http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/playoffs2008/columns/
story?page=ScoutingPistonsCeltics-Game4
Scouts Inc. Update: Pistons vs. Celtics, Game 4
By Mike Moreau
Scouts Inc.
Coach Doc Rivers saw his Celtics play an almost-flawless first half in Game
3. His team got a championship performance from its starters and its bench in
Boston's most important and most impressive win of the playoffs thus far.
Detroit countered with its most disappointing showing of the playoffs,
throwing away the momentum it had built and resurrecting those same old
doubts about its focus and emotional consistency.
The Celtics got swarming, physical, aggressive defense in the half court, and
their rotations and double-teams in Game 3 were quick and synchronized. All
five defenders moved as a unit, and Detroit could not make easy baskets all
night.
Offensively, the Celtics pushed the tempo, shared the ball and hit the open
man. Boston started the game with all five of its starters scoring the first
five baskets. The bench kept things going, as nine different Celtics scored
in the first quarter.
Boston's defense suffocated the Pistons in the half court. As we anticipated
in our Game 3 report, the Celtics were much better in their rotations to the
Pistons' screeners after Richard Hamilton cleared on the cut -- getting to
Antonio McDyess and Rasheed Wallace more quickly to contest their jump shots.
Kevin Garnett was in McDyess' face on the first possession after Hamilton
curled and kicked back to McDyess on the baseline, and Celtics defenders
consistently contested every jump shot the Pistons took.
Boston was much more physical with Hamilton, as Ray Allen chested Hamilton on
his cuts, bumped him off his routes and denied Rip the easy catch. Paul
Pierce also took Tayshaun Prince completely out of his offensive game,
jamming him on cuts and not giving an inch on Prince's attempted back-downs
in the post.
Detroit must make some major adjustments to its offensive attack in Game 4.
Its spacing was awful in Game 3; many possessions resulted in seven or eight
players jammed inside the foul line. Boston clogged up everything in the
lane, and Detroit assisted that logjam by trying to run its offense from
inside 15 feet.
In Game 3, the Pistons completely abandoned two staples of their half-court
offense -- their high ball-screen action with Wallace and Chauncey Billups,
and their pinch-post sets with Prince at the point. Both of these sets create
better spacing and different looks, so expect Detroit to get back to this
action in Game 4.
Concern about Billups' hamstring injury has returned, especially because he
did not look to attack or score in the first half of Game 3. He was passive
on ball screens, passed up wide-open shots, and even failed to attack Rajon
Rondo when Rondo had lost a shoe at the other end. Something isn't right with
Billups, and the Pistons can't win without his aggressive playing in Game 4.
Because Rodney Stuckey is playing well, look for coach Flip Saunders to go to
him early if Billups isn't himself.
The Pistons desperately need Wallace to be a more consistent low-post
presence in Game 4. Wallace has been content to play a supporting offensive
role thus far, but the Pistons need him to demand the ball and force the
action. Look for Detroit to establish him early as a first option in the half
court in Game 4.
Detroit was mysteriously lost defensively in Game 3. The Pistons lost track
of open men, failed to get to shooters and committed costly fouls. Kendrick
Perkins roamed free as Wallace and McDyess failed to communicate in
transition. Jason Maxiell, Lindsey Hunter and Stuckey all committed silly
fouls, too, when they bought shot fakes, then jumped into the shooter.
The excessive fouling just killed the Pistons in Game 3, so expect the
Pistons' defenders to stay better disciplined in Game 4, staying under
control to contest shots. Also expect more aggressive, vocal communication --
which the Pistons did not show at all in Game 3. The team defense from the
Pistons will be better in Game 4.
Detroit normally forces and funnels drives to the baseline and toward the
corner, but in Game 3, Boston's ball handlers seemed to dribble at will into
the middle and into the lane on almost every possession. In Game 4, look for
the Pistons to play much more aggressively on the inside shoulder of the
driver -- taking away the middle.
As expected, Garnett was much more aggressive in the low post in Game 3. With
Detroit not doubling down, Garnett and Perkins were able to play one-on-one
and score inside. Look for more of the same from the Celtics in Game 4, and
expect Detroit to contest the entry pass much harder or to bring a
double-team as soon as Garnett starts his move.
Garnett can tend to overdo it in the post with excessive and extra moves, as
he did when Maxiell blocked his shot in the first half of Game 3. Look for
him to counter the Pistons with a quick spin off the back-down, or a quick
step-back jumper on the face-up.
Although Pierce took only six shots, his two second-half 3-pointers put
daggers in Detroit's comeback attempt. Because Perkins and Rondo played so
well offensively in Game 3, Pierce did not have to force the action. Because
Game 4 should be much closer, look for Pierce to have the ball in his hands
much more.
Look for the Celtics to continue their flex cuts and down screens for Pierce
in Game 4, in which he reads and has a choice of cutting across the lane off
the baseline screen or cutting to the top off the down screen. He sent a
message in Game 3 on the first possession as he started his cut, threw Prince
off him and caught the pass at the basket for the dunk. Boston will run this
until the Pistons prove they can stop it.
Detroit did give the Celtics trouble in the second half with its 1-2-2
half-court trap, which the Pistons went to in desperation to try to force
turnovers and quick shots. In Game 4, look for Boston to attack with a wide
2-1-2 set, with either Pierce or Garnett in the middle looking to attack on
the catch.
The Celtics must look for the diagonal pass from the top to the block for
layups behind the trap (look for Perkins here) or look from the baseline to
the opposite wing for the diagonal 3 (look for Allen and Pierce) as Detroit
rotates to the basket. The Celtics must resist the urge to dribble penetrate
into the trapping areas, and must use the dribble only after the ball has
been rotated and defenders are running to the ball.
This should be the most aggressive and physical game in this series. Prince
and Wallace should play much better, and Billups should be much more
aggressive despite his hamstring issues. Both Pierce and Garnett should have
big games for Boston. If the Celtics' bench steps up like it did in Game 3,
the Pistons are in trouble. But Detroit owes this one to its fans, and the
Pistons' faithful can expect a better performance from the home team.
PREDICTION: Pistons win Game 4
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"We'll see them bandwagon ass-cats come May and June," - Rasheed Wallace
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