The Detroit Pistons will have their hands full with the Boston Celtics this season, but it is actually a favorable matchup for Detroit.
In what is sure to be a contested series, the Detroit Pistons match up nicely with the Boston Celtics on paper.
There are other spots where the Celtics have the advantage but we’ll dive into that later.
This is the third season series preview as part of Piston Powered’s September series, which analyzes how the Pistons fare against each of the 29 teams in the NBA.
Last season
The Celtics won the four-game season series from Detroit last season with all but the first of those meetings decided by 10 points or less.
Riding a 4-0 start to the season, the Pistons suffered their first loss, 109-89, at the hands of Boston. Jayson Tatum led all scorers with 19 points and was one of five Celtics to score in double figures. Only Andre Drummond (18) and Stanley Johnson (16) were in double figures for the Pistons, who shot 37.1 percent from the floor and were 7-for-37 (18.9 percent) from 3-point range.
Three days later the Pistons looked much better but fell short in a 108-105 loss to the Celtics. Kyrie Irving dropped 31 points on 10-for-16 shooting. Meanwhile Detroit had double-doubles from Blake Griffin (24 points, 15 rebounds) and Drummond (17 points, 12 rebounds).
Detroit had its best shooting performance of the season series in December, when the Pistons hit 48.8 percent of shots in a 113-104 win. Griffin and Drummond again led the charge. Griffin scored a game-high 27 points with eight rebounds and six assists. Drummond dominated the glass with 20 rebounds to go with his 19 points. It was enough to hold of Irving’s 26 points and Marcus Smart’s 21-point performance. Boston was held to 41.5 percent shooting from the field and 27.3 percent from 3-point range.
The Celtics clinched the series with a 118-110 win in February. They simply outshot Detroit, despite stellar efforts from Griffin and Drummond again. Boston converted 51.1 percent of field goal attempts and 41 percent from 3-point range. Griffin scored a game-high 32 points with eight rebounds and five assists. Drummond chipped in 21 points with 17 rebounds and four steals.