Celtics first team in playoffs after beating up Pistons

Wed Mar 5 22:36:07 CST 2008

Celtics first team in playoffs after beating up  Pistons

    Team Stat  Comparison   DETROIT BOSTON  Points 78 90  FG Made-Attempted 
28-77 (.364) 35-76 (.461)  3P Made-Attempted 4-16 (.250) 3-8 (.375)  FT 
Made-Attempted 18-25 (.720) 17-24 (.708)  Rebounds (Offensive-Total) 9-38 10-50  
Assists 16 23  Turnovers 8 11  Steals 6 2  Blocks 5 5  Fast Break Points 4 6  
Fouls (Tech/Flagrant) 23 (1/0) 20 (5/0)  Largest Lead 0 14
    Top Performers

DETROIT BOSTON   (http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/players/profile?playerId=63)  
_C. Billups_ (http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/players/profile?playerId=63) 
Points: 23
Reb: 5
Ast:  7
Stl: 1
Blk: 2
 (http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/players/profile?playerId=261) _K. Garnett_ 
(http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/players/profile?playerId=261) 
Points: 31
Reb: 6
Ast:  3
Stl: 0
Blk: 1
   Game  Leaders   DETROIT BOSTON  Points _C. Billups_ 
(http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/players/profile?playerId=63)  23 _K. Garnett_ 
(http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/players/profile?playerId=261)  31  Rebounds _T. Prince_ 
(http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/players/profile?playerId=1724)  10 _K. Perkins_ 
(http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/players/profile?playerId=2018)  20  Assists _C. Billups_ 
(http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/players/profile?playerId=63)  7 _R. Allen_ (http:
//sports.espn.go.com/nba/players/profile?playerId=9)  5  Steals _A. McDyess_ 
(http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/players/profile?playerId=530)  2 _P. Pierce_ 
(http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/players/profile?playerId=662)  1  Blocks _C. 
Billups_ (http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/players/profile?playerId=63)  2 _K. Perkins_ 
(http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/players/profile?playerId=2018)  2  · Team 
stats: _Detroit_ (http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/teams/stats?team=det)  | _Boston_ 
(http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/teams/stats?team=bos) 
    2007-08  Season  Boston leads 2-1  Wed 12/19 DET 87, @ BOS 85 _Recap_ 
(http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/recap?gameId=271219002)  | _Box Score_ 
(http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/boxscore?gameId=271219002)   Sat 1/5 BOS 92, @ DET 85 
_Recap_ (http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/recap?gameId=280105008)  | _Box Score_ 
(http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/boxscore?gameId=280105008)   » Wed 3/5 @BOS 90, DET 
78 _Recap_ (http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/recap?gameId=280305002)  | _Box 
Score_ (http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/boxscore?gameId=280305002)   · Complete 
Schedule: _Celtics_ (http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/teams/schedule?team=bos)  | 
_Pistons_ (http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/teams/schedule?team=det) 
    Next 5  Games
DETROIT (ET) BOSTON (ET)  03/07 @NY 7:30pm
03/09 CHI 8:00pm
03/12 PHI 7:30pm
03/14 SA  8:00pm
03/16 NO 6:00pm
03/07 CHI 8:00pm
03/08 @MEM 8:00pm
03/10 @PHI 7:00pm
03/12  SEA 7:30pm
03/14 UTA 7:30pm
· Complete Schedule: _Detroit_ 
(http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/teams/schedule?team=det)  | _Boston_ (http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/teams/schedule?team=bos)  
BOSTON (AP) -- The _Boston Celtics_ 
(http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/clubhouse?team=bos)  are in the playoffs. The _Detroit Pistons_ 
(http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/clubhouse?team=det)  aren't far behind.  
Boston became the first NBA team to clinch a postseason berth, getting a  
season-high 31 points from _Kevin Garnett_ 
(http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/players/profile?statsId=3007)  on Wednesday night to earn a bruising  90-78 victory 
over Detroit, its closest competitor in the Eastern Conference.  

Celts One-Up Pistons

The Celtics proved themselves the class of the East on Wednesday, and the  
stats offer the reason why. Here are the Celtics and Pistons head-to-head this  
season:  

Pistons  Celtics  Wins  1  2   PPG  83.3  89.0   RPG  36.0  45.6   FG Pct.  
39.0  46.0 
"That's not what we want," Boston coach Doc Rivers said. "That's nice,  but 
last year it would have been a parade."  
The Celtics missed the playoffs the last two seasons, but the arrival of  
Garnett and _Ray Allen_ 
(http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/players/profile?statsId=3080)  has raised expectations for the NBA's  most-decorated franchise. So even 
though Wednesday's victory ended their playoff  drought, it was more important 
because it gave them a 2-1 victory in the season  series with Detroit.  
"It was good to beat them in the regular season and win the series, but  this 
is a team we're probably going to see in the playoffs," said _Paul Pierce_ 
(http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/players/profile?statsId=3253) , who scored 15 
points. "They'll be a better  team by then."  
But if the Pistons (44-17) tie the Celtics (47-12) in the standings and  meet 
them in the playoffs, Boston would have the home-court advantage. That  could 
be crucial, considering the way the teams banged into each other the first  
three times they played this season.  
"Any time you play another elite team it will be a playoff atmosphere.  All 
three felt like that," said _Chauncey Billups_ 
(http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/players/profile?statsId=3174) , who scored 23 points, going 14-of-15  from the 
line. "It was very physical. That's what we like to do. That's great  
basketball and all games should be like that."  
The idea gave Rivers pause.  
"I don't want to think about that," he said. "But the way I look at it is  if 
we do see them again, it's only a good thing."  
_Kendrick Perkins_ 
(http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/players/profile?statsId=3730)  had a career-high 20 rebounds to go  with his 10 points, and _Rajon Rondo_ 
(http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/players/profile?statsId=4149)  had 16 points 
to help Boston win its sixth  consecutive game.  
"All these games count," said Garnett, who scored five straight points  after 
the Pistons tied it 69-69 in the fourth quarter. "We are trying to get  
home-court advantage. ... All these games are huge for us."  
_Rasheed Wallace_ 
(http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/players/profile?statsId=3006)  also scored 23 for Detroit, _Richard Hamilton_ 
(http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/players/profile?statsId=3330)  scored 15 and _Tayshaun Prince_ 
(http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/players/profile?statsId=3621)  had 10 rebounds, seven 
points and five  assists.  
The Pistons never led, falling behind 17-3 off the opening tip and  working 
their way back to a 69-69 tie on Tayshaun Prince's putback for the first  
basket of the fourth quarter. But Garnett made a free throw, a jumper and a  layup 
and, after Detroit cut it to 78-77, the Celtics scored 12 of the last 13  
points.  
It was an anticlimactic ending to a hard-fought game, with three  technical 
fouls handed out along with hard fouls that sent players to the floor.  Allen 
drew the first T with a clearing elbow to Hamilton's chest in the first  
quarter; in the third, _Jason Maxiell_ 
(http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/players/profile?statsId=3952)  clobbered Rondo to the parquet after a  breakaway dunk.  
_Tony Allen_ (http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/players/profile?statsId=3842) 's 
layup gave Boston a 78-74 lead with 6:01  left in the game, but he was called 
for a technical foul -- apparently for  celebrating -- that cut a point off 
the lead and Hamilton calmly sank a  23-footer from the top of the key to make 
it a one-point game.  
But Pierce hit a 3 to make it 81-77. Rondo drew a charging foul on  Billups, 
and the Pistons guard was called for a technical that gave the Celtics  an 
82-77 lead.  
After a Pistons miss, Rondo got the loose ball and threw it upcourt,  where 
Pierce grabbed it and put it in for an 85-77 lead.  
It was over.  
The Celtics took a 23-13 lead after the first quarter, shooting 59  percent 
to 26 percent for the Pistons. But Wallace scored 14 in second quarter  -- 
Garnett had 12 -- and the Pistons scored eight straight points to make it  25-23.  
_Juan Dixon_ (http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/players/profile?statsId=3615)  
had a chance to give Detroit the lead, but  he missed a 3-pointer. The Celtics 
scored 11 consecutive points -- 10 in a row  from Garnett -- to make it 38-25.  
The Pistons finally pulled even early in the fourth after Billups and  Prince 
scored the last seven points of the third, then Prince tied it with 10:50  
left in the game.  
Game notes
The Pistons won 87-85 in the  first meeting this season. Boston won 92-85 in 
the second. ... Billups made all  11 of his free throws and scored 18 in the 
third quarter. ... Garnett needs 23  points to reach 20,000 in his career.

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