyone really notice though with the recent play of the angry big man? Kendrick has been averaging 8.6 PPG and 5.6 RPG for the past five contests, not exactly stellar numbers for a starting center. To be fair, Doc has been jerking his minutes around like crazy, playing between 18 and 28 minutes a game.
The C’s need to start doing work in the paint and create contact to get to the line more since 11 FTA is clearly not going to cut it. Teams have been beating up the Celtics both mentally and physically by jumping all over them early in the game and then banging down low.
Coach Rivers continues to be befuddled when trying to figure out productive rotations and is leaning way too heavily on Rasheed Wallace off the bench who hasn’t scored in double digits since the first game back from the All Star break. Something needs to be done with the rotations and have set teams so they can be cohesive heading into the playoffs.
Rip Hamilton is leading the floundering Pistons with 22 PPG during their current three game losing streak that may or may not continue against Boston. My money is on “may not” with the atrocious play that I witnessed against the Nets.
Other than Rip, the Pistons are a bunch of underachievers and dudes past their prime. If the Celtics fail to beat them I will predict a 5 game exit from the first round of the playoffs. I feel like Jim Mora right now even uttering that word.
If Boston wants to be viewed as a threat they need to pull themselves up by the boot straps and start beating down teams that are vastly inferior to them, I just don’t know if they have the will (or the coaching) to accomplish that.
Lee Herman covers the NBA and Boston Celtics for North Station Sports.
Find more of his great work here.
