Boston fans can finally stop holding their collective breath because in Game five of the Eastern Conference Finals, the third member of its Big Three finally acted like it.

Ray Allen, who hadn’t been able to find his shooting touch this postseason, busted out of his slump by pouring in 29 points on 9-for-15 shooting. He led Boston to a 106-102 victory, and a 3-2 series lead. Allen also went 5-for-6 from the three-point line. Prior to this game, he had been 3-for-14 from behind the arc against Detroit.
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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 »

With two games in the books, the first round of the NBA playoffs has been dominated by chalk. In seven of the eight series, the higher seed has jumped out to a 2-0 lead. However, as the old adage goes, “the lower seed is never finished until they lose on their home court.” We’ll see what happens as the games switch venues, but in the meantime, here’s a recap of the last two nights’ games.

TUESDAY

New Orleans Hornets 127, Dallas Mavericks 103; New Orleans lead series 2-0.
Chris Paul showed why he should be the league’s MVP this season, scoring 32 points and dishing out 17 assists in the convincing win. Paul was constantly doubled, but it didn’t seem to matter as the Mavericks had no answer for the speedy guard. David West scored 27 points and Peja Stojakovic added 22 for the Hornets, who shot 61 percent as a team from the field. Dirk Nowitzki led Dallas with 27 points but received little help outside of Brandon Bass.

San Antonio Spurs 102, Phoenix Suns 96; San Antonio lead series 2-0.
For the second straight game, the Suns jumped out to a solid halftime lead only to let it slip away in the second half. Amare Stoudemire and Shaquille O’Neal dominated the paint in the first half, but ultimately, the Suns had no answer for Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili, who penetrated into the lane and scored at will. Parker finished with 32 points and Ginobili had 29 for the Spurs, while Stoudemire led the Suns with 33 points.

Orlando Magic 104, Toronto Raptors 103; Magic lead series 2-0.
Orlando escaped with the one-point victory thanks to another dominating performance by Dwight Howard. Just like game one, Howard recorded a 20-point, 20-rebound game to help the Magic maintain home-court advantage. Toronto’s Chris Bosh, who led the team with 29 points and 10 rebounds, had a 16-footer at the buzzer to win the game, but it clanked off the front of the rim. Jameer Nelson and Rashard Lewis each scored 18 for the Magic.

WEDNESDAY

Los Angeles Lakers 122, Denver Nuggets 107; Lakers lead series 2-0.
Kobe Bryant didn’t have to carry the load in game one thanks to Pau Gasol’s 36-point, 16-rebound effort, but in game two, Bryant returned to his usual role, exploding for 49 points and 10 assists. The Nuggets had no answer for the superstar, a discouraging, season-long theme for the team. Allen Iverson led the Nuggets with 31 points, and Marcus Camby grabbed 17 rebounds and blocked four shots, but unless Denver figures out how to play team defense, this series is over.

Boston Celtics 96, Atlanta Hawks 77; Celtics lead series 2-0.
With five guys in double figures, the Celtics used a balanced attack to slowly devastate the Hawks by 19 points. Kevin Garnett, who received the NBA Defensive Player of the Year award before the game, led Boston with 19 points and 10 rebounds. Atlanta also put five guys in double figures, but none scored more than 13 points. Mike Bibby, who criticized Boston fans before the game for being fair-weather fans, scored 12 points but dished out only one assist.

Detroit Pistons 105, Philadelphia 76ers 88; series tied 1-1.
Fueled by a surprising loss in game one, the Pistons came out on a mission in game two. Four Detroit players, led by Richard Hamilton’s 20, scored at least 16 points in the must-win game. Louis Williams led the 76ers with 17 points and Andre Miller added 14, but the game was never really in doubt for Detroit. The Pistons jumped all over Philadelphia in the first-half on their way to a 17-point lead at the break.