Celtics vs. Pistons Eastern Conference Finals Preview
Breaking Down the Numbers:
PG: Rajon Rondo vs. Chauncey Billups (Advantage: Detroit)
SG: Ray Allen vs. Rip Hamilton (Advantage: Detroit)
SF: Paul Pierce vs. Tayshaun Prince (Advantage: Boston)
PF: Kevin Garnett vs. Rasheed Wallace (Advantage: Boston)
C: Kendrick Perkins vs. Antonio McDyess (Advantage: Detroit)
Bench: James Posey, Eddie House, Leon Powe vs. Jason Maxiell, Lindsey Hunter, Rodney Stuckey (Advantage: Boston)
LeBron James may be the best player the Celtics will have to face in this entire postseason, but the Detroit Pistons are a much more complete and balanced team than the Cleveland Cavaliers. Let's take a look at the individual matchups among the starting fives - Point Guard: Rajon Rondo had some amazing games in the Cavs series but more than anything else he displayed the inconsistency expected of a second year point guard. He's learning how to play in the playoffs on the fly, so Eddie House and Sam Cassell will need to contribute as they go. Chauncey Billups averaged 16.3 points in the first three games of the Magic series and is one of the top point guards in the league. He's coming off a hamstring injury that's kept him sidelined for the past two games, so hopefully that will keep him limited in the early going. Shooting Guard: Rip Hamilton is the Pistons' leading scorer this postseason... 'nuff said. Ray Allen has been struggling mightily throughout this postseason and has yet to find that famous playoff shooting touch. Ray doesn't need to carry this team but he does need to shoot the deep ball better or the Pistons can cheat off him and double Garnett or Pierce. Small Forward: What more can we say about Paul Pierce? The guy's a warrior, and after matching up against LeBron James, Prince will feel like a cake-walk. Tayshaun, however, is no slouch himself and finished the regular season third in scoring (behind Billups and Hamilton) on the Detroit squad. Pierce is the superior player but this will be an intriguing matchup to watch. Power Forward: There's no doubt in my mind that this will end up being the marquee matchup in this series. KG has outscored and out-rebounded Rasheed so far this postseason, but the two big men haven't gone up against each other yet. Josh Smith of Atlanta and Ben Wallace of Cleveland didn't challenge KG nearly as much as 'Sheed likely will. Center: Kendrick Perkins has had a couple solid games so far this postseason but it's not saying much when you get excited that you got a whopping 10 points and 10 rebounds out of your starting center. The center position will be a revolving door for the Celtics with Perk, Leon Powe, P.J. Brown and Glen Davis all spending time on the floor at some point. McDyess is an inch shorter and about 35 pounds lighter than Perk, but like many other centers in the league, he plays bigger than our No. 43. Maxiell will see a solid amount of time in the two-pronged center attack of the Pistons, as well; either way, Perk will be overmatched. Overall, the Pistons don't have a single superstar along the lines of a Lebron James, but they do have one of the most well-rounded teams in the league.
Prediction:
Celtics in 7 - they'll win every game at home and lose every game on the road. Hey, it's happened in both series the Celts have played in thus far, why can't it continue?
- The Celtics won the regular season series 2-1 with victories of 92-85 and 90-78 and an 85-87 loss.
- The Celtics are averaging 91.6 points scored per game and are allowing 86.1 in the playoffs.
- The Pistons are averaging 92.3 points scored per game and are allowing 87.8 in the playoffs.
- Both teams have 4 players averaging double digits in points in the playoffs:
- Boston: Kevin Garnett (20.3), Paul Pierce (18.7), Ray Allen (12.7), Rajon Rondo (11.1)
- Detroit: Richard "Rip" Hamilton (21.5), Tayshaun Prince (16.0), Chauncey Billups (15.8), Rasheed Wallace (13.9)
- In 39 prior playoff meetings, the Celtics hold a 20-19 advantage.
PG: Rajon Rondo vs. Chauncey Billups (Advantage: Detroit)
SG: Ray Allen vs. Rip Hamilton (Advantage: Detroit)
SF: Paul Pierce vs. Tayshaun Prince (Advantage: Boston)
PF: Kevin Garnett vs. Rasheed Wallace (Advantage: Boston)
C: Kendrick Perkins vs. Antonio McDyess (Advantage: Detroit)
Bench: James Posey, Eddie House, Leon Powe vs. Jason Maxiell, Lindsey Hunter, Rodney Stuckey (Advantage: Boston)
LeBron James may be the best player the Celtics will have to face in this entire postseason, but the Detroit Pistons are a much more complete and balanced team than the Cleveland Cavaliers. Let's take a look at the individual matchups among the starting fives - Point Guard: Rajon Rondo had some amazing games in the Cavs series but more than anything else he displayed the inconsistency expected of a second year point guard. He's learning how to play in the playoffs on the fly, so Eddie House and Sam Cassell will need to contribute as they go. Chauncey Billups averaged 16.3 points in the first three games of the Magic series and is one of the top point guards in the league. He's coming off a hamstring injury that's kept him sidelined for the past two games, so hopefully that will keep him limited in the early going. Shooting Guard: Rip Hamilton is the Pistons' leading scorer this postseason... 'nuff said. Ray Allen has been struggling mightily throughout this postseason and has yet to find that famous playoff shooting touch. Ray doesn't need to carry this team but he does need to shoot the deep ball better or the Pistons can cheat off him and double Garnett or Pierce. Small Forward: What more can we say about Paul Pierce? The guy's a warrior, and after matching up against LeBron James, Prince will feel like a cake-walk. Tayshaun, however, is no slouch himself and finished the regular season third in scoring (behind Billups and Hamilton) on the Detroit squad. Pierce is the superior player but this will be an intriguing matchup to watch. Power Forward: There's no doubt in my mind that this will end up being the marquee matchup in this series. KG has outscored and out-rebounded Rasheed so far this postseason, but the two big men haven't gone up against each other yet. Josh Smith of Atlanta and Ben Wallace of Cleveland didn't challenge KG nearly as much as 'Sheed likely will. Center: Kendrick Perkins has had a couple solid games so far this postseason but it's not saying much when you get excited that you got a whopping 10 points and 10 rebounds out of your starting center. The center position will be a revolving door for the Celtics with Perk, Leon Powe, P.J. Brown and Glen Davis all spending time on the floor at some point. McDyess is an inch shorter and about 35 pounds lighter than Perk, but like many other centers in the league, he plays bigger than our No. 43. Maxiell will see a solid amount of time in the two-pronged center attack of the Pistons, as well; either way, Perk will be overmatched. Overall, the Pistons don't have a single superstar along the lines of a Lebron James, but they do have one of the most well-rounded teams in the league.
Prediction:
Celtics in 7 - they'll win every game at home and lose every game on the road. Hey, it's happened in both series the Celts have played in thus far, why can't it continue?
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