If you go back in time to the 2006 – 07 season for the Boston Celtics and you have a team in disarray struggling to gain 24 victories. They had a team of individuals with such players as Michael Olowokandi and Sebastion Telfair. They were headed nowhere. There was even an Allen Ray, instead of a Ray Allen.

Paul Pierce was moody and despondent to say the least and often took his seat at the far end of the bench to be alone with his thoughts.

Now fast forward to today and envision a team with probably the strongest lineup from top to bottom in the NBA. Now you have Kevin Garnett, Ray Allen, Rasheed Wallace, Rajon Rondo, a grown up Kendrick Perkins, Marquise Daniels and more.

Paul Pierce is ready to battle!

Paul Pierce now finds himself with a perpetual smile.

So he’s drinking up every second now.

“When you get to play on this kind of team, you cherish it,” he recently said. “You don’t take these moments for granted, playing with guys like Kevin (Garnett) and Rasheed (Wallace), future Hall of Famers. You know, I cherish these moments because not a lot of people get that opportunity. I thought I’d never get that opportunity.

“It’s always disappointing when you lose a lot of ballgames. You wake up in the morning, and you know your team is 15 games out of the playoffs. The thing about me is that I’m always motivated because I love the game of basketball.

“I love the game so much that it rarely got me down when I was out there playing on the court. I take pride in that. I’m a competitor. I play this game to win. If you don’t play to win, then what are you playing for? Some guys play for the lifestyle, and a lot of those guys don’t last. Me, I’ve always played to try to win.
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Paul is loving it and so are his teammates, so much so that they showed up early for practice this year even though Coach Rivers told them to take it easy. Everyone is having so much fun, because winning is fun and they know they are going to win. The only question is how much will they win. They have set their sights on the NBA championship and anything less will not be satisfying.

It has been 12 years, 12 long years for Paul Pierce, but it could not be any better, now it is a battle for the NBA Championship every year. It might be a while before that smile leaves Paul’s face.

Photo source Newscom

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Pay attention, this is not a blog by yours truly. Today we bring you a special treat. This is a blog by Graham Brunell and he is a talented writer for Celtic 17.

Here are some outtakes.
Why Rajon Rondo wasn’t an All Star, and Why he WILL be in the future.

Rajon Rondo, one of the best point guards in the NBA today, was not selected to be an all-star. Why, you ask? We’ll just have to find out.

The Eastern conference: The East was just too good this year. Too good for the coaches to even argue whether his numbers (11.1 points, 4.9 rebounds, 8.1 assists) show the true player he really is. Think about it: Ray Allen, Mo Williams, Mike Bibby, Vince Carter, Antawn Jamison, David Lee, NOR Andre Iguodala made it.
…
His offensive skills will make him a triple-double machine: Wait are we talking about Jason Kidd or Rajon Rondo here? That’s right folks, Rajon Rondo has rebounding skills whether you like it or not. His passing skills are sneaky, yet accurate, and he can get to the basket almost any time he wants to. If he can develop a 15-foot jump shot, or possibly a three-point shot, which would be a miracle, he could be right up there with point guards like Chris Paul, Deron Williams, and Devin Harris.

His speed leaves most defenders in the dust: There is no denying it, Rajon Rondo can run. His speed lets him get ahead in the fast break, run the baseline freely, and blow by defenders to get an open lane to the basket.
…
His basketball IQ and his leadership are at a high level: Being a point guard on the ego-filled Boston Celtics isn’t easy. One night during an interview Doc said that the reason he loves Rondo is because he has the confidence to say “no” to superstars each and every single night.
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So sorry Rondo, but this year you won’t be in Phoenix (at least not on the floor). Don’t worry, you’ll get plenty of chances. PLENTY.

(To see the whole blog read Celtic 17 in the MVN blog network.

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All part of the Allen Iverson for Chauncey Billups deal was the releasing of McDyess to return to the Pistons. The Gary Peyton rule makes the Pistons wait 30 days to resign him. Denver has already bought out his contract.

Now technically Antonio can sign with anyone, but he claims to want to return to the Pistons. The Pistons need the help down low.

Now there are quite a few NBA teams that would love to have Antonio, but he has said he only wants to play in Detroit.

The classic quote comes from Doc Rivers of the Boston Celtics.

“It’s not a pleasant thing,” said Celtics coach Doc Rivers, upon hearing of the deal. “I was hoping they’d trade all five of their starters.”

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Photo source Newscom

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Kevin Garnett could not be stopped by Rasheed Wallace, even with Rip Hamilton’s help

Image details: Detroit Pistons v Boston Celtics – Game Five served by picapp.com

Ok, ok, we expected Kevin Garnett to play much more aggressive in game 5. You know, we discussed that in our last writing, but where in the heck did Ray Allen and Kendrick Perkins come from?

Boston Celtics 106, Detroit Pistons 102

Kevin Garnett

The Big Ticket came to play.

“We knew the significance of this game,” said Garnett, whose 33 points were his most in the playoffs this year. “You don’t win this game, you put basically yourself in a corner. … They’re experienced, and they’ve been in a lot of pressure situations. Now it’s up to us to go up there and try to get one.”

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Kendrick Perkins comes alive

Kendrick Perkins killed the Pistons.

Pistons trail 52-46 at halftime. They had the lead for much of that half, but the Celtics closed the half on a 16-4 run The Pistons only basket in that run was a three from Wallace, and he’s leading the team with 12 points. But being beat on the boards 28-11 and allowing the Celtics to shoot 51.3% is not going to get it done. I mean, 28-11? That’s just mind-boggling. The Pistons need more from just about everyone. And again, less from Kendrick Perkins.
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Ray Allen finds his shot

Ray was once again nailing shots from the outside.

Ray Allen scored 29, hitting a long 2-pointer with a minute left after Detroit came within one point, then he and Kevin Garnett each made a pair of free throws down the stretch as the Celtics beat the Detroit Pistons 106-102 in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference finals on Wednesday night.

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Allen added consecutive 3-pointers midway through the third to turn an eight-point game to a 14-point lead.

Rodney Stuckey is no longer a rookie

Rodney came to play.

Saunders kept Stuckey in the game when McDyess went out, a small line-up with Prince at the four. And Stuckey just drew a foul and knocked down two free throws to make it a three-point game. Can we even call him a rookie at this point?

• To answer my previous question… I’d say no, we can’t. He just hit a three, which isn’t even a great shot for him. And the Pistons trail by one point with 1:17 left. All the pressure is on the Celtics now. They’ve blown a huge lead, they’re in their own building, and they know they’re supposed to win this game. I honestly did not see this coming.
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The return of Chauncey Billups

Chauncey is looking more and more like the leader that the Pistons need to win this series.

Billups (26 points) was banged up and bruised, but he continued to look more like himself. After Hamilton’s scoring barrage, Billups scored nine straight fourth-quarter points — a triple, a lay-up and four free throws — that cut Boston’s lead to 98-94.
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Game 6 is Friday at the Palace.

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Detroit Pistons 103, Boston Celtics 97

Chauncey Billups looks healthy as Pistons win game 2

Image details: Detroit Pistons v Boston Celtics, Game Two served by picapp.com

Detroit had the answer and it was Antonio McDyess. Rasheed Wallace was moved off of Kevin Garnett and Antonio McDyess was now guarding him. Kevin still made plenty of shots, but they were a little harder to come by.

The Celtics were undefeated at home in the playoffs, but that did not really mean anything in this series. Both of these teams are very capable of winning on the opposing team’s court.

Still Detroit has to feel good. When you beat a Celtic team that gets good nights out of Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett and at the same time Ray Allen comes out of a slump, then you just have to feel good.

Chauncey Billups and Rip Hamilton came back in this game and had great games, but the big surprise was young Rodney Stuckey of the Pistons with 13 points, 2 steals, and 3 assists in 17 minutes. Stuckey played with no fear.

Detroit had the answer to every Boston run and now the Pistons look forward to going back home to the Palace for the next two games.

Richard Hamilton bounced back from a poor series opener with 25 points, and the Pistons beat the Celtics 103-97 Thursday night, tying the Eastern Conference finals at one game apiece and seizing the home-court advantage that has meant everything to the Celtics.

Chauncey Billups had 19 points and seven assists for the Pistons, who host Game 3 on Saturday.

“The atmosphere’s going to be crazy,” Hamilton said. “We’re geeked about getting back to our home court. The fans are excited, and now it’s our job to take care of home court.”

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It is Boston’s turn to make the adjustments to get back home court advantage. It will be a real test for Doc Rivers.

Flip Saunders has to feel good about his Pistons. He made all the right calls, using all of his playoff experience to control this game.

What can you say, Chauncey looked healthy, Rip was making shots, and the Pistons played great defense!

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Rasheed Wallace and Kevin Garnett – will this matchup determine the series?

Image details: Detroit Pistons v Boston Celtics served by picapp.com

The Boston Celtics present certain matchup problems for the Pistons that other teams do not.

Detroit Pistons

Before discussing the Detroit matchup problems, we should discuss the opposite problem for Boston and all other NBA basketball teams. The Pistons put four guys on the court that always present a matchup problem for your favorite team. Chauncey Billups, Rip Hamilton, Tayshaun Prince, or Rasheed Wallace will be matched up with someone they can consistently beat or if you try to double anyone, Antonio McDyess will drill a set shot from 15 feet.

Boston Celtics

Rajon Rondo will not impress Chauncey Billups. Chauncey will chew on him most of the time, eating him alive. Chauncey is just too strong. It is like when Karl Malone used to play for Utah, he is just one size larger than you are. Rajon will get his points and bring energy, but Chauncey will win this matchup. The wild card here is Chauncey’s hamstring. Can it take a beating?

Rip Hamilton and Ray Allen should have a battle royal. Both of them live on jump shots from mid range and further with Rip usually closer to the basket and both are from UConn. Ray Allen has been cold during the playoffs, but Rip will have him fired up to play.

Tayshaun Prince will be matched up with Paul Pierce and Paul has been winning this matchup in the past by not only scoring, but shutting down Tayshaun. The difference here is that Tayshaun does not always see himself as a scorer or needing to score. Prince has been hot during the playoffs, but expect the points to come a little harder during this matchup.

Rasheed Wallace will not always be matched up with Kevin Garnett. The Pistons do not like Rasheed to get into foul trouble. McDyess will often cover Garnett with Jason Maxiell sometimes helping out as well. Kevin Garnett has the ability to step out and hit the 15 to 17 foot jumper and if you go out on him, he will take you to the hole. Garnett can also post up as well. He cannot post Rasheed Wallace. Wallace is too strong, but you do not want Wallace running out on Garnett to stop his jump shot.

This matchup of Garnett and Detroit will determine the series.

Wallace loves playing against the best, so he should be keyed in against Garnett, who averaged 24 points per game against the Pistons in the regular season. They’re similar players: emotional, defensively sound and able to score from inside and out. Wallace has taken more than a third of his shots from three-point range in the playoffs. Garnett is especially adept at hitting midrange jumpers. His knock is being too unselfish, especially late in games.

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Keep in mind, Garnett cannot stop Wallace down low, but how motivated to stay down low will Rasheed be in this series. That is always a question.

To stop Garnett the Pistons do have one secret weapon and it is not Amir Johnson. Kevin Garnett schooled Amir early in the season and Amir may not see much time in this series. No, the Pistons will call on aging veteran Theo Ratliff. Theo has the length and the smarts to give Kevin some problems.

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Your intrepid author has been warning you that it is a long season.

It is much too early to hand the crown over to the Boston Celtics.

Now with the Western Conference top teams adding Shaq, Weber, and Gasol and the Spurs healing up and adding Stoudamire, it is even more reason to not hand over the NBA Title to the Boston Celtics.

Not that we should give up on the Lucky Green men, but take a look at this recent quote from Detroit Pistons GM Joe Dumars:

On the Boston Celtics possibly riding their superstars too much:

“All I will say is this: We’ve seen it before. I think it’s great for them, it’s exciting for them, we’ve been there before with the gaudy record. Phoenix was there a few years ago with the gaudy record. Dallas had a gaudy record, Miami had a gaudy record, and none of us got to where we wanted to get to in that particular year.

So all I’m saying is that we’ve seen it. We’ve done it, we’ve lived that gaudy record that they’re living right now, and it didn’t pay dividends for us so I would tell people to hold up on presenting that trophy just yet, because there’s a lot of basketball yet to be played. A lot of playoff series, and a lot of things can go on.

The gaudy record is nice, but like I said, you go back over the last four years, Detroit, Miami, Phoenix, and Dallas had the same gaudy record that Boston has and none of us won it that year.” source

You see it may come down to how Doc Rivers uses his players or uses them up. The choice will be his.

NBA Basketball Fan Question Are you still picking Boston?

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