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Garnett, Celtics look to close out series in Detroit

May 30, 2008 - 1:23 PM Boston at Detroit 8:30 pm EDT Eastern Conference finals Celtics lead, 3-2

AUBURN HILLS, Michigan (Ticker) - Kevin Garnett and the Boston Celtics are just one win away from clinching their first trip to the NBA Finals in 21 years.

Garnett and the Celtics will look to finish off the Detroit Pistons on the road in Game Six of the Eastern Conference finals on Friday.

Boston, which is just 1-7 away from the TD Banknorth Garden during the playoffs, would like to avoid playing in a third straight Game Seven.

"It's a huge game," Celtics captain Paul Pierce said. "We know how tough it is to win out there in Detroit. It's one of the biggest games that we played all year long."

Garnett poured in a game-high 33 points while Kendrick Perkins added 18 points and 16 rebounds as the Celtics posted a 106-102 victory in Game Five on Wednesday, which gave them a 3-2 lead in the best-of-seven series.

"We knew the significance of this game," Garnett said Wednesday. "You don't win this game, you basically put yourself in a corner."

Ray Allen, who had been mired in a shooting slump throughout the postseason, had a playoff-high 29 points and nailed a shot from the corner as the shot clock was winding down to help preserve the nail-biting win.

"You know Ray is going to continue to be Ray, regardless of how he shoots," Pierce said. "Just his presence on the floor alone is a great help."

"I thought we had good focus, good energy to begin with," Garnett said. "I thought the third quarter was big for us. They made a run but, for the most part, you know they're going to make a run."

Chauncey Billups had 26 points while Richard Hamilton added 25 to lead Detroit, which nearly overcame a 17-point second-half deficit in the closing minutes.

Hamilton strained his right elbow with 8.2 seconds left but X-rays were negative and is questionable for this one.

Rasheed Wallace, who was called for a crucial technical foul in fourth quarter, was highly critical of referees Mike Callahan and Ken Mauer after the Piston's loss.

"All them (garbage) calls they had out there," Wallace said. "Mike and Kenny, you saw that (garbage), a lot of them phantom calls, cats flapping and falling, they're calling that (garbage). That (garbage) ain't basketball, what they run out there. It's all entertainment, all that (bleeping) entertainment."

Wallace was fined $25,000 by the league on Thursday for the inflammatory remarks.

If neccessary, Game Seven will be in Boston on Sunday.