Pistons-Celtics Game 2: Where HomeCourt Doesn't Happen

Just when you had the Eastern Conference pinned down as a cover your eyes grindfest, a wildly entertaining game breaks out... and for the first time in 15 games and 2 months, and the entire post-season, the Boston Celtics lost at home. Your final is 103-97.

It's a cliche, but this was simply a heavyweight fight. Both teams really brought their "A" game. After a crisp first half that ended with a Pistons lead, the Celtics came out with a 15-4 run to take a 4 point lead. For the first time in a while, Ray Allen was a positive, but the Pistons just kept responding, mixing in good bench play from the emerging Rodney Stuckey with better free throw shooting from just about the whole team. And while the game was wildly even, you just got the feel that Boston was always working a little harder for their points.

Many, many heroes for the Pistons tonight. Rasheed Wallace hit some big 3s. Tayshaun Prince made his customary game-changing blocks. Hamilton got worked a little by Allen, but also came up with 25 of his own, including a crucial runner at the buzzer to give them a 6 point lead with 48.2 left. Antonio McDyess had some highly important offensive boards in crunch time.

If you have to point the finger at any Celtic for the loss -- and frankly, I just don't see the need -- maybe it's Rajon Rondo, who not only didn't hold his own against Chauncey Billups, but also was in the mix for Stuckey's instant offense. As always, you wondered where KG was in the fourth quarter, as Sheed delivered more big plays than the defensive player of the year.

The killer play to my eyes was Billups getting loose for an uncontested layup off an inbounds play. With 20 seconds left, the Pistons up 4 and three seconds on the clock, how can that happen? A miracle rainbow 3 from Allen at 10.7 made for some pressure free throws and inbounds plays, but the easy bucket by Billups gave them the margin for error.

Celtics Fan might howl about the officiating -- there was a KG goaltending call that was the right call, and Allen and Rivers were both howling on a block by Hamilton at the 2:30 mark -- but it didn't seem like it was a factor to me. Tonight, Boston had 75 points from Allen, Garnett and Pierce, shot 48% from the floor, had the crowd in full throat, and still lost. It was the first time in 14 straight home playoff games that Boston gave up 100 points, and it showed the world that when both of these teams play at full throttle, the Pistons are better.

Oh, and one last moment from the game... with 11 seconds left, no timeouts, and the Pistons needing to inbound and make free throws, the cameras clearly caught Sheed singing along to Guns and Roses' "Paradise City" as the Boston public address tried to pump up the crowd. Sheed is, just in case you haven't realized by now, a Piece of Work. And he's going home with home-court advantage.