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PLAYOFFS: Celtics rally to down the Pistons and make finals

Leon Powe of the Boston Celtics, right, puts up a shot as Jason Maxiell of the Detroit Pistons defends the basket in Game 6 of the NBA Eastern Conference Finals at the Palace of Auburn Hills in Detroit, Michigan, on Friday. PHOTO: EPA

The Boston Celtics rallied in the final quarter to beat the Detroit Pistons 89-81 on Friday to advance to the NBA finals for the first time in 21 years.

The Celtics trailed 68-60 at the start of the final quarter before out scoring Detroit 29-13 in the fourth to win the semi-final series in six games.

Paul Pierce, who led the Celtics with 27 points, said his mind was racing as the final seconds ticked down.

“I was thinking about getting this game over with,” Pierce said. “We were up five or six points and that buzzer couldn’t come any sooner. All the hard years I put in in Boston and to finally get to this point in my career. There is nothing better than this.”

With a rich history to draw from, the Celtics will face the storied Los Angeles Lakers in the finals which begin on Thursday in Boston.

“The crazy thing is I grew up watching Boston against Los Angeles Lakers playoff series. As a kid I hated the Celtics. That’s what got me into basketball and now I am going to be part of basketball history,” said Pierce, who grew up a Laker fan in Los Angeles.

Ray Allen had 17 points and Kevin Garnett added 16 points for Boston who have not met the Lakers in the finals since 1987.

“I been waiting all my life for this so I am going to take advantage,” Garnett said.

Kendrick Perkins had seven points and seven rebounds and also made a crucial shot block in the final minute to help blunt the Pistons’ late rally.

Pierce iced the victory by making one of two free throws with 30.7 seconds left to give Boston a seven-point lead.

The Celtics, who avoided a third straight Game 7, used a powerful 23-6 run in the fourth.

Chauncey Billups scored 29 points for Detroit, who lost in the semi-finals for the third-straight season.

Richard Hamilton had 21 points for the Pistons. Hamilton strained his right elbow with 8.2 seconds left in Game 5, but X-rays were negative so he suited up for Game 6.

“We ran out of juice or whatever,” Detroit coach Flip Saunders said. “We got to a point where we couldn’t make the big shots we had been making earlier.”

Heading into Friday’s game, Boston had been having trouble closing out games on the road in the playoffs.

They are just 2-7 away from the TD Banknorth Garden during the playoffs and they know they will have to play better on the road to beat the Lakers at the Staples Center.

“Ten long years baby. Let’s go to Los Angeles. Let’s do it,” Pierce said.

Boston coach Doc Rivers said: “The Lakers won the West and we won the East and now we get to play each other. That’s the way it should be.”
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