(Best E Casino) - The top two teams in the East battle for the right to represent their conference in the NBA Finals, as the top-seeded
Boston Celtics and second-seeded
Detroit Pistons square off tonight at TD Banknorth Garden in Game 1 of their best-of-seven series.
There is a lot of playoff history between these two franchises. Boston defeated the Pistons in the 1968, 1985 and 2002 semis, and also knocked out Detroit in seven games in the 1987 East finals.
Detroit has also won its share of playoff series against its opponent in this year's conference finals. The Pistons eliminated Boston in the 1988 East finals, round one in 1989 and the 1991 semifinals.
During the regular season, the Celtics won two of the three meetings between the clubs. The teams split a pair of games at TD Banknorth Garden, while Boston defeated the Pistons, 92-85, on January 5 at The Palace of Auburn Hills.
Game 2 of this set is scheduled for Thursday in Beantown.
Boston is 8-0 at home and 0-6 on the road in this year's playoffs. The Celtics survived two big scares in the first round and semifinals. They knocked out the eighth-seeded Atlanta Hawks in seven games in the quarterfinals and hung on to defeat superstar LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers in an even tougher seven-game set.
In Game 7 against Cleveland, Paul Pierce and James engaged in an offensive battle for the ages, but it was Pierce's 41-point effort that led the Celtics to a 97-92 win over the Cavaliers in the decisive contest.
Pierce is averaging 18.7 points, 4.8 rebounds and 4.1 assists in the postseason. The Kansas product is shooting 42.4 percent from the field, including 37.7 percent from beyond the arc.
Defensive Player of the Year Kevin Garnett leads the Celtics in scoring (20.3 ppg) and rebounding (9.9 rpg), while All-Star guard Ray Allen has struggled. Allen is averaging 12.7 points and is shooting under 40 percent from the field.
Twenty-two-year-old Rajon Rondo has played well at times during the postseason for the Celtics. Boston's starting point guard is averaging 11.1 points and a club-high 6.6 assists. At times he has played like a veteran, but has also looked like a player who could not handle the pressures of the postseason.
Allen, Garnett and Pierce are all appearing in their second conference finals. The 32-year-old Allen made it with Milwaukee in 2001, while Garnett led Minnesota to the West finals in 2004 and Pierce and the Celtics advanced to the East finals in 2002. None of the Big Three have ever won this round.
The last time the Celtics captured the Eastern Conference crown was in 1987. They ended up losing to the Los Angeles Lakers in six games in the NBA Finals. Boston has lost its last two trips to this round.
Doc Rivers finished his fourth season as the general for the Celtics, and has led Boston to the postseason for the second time. The Celtics fell in seven games in the 2005 first round to the Pacers. Rivers is coaching in his fifth postseason, as he also guided the Magic to the playoffs three times during his tenure in Orlando. He owns a 16-20 record in the playoffs.
The Pistons have advanced to the Eastern Conference finals for the sixth straight year, becoming the first team since the 1984-89 Los Angeles Lakers to reach the conference finals six years in a row.
During its run, Detroit has advanced to the NBA Finals twice and has captured one championship. The Pistons defeated the Lakers, 4-1, in the 2004 NBA Finals and lost to the San Antonio Spurs, 4-3, in the 2005 championship round.
The Pistons, who eliminated Philadelphia in round one and Orlando in the semis of this year's postseason, have made it to the Eastern Conference finals for the 11th time in franchise history. They played Boston in 1987 and 1988, Chicago in 1989, 1990 and 1991, New Jersey in 2003, Indiana in 2004, Miami in 2005 and 2006 and the Cavaliers last year. Detroit is 5-5 in this round.
Detroit is and outstanding 334-158 during the last six regular seasons, and is 67-43 in the playoffs, including the first two rounds of the 2008 postseason.
Chauncey Billups, Richard Hamilton and Tayshaun Prince are the only players who have been on the roster for the entire six-year stretch. Prince was a rookie when the streak started in 2003, while the All-Star duo of Billups and Hamilton were starting to establish themselves as one of the premier backcourts in the league.
The 31-year-old Billups, who missed the final two games of the series with the Magic because of a strained right hamstring, has developed into one of the top point guards in the NBA and is known for his ability to hit the big shot in crunch time. The Colorado product is averaging 15.8 points and a team-best 5.7 assists per game in this year's postseason, and now has a career-average of 17.4 points in 111 playoff contests.
Hamilton was the leading scorer (17.3 ppg) for the Pistons during the regular season, and has continued to lead the club in scoring (21.5 ppg) during the postseason. Like Billups, Hamilton is a three-time All-Star and has posted 20.7 points per contests in 110 career playoff games.
The unsung hero of the Pistons is definitely the 28-year-old Prince. He is one of the top defensive players in the league, and does the little things on both ends of the court that have helped Detroit during this great time in franchise history. The Kentucky product has participated in 108 playoff contests during his career.
Head coach Flip Saunders finished his third year on Detroit's bench, and has guided the Pistons to the East finals the last three years. Before he was hired by Detroit, Saunders spent nine-plus years with the Minnesota Timberwolves and helped the squad to eight straight playoff appearances. He also coached the Timberwolves to a franchise-best 58-24 mark during the 2003-04 campaign and guided the club to the Western Conference finals against the Lakers, who defeated Minnesota in six games. Saunders, who became the general of the Pistons on July 21, 2005, is 45-47 in the postseason.
Billups, Hamilton and Prince, who is averaging 16.0 points and 6.2 rebounds in the 2008 playoffs, have solidified themselves as the nucleus of the Pistons, who have won at least 50 games seven straight seasons. They have had help, as current teammate Rasheed Wallace joined the club during the 2003-04 campaign and played a big role in Detroit capturing its third title in franchise history. Wallace is averaging 13.9 points and 6.0 rebounds in this year's playoffs.
The Pistons are 5-1 at home and 3-2 on the road in this year's postseason.
