The Pistons' zone defense proved to be too much for the Celtics in the second half, as Detroit overcame a 12-point deficit to defeat the Celtics, 92-86.
- Paul Pierce started out scorching, with 17 of his 21 points coming in the first 12 minutes. Unfortunately, his offense sputtered late, much like the team as a whole. He scored just two points in the third quarter and was scoreless in the final frame.
- Rajon Rondo dropped 21 points (his jump shot showed signs of life tonight), grabbed eight rebounds, dished out seven assists and swiped four steals, but like Pierce, wasn't much of a factor in the fourth quarter, scoring just two points.
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Rodney Stuckey was the thorn in the Celtics' paw all night long, scoring Detroit's first seven point and finishing the night with 27 points, a career-high 11 rebounds and six assists.
- Charlie Villanueva made his presence felt in the fourth quarter - scoring 10 of his 19 points, including a pivotal three-pointer with 55.1 seconds left that really hammered the nail into Boston's coffin.
- While Detroit's zone defense crippled the Celtics' offense in the second half, the C's also struggled with the issues that have plagued them all season: rebounding (Detroit 45 - Boston 35), turnovers (19 for 14 Detroit points) and free throws (21-28).
- The bench did not come through for Boston tonight, scoring just 12 points total, compared to 43 (!) for Detroit's bench.
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Glen Davis got into a war of words with a blasphemous Pistons fan during the second quarter and used some language I am unable to repeat right here. During his post game press conference, Doc said he wouldn't hand out a punishment to Davis, but don't be shocked if the league takes action. In no way did Doc defend Glen, though, saying, "Shame on Glen" a number of times. Not what the Celtics need right now.