Still basking in the glow of our game 7 victory, I have to turn our attention to the next round. Here are some quick thoughts on the Pistons.
- I thought this last round and was proven wrong, but I'll try again. The law of averages would seem to indicate that we can't lose every road game. On the flip, we are just as unlikely to win every home game. I heard it said (and tend to agree) that it might take losing a home game to inspire us to win a road game. The bright side is that the Pistons have lost at home. The not-so-bright side is that they've won on the road. Sad as it is to say, this road story isn't going away until the C's can prove they can win away from Boston.
- I don't believe in conspiracy theories. I don't believe that there is a David Stern plot to lengthen the series to 7 games or to attempt to get LeBron James (or the Celtics for that matter) into the next round of the playoffs for marketing reasons. With that said, if you do believe in such things, take heart in the fact that the League would love to have the Lakers and Celtics face each other in the Finals. Putting that aside, I do believe that refs are human and they are swayed a little by the home crowd and quite a bit by "superstar" players like LeBron and Kobe. Again, on the bright side for us, do you really think the refs have any love for Rasheed Wallace and the Pistons? Here's hoping. If we don't notice the refs, they are doing their jobs.
- I can't stress this enough. The Celtics simply need to get something out of Ray Allen. I am really worried about him. I've never seen him so hesitant to take a shot. He was even thinking twice about wide open looks. I wonder if there's an injury that he's (again) not telling us about. If it is problems with his ankles or even if he's just tired, I fear what effect chasing Rip Hamilton all around the court will do to him. I wonder if we can switch Rondo onto him and pray that Ray can cover Chauncy who might not be 100% himself. Either that or we might start seeing Tony Allen get dusted off and thrown into the fray.