Pistons Bow out of Postseason with Game Six Loss

The Boston Celtics are on their way to the NBA Finals to meet their old foe The Los Angeles Lakers. Paul Pierce led the Celtics with 27 points, Ray Allen had 17 and Kevin Garnett put up 16 to top off the Big Three’s scoring in the Celtics 89-81 victory over the Detroit Pistons.

The Celtics are made The Finals for the first time since losing to the Lakers in 1987.

Chauncey Billups scored a playoff high 29 points on a night when the Pistons really needed him. Rip Hamilton added 21, that’s a combined 50 points from Detroit’s All-Star backcourt in a game that their teammates didn’t do much else.

Rasheed Wallace stood out significantly for the Pistons in a bad way rather than a good one. Sheed scored just four points on 2-for-12 shooting.

Detroit trailed for most of the game, but seemed to take control in the third quarter going on a 10-2 run to put them up by 70-60 early in the fourth quarter. Boston roared back and went on their own 19-4 run to put them up 79-74. Things just seemed to collapse for Detroit after that.

This just wasn’t the cool collected Detroit team that we are used to. They couldn’t score on key possessions and turned the ball over down the stretch. With the game still in their sites, they were unsuccessful on their last ditch effort threes. No magic in The Palace for Detroit Friday night.

Things are sure to change in Detroit while Boston heads to The Finals. The Pistons have been to six straight Eastern Conference Finals reaching the NBA Finals just twice, winning it all in 2004. With the core of the team much the same since they won their Championship, Pistons GM Joe Dumars will likely change things up to try to figure out a winning formula.

It’s not a done deal for Boston, they still have to face a tough Lakers team whose star Kobe Bryant is playing the possibly the best basketball of his career, and that’s saying a lot. The Big Three against Kobe and The Lakers, the NBA gods are smiling today.