Bastardizing Physics Without Resorting to Economics

I know, I know, that's a really convoluded headline for a basketball blog post, but there's a good reason for it that I'll hopefully be able to articulate somewhere in this rambling tangent of drivel (and besides, I know that if Ray is reading this that I got at least one good laugh out of the title).  Want an explanation?  Ok here it goes:

Watching the first four games of the Detroit v. Boston Conference Finals, I've noticed that everything that's happened in the series thus far is governed by Isaac Newton's Third Law of Motion, which states that for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction (stop scratching your heads, I'm getting there).  Basically, I believe that because the Pistons and Celtics are so evenly matched that the winner of each game is not dictated by talent, but by whomever's pride was hurt in the previous game.  Yes, it's an oversimplification of the many intricacies of basketball and what it takes to win at such a high level, but think about it for just one minute (fear not, I'll do the thinking for you) it actually starts to make more sense.

With each passing game, one of the two teams is essentially challenging the other to step up their game and get a win.  In game one, the Celtics dominated on both ends and soundly beat Detroit in Boston.  Game two represented Detroit's rebuttal and counter challenge to the Celtics, forcing Boston to prove their worth and win a playoff game on the road or face a crushing series deficit to a very talented and experienced Pistons team.  The Celtics responded like champions, blowing the doors off of Detroit in game three and cruising to a fourteen point lead (it would have been thirty had Doc Rivers kept the Celtics on pace or if the referees had called anything against Detroit in the final period).  After being beaten badly at home and booed by their own fans, it was not surprising that the Pistons responded in game four and resoundingly beat the Celtics last night, 94-75.

Although the Celtics got dominated last night, they were actually very close for most of the game despite their atrocious shooting and ball management.  Even though their shots weren't falling, the Celtics stayed aggressive and kept attacking Detroit's defense, which is reflected by their 39-26 free throw advantage over the Pistons.  Despite Detroit's defensive effort, the Celtics still got more than enough open looks at the basket, the shots just didn't fall.  Detroit came out and played with more energy and emotion than the Celtics, and it showed throughout the course of the game. 

As a Celtics fan, it was painful to watch, however I had made peace with the loss before the game even tipped off.  In my mind, there was absolutely no way that Detroit could lose another home game after the disaster that was game three (especially because they got trounced at home).  Detroit's pride and credibility (not to mention their series life) was at stake last night, and they certainly were not going to let game four slip away. 

Even though the series is even at this point, I'm feeling pretty good about the Celtics' future in this series against Detroit.  After losing by nearly 20 points last night, the Celtics will come out with fire and passion in game five and force Detroit into their style of play and control the tempo of the game.  Jumpshots tend to fall better at home and the Celtics will be energized by the home crowd as well as the challenge that the Pistons have issued.  It's true that Detroit is a great road team (almost better than they are at home), but the Celtics are even better at home and should win game five and take a 3-2 series lead back to Auburn Hills, Michigan.  

I've got to believe at this point that Detroit will win game six and force the series back to Boston for game seven, but I don't think that we've seen Detroit's inevitable clunker game (Wilbon agrees with me) yet, so there's a chance that Boston could wrap up the series in six if the Pistons have a critical failure at an opportune time for the Celtics.  Boston laid their egg last night, and they know it, which means that (hopefully) they'll respond in the last three games and play better than they have in the first four.

Boston still has to iron out a few details of their game plan and make some adjustments to beat Detroit, but the Celtics did it before game three and I'm feeling very confident that they'll do the same for game five tomorrow night.  As long as they take care of the ball, rotate quickly on defense and hit more than one three pointer in game five, the Celtics should carry their home court advantage and force Detroit to step up in game six.