I Hate L.A....too early? Celtics Win.

Quite honestly there are too many story lines in this game to single out just one. I don't know if it was Kendrick Perkins' nasty performance that should get the headline or if the resurgance of Ray Allen that should get it, but one thing I know is that the Celtics should've really taken it to the Pistons, but they didn't and still the old addage remains, a win is a win, especially in the playoffs.

Kendrick Perkins had a double double before the end of the 1st half. He was a force to be reckoned with on the boards all night long and he even picked up a couple of blocked shots along the way. He finished with 18 points and 16 rebounds.

Ray Allen on the other hand found his stroke towards the end of the third quarter. He hit five shots from downtown only to be taken out of the game by Doc Rivers to "rest him" for the final minutes. When a shooter is struggling and finally finds his stroke the last thing you want to do is take him out of the game. Keep him in the game and let him continue to stroke it. In fact, get the ball in his hands as much as possible, everytime down the floor. Let him put your team on his shoulders and carry you to the promised land. Luckily for the Celtics Ray Allen is a shooter and not a streaky one, as he came off a screen late in the game and knocked down a key two point shot to put his team up 3 and also had two clutch free throws to seal the deal with with 6.3 left to go. The final line on Ray Ray was 29 points.

This game should have been a blowout. Anytime you have Kendrick Perkins putting up numbers like he did, KG with 33 points and Ray Allen finds his stroke, you should blow a team out. But, sloppy play down the stretch by the Celtics almost let this one slip away. What Mark Jackson would call "the worst pick and roll execution" he has ever seen down the stretch by Rondo, Pierce and KG almost had the Celtics fall behind in this series 3-2.

At one point the C's were up by 17 in the 3rd quarter and still the game came down to 1:04 left on the clock, the Celtics called a time-out and drew up a play to try and give themselves some breathing room. The score was Boston 100 - Detroit 99. The play came in for Ray Allen who proceeded to knock down a two from the corner.

So now, after the Celtics go up 3-2 on the Pistons and head back to Detroit, the Lakers look to sew the series up tomorrow night.

Final Score: Celtics 106 Pistons 102

Click here for the boxscore.

- Adam

Labels: Boston Celtics, Game 5, Kendrick Perkins, Kevin Garnett, Los Angeles Lakers, Paul Pierce, Ray Allen