Fri May 30 10:50:12 2008

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Pistons try to stave off elimination against Celtics

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(Sports Network) - The Detroit Pistons attempt to stave off elimination, as they welcome the Boston Celtics tonight to The Palace of Auburn Hills for Game 6 of the Eastern Conference finals.

On Wednesday, Kevin Garnett scored 33 points and hit the sealing free throws with 3.4 seconds left, as No. 1 Boston held off the third-seeded Pistons, 106-102, at TD Banknorth Garden to take a 3-2 series lead in the best-of-seven set.

Ray Allen snapped out of a shooting slump to score 29 points, and Kendrick Perkins had the best playoff game of his career with 18 points and 16 rebounds for the Celtics, who nearly wasted a 15-point fourth-quarter lead. Paul Pierce ended with 16 points in the victory.

The trio of Garnett, Perkins and Allen combined to shoot 28-of-43. Allen, who was limited to 7-of-24 from the field in the previous two games, was 5-of-6 from beyond the arc.

Chauncey Billups had 26 points and Richard Hamilton scored 25 before leaving in the final minute with a strained right elbow for the Pistons. Rasheed Wallace added 18 points and rookie Rodney Stuckey netted 13 for Detroit, which was within a point with under 10 seconds left, but could not get over the hump.

Hamilton, who is averaging a team-best 21.7 points per game in the playoffs, is questionable for tonight's contest.

If necessary, Game 7 is scheduled for Sunday in Boston.

The Pistons have captured 11 of their last 13 Game 6s in the postseason. They have lost two straight games when facing elimination from the playoffs.

The Celtics have lost two straight Game 6s in the playoffs. They have lost three of their last five contests when they have the chance to oust their opponent from the postseason.

Boston is 10-1 at home and 1-7 on the road in this year's playoffs. The Celtics survived two big scares in the first round and semifinals. They knocked out the eighth-seeded Atlanta Hawks in seven games in the quarterfinals and hung on to defeat superstar LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers in an even tougher seven-game set.

Allen, Garnett and Pierce are all appearing in their second conference finals. The 32-year-old Allen made it with Milwaukee in 2001, while Garnett led Minnesota to the West finals in 2004 and Pierce and the Celtics advanced to the East finals in 2002. None of the Big Three have ever won this round.

The last time the Celtics captured the Eastern Conference crown was in 1987. They ended up losing to the Los Angeles Lakers in six games in the NBA Finals. Boston has lost its last two trips to this round.

The Pistons have advanced to the Eastern Conference finals for the sixth straight year, becoming the first team since the 1984-89 Los Angeles Lakers to reach the conference finals six years in a row.

During its run, Detroit has advanced to the NBA Finals twice and has captured one championship. The Pistons defeated the Lakers, 4-1, in the 2004 NBA Finals and lost to the San Antonio Spurs, 4-3, in the 2005 championship round.

The Pistons, who eliminated Philadelphia in round one and Orlando in the semis of this year's postseason, have made it to the Eastern Conference finals for the 11th time in franchise history. They played Boston in 1987 and 1988, Chicago in 1989, 1990 and 1991, New Jersey in 2003, Indiana in 2004, Miami in 2005 and 2006 and the Cavaliers last year. Detroit is 5-5 in this round.

Detroit is 6-2 at home and 4-4 on the road in this year's postseason.

There is a lot of playoff history between these two franchises. Boston defeated the Pistons in the 1968, 1985 and 2002 semis, and also knocked out Detroit in seven games in the 1987 East finals.

Detroit has also won its share of playoff series against the Celtics. The Pistons eliminated Boston in the 1988 East finals, round one in 1989 and the 1991 semifinals.