The Celtics started their Eastern Conference finals on a good note, winning against the Detroit Pistons with a clear 88 – 79.
The Celtics were labeled as the underdog in the match-up as their previous two series, with the Atlanta Hawks and the Cleveland Cavaliers, each ended in seven games.

Boston’s Big Three managed to take control of the game, Kevin Garnett finishing with 26 points and dished out four assists, Paul Pierce with 22 points and Ray Allen with 9. Garnett had one of his best shooting performances of the postseason with 11 shots made out of 17 fired and Pierce was also fired up for the game after his 41 points in the last game with the Cavaliers.
Rajon Rondo, Boston’s second-year star point guard contributed to the win with eleven points, seven assists and five steals.

Their main concern at this point is the upcoming fatigue, due to their long and exhausting series and also due to the fact that six of Boston’s main players are 30-years-old or older: Ray Allen, P.J. Brown, Sam Cassell, Kevin Garnett, Eddie House and Paul Pierce.

For the Detroit Pistons, Rasheed Wallace struggled intensly for his 11 points, unfortunately missing 9 out of his 12 shots. Chauncey Billups, coming from a two-game pause caused by straining his right hamstring in Game 3 against Orlando, finished with only 9 points even though he stated before the game that he felt fine and that he was fully recovered.

Being so close to the Main Event, the series is expected to be very intense and the loss will surely not intimidate the Pistons. After the game, Wallace was quoted by FoxSports saying: ”They got game 1. We good.”