Fri May 30 23:35:21 2008

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Celtics rally to top Pistons, set up Finals showdown with Lakers

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Auburn Hills, MI (Sports Network) - For the first time in more than two decades the Boston Celtics are headed back to the NBA Finals.

Paul Pierce scored 27 points as the Celtics used a dominating fourth quarter to beat Detroit, 89-81, in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference finals. Ray Allen added 17 points and Kevin Garnett 16 for Boston, which will host the Los Angeles Lakers in Game 1 of the championship series next Thursday.

The last time the Celtics were in the NBA Finals was 1987 when the trio of Larry Bird, Robert Parish and Kevin McHale led Boston against the Lakers, a series which the Celtics lost in six games. This time, it's another big three - Garnett, Pierce and Allen - carrying the Celtics, and this will be the first title series of their careers.

The Celtics rallied from a 10-point deficit in the fourth, outscoring Detroit, 29-13, in the last quarter.

Chauncey Billups had 29 points for the Pistons, who were in the East finals for a sixth straight year. Detroit has just two NBA Finals appearances in that span, with one title.

Richard Hamilton, playing despite a strained right elbow, added 21 points in defeat.

The Celtics, who will be gunning for their 17th championship, shot just 44.4 percent from the field. However, they made 8-of-13 field goal attempts in the fourth quarter.