One of the things which many astute NBA observers fail to realize is just how many games are actually decided by the specific outcomes of a small set of Fulcrum Possessions, regardless what other advantages and/or disadvantages might be unearthed from a detailed examination of the various ‘Game Stats’ from that contest.
The final score of last night’s Detroit victory (at home) versus Boston was 94-75 … a 19 point differential.
However, save for the following 8 possessions [#1-8, below] in this game … 4 of which the Pistons played on Defense and 4 of which they played on Offense … last night’s eventual outcome would have been markedly different.
———————————————————
| Pierce Layup Shot: Made (16 PTS) | 4:51 [BOS 73-78] |
|
| 4:50 | Team Timeout:Regular | |
| 4:50 | Hunter Substitution replaced by Billups | |
| 4:50 | Maxiell Substitution replaced by Wallace | |
| 4:50 | Stuckey Substitution replaced by Prince | |
| 4:38 | Hamilton Foul:Offensive (5 PF) | |
| 4:38 | Hamilton Turnover:Foul (2 TO) | |
| [#1] Pierce Jump Shot: Missed | 4:28 | |
| 4:26 | Prince Rebound (Off:0 Def:2) | |
| 4:05 | Prince Hook Shot: Missed Block: Garnett (2 BLK) | |
| Pierce Rebound (Off:2 Def:6) | 4:03 | |
| [#2] Rondo Layup Shot: Missed | 3:46 | |
| 3:44 | Wallace Rebound (Off:1 Def:3) | |
| Perkins Foul:Shooting (6 PF) | 3:23 | |
| Perkins Substitution replaced by Brown | 3:23 | |
| 3:23 [DET 79-73] |
[#3] Wallace Free Throw 1 of 2 (13 PTS) | |
| 3:23 [DET 80-73] |
Wallace Free Throw 2 of 2 (14 PTS) | |
| [#4] Allen Turnover:Bad Pass (2 TO) | 3:13 | |
| 2:55 [DET 83-73] |
[#5] Billups 3pt Shot: Made (10 PTS) Assist: Prince (3 AST) |
|
| Team Timeout:Regular | 2:53 | |
| Brown Substitution replaced by Posey | 2:53 | |
| Garnett Hook Shot: Made (16 PTS) Assist: Posey (1 AST) |
2:31 [BOS 75-83] |
|
| Allen Foul:Personal (2 PF) | 2:14 | |
| 2:14 [DET 84-75] |
[#6] Hamilton Free Throw 1 of 2 (15 PTS) | |
| 2:14 [DET 85-75] |
Hamilton Free Throw 2 of 2 (16 PTS) | |
| 2:04 | McDyess Foul:Shooting (4 PF) | |
| [#7] Allen Free Throw 1 of 2 missed | 2:04 | |
| Team Rebound | 2:04 | |
| Allen Free Throw 2 of 2 missed | 2:04 | |
| 2:03 | Wallace Rebound (Off:1 Def:4) | |
| 1:47 [DET 87-75] |
[#8] Hamilton Driving Layup Shot: Made (18 PTS) Assist: Billups (6 AST) |
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Full Play-By-Play (Bost @ Detroit, Mon May 26)
In a 3:04 span of the 4th Quarter (4:51-1:47), Detroit converted on 4 of their 6 possessions (66.7%), to the tune of 9 points, while allowing Boston to convert on only 1 of their 5 possessions (20.0%), for a total of 2 points (including 2 crucial missed FTA’s by Ray Allen, the leading percentage free throw shooter in the 2008 Playoffs).
Given the time & score, at that point of the game …
* 1 Jump Shot: Missed (Paul Pierce)
* 1 Layup Shot: Missed (Rajon Rondo)
* 1 Turnover (Ray Allen)
* 1 pair of FTA’s: Missed + Missed (Ray Allen)
by the Celtics … in concert with the Pistons offensive execution, which included …
* 1 pair of FTA’s: Made + Made (Rasheed Wallace)
* 1 3Pt Shot: Made (Chauncey Billups)
* 1 pair of FTA’s: Made + Made (Rip Hamilton)
* 1 Driving Layup Shot: Made (Rip Hamilton)
proved to be THE difference between the Pistons’ season coming to an abrupt end on Wednesday night in Boston (Game 5) or ensuring that at least one more home game is played in Detroit during this post-season (Friday night’s Game 6).
Tags: Boston Celtics, Chauncey Billups, Detroit Pistons, Paul Pierce, Rajon Rondo, Rasheed Wallace, Ray Allen, Rip Hamilton
Khandor's Sports Blog 
May 27, 2008 at 4:52 pm |
[…] post by khandor Bookmark and Share: These icons link to social bookmarking sites where readers can share and […]
May 27, 2008 at 6:36 pm |
Agreed. Good insight. When I was watching it, Perkins’ stupid foul led to the Pistons’ offensive sequence. PJ Brown had to jump in cold and try to match the energy of McDyess. Did you like how pissed off Perkins looked after he fouled out? It’s almost like he’s thinks he’s got some game. Haha.
May 27, 2008 at 9:48 pm |
With his imposing physical size and his menacing scowl, Kendrick is the Celtics enforcer in the paint. If nothing else, at least, in his own mind.
In all seriousness, when Perkins is out of the game, Boston’s level of overall physicality does go down a lot.
May 29, 2008 at 12:15 am |
[…] 8 Possessions which extended the Pistons’ seasonThe final score of last night’s Detroit victory (at home) versus Boston was 94-75 … a 19 point differential. However, save for the following 8 possessions [#1-8, below] in this game … 4 of which the Pistons played on Defense and 4 of …Khandor's Sports Blog – https://khandorssportsblog.wordpress.com pay per click advertising […]
May 29, 2008 at 5:47 am |
[…] ESPN.Top Detroit Sports News, Videos, and Blogs… – http://ballhype.com/locale/detroit/|||8 Possessions which extended the Pistons’ season1 pair of FTA’s: Made Made (Rip Hamilton) * 1 Driving Layup Shot: Made (Rip Hamilton). proved to […]