One big storyline in this series the rested Pistons versus the still-playing Celtics. Paul sure looks like crap in that picture… but that was 20 minutes after going toe-to-toe with LeBron James. By all accounts… he was moving pretty well in practice yesterday.
Is the rest better… or is being in a routine better? You can make an argument for each side.
The Pistons clearly needed the rest to help Chauncey Billups heal. But you can also get too much rest… and come out rusty. However, that might only last for the first half of Game 1… if that. The real issue here is whether Billups is really healthy. I don't think a hamstring can heal that quickly… but I guess we'll find out tonight.
The Celtics could probably use and extra day off… but there's something to be said for routine. Guys like doing the same thing all the time. We don't have anyone who's hurt… just some guys that are sore… and that soreness goes away on game day. Maybe it explains why sometimes they let up a little. Maybe it explains why we have less energy on the road. But at this level, with the medical personnel available, soreness and fatigue can be combated more effectively.
“It’s hard to say,” Pierce said. “When you are a player, you say we got the advantage because we’ve been playing. Then you look at them and they say they’ve got the advantage because they’ve been resting. From our point of view, we are looking at that they are a little rusty. From their point of view, they are looking at it like we are getting a little tired. It’s all psychological.”
So resting a few extra days is a little bit of an advantage… but not much of one. And since the Celtics are at home… they can counteract the fatigue with familiar surroundings and a schedule that is easier to manage. It makes a difference being able to relax at home… with all your stuff around and being near places you like to go… as opposed to trying to figure out where in Detroit you can go without being shot or attacked by a pit bull.
WBZ TV Post-practice interviews: Ray Allen | Paul Pierce | Kendrick Perkins | James Posey
Herald: Celtics guard concerns | Garden dominance even more critical | Balls bounce a very different way | Truth hasn't hit | Road won't get any easier | Grudge match | Five keys for Celtics | Globe: Message is clear to Pierce | How to download games at NBA.com (including Sunday's Game 7 for $2.99) | Together again | Third degree will yield answers | Slumping Allen tries to drum up rhythm | Pistons notebook: time consider minutes | Camerato: What we learned from Celtics-Cavs | Detroit Free Press: Attack of the clones- C's, Pistons full of similarities | Pistons talk individual matchups | Albom: No tea party, Boston | Spurs win Game 7 | Lawyer: Donaghy was addicted to gambling | SI: C's-Pistons won't disappoint | Aschburner: Why can't road teams win? | Barkley quitting gambling… sorta | Forbes: LeBron won't leave Cleveland
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