It is the duty of commentators to accept a change in the status quo. A month ago, the Boston Celtics were primed for a return to glory. Their defense was incredible, their offense highly rated, and their drive unquestioned. They were my prediction to win the finals because they separated themselves from the rest in two ways: dominance against the Western Conference and easy series until they would inevitably meet the Pistons. I imagined a more competitive version of the 2002 Finals in which the Lakers crushed the Nets after sneaking by a Sacramento team many considered the best. Now, such an outcome is almost unfathomable. What is going on with the best team in the league?

Boston’s weakness this post season is obvious enough. Surprisingly poor offensive play has put them on the brink of elimination twice. Their passing has been less than fluid, but not terrible in a superficial sense. After averaging 14.4 turnovers a game during a brilliant 66-win regular season, Boston is actually committing one less turnover a game versus the Cavs. So what is causing the pathetic scoring average?

Firstly, Cleveland has played impressive interior defense. Wallace has been surprisingly useful as the most overpaid player in the league and James continues to improve on the defensive end. Garnett is getting his looks from the outside (and has been knocking them down) while Pierce cannot get an easy deuce. So, credit Cleveland for shutting down the fast breaks and keeping the C’s off the offensive glass. But where is the interior passing and improvised cutting? I see little to no creativity from those with the ball (Pierce tries and is unsuccessful) and almost none from those without it. No team can hold the Celtics to 81 points over six games unless the Celtics “beat themselves.”

Secondly, one cannot fail to notice how badly the Celtics are shooting three pointers. At 27%, their average from downtown is a full 11% lower than during the regular season. To Boston’s credit, they are taking fewer of them against the Cavs, five fewer than during the season, but their inaccuracy is killing the effectiveness of Perkins and Pierce. Cleveland’s perimeter defense (Szczerbiak, West, James, and Gibson) is not a formidable, though their abilities are multiplied when the paint is well defended. Regardless, the Celtics inability to open up the perimeter game with double screens and fast breaks speaks to their problems. If Allen (18 3P%), Pierce (26 3P%), and Posey (31 3P%) don’t drastically improve their accuracy, the Pistons will SWEEP them aside. That’s assuming they beat the Cavs.

Lastly, but in no way least, Boston has turned to the bench and received practically nothing back. The non-starters have performed like a bunch of guys off the street picked to highlight the Celtics’ philanthropic tendencies rather than help win games. Cassell played so poorly he was benched in Game six. House doesn’t get enough minutes and Powe is invisible. Posey is playing as well as Allen per 48 minutes, but this series Ray is not someone to be imitating. PJ Brown plays okay off the bench, but, like Perkins and Davis, he is fouling way too often.

Cleveland’s role in Boston’s decline is not entirely clear. Lebron simply hasn’t played that well and the team is shooting only 40%. But they have played tough and protected home court against a talented but presently inept road team. Additionally, the Cavs should have won game one going away, but were unable to elevate their game from terrible to well below average. The evidence regarding why this predicted steamroller series went long points to Boston’s failures much more than Cleveland’s actions.

The future, in short, looks grim for Boston should they win game seven. Detroit is well rested and would not lack for motivation. Everybody predicted a changing of the Eastern conference guard this season (after a clearly superior Detroit was upset last year) except Rasheed and co. I won’t be so presumptuous as to count Boston out, but Detroit must be considered the favorite no matter the outcome of game seven.