TAKE FIVE
A five-point breakdown of a deflating home loss

1. Second-quarter slumber strikes again – A raucous ovation welcomed Allen Iverson to the Pistons during pregame introductions. It took only 24 minutes of basketball for him to hear his first chorus of boos from the same fans, so dismal was the Pistons’ second-quarter performance.

The much anticipated home debut of Iverson - who was acquired almost a week ago during Detroit’s three-game road trip - coupled with the defending champion Celtics coming to town gave The Palace an electric atmosphere in the opening minutes. For their part, the players must have been geeked too, as both teams played out of sorts early. The Pistons missed their first six shots and were 5-of-19 to open the game - which was actually better than Boston, which managed just 3-of-13 (23.1 percent) and committed five turnovers, leading to seven Detroit points.

The Pistons had a 19-17 lead, but as was the case in New Jersey Friday night, a stagnant second quarter spelled trouble. The Celtics opened the quarter on a 20-6 spurt, with little production from their starters, and the Pistons played catch-up the rest of the night.

“First quarter we did good; second quarter is what I’ve been concerned with since we made the [Iverson] move. It’s more the second quarter is our big quarter of concern,” Pistons head coach Michael Curry said. “We got to find a way to get something going in that second quarter when we take our scoring big out, which is Rasheed [Wallace]. When we take him out, we’ve got to find way to get things going with our other guys.”

The Pistons shot 3-for-16 in the quarter, with Rip Hamilton and Wallace a combined 0-for-11 at halftime. Add seven turnovers, leading to 10 more Boston points, and Iverson’s debut proved anticlimactic, as the Celtics soundly protected a 47-29 halftime lead.

2. – This was not the Allen Pistons fans expected or desired to see get this distinction. But how can you deny Tony Allen, the Celtics’ backup guard, who made his first five field goals - all during the Celtics’ 20-6 run - and finished the first half with a game-high 13 points on 6-of-8 shooting?

In fact, give Boston’s entire bench credit. Curry called timeout after Allen’s fourth field goal made it 33-25 Boston. At the time, the Celtics’ starting five had scored just four field goals, while the Boston reserves were 8-of-10.

“The energy from our bench has been absolutely terrific,” said Celtics coach Doc Rivers. “They play together, they share the ball, and they’ve done all the little things as a group that makes them a good group.”

Allen finished with a team-high 23 points. Celtics All-Star Ray Allen chipped in 17 points, while Iverson had 10 points, four assists and four turnovers.

3. BLUE COLLAR – The usual candidates had difficult nights, as Amir Johnson and Jason Maxiell combined for more fouls (eight) than rebounds (seven) and a 3-for-12 shooting effort. (Though Johnson did have three blocks, his first since the season opener.)

That made way for Will Bynum, who by scoring 11 points in the fourth quarter might have been the most aggressive Piston on the floor, period.

Bynum attacked the rim repeatedly, making 3-of-4 field goals while also drawing three trips to the foul line, where shot 4-of-6. On one memorable possession, Bynum was loudly derided by The Palace crowd for not taking a wide-open 3-pointer on the right wing. He responded by taking a few dribbles then cutting into the paint, where his reverse layup past Kevin Garnett was one of the few second-half highlights for the Pistons.

“We missed Stuckey out there on the court, but Will Bynum came in; I thought he did a really good job,” Curry said. “He’s another one that finds way to get in the paint. He’s an explosive scorer and he gets to the paint, he creates shots for himself and his teammates.”

4. RED FLAG – The Pistons had their share of shortcomings Sunday, but none take precedent over a player’s health. That’s why the most alarming sight at the end of the first half was not the score but Rodney Stuckey, squatting down at center court. After several moments Stuckey was assisted into the tunnel by team trainers, where he sat in a chair hunched over before continuing to the locker room under his own power. He did not return to the floor when the second half began. The Pistons soon released a statement saying he experienced “symptoms of dizziness and felt light-headed at the end of the first half.”

“He felt a little light-headed so they held him out,” said Curry, who anticipates Stuckey joining the team on its West Coast trip. “I guess they’re checking him out and we’ll find out.”

Let’s hope Stuckey’s distressed state is not symptomatic of a greater health concern, such as the irregular heartbeat that sidelined Spurs center Fabrico Oberto for the season’s first two games.

5. The discovery process begins – The Boston Celtics are reigning NBA champions - and after having their superstar core and many of their bench players together for a title run of more than 100 games last season, they have cohesiveness and familiarity on their side, too - making them perhaps even more formidable. They won handily Sunday despite Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett combining for only 15 points.

Meanwhile, the Pistons - a bastion of continuity much of the decade - are reinventing themselves on the fly. For every fast break or drive-and-kick out from Iverson, there was a preventable miscue, and the Celtics capitalized.

“Obviously it’s going to take time because it’s a different look, a different flow,” Iverson said. “I think I’m a totally different player than what they’re used to playing with. We’re just going to have to get used to each other. The most important thing is we’re doing some good things on the basketball court so early. That’s a positive in itself.”

Iverson was on the bench with two first-quarter fouls when the Celtics seized control of the game, but the growing pains were evident when he entered later in the quarter, shooting 0-for-4 with three turnovers. Talk of a transition, however, did not justify the Pistons’ performance in the eyes of their coach.

“Don’t put this on that trade and Allen, put this on that offensively, once again, this is a [Boston] team that gets up into you,” Curry said, referring to the Celtics’ defense. “We got to be better with teams that get up into us and we have to run more stuff with movement.”

It didn’t help any that the master of movement, Rip Hamilton, couldn’t find his stroke. After a pair of 22-point outings in his first games without Chauncey Billups, Hamilton delivered an egg - 0-for-8 from the floor, netting three points at the foul line. As Iverson sees it, chemistry with his backcourt mate doesn’t have to be addressed. That too will come naturally and in due time. “That’s not something I have to worry about with Rip,” he said. “I’ve been watching him since he came into the league and he’s an All-Star type player. Rip knows what he has to do to get it done.”

Those in despair at the 0-2 start to the Iverson era, remember the last time the Pistons added a transcendent talent who had to mesh with Detroit’s other starters, when Chris Webber signed in January 2007. The Pistons dropped his home debut to Utah and finished the month 5-3 - then rolled off a 10-1 February.