The Celtics jumped the Pistons last night 50-32 in the first half and they could never recover. This was a big win for the confidence of the Celtics as it was their first in 8 trips on the road in the playoffs. They Celtics did it by hitting the boards (44-28 advantage) and by playing great defense holding the Pistons to 38.4% shooting from the floor. Kevin Garnett led the way for the Celtics in this game with 22 points, 13 rebounds, 6 assists and 2 steals. Ray Allen was only 5 of 16 from the floor but he still finished with 14 points, 6 rebounds and 6 assists. Kendrick Perkins was tough in the paint with 12 points and 10 rebounds. The Celtics are now up 2-1 in this series.

The Celtics finally did something they probably couldn’t afford to do…..lose a home game to the Pistons last night. That’s because the Celtics are 0-6 on the road in the playoffs and they weren’t playing any teams the caliber of the Pistons. Paul Pierce led the way last night for the Celtics with 26 points, 4 rebounds and 5 assists. Ray Allen had his best game of the post season with 25 points, 2 rebounds, 2 assists and 2 steals. Kevin Garnett also had a really good game finishing with 24 points, 13 rebounds and 2 blocked shots. The Celtics are now tied 1-1 with the Pistons.

The Celtics are a veteran team with their eyes on winning a World Championship. With that in mind they didn’t have much time for rookies this season. Glen “Big Baby” Davis did get some playing time for the Celtics this season and if he can stay somewhat in shape the Celtics have something here. He played in 69 games (1 start) as a rookie this season and he averaged 13.6 minutes, 4.5 points, 3.0 rebounds and 0.4 assists per game. Davis could be a big part of the future for the Celtics but he won’t get big minutes for a few years.

Point guard Gabe Pruitt didn’t get much of a chance to show what he could do this season. He played in 15 games (0 starts) this season and he averaged 6.3 minutes, 2.1 points, 0.5 rebounds and 0.9 assists per game. Pruitt needs to improve his shooting if he ever wants to be anything more than a #11 or #12 player on a roster. He only shot 35.9% from the floor this season and he only shot 50% from the free throw line and those numbers are unacceptable.

The Celtics shot 52.2% from the floor and that’s the biggest reason for the win tonight. Kevin Garnett led the way for the Celtics with 26 points, 9 rebounds, 4 assists and 2 blocked shots. Paul Pierce also had a solid night with 22 points, 6 rebounds and 6 assists. Rajon Rondo kept busy and finished with 11 points, 2 rebounds, 7 assists and 5 steals. Ray Allen didn’t show up again as he only shot 3 of 10 from the floor and finished with 9 points, 2 rebounds, 4 assists and 2 steals. The Celtics are up 1-0 in this series.

The Eastern Conference Finals are finally here and the best two teams in the East will be fighting for the right to play for the NBA Championship against either the Lakers or the Spurs. Here’s a close look at the matchups in this series:

POINT GUARD: Rajon Rondo will be a huge key in this series because of his defense. If he can hold Chauncey Billups in check the Celtics will have a good chance of winning this series. He must also provide enough offense to make Billups work on the defensive end of the court. Rondo has started all 14 games this post season for the Celtics and he is averaging 31.1 minutes, 11.1 points, 4.1 rebounds, 6.6 assists and 1.6 steals per game.

Chauncey Billups has started 9 games this post season as he has missed the Pistons last two games with a hamstring problem. The Pistons likely can’t beat the Celtics unless he plays well against Rondo. Billups is averaging 31.1 minutes, 15.8 points, 3.1 rebounds and 5.7 assists per game this post season.

EDGE: PISTONS

SHOOTING GUARD: Ray Allen played well during the regular season for the Celtics but he has been MIA in the playoffs shooting only 38.5% from the floor. The Celtics need all hands on deck if they are to beat the Pistons in this series and that means that Allen will have to step up. Allen has started all 14 games in the post season for the Celtics and he is averaging 37.6 minutes, 12.7 points, 3.4 rebounds and 2.7 assists per game.

Richard Hamilton is the one player that could carry the Pistons on offense for a few games. He has a speed advantage on Ray Allen off the dribble and he will likely try to use it often. Hamilton has started all 11 games this post season for the Pistons and he is averaging 38.0 minutes, 21.5 points, 4.8 rebounds, 3.7 assists and 1.4 steals.

EDGE: PISTONS BASED ON POST SEASON PLAY.

SMALL FORWARD: Paul Pierce is the senior member of the Celtics and he deserves to make it to the Finals based on his play in Game #7 against the Cavs. He will need to be more consistent in this series however as the Celtics need to spread the ball around to beat the Pistons. Pierce has started all 14 games in the post season for the Celtics and he is averaging 35.9 minutes, 18.7 points, 4.8 rebounds, 4.1 assists and 1.1 steals per game.

Tayshaun Prince has a solid all around game. He excels on defense so he will likely be in Pierce’s face this whole series. But, he will have to make Pierce work on the defensive end to help wear him down. Prince has started all 11 games in this series and he is averaging 39.4 minutes, 16.0 points, 6.2 rebounds and 3.4 assists per game. He also is shooting a very solid 56.2% from the floor.

EDGE: CELTICS

POWER FORWARD: Kevin Garnett is simply the best player on the Celtics’ roster and he will need to play like that in this series. No one on the Pistons’ roster really matches up too well with Garnett. Garnett has started all 14 games this post season and he is averaging 37.9 minutes, 20.3 points, 9.9 rebounds, 3.5 assists, 1.4 steals and 1.2 blocked shots per game. Garnett is also shooting 51.3% from the floor and the Celtics will need him to keep up the good work against the Pistons.

Jason Maxiell has moved into the starting lineup for the Pistons due to Antonio McDyess breaking his nose against 76ers and he has played pretty well. He has played in all 11 games (6 starts) for the Pistons this post season and he is averaging 25.6 minutes, 5.4 points, 5.3 rebounds, 1.3 assists, 1.2 steals and 1.6 blocked shots per game.

EDGE: CELTICS

CENTER: The Celtics just want Kendrick Perkins to play defense and rebound and he has done a solid job of that in the post season. Perkins has started all 14 games in this series and he is averaging 24.7 minutes, 6.3 points, 5.7 rebounds, 0.6 assists and 1.4 blocked shots per game.

Rasheed Wallace is one of the best players on the Pistons because he does a little bit of everything. He has started all 11 games this post season for the Pistons and he is averaging 33.7 minutes, 13.9 points, 6.0 rebounds, 1.6 assists, 1.3 steals and 1.9 blocked shots per game.

EDGE: PISTONS

BENCH: The Celtics have used their bench a lot more than the Pistons in the post season. James Posey has been the top gun for the Celtics off the bench in the post season as he is a solid defender and long range shooter. Posey has played in all 14 games off the bench in the post season and he is averaging 22.3 minutes, 6.3 points, 3.9 rebounds, 1.3 assists and 1.0 steal per game. Sam Cassell needs to give the Celtics some good minutes in this series but he has only shot 33.8% from the floor this post season. Cassell has played in 12 games this post season and he is averaging 14.5 minutes, 5.7 points, 1.0 rebound and 1.5 assists per game. P.J. Brown has done a good job off the bench for the Celtics in the post season. He has played in 13 games this post season and he’s averaging 9.5 minutes, 2.4 points, 1.9 rebounds and 0.2 assists per game. Look for him to get more playing time in this series. Leon Powe has also played pretty well this post season. Powe has played in 13 games off the bench for the Celtics and he is averaging 15.2 minutes, 5.5 points, 2.9 rebounds and 0.3 assists per game in the post season. Glen “Big Baby” Davis has lost playing time this post season to P.J. Brown and that will likely continue. Davis has played in 13 games off the bench for the Celtics and he is averaging 7.6 minutes, 2.3 points, 1.3 rebounds and 0.5 assists per game. Eddie House hasn’t gotten much playing time in the post season. He has played in 12 playoff games and he is averaging 6.2 minutes, 1.3 points, 0.9 rebounds and 0.7 assists. Tony Allen has rarely seen playing time this post season. He has played in 9 games off the bench in the playoffs and he is averaging 4.4 minutes, 1.3 points, 0.2 rebounds and 0.1 assists per game.

The Pistons don’t use the bench much in the playoffs. Antonio McDyess will be the player that gets the most minutes off the bench on the Pistons. He has played in 11 games (5 starts) this post season for the Pistons and he is averaging 23.7 minutes, 7.5 points, 6.5 rebounds and 1.1 assists per game. Rookie Rodney Stuckey is the main backup at both of the guard positions. He has played in all 11 games in the post season (2 starts) and he has averaged 22.2 minutes, 7.3 points, 2.1 rebounds and 3.7 assists per game. But, he has only shot 35.6% from the floor in the playoffs and that must improve. F/G Jarvis Hayes could also get some P.T. in this series. He has played in 10 games off the bench in the playoffs and he is averaging 5.7 minutes, 2.0 points, 1.6 rebounds and 0.4 assists per game.

EDGE: CELTICS

PREDICTION: THE PISTONS WILL WIN THIS SERIES IN SIX GAMES AS THE CELTICS FINALLY LOSE A HOME GAME IN THIS SERIES.