LOY's PLACE a celtics green blog: Previewing the Celtics ECF Opponent

The Eastern Conference Finals will pit the Boston Celtics against the Detroit Pistons.
Gm. 1:Tue., May 20: at Boston, 8:30 p.m. ET (ESPN)
Gm. 2:Thu., May 22: at Boston, 8:30 p.m. ET (ESPN)
Gm. 3:Sat., May 24: at Detroit, 8:30 p.m. ET (ABC)
Gm. 4:Mon., May 26: at Detroit, 8:30 p.m. ET (ESPN)
Gm. 5*:Wed., May 28: at Boston, 8:30 p.m. ET (ESPN)
Gm. 6*:Fri., May 30: at Detroit, 8:30 p.m. ET (ESPN)
Gm. 7*:Sun., June 1: at Boston, 8:30 p.m. ET (ABC)

There have been some classic rivalries between these two teams going back to the wars between Larry Bird and Bill Laimbeer. This one should not be any different. Both teams are defensive minded and so it should be a grind it out series. Here is a look at the Pistons players.

Point Guard: Chauncey Billups 31 years old, 6'3"
17 PPG, 6.8 APG, 1.3 SPG PER 23.61
A very strong point guard, Billups rarely pushes the ball in transition but is a master in the half court, where his size, smarts and shooting ability gives opposing defenses trouble. Billups is not a great ball handler, but protects the ball and rarely turns it over. He has a good first step to the basket and because of his threat on offense, h forces defenders to play him close and can get to the basket very well. Because he is strong, he can absorb contact and complete the play even after being fouled. He also uses his size to overpower smaller guards on post-ups and in general he's much more comfortable on the left side of the floor. He shoots much more often from the left side of the court than the right. Billups' size allows him to switch with Rip Hamilton and defend bigger guards and since Hamilton is much quicker than Billups we may see him on Rondo and Billups guarding Ray Allen since Billups has proved to be vulnerable to penetration by quicker guards. Although Billups injured his hamstring in the Orlando series, he sat out the end of that series and the Pistons have been off for a week and Billups went full strength at Friday's practice and is ready to go for game 1.

Shooting Guard: Rip Hamilton 30 years old, 6'7"
17.3 PPG, 4.2 APG, 44% 3P% PER 18.27
Hamilton never stops moving on the court and is one of the best in the league at moving without the ball. Because he has great endurance, Hamilton's constant movement on the court often wears out his man by the end of the shot clock and allows him to get an open shot. He is also good at drawing fouls off the ball and he gets to the line more than average. Prince is a good ballhandler and so he gets his fair share of points going one-on-one as well. Hamilton is a good scorer in transition and because he is 6'7", he can take advantage of matchups against smaller guards.
The same thing that makes Hamilton good at moving without the ball also makes him weaker on defense. He has trouble matching up with the more physical shooting guards and this is another reason that we may see Hamilton on Rondo and Billups on Ray. Hamilton is at his best against quick guys, where he can use his own quickness and length to offset them, and so he may be a handfull for Rondo if indeed these two are matched up.

Small Forward: Tayshaun Prince 28 years old, 6'9"
13.2 PPG, 4.9 RPG, 3.3 APG PER 15.66
Prince's biggest contribution comes on defense. He is a very good shot blocker and has given Paul Pierce problems in past matchups. Prince tries to make opponents shoot over his very long arms, which is effective since he is taller than most of the players he guards at 6-9. Prince's length also allows him to play a step off his man, giving him more time to react to drives without fouling. On offense, Prince's jumper is ugly but it is effective and he shoots well off the catch. He can back his man down on the block and then shoot a short hook shot or spin back to his right for a shot. But, he only goes to the right side and so forcing to go left is a tactic that Doc should look to exploit. Despite his thin frame, Prince is probably the league's most durable player. He doesn't miss games and is able to play through minor injuries. Pierce should have it a lot easier on defense in this series, but he will still have problems on offense as Prince plays him as well as anyone.

Power Forward: Antonio McDyess 33 years old, 6'9"
8.8 PPG, 8.5 RPG, .7 BPG PER 14.17
McDyess is a very smart player who rarely turns the ball over or make mistakes and who doesn't foul often. He also doesn't get to the line much as he shoots more jumpers than driving to the basket. When he does drive, it's usually to the baseline side, but most of his scoring inside comes from putbacks or passes inside from his teammates. McDyess prefers going left much more than right. As with Prince, forcing him to the right should be a tactic Doc looks at using since he is not comfortable on the right side. McDyess is known for whining to officials about calls but no one could be worse at this than LeBron. His ejection for a flagrant foul in last year'd conference finals was a big factor in Detroit's crucial Game 5 loss to Cleveland. This should be the Celtics most favorable matchup as KG won't have to work as hard on defense and has a height advantage on McDyess which will allow him to get his shot off easier over him. However, as with the Billups and Hamilton matchups, we may see Wallace on KG and McDyess on Perk since Wallace matches up with KG better than McDyess.

Center Rasheed Wallace 33 years old, 6'11"
12.7 PPG, 6.6 RPG, 1.7 BPG PER 17.27
At 6-11 with long arms, Wallace can easily score in the low post over most defenders. However, he doesn't like the contact on the blocks and can be distracted and occasionally blow up in anger when he faces aggressive defenders who play him physically. he would rather drift out to the perimeter where he can hit the outside shot with regularity. Wallace is excellent on pick-and-pop plays when he can get an open look without having to put the ball on the floor. Wallace doesn't get to the line often because he usuallly fades away on his jumpers and doesn't take the ball strong to the hoop very often. Defensively, Wallace is one of the better players at his position because of his size and quickness. For this reason, we will probably see him matched up with KG on defense more than on Perk. One flaw in Wallace's game is that he is known for having lapses in concentration and focus. He also has a short fuse that makes him a candidate for frequent technical fouls.

Off the Bench
Lindsey Hunter PG 2.4 PPG, 1.4 APG, .5 SPG
When Billups goes out, Hunter fills in at the point. In the Celtics first regular season meeting with the Pistons, Hunter exploited our lack of a back up point guard, but by the second meeting, House had grown into the role enough to hold his own. Hunter's quick feet and long arms make him a pest at the defensive end. He's at his best when he can pressure the ball and force opponents to use valuable seconds off the shot clock.

Jason Maxiell PF 7.9 PPG, 5.3 RPG, 1.1 BPG
Maxiell is the Pistons' version of Big Baby in that he is 6'7" and 260 lbs. For his size, he has great elevation His a tough player and can be a defensive presence. He is not a shooter and not a good ball handler, but he can hit the mid range jumper when open and can finish when he gets to the hoop. When pressured he can be forced into turnovers. He brings the Pistons energy and hustle off the bench.

Jarvis Hayes SF 6.7 PPG, 2.2 RPG, ,8 APG
Hayes is a tweener that can play both the forward spots. He's not a great ball handler and often relies on jumpers to bail him out and he is a decent shooter. He is adequate on defense and can defend most wings.

Theo Ratliff C 1.7 PPG, 2.6 RPG, 1.1 BPG
Theo played only 2 games for the Celtics all last season as he was sidelined by various injuries. He was signed at the deadline by the Pistons and has been giving them a good 10 mpg and is always a threat to block a shot or grab a rebound. He is a defensive presence whenever he is on the court.

Walter Herrmann SF 3.4 PPG, 1.6 RPG, .4 APG
Herrmann is a good outside set shooter and can spread the floor. He moves well without the ball to get open shots. He is another tweener who is too small to defend at the 4 but not quick enough for most 3's. He is strictly right handed and so forcing him to go left is a good tactic.

Arron Afflalo SG 1.6 PPG, .6 RPG, .6 APG
Afflalo is a good shooter and moves well without the ball to get open. He is not a slasher and won't go to the hoop very often. He Can be inconsistent when he is defended closely.

Juan Dixon SG 5 PPG, 1.8 APG, 42% 3P%
Dixon is not a good enough ball handler to be a point guard but doesn't have the size to match up defensively with most shooting guards. He is very competitive but often is pushed around but bigger guards. He is a good shooter, though and has to be covered when he is on the perimeter.

Rodney Stuckey PG 7.3 PPG, 2.1 RPG, 3.7 APG
Stuckey is a combo guard with good ball handling skills and can score very well. He can get to the basket and is able to finish when he gets there due to his great leaping skills. He has a good mid range game. When Billups went down with the hamsstring injury, Stuckey moved into the starting lineup and did a very good job as the Pistons didn't miss a beat and closed out the Magic with him at the point.

Keys to the Game
Keep their Composure. The Pistons have been one of the best defensive teams in the league for years and their defense was the key to their recent championships. At times the Celtics tend to lose their composure and forget their game plan when they are pressured by teams defensively. They have to keep their composure and play their game and not let the Pistons' defense get to them.

Defense It is certain that the Pistons will be playing tough defense in this game and the Celtics need to match their defensive intensity. This will be a grind it out series where both teams will have to work for anything they get. The Celtics need to continue the aggressive defense that got them the best regular season record and that has gotten them to this point. The team that plays the most consistent defense in the series will more than likely emerge the winner.

Hustle and Aggressiveness The Celtics must come out strong and not let up or the Pistons will take advantage of any weakness they may show. The team that hustles more for rebounds and loose balls and the team that is more aggressive taking the ball to the hoop and on defense will be the team that wins. Iin their first 2 series, the team that won the rebounding battle won the game. Much of rebounding is effort and aggressiveness in going after the rebound and so when they are getting rebounds they are also the more aggressive team. This may be the hardest for the Celtics to accomplish as the Pistons have been off for a week and are well rested while the Celtics have just finished their second 7 game series in a row and are coming in with just 1 day rest.

X-Factor
Rest vs Rust, Momentum vs Fatigue
The Pistons are well rested and have been off for a week while the Celtics battled to the end of another 7 game series. Teams that get too much rest between series can be rusty in the first game back. The Celtics had to expend a great amount of energy to beat first the Hawks and then the Cavs and very well may come into the series tired. But, along with the fatigue, the Celtics have momentum coming in to this series.

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