NBA Obsessed » Flip Saunders

Gilbert Arenas meets Flip Saunders

James Edwards — Fri, 28 Aug 2009 09:28:03 +0000

NBA Obsessed takes you into the hit and run game of NBA Basketball.

Wow, this is news. Coach meets players before season starts. Who would have thought about doing that?

Supposedly Flip Saunders has been travelling all over … all over, uh, America to meet his new players, uh, well, his old players or rather the current players for the Washington Wizards, where Flip will be coaching.

The big key was getting to know Gilbert Arenas, because now that he knows him, Gilbert will straighten up and give a full effort all the time. cough cough cough. Good luck on that one, Flip. This Washington Wizard team is driven by two players that like themselves more than they like to play defense and you should like yourself if you want to be loved, but maybe hate yourself if you want to play great defense, because it is hard!

But we digress. Agent Zero is not going to suddenly change into a complete player from an offensive talented entertaining player just because Gilbert and Flip Saunders met for a friendly chat. No, Washington is going to have all the same problems they have always had with that crew. Some nights they explode with offense and just beat you and other nights they take too many plays off and lose.

Gilbert Arenas realizes his wax image plays better defense

It seems Flip never introduced himself in Detroit and that is why he is gone.

Saunders didn’t forge a similar relationship with the Pistons. Despite helping guide Detroit to three consecutive Eastern Conference finals, Saunders never won much locker-room support. He quickly lost favor with Ben Wallace and Rasheed Wallace because the pair thought Saunders was emphasizing offense at the expense of defense – the foundation of the Pistons’ success when they won the 2004 championship under previous coach Larry Brown.

Saunders also wasn’t as strong a disciplinarian as Brown. When he tried to get tougher in his third season, it was too late. Early in the 2007-08 season, Rip Hamilton lashed out at Saunders from the bench without any rebuke from the coach. TNT analyst Chris Webber, who played for Detroit during the 2006-07 season, said during the 2008 playoffs that the Pistons didn’t listen to Saunders. Saunders was then fired after Detroit lost to Boston in the East finals.

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Yeah, 3 conference finals was a lousy job by Flip Saunders. What was he thinking? Eventually the Flip way was not the Detroit way and the players just tuned him out. Such is big time sports and big time egos.

Image: Zuma Press

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Where are the fans? Flip to Philly?

James Edwards — Thu, 18 Dec 2008 04:40:09 +0000

NBA Obsessed takes you into the hit and run game of NBA Basketball.

So far only a New Jersey Nets fan has entered the contest for a free NBA ‘09 XBOX game.

Check for the rules

Flip Saunders

Rumor has Flip Saunders, almost wrote Flip Wilson, coaching the 76ers. Remember he was coaching my Pistons last year. Flip Saunders was an amazing regular season coach, but just could not harness it for the playoffs. No word on how good of a coach Flip Wilson would be.

Saunders most recently coached the Detroit Pistons, and was the head coach of the Eastern Conference All-Stars in 2006 – a team that had four Pistons starters on the roster and arguably could have had five. Saunders was fired at the end of last year’s playoffs and replaced by current head coach Michael Curry.

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Not only does Mo Cheeks get fired from the 76ers, but EB dislocated his shoulder. The dream season to be, is not.

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Rip Hamilton rips Flip

James Edwards — Fri, 03 Oct 2008 00:37:50 +0000

NBA Obsessed takes you into the hit and run game of NBA Basketball.

Yeah, Rip rips Flip. Say that 10 times quickly. Heck, say ‘10 times quickly’ ten times quickly.

Enough with the quickly. Rip was unhappy last year in what should have been a very happy year.

“I have always been happy,” Hamilton said Wednesday. “I had a son (at the start of last season), which was one of the greatest times of my life. That was not a disappointment. Nothing off the court was a disappointment.”

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Instead of having a great year Rip was often out of the game mentally and emotionally. He became the mini-Rasheed Wallace, in terms of mood swings on the court. Too many Rasheeds is not good for the soup.

One thing my own coaching years in multiple sports (and the addition of being a father) has taught me is that young people want to have discipline. No they don’t want to be punished or spanked or benched. That is not what is being said here. What they want is an informed notion of how they should behave. It makes life easier. What they want is to know what is expected of them and how they can be their best. They need the accountability to be their best.

Coach Michael Curry agrees.

“Players like to be challenged, and they want discipline, even if they fight at times,” coach Michael Curry said.

“Rip was frustrated because he didn’t feel that everybody was being held accountable. Our goal as a coaching staff this year is to do a better job holding everybody accountable every day.”

Hamilton has been a happy camper thus far and is anxious to turn the page on last season.

“I don’t want to talk about (Saunders), either,” he said. “It’s a new season, and I am glad MC is the coach. You can’t look to the past. I am glad to move on and focus on the season ahead of us.”

Photo source Newscom

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Michael Curry – 7 out of 8 coaches advise using Michigan connections

James Edwards — Thu, 02 Oct 2008 00:13:42 +0000

NBA Obsessed takes you into the hit and run game of NBA Basketball.

Michael Curry will try to right the Piston ship

The NBA is proud to bring a brand new coach to your area. They did it for 8 teams.

Think about that. 8 new coaches.

Ever heard of a brand new coach immediately winning it all? It has probably happened, but not to my knowledge.

Usually you just fired the last coach because the team stunk so bad he could not make them win.

So this year we bring you the 8 trying to make the magic happen.

Michael Curry, Pistons

Curry, 40, was an assistant to last year’s coach, Flip Saunders, who was fired. From 2000 to 2004, Curry was president of the National Basketball Players Association. He’s also a former NBA vice president for basketball operations and played for six teams in an 11-year career.
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Michael is lucky. He inherits a veteran team with a real honest to god chance to win it all. The team knows him. The GM, Joe Dumars, knows him. Heck, the hotdog vendor in section 133 knows him. Michael Curry was a defensive minded team oriented over achiever as a player. He even used to plan out bike trips and movies for when the players were on the road.

But can he coach? Well, he can as an assistant, but can he as the head coach?

Vinny Del Negro, Bulls

Del Negro, who has no coaching experience at any level, follows interim coach Jim Boylan, who replaced Scott Skiles. Del Negro, 42, formerly was assistant general manager for the Phoenix Suns and played for five teams in a 12-year NBA career.

Scotty Skiles and Jim Boylan is a tough act to follow. Vinny has his hands full with that crew in Chicago. Skiles whipped and beat them to play defense and play as a team. Boylan found out they are lacking depth, size, speed, etc. Good Luck!

Erik Spoelstra, Miami Heat

Club President Pat Riley named Spoelstra, a seven-year assistant, to succeed him. Spoelstra, 37, is the youngest coach in the league.

This guy just has the job on loan until Pat Riley sees a good enough team to take over. Sure doesn’t hurt to have Dwyane Wade and the Matrix auditioning for jobs.

Larry Brown, Charlotte Bobcats

Have witnessed Larry up front with my Pistons and he is an amazing coach and complicated man. He is always chasing after something that is missing in his life. Some think he is looking for his father that left him at young age, not literally, but figuratively.

Larry will put them in half court sets and make them play playoff style basketball. If teams listen, they win, but most young players do not want to play that way. Example: Chauncey Billups was close to a triple double one night and Larry pulled him and said “You don’t have a clue as to how to play point guard for me, do you?” Think about it.

Rick Carlisle, Dallas Mavericks

This one will be fun to watch. The Dallas Mavericks and Dirk Nowitzki were often shooting before crossing half court and now will be playing half court. Rick was the Piston coach before Larry and he alienated so many people that he had to be fired with a winning record. Chauncey Billups used to say they knew exactly what plays would be run in the last two minutes as Carlisle called all the plays. Rick also does not like to double on defense. Can Dirk defend?

Mike D’Antoni, New York Knicks

Mike has his hands full until the Knicks can clean house and find some D’antoni style players. He needs speed and outside shooting to go along with a pass first dribbling point guard, a la Steve Nash. Mike is a great coach and the players love his style. The ball gets shared and the pace is quick.

Can he play enough defense to win a title though?

Must be Michigan week in the NBA or something

Michael Curry, Detroit Pistons
Larry Brown, former Detroit Pistons coach
Rick Carlisle, former Detroit Pistons coach
Vinny Del Negro replaces Jim Boylan former assistant at Michigan State University
Before Jim Boylan was Scott Skiles former player at Michigan State University
Mike D’Antoni was brought in to replace Isiah Thomas former Detroit Piston
The D’Antoni wanted to trade Zach Randolph former player at Michigan State University
Terry Porter, former Detroit Pistons assistant coach
Scott Skiles, former player at Michigan State University
Scott will work for GM John Hammond and he worked under Joe Dumars of the Detroit Pistons.

Terry Porter, Phoenix Suns

A hustling guard as a player and an average coach at Milwaukee, Terry will have some talent to work with, but will drastically change the style for the Suns. Terry is a real believer in defense.

Scott Skiles, Milwaukee Bucks

Scott will have some hungry players in Michael Redd and Richard Jefferson. Maybe not enough talent to win, but that has never been an issue with Scott. He just wants you to bring the desire.

Photo source Newscom

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NBA Coaches, Curry Detroit, Porter Suns, Del Negro Bulls

James Edwards — Tue, 10 Jun 2008 04:52:38 +0000

NBA Obsessed takes you into the hit and run game of NBA Basketball.

Michael Curry

Not in my wildest imagination would it seem that Joe Dumars would hand the reins over to an unproven coach. In Joe D we trust, but this is to the extreme.

Michael Curry, former Piston, gets the head coaching job in Detroit.

The move comes one week after Dumars fired Flip Saunders. Curry will sign a three-year deal worth with a fourth season a team option. The deal is reportedly worth $2.5 million a year. This will be the first head coaching job for 39-year-old Curry.
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Michael coached 1 year as an assistant under Flip Saunders. He also coached at…well, nowhere, none, nunca, nada. In Joe D we trust, just keep saying it.

Terry Porter

Also under Flip was Terry Porter. The Phoenix Suns announced Porter as their new coach. Evidently they talked to Flip, but he is a tad expensive and also collecting 5.4 million bucks to do nothing next year.

Terry was unremarkable as Bucks coach. It did not hurt to have been a former teammate of Steve Kerr and current friend.

Phoenix general manager Steve Kerr said Saturday he had agreed to terms with Porter, who was an assistant with the Pistons the past two seasons.

Porter, 45, played in the NBA for 17 seasons and teamed with Kerr in San Antonio.

“He’s got a great combination of leadership skills,” Kerr said in a telephone interview. “He’s a great communicator. And his coaching experience, two years as a head coach, is important to me. The fact that he’s sat in that chair, that was a key factor. He’s very tough-minded.”

Porter is expected to sign a three-year deal worth about $7 million, and he likely will be introduced at a news conference this week. His hiring was first reported by ESPN.

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Vinny Del Negro

Maybe the most surprising hire was Vinny Del Negro by the Chicago Bulls. Zero coaching experience is his resume.

Vinny Del Negro has been offered the Chicago Bulls head coaching job, according to a person within the league who is familiar with the situation.

The person spoke on the condition of anonymity because an announcement had not been made Monday.

An official announcement, which could come this week, would end a nearly two-month search that included courtships of Mike D’Antoni and Doug Collins.

Del Negro, the assistant general manager of the Phoenix Suns who has never been a head coach, would take over a team that went from 49 wins to 49 losses this past season and missed the playoffs after making the second round in 2007.

source

Be happy the same old retreads are not being hired, but isn’t there supposed to be some kind of head coaching credentials to get some of these jobs?

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Detroit Pistons – Michael Curry next coach?

James Edwards — Thu, 05 Jun 2008 18:00:25 +0000

NBA Obsessed takes you into the hit and run game of NBA Basketball.

Michael Curry during a stint with the Raptors

Image details: Raptors v Sonics served by picapp.com

Why would Joe Dumars, one of the smartest GMs in the NBA, hire a NBA head coach with no experience?

Michael Curry was an assistant for the now fired Flip Saunders.

Years ago Michael Curry played for the Pistons. He was somewhat of a defensive wizard with a basic set shot, standing around 6′ 5″.

Curry was traded to Toronto or Milwaukee or some place in part of a bigger package deal. When he was released the Pistons immediately brought him back to sit at the end of the bench.

Why? To play defense?

No, because Michael used to organize bike trips for the whole team on off days, or trips to the movies, or card games. He was all about team at all times. He is still about team and being accountable and that is why Joe D may hire him.

Listen to Stephen A. Smith.

Curry is the right man for the job at the right time because he’s hungry for the opportunity. He’s been groomed for this position. He’s a former Piston. He’s hard-nosed.

“And guess what, he can flat-out coach,” one Pistons player told me during the Eastern Conference finals. “He knows what he’s doing. He commands the respect of the players not only because he knows what he’s doing, but also because he’s not scared to get in anyone’s face.”

“He’ll hold people accountable,” Dumars said recently, when discussing Curry’s head coaching potential. “Every team needs that, but especially one competing for a championship.”

Case closed

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But what about his lack of experience?

Asked last weekend about his lack of experience, Curry scoffed and said, “I’ve been on the bench as an assistant for 15 years. For me, personally, it was an easy transition (this season). Having all those leadership roles I had as a player made it that way.”

Curry had no trouble gaining the respect of the locker room this season. Anyone who has played in the league will garner some leeway in the NBA brotherhood, but Curry took that advantage and went much further.

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Curry is all team.

He installed a mandatory pregame routine that put every other team’s pregame routine to shame. Like clockwork, about 90 minutes before tip-off, Curry had the entire bench gather on the floor to stretch and run drills together.

He put his background as a defensive specialist to good use, chiding players who favored driving one direction and forcing his young guys to beat him soundly. When he saw something he didn’t like, everyone knew it.

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Pistons fire Flip Saunders

James Edwards — Tue, 03 Jun 2008 17:28:01 +0000

NBA Obsessed takes you into the hit and run game of NBA Basketball.

Flip Saunders is told by the Detroit Pistons Joe Dumars to take his ball and go home

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

Who will be the next coach of the Detroit Pistons?

Saturday Joe Dumars spoke to Flip about his final year. All decisions have to go through the owner Bill Davidson. Evidently Bill sees what my good friend RonB pointed out to me, “good thing the Pistons did not go to the finals or Flip would get a five year hiring extension”.

In other words, Flip was not the coach to take them all the way! (So it would be a problem if he made the finals and lost.)

Does not matter, as of Tuesday, Flip Saunders is fired.

President of basketball operations Joe Dumars said it’s “time for a new voice to lead our team.” Saunders had a year left on a four-year deal he signed in 2005. The decision comes three years after Saunders took over for Larry Brown, who led the Pistons to two straight NBA finals.

“Decisions like this are difficult to make, especially with the success we have had throughout the last three regular seasons,” Dumars said in a statement. “However, at this time, I feel it is necessary to make a change.”

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It is odd only because Joe Dumars has raised the bar so high.

In Saunders’ three seasons, the Pistons were 176-70 in the regular season and 30-21 in the postseason, but they lost in the Eastern Conference finals each year.

The Pistons have appeared in six straight conference finals, the first franchise to do so since the Los Angeles Lakers in the 1980s. But they also are the second team in league history to lose in the round before the NBA finals three years in a row, joining the Celtics from 1953-55.

So who will be the next coach?

Assistant coach Michael Curry appears to be the leading candidate to replace Saunders. Other possible candidates include Detroit assistant coach Terry Porter and former Dallas Mavericks coach Avery Johnson.

Hmm, Michael Curry – no head coach experience.
Terry Porter – Losing record with Milwaukee Bucks.
Avery Johnson – could not keep Houston Rockets motivated.

Can this be it?

Time for a Joe D miracle!

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Kevin Garnett – Boston over Detroit in game 5

James Edwards — Thu, 29 May 2008 06:35:20 +0000

NBA Obsessed takes you into the hit and run game of NBA Basketball.

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 want redemption for last two years

James Edwards — Sat, 24 May 2008 14:37:07 +0000

NBA Obsessed takes you into the hit and run game of NBA Basketball.

Rip Hamilton gives the secret password to victory to Antonio McDyess

Image details: Detroit Pistons v Boston Celtics, Game 1 served by picapp.com

The Boston Celtics had their way during the season winning everything in sight both home and away, but that does not mean that much now.

Detroit quietly went about their business. They were waiting.

Waiting for what?

The Detroit Pistons were waiting for this series. Boston Celtics vs. Detroit Pistons in the Conference finals.

This is the battle the Pistons want to win. They feel as if they underperformed the last two years, by being eliminated in the Conference finals by first Dwyane Wade and the Miami Heat and then by LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers.

This year they knew it would be Boston, although LeBron James put a little doubt in that idea. You have to wonder what LeBron will be like with an actual team around him.

Detroit stole the home court advantage from Boston with the victory in game 2 and now we will find out what Boston is made of. It does not matter that Boston has not won on the road in the playoffs. They have beaten Detroit on its court during the regular season in a game that had playoff intensity. Boston knows what it has to do.

Detroit is still waiting. Antonio McDyess can hardly wait any longer. McDyess came to Detroit to win a title, an NBA title, and he has been so close for so long that the waiting is getting tougher. McDyess has been on fire. He wants that title.

Nobody’s taken the Pistons’ recent history of Eastern Conference finals disappointments harder than McDyess.

After last year’s Game 6 exit against Cleveland, he uncontrollably sobbed on a trainer’s table. Most of his teammates were long gone from the locker room, but he remained wrapped only in a towel.

He put off the simple formality of getting dressed. Why was that so difficult?

When you’ve quite possibly finished the last game of your career, you avoid all symbols of finality. The same sensation hit Chris Webber. He and McDyess were the last two Pistons to leave the locker room at Quicken Loans Arena that evening.

McDyess wasn’t sure if he could make the extreme physical and emotional investment required to make another serious championship run.

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Rip Hamilton is hitting shots, Chauncey Billups has mostly healed up his hamstring and dominating Rajon Rondo, Rasheed is Rasheed drawing another technical and then playing a technically amazing game, Tayshaun is guarding Paul Pierce and scoring in the clutch, but Antonio…Antonio just wants it. Flip Saunders put him on Kevin Garnett and Antonio responded.

“We know how badly ‘Dyess wants” a championship ring, Chauncey Billups said. “He’s played great, but he’s also playing a bigger role in the locker room. He’s been a great leader for us.”

The praise embarrasses McDyess. He’s a modest warrior. But Flip Saunders entrusted him with much of the defensive dirty work against Kevin Garnett in Game 2. He didn’t back down, relentlessly bumping and banging the Celtics star and making him work hard for his points.

Can Boston win one of the next two games on Detroit’s court? Not if it is up to Antonio McDyess. You see the Pistons are waiting, but McDyess is not.

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Pistons take game 2 against Celtics – NBA Playoffs

James Edwards — Fri, 23 May 2008 05:14:49 +0000

NBA Obsessed takes you into the hit and run game of NBA Basketball.

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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