timely goals and continued adherence to a team game, despite

BOSTON - The Boston Celtics have struggled to finish off teams this season, blowing a 23-point lead against Atlanta one night before wasting an 11-point, fourth-quarter advantage against Detroit on Wednesday.Good thing for them they had overtime to fall back on against the Pistons.Jeff Green scored 32 points, including a 3-pointer as Boston opened overtime with eight straight points, and the Celtics snapped a five-game losing streak by beating Detroit 109-102.Im excited for the guys that they gutted one out when it kind of teeter-tottered toward not going their way, said Celtics coach Brad Stevens, whose team led by 11 with just over three minutes left in regulation. We needed to respond. Im not going to overreact, though. Weve only done it once.The loss was the 10th in a row for Detroit. Greg Monroe scored 15 of his 29 points after the 3:13 mark of the fourth, when the Pistons rallied from an 84-83 deficit.But Detroit never recovered after giving up the first three baskets — including 3-pointers by Jared Sullinger and Green to open the overtime.I dont really believe much in momentum, Pistons coach Stan Van Gundy said.Andre Drummond had 27 points, 14 rebounds, four steals and five blocked shots, including Greens potential game-winner at the end of regulation, for Detroit.Detroit led by six points in the second quarter and held their last lead in the third at 55-54.Boston opened the fourth quarter with a 10-3 run with Kelly Olynyk scoring seven straight points on a dunk, a 3-pointer and a reverse layup that made it 73-64. He followed that up with a defensive rebound and bounce pass for an assist on Evan Turners basket that gave the Celtics an 11-point lead with 7:25 to play.Thats when Monroe rattled off nine points in a row and, after Green made two free throws, the Pistons forward added another basket to make it 86-84 with less than a minute to play.He just made shot after shot after shot, Stevens said.It was 88-85 when Caron Butler sank a wide-open 3-pointer from the left wing to tie it. The Celtics had a chance to win in regulation when Green drove and attempted a floater from about six feet that Drummond swatted away.The dam got hit but didnt break. Thats the good thing, said Olynyk, who had 20 points and seven rebounds for the Celtics, who had lost six in a row at home and blown double-digit leads on their own floor five times. We played in that overtime well, got some stops when we needed to and hit some big shots.WHATS THE POINTPistons point guard Brandon Jennings had 12 assists and one point on 0-for-11 shooting. Backup D.J. Augustin was 0-for-6. Even one basket in regulation could have made a difference.Theres a lot of ifs. A lot of ifs, Van Gundy said. A lot of things that could have happened and didnt.SHOOTING SLUMPSThe teams combined to miss 121 shots, with the Celtics outshooting Detroit 39.8 per cent to 36.3 per cent. Honestly, when youre shooting 36 per cent, Van Gundy said, you dont have a lot of margin for errors to win games.TIP-INSPistons: Josh Smith fouled out with 6:47 to play. He had 12 points and 11 rebounds. ... The Pistons broke 100 for the second time this season. They needed 52 minutes, 40 seconds to do it.Celtics: First-round draft pick Marcus Smart returned after missing 10 games with a sprained left ankle. He played five minutes, missed three 3-point attempts and had two assists. ... Rajon Rondo entered the game having made just 9 of his last 30 free throw attempts. He did not go to the line against Detroit.UP NEXTPistons: Host Philadelphia on Saturday.Celtics: Host the Los Angeles Lakers on Friday. Cheap Al Kaline Jersey . According to a release sent by the league, the Saskatchewan Roughriders were the only team to exceed the cap. Their total salary expenditure of $4,417,975 was $17,975 over the salary cap of $4. Cheap Tigers Jerseys Authentic . The Brazilian heads into Saturday afternoons race coming off a close runner-up finish to Ryan Hunter-Reay in the Indianapolis 500. http://www.cheaptigersjerseys.com/?tag=cheap-jack-morris-jersey . - Novak Djokovic beat John Isner 7-5, 6-7 (2), 6-1 on Saturday to reach the final of the BNP Paribas Open, where hell resume his longtime rivalry with Roger Federer. Cheap Lance Parrish Jersey . Not Peyton Manning. Hes holding on to the heartache to stoke his competitive fire. Cheap Detroit Tigers Jerseys . - Dominika Cibulkova erased three match points in the second set Wednesday and beat Agnieszka Radwanska 3-6, 7-6 (5), 6-3 in the quarterfinals of the Sony Open.SOCHI, Russia – Even before the Olympic tournament began, before the under-looked and under-appreciated Fins would stun the entire nation of Russia, Olli Jokinen prescribed the formula that would get it done. “I think we have the best goaltending out of all the other countries,” Jokinen said. “We play a good team game. Plus, we feel that at the end of the day it doesnt matter who puts the Finnish jersey on the team is going to play the same game anyways. For us its not so much about the names on the back, its about the good, solid team game and good goaltending.” That was what it took to bring down Alex Ovechkin, Evgeni Malkin and the home country at Bolshoy Ice Dome on Wednesday night: spectacular goaltending from Tuukka Rask, a few timely goals and continued adherence to a team game, despite injury losses that seemed too burdensome to overcome. Ever the underdog, Finland has altered the face of these Games in Russia and reminded the hockey world, yet again, why only one country has medaled in three of the four Olympics involving NHL players. “You know that nobody ever believed that we could win, but it doesnt matter,” said captain Teemu Selanne, who had a goal and an assist in the 3-1 upset over Russia. “The experts are wrong many times. We have to believe in our team.” There was no Ovechkin on this team, no Malkin, not even the injured and more recognizable likes of Mikko and Saku Koivu, Valtteri Filppula, or even Aleksander Barkov, the second overall pick in last summers NHL draft. For star power, it came down to Rask, who was terrific with 37 saves, and Selanne, playing in his final Olympics at age 43. “Weve got good team spirit and our style to play,” said Leo Komarov, who played in the NHL with the Maple Leafs last season. The Finns, who won bronze in 1998 and 2010 and silver in 2006, were a determined and youthful bunch on this night, led, however, by the aging Selanne, the unsolvable Rask and 21-year-old Mikael Granlund, who set up Selannes go-ahead goal and eventual game-winner before scoring the third and finall marker himself.dddddddddddd. “I think this is a great business card for Granlund to show how good he can be,” Selanne said of Granlund, who has 28 points in his second season with the Minnesota Wild. In upsetting the Russians and holding Ovechkin and Malkin off the score-board entirely – the pair combined for two goals all tournament – Finland gets an opportunity to play in Fridays semi-final against Sweden with another medal chance close at hand. Mindful of a rest advantage – Russia was playing for the fourth time in five days – Selanne believes a turning point for his country came in their final preliminary round match against Canada during which they lost 2-1 in overtime, hanging around despite an overwhelming talent disparity. “My young teammates, when they realized that they can compete against the best players in the world it felt great,” said Selanne, who played in his first Olympics in 1992. “I dont know how many people saw that, [but] I saw it very [closely]. I was very proud of those guys. I think thats the carryover from that game. Its a good feeling when you realize that you can compete against the best.” Yet again it was a sum of parts defeating what was ultimately an incredibly talented and yet flawed Russian squad, one that buckled under the strain of a countrys worth of pressure. They fell in the quarterfinals for the second straight Olympics. “It sucks,” said Ovechkin, who had just a single goal all tournament, held to three shots by Finland and singled out by his head coach afterward. Rask was there all night to turn aside whatever Ovechkin and the Russians could muster. The 26-year-old got stronger as the game wore on, stopping all 27 shots in the final 40 minutes, including one on Alexander Radulov in the waning moments of victory. “Tuukka?” said Komarov with a grin. “Hes okay.” And ultimately it was Rask, who summed up the under-looked and under-appreciated Finns. “Even though nobody ever picks us to win medals,” he said, “we always seem to find a way to get there and win one.” Cheap Buffalo Sabres Gear Wholesale Calgary Flames Jerseys Cheap Adidas Colorado Avalanche Jerseys Montreal Canadiens Outlet Store Wholesale New Jersey Devils Jerseys Adidas Arizona Coyotes Jerseys Cheap Adidas Boston Bruins Jerseys Cheap Adidas Carolina Hurricanes Jerseys Chicago Blackhawks Shop Free Shipping Wholesale Columbus Blue Jackets Jerseys Dallas Stars Shop Free Shipping Cheap Adidas Detroit Red Wings Jerseys Anaheim Ducks Jerseys China Wholesale Edmonton Oilers Jerseys Florida Panthers Shop Free Shipping Wholesale Los Angeles Kings Jerseys Minnesota Wild Outlet Store Cheap Adidas Nashville Predators Jerseys Cheap Adidas New York Islanders Jerseys New York Rangers Winter Classic Jerseys Cheap Adidas Ottawa Senators Jerseys Cheap Adidas Philadelphia Flyers Jerseys Wholesale Pittsburgh Penguins Jerseys Cheap Adidas San Jose Sharks Jerseys St. Louis Blues Winter Classic Jerseys Wholesale Tampa Bay Lightning Jerseys Toronto Maple Leafs Outlet Store Vancouver Canucks Outlet Store Cheap Adidas Vegas Golden Knights Jerseys Cheap Adidas Washington Capitals Jerseys Cheap Adidas Winnipeg Jets Jerseys ' ' '