Ray can’t get going

Some thoughts from the break during game two of the Celtics/Pistons matchup…

* Headed into tonight’s duel, Jon Barry called this the “most important game of the series.” Because of the Celtics road woes, he argued that whoever wins tonight, wins the series.

* Early in game one, the high ball screen with Rasheed Wallace worked on a number of possessions. Both KG and Kendrick Perkins shaded towards ‘Sheed to take away the pick-and-pop three-pointer, leaving Chauncey Billups open to drive. But Mr. Big Shot wasn’t himself in game one – he didn’t take the ball north-south on Rondo. The Pistons ran this a number of times in the first quarter, but Chauncey didn’t aggressively attack the basket. Any time a defender hedged, he backed off.

* How much better is KG than Rasheed? He’s gotten everything he wants whether it’s been off a face-up 15-feet away from the basket or in the post. On the other end, ‘Sheed hasn’t even looked for his shot – he’s taken 2 attempts and missed both of them.

* Before the game, P.J. Brown told Mike Wilbon that he expected ‘Sheed’s “very, very best.” Brown isn’t quite Ms. Cleo – Wallace ended up picking up his fifth technical foul of the post-season less than five minutes into the game. If he gets T’d up two more times, he’ll be suspended for a game.

* With all that said, the Pistons have set the tone all game long, keeping tabs on Boston’s role players – Posey (1-4 FG), and Rondo (1-5 FG). What’s wrong with Sam Cassell that he can’t get on the floor right now to give the Celtics a couple much needed buckets? On the other end, Detroit is shooting an unusually high percent – they’re converting at 51.5%, a number that the best defensive team in the League is not used to surrendering over the course of any half all season.

* It’s been Rip Hamilton leading the way for Detroit. He set the tone, and has already matched the total 15 points that he scored all of last game in the first half. He’s gravitated towards the spots on the floor where he can work, and hasn’t BS’d anywhere else. He’s created 8 attempts at the line (made 7 of them), which is a number far too high to allow any pure shooter to shoot.

* Will Ray Allen ever get going? And if he doesn’t, can the Celtics win a game playing four on five?