Out For Revenge

When the Celtics and Pistons faced off in Detroit three weeks ago, Kevin Garnett left the game with a calf injury and the Pistons went on to win against a deflated Celtics' team. The Pistons tend to play some of their best basketball against the Celtics, as last time around former NBA star Tracy McGrady was making clutch jumpers like the Tracy McGrady of old, and point guard Rodney Stuckey was running the offense for them very effectively. Also, big man Charlie Villanueva, who had that "cancer patient" dispute with KG earlier this season, loves to knock down long jumpers, so the Celtics need to make sure they get off to a fast start and put the Pistons down big early on in the game. This Detroit team is struggling right now, despite coming off a win against the slumping Dallas Mavericks on Monday, and has a miserable 4-17 record on the road while the Celtics have a 19-3 record at home and are looking for their fourth consecutive win. Garnett will be out to seek revenge for the injury that the Pistons gave him which caused him to miss nine games, and look for him to energize the Celtics, help Boston put up a lot of points in the first half, and lead a defense that needs to clamp down early on the inconsistent Detroit offense. They are capable of playing the playoff worthy basketball that Detroit used to always play, but lack consistency and leadership, and will implode if Boston can put them down big early on.

Boston should have no major issues in running their offense effectively tonight, as Rondo, Shaq, and the Big Three should all have ample opportunity to score against a Detroit defense that can be easily be penetrated and broken down to the point where they essentially stop contesting shots. Part of the reason for this is that longtime Detroit scorer Rip Hamilton has been getting benched every game recently while the Pistons prepare to trade him as part of the three team deal that would supposedly send Carmelo Anthony to the Nets. Hamilton and his teammates have expressed great frustration with their coach over this matter. Also, Detroit is not as athletic as they used to be, and typically don't get the huge blocks and clutch steals that were associated with Pistons' defense during their reign as the beasts of the Eastern Conference. Boston should be able to penetrate them with relative ease on offense, while clamping down and sucking the life out of them on defense. If you can get a lead on the Pistons early, then McGrady, Stuckey, and Villanueva won't make the big shots that keep Detroit in the game like they did three weeks ago when the Celtics lost Garnett, and then played sloppy basketball for the rest of the game. Boston should have a very well rounded attack on offense, and expect a ton of open threes from Ray Allen and a bunch of strong drives to the hoop from Paul Pierce. Also, the Celtics need to limit the impact that rookie center Greg Monroe makes on the game for the Pistons.

The Pistons only recently moved Monroe into their starting lineup, and the athletic rookie big man has proved he can be a huge difference maker with his size, athleticism, defense, and rebounding. Having KG back will be huge for the Celtics on the boards, but Monroe is great at hunting down offensive rebounds and finishing the play with an easy bucket. The Pistons are still relatively easy to stop, especially when they're on the road, and clamping down on them early should get Boston the win tonight. Also, no matter how effective Monroe proves to be on offense, Shaq and Garnett should have no problem getting underneath him for easy buckets and trips to the foul line when he's on defense, as this athletic rookie will not be able to stop the very big and very strong all star pair of big men in Boston's starting lineup.