(Best E Casino) - The
Detroit Pistons attempt to knot the Eastern Conference finals at two games apiece, as they welcome the
Boston Celtics tonight to The Palace of Auburn Hills.
In Game 3, Kevin Garnett scored 22 points and grabbed 13 rebounds, and the top- seeded Celtics finally won a playoff game on the road with a 94-80 rout of No. 3 Detroit at The Palace.
Boston rebounded nicely from its first home loss of the playoffs, however, pulling away in the second quarter and led by as many as 24 as it took a 2-1 lead in the best-of-seven series.
Ray Allen added 14 points, one of six Celtics players to score in double- figures. Kendrick Perkins had 12 points and 10 rebounds, and James Posey and Rajon Rondo scored a dozen apiece for Boston. Paul Pierce scored 11 points in the victory
Richard Hamilton finished with 26 points for the Pistons, who struggled to a 38-percent performance from the field, including 1-of-13 from three-point range. Rookie Rodney Stuckey scored 17 points off the bench, while Rasheed Wallace added 12 points and eight rebounds for the Pistons.
Chauncey Billups, and Tayshaun Prince were absent on the offensive end for Detroit. Billups scored six points on 1-of-6 shooting, while Prince shot 2- of-11 from the floor and scored only four points.
The Pistons have won two straight Game 4s in the postseason, while the Celtics have dropped two in a row and four of their last five Game 4s.
Game 5 of this best-of-seven series is scheduled for Wednesday at TD Banknorth Garden.
Boston is 9-1 at home and 1-6 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.
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.
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 5-2 at home and 4-3 on the road in this year's postseason.
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 the Celtics. The Pistons eliminated Boston in the 1988 East finals, round one in 1989 and the 1991 semifinals.
