Celtics–Pistons rivalry

The Celtics–Pistons rivalry is a National Basketball Association (NBA) rivalry between the Boston Celtics and the Detroit Pistons. The two teams played each other in the NBA playoffs five times from 1985 to 1991, with Boston winning in 1985 and 1987, and Detroit winning en route to three consecutive NBA Finals appearances from 1988 to 1990. The rivalry peaked in the late 1980s, featuring players such as Larry Bird, Kevin McHale, Robert Parish, Dennis Rodman, Isiah Thomas, Joe Dumars, and Bill Laimbeer.

Celtics–Pistons rivalry
Boston Celtics
Detroit Pistons
First meetingNovember 12, 1948
Celtics 84, Pistons 75
Latest meetingJanuary 3, 2021
Celtics 122, Pistons 120
Statistics
Meetings total420 meetings
All-time series265–159 (BOS)
Regular season series241–139 (BOS)
Postseason results24–21 (BOS)
Longest win streak
Current win streakW1 (BOS)
Post-season history

History

Pre-1980s

Between 1948 and 1978, the Celtics and Pistons were on opposite divisions/conferences in all but three seasons. The Pistons found success in the early 1950s behind George Yardley, making two NBA Finals appearances, while the Celtics soon built a dynasty behind Bill Russell, winning 11 championships between 1957 and 1969.

The Pistons and Celtics first opposed each other in postseason play in 1968, with the Celtics emerging victorious in six games of the Eastern Division Semifinals. However, the Pistons were generally mediocre for a majority of the 1960s and 1970s, despite the presence of stars such as Dave DeBusschere, Dave Bing and Bob Lanier. Meanwhile, the Celtics continued to rack up championships with Russell, John Havlicek and Dave Cowens leading the way.

Bird and Isiah

In the 1978 NBA draft, the Celtics drafted Larry Bird who would soon resurrect the franchise's fortunes. Then in the 1981 NBA draft, the Pistons picked Isiah Thomas and along with head coach Chuck Daly he would also play a key role in his team's reemergence.

It was also in 1978 that the Pistons moved to the Eastern Conference, turning their matchups against the Celtics into an intra-conference affair. The Celtics would win three NBA championships in the 1980s, while the Pistons gradually built a team that eventually became the Bad Boys.

The two teams met in the 1985 Eastern Conference Semifinals, where the Celtics ousted the younger Pistons in six games. But when they reengaged in the 1987 Eastern Conference Finals, the Pistons were a vastly different team. The Bad Boys, as Detroit became known, used physical play to intimidate their way to victory. This roused the ire of Boston's players and fans, and the teams' mutual hatred of each other often led to on-court fighting. Detroit's biggest antagonists were Bill Laimbeer, Rick Mahorn and Dennis Rodman. In Game 3, Bird and Laimbeer were ejected for fighting as the Pistons won 122–104.

The most famous moment of the rivalry occurred during Game 5. Leading 107–106 with 5 seconds left, and Detroit threatening to take a 3–2 series lead, Isiah Thomas had his inbounds pass stolen by Bird, who dished it off to Dennis Johnson for the winning layup. With Parish forced to sit out Game 6 due to a suspension for punching Laimbeer in the second quarter of Game 5 (the first for a playoff game in NBA history; he also re-sprained his right ankle late in Game 5), the Pistons won Game 6 113–105 to send it back to Boston for Game 7. The Celtics ended the bitter series with a 117–114 win in Boston Garden over Detroit.

The Celtics and Pistons faced off anew in the 1988 Eastern Conference Finals. This time the Pistons finally unseated the Celtics, winning the series 4–2 and advancing to the NBA Finals to face the Lakers. What was notable was the fact that Detroit, who entered the series with 21 straight losses at the Boston Garden, beat Boston by winning 2 of 3 there (Games 1 and 5). In Game 5, the Celtics led by 16 before the Pistons rallied to win 102–96 in OT. In addition, their rough play and intense defense made Bird's scoring drop to just 10 points per game on 35.1% shooting, forcing Boston to rely on McHale.

The next two meetings proved to be anticlimactic. In the 1989 First Round, Detroit swept Boston 3–0 en route to their first championship, as the Celtics missed the services of Bird due to injury. Then in the 1991 Eastern Conference Semifinals, the Pistons eliminated the Celtics in six games, but it proved to be the last hurrah for the two aging squads.

Later years

The Celtics and Pistons entered a period of rebuilding during the 1990s. Although the Pistons found a new star in Grant Hill, he was unable to lead the team back to championship contention. Meanwhile, the Celtics endured a long dry spell, not reaching the playoffs for much of the decade.

The 2000s saw both teams reemerge as contenders. In 2002, the Celtics and Pistons met again in the Eastern Conference Semifinals, featuring new stars in Paul Pierce, Antoine Walker, Jerry Stackhouse and Ben Wallace, respectively. Though Detroit had a better regular season record, the Celtics surprisingly eliminated them in five games, reaching their first Conference Finals since 1988. However, the Pistons would go on to dominate the Eastern Conference, reaching six consecutive Conference Finals, two NBA Finals and winning the 2004 championship. One of the Pistons' key players during that era was Chauncey Billups, who the Celtics drafted third overall in the 1997 NBA draft but would later emerge as a star in Detroit. Meanwhile, the Celtics slid back to mediocrity, but was given a new lease in life during the 2007 offseason.

After acquiring Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen, the Celtics and Pistons renewed the rivalry as they met in the 2008 Eastern Conference Finals. However, the grind of reaching six straight conference finals took its toll on Detroit as Boston toppled their rivals in six games, eventually winning the championship that year.

The 2010s saw both teams head into opposite directions. Detroit endured a lengthy rebuild with only two playoff appearances, while Boston maintained its status as a playoff contender behind new stars such as Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, Gordon Hayward, Kyrie Irving and Kemba Walker.

Head to head
Season at Fort Wayne/Detroit Pistons
Celtics–Pistons		 at Boston Celtics
Pistons–Celtics		 Neutral site
Pistons–Celtics		 Total Notes
1948–49 74–80, 90–69 75–84, 70–76 60–63 Celtics 4–1 Both teams did not qualify for the playoffs
1949–50 89–99, 72–80, 78–84 99–85, 73–92, 68–89 N/A Pistons 4–2 Pistons moved to the Central Division
Celtics did not qualify for the playoffs
1950–51 84–107, 112–106 (OT), 99–95 81–87, 97–99, 88–90 Celtics 5–1 Pistons moved to the Western Division
1951–52 86–94, 94–85, 90–94 91–98 (OT), 91–88, 67–88 Tie 3–3 Pistons' final season at North Side High School Gym
1952–53 89–66, 85–91, 98–111 84–94, 92–98 71–78 Celtics 4–2 Pistons' first season at Allen County War Memorial Coliseum
1953–54 79–83, 70–76, 79–108, 68–80 68–90, 74–91, 80–86 75–82 Tie 4–4
1954–55 86–90, 98–116, 99–100, 119–110, 90–99, 104–108, 91–110 105–84, 118–98 Pistons 5–4 Pistons were the eventual Western Division champions
1955–56 90–111, 89–105 102–104, 106–97, 99–106 85–91, 90–95, 101–100, 106–103 Pistons 5–4 Pistons were the eventual Western Division champions
1956–57 95–98, 87–95, 98–81, 106–112 93–108, 92–118, 93–108 102–104, 97–113 Celtics 6–3 Pistons' final season in Fort Wayne
Celtics were the eventual NBA champions
1957–58 105–94, 112–90, 124–113, 106–99 113–131, 115–119, 111–109, 103–108 105–111 Celtics 8–1 Pistons' first season in Detroit
Celtics were the eventual Eastern Division champions
1958–59 133–136, 102–95, 103–90, 111–106 (OT) 98–112, 96–110, 118–119 (OT), 94–120 102–115 Celtics 8–1 Celtics were the eventual NBA champions
1959–60 132–129 (2OT), 136–104, 126–103, 136–116 110–136, 128–146 109–128, 121–153, 107–121 Celtics 9–0 Celtics were the eventual NBA champions
1960–61 125–110, 108–102, 134–137, 113–99 116–118, 106–150, 111–140 115–114 (OT), 98–118, 118–119 Celtics 8–2 Pistons' final season at Detroit Olympia
Celtics were the eventual NBA champions
1961–62 107–101, 103–112, 126–116, 130–111 102–137, 124–120 116–110, 108–116 Celtics 5–3 Pistons' first season at Cobo Arena
Celtics were the eventual NBA champions
1962–63 115–100, 106–93, 117–113, 115–104 114–125, 128–137 115–125, 93–108 Celtics 8–0 Celtics were the eventual NBA champions
1963–64 108–102, 121–115, 113–115, 112–94 109–117, 118–128 108–115, 120–140 Celtics 7–1 Pistons did not qualify for the playoffs
Celtics were the eventual NBA champions
1964–65 106–90, 101–89, 117–106, 124–106 81–112, 113–130 102–104, 106–118, 106–112, 100–112 Celtics 10–0 Pistons did not qualify for the playoffs
Celtics were the eventual NBA champions
1965–66 106–108, 114–112, 93–99, 128–103 93–122, 108–105 114–134, 116–115, 112–131, 81–100 Celtics 6–4 Pistons did not qualify for the playoffs
Celtics were the eventual NBA champions
1966–67 105–107, 112–105, 132–109 119–116, 106–112 104–100, 111–130, 113–116 (OT), 103–127 Celtics 6–3 Pistons did not qualify for the playoffs
1967–68 128–109, 107–112, 127–115 111–118, 126–148, 100–107, 125–116 96–118 Celtics 6–2 Pistons moved to the Eastern Division
Celtics were the eventual NBA champions
116–126, 135–110, 111–103 116–123, 109–98, 96–110 N/A Celtics 4–2 Eastern Division Semifinals
1968–69 106–88, 108–106, 113–106 119–117, 118–132, 104–113 Celtics 5–1 Pistons did not qualify for the playoffs
Celtics were the eventual NBA champions
1969–70 97–98, 110–92, 112–115 121–124, 118–123, 109–105 (OT) 98–117 Celtics 4–3 Both teams did not qualify for the playoffs
1970–71 121–98, 118–121, 110–108 121–118, 121–118 (OT) N/A Pistons 3–2 Pistons moved to the Western Conference
Both teams did not qualify for the playoffs
1971–72 124–112, 125–96 102–103, 94–108, 120–133 Celtics 5–0 Pistons did not qualify for the playoffs
1972–73 121–108, 115–101 118–121, 104–95 Celtics 3–1 Celtics achieve franchise-record 68 wins
Pistons did not qualify for the playoffs
1973–74 101–106, 86–83 97–107 97–102 Celtics 3–1 Celtics were the eventual NBA champions
1974–75 114–100, 116–90 105–104, 90–96 N/A Celtics 3–1
1975–76 118–104, 114–109 91–108, 87–88 Celtics 4–0 Celtics were the eventual NBA champions
1976–77 110–116, 94–92 91–89, 99–109 Tie 2–2
1977–78 85–100, 100–122 98–105, 111–109 Pistons 3–1 Pistons' final season at Cobo Arena
Both teams did not qualify for the playoffs
1978–79 114–112, 117–160 128–123, 98–99 Tie 2–2 Pistons' first season at Pontiac Silverdome
Pistons moved to the Eastern Conference
Both teams did not qualify for the playoffs
1979–80 118–114 (OT), 131–104, 124–106 111–115, 111–128, 115–118 Celtics 6–0 Pistons lose franchise-record 66 games
Pistons did not qualify for the playoffs
1980–81 103–85, 94–85, 130–119 90–92, 115–90 Celtics 4–1 Pistons did not qualify for the playoffs
Celtics were the eventual NBA champions
1981–82 129–88, 128–120, 111–101 114–115, 124–134, 104–125 Celtics 6–0 Pistons did not qualify for the playoffs
1982–83 119–112, 108–104, 101–113 123–116, 131–114, 113–115 Tie 3–3 Pistons did not qualify for the playoffs
1983–84 121–127, 129–115, 120–128 (OT) 118–126, 99–114, 134–137 (OT) Celtics 4–2 Celtics were the eventual NBA champions
1984–85 130–123, 99–104, 105–113 116–127, 130–131, 129–138 Celtics 4–2 Celtics were the eventual Eastern Conference champions
117–125, 99–102, 123–113 99–133, 114–121, 123–130 Celtics 4–2 Eastern Conference Semifinals
1985–86 124–105, 109–113 124–132, 109–129, 106–122 Celtics 4–1 Celtics were the eventual NBA champions
1986–87 118–111, 101–118, 119–122 (OT) 102–112, 115–119 (OT) Celtics 3–2 Celtics were the eventual Eastern Conference champions
104–122, 119–145, 105–113 91–104, 101–110, 107–108, 114–117 Celtics 4–3 Eastern Conference Finals
1987–88 105–128, 108–125, 101–106 105–143, 110–121, 110–121 Tie 3–3 Pistons' final season at Pontiac Silverdome
Pistons were the eventual Eastern Conference champions
94–98, 79–78, 90–95 104–96, 115–119 (2OT), 102–96 (OT) Pistons 4–2 Eastern Conference Finals
1988–89 87–96, 98–106 116–107, 99–112 Pistons 3–1 Pistons' first season at The Palace of Auburn Hills
Pistons were the eventual NBA champions
91–101, 95–102 100–85 Pistons 3–0 Eastern Conference First Round
1989–90 86–103, 82–93 97–104, 111–123 Tie 2–2 Pistons were the eventual NBA champions
1990–91 90–101, 90–118 100–108, 94–111 Tie 2–2
115–83, 97–104, 113–117 (OT) 86–75, 103–109, 116–111 Pistons 4–2 Eastern Conference Semifinals
1991–92 104–99 (OT), 92–89 91–106, 87–106 Celtics 4–0
1992–93 94–103, 95–99 101–105, 105–90 Pistons 3–1 Pistons did not qualify for the playoffs
1993–94 118–103, 116–111 102–95, 96–109 Celtics 3–1 Both teams did not qualify for the playoffs
1994–95 124–107, 103–104 115–118, 104–129 Celtics 3–1 Celtics' final season at Boston Garden
Pistons did not qualify for the playoffs
1995–96 96–105 (OT) 96–100, 97–98 Celtics 2–1 Celtics' first season at TD Garden
Celtics did not qualify for the playoffs
1996–97 89–99, 87–99 108–83, 106–100 (OT) Pistons 4–0 Celtics lose franchise-record 67 games
Celtics did not qualify for the playoffs
1997–98 77–93, 101–100 86–90, 96–92 Tie 2–2 Both teams did not qualify for the playoffs
1998–99 83–93 87–72, 92–85 Pistons 3–0 Season shortened to 50 games due to lockout
Celtics did not qualify for the playoffs
1999–00 115–124, 106–111 110–92 Pistons 3–0 Celtics did not qualify for the playoffs
2000–01 96–101, 102–95 83–103, 87–99 Celtics 3–1 Both teams did not qualify for the playoffs
2001–02 91–94, 101–109 90–104, 92–117 Tie 2–2
84–96, 85–77, 90–81 64–66, 79–90 Celtics 4–1 Eastern Conference Semifinals
2002–03 83–86, 81–71 118–66, 92–99 Tie 2–2
2003–04 88–96 78–68, 106–103 Pistons 3–0 Pistons were the eventual NBA champions
2004–05 88–100, 99–105 (OT) 110–104, 113–115 (2OT) Pistons 3–1 Pistons were the eventual Eastern Conference champions
2005–06 100–115, 84–94 82–81 Pistons 3–0 Pistons achieve franchise-record 64 wins
Celtics did not qualify for the playoffs
2006–07 73–81, 102–109 101–88, 91–89 Pistons 4–0 Celtics did not qualify for the playoffs
2007–08 92–85 87–85, 78–90 Celtics 2–1 Celtics were the eventual NBA champions
94–80, 75–94, 89–81 79–88, 103–97, 102–106 Celtics 4–2 Eastern Conference Finals
2008–09 88–76, 86–78 80–98, 105–95 Celtics 3–1
2009–10 86–92, 105–100 93–119 Celtics 2–1 Pistons did not qualify for the playoffs
Celtics were the eventual Eastern Conference champions
2010–11 109–86, 92–104 82–86, 90–101 Celtics 3–1 Pistons did not qualify for the playoffs
2011–12 81–96 85–96, 98–88 Pistons 2–1 Season shortened to 66 games due to lockout
Pistons did not qualify for the playoffs
2012–13 83–103, 88–103 93–98 Pistons 2–1 Pistons did not qualify for the playoffs
2013–14 77–87, 111–115 107–106, 111–118 Pistons 3–1 Both teams did not qualify for the playoffs
2014–15 113–103 102–109 (OT), 105–97 (OT) Celtics 2–1 Pistons did not qualify for the playoffs
2015–16 116–119, 99–93 99–94, 95–102 Tie 2–2
2016–17 94–92, 104–98 121–114, 109–113 Celtics 3–1 Pistons' final season at The Palace of Auburn Hills
Pistons did not qualify for the playoffs
2017–18 91–81, 110–98 118–108 Celtics 2–1 Pistons' first season at Little Caesars Arena
Pistons did not qualify for the playoffs
2018–19 109–89, 104–113 105–108, 110–118 Celtics 3–1
2019–20 N/A 93–114, 116–113 Tie 1–1 Season suspended from March 11 to July 30 due to the COVID–19 pandemic
Pistons did not qualify for the playoffs
Pistons only played 66 games in the regular season
2020–21 93–96, 122–120 N/A Tie 1–1

Statistics
Fort Wayne/Detroit Pistons Boston Celtics
Total wins 159 265
At Fort Wayne/Detroit Pistons 98 103
At Boston Celtics 52 132
Neutral site 8 32
Regular season wins 139 241
At Fort Wayne/Detroit Pistons 85 94
At Boston Celtics 45 117
Neutral site 8 32
Playoff wins 21 24
At Fort Wayne/Detroit Pistons 14 9
At Boston Celtics 7 15

See also
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