Tonight, the Celtics and Pistons return to Boston for game five of a hotly contested conference finals series that is currently tied at two games apiece. The teams have played scrappy, grind-it-out defense that has led to a dearth of scoring on both ends of the floor. Big-name players such as Ray Allen have been nearly invisible against this defensive pressure. It might be thought that the defense is the key to the series.
However, defense does not represent the totality of what it is going to take to win this series. The old mantra states that "defense wins championships," but that applies only when one team has a clear defensive advantage over their opponents. This is not the case in the Eastern Conference Finals. The Celtics and Pistons are two defensive stalwarts, among the top teams in the league; according to defensive rating, which is the number of points allowed per 100 possessions, Boston is first in the league while Detroit is fourth. Thus, neither team really has any defensive advantage over the other.
In this case, then, the edge comes down to the offensive end. The point guard's job is to run his team's offense. Thus, the key to the series is the play at the point. Chauncey Billups vs. Rajon Rondo. Rodney Stuckey and Lindsey Hunter vs. Eddie House and Sam Cassell. Whichever team's point facilitates the offense in the most effective way will be the team that gets the win. The battle at the points can be broken down into three topics:
1) The Health of Chauncey Billups: In the Eastern Conference Semifinals, Billups momentarily left the NBA and tried his hand at gymnastics by performing a beautiful split in the middle of the floor. Unfortunately, he clearly did not warm up first and ended up pulling a hamstring. He sat out the rest of that series and has given his all in his matchups with the Celtics, but, as indicated by extended minutes for backup Rodney Stuckey and even sightings of the fossilized remains of Lindsey Hunter during the first four games, it is clear that he is still not at 100%. Billups is a key component to the Pistons' gameplan; the 2004 Finals MVP whose nickname is "Mr. Big Shot" is clearly the facilitator of the Piston offense. Stuckey has been impressive in the playoffs thus far, but he is only a rookie and certainly not someone I would put my faith in to replace Billups. If Chauncey cannot get healthy or at least sufficiently play through the pain, then the Pistons will struggle to win this series.
2) The Aggressiveness of Rajon Rondo: Rondo's aggressiveness ties in to the point about Chauncey Billups. If Billups is not healthy, then Rondo needs to be aggressive and attack the basket. Rondo's youth and speed should be enough to get him by Billups even when aging Billups is healthy, but Rondo has shown himself to be all too reluctant to step up and make the big plays when they are needed most. With "The Big Three" down to "The Big Two" due to Ray Allen's atrocious performance thus far, someone else in the starting five needs to step up. Rondo is the most capable one. That is perhaps the most infuriating thing about his play: he certainly has the skills, but does not have the right mentality to get it done.
3) Eddie House vs Sam Cassell: The story of the benches is not even about a battle between Boston and Detroit. There is enough feuding going on amongst Boston's backups themselves. Sam Cassell needs to get off the floor. He complained about the lack of minutes after Eddie House started to steal them, which goes against the team concept of "Ubuntu." Cassell is an "Ubuntu" killer. Every time he's on the floor, he's looking for his own shot. It doesn't matter if he holds onto the ball for a solid 12 seconds before trying to set anyone else up; in his mind, his shot is the good shot. He was brought in to be a stabilizing presence for the bench; a guy who could step up and hit big shots. Throughout the playoffs, he's shooting 33% from the floor and 29% from downtown. For the series, he has dropped to 25% shooting in the two games he has played. Eddie House came up with this team, fought with them throughout the regular season, and, in my opinion, has earned his spot. Give him his due chance, Doc. He came up big against Cleveland and should have the opportunity to do the same against the Pistons.
There are so many factors that go into deciding who wins any given game. In Game 4, none of the Big Three showed up. I am going to, for the time being, consider that a bizarre aberration and assume that it won't happen again. It should be a given that those guys will show up (except for the enigmatic Ray Allen, who I've pretty much given up on). There is so much going on at the point guard spot that it seems to be the most crucial area in which the Celtics need to step up their game. If they lose to a hobbled star, an inexperienced rookie, and a living dinosaur, then maybe they didn't belong here in the first place. Rondo, prove you belong. House, provide the spark off the bench. Sam, get off the floor. And Doc, show him the way out.
Topic: point guard play key to series (Read 2211 times)