A Conference Finals Preview
Give us seven games between the Pistons and Celtics please
Here’s my hot take at the midway point of the season: Until the Knicks figure out who they are and what they’re trying to accomplish, the Pistons and Celtics represent the class of the Eastern Conference. Go ahead and make room for the Raptors/Cavs/76ers in that equation if you like. Argue for the Magic if that’s your wont. I’m sticking with Detroit and Boston – in that order – as the teams most likely to make the Finals out of the East.
What we saw on Monday night, and really what we’ve seen every time Boston and Detroit have played this season, was a tight, competitive contest that had more postseason vibes than regular season charm. They were getting after it – and each other – in a way that felt familiar to anyone who remembers the old Piston-Celtics battles of yore.
Of course, the names have changed. The game is much different now. The atmosphere isn’t as charged. Robert Parish isn’t walking through that door, and he’s not punching Bill Laimbeer. (A pity.) Still, find me two teams who go at each other like these two have this season. Even with Detroit taking three of the four games, they’ve been separated by less than a dozen points combined in their four meetings.
To be sure, none of the games between the Pistons and Celtics have been aesthetically pleasing. Detroit makes you play ugly by design, and the C’s played right into the Pistons’ active hands on Monday. Note the high turnovers (14) and rough shooting percentage (.398) for corroborating evidence.
Was it physical? Yes. A touch handsy? Absolutely. Did anyone complain? Only on every possession. For true connoisseurs of Eastern Conference Sludgeball, this Pistons-Celtics contest was a delightful reminder that the most competitive basketball doesn’t always make for the most artful basketball.
Even with all those misses amid all that clutching and grabbing, this is still the good stuff. Give us six or seven (every middle schooler just cheered) of these games during the month of May and my guess is they will all come down to the tiniest of margins as this one did. Unfortunately, we’ll have to wait until the spring because the Celtics and Pistons won’t see each other at all during the rest of the regular season. Bummer.
Speaking of downers, the rest of this post is for paid Hoopology subscribers. Among the topics discussed: Joe’s Big Galaxy Brain Screwup, Jaylen Brown’s doomed fourth quarter takeover, and Derrick White’s fizzling All-Star candidacy. It’s not all doom and gloom, but it is for the paying customers. Upgrade your subscription today.
