Category: Detroit Pistons Blog

The AP reports: Paul Pierce scored 27 points, Ray Allen had 17 and Kevin Garnett added 16 to lift the Boston Celtics to an 89-81 victory over the Detroit Pistons on Friday night in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference finals… After playing two Game 7s, the Celtics will get a needed break before hosting Kobe Bryant and the Lakers on Thursday night… The Pistons blew a 10-point lead in the fourth quarter and lost in Game 6 of the conference finals for the third straight year. They were eliminated on their home court for the first time during a six-year run that included a trip to the conference finals each year and the 2004 title… Chauncey Billups played well and Richard Hamilton scored 21, but the rest of their teammates had lackluster efforts—especially Rasheed Wallace… Wallace scored just four points on 2-of-12 shooting and had three turnovers in what might’ve been his last game as a Piston and could’ve been Flip Saunders’ last as Detroit’s coach. President of basketball operations Joe Dumars will likely make some sort of moves on the bench, the court or both.

Ticker reports: The Celtics, who avoided a third straight Game Seven this postseason, outscored the Pistons 29-13 in the final period to secure the victory. Boston used a powerful 23-6 run to seal the win… After Jason Maxiell gave Detroit a 74-72 edge with a fadeaway jumper, Pierce sliced through the lane and completed a three-point play to give the Celtics the lead for good with 5:25 remaining… Billups scored 29 points for Detroit, which lost in the Eastern Conference finals for the third straight season. The defeat already has raised questions about the job security of coach Flip Saunders.

InsideHoops.com Stat Notes: The Celtics shot 44.4%, the Pistons 42.0%. Both teams were awful from three-point range. The Celtics hit 20-of-27 free throws, the Pistons 17-of-21. Rebounding was close. The Pistons had 19 assists, the Celtics just 14.

For the Celtics, Pierce (8-of-12, 10-of-13 free throws) had 27 points, 8 rebounds, 3 assists and 2 steals. Ray Allen (6-of-12, 3-of-8 threes) was alive with 17 points and 6 rebounds. Kevin Garnett (just 7-of-16 with a mere 4 free throw attempts) had 16 points and just 6 rebounds with 4 assists. Kendrick Perkins had 7 points and 7 rebounds. Rajon Rondo needed 13 shots for his 11 points and 4 rebounds. James Posey had 4 rebounds and two steals.

For the Pistons, Billups (9-of-20) had 29 points, 6 rebounds and 6 assists. Richard Hamilton (9-of-14) had 21 points and 2 blocks. But then, a severe dropoff: Tayshaun Prince (3-of-10) had 10 points and 4 rebounds. Jason Maxiell (3-of-4) had 7 with 2 steals off the bench. Antonio McDyess (2-of-3) had just 6 points and 6 rebounds. Rasheed Wallace (awful 2-of-12) had 4 points and 10 rebounds. Rodney Stuckey (just 1-of-4) scored 4.

The AP reports: Boston’s three All-Stars finally put it all together to move the Celtics one win away from the NBA finals for the first time since the original Big Three’s heyday. Ray Allen scored 29, hitting a long 2-pointer with a minute left after Detroit came within one point, then he and Kevin Garnett each made a pair of free throws down the stretch as the Celtics beat the Detroit Pistons 106-102 in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference finals on Wednesday night… Kendrick Perkins had career playoff highs with 18 points and 16 rebounds, and Rajon Rondo added seven points, 13 assists, six rebounds and four steals for Boston. Paul Pierce scored 13 of his 16 points in the first half, when Perkins outrebounded the Pistons 13-11 by himself… Chauncey Billups scored 26 and Richard Hamilton had 25 points for Detroit, which has reached the conference finals six consecutive years but played for the championship just twice and won once in that span… Rasheed Wallace picked up a technical with 5:18 left in the game. It was his sixth of the postseason, and his next earns him a one-game suspension.

Ticker reports: Kevin Garnett poured in a game-high 33 points while Kendrick Perkins added 18 points and 16 rebounds as the Celtics defeated the Detroit Pistons, 106-102, to take a 3-2 lead in the best-of-seven series… Hamilton strained his right elbow with 8.2 seconds left but X-rays were negative… Afterward, the volatile Wallace tore into officials Mike Callahan and Ken Mauer. “All them (garbage) calls they had out there,” Wallace said. “Mike and Kenny, you saw that (garbage), a lot of them phantom calls, cats flapping and falling, they’re calling that (garbage). That (garbage) ain’t basketball, what they run out there. It’s all entertainment, all that (bleeping) entertainment.” … Detroit took command of the game early in the second, building an eight-point lead. But the Celtics went on a 16-4 run to end the first half, highlighted by Garnett’s desperation 3-point bank shot as the shot clock expired with 1:23 remaining before halftime.

The AP reports: Playing his best game playoff game in perhaps a decade, Antonio McDyess had 21 points and 16 rebounds to lift Detroit to a 94-75 series-evening win over the Boston Celtics on Monday night in Game 4 of the Eastern Conference finals… Boston’s Big Three shot awfully as did most of the Celtics, but the NBA’s top-seeded team stayed competitive for much of the game thanks to a stark disparity in free throws. Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce and Ray Allen combined to miss their first seven shots and finished 11-for-38 from the field… Detroit scored the first 10 points of the game and started the second quarter with an 11-2 run, but led just 43-39 at halftime. The Celtics stayed in the game by making 17 of 20 free throws in the first half while Detroit was 5-for-9… The Celtics fell to 1-7 on the road and 0-6 when trailing after three quarters.

InsideHoops.com Stat Notes: The Pistons shot 51.4%, the Celtics just 31.8%. Both teams shot 9 threes but barely hit any. The Celtics had 32-of-39 free throws, the Pistons 20-of-26. Boston had a few more rebounds, but the Pistons won the assists category, 27-12. And the Pistons only had 7 turnovers, the Celtics 14. The pistons won the blocks category, 10-3 (Rasheed Wallace 5 blocks).

For the Pistons, McDyess (8-of-14) had 21 points and 16 rebounds. Richard Hamilton (8-of-10) had 20 points and 7 assists. Rasheed Wallace (6-of-9) had 14 points, just 5 rebounds, but 5 blocks. Jason Maxiell (6-of-6) scored 14 off the bench. Chauncey Billups (just 3-of-12) had 10 points, 7 assists and 2 steals.

For the Celtics, Kevin Garnett (just 6-of-16) had 16 points, 10 rebounds and 2 blocks. Paul Pierce (awful 3-of-14) had 16 points, 8 rebounds and 4 turnovers with just 1 assist. Ray Allen (awful 2-of-8 but 7-of-9 free throws) scored 11 with little else. James Posey on 6 shots had 11 off the bench. Kendrick Perkins (4-of-6) had 10 points and 6 rebounds. Rajon Rondo (awful 2-of-8) had just 4 points and 4 assists.

The AP reports: Richard Hamilton bounced back from a poor series opener with 25 points, and the Pistons beat Boston 103-97 Thursday night, tying the conference finals at one game apiece and seizing the home-court advantage that has meant everything to the Celtics… Kevin Garnett had 24 points and 13 rebounds for the Celtics, who lost at home for the first time since March 24 against Phoenix. No team has reached the finals without a road victory, and there’s no longer a chance for Boston to be the first… Chauncey Billups had 19 points and seven assists, and his rookie backup, Rodney Stuckey hit some clutch jumpers in the fourth quarter and added 13 points for the Pistons, who host Game 3 on Saturday… Paul Pierce scored 26 points for the Celtics, who had won 15 straight at home and gone 9-0 in the playoffs. But the only record that matters now is 0-6— their playoff road mark… Ray Allen broke out of a shooting slump with 25 points, his best performance in three months. But he was limited to 29 minutes by foul trouble, picking up his fifth foul with 3:09 left in the third quarter after his flurry had given Boston the lead.

InsideHoops.com Stat Notes: Both teams took almost the same number of shots, and shot within half a percent of 49%. The Pistons were better from three-point range, and while both teams shot around 88% free throws, the Pistons got to the line a bit more. Boston grabbed more rebounds, Detroit dished a few more assists.

For the Pistons, Richard Hamilton (7-of-16) had 25 points, 4 assists, 2 steals and 2 blocks. Chauncey Billups (5-of-10) had 19 points and 7 assists. Antonio McDyess (7-of-12) had 15 points, 8 rebounds and 3 steals. Tayshaun Prince (just 5-of-15) had 14 points and 8 rebounds. Rasheed Wallace (4-of-7) had 13 points and 10 rebounds. Rodney Stuckey (5-of-8) scored 13 off the bench.

For the Celtics, Paul Pierce (9-of-16) had 26 points and 5 assists, but 4 turnovers. Ray Allen (9-of-16) had 25 points and 2 steals. Kevin Garnett (11-of-19) had 24 points, 13 rebounds and 2 blocks. Rajon Rondo (just 2-of-9) had 10 points, 9 rebounds and 8 assists. But no other Celtics had more than 4 points.

The Pistons had more of a total team effort.

The AP reports: Not even a week of rest could prepare the Detroit Pistons for the hottest home team in the NBA. Kevin Garnett had 26 points and nine rebounds and Paul Pierce scored 22 points Tuesday night to give Boston an 88-79 victory over the Pistons in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference finals, the Celtics’ 15th straight home win… Kendrick Perkins had 10 rebounds for Boston and Rajon Rondo scored seven of his 11 points in the fourth quarter, hitting a 3-pointer with 1:47 left in the game after the Pistons cut the deficit to 83-75. Rondo also had seven assists and five steals while outplaying Chauncey Billups, the MVP of the 2004 NBA finals, in his return from a right hamstring injury… The Pistons quickly erased the first-quarter lead, even going ahead 13-12. But they trailed 41-40 at halftime and scored just 17 points in the third quarter, 10 from Richard Hamilton, while the Celtics took a 69-57 lead on Eddie House’s 3-pointer with 2 seconds left.

InsideHoops.com Stat Notes: The Celtics shot 52.2%, the Pistons 42.4%. Three-pointers weren’t much of a favor. The Pistons got to the free throw line a bit more, and hit a slightly higher percentage. Rebounding was even. But the Celtics dished 27 assists, the Pistons just 15. Turnovers were close.

For the Celtics, Kevin Garnett (11-of-17) had 26 points, 9 rebounds, 4 assists and 2 blocks. Paul Pierce (9-of-18) had 22 points, 6 rebounds, 6 assists (but 5 turnovers). Rajon Rondo (5-of-9) had 11 points, 7 assists and 5 steals. Ray Allen (just 3-of-10) keeps struggling and had 9 points, 4 assists and 2 steals. Kendrick Perkins had 10 rebounds.

For the Pistons, Tayshaun Prince (just 7-of-16 with no free throws) had 16 points and 4 rebounds. Richard Hamilton (just 5-of-13) had 15 points and 6 rebounds. Antonio McDyess (5-of-10) was good with 14 points and 11 rebounds. Rasheed Wallace (just 3-of-12) had 11 points, 5 rebounds, 4 assists and 2 steals. Chauncey Billups (3-of-6), returning from injury, in 31 minutes had 9 points and little else.