Playoffs Post Ups - Eastern Conference Finals vs. Detroit Pistons

Friday, May 30 - Celtics at Pistons, Game 6

Postgame Links

Recap | Box Score | Video

Back Where They Belong: Celtics Clinch Finals Berth

Pierce Steps Up To Lead Celtics To Finals | Posey's Steal Seals Finals Deal

More: Postgame Presser

Postgame Wrap Up

The Celtics are going Back to the Future.

Paul Pierce poured in 12 of his 27 points in a spectacular fourth quarter, as Boston closed out Detroit with an 89-81 road victory in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference Finals on Friday.

The C's earn their first trip to the NBA Finals since 1987, where they'll meet an old nemesis in the Lakers. Game 1 is set for Thursday at 9 p.m. ET in Boston.

Fittingly, Boston finished the series on the road, where it has struggled this postseason. The C's led by only three at the half and trailed 68-60 after the third quarter. That's when they went to work, outscoring the Pistons 29-13 in the final 12 minutes.

The C's used a 10-0 run early in the fourth to even the game. Later, Pierce converted back-to-back three-point plays, the second with 4:52 left to give the C's the lead for good.

Live from Courtside

89-81 Celtics, FINAL: The last 90 seconds or so was a blur. I think I blacked out, then went to the locker room for the celebration. Photos, insights and more to come.

85-79 Celtics, 1:35/4th: Posey steals the ball from a sleeping Prince and gets it to Pierce, who knocks down a pair of free throws...

83-76 Celtics, 2:32/4th: Rondo nails a baseline jumper from the right corner.

81-76 Celtics, 3:11/4th : KG just picked up #5.

75-74 Celtics, 5:25/4th: Garnett (14 points) and the Celtics used a 10-2 run to tie the game at 70-70 to start the quarter, and now they're trading hoops with Detroit. Pierce is attacking the Detroit defense and is at the line for an old fashioned three-point play.

68-60 Pistons, End of 3rd: Well, the Celtics have a mountain to climb here in the fourth quarter after the Pistons closed the 3rd on a 20-6 run. They'll need to stay composed and fight off the elements in this place. The Palace is rockin' and it's the Celtics against the world in here.

66-58 Pistons, 1:27/3rd: Pierce just got called for an offensive foul by Bennett Salvatore on a pump fake three where the defender jumped up and crashed into him. I'm not making this up. Never seen a call like that in 25 years of watching basketball, on any level.

62-58 Pistons, 2:09/3rd: The C's can't catch a break right now, and Chauncey Billups (24) is lighting them up. Free throws are leaning heavily toward the Pistons; Detroit is 12/16 from the line while the Celtics are 5/7.

54-53 Celtics, 6:07/3rd: The whistles are starting to play a role here in the 3rd quarter. Garnett picked up his fourth for breathing on Rasheed Wallace, and then Perk got teched up again for the second straight game.

40-37 Celtics, HALFTIME: Leon "The Show" Powe, who's played all of 12 minutes in the first five games of the Conference Finals, makes an appearance late in the half thanks to KG's foul trouble. He clearly got hacked on the final possession of the quarter but amazingly got no call.

Pierce and Allen are carrying the C's, combining for 22 points. Allen seems about as confident as he has all postseason, and he's dominating the ball quite a bit.

34-33 Celtics, 2:46/2nd: KG just picked up his third foul and took a seat with just four points on 2/10 shooting, missing eight straight. Meanwhile, Rip and Ray had another arm wrestling match and Hamilton once again went at Ray's head and appeared to attempt a headlock move on Allen. This comes a game after Hamilton injured himself hand fighting with Allen, at one point even getting his hand around Allen's throat.

32-28 Celtics, 8:48/2nd: The Celtics are shooting just 38% from the field, and they're not getting to the line (1/2 FTs). But Paul Pierce has six boards already and he's all over the glass. KG has missed seven straight shots, he's 2/9.

24-21 Celtics, End of 1st: Stuckey's jumper at the horn cuts the Celtics' lead to one point -- but it's rescinded via replay on a 24-second violation. But it's a UCONN battle in the first. Ray Allen and Hamilton each have 10 points.

19-17 Celtics, 2:07/1st: Rajon Rondo is going to the basket here in the first and being incredibly aggressive in the paint. He's just 2/5 for five points, but he's got three boards (again, the C's are not concerned with the Pistons fast breaking, so Rondo can hang around and steal a few offensive rebounds) and an assist. Cassell just replaced him.

11-10 Celtics, 5:47/1st: Rip Hamilton looks OK, he's got 4 points on 2/3 shooting. The Celtics, on the other hand, are once again looking to establish KG early.

Pregame Media Access

AUBURN HILLS, MI - According to Flip Saunders, Richard Hamilton and his sore shooting elbow will be in the lineup tonight and ready to go against the Celtics in Game 6.

"It'll be a game decision, but as of right now we anticipate he's going to start," Saunders said. "I'm sure he's going to have a little bit of soreness and we'll have to just kind of wait and see how he is when he starts playing, what he can really do."

Doc Rivers said the Celtics are expecting a full-strength Hamilton. So anything less would be a bonus.

"Our motto is if he steps on the floor, he's 100 percent, and that's how we're going to play. You know, and if he shows us something different, then maybe we will do something different," Rivers said. "But as far as I'm concerned, if Rip gets an open shot, you'll be amazed how healthy he looks."

We also asked Rivers about Kendrick Perkins' growth in the last few years, and Rivers said that Perk buying into his role was key to his evolution. Rivers pointed to the second half of last season as the turning point for Perkins, and playing alongside KG didn't hurt either, when he "started seeing himself as what he is; he can be a great rebounder, role player, an opportunity scorer, a great defender."

"Even going back to my first year, when you look at where he's at now to then, you know, a lot of it is mental growth as far as I'm concerned. You know, and we talk about it a lot with young players. I think they want to have a role sometimes for themselves that maybe you as a coach and a staff don't see, and it takes a year or two to talk them into their role and what's good for them in the long run," said Rivers, who's especially impressed with Perk's last three games.

Early Pregame

The locker rooms open in 5 minutes, so we'll be back with any updates...

Game Preview

BIRMINGHAM, MI - The Celtics had a early morning film session at the hotel and then a shootaround on the court at the Palace of Auburn Hills today to prepare for tonight's Game 6 of the Eastern Conference Finals.

Couper Moorhead checks in with today's Game 6 preview, and here's a P.J. Brown interview worth watching as well.

Thursday, May 29 - No Practice

More Game 5 Coverage

With the starters playing huge minutes Wednesday night, the Celtics opted against practicing Thursday. They'll fly at 3 p.m. today to the Detroit area and stage a shootaround tomorrow in preparation for Game 6 in Detroit.

Here's more on Game 5 from Celtics.com:

• He Gets Game Back: Allen Finding Groove in Conference Finals
• Celtics Survive Fourth Quarter Scare in Game 5
• Perking Up: Strong Start for Center Keys Game 5 Win

Wednesday, May 28 - Pistons at Celtics, Game 5

Postgame Links

Live!: Post-Game Presser

Game Info | Box Score | Video

Live from Courtside

Live Scoreboard

106-102 Celtics, FINAL: The fouling while up by three strategy paid off...See you in Detroit. Celtics lead 3-2

106-102 Celtics, 3.4 secondsKG goes to the line and rattles home both.

104-102 Celtics, 4.5 seconds The Celtics foul again rather than risk a three attempt from Detroit. Stuckey misses the first free throw.

104-101 Celtics, 6 seconds.He missed two free throws late in Game 5, but Ray Allen was fouled and buries both...

102-101 Celtics, 8 seconds: With a three-point lead, Rondo intentionally fouls Stuckey to prevent a three. He knocks down both free throws. Meanwhile, Hamilton walked off clutching his hand.

102-99 Celtics, 47 seconds: Ray Allen puts the Celtics up three with a long toe-on-the-line two from the corner. Down at the other end, a rebound gets batted around by several players before it goes off KG on the baseline. But the Pistons can't get it inbounds in five and Tayshaun burns their last timeout.

100-99 Celtics, 1:22/4th: Stuckey drains a baseline three.

100-96 Celtics, 1:36/4th: Billups fouls Rondo while trying to pick off a cross-court pass. But Rondo bricks the front end of the free throws.

99-94 Celtics, 1:59/4th: Pierce goes to the line on a loose-ball foul and bricks the first one, then rattles the second one down. Perk takes a seat in favor of Posey.

98-94 Celtics, 2:38/4th: Perk picks up a tech for arguing...

98-93 Celtics, 2:54/4th: Billups baits Rondo into a foul by throwing his hands into Rondo's outstretched paw, then hits three free throws.

96-88 Celtics, 4:04/4th: McDyess picked up his sixth; he's gone. Billups had cut the lead to four points with a three from the right wing, but a Rondo driving layup put them back up six, and now KG is at the line after coming up with a steal and he knocks them both down.

92-85 Celtics, 5:18/4th: Rasheed just got T'd up....one more and he draws a suspension. Poor timing on his part with the Pistons as close as six.

91-83 Celtics, 6:42/4th: The Celtics have gone scoreless over the last 2:30 or so since KG's baseline jumper.

91-81 Celtics, 8:45/4th: The Pistons got as close as eight points, but a Posey three (the only three points from the bench) and a Garnett baseline jumper iced their momentum. But it's still a tight game despite the 10 point margin.

84-71 Celtics, End of 3rd: The Pistons are hanging around, but the C's are getting a strong game from Rajon Rondo. Sure, his shots aren't falling, but he continues to attack the basket and set up his teammates -- he's got 13 assists.

83-67 Celtics, 1:19/3rd: Perk (18/16) steals the ball and then tries to go coast-to-coast like Moses Malone. He ends up at the line. A smattering of "MVP" chants break out in the balcony. I'm not making this up.

77-65 Celtics, 1:55/3rd: The Celtics had it as high as 17 points, but the Pistons are chipping away. Rondo missed a layup and then Billups came down the other end and nailed a three to cut it to 12.

Neither team is going to the bench. The Celtics have just 17 minutes and no points for the bench, while the Pistons have played 35 minutes for 13 points. Methinks there won't be any practice tomorrow, unless this turns into a blowout...

70-56 Celtics, 5:13/3rd: Ray Allen is quietly playing a solid floor game, and he's got 14 points, two rebounds and an assist. But his efficiency (5/8) is what really stands out tonight. Perk's big night continues; he's got 16 and 16 in 27 minutes. Meanwhile, on the Pistons last possession, Perkins blocked Maxiell in the paint just before the shot clock expired and, while I'm no lip-reader, I think he wished him a happy Memorial Day.

56-46 Celtics, 10:49/3rd: Scary scene as Perkins -- who's gotta be in the zone at this point -- almost fell on a fallen Paul Pierce's head. But the Truth is fine, he laid it up in traffic the next possession, and as the team walked off the court, he got leaping chest-to-thigh bump from Eddie House's son.

52-46 Celtics, HALFTIME: KG's fadeaway and Perk's block on a driving Rip Hamilton has the crowd fired up heading into the half. Perk is making the most noise here in the first half with 12 points and 13 rebounds. As a team, the Celtics are killing the Pistons on the glass, 28-12.

44-42 Celtics, 2:58/2nd: Back to back treys from Paul and Ray have the Celtics back on top. Interesting to note: the Celtics bench is getting outscored by the Pistons' reserves, 11-0. And the Celtics starting front court is outscoring the Pistons' starting front line, 34-15.

38-35 Pistons, 5:40/2nd: 10 turnovers and we're not even at the half. That's way too many and it's keeping the Celtics from taking the lead.

33-29 Pistons, 7:56/2nd: KG just threw it down in Theo Ratliff's face on the break, and the Pistons came back up and called time. Garnett was pretty excited about the slam.

26-25 Pistons, 10:28/2nd: P.J. Brown is called for a flagrant foul for breaking up an alley-oop against Jason Maxiell and knocking him to the ground. Looked more like pass interference to me.

23-23, End of 1st: Perkins had a big quarter, with eight points, eight rebounds and a foul. But the story thus far is the Celtics' dominance inside. They're outrebounding Detroit 15-6 and somehow, the score is tied. Remember how we talked about the shortage of three pointers? The Pistons are 4/6 from downtown, and the C's have committed five turnovers.

17-16 Celtics, 3:09/1st: Ball movement is back and the Celtics are scoring inside rather than settling for jumpers; 10 of their 17 have come in the paint and Perkins has eight of them on 4/5 shooting. Rasheed Wallace, on the other hand, has nine for Detroit, as he's found himself open (rather than McDyess in Game 4) when the Celtics D is rotating.

10-5 Celtics, 7:57/1st: Another strong start for the Celtics here at the Garden. A Ray Allen threeball and Paul Pierce's spinning layup over Tayshaun Prince stakes the C's to an early advantage. The crowd really popped hard for Allen's three, as the Garden faithful continue to try to will Allen to a big game.

T.A. Out, Scalabrine In

While pregame media sessions have been largely uneventful throughout the playoffs, there was a morsel of news tonight when Doc Rivers took the podium, noting that Brian Scalabrine would be activated for tonight's game and Tony Allen would not dress due to injury.

"He got injured, I guess, in the one-on-one games yesterday," Rivers said, referring to the one-on-one games occurring at the end of practice before players talk to the media.

Scalabrine, who's been cheering from the end of the bench in a suit, has been diligent about getting his pregame warmups in throughout the playoffs at home and on the road. So not only will he save on the dry cleaners bill, but he might even get some burn tonight.

Aside from the injury report, the topic du jour was three-pointers, and why they haven't played much of a role in the series. Rivers said that more and more, teams are trying to run three point shooters off the three point line to force them to take the midrange jumper, a shot that guys have trouble hitting these days.

That's been the Celtics' philosophy for the last couple of years, and it seemed to work pretty well this year as the team was the best in the league in defending the three-point shot, allowing teams just 31.6% shooting from behind the arc.

Rivers said it is easier in the postseason to "find shooters" since you play the same team several times in succession.

"Historically when you look at it, those guys have been taken out of a lot of series," Rivers said.

It's a taller order in the regular season, said Rivers.

"You're so focused on stopping the best player or second best player at the first best thing they do that you can lose three point shooters."

Tuesday, May 27 - Practice

Pistons Strategy Smells Foul

Continuing on his theme of aggressiveness from last night's postgame press conference, Doc Rivers told reporters after Tuesday's practice in Waltham that the Pistons took the Celtics out of their game on Monday by deciding to slow the game down by fouling early and often.

"They just decided [they] were going to foul you every time; we're not going to let you have anything," Rivers said, attributing the tactic to his old New York Knicks coach and mentor, Pat Riley. "It slowed the game down. You know, it's funny, when they shoot 51 percent from the field and they only have 94 points, that tells you how slow the pace of the game was."

Along those lines, James Posey agreed with his coach, saying that the Celtics failed to adapt to the physical climate of Game 4.

"I think we just adjusted to the flow of the game, how it was being officiated, too late," Posey said. "You've got to come out and set the tone right away."

Check CelticVision HD for videos from practice including clips of Pierce, Perkins, Posey and Rivers.

Back in Waltham

With the series tied 2-2, the Celtics know that they at least have to return to Detroit on Thursday for Friday's Game 6 at Auburn Hills. In the meantime, they'll practice this afternoon to prepare for Wednesday's Game 5 at the Garden.

Here's more from last night's game:

• Rivers: Team Lacks Aggression in Game 4 Loss
• Offense Sputters Without Ball Movement
• Photo Gallery

Monday, May 26 - Celtics at Pistons, Game 4

Postgame Wrap Up

The Celtics are in an all-too-familiar situation.

Although Paul Pierce fired off 16 points, the Celtics dropped Game 4 on the road to the Pistons, 94-75, on Monday, evening the series at 2-2.

Boston will now head home in the same position as it was against Atlanta and Cleveland: a best-of-three series.

Kevin Garnett notched 16 points and 10 rebounds, while James Posey and Ray Allen added 11 points apiece.

Rajon Rondo had an opportunity to make it a three-point game with 3:46 remaining, but was unable to drain a layup attempt.

The Celtics look to reclaim the series lead on Wednesday at home at 8:30 p.m. ET.

- NBA.com Newsdesk

Live from Courtside

Live Scoreboard

94-75 Pistons, FINAL: The Pistons poured it on at the end...

89-75 Pistons, 1:16/4th: Ray Allen misses two free throws, and then the Pistons get back-to-back baskets to finish us off. Timeout Celtics. It's hard to win shooting 32% from the field.

83-73 Pistons, 2:53/4th: Billups nails a three to put the Pistons up 10 points with just under three minutes to play. That's a tall order.

80-73 Pistons, 3:23/4th: Perk fouls out on a cheap call against Wallace, who knocks down a pair at the line.

78-73 Pistons, 4:50/4th: The Celtics have it back down to five points after a gritty second-effort hoop from the Truth. They'll need an offensive explosion here, as they continue to shoot just 33% (20/60) from the field.

76-67 Pistons, 6:20/4th: The C's are getting stops but no good looks at the hoop.

74-67 Pistons, 8:17/4th: Only nine assists for the Celtics means the ball isn't moving the way it should. The Celtics aren't getting any of the dribble penetration that gets their offense going.

67-62 Pistons, 10:18/4th: Rasheed just picked up his fifth, sending a cutting P.J. Brown to the line.

65-58 Pistons, End of 3rd: James Posey's off-balanced leaner at the horn cuts the lead to seven points, and the Celtics are hanging around despite being outplayed. They're 28/33 from the line, getting nearly half of their 58 points at the stripe.

Interesting note: neither team has hit a three tonight.

McDyess is having a monster game with 21 and 13; Pierce is just 2/9 for 14 points.

61-50 Pistons, 3:22/3rd: Trading hoops isn't getting it done for the Celtics. They can't seem to convert after getting stops, and again the Pistons defense is smothering them and keeping them out of the paint.

51-43 Pistons, 8:44/3rd: The C's had it down to a two-point lead, but the Pistons ran off six straight and pushed it back up to eight.

43-39 Pistons, HALFTIME: You take away the 11 turnovers, or even cut them in half, and the Celtics could conceivably have a lead at this point. They're shooting just 37% from the field and somehow trail by just four points. Perk and Pierce have stood out here in the first half, and on his way to the locker room, Doc looked very encouraged, clapping his hands...

The Celtics are 17/20 from the line, and that's keeping them alive...

39-30 Pistons, 2:50/2nd: Perkins is working hard in the paint to keep the Celtics close, but as team the Celtics are having to work way too hard for their offense, while the Pistons seem to be getting what they want down on their end. But essentially, it's coming down to making shots. The Pistons are making their midrange jumpers, the Celtics are not.

33-25 Pistons, 6:26/2nd: A quick 6-0 run from Perk and KG have the C's right back in it. The bigs are starting to get inside rather than launching jumpers from the left elbow as they've been doing for most of the half.

33-19 Pistons, 8:00/2nd: The Pistons have put together an 11-2 run to start the quarter, and turnovers continue to kill the Celtics, as the Piston have forced seven to Boston's one forced turnover.

22-17 Pistons, End of 1st: The Celtics withstood an impressive Detroit run to start the game, and Paul Pierce has almost single-handedly kept the Celtics in the game here in the first, dropping nine points in the quarter. But seven of those came at the line. The team is shooting 20% from the field (3/15) and still managed to keep the quarter close. All things considered, this could be a lot worse. A lot worse.

18-8 Pistons, 2:44/1st: The Pistons are swarming Pierce on defense, and have certainly taken control of the paint. The C's have used P.J. Brown on some duck ins and cuts to try to get some easy hoops.

16-6 Pistons, 4:23/1st: The C's are getting nothing but jumpers and their shots are falling short. Perkins got one score inside but otherwise the Celtics aren't getting to the rim.

14-4 Pistons, 6:39/1st: Perkins picks up his second foul because he lost track of McDyess, who's got 10 points.

8-0 Pistons, 9:54/1st: The Pistons are 4/4 from the field and all the shots that weren't falling early in Game 3 are dropping for them in Game 4. McDyess has six of the eight...

Pregame Media Access

It was allegedly 75 degrees in the cramped Celtics locker room, but we're guessing that thermometer is about as accurate as the Juggs gun at an MLB game. It was warm (hot would be something of a stretch, though) and uncomfortable before the game and aside from Eddie House getting stretched out, there was little activity during media availability. Down the hall, the Pistons locker room had tumbleweed blowing through it and Theo Ratliff tying his shoes at a corner locker.

Pistons Coach Flip Saunders had the most noteworthy comments during the coaches pregame pressers, saying that he would not hesitate to go to Rodney Stuckey if the team wasn't playing well with Chauncey Billups in the lineup.

"Yeah, the big question is on Chauncey, Chauncey, Chauncey. We're going to have to wait and see how he is when he goes out," Saunders said. "It's not just a matter of how he's playing; it's how the team is playing. If he's doing what he needs to do to initiate our offense, key our defense, contain people as far as defensively, then he'll play. If he's struggling with that, I will not hesitate at all to go with Rodney and let Rodney play as far as the [point guard spot]."

Saunders also said that the team may play some more of the 2-2-1 zone trap they utilized during the fourth quarter comeback attempt in Game 3, but cautioned that it is exhausting to play.

As for Coach Rivers, we asked him if he's learned anything significant from going so deep in the playoffs as a coach.

"It's just about adjustments and getting your guys ready. You know, you learn every day. I hope I never stop doing that," Rivers said. "Having said that, most of the things, it's not any different than one series. Each time you go to another series it's just a different opponent, and that opponent, they have different problems that you have to try to solve. Other than that, it's really not much difference."

Given the late hours and travel required by a playoff series, it can be a real grind for the team's travel party, coaches and staff -- not to mention intrepid website reporters -- but Rivers says he enjoys the challenge and is not mentally fatigued.

"No, it's refreshing as far as I'm concerned. I'd rather do this. This is what I like doing," Rivers said. "I don't think it is [mentally fatiguing] for coaches. I mean, you're up late and you're doing your job, but it's enjoyable work. I think when you enjoy doing your work, it's what you like doing."

Early Pregame Update

6:20 p.m.: Rajon Rondo, Tony Allen, Eddie House, James Posey and Paul Pierce have all been out on the floor getting shots up with Mike Crotty, Mike Longabardi, Armond Hill and Kevin Eastman in preparation for Game 4. The locker rooms open at 7 p.m. for pregame media access, and we'll have more details for you just before tip-off at 8:30.

Game Preview

Couper Moorhead checks in with the Game 4 preview today. We'll have pregame notes from the Palace just before tipoff.

Sunday, May 25 - Practice

Film and Walkthrough

3:10 p.m.: Opting to save the team's legs again on Sunday, Doc Rivers cancelled the team's scheduled practice at a local high school today and instead staged a film session and walkthrough in a ballroom at the team hotel.

After wrapping up the session, players and Coach Rivers met with the media in the hotel lobby for about 20 minutes. Several players then hit the hotel gym with Strength and Conditioning Coaches Walter Norton Jr. and Bryan Doo.

More from today's media availability:

• After Retaking Home Court, Celtics Get Greedy
• Consistent Throughout Playoffs, Posey Knows His Role

Interviews with several players, including Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce and Ray Allen, are posted in today's Audio Archive.

Saturday, May 24 - Celtics at Pistons, Game 3

Postgame Links

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Recap | Box | Highlights

Celtics Bigs Control Paint | Garnett Burns Pistons in Game 3

Postgame Recap

It may have been their most convincing team performance of the playoffs.

For the first time in seven chances, the Celtics won on the road in this year's postseason. They defeated the Pistons, 94-80, in Game 3 on Saturday to take a 2-1 series advantage in the Eastern Conference Finals.

Kevin Garnett racked up 22 points and 13 rebounds for Boston, which led by as many as 24 and weathered a late Detroit rally. Ray Allen added 14 points, six boards and six assists.

The Celtics took control on the glass -- outrebounding the Pistons by 16. They also took advantage of the 30 free throw opportunities by converting on 25 of them.

Boston will look to open up a commanding 3-1 series lead when it takes on Detroit in Game 4 on Monday at 8:30 p.m. ET.

- NBA.com Newsdesk

Live from Courtside

Live Scoreboard

94-80 Celtics, FINAL: Huge Win...The road woes are over. The C's are 1-6 away from the Garden.

88-78 Celtics, 1:38/4th: The Celtics dominance on the glass was the story tonight, unless the Pistons have an amazing run in them over the next 98 seconds.

87-78 Celtics, 2:56/4th: The Pistons have it down to nine after a Billups three and a Prince dunk has the 1/3 empty Palace excited again. The Celtics just need a few more stops and they're good.

84-69 Celtics, 4:48/4th: Drive home safely? Mass exodus underway. This would never happen at the Garden.

83-69 Celtics, 5:31/4th: Garnett is having another big night, and he's basically been a 20/10 guy for the postseason so it comes as no surprise. He's also got five assists and tonight might be his best all-around effort of the postseason.

78-65 Celtics, 8:35/4th: With the Pistons chipping away again, KG comes up with a pair of offensive rebounds, and the C's call timeout to settle down the offense and get something productive out of the possession. Given how good the Celtics are at scoring on ATO plays, they're probably good for a hoop after the break.

Meanwhile, it seems like every year in the playoffs, a young NBA star is born. Rodney Stuckey is probably that guy this year. He's got 15 tonight.

73-53 Celtics, End of 3rd: The Celtics are crushing the Pistons in the stat we're going to call "points at the rim", which is basically just layups and dunks. According to the NBA.com shotchart, through three quarters the Celtics have a 22-12 advantage in points at the rim.

65-45 Celtics, 4:17/3rd: The Celtics are working the offense through KG on the left block, and it's paying off big time. The C's have a 20-point lead and the Pistons appear to be fading. Does Detroit have the big run in them they'll need to make it a game?

56-43 Celtics, 6:43/3rd: The Pistons a chipping away here in the third, cutting Boston's edge to 13. The story for the Celtics thus far? Pierce has just four points -- and four turnovers.

50-32 Celtics, HALFTIME: The Pistons are shooting just 33% and Billups doesn't look good at all (-23 in the plus/minus department), perhaps that injury is bothering him. He's turning down shots in the lane when he'd normally look to finish in the lane. Meanwhile, the Celtics were dunking all over Detroit and getting inside pretty easily.

Most importantly, the Celtics are limiting second-chance points (allowing just five), coming up with 15 defensive rebounds to just seven for Detroit.

41-28 Celtics, 4:06/2nd: The Celtics starters (and Posey instead of Pierce) are pulling away here in the first half, opening up a 13-point lead. They are scoring inside and controlling the glass.

35-27 Celtics, 5:42/2nd: Chauncey Billups is 0/1 with two fouls, a turnover and 0 points.

29-25 Celtics, 8:17/2nd: The Celtics had six turnovers in the first quarter. That's too many, and without them the C's would probably have had a significant lead after the first quarter. Everyone who's been in the game has scored already, which stands to reason when Garnett and Allen both sat for extended periods due to foul trouble.

25-17 Celtics, End of 1st: After the Pistons 17-4 run, the Celtics built back a lead with some long range shooting. Posey and Cassell connected on threes and suddenly the Celtics are up eight after one.

15-12 Celtics, 3:29/1st: It's been a busy first quarter. After the Celtics ran off a 11-0 run to start the game, the Pistons took their time, but they responded with a 12-4 run of their own to get back in it.

15-8 Celtics, 4:10/1st: Add Ray Allen to the foul trouble list along with Billups. They've both got two.

13-4 Celtics, 5:56/1st: Sam Cassell went back to the locker room at the timeout. Not sure if he's in pair or not but he appeared to be warming up along the baseline, and then went off to the back of the house.

11-4 Celtics, 7:00/1st: The second of two awful calls against KG was ridiculous. Rip had his left arm in an arm bar when they doubled him, and somehow Garnett ended up with the foul. Lazarus, er, P.J., makes an early entrance...

9-0 Celtics, 9:43/1st: A nice start for the Celtics, building an 8-0 lead with a pair of dunks and a layup and one for Rondo.

Pregame Media Access

I talked to P.J. Brown extensively before pregame about how his role has evolved during the playoff run, and just exactly how retired he was before Paul and Ray talked him into a comeback with the Celtics at the All-Star Break. You can catch that entire interview in the Audio Archive.

Asked about Brown's role, Doc Rivers compared him to Lazarus (Brown, to extend the analogy, was entombed in Louisiana for the first half of the season before "resurrecting" his career), and characterized him as being "solid", noting that you never know what you're going to get with a retired player making a comeback.

"He's not going to overwhelm you with going off for 40 or anything like that. He's just solid. He's solid on the offensive end," Rivers said. "Veterans like P.J. know what they can do and what they cannot do. He rarely puts himself in a place where he has to do something he knows he can't do, or he won't try to do it. You know, that's been very important, where to go in the right spots offensively. Defensively, his defensive rotations are as good as anybody on our team. That's very important."

The Palace was pretty quiet for pregame. The cramped Celtics locker room was pretty low key, with a handful of reporters stuffed between players tying sneakers inches away on either side.

Game Preview

Couper Moorhead checks in with the Game 3 preview today.

Friday, May 23 - Travel Day

The Celtics will take a 3:00 p.m. plane to the Detroit area today and then play the Pistons in Game 3 at the Palace of Auburn Hills Saturday night at 8:30 p.m. on ABC.

Doc Rivers will talk to the media from the tarmac via conference call this afternoon at 2:30 p.m.

Thursday, May 22 - Pistons at Celtics, Game 2

Postgame Links

Sidebar: Allen Breaks Through But C's Break Down in Game 2 | Locker Room Video

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Game Info | Series Info | Highlights

Postgame Wrap Up

The Celtics had their chances down the stretch, but came up short in Thursday's 103-97 loss to the Pistons in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Finals at the Garden.

Boston suffered its first playoff loss at home as Detroit evened the series at 1-1.

Even the return of a red-hot Ray Allen couldn't help the C's take a commanding lead in this series. Allen finished with 25 points on 9-of-16 shooting. Paul Pierce led Boston with 26 points to go with five assists, while Kevin Garnett added a double-double of 24 points and 13 rebounds.

Boston, which was down by seven at halftime, trailed by six with 48 seconds left before Pierce hit a layup to make it a four-point game with 41 seconds left. Allen's 3-pointer with 10 seconds left cut the deficit to three, but the C's would get no closer.

The series now shifts to Detroit. Game 3 is set for Saturday at 8:30 p.m. ET.

- NBA.com Newsdesk

Live from Courtside

Live Scoreboard

103-97 Pistons, FINAL: KG's desperation three hits all rim and Prince comes down with it.

101-97 Pistons, 9.8 seconds: Posey is called for holding Wallace on the inbound play. I thought the whistles were put away?? What gives? Wallace hits the front end of the free throws and the Celtics call time on the miss.

100-97 Pistons, 10.7 seconds: Ray Allen nails an off-balanced three with two dudes in his face. Three point game. Then Tayshaun has to call timeout because he can't inbound the ball. The Pistons are out of timeouts, the Celtics have one remaining.

100-94 Pistons, 18.7 seconds: After Pierce cut it to four points on a drive, the Celtics nearly came up with a stop as Posey blocked a Billups jumper from behind. But Chauncey came free on the inbounds play and layed it in.

98-92 Pistons, 48 seconds: The teams traded baskets, as KG hits a baseline floater, both teams missed shots, and then Hamilton hits a floater in the lane over Pierce (who tried unsuccessfully to draw the charge -- no call) and the Pistons are up six with 48 seconds.

96-90 Pistons, 2:19/4th: The run Rip Hamilton off a baseline screen and then reverse the ball to the screening big man on the baseline play has worked at least four times tonight. The C's can't seem to defend it, as Wallace and McDyess are knocking down the baseline shot before the defender rotates.

And in case you haven't noticed, Steve Javie and company have put the whistles firmly in the nether regions of their respective pockets.

86-81 Pistons, 5:53/4th: P.J. Brown's jumper is essentially a line-drive, but hey, it works. He just cut the lead to five; he's 2/2 from the field and has a pair of rebounds in 14 minutes.

86-79 Pistons, 6:55/4th: Ray Allen just blew past Lindsey Hunter on the baseline and stuffed over Theo Ratliff and the lead is cut to seven. Perhaps that dunk will build some momentum.

The Celtics lead in Points in the Paint 30-16.

78-69 Pistons, End of 3rd: Detroit finished the quarter with a 12-5 run in the last three minutes and they've got a nine-point lead heading into the fourth quarter.

66-64 Pistons, 3:09/3rd: Allen just picked up his fifth foul on Rip's ballfake. So foul trouble is preventing Ray from having a breakout night because we probably won't see him again until late in the fourth.

63-60 Pistons, 4:37/3rd: Rondo stumbled into a ref and picked up a technical...

54-54, 8:34/3rd: Ray Allen connects on a 17 foot baseline jumper, and the crowd goes nuts. Then Ray comes up with it again, heads to the hoop and while his layup won't fall, KG is there to clean up the rebound and tie the game to cap the Celtics' 11-4 run to start the third.

Pistons, HALFTIME: The Celtics defense is not finding open shooters and the Pistons got way too many good, open looks in the second quarter. They're shooting 52% from the field for the half.

Ray Allen played just 11 minutes in the first half, but foul trouble (3 personals), not shooting trouble, kept him on the bench for nearly the entire second quarter.

40-37 Pistons, 2:33/2nd: Both teams are finally getting their flow on offense as we near the end of the half. But the Celtics are just 2/9 from three point land.

31-27 Pistons, 5:55/2nd: The C's shooting woes continue here in the second; they're just 1/8 from the field, a James Posey threeball from the corner marking their only bucket. And nine turnovers is just too many.

Meanwhile, I just saw a #5 jersey in the balcony on the jumbotron. Only this guy was rockin' the Ron Mercer model. Can you blame him though? Back in 1997, Rick Pitino said that Mercer and Billups were the Celtics backcourt for the "next 10 years."

23-20 Pistons, 8:41/2nd: The Celtics are 0/6 to start the second quarter and have yet to score in just over three minutes. Yikes.

20-18 Celtics, End of 1st: Not much stands out here in the first. It was a pretty evenly played quarter. Both teams turned it over five times, which is surprising. Stat of the quarter? Rondo has five rebounds, including one he went sky-high for in the early goings. If he's hitting the glass early, that means the Celtics aren't too concerned with the Pistons fast breaking on them, since they're a walk-it-up team.

16-16 Celtics, 1:45/1st: Here's the next thing the NBA has to crack down on...jump shooters kicking into defenders to draw fouls. Let me get this straight: Chauncey Billups kicked Eddie House in the groin on his jumper, and Billlups goes to the line for shots?

14-10 Celtics, 4:16/1st: Ray Allen is still looking to break through and connect on a long-range jumper. He hit a one footer when a Pierce three airballed, but that was so close it really shouldn't count. Ray's been going to the hole but can't seem to get a call.

10-4 Celtics, 7:18/1st: Rasheed just got teched up...the sun also rose today. The word here at courtside was that was Wallace's fifth tech of the year (unofficial), and his seventh will draw a suspension, according to NBA spokesman Tim Frank (anything from Frank IS official).

Pregame Media Access

The only real news emerging today was that the elbow Rip Hamilton hit Kevin Garnett with in Game 1 was upgraded to a Flagrant 1 foul by the league office, but Hamilton will not be suspended, and since the Celtics won't get any extra free throws or possessions out of it, the designation is more or less meaningless to the rest of the series.

Doc Rivers told reporters that while the Celtics felt it was indeed a flagrant foul, he knows that there was no malice behind it.

"It's an emotional game and that kind of stuff happens," Rivers said, calling Hamilton a 'good guy.' "It's just part of the game at times. It's not a big deal."

Rivers also talked about the ongoing dialogue during Rasheed Wallace and Kevin Garnett's head-to-head matchup in Game 1. Asked if the matchup brought anything extra out in Garnett, Rivers said he felt it was just the setting -- the Eastern Conference Finals -- that has Garnett turned up a notch.

"It's good competition. It's clean. The words are not, but the game is," Rivers said. "That's good by me."

Game Preview

Couper Moorhead checks in with a preview of tonight's Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Finals.

Wednesday, May 21 - Practice

Check out CelticVision HD for comments from Eddie House, Paul Pierce, James Posey and Ray Allen about GAme 2 of the Eastern Conference Finials against the Detroit Pistons. Game 3 tips off at the Garden tomorrow night at 8:30 p.m. on ESPN and WEEI.

• CelticVision HD

Tuesday, May 20 - Pistons at Celtics, Game 1

Postgame Links

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Recap | Box | Locker Room Video | Highlights | Photos

Who Needs Rest? Energy, Momentum Carries Celtics in Game 1

Postgame Wrap Up

The Celtics protected their home floor once again on Tuesday.

Kevin Garnett scored eight of his 26 points in a strong third quarter as the Celtics held off the Pistons down the stretch for a convincing 88-79 victory in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals at the Garden.

Paul Pierce, fresh off his 41-point performance in Sunday's Game 7 win over the Cavaliers in the semifinals, added 22 points, six rebounds and six assists. The Celts led the entire fourth quarter as the Pistons twice closed within six points in the final five minutes. But Pierce and Rajon Rondo, who had 11 points and seven assists, hit back-to-back buckets to put Boston back up by 10 and the C's never looked back.

Boston led by one at the half, but went on a 15-6 run to start the third behind KG, who also grabbed nine rebounds. The C's led 56-46 after a pair of Kendrick Perkins free throws with 5:55 left in the quarter. They stretched the lead to 12 with Eddie House nailing a 3-pointer with one second left to close the third. Perkins led the C's with 10 rebounds.

Boston hosts Game 2 on Thursday at 8:30 p.m. ET.

Live from Courtside

Live Scoreboard

88-79 Celtics, FINAL: Convincing Game 1 win. Celtics lead 1-0. KG had 26 and nine rebounds. Pierce 22, 6 and 6.

86-75 Celtics, 1:42/4th: Rondo drains a three at the end of the shot clock...Is he planning on the Three Point Shootout in Phoenix next February or what??

83-73 Celtics, 2:40/4th: A Pierce pull-up and a Rondo baseline jumper has the C's up 10 points going into the hot timeout. A few more stops and this one's history.

73-65 Celtics, 7:58/4th: 14-year pro Lindsey Hunter, who's played in just five of Detroit's playoff games, has gone 11 minutes here tonight and seems to be most concerned with pressuring the ball. Hunter started his career in Detroit, bounced around from Milwaukee to LA to Toronto, and is now back with the Pistons for the last five seasons.

69-57 Celtics, End of 3rd: Allen dribbled off the final seconds of the quarter, fooled the Pistons into thinking he would shoot and then dumped it off to E-House for the three at the end of the quarter. Slumping or not, the Pistons know they have to respect Allen's flammability, if you will, and they're not going to leave him alone. He's finding ways to contribute without scoring, and as long as he does that, the shooting will take care of itself.

60-52 Celtics, 2:39/3rd: Ray Allen continues to struggle as he's being trapped on every touch. He just needs to knock down one shot. As for Rondo, he's getting into the paint whenever he wants and continues to instigate good ball movement. The C's already have 20 assists.

Presumably celebrating the end of SpyGate, Bill Belichick is enjoying the game from courtside seats next to the Pistons bench. He enjoyed a loud ovation when shown on CelticVision.

52-46 Celtics, 7:56/3rd: Garnett is at it again, scoring a quick six points to start the quarter.

41-40 Celtics, Halftime: KG has six of the last eight points and he's slowly coming alive...He's got 14 to lead all scorers at the half. Seen wandering courtside? Old friend and current Timberwolves forward Ryan Gomes...

39-37 Pistons, 2:08/2nd: The Pistons are shooting 5/10 from the field here in the second quarter and they've grabbed a small lead. But getting to the line has been the difference here in the first half. Detroit is 13/15 from the stripe, Boston just 3/7.

32-32, 5:50/2nd: This game is tightening up as the Pistons are starting to work the ball inside. But most of their attempts have still been from the perimeter.

28-24 Celtics, 8:28/2nd: McDyess and Hamilton are getting the Pistons to the line here in the second quarter, and they're 7/8 from the line thus far. The Celtics are just 0/1. Then again, they've been getting to the hoop uncontested; the Celtics have 20 points in the paint.

The Pistons seem to be attacking Eddie House in the backcourt when he brings it up, they obviously think the Celtics are vulnerable with House handling the ball. And one of the keys to beating the Pistons is limiting turnovers, they're among the best in turnover differential in the league.

22-17 Celtics, End of 1st: Allen may be struggling with his shot, but that's not stopping the Pistons from loading up on him whenever he gets the ball on the perimeter on pick and rolls. The solution? Allen rose up for the shot then dumped off to a ducking in P.J. Brown for the dunk on the his roll. Nice.

The C's are moving the ball, nine assists on 11 field goals is impressive.

Also of note: We have a Tony Allen sighting.

12-11 Celtics, 3:13/1st: The Pistons just threw together an 11-4 run and suddenly order has been restored here on the parquet. Antonio McDyess has six points and five rebounds of his own, but neither team is shooting well. Boston has a 35%-29% edge. Ouch. Watch your heads on press row!

Perk continues to crash the glass...he's got eight rebounds in nine minutes of action, but will probably sit after the timeout in favor of P.J. Brown. Meanwhile, Allen's shooting woes might be getting to him. He just turned down two good open looks and opted to kick it back to Pierce once and then drive himself into a tougher shot the second time. He'll have to shoot himself out of this slump somehow.

8-0 Celtics, 8:25/1st: Wow...the C's came out like a house of fire. Perk has four boards in four minutes, KG scored twice inside and even our boy Ray Allen connected on a layup after missing his first two jumpers. This place is far louder than it was at any point vs. Cleveland heading into this timeout.

Pregame Media Access and Draft Lottery Memories

The deeper you get in the playoffs, the more complex a gamenight operation becomes. Game times get pushed back, and routine things like Doc Rivers' pregame media pow-wow, typically conducted in the hallway outside the Celtics' locker room, flips into official NBA press conference mode, complete with "name and affiliation" announcements before each question.

That, and another influx of media, is really the only change. Otherwise, it's pretty much business as usual. For instance, Doc is still cracking jokes with the press before games and keeping the mood light.

Of course, this time a year ago, the Celtics were eyeing the draft lottery, and along with that came the colossal disappointment (at least at the time) of getting the Number 5 pick in the draft despite a 24-win season. All of Boston was thinking Greg Oden or Kevin Durant. Few saw Ray Allen and Kevin Garnett on the horizon. Kendrick Perkins said before the game that he wasn't rooting for the Celtics to win the lottery, because he figured if Greg Oden was on his way to Boston, he'd be on his way out of town.

Meanwhile, Rivers was initially crushed, but soon realized that better days were ahead.

"I'm the luckiest guy on Earth," Rivers said of losing the lottery. "If we had gotten 1 or 2, I'd probably be interviewing somebody today before the game for ABC or TNT."

Otherwise, Rivers touched on the brief time he coached an injured Chauncey Billups in Orlando, and addressed the lack of playing time for Tony Allen.

Said Rivers of Allen, "If Tony is needed, he'll be ready and we have full confidence in that."

Game Preview

Couper Moorhead checks in with today's Game 1 Preview...

Monday, May 19 - Practice

Check out CelticVision HD for comments from Eddie House, Paul Pierce, James Posey and Kendrick Perkins about the Eastern Conference Finials against the Detroit Pistons. Game 1 tips off at the Garden tomorrow night at 8:30 p.m. on ESPN and WEEI.

• CelticVision HD