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BOSTON, Massachusetts: Kevin Garnett scored 26 points
and Paul Pierce added 22 to lift the Boston Celtics past Detroit
88-79 Tuesday in Game 1 of their National Basketball Association
semifinal playoff series.
The Celtics, pushed to seven
games by Atlanta in the first round and Cleveland in round two, used
a tough defensive effort to win the opener and will host Game 2 on
Thursday before the scene shifts to Detroit for two games.
Two days after finishing off
LeBron James and Cleveland, the Celtics were aggressive and active
on offense and defense in subduing the more-rested Pistons.
“We had a lot of energy,”
Garnett said. “We have got a goal. We have to suck it up and
play.”
Either Boston or Detroit will
play either San Antonio or the Los Angeles Lakers in next month’s
NBA Finals. The defending champion Spurs and Lakers open the
best-of-7 Western Conference finals Wednesday in Los Angeles.
The Celtics had the best record
in the regular season to claim a homecourt edge throughout the NBA
playoffs, but have yet to win a road game in the playoffs while
improving to 9-0 at home in the post-season.
Garnett, who grabbed nine
rebounds and hit 11-of-17 shots, dominated Detroit’s Rasheed
Wallace in serving notice that he, Pierce and Ray Allen—All-Stars
seeking their first trip to the NBA Finals—will not be denied.
--AFP
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