Pistons Make Themselves At Home In Boston

The Boston Celtics' quest to earn a championship by winning exclusively at home ended Thursday night when the Detroit Pistons imposed their will down the stretch and took home a souvernir W from the Some Bank Garden.

For a moment late in the fourth quarter, I thought Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen were going to lead the C's to a nice comeback win and blow the roof off the new Garden. But, Rasheed Wallace, Rip Hamilton and the Pistons were having none of it. They all just went to work and closed out the game like they'd been there before. The C's vaunted defense couldn't get the stops they needed (or simply the rebounds for that matter) and in the end the Pistons left in firm control of the series.

This series has the potential to be epic, but now it's up to the Celtics to man up on the road and claw out a W. There will be too many doubts to overcome if the C's come back home down 3-1. The intensity for Game 3 in the Palace ought to be off the charts so sit back and enjoy the two best teams in the East fighting to take the next step toward the ultimate prize.

One other item of interest, regarding the spirit of Flip Murray.  According to Krista Jahnke of the Detroit Free Press , Rasheed keeps Flip in mind during pre-game introductions.(hat tip: Fanhouse)

Just a funny thing to note about the Pistons pregame introduction. Next time, watch Rasheed Wallace. After they call his name and he gives his love to the crowd, he turns, high-fives a few of his teammates and then chest-bumps the air. Why? Because that’s where Ronald “Flip” Murray used to be. He’s chest-bumping an invisible Flip Murray.