NBA Wire Notes | Celtics' defensive lapse cost a key basket

The Celtics are undoubtedly a great defensive team, but even great defensive teams make mistakes.

They made one late in Thursday's fourth quarter when the Pistons needed a basket to keep their lead at six in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference finals. Point guard Chauncey Billups curled around two screens and found himself wide open to take a short inbounds pass from Tayshaun Prince and bounce in a reverse layup with 18 seconds left.

It was the kind of play that left people wondering: Just how did Billups get so open at such a crucial juncture in the game? Even Prince, the Pistons' steady inbounder, was surprised.

"We had a lot of action going on," Prince said. "Yes, I was surprised he was that wide open. I was going to try to get it to him no matter what because he was the one that was going to the basket on the play. Luckily none of their bigs were in the paint at the time."

That's because of the decoy — shooting guard Richard Hamilton, who set the first screen for Billups, then popped outside to the three-point line and headed to the corner. Celtics forward Paul Pierce saw Hamilton heading in that direction and decided to go with him. In the instant he made that decision and turned his back on Billups, Prince got the ball in and Billups put it up.

Allen back in the game

Ray Allen is surely sad the Celtics lost Game 2 but he must be happy about one thing — not having to answer any more questions about his shooting slump. Allen started hitting jumpers in the second half of Game 2 and finished with 24 points in the Celtics' 103-97 loss.

On the road again

The Boston Celtics simply watched film and talked about adjustments the day after losing at home for the first time in the playoffs.

"Sometimes, I think you need a mental break," Boston coach Doc Rivers said Friday. "So we're taking one, and we'll be fresh."

At this point, it's time for Boston to try anything to stop its skid on the road. Now, the NBA's top-seeded team will have to take a game on the road — or else.

Notes

• Coach Flip Saunders said Chauncey Billups was "a little sore" in Friday's practice but will be fine for today.

• Pistons forward Jason Maxiell was a starter for six games in these playoffs before going back to the bench. Now it seems he's losing his sixth-man role, too. Saunders used Maxiell for only five minutes in Game 2, preferring instead to play veteran Theo Ratliff.

• A Clark County prosecutor says Charles Barkley is off the legal hook and the case on his $400,000 gambling debt is closed. A deputy district attorney said Friday that the retired NBA star sent a $40,000 check to pay statutory and bad-check processing fees.