Eastern Conf Finals (Game 6) Highlight

The Celtics are going to NBA Finals. The last time that happens is back in 1987, when the original Big Three are still playing.

(Photo by David Dow/NBAE via Getty Images)

(Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)

(AP Photo/Paul Sancya)

Watch game highlight (NBA TV), post-game press by Doc Rivers (NBA TV) and by the players (NBA TV).

This is the best fourth quarter that Celtics have played in the playoff, where Pistons are still up by 10 points early. The C's have kept their poise when things go rough. Paul Pierce has exerted his will, after a bad call, and follows with sequence of big play. That is great leadership and his teammates follow him.

Pistons are still in the game with less than two minutes to play. But James Posey steals the ball from Tayshaun Prince and thus forcing the P's to foul. Doc Rivers has opted Posey, instead of Ray Allen, for the entire fourth quarter to guard Chauncey Billups.

Eastern Conf Finals (Game 5) Highlight

This one goes to the wire. Celtics makes a 16-4 run in the second quarter and builds a 13 points lead after three quarters. But the Pistons fights back for the exciting finish.

Watch game highlight (NBA TV) and post-game press (NBA TV).

(Photo by Jim Rogash/Getty Images)

(Photo by Brian Babineau/NBAE via Getty Images)

The Celtics' starters have played their best game, prompting Doc Rivers to shorten the rotation and play them most of the game.

Kendrick Perkins is a beast on the posts, graping 16 rebounds and scoring 18 points. Ray Allen has his best shooting game, making 5 of 6 3-pointers (scoring 29 points). Few of those are assisted by Rondo. He has 13 assists in total. The screen-n-roll set between Allen and Kevin Garnett have repeatly paid dividends. When the P's fails to close-in Allen, he makes them paid. Later when the P's blanket Allen, he rolls the ball to Garnett and KG makes his mid-range shots. Garnett has 33 points. With the C's game clicking in all cylinders, Paul Pierce compliments with his all-round game on both ends. He has 16 points.

In the final minute, with just 1 point lead and the C's inbounds from P's end, Allen and Garnett runs the screen-n-roll again. Only this time Garnett has set a hard pick, allowing Allen the space to make his shot and brings the lead back to 3. Nice play.

C's responds to P's physical play with physical. In game 4 the Celtics' offense gets thrown-off because they are intimidated by the physical plays. Tonight they are ready. As an indication, take a look at the rebound stats, C's has a 42-25 advantage.

On the negative side, the C's is still learning how to finish the fourth quarter. When the score gets uncomfortably close, they get passive and giving-up the lead. If there is a game 7, the C's must do a better job to finish it off.

Eastern Conf Finals (Game 4) Highlight

The Pistons should have pulled the game away much earlier.

Watch game highlight (NBA TV) and post-game press (NBA TV).



Instead, the Celtics stay competitive till last two plus minutes, thanks for the free-thow disparity. C's has more points from the line (32) than from the field early in the fourth quarter.

The P's forces the Big Three out of rhythm with defense. Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce and Ray Allen combines to miss their first seven shots and finished 11-for-38 from the field.

Antonio McDyess has his best game of the playoffs for Pistons, scoring 21 points and grabbing 16 rebounds.

Doc Rivers is still joggling with his option for backup PGs. Sam Cassell has his pros and cons. At times Cassell's confidence over-spills for erratic outside shooting, rather than running the offence, and disrupting the rhythm of the team.

Eastern Conf Finals (Game 3) Highlight

The Celtics has rejuvenated from previous home lost. Their energy level in the first-half are impressive.

Watch game highlight (NBA TV) and post-game press (NBA TV).

(Photo by Allen Einstein/NBAE via Getty Images)

The Big Three scores as much as the supporting cast. Kevin Garnett (22), Ray Allen (14) and Pierce (11) combined for 47 points to match the rest of the team. Kendrick Perkins, Rajon Rondo and James Posey each scored 12 for the Celtics.

The Pistons, on the other hand, are not as balance as in game 2. Tayshaun Prince scores 4 points and Chauncey Billups has 6, combining to shoot 3-for-17.

Eastern Conf Finals (Game 2) Highlight

The Pistons show that they are the best team in the East.

Watch game highlight (NBA TV) and post-game press (NBA TV).



The P's are resilient and mentally strong. They keep hitting tough shots through Celtics' defence, and making key stops in the final minutes. The C's have staged several comeback attempts, but each time the P's answer. And it is not just one or two players, everybody from starters to the bench (Rodney Stuckey) have stepped up.

The Big Three combines 75 points in a losing effort.

The problem now is how the Celtics can win at least a game in Detroit, with the Big Three have already played at near peak efficiency and still comes up short. Doc Rivers have blamed it on C's defence. Sure, the C's fails to switch to Richard Hamilton and leaves Kevin Garnett in a mis-match, and no one is guarding Chauncey Billups when he catches the in-bound pass for a layup under the basket in the final minute.



So it remains to be seen if the C's has to play a perfect road game in order to get a win.

Eastern Conf Finals (Game 1) Highlight

(Photo by Brian Babineau/NBAE via Getty Images)

One debate before this series is, whether playing long stretch in previous rounds will play a factor against the Celtics and, conversely, benefit the Pistons.

Watch game highlight (NBA TV) and post-game press (NBA TV).

As Game 1 turns out, the C's is playing in rhythm and with aggression, and their opponent looks a bit rusty. The C's has total of 27 assists and shooting at 52.2 percent.

(Photo by Brian Babineau/NBAE via Getty Images)

Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett combines 48 points. Rajon Rondo has 7 assists and 5 steals.

Celtics-Pistons Game (Round 3) Highlight

With this win, the Celtics has become the first team to clinch a playoff spot. But more importantly, it gives them an effective 5 games cushion over the Pistons, including the homecourt tier-break.

Watch highlight (ESPN, NBA TV).

Celtics' struggle in defending Chauncey Billups continues. He scored 23 points, including 14-of-15 foul shots in the game. Rajon Rondo stays aggressive thoughout, perhaps too much on several occasions in which he attacks the basket without success. But Doc Rivers lets Rondo in the game to the end, and he is able to help increasing the lead. He draws a charging foul (and a technical) on Billups, that gives the Celtics an 82-77 lead. After a Pistons miss, Rondo gets the loose ball and throws it upcourt, where Pierce grabs it and put it in for an 85-77 lead.

Both Kevin Garnett (31 points) and Kendrick Perkins (20 rebounds) have a big game.

(Photo by Jesse D. Garrabrant/NBAE via Getty Images)

Play-off Projection

With two more months to go before the post-season, let's project the possible play-off match-up for the Celtics.

Below is the current seeding of each team in the East, and their W-L records,
__1. Boston 41 - 9
__2. Detroit 39 - 13
__3. Orlando 33 - 21
__4. Cleveland 29 - 23
__5. Toronto 28 - 23
__6. Washington 25 - 27
__7. New Jersey 23 - 30
__8. Philadelphia 23 - 30
__-----------------------
__9. Atlanta 21 - 28
_10.Chicago 21 - 31
_11.Indiana 21 - 32
_12.Milwaukee 19 - 34
_13.Charlotte 19 - 34
_14.New York 15 - 37
_------------------------
_15.Miami 9 - 42

Celtics' first round match-up could be any team ranging from the Nets, currently No.7, to the Knicks, currently No.14. With several possible trade scenerios in working trying to beat the deadline, it could have major impact to number of teams (Nets, 76ers, Bulls, Knicks) and their chance for the last two play-off spots. The Hawks, currently No.9, have a very good chance to get in with the new addition of Mike Bibby.

The second round match-up will be very interesting in several aspects. Firstly, my projection is that the Cavaliers (currently No.4) will eventually overtake the Magics for the No.3 seeds. And if the Celtics can maintain their No.1 seed, they will have the advantage to avoid playing the Cavs and then the Pistons (currently No.2) in the next round, and take on a relatively weaker team instead.

Secondly, which relates to above, the Cavs currently has the best chance among the East to beat the Pistons in the play-off, as they have done it last year. I know that the Celtics like their chance too, but there is a number of uncertainty against them. One is the match-up with Chauncey Billups individually, and also with the Pistons' play-off experience. So, if the Celtics can maintain their lead over both teams and forcing them to face each other in the second round, there will be a chance for the Celtics to by-pass the Pistons all together. Even if the Pistons beat the Cavs, it should wear them down a little.

As a Celtics' fan, i will take that.

Defence tactics against the Big-Threes

Recall the two games lost to the Wizards recently, their zone defence has been pretty successful (held Celtics to below 42% FG and 31% 3P). Why does this defence model work against the Big-Threes.

Scott Souza of Daily News gives his analysis. The model does work when Celtics are not moving the ball and instead taking jump-shoot. That's what the zone wants them to do - take quick shots, keep it on one side of the floor and not making the defence to move.

"The zone is just the latest way teams have tried to get a handle on the Celtics offense. Early in the season, foes looked clueless as Boston rang up one blowout after another. Then the focus became stopping Kevin Garnett with more physical play and double teams in the post. Recently, there has been another shift with opponents following the Detroit model of jumping out on the pick-and-roll and slowing the Celtics at the point of attack 25 or 30 feet from the basket, leaving them little time to run their offense ..... Another development has been that teams have chosen to target Ray Allen aggressively considering he has been the least proficient of the Big Trio for most of this season. The goal seems to be to lure Pierce into driving into traffic and taking their chances with House and James Posey."

The latest tactics is to pressure whoever (other than Rajon Rondo) is dribbing the ball up court and force turnover. It works for a while, but eventually the Celtics pushes the ball up the court via the pass rather than the dribble to greater success.

Another possible tactics is taunting selective Celtics in attempt to upset the player and his composure. In the Celtics-Knicks game (NBA TV highlight), Pierce has been ejected after his defender was overzealously physical in defending him, drawing four personal fouls -- and causing the refs to call two double-technicals to both.

Celtics-Pistons Game (Round 2) Highlights

The game is played at Auburn Hills (ESPN, NBA TV).

Both teams have played the night before, so it evens thing out in terms of fatigue factor.

Introducing Glen "Big Baby" Davis (NBA TV). The Pistons have done their best to defend the Big Threes, and they have left the rookie open on several plays and paying the prize. On the other hand, both Chauncey Billups and Richard Hamilton have uncharacteristic missed free-flows towards the end.

Rajon Rondo continues to struggle against Billups, which prompts Doc Rivers to play Tony Allen instead for 22 minutes.

Celtics-Pistons Game Highlight and After-thought

If you do not have ESPN TV, like me, here is the highlight (ESPN), and more.

As expected, the game is competitive and intense as both teams treat it as a self-measuring stick for the best team in the East.

As Chris Sheridan summarises, "experience, savvy and depth" to be the deciding factors for the outcome. Early in the fourth quarter with a 4 points lead, when Doc Rivers gives Rajon Rondo (who has an impressive first-half) a rest and hands over the ballhandling to Eddie House, he could barely get the ball over the halfcourt line against the suffocating defense of Lindsey Hunter. A 9-2 run put the Pistons ahead 70-67 before Rondo returns, and Detroit never trails again.

Next crucial moment, on their final possession, it looks like the play is drawn for Paul Pierce even though he already has a tentative shooting night (instead of going to the hot-hands). I can understand this from Doc Rivers perspective and i know he is willing to live with the decision. Pierce nevertheless has missed his 15-foot fadeaway attempt from the corner, but more importantly, he shoots it too early, leaving too much time on the clock for Pistons.

Coming out from the last time-out for the final shot, when Pistons' Tayshaun Prince notices that Tony Allen has checked back in as defender, he has told Chauncey Billups and Richard Hamilton (knowing one of them would get the inbound) to give Tony Allen a pump fake because Tony was just coming in off the bench cold. So Doc Rivers sub pattern and defence strategy has been exposed by the experience of Pistons.

The next meeting between the two will be Jan. 6, at Detroit.

Three-teams Race to the Conference Final

Around this time of the NBA calender, you read prediction about which team will win the conference anywhere you go. So let me immerse myself to this role play.

No, i am not going to hard sell you the Celtics except saying this, the chance of Boston to get there is better than 1 in 4. But there are few other teams which are rated higher than the Celtics by many experts. The Bulls, the Pistons, and may be the Cavaliers, from top of my head.

The Pistons are definitely a threat. With the core group of Billups, Hamilton, Prince and Wallace, Mcdyess, they have the superior match-up against the Celtics' triple-threat, either in isolation or in transition. I'm looking forward to their first match-up in regular season.

Many have rated the Bulls the top team in the east, based on their toughness and deep run in last season playoff. Somehow i feel the Celtics will have a better chance if facing them, with Pierce and Garnett playing the low/high post game, verse the Bulls' perimeter game.

The Cavaliers are probably less a threat at this stage, as they're still trying to bring back the full team from last season. Let's give them a bit more time.

OK, the above is based on what we have already known.

What about the thing we don't know yet, such as .....
(it's in today's sport news) the possibility of Kobe Bryant be traded .....

My first reaction is, to subscribe every cable sports TV available and to start re-arranging my appointment schedule for the next few months.

Seriously, to make this trade possible, the other team must have enough assets to offer and deep pocket to take on Bryant's contract, and he will only be interested in playing for a title contender. So there are only handful of teams qualified, and i am assuming that Lakers will cross out those teams that are competing in the same conference.

So here are my two possible scenerios (the number in bracket is how many years remaining in contract):

<1> Trade Bryant (3 yrs) to Detroit, for Richard Hamilton (3 yrs), Jason Maxiell (1 yr), Rodney Stuckey (2 yrs) or Ronald Murray (1 yr) plus other bench players. Bryant will team up with Billups, Prince, Wallace and to become the all defence-team of the league.

This is purely from my speculation. But the possible trade will meet both teams' need. Lakers will get Hamilton and Stuckey to somewhat fill-in the vaccum, in the catagory of total point per game and in defence, and to build for the future prospect of Stuckey and Bynum. In addition, Lakers will also add Maxiell to strength their rebound and interior defence catagory, Detroit, needless to say, will get another shot to the Final, with most of their core group intact. I am, however, assuming that Bryant doesn't mind to move from LA to Detroit (i could imagine it'll be a culture shock to him). A question remains is how Detroit's offer can beat the next team (below) for the trade.

<2> Trade Bryant to Chicago, for Tyrus Thomas (1 yr), Ben Gordon (1 yr), Chris Duhon (1 yr), Thabo Sefolosha (1 yr), Viktor Khryapa (1 yr) and may be another bench player. Bryant will team up with Hinrich, Deng, Wallace and Nocioni (or Joe Smith) as the starting five.

This will be the best possible offer available in market right now, in terms of value for return (even better if Chicago is willing to include Deng or Hinrich) and Bryant has already given his consesus to play for the Bulls. The problem with the Bulls is whether they will find good enough player to fill the void (much like what Boston have gone through).

The experts analyse that possible trade will not happen till the season ends. If, however, the above scenerio does materialise, it will still be a three-teams race to the conference final. But fighting for better seeding in playoff will likely be at top of the list for each team right from the start.

It is going to be a fantastic season to watch.