The Detroit Pistons beat the Boston Celtics 103-97, tying the NBA Eastern Conference finals at one game apiece yesterday and seizing the home-court advantage that has meant everything to the Celtics.
Richard Hamilton bounced back from a poor series opener with 25 points, and Chauncey Billups had 19 points and seven assists for the Pistons, who host Game 3 tomorrow.
Boston had won 15 straight games at home and was 9-0 in the playoffs, but the only number that matters now is 0-6?-- the Celtics' playoff road record.
Paul Pierce scored 26 points for the Celtics and Ray Allen broke out of a shooting slump with 25, his best performance in three months. But he was limited to about 29 minutes by foul trouble, picking up his fifth foul with 3:09 left in the third quarter after his flurry had given Boston the lead.
Kevin Garnett had 24 points and 13 rebounds for the Celtics, who lost at home for the first time since March 24 against Phoenix. No team has reached the finals without a road victory, and there's no longer a chance for Boston to be the first.
Antonio McDyess scored 15 points, Tayshaun Prince had 14, and Rasheed Wallace and Rodney Stuckey scored 13 for the Pistons, who were rusty in Game 1 but found their groove in the second quarter of this one, shooting 49 percent against the league's best defensive team.
The Pistons led 86-75 after Stuckey's jumper with 8:05 remaining, but Allen had seven points, including his first 3-pointer since Game 5 of the second round, during a 13-4 run that cut it to 90-88 with 4:39 to play.
Later, Boston was down four and forced Detroit to call time with the shot clock about to run out, but then blew the defensive assignment and left Billups alone for a layup on the inbounds and Detroit led 100-94 with 18 seconds left.
The Los Angeles Lakers host the defending champion San Antonio Spurs in Game 2 of the Western Conference finals today, having won the opener.
(Agencies via Shanghai Daily May 23, 2008)