ANALYSIS : Youthful Celtics Must Step Forward

Dear Boston Celtics’ fans. Just in case you feel bad for having gotten your hopes up -- don’t.

Larry Bird did, too.

The main reason Bird was in such an exceptionally chipper mood in the 48 hours before Game 4 was the play of the young Celtics in Game 3. In that one, Bird had only to score 10 points, pass to the open man, and get a few rebounds.

For once, Bird and his aching back were just along for the ride, and happy to be hitchhiking. The young guys, Reggie Lewis, Brian Shaw and Dee Brown, carried the load. Even for the stodgy Celtics and their Three Wise Men, it has become essential that youth be served.

“When they play well,” Bird said, “we usually win.”

The Celtics’ young guys didn’t play especially well in Game 4 Monday, and the Celtics lost 104-97, thereby blowing a wonderful opportunity to put a 3-1 hammerlock on this best-of-seven series against the Pistons, who played without their superstar, Isiah Thomas (sprained foot). This series is 2-2 with Game 5 Wednesday night at the Garden, and unless Shaw, Brown and Kevin Gamble play a lot better than they did Monday night, the Celtics’ home-court advantage will be meaningless.

The Celtics were hoping that when Shaw broke out of his monthlong funk with 19 points and eight rebounds in Game 3, it was the start of a trend. Instead, Shaw’s lousy play in Game 4 made his Game 3 assurance look like an aberration.

One of the reasons the Celtics drafted the 6-foot-5 Shaw No. 1 two years ago was they liked his defense. You’d have never known it watching Shaw Monday night.

In the second quarter, Joe Dumars blew by Shaw like the wind past a lamppost. Shaw’s best defense in the quarter was when he spread his hands high in frustrated protest when Coach Chris Ford called him over to yell at him. Dumars had three assists and 12 points in the quarter, and if his outside shooting had been even reasonably decent, he’d have had 20. As it was, Dumars led all first-half scorers with 17 points.

Shaw was equally bad on offense. He didn’t penetrate, he didn’t go to the free-throw line. He didn’t create anything except a traffic jam that forced Bird, Kevin McHale (28 points) and Lewis (20) to fend for themselves in a haphazard half-court offense.

Ford had seen enough. Shaw played only seven minutes in the second half, 19 minutes in the game. He had six points, six assists and one rebound. If that is all the Celtics are going to get from their starting point guard, they are finished.

Brown, the rookie, although a lot better than Shaw, wasn’t nearly as effective as he’d been in Games 2 and 3. After scoring 13 points in Game 3 and 22 points in Game 2, Brown had only eight points (4-of-12 field goal shooting) four assists and four rebounds in 31 minutes.

Like Shaw and Gamble, Brown never went to the free-throw line. Pressured by the Pistons’ pulsating defense, the young guys were so cautious you’d have thought they were driving Miss Daisy.

Meanwhile, the Pistons went blasting down the lane as if it were Thunder Road. They had 25 more free-throw attempts than the Celtics (51 to 26) and 21 more points. Center Robert Parish played only 23 minutes before fouling out. McHale had five fouls. With the guards not doing their job, the old men in the middle had to resort to Swat City. Most of the time, they missed.

And what of Gamble? He was the most improved player in the league this season, but he has played well in only one of the Celtics’ nine playoff games, and Game 4 (six points, zero rebounds in 27 minutes) wasn’t it.

It’s been much harder for the Celtics to get their running game going in the playoffs, and when Gamble is forced to play in a half-court offense rather than fill the wing on the fast break, he looks lost.

As the starting point guard, it was up to Shaw to set the tempo by being aggressive and pushing the ball upcourt, as he did in Game 3. The Pistons assigned NBA Defensive Player of the Year Dennis Rodman (a game-high 18 rebounds) to guard Shaw on the Celtics’ first possession, Rodman being the basketball equivalent of a warning shot across the bow.

Shaw passed off at the perimeter rather than challenge Rodman. He didn’t challenge the Pistons all night.

It was harder for Shaw and the Celtics to fast break because the Pistons demolished them on the boards, outrebounding them, 50-30.

It was harder because the usually poor-shooting Pistons had their best shooting percentage (44.4 percent) of the series.

It was harder because Mark Aguirre, previously a non-factor had 34 points (11 of 16 from the field), his best game in 2 1/2 seasons with the Pistons. Aguirre, whose attitude and other deficiencies make him an unlikely returnee on next season’s Pistons, torched, in order, Bird, McHale, Ed Pinckney and Derek Smith. Every dog has his day.

The Celtics’ youngsters had their day in Game 3. Will that be all they have?

“They always had a hand up in our face,” Lewis said. “We didn’t have an easy shot the entire night.”

Maybe it wasn’t an easy shot, but it was the Celtics’ best shot. Shaw coming off his best game. Brown busting out. Isiah unable to perform. A chance to bring the Pistons to Boston facing elimination.

Even to Bird, the cautious pessimist, it looked good.

Now, it looks dubious. The Celtics’ Three Wise Men needed more than help from the young guys in Game 4. They needed them to lead the way.

Instead, they lost their way. They don’t have much time to find it.