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Home Sweet Home For Celtics

The Associated Press

Published: May 21, 2008

BOSTON - Not even a week of rest could prepare the Detroit Pistons for the hottest home team in the NBA.

Kevin Garnett had 26 points and nine rebounds and Paul Pierce scored 22 points Tuesday night to lead Boston to an 88-79 victory in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference finals, the Celtics' 15th straight home win.

Kendrick Perkins had 10 rebounds and Rajon Rondo added 11 points and seven assists for Boston, which earned home court through the playoffs with a league-best 66-16 regular-season record. The Celtics rode that advantage to seven-game series victories against Atlanta and Cleveland and held serve in the opener against Detroit.

Game 2 is in Boston on Thursday night.

Tayshaun Prince scored 16 points, and Antonio McDyess added 14 points and 11 rebounds for the Pistons.

Chauncey Billups, who missed most of the last three games of Detroit's Eastern Conference semifinal against Orlando because of a strained right hamstring, had nine points and two assists and went about 40 minutes between baskets.

Billups and the rest of the Pistons were able to rest the past week after they eliminated the Magic in five games to advance to the conference finals for the sixth straight year.

DETROIT (79) - Prince 7-16 0-0 16, McDyess 5-10 4-4 14, Wallace 3-12 5-6 11, Billups 3-6 2-4 9, Hamilton 5-13 5-6 15, Maxiell 1-2 0-2 2, Stuckey 3-5 3-5 9, Hunter 1-2 0-0 3, Ratliff 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 28-66 19-27 79.

BOSTON (88) - Pierce 9-18 4-6 22, Garnett 11-17 4-6 26, Perkins 2-4 1-3 5, Rondo 5-9 0-0 11, R.Allen 3-10 3-3 9, Brown 2-3 0-1 4, Posey 1-4 0-0 2, Powe 1-1 2-2 4, T.Allen 0-0 0-0 0, House 2-3 0-0 5. Totals 36-69 14-21 88.

Detroit	17	23	17	22	-	79
Boston	22	19	28	19	-	88

3-Point Goals-Detroit 4-11 (Prince 2-2, Hunter 1-1, Billups 1-3, Hamilton 0-1, Stuckey 0-1, Wallace 0-3), Boston 2-9 (Rondo 1-1, House 1-2, R.Allen 0-1, Posey 0-1, Pierce 0-4). Fouled Out-None. Rebounds-Detroit 41 (McDyess 11), Boston 45 (Perkins 10). Assists-Det. 15 (Wallace 4), Bos. 27 (Rondo 7). Total Fouls-Det. 20, Bos. 21. Technical-Det. Def. 3 second. A-18,624 (18,624).

BULLS WIN DRAFT LOTTERY: Chicago won the NBA's draft lottery, giving it the right to choose between star freshmen Michael Beasley and Derrick Rose.

Coming off a miserable season and still without a coach, the Bulls vaulted from the No. 9 spot, where they had just a 1.7 percent chance of landing the top choice.

Chicago will almost certainly choose between Beasley, the Kansas State forward who averaged 26.2 points and an NCAA-best 12.4 rebounds, or Rose, the point guard who carried Memphis within minutes of the national title.

The Heat, who had a 25 percent chance of landing the top pick thanks to their NBA-worst 15-67 record, fell to second. The Timberwolves will pick third.

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