Celtics get unexpected help

We're not going to rain on the Celtics' parade, and it sure looked like a parade, by the way, as the fans in green and white streamed out of the arena, into North Station and onto Causeway Street, celebrating as though they had just won a championship.
But ask yourself this, Celtics' fans: Was this victory, a victory in which the home team held on despite giving up a 15-point fourth quarter lead, a victory in which they took a late technical foul and went away from everything that had been working offensively for three quarters -- was that the performance of a championship-caliber team?
Before we let someone else answer that question -- someone who was actually on the court playing in the game, not merely watching it -- we'll first give credit where it's due for Boston's nail-biter of a 106-102 victory over the Detroit Pistons on Wednesday night for a 3-2 lead in the Eastern Conference finals.
We'll start with Kevin Garnett, who knocked down two free throws with 3.4 seconds remaining to clinch the win, and finished with a team-high 33 points. We'll next turn to Ray Allen, who quieted his critics (but didn't silence them) with a 29-point performance that included five 3-pointers and another two huge free throws with 6.3 seconds left that kept the Celtics ahead by three.
Props to Doc Rivers, too, for having his team foul the Pistons twice in the final 15 seconds rather than let Detroit attempt a game-tying 3-pointer. If you ever want to get a lively debate among coaches going, ask them what the correct strategy is in that situation. Those who say you should foul are just as adamant as those who say you should not, but in this case, Rivers' strategy worked.
And then there was Kendrick Perkins, whose 18 points and 16 rebounds carried the Celtics through the first three quarters when they built their lead as high as 17 -- although he did not score or grab a rebound in 6:50 of playing time in the final quarter, and it was his technical foul with 2:38 left that helped fuel a 6-1 run that cut the Pistons' deficit from eight to three. (Memo to Perkins: Championship-caliber players never get fourth-quarter technicals.)
And there was Rajon Rondo, too, whose 13 assists and four steals more than offset his 3-for-14 shooting.
But in spite of all those good things, the fact remains that the Celtics almost let this one get away in the face of a relentless never-say-die effort from the team whose main players already own championship rings.
Did the Pistons look rattled when they were climbing back in the fourth, outscoring Boston 31-22?
Did the Pistons, who are 5-0 following losses this postseason, sound scared afterward after forcing the Celtics into as many fourth-quarter turnovers (five) as they had field goals?
Do the Pistons like their chances if they find themselves in similar circumstances back here on Sunday, assuming they can get there by winning Game 6 at home Friday night?
No, no and yes.
And a big part of the reason why is the reason we hit on at the top of this column: The team that played like a legitimate championship contender over the bulk of the fourth quarter was too often the team in red, white and blue instead of the guys in green and white.
Even Pierce felt that way.
"Man, that was the longest fourth quarter out of all the games we played in. I was a little disappointed in the way we played the fourth. It's something we'll have to go back and look at, because if we get ourselves in this position again in Detroit, we've got to be able to close out the game a little better than we did tonight," Pierce said. "Thinking about having the lead in the fourth quarter, we have to continue to be aggressive. I thought we were a little passive when they put on the trap, but you've got to understand that's the playoffs, and it's not going to be easy.
"I thought we just kind of let time pass away hoping that we were going to win. We've got to put forth better effort and better execution in the fourth," Pierce said.
The Pistons took no moral victories from making it a close one down the stretch, and they've now got two potentially massive problems to worry about.
First, Rasheed Wallace picked up his sixth technical foul of the postseason, meaning he'll draw a one-game suspension for his next one. If it happens in Game 6 and Detroit forces a Game 7, he'll be forced to watch the deciding game from the team hotel.
Also, Richard Hamilton appeared to be in agony as he left the court with 8.2 seconds left clutching his right elbow, which the Pistons said was strained and possibly hyperextended. If he can't go Friday, his team-leading 22.2 points have to somehow be replaced.
"We don't like being in this position, but we've fought hard and we'll definitely be ready Friday," Chauncey Billups said.
Added coach Flip Saunders: "I told out guys after the game I was proud of them. We're not going away."
So we're not yet at the point where either of these teams is playing at a championship-caliber level, although one of them -- the Celtics -- is just one victory away from representing the East in the NBA Finals, where the pressure will be so high it'll make Wednesday night's parade-inspiring victory seem like a walk in the park by comparison.
The real parade in Boston, if it comes, will have to be earned with the type of fourth-quarter execution and precision that the Celtics were still lacking Wednesday.
And if that parade happens, no one will rain on it.
First, however, the Celtics have to get there. And judging from the final 12 minutes of Game 5, they aren't yet worthy. They're close, but they're not quite championship-caliber -- at least not yet.