Welcome to the Garden …
Welcome to the Garden, where the Boston Celtics will take on the Detroit Pistons at 8:30 p.m. in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference Finals. The series is tied, 2-2.
The Celtics just closed the court for a pre-game walkthrough, but right before they did, several players were doing individual work. At one end, Sam Cassell was working on pull-up jumpers off the dribble. On the other end, Glen Davis was working on some post moves.
As Cassell and Davis worked, Paul Pierce and Ray Allen watched them from the Celtics bench. Leon Powe, Brian Scalabrine, and Gabe Pruitt were also in the area. The pre-game mood is usually light, but none of the players were joking around this evening. It’s all business before Game 5.
This is as good a time as any to bring up my biggest peeve of the NBA playoffs: Overreactions by the media (of which I am admittedly a part of). After a win in Game 3, the media consensus was that the Celtics were poised to roll to the championship, quicker at every position than the washed up Pistons. After a loss in Game 4, the Pistons were simply too experienced. Suddenly Ray Allen was a problem the team could not overcome. Advantage, Detroit.
Listen. All we know for sure is that after 4 games, it’s 2-2. The Celtics have 2 of the next 3 games at home. The Pistons have proven they can win here. The Celtics can win in Detroit.
It’s anybody’s ballgame.
With the court closed, there isn’t much to update you on at the moment. We’ll give you the scene from the Garden when things get hopping.
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