Big Ticket’s Double-Double Causes Malice At The Palace Celtics Beat Down Pistons 94-80 Lead Series 2-1

Posted by Jeff Sack under NBA PLAYOFFS

Perhaps the “Green Team” never won on the road in the 2008 NBA Playoffs?before Saturday night because they didn’t need to.? The Boston Celtics had not lost a game in the Post Season at home until Thursday night, when they fell to the Detroit Pistons 103-97.? The Boston Celtics had not won a game on the road in the Post Season until Saturday night when they defeated the Detroit Pistons??94 -80. Kevin Garnett led the way for Boston as he recorded a double-double. The win re-establishes home court advantage for the Celtics in the Eastern Conference Finals as they now lead the series 2-1. Boston center Kendrick Perkins also registered a double-double, as six Celtics players scored in double figures.

?After looking very vulnerable, in their first round Playoff series against?Philadelphia, Detroit looked like a totally different team against Orlando. Boston also struggled in their first round series, as the Atlanta Hawks took them to seven games, before the Celtics won the series. The”Green Team“??unlike the Pistons did not turn it around in the Eastern Conference Semi-Finals as they also needed seven games to defeat the Cleveland Cavaliers. The only reason that Boston won both those series, was home court advantage, they won every home game but lost every game away from the friendly confines of the “New Garden“.? That dynamic changed?Thursday night, after Detroit took game two in Boston. In order for the Celtics to be able to win this series, they now had to win at least one game in Detroit.

The Celtics Saturday night for the first time since the Playoffs began looked like the team on the road that they had been in the regular season. They came out aggressively on both offense and defense in the first half.? Boston grabbed a 25-17 lead at the end?of the first quarter. They walked into the locker room at the half feeling pretty confident as they had a 50-32 advantage. The margin remained intact at the end of the third quarter as the Celtics led 73-55. Detroit was never a legitimate threat in the final 12 minutes.

The “Big Ticket” led the way as Garnett scored 22 points, grabbed 13 boards, 6 assists, 2 steals, in the Boston victory. Ray Allen scored 14 points, 6 assists, 6 rebounds, Kendrick Perkins scored 12 points, 10 rebounds, 1 steal, 1 block. Rajon Rondo also scored 12 points, 4 assists, 3 rebounds, James?Posey?came off the bench and scored 12 points, as well, 4 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal. Paul Pierce scored 11 points, 4 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals, 1 block.

Richard Hamilton led all scorers with 26 points, 2 assists, 2 rebounds, 2 steals, 2 blocks. Rookie Rodney Stuckey came off the bench and scored 17 points, 4 steals, 4 assists, 2 rebounds, 1 block, Rasheed Wallace scored 12 points, 8 rebounds, 3 blocks, 1 steal, 1 assist. The series resumes Monday as the two teams will be back in Auburn Hills for game four.

Updates, Fresh From the Oven, Straight to Your Inbox

Promote:

Comments

One Response to “Big Ticket’s Double-Double Causes Malice At The Palace Celtics Beat Down Pistons 94-80 Lead Series 2-1”

Patrick Burke on May 25th, 2008 9:37 am

Being from Boston it was nice to see the Celts get it done on the road last night. Detroit is similar to the C’s where they always play better when they have some urgency. Expect the Pistons to even it up in game 4.

Patrick Burke
http://www.hoopsnetwork.com

Leave a Reply