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Jason asked this question on another post. I’ll print it and answer it here:

Bill
I think it’s safe to say that whoever wins tonight, takes the series.
With Billups either out, or at bare minimum not 100%, the Celtics win tonight, and likely in seven games.
My question — can they beat the Lakers? I think yes.
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Jason
I agree with the first part and yes.
Billups is the key for the Pistons. He doesn’t have to score 20 to be effective. But he has to be on the floor when the game is on the line. I do like the Celtics in a close game. We are due for a nail-biter. This series could use it to be honest.
As for the Lakers, I realize the teams in the West look wonderful on TV. I do know I wasn’t overly impressed with the Lakers during the regular season. By that I mean they didn’t look like a great team. They were very good.
I believe the Celtics can and would beat the Lakers if they get by Detroit. Stay tuned.

Bill
Would you play Powe more? He seems to be in Doc’s doghouse.

Joey
Good question. Tonight, I say no, though Powe has had some of his best games at home. The reason is Kendrick Perkins and now P.J. Brown. Brown is taking up a lot of time that Powe usually gets.
They may through him out there for a while in the second quarter, to see if he can add any value. But my guess is he won’t play more than eight minutes.
I said this in a post earlier today that I believe Perkins will be a focal point tonight. I believe Garnett will look to him a lot.

Bill
What is wrong with Ray Allen?

Kelly
I would be rich if I knew. I will say I watched him at practice yesterday and a little bit when I got here tonight. He does not look good. Maybe I’m being over-critical because of his struggles, but you expect stars like him to hit 10 or 15 in a row. But he didn’t.
If I had to guess, it appears his confidence with the 3-pointer is shot. He could really use a 5-for-6 from outside the arc. But you have to credit opposing defenses. He is getting few if any open looks. If he was a little more successful driving to the basket, maybe that would earn him some extra space. But those days are probably gone. At 25 or even 28, maybe.

Will Doc realize that Cassell adds nothing to the team and that House adds a much-needed energy boost?

Colin
I see your point. Cassell can’t seem to play at this Eastern Conference Championship pace. Whenever he has the ball he is pressured the entire way. That being said, he has shown in a his short stint here that he can not only hit a jump shot but he can create his own jump shot, which Allen can’t do.
As for House, I believe he will see some time tonight. How many minutes depends on how much good he does. Again, the Pistons are giving up many wide open 3-point shot looks. The one thing about House is he doesn’t need much time to get it off.
To answer your question, Doc knows what he is doing. I just don’t think he has as high opinion of House that you do.
Remember, House is not noted for his defense. If he covers Richard Hamilton that is basically a mismatch.

He has been very frustrating to watch. How can he get open so much in the regular season and be so easy to stop in the playoffs?

Kelly
Same answer as last time. I would rich if I knew the answer.
My opinion on Ray Allen is he needs Rondo to have a great game. A great game for Rondo, offensively speaking, means he is running the floor and creating open space, which is where Ray Allen shines.
I understand your frustration, Kelly. Allen changes everything in the Celtics favor if he can hit some 3′s.

Bill
What about McDyess? He killed them last time. What will they do to try and stop him?

Max
I believe McDyess was the No. 1 reason Doc River was not happy with the Celtics defense. It wasn’t that he scored 21. It was the fact that he had so many wide open shots from 15 to 18 feet, which is his bread and butter. Doc talked about McDyess being left alone too much, meaning defenders weren’t rotating fast enough. If there is one change to tonight’s game play it will be that McDyess won’t get as many open looks.

Tell me if you think this makes sense. If the Celtics find themselves (and Allen) struggling again when half-time rolls around, put Posey in the game for defense and perimeter shooting and move Pierce to guard and give him the ball on every possesion, letting him do his best Kobe impersonation. He’s confident that no one can guard him one-on-one and he’s smart enough to find the open man when they start double teaming him. As he showed showed against the Cavs, he still has the ability to completely take over the game when given the opportunity (even with LeBron defending him.)

Marcel
That’s what happened in Game 7 against Cleveland.
That is a last resort if the offense is struggling, which it’s really not other than Game 4 in Detroit.
House will play tonight. If he does nothing, he will come out. If he does well, he will take all of Cassell’s minutes.
I like taking Allen out if he isn’t scoring or hitting 3s. You’d make a good coach.