Michael AngusPistons v. Celtics Game 3 preview
May 24th 2008 19:05
The Pistons imposed their will on the Celtics in Game 2 and look where it got them.
A satisfying win it was.
But it’s just 1 of 4 needed.
Remember the Celtics, they won 66 games in the regular season.
They have 3 perennial All-Stars on their team not to mention some wily vets like Sam Cassell and P.J. Brown.
The problem is…
Sam Cassell hasn’t played much recently, Rondo is turning the ball over and committing lame fouls, Perkins is contributing basically nothing on offense and guys like Posey, Davis/Powe and House aren’t hitting open shots.
But the Celtics do have a reason to be upbeat.
Ray Allen seemingly found his shooting touch during Game 2. That could be enough to keep the Celtics within striking distance when they play Game’s 3 and 4 on the road in Detroit.
Keys for Game 3…
-Pistons must avoid a scoring drought of any significance in the first quarter. It happened in Game 2 but they were able to claw back in and take control in the 2nd quarter. The Celtics don't need any reason to become confident on the road.
- Rasheed needs to plop his rear in the post somewhere and at least attempt to post up Garnett from time to time. He can’t just wait until Brown comes in to start being aggressive. I’m aware that KG is a great defensive player, but come on, Rasheed is an All-Star for a reason. Use your length Rasheed and stop always settling for the 3 pointer!
- Keep rebounding Detroit. Rasheed and Dice need more help. Maxiell, Ratliff and Prince must help out more.
- Boston must get production out of their bench. If P.J. Brown is the leading scorer off your bench with 4 points, then somebody isn’t stepping up. Sam Cassell should get some minutes. See what he can do for a change.
- Doc Rivers must outcoach Flip Saunders. Seems like a simple key, but I’m not sure Doc Rivers has ever outcoached anybody.
Flip must not overuse Ratliff and Hunter. Both are solid options for playoff minutes, but only for short stretches. Stuckey and Maxiell are your bench studs, so lean on them more so.
If Detroit can get out to a big lead early, I look for Boston to start panicking and playing horribly like they did in Atlanta and Cleveland.
If any of you are college basketball junkies, meaning if you enjoy reading about off-season college basketball news, then collegefastbreak.com is for you.
A satisfying win it was.
But it’s just 1 of 4 needed.
Remember the Celtics, they won 66 games in the regular season.
They have 3 perennial All-Stars on their team not to mention some wily vets like Sam Cassell and P.J. Brown.
The problem is…
Sam Cassell hasn’t played much recently, Rondo is turning the ball over and committing lame fouls, Perkins is contributing basically nothing on offense and guys like Posey, Davis/Powe and House aren’t hitting open shots.
But the Celtics do have a reason to be upbeat.
Ray Allen seemingly found his shooting touch during Game 2. That could be enough to keep the Celtics within striking distance when they play Game’s 3 and 4 on the road in Detroit.
Keys for Game 3…
-Pistons must avoid a scoring drought of any significance in the first quarter. It happened in Game 2 but they were able to claw back in and take control in the 2nd quarter. The Celtics don't need any reason to become confident on the road.
- Rasheed needs to plop his rear in the post somewhere and at least attempt to post up Garnett from time to time. He can’t just wait until Brown comes in to start being aggressive. I’m aware that KG is a great defensive player, but come on, Rasheed is an All-Star for a reason. Use your length Rasheed and stop always settling for the 3 pointer!
- Keep rebounding Detroit. Rasheed and Dice need more help. Maxiell, Ratliff and Prince must help out more.
- Boston must get production out of their bench. If P.J. Brown is the leading scorer off your bench with 4 points, then somebody isn’t stepping up. Sam Cassell should get some minutes. See what he can do for a change.
- Doc Rivers must outcoach Flip Saunders. Seems like a simple key, but I’m not sure Doc Rivers has ever outcoached anybody.
Flip must not overuse Ratliff and Hunter. Both are solid options for playoff minutes, but only for short stretches. Stuckey and Maxiell are your bench studs, so lean on them more so.
If Detroit can get out to a big lead early, I look for Boston to start panicking and playing horribly like they did in Atlanta and Cleveland.
If any of you are college basketball junkies, meaning if you enjoy reading about off-season college basketball news, then collegefastbreak.com is for you.
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