Cleveland lost the first two games of the conference
finals last season, so Game 2 tonight isn't an
all-or-nothing proposition. But I don't see the
Pistons winning the series unless they steal this one.
Doc Rivers spins his team's Game 1 performance by
saying it was feeding off the emotion of the last
series and that the fatigue might set in tonight.
The Pistons should hope he's right but they need to
rely on better execution and give Boston more looks
defensively on pick-and-rolls and isolations.
Rasheed Wallace can't shoot any worse and Chauncey
Billups can't be any more passive than they were in
Game 1. I also have to believe they'll get the ball to
Rip Hamilton and let him take over for a stretch. When
they struggle to score, he's still the one guy who can
provide steady points.
Aside on Rip: He was assessed a flagrant foul, penalty
one for a fourth-quarter foul in Game 1. A suspension
only kicks in if it's a penalty two infraction.
Penalty one simply deals with unnecessary contact.