The Celtics and Pistons were the clear-cut top two teams in the East this year, so there is no surprise that they’re vying for a spot in the NBA Finals. What is surprising is the way these teams enter this series.

Boston was unexpectedly pushed to Game seven in each of the first two rounds, and is 0-6 on the road in the postseason. Now, it will have to continue the emotional roller coaster coming off a short layoff. Detroit had it easier and defeated Orlando in five games in the second round, but was actually down 2-1 in round one against the seventh-seeded 76ers. The Pistons will now have to shake off some rust coming into this series on a week layoff.

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The Orlando Magic had plenty to be upset about on Monday night. They had just crawled back into the game - a 100-93 loss in Detroit - and were about to take a lead into the fourth quarter when a clock malfunction allowed the Detroit Pistons to sink a dagger 3. And to make matters worse, Orlando’s flight out of Detroit on Monday night was forced to land in Cincinnati because of mechanical issues.

But, while the stars are apparently aligning in Detroit’s favor, the Magic could also place some blame on themselves for two bad road losses. A red-hot third quarter on Monday aside, Orlando trudged through two full games on the Pistons’ homecourt and dug themselves a 14-point hole in the first half of Game 2. Read more »