The Detroit Pistons did what they needed to do against the Celtics, pulling a road win against the home-loving Celtics. The first home loss for the Celtics in the NBA Playoffs this year, it may be time to panic in Beantown.
The Pistons are clutch if nothing else. They drain big shot after big shot, and it does not seem to matter who takes them. Billups, Hamilton, Rasheed …. never mind. They are cool when frontrunning, with mounds of experience to back up their play. When right, the Pistons are as good as anyone, proving it in Boston, evening their East Finals at 1-1.
The Pistons managed to stop Boston's 9-0 blitz at home in the NBA Playoffs, and now force the Celtics out of their comfort zone. The Celtics must have a win on the road, something they have not been able to do amazingly, even against the likes of the Hawks and Cavaliers.
I have a future (current?) Star for you to keep an eye on. Rodney Stuckey. For all the talk of the big guys for Detroit, it was Stuckey that pulled the Pistons through in game two. For all the talk about no true superstar on the Pistons' roster, they may have one currently sitting on their bench in Stuckey.
Cool and collected like his veteran teammates, Stuckey stuck it to the Celtics, going for 13 points in 17 minutes, and controlling floor action all the while. Looking in game and appearance like Dwyane Wade, Stuckey could be a force not just in the future, but in this very series. That is a lot to say about a rookie.
There is something missing from the Celtics' team that blew through the regular season. Maybe it is the grind of the NBA season rubbing against old, weathered veterans. Maybe, just maybe, the vaunted Celtics are feeling the pressure. Ray Allen, for example, has been brutal in the playoffs. The Celtics had better regain their swagger, because for all the Big Three, and Celtics legend Talk, they are three games away from going home for the Summer.