Read More: Ray Allen (G – BOS), Paul Pierce (F – BOS), Kevin Garnett (F – BOS), Jermaine O`Neal (C – BOS), Detroit Pistons, Boston Celtics

Celtics Overtime is a postgame feature providing extra news, notes and analysis from each game. Boston defeated Detroit, 96-85, in the home opener on Friday night.

For one night, they looked like the Boston Celtics of old. Or at least, the Celtics of a couple seasons ago. Nevermind the fact that they were playing the lowly Detroit Pistons, or that it was the only game they have won this season. On Friday night, the Celtics looked like a very good basketball team.

What caused such a drastic turnaround? Well, for starters, they were playing a bad teams — one that they should be able to beat easily even on an off night. However, the same could have been said about the game against the New Orleans Hornets, which Boston lost in blowout fashion. While the opponent helped, the Celtics played much better basketball.

Celtics’ Offense Gets The Job Done Right

Boston shot 52.2 percent from the floor (35-for-67) and made 7-of-16 three pointers while going a perfect 19-for-19 at the free throw line. The Celtics had 25 assists while only coughing the ball up 10 times. Boston was led by Jermaine O’Neal, who scored 19 points and had seven rebounds. JO’s 19 points were the most he has ever scored as a member of the C’s. They didn’t reach the 104- or 107-point plateau that they did in the first two games, but Boston executed very well on the offensive end and built a big lead by the end of the third quarter, allowing for their starters to get much-needed rest. After their struggles on offense against the Hornets, it was an encouraging performance to say the least.

Jermaine O’Neal, Offense Guru (OK, Not Really)

Where in the world did that game come from? O’Neal was expected to be a defensive stopper when he signed with the Celtics last offseason, and any offense was seen as an added bonus. Yet tonight, O’Neal led the team’s scoring charge. We’re talking about a team that boasts players like Paul Pierce, Ray Allen and Kevin Garnett. How did this happen? O’Neal attributed the success to extended minutes, saying that the longer he is out there, the more comfortable he can get. It’s very unlikely that Boston can get a similar performance out of JO every night. But if they can, then look out.

The Truth Returns And Sets The Celtics Free

He’s baaack. Paul Pierce returned to action for the first time this season after battling a bruised right heel that kept him out of almost all of training camp and the Celtics’ first three games of the season. Pierce finished with 12 points, five assists and four rebounds in 22 minutes. Those certainly weren’t his usual team-leading numbers on offense, but considering that he has had almost no time to practice and hasn’t seen any game action, that is very impressive. Pierce will ease back into playing time, and in the meantime, expect him to have better performances each and every game.

Bottom Line: Pistons or not, this was an impressive win. People were starting to question the Celtics’ ability to compete this season after losing their first three games. Boston really needed a win to silence the critics (for the moment), and they got it tonight. The offense was solid, the defense was better and the team morale definitely increased after notching the all-important first win of the season. Who knows what is in store for the rest of the season, but right now, fans should be encouraged after what they saw on Friday night.

Next Up: Boston travels to our nation’s capital to take on the Washington Wizards in a home-and-home series, beginning with a game in Washington D.C. on New Year’s Day. After that, the Celtics will return home to host the Wizards on Monday night.

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For more Boston Celtics coverage, visit our team page and blog, CelticsBlog.

BOSTON — 

There’s no place like home for the holidays. It also brought out the best in the Celtics last night. Of course, so did the return of Paul Pierce and the unexpected play of Jermaine O’Neal.

After opening their season with three losses on the road, the Celtics returned to the TD Garden and pounded the Detroit Pistons, 96-85. And there’s even more good news for Shamrocks fans: After visiting Washington tomorrow night to start 2012, the Celtics will play eight of their next 10 games back here.

Coach Doc Rivers might consider canceling practice the rest of the season after Pierce showed it might be overrated. Before sitting out the fourth quarter, Pierce contributed 12 points, 5 assists and 4 rebounds in less than 23 minutes. You never would have known he missed the first three games with a bruised right heel and practiced only once, three weeks ago.

Rivers admitted he didn’t know what to expect from Pierce, but Pierce had a pretty good idea.

“I was expecting to be me,” he said. “I don’t settle for anything less. I worked tremendously hard, I did a lot of things, I did what I could do coming into the game, as much as I could, other than practice. I just stayed focused, I got my shots every day, did the bike. Doc wanted me to be aggressive and play the way I play. That’s what I tried to do.”

“He was a great energy boost for us,” O’Neal said. “We didn’t even know he was playing. We kind of thought it was going to be next week sometime.”

Rivers joked that he felt bad for fibbing to Detroit coach Lawrence Frank, his assistant with the Celtics last season, when the two went to dinner Thursday night.

“He said, ‘Is Paul playing?’ ” Rivers recounted. “I said, ‘No, there’s no chance.’ ”

But Pierce did play and provided much-needed space and ball movement to the Boston offense with his shooting and passing. He admitted his body was sore afterward.

O’Neal scored a team-high 19 points, his most in two seasons as a Celtic. The 6-foot-11 center also grabbed 7 rebounds and blocked 2 shots in 29 minutes after totaling only eight points and nine rebounds in Boston’s first three games.

O’Neal’s counterpart, Detroit center Greg Monroe, collected 22 points and 9 rebounds, but at least O’Neal provided an offensive spark for a change, making 7 of 9 shots. O’Neal credited his improved play to avoiding early foul trouble and playing extended minutes.

“You can get rhythm,” he said, “you can get a flow, you can get comfortable with what the team is doing. Look at the first couple of games — I was in and out of there so fast, it was almost impossible to get any flow to the game.”

O’Neal said he didn’t get discouraged by his slow start. “I don’t want to be judged on how I score because that’s not my role on this team,” he said.

O’Neal’s knee no longer bothers him after undergoing surgery last season.

“My ability to go from point A to point B,” he said, “without dragging my leg is light years different from last year. Last year, I really struggled and I was hurt, and half the time I was medicated to a point where I almost didn’t even know I was hurt.”

O’Neal passed to Marquis Daniels for a dunk, then blocked Rodney Stuckey’s shot and scored a layup and a free throw to give Boston its largest lead, 84-59.

Ray Allen scored 17 points and made all five of his free throws. He’s 16 for 16 at the line this season, and the Celtics were 19 of 19 last night. Allen is also 14 of 24 from 3-point land. Brandon Bass scored 17 off the bench.

Austin Daye scored 11 for 0-3 Detroit.

The Celtics have won all five of their home openers since Allen and Kevin Garnett joined the team.

O’Neal scored 10 points to help the Celtics take a 50-43 halftime lead. Allen and Pierce opened the second half with 3-pointers to push the lead to 13.

Allen scored seven points in the first quarter to help Boston grab a 24-22 lead.

And they kept the Detroit Pistons winless with a 96-85 win in their home opener on Friday night.

O’Neal, nearly invisible in the first three games, and Pierce, who missed all of them with a bruised right heel, got the Celtics back in rhythm as they had their starting five intact for the first time.

O’Neal led Boston with 19 points after playing passively in totaling just eight points in the other games.

What was the difference?

“Playing extended minutes,” he said. “When you can get a rhythm, you can get a flow and you can get comfortable with what the team is doing. If you look at the first couple of games, I was in and out so fast that it was almost impossible to get any flow to the game.”

O’Neal was aggressive throughout, scoring 10 points in the first half, which ended with Boston on top 50-43. Then he scored seven in the third quarter when the Celtics outscored the Pistons 36-21 to take an 86-64 lead.

“He gave us a great lift, played with great energy,” Celtics coach Doc Rivers said. “I thought he was really focused on setting picks and rebounding and doing all the little things.”

The closest the Pistons came in the fourth quarter was the 11-point final margin.

Pierce, who had taken part in just one Celtics practice, finished with 12 points. More than that, he brought a fiery attitude and helped the Celtics stay spaced properly on the floor. He drew defensive attention with his shooting ability, opening opportunities for teammates.

“It felt good to finally get out there,” Pierce said. “I was expecting to be me and I don’t settle for anything less. I worked tremendously hard. I did a lot of things. I did what I could do coming into the game, as much as I could, other than practice. I just stayed focused.”

Ray Allen and Brandon Bass added 17 points apiece for Boston. O’Neal, injured much of last season, his first with the Celtics, had seven rebounds, blocked two shots and sank seven of nine shots after making three of 12 in his first three games.

“Defensively and rebounding is how I’m going to judge myself,” he said. “That’s my role. I’ve heard people ask me, ‘Why would you accept it?’ But that’s what you do on a championship-caliber team.”

Greg Monroe had 22 points and nine rebounds, and Austin Daye scored 11 for Detroit, which fell to 0-3.

“We just have to work and be a whole lot more efficient offensively,” said Detroit coach Lawrence Frank, a Celtics assistant last season. “The beauty of Boston is everyone does their part. They all chip in. It’s never really a guy going for 35. They all kind of do their part. They were coming in with a sense of urgency.”

Boston opened an 11-game stretch in which nine are at home.

The Celtics haven’t started a season 0-4 since 1969-70 and were 0-3 for the first time since 2006-07.

“I don’t think we played particularly well in those three games, but one thing I know is we know how to play basketball,” Allen said. “We like who we have on our team. We knew we had to work harder.”

The Celtics’ defense had been poor until Friday night, when they held the Pistons to 43 percent shooting. And their offense was on target, as they hit 52 percent of their field-goal attempts and all 19 free throws.

“We lost a little bit of our poise on the offensive end, we were slower to get into stuff, plus they turned it up defensively,” Frank said.

Allen opened the third quarter with a 3-pointer and Pierce hit two more in the first four minutes of the period, building the lead to 61-47. Bass ended the quarter with a jumper from the top of the key at the buzzer.

“That quarter has been giving us problems in all three games,” Monroe said. “We’ve got to come out of halftime with more energy.”

Detroit made a brief run, outscoring Boston 9-2 to close the gap to 90-76 with 6:24 left in the game. Then Allen hit two free throws, Kevin Garnett sank a jumper and O’Neal connected from the top of the key for the Celtics’ last basket. It gave them a 96-76 lead with 3:57 to go.

The Celtics had gone ahead to stay on Allen’s 20-footer that made it 17-15 with 4:24 left in the first quarter. They took their biggest lead of the half, 38-26, on two free throws by Pierce with 6:22 remaining.

“He gives us a swagger that was definitely missing the first three games,” Celtics guard Keyon Dooling said of Pierce.

Home > Sports

O’Neal leads Celts to first win, 96-85 over Pistons

By Howard Ulman / Associated Press

BOSTON – Jermaine O’Neal and Paul Pierce finally showed up and sparked the Boston Celtics to their first win of the season.

And they kept the Detroit Pistons winless with a 96-85 win in their home opener on Friday night.

O’Neal, nearly invisible in the first three games, and Pierce, who missed all of them with a bruised right heel, got the Celtics back in rhythm as they had their starting five intact for the first time.

O’Neal led Boston with 19 points after playing passively in totaling just eight points in the other games.

What was the difference?

“Playing extended minutes,” he said. “When you can get a rhythm, you can get a flow and you can get comfortable with what the team is doing. If you look at the first couple of games, I was in and out so fast that it was almost impossible to get any flow to the game.”

O’Neal was aggressive throughout, scoring 10 points in the first half, which ended with Boston on top 50-43. Then he scored seven in the third quarter when the Celtics outscored the Pistons 36-21 to take an 86-64 lead.

“He gave us a great lift, played with great energy,” Celtics coach Doc Rivers said. “I thought he was really focused on setting picks and rebounding and doing all the little things.”

The closest the Pistons came in the fourth quarter was the 11-point final margin.

Pierce, who had taken part in just one Celtics practice, finished with 12 points. More than that, he brought a fiery attitude and helped the Celtics stay spaced properly on the floor. He drew defensive attention with his shooting ability, opening opportunities for teammates.

“It felt good to finally get out there,” Pierce said. “I was expecting to be me and I don’t settle for anything less. I worked tremendously hard. I did a lot of things. I did what I could do coming into the game, as much as I could, other than practice. I just stayed focused.”

Ray Allen and Brandon Bass added 17 points apiece for Boston. O’Neal, injured much of last season, his first with the Celtics, had seven rebounds, blocked two shots and sank seven of nine shots after making three of 12 in his first three games.

“Defensively and rebounding is how I’m going to judge myself,” he said. “That’s my role. I’ve heard people ask me, “Why would you accept it?’ But that’s what you do on a championship-caliber team.”

Greg Monroe had 22 points and nine rebounds, and Austin Daye scored 11 for Detroit, which fell to 0-3.

“We just have to work and be a whole lot more efficient offensively,” said Detroit coach Lawrence Frank, a Celtics assistant last season. “The beauty of Boston is everyone does their part. They all chip in. It’s never really a guy going for 35. They all kind of do their part. They were coming in with a sense of urgency.”

Boston opened an 11-game stretch in which nine are at home.

The Celtics haven’t started a season 0-4 since 1969-70 and were 0-3 for the first time since 2006-07.

“I don’t think we played particularly well in those three games, but one thing I know is we know how to play basketball,” Allen said. “We like who we have on our team. We knew we had to work harder.”

The Celtics’ defense had been poor until Friday night, when they held the Pistons to 43 percent shooting. And their offense was on target, as they hit 52 percent of their field-goal attempts and all 19 free throws.

“We lost a little bit of our poise on the offensive end, we were slower to get into stuff, plus they turned it up defensively,” Frank said.

Allen opened the third quarter with a 3-pointer and Pierce hit two more in the first four minutes of the period, building the lead to 61-47. Bass ended the quarter with a jumper from the top of the key at the buzzer.

“That quarter has been giving us problems in all three games,” Monroe said. “We’ve got to come out of halftime with more energy.”

Detroit made a brief run, outscoring Boston 9-2 to close the gap to 90-76 with 6:24 left in the game. Then Allen hit two free throws, Kevin Garnett sank a jumper and O’Neal connected from the top of the key for the Celtics’ last basket. It gave them a 96-76 lead with 3:57 to go.

The Celtics had gone ahead to stay on Allen’s 20-footer that made it 17-15 with 4:24 left in the first quarter. They took their biggest lead of the half, 38-26, on two free throws by Pierce with 6:22 remaining.

“He gives us a swagger that was definitely missing the first three games,” Celtics guard Keyon Dooling said of Pierce.

Notes: Pistons starting guard Rodney Stuckey made just one of 11 shots and finished with three points and seven assists. … New Boston Red Sox manager Bobby Valentine watched from a front-row, baseline seat. Patriots wide receivers Deion Branch and Julian Edelman, safety Patrick Chung and running back Stevan Ridley also were in the crowd. … Celtics backup forward Chris Wilcox missed his second straight game with a bruised left shoulder. Rivers said he could return on Sunday at the Washington Wizards.

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CBSSports.com wire reports
Dec. 30, 2011

BOSTON — Jermaine O’Neal and Paul Pierce finally showed up and sparked the Boston Celtics to their first win of the season.

And they kept the Detroit Pistons winless with a 96-85 win in their home opener on Friday night.

O’Neal, nearly invisible in the first three games, and Pierce, who missed all of them with a bruised right heel, got the Celtics back in rhythm as they had their starting five intact for the first time.

O’Neal led Boston with 19 points after playing passively in totaling just eight points in the other games.

What was the difference?

“Playing extended minutes,” he said. “When you can get a rhythm, you can get a flow and you can get comfortable with what the team is doing. If you look at the first couple of games, I was in and out so fast that it was almost impossible to get any flow to the game.”

O’Neal was aggressive throughout, scoring 10 points in the first half, which ended with Boston on top 50-43. Then he scored seven in the third quarter when the Celtics outscored the Pistons 36-21 to take an 86-64 lead.

“He gave us a great lift, played with great energy,” Celtics coach Doc Rivers said. “I thought he was really focused on setting picks and rebounding and doing all the little things.”

The closest the Pistons came in the fourth quarter was the 11-point final margin.

Pierce, who had taken part in just one Celtics practice, finished with 12 points. More than that, he brought a fiery attitude and helped the Celtics stay spaced properly on the floor. He drew defensive attention with his shooting ability, opening opportunities for teammates.

“It felt good to finally get out there,” Pierce said. “I was expecting to be me and I don’t settle for anything less. I worked tremendously hard. I did a lot of things. I did what I could do coming into the game, as much as I could, other than practice. I just stayed focused.”

Ray Allen and Brandon Bass added 17 points apiece for Boston. O’Neal, injured much of last season, his first with the Celtics, had seven rebounds, blocked two shots and sank seven of nine shots after making three of 12 in his first three games.

“Defensively and rebounding is how I’m going to judge myself,” he said. “That’s my role. I’ve heard people ask me, `Why would you accept it?’ But that’s what you do on a championship-caliber team.”

Greg Monroe had 22 points and nine rebounds, and Austin Daye scored 11 for Detroit, which fell to 0-3.

“We just have to work and be a whole lot more efficient offensively,” said Detroit coach Lawrence Frank, a Celtics assistant last season. “The beauty of Boston is everyone does their part. They all chip in. It’s never really a guy going for 35. They all kind of do their part. They were coming in with a sense of urgency.”

Boston opened an 11-game stretch in which nine are at home.

The Celtics haven’t started a season 0-4 since 1969-70 and were 0-3 for the first time since 2006-07.

“I don’t think we played particularly well in those three games, but one thing I know is we know how to play basketball,” Allen said. “We like who we have on our team. We knew we had to work harder.”

The Celtics’ defense had been poor until Friday night, when they held the Pistons to 43 percent shooting. And their offense was on target, as they hit 52 percent of their field-goal attempts and all 19 free throws.

“We lost a little bit of our poise on the offensive end, we were slower to get into stuff, plus they turned it up defensively,” Frank said.

Allen opened the third quarter with a 3-pointer and Pierce hit two more in the first four minutes of the period, building the lead to 61-47. Bass ended the quarter with a jumper from the top of the key at the buzzer.

“That quarter has been giving us problems in all three games,” Monroe said. “We’ve got to come out of halftime with more energy.”

Detroit made a brief run, outscoring Boston 9-2 to close the gap to 90-76 with 6:24 left in the game. Then Allen hit two free throws, Kevin Garnett sank a jumper and O’Neal connected from the top of the key for the Celtics’ last basket. It gave them a 96-76 lead with 3:57 to go.

The Celtics had gone ahead to stay on Allen’s 20-footer that made it 17-15 with 4:24 left in the first quarter. They took their biggest lead of the half, 38-26, on two free throws by Pierce with 6:22 remaining.

“He gives us a swagger that was definitely missing the first three games,” Celtics guard Keyon Dooling said of Pierce.

Notes

• Pistons starting guard Rodney Stuckey made just one of 11 shots and finished with three points and seven assists.
• New Boston Red Sox manager Bobby Valentine watched from a front-row, baseline seat. Patriots wide receivers Deion Branch and Julian Edelman, safety Patrick Chung and running back Stevan Ridley also were in the crowd.
• Celtics backup forward Chris Wilcox missed his second straight game with a bruised left shoulder. Rivers said he could return on Sunday at the Washington Wizards.

Read More: Jermaine O`Neal (C – BOS), Detroit Pistons, Boston Celtics

BOSTON – Welcome to the Jungle, where they Boston Celtics brought their ‘A’ game. Boston was propelled on by a sellout crowd of 18,624 screaming fans at TD Garden as the C’s posted a 96-85 win over the Detroit Pistons in their home opener on Friday night.

It was the first game played at TD Garden since last May (when the Celtics were swiftly eliminated by the Miami Heat in the playoffs) and was the first game post-lockout played in Boston. As expected, it was great to be back for the Celtics.

“It’s always fun to be back in the garden,” said Jermaine O’Neal, who finished with a team-high 19 points and seven rebounds in Boston’s first victory of the 2011-12 season. “It’s an energy boost for us, even when we physically feel tired the fans always find a way to give us some energy, so it feels good to get back home and get a win. It’s always tough trying to get a win after losing a couple in a row, it was a great team effort.”

The Celtics won’t play at home again for the rest of the year (there’s only one more day in 2011, you know), as they will take on the Washington Wizards in the first game of a back-to-back swing on New Year’s Day. Boston will return home on Jan. 2 to host the Wizards, where they will look to improve to 2-0 at home. The C’s were 33-8 at home last season.

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For more Boston Celtics coverage, visit our team page and blog, CelticsBlog.

BOSTON (AP) — Jermaine O’Neal and Paul Pierce finally showed up and sparked the Boston Celtics to their first win of the season.

And they kept the Detroit Pistons winless with a 96-85 win in their home opener on Friday night.

O’Neal, nearly invisible in the first three games, and Pierce, who missed all of them with a bruised right heel, got the Celtics back in rhythm as they had their starting five intact for the first time.

O’Neal led Boston with 19 points after playing passively in totaling just eight points in the other games.

What was the difference?

“Playing extended minutes,” he said. “When you can get a rhythm, you can get a flow and you can get comfortable with what the team is doing. If you look at the first couple of games, I was in and out so fast that it was almost impossible to get any flow to the game.”

O’Neal was aggressive throughout, scoring 10 points in the first half, which ended with Boston on top 50-43. Then he scored seven in the third quarter when the Celtics outscored the Pistons 36-21 to take an 86-64 lead.

“He gave us a great lift, played with great energy,” Celtics coach Doc Rivers said. “I thought he was really focused on setting picks and rebounding and doing all the little things.”

The closest the Pistons came in the fourth quarter was the 11-point final margin.

Pierce, who had taken part in just one Celtics practice, finished with 12 points. More than that, he brought a fiery attitude and helped the Celtics stay spaced properly on the floor. He drew defensive attention with his shooting ability, opening opportunities for teammates.

“It felt good to finally get out there,” Pierce said. “I was expecting to be me and I don’t settle for anything less. I worked tremendously hard. I did a lot of things. I did what I could do coming into the game, as much as I could, other than practice. I just stayed focused.”

Ray Allen and Brandon Bass added 17 points apiece for Boston. O’Neal, injured much of last season, his first with the Celtics, had seven rebounds, blocked two shots and sank seven of nine shots after making three of 12 in his first three games.

“Defensively and rebounding is how I’m going to judge myself,” he said. “That’s my role. I’ve heard people ask me, `Why would you accept it?’ But that’s what you do on a championship-caliber team.”

Greg Monroe had 22 points and nine rebounds, and Austin Daye scored 11 for Detroit, which fell to 0-3.

“We just have to work and be a whole lot more efficient offensively,” said Detroit coach Lawrence Frank, a Celtics assistant last season. “The beauty of Boston is everyone does their part. They all chip in. It’s never really a guy going for 35. They all kind of do their part. They were coming in with a sense of urgency.”

Boston opened an 11-game stretch in which nine are at home.

The Celtics haven’t started a season 0-4 since 1969-70 and were 0-3 for the first time since 2006-07.

“I don’t think we played particularly well in those three games, but one thing I know is we know how to play basketball,” Allen said. “We like who we have on our team. We knew we had to work harder.”

The Celtics’ defense had been poor until Friday night, when they held the Pistons to 43 percent shooting. And their offense was on target, as they hit 52 percent of their field-goal attempts and all 19 free throws.

“We lost a little bit of our poise on the offensive end, we were slower to get into stuff, plus they turned it up defensively,” Frank said.

Allen opened the third quarter with a 3-pointer and Pierce hit two more in the first four minutes of the period, building the lead to 61-47. Bass ended the quarter with a jumper from the top of the key at the buzzer.

“That quarter has been giving us problems in all three games,” Monroe said. “We’ve got to come out of halftime with more energy.”

Detroit made a brief run, outscoring Boston 9-2 to close the gap to 90-76 with 6:24 left in the game. Then Allen hit two free throws, Kevin Garnett sank a jumper and O’Neal connected from the top of the key for the Celtics’ last basket. It gave them a 96-76 lead with 3:57 to go.

The Celtics had gone ahead to stay on Allen’s 20-footer that made it 17-15 with 4:24 left in the first quarter. They took their biggest lead of the half, 38-26, on two free throws by Pierce with 6:22 remaining.

“He gives us a swagger that was definitely missing the first three games,” Celtics guard Keyon Dooling said of Pierce.

CBSSports.com wire reports
Dec. 30, 2011

BOSTON — Jermaine O’Neal and Paul Pierce finally showed up and sparked the Boston Celtics to their first win of the season.

And they kept the Detroit Pistons winless with a 96-85 win in their home opener on Friday night.

O’Neal, nearly invisible in the first three games, and Pierce, who missed all of them with a bruised right heel, got the Celtics back in rhythm as they had their starting five intact for the first time.

O’Neal led Boston with 19 points after playing passively in totaling just eight points in the other games.

What was the difference?

“Playing extended minutes,” he said. “When you can get a rhythm, you can get a flow and you can get comfortable with what the team is doing. If you look at the first couple of games, I was in and out so fast that it was almost impossible to get any flow to the game.”

O’Neal was aggressive throughout, scoring 10 points in the first half, which ended with Boston on top 50-43. Then he scored seven in the third quarter when the Celtics outscored the Pistons 36-21 to take an 86-64 lead.

“He gave us a great lift, played with great energy,” Celtics coach Doc Rivers said. “I thought he was really focused on setting picks and rebounding and doing all the little things.”

The closest the Pistons came in the fourth quarter was the 11-point final margin.

Pierce, who had taken part in just one Celtics practice, finished with 12 points. More than that, he brought a fiery attitude and helped the Celtics stay spaced properly on the floor. He drew defensive attention with his shooting ability, opening opportunities for teammates.

“It felt good to finally get out there,” Pierce said. “I was expecting to be me and I don’t settle for anything less. I worked tremendously hard. I did a lot of things. I did what I could do coming into the game, as much as I could, other than practice. I just stayed focused.”

Ray Allen and Brandon Bass added 17 points apiece for Boston. O’Neal, injured much of last season, his first with the Celtics, had seven rebounds, blocked two shots and sank seven of nine shots after making three of 12 in his first three games.

“Defensively and rebounding is how I’m going to judge myself,” he said. “That’s my role. I’ve heard people ask me, `Why would you accept it?’ But that’s what you do on a championship-caliber team.”

Greg Monroe had 22 points and nine rebounds, and Austin Daye scored 11 for Detroit, which fell to 0-3.

“We just have to work and be a whole lot more efficient offensively,” said Detroit coach Lawrence Frank, a Celtics assistant last season. “The beauty of Boston is everyone does their part. They all chip in. It’s never really a guy going for 35. They all kind of do their part. They were coming in with a sense of urgency.”

Boston opened an 11-game stretch in which nine are at home.

The Celtics haven’t started a season 0-4 since 1969-70 and were 0-3 for the first time since 2006-07.

“I don’t think we played particularly well in those three games, but one thing I know is we know how to play basketball,” Allen said. “We like who we have on our team. We knew we had to work harder.”

The Celtics’ defense had been poor until Friday night, when they held the Pistons to 43 percent shooting. And their offense was on target, as they hit 52 percent of their field-goal attempts and all 19 free throws.

“We lost a little bit of our poise on the offensive end, we were slower to get into stuff, plus they turned it up defensively,” Frank said.

Allen opened the third quarter with a 3-pointer and Pierce hit two more in the first four minutes of the period, building the lead to 61-47. Bass ended the quarter with a jumper from the top of the key at the buzzer.

“That quarter has been giving us problems in all three games,” Monroe said. “We’ve got to come out of halftime with more energy.”

Detroit made a brief run, outscoring Boston 9-2 to close the gap to 90-76 with 6:24 left in the game. Then Allen hit two free throws, Kevin Garnett sank a jumper and O’Neal connected from the top of the key for the Celtics’ last basket. It gave them a 96-76 lead with 3:57 to go.

The Celtics had gone ahead to stay on Allen’s 20-footer that made it 17-15 with 4:24 left in the first quarter. They took their biggest lead of the half, 38-26, on two free throws by Pierce with 6:22 remaining.

“He gives us a swagger that was definitely missing the first three games,” Celtics guard Keyon Dooling said of Pierce.

Notes

• Pistons starting guard Rodney Stuckey made just one of 11 shots and finished with three points and seven assists.
• New Boston Red Sox manager Bobby Valentine watched from a front-row, baseline seat. Patriots wide receivers Deion Branch and Julian Edelman, safety Patrick Chung and running back Stevan Ridley also were in the crowd.
• Celtics backup forward Chris Wilcox missed his second straight game with a bruised left shoulder. Rivers said he could return on Sunday at the Washington Wizards.

O’Neal, nearly invisible in the first three games, and Pierce, who missed all of them with a bruised right heel, got the Celtics back in rhythm as they had their starting five intact for the first time.

O’Neal led Boston with 19 points after playing passively in totaling just eight points in the other games.

What was the difference?

“Playing extended minutes,” he said. “When you can get a rhythm, you can get a flow and you can get comfortable with what the team is doing. If you look at the first couple of games, I was in and out so fast that it was almost impossible to get any flow to the game.”

O’Neal was aggressive throughout, scoring 10 points in the first half, which ended with Boston on top 50-43. Then he scored seven in the third quarter when the Celtics outscored the Pistons 36-21 to take an 86-64 lead.

“He gave us a great lift, played with great energy,” Celtics coach Doc Rivers said. “I thought he was really focused on setting picks and rebounding and doing all the little things.”

The closest the Pistons came in the fourth quarter was the 11-point final margin.

Pierce, who had taken part in just one Celtics practice, finished with 12 points. More than that, he brought a fiery attitude and helped the Celtics stay spaced properly on the floor. He drew defensive attention with his shooting ability, opening opportunities for teammates.

“It felt good to finally get out there,” Pierce said. “I was expecting to be me and I don’t settle for anything less. I worked tremendously hard. I did a lot of things. I did what I could do coming into the game, as much as I could, other than practice. I just stayed focused.”

Ray Allen and Brandon Bass added 17 points apiece for Boston. O’Neal, injured much of last season, his first with the Celtics, had seven rebounds, blocked two shots and sank seven of nine shots after making three of 12 in his first three games.

“Defensively and rebounding is how I’m going to judge myself,” he said. “That’s my role. I’ve heard people ask me, ‘Why would you accept it?’ But that’s what you do on a championship-caliber team.”

Greg Monroe had 22 points and nine rebounds, and Austin Daye scored 11 for Detroit, which fell to 0-3.

“We just have to work and be a whole lot more efficient offensively,” said Detroit coach Lawrence Frank, a Celtics assistant last season. “The beauty of Boston is everyone does their part. They all chip in. It’s never really a guy going for 35. They all kind of do their part. They were coming in with a sense of urgency.”

Boston opened an 11-game stretch in which nine are at home.

The Celtics haven’t started a season 0-4 since 1969-70 and were 0-3 for the first time since 2006-07.

“I don’t think we played particularly well in those three games, but one thing I know is we know how to play basketball,” Allen said. “We like who we have on our team. We knew we had to work harder.”

The Celtics’ defense had been poor until Friday night, when they held the Pistons to 43 percent shooting. And their offense was on target, as they hit 52 percent of their field-goal attempts and all 19 free throws.

“We lost a little bit of our poise on the offensive end, we were slower to get into stuff, plus they turned it up defensively,” Frank said.

Allen opened the third quarter with a 3-pointer and Pierce hit two more in the first four minutes of the period, building the lead to 61-47. Bass ended the quarter with a jumper from the top of the key at the buzzer.

“That quarter has been giving us problems in all three games,” Monroe said. “We’ve got to come out of halftime with more energy.”

Detroit made a brief run, outscoring Boston 9-2 to close the gap to 90-76 with 6:24 left in the game. Then Allen hit two free throws, Kevin Garnett sank a jumper and O’Neal connected from the top of the key for the Celtics’ last basket. It gave them a 96-76 lead with 3:57 to go.

The Celtics had gone ahead to stay on Allen’s 20-footer that made it 17-15 with 4:24 left in the first quarter. They took their biggest lead of the half, 38-26, on two free throws by Pierce with 6:22 remaining.

“He gives us a swagger that was definitely missing the first three games,” Celtics guard Keyon Dooling said of Pierce.

Notes: Pistons starting guard Rodney Stuckey made just one of 11 shots and finished with three points and seven assists. … New Boston Red Sox manager Bobby Valentine watched from a front-row, baseline seat. Patriots wide receivers Deion Branch and Julian Edelman, safety Patrick Chung and running back Stevan Ridley also were in the crowd. … Celtics backup forward Chris Wilcox missed his second straight game with a bruised left shoulder. Rivers said he could return on Sunday at the Washington Wizards.

Copyright 2011 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

BOSTON (AP)—Jermaine O’Neal and Paul Pierce finally showed up and sparked
the Boston Celtics to their first win of the season.

And they kept the Detroit Pistons winless with a 96-85 win in their home
opener on Friday night.

O’Neal, nearly invisible in the first three games, and Pierce, who missed
all of them with a bruised right heel, got the Celtics back in rhythm as they
had their starting five intact for the first time.

O’Neal led Boston with 19 points after playing passively in totaling just
eight points in the other games.

What was the difference?

“Playing extended minutes,” he said. “When you can get a rhythm, you can
get a flow and you can get comfortable with what the team is doing. If you look
at the first couple of games, I was in and out so fast that it was almost
impossible to get any flow to the game.”

O’Neal was aggressive throughout, scoring 10 points in the first half, which
ended with Boston on top 50-43. Then he scored seven in the third quarter when
the Celtics outscored the Pistons 36-21 to take an 86-64 lead.

“He gave us a great lift, played with great energy,” Celtics coach Doc
Rivers said. “I thought he was really focused on setting picks and rebounding
and doing all the little things.”

The closest the Pistons came in the fourth quarter was the 11-point final
margin.

Pierce, who had taken part in just one Celtics practice, finished with 12
points. More than that, he brought a fiery attitude and helped the Celtics stay
spaced properly on the floor. He drew defensive attention with his shooting
ability, opening opportunities for teammates.

“It felt good to finally get out there,” Pierce said. “I was expecting to
be me and I don’t settle for anything less. I worked tremendously hard. I did a
lot of things. I did what I could do coming into the game, as much as I could,
other than practice. I just stayed focused.”

Ray Allen and Brandon Bass added 17 points apiece for Boston. O’Neal,
injured much of last season, his first with the Celtics, had seven rebounds,
blocked two shots and sank seven of nine shots after making three of 12 in his
first three games.

“Defensively and rebounding is how I’m going to judge myself,” he said.
“That’s my role. I’ve heard people ask me, `Why would you accept it?’ But
that’s what you do on a championship-caliber team.”

Greg Monroe had 22 points and nine rebounds, and Austin Daye scored 11 for
Detroit, which fell to 0-3.

“We just have to work and be a whole lot more efficient offensively,” said
Detroit coach Lawrence Frank, a Celtics assistant last season. “The beauty of
Boston is everyone does their part. They all chip in. It’s never really a guy
going for 35. They all kind of do their part. They were coming in with a sense
of urgency.”

Boston opened an 11-game stretch in which nine are at home.

The Celtics haven’t started a season 0-4 since 1969-70 and were 0-3 for the
first time since 2006-07.

“I don’t think we played particularly well in those three games, but one
thing I know is we know how to play basketball,” Allen said. “We like who we
have on our team. We knew we had to work harder.”

The Celtics’ defense had been poor until Friday night, when they held the
Pistons to 43 percent shooting. And their offense was on target, as they hit 52
percent of their field-goal attempts and all 19 free throws.

“We lost a little bit of our poise on the offensive end, we were slower to
get into stuff, plus they turned it up defensively,” Frank said.

Allen opened the third quarter with a 3-pointer and Pierce hit two more in
the first four minutes of the period, building the lead to 61-47. Bass ended the
quarter with a jumper from the top of the key at the buzzer.

“That quarter has been giving us problems in all three games,” Monroe
said. “We’ve got to come out of halftime with more energy.”

Detroit made a brief run, outscoring Boston 9-2 to close the gap to 90-76
with 6:24 left in the game. Then Allen hit two free throws, Kevin Garnett sank a
jumper and O’Neal connected from the top of the key for the Celtics’ last
basket. It gave them a 96-76 lead with 3:57 to go.

The Celtics had gone ahead to stay on Allen’s 20-footer that made it 17-15
with 4:24 left in the first quarter. They took their biggest lead of the half,
38-26, on two free throws by Pierce with 6:22 remaining.

“He gives us a swagger that was definitely missing the first three games,”
Celtics guard Keyon Dooling said of Pierce.

Notes: Pistons starting guard Rodney Stuckey made just one of 11 shots and
finished with three points and seven assists. … New Boston Red Sox manager
Bobby Valentine watched from a front-row, baseline seat. Patriots wide receivers
Deion Branch and Julian Edelman, safety Patrick Chung and running back Stevan
Ridley also were in the crowd. … Celtics backup forward Chris Wilcox missed
his second straight game with a bruised left shoulder. Rivers said he could
return on Sunday at the Washington Wizards.