Won that coulda been stolen

Woulda, shoulda, coulda. The Pistons were within stealing a game in Boston last night, but they fell short. Based on this one game, I think the difference is going to be the Garnett-Wallace matchup.
Garnett was superb last night, making three-pointers, driving inside and being extremely active. Wallace, on the other hand, was one-dimensional, for the most part, trying to hit from outside. He had, if memory serves me correctly, one significant drive, late in the first half.
And, of course, Billups did not have a good game. For the Pistons to win, these two have to excel.
I believe Billups, despite his sore leg, eventually will turn it up a notch. But I have very little faith in Wallace to do the same.
When the Pistons won that title a few years ago, many experts pointed to the trade for Rasheed Wallace as a significant turning point. Rasheed gave them inside strength, offensively and defensively. And, despite his penchant for technicals and jawing with officials, he is often called a good teammate.
Only in today's world can a professional athlete who plays when he wants and wastes so much time on complaining to officials be called a "good teammate." I heard it again last night, from Mike Breen in the TV booth.
If he was the reason the Pistons won a few years ago, you can make an argument he's the reason they haven't won since. He's been an underachiever in the regular season and a bust in the postseason. He settles for jumpers instead of driving to the basket, being the offensive force underneath that he MUST be if the Pistons are to beat the elite teams -- Celts, Spurs, (and now) Lakers.
I still think the Pistons can win this series. But last night was a key, key game. It was a game the Pistons had within their grasp, and they needed Wallace to pull his weight. Sadly, for them, he faltered again.