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Celtics lose showdown on foul shots with .1 second left

AP photo / Elise Amendola
Chauncey Billups drives on Rajon Rondo during the first half tonight in Boston.

BOSTON (AP) Chauncey Billups hit two free throws with a tenth of a second left and the Detroit Pistons handed the Celtics their first home loss of the season, 87-85 on Wednesday night.

The Celtics (20-3) had matched their best start ever, also achieved by the 1963-64 team that eventually won the NBA title. Boston had won its first 12 home games, its most since a club-record 17 by the 1957-58 squad.

Billups, who scored 12 of his team-high 28 points in the final quarter, was fouled by Tony Allen. On the previous possession, Billups' turnover gave the Celtics a chance to grab the lead.

Richard Hamilton added 21 points for Detroit in a matchup of the Eastern Conference's top teams.

Kevin Garnett led the Celtics with 26 points, and Ray Allen, who returned after missing the last two games because of a sore right ankle, had 24, including a tying 3-pointer with 18.9 seconds to play.

The Pistons held a 85-79 lead after Billups' fallaway jumper with 3:34 to play, but Eddie House and Ray Allen hit consecutive 3-pointers to tie it.

Billups then attempted to isolate Tony Allen, but lost the ball and Garnett stole it with 5.1 seconds left. Pierce missed a fadaway, and Rasheed Wallace grabbed the rebound before calling timeout with 1.7 seconds left.

Lindsay Hunter's 3-pointer 2:18 into the final quarter gave the Pistons their first lead, 68-67, since the opening minutes. Detroit forced Boston into some tough, contested jumpers and converted a pair of breakaway layups in scoring 10 of the next 14 points to move ahead 78-71 with 5:58 to play.

The matchup featured the league's top two defensive teams and lived up to its billing. In the opening minutes, both teams found that driving to the paint would be continually challenged and were forced to rely on jumpers.

Detroit, which had trouble working the ball into Boston's interior, was 9-of-20 from 3-point range.

Notes: For the second consecutive night, the TD Banknorth Garden hosted the Eastern Conference's two top teams in their respective sports. On Tuesday night in the NHL, Ottawa beat Boston 3-2. ... Boston coach Doc Rivers was whistled for a technical midway into the second quarter. ... Rivers wasn't about to buy into any "big game" talk before the contest. "It's December 19th," he said. "Detroit's had much bigger games the past four, five years." ... The Pistons have won 14 of the last 15 games against Boston. ... Red Sox DH David Ortiz was seated courtside wearing a Ray Allen jersey.

Posted by Mike McDermott  at 10:03 PM to Celtics | Permalink | Comments 0

Friars beat Sacred Heart, barely

After coughing up a 14-point lead in the second half, the Providence Friars came from behind and beat Sacred Heart tonight at The Dunk, 94-89.

The Friars regained the lead at the 8 minute mark but clung to one-point leads several times down the stretch. Only some late free throw shooting and defensive stops bailed out PC. The Friars improve to 7-3 while Sacred Heart is now 3-7.

Geoff McDermott led PC with 21 points and 10 rebounds. Weyinmi Efejuku led all scorers with 22 points and Randall Hanke added 20 points.

-Kevin McNamara

Posted by Mike McDermott  at 10:01 PM | Permalink | Comments 0

New York fans to present enormous pink slip for Isiah

NEW YORK (AP) - Angry New York Knicks fans have prepared what they're calling the world's largest pink slip to demand the firing of coach Isiah Thomas.

The fans planned to gather outside Madison Square Garden to urge Garden chairman James L. Dolan to fire Thomas, whose Knicks are 7-17 going into Wednesday night's game with Cleveland. The organizers have designed a pink sign that is 8 feet tall and 4 feet wide and plan to hold it aloft for irate fans to sign.

The Knicks last loss - 119-92 to the Indiana Pacers on Monday night - was accompanied by drama in the stands.

Late in the game, a fan raised a "Fire Isiah" sign - scribbled on a food tray, with an arrow pointing toward the Knicks' bench where Thomas was sitting. A Garden security guard grabbed the fan's arm and ordered him from his seat, but allowed him to stay inside the arena.

On Tuesday, the fan identified himself as 23-year-old Jason Silverstein, a Manhattan real estate agent and die-hard Knicks fan.

Thomas has been hounded by bad publicity and calls from fans to quit since October when a former team executive won a sexual harassment lawsuit against the coach and the Garden. Just before the case was to return to court to decide compensatory damages, the lawsuit was settled for $11.5 million.

The three-week trial leading up to the verdict left a crude image of a storied franchise brought low by dysfunctional management.

Fired executive Anucha Browne Sanders testified about crude insults and unwanted advances from Thomas as well as the off-court sexual escapades of Knicks' star Stephon Marbury.

Trial evidence portrayed Thomas as a swaggering, cursing bully who first tried to intimidate Browne Sanders with brutish language after his 2003 arrival but later showered her with insincere affection.

Thomas has repeatedly disputed the allegations but had to endure boos on the basketball court even before his team launched its new season with a string of lopsided losses.

NBA Commissioner David Stern told ESPN that the Knicks' handling of the lawsuit "demonstrates that they're not a model of intelligent management."

Posted by Mike McDermott  at 12:17 PM | Permalink | Comments 0

Steelers bench Anthony Smith

Safety Anthony Smith, who gained notoriety in New England for guaranteeing a Steelers win at Gillette Stadium, has been bumped from the starting lineup by Tyrone Carter, according to a story in today's Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.

The story noted that the Steelers have given up three 40-plus-yard touchdown passes in their past two games -- two to New England and one to Jacksonville -- and that Smith was involved in failing to defend all three. In their first 12 games, the Steelers had surrendered just one such play, according to the newspaper.

Smith took over as starting free safety for the team's seventh game, after Ryan Clark was placed on injured reserve.

Posted by Mike McDermott  at 12:10 PM to Patriots | Permalink | Comments 0

Projo Play of the Week

Click the play button below to relive Eugene Wilson's first-quarter touchdown in sound and pictures.

Play of the Week archive

Posted by Mike McDermott  at 10:58 AM to Patriots | Permalink | Comments 0

Ray Allen hopes to return to court tonight

BOSTON (AP) - Guard Ray Allen said he hoped to return to the Boston Celtics lineup Wednesday after missing two games with a sore right ankle.

Allen said he originally got the injury Nov. 24 in Charlotte when he rolled the ankle late in the fourth quarter. He said he tried to play through the pain, but took a seat when the lingering discomfort started to affect his jump shot.

Allen shot around in practice Tuesday, but did not fully participate in the workout. He planned to test the ankle again in a shootaround prior to Boston's home game against the Detroit Pistons.

Allen, acquired in a draft day trade with Seattle, is the second-leading scorer for the Celtics (20-2), averaging 19.2 points.

Posted by Mike McDermott  at 8:47 AM to Celtics | Permalink | Comments 0

Download today's Sports cover

Sharaud Curry, PC's leading returning scorer, rejoins the team as the Friars prepare for the Big East season. Also, get the lastest on URI's new football coach, and the Patriots' AFC Pro Bowl team selections.
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Posted by Rich Lee  at 8:41 AM | Permalink | Comments 0