Defense has been the focus of the Eastern Conference final series between the Detroit Pistons and Boston Celtics, as either has gone over 100 points only once over the first four games. These two will clash at TD Banknorth Garden for Game 5 on Wednesday night, while trying to gain the upper hand in a series which is tied at two games apiece. The NBA betting odds on the Detroit Pistons at Boston Celtics game is Boston -5.5 at sportsboo Betonline.com.
The Pistons were quick out of the gate during Game 4's 94-75 win, as they scored the first ten points of
The NBA betting odds on the TOTAL for the Detroit Pistons at Boston Celtics game is 173 points.
the game, and they followed with a strong finish as the Pistons outscored the Celtics 29-17 in the fourth quarter. Antonio McDyess stepped up to notch 21 points and 16 rebounds in the victory, while Richard Hamilton was on fire, going 8-for-10 from the field for 20 points. The Pistons did all they could to protect limping point guard Chauncey Billups, who was only 3-for-12 from the field for ten points, but he added seven assists and directed the Pistons superbly. Jason Maxiell also came off the bench to hit all six of his field-goal attempts for 14 points.
The Celtics were fine through the middle part of the game, but a bad start and an even worse finish doomed Boston, who shot a miserable 31.8% from the floor. Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett had 16 points apiece for the Celtics, who did not get much production from their guard duo of Ray Allen and Rajon Rondo. The two combined for 15 points on 4-for-16 shooting and 8-for-10 from the foul line. On a positive note, the Celtics grabbed 11 offensive rebounds, and outrebounded the Pistons 38-34.
The Celtics have a 5.5-point spread at home on Wednesday night, and they will have to get going on offense if they want to come away with a victory. This should not be an issue, especially with the young Rondo who tends to play more relaxed at home. For the Pistons, they will need a big effort from Rasheed Wallace, who has been very quiet in this series. Wallace is the emotional leader of the Pistons, and if he is on his game, he can inspire his teammates to follow suit, especially with Billups still hobbling. In what should be one of the most fierce games of the entire postseason to date, the Celtics should narrowly edge the Pistons and take a 3-2 series lead back to Detroit.
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