I am not sad.

The only thing better than a night on which we kick Detroit's ass is a night on which we kick Detroit's ass while Rip Hamilton shoots 0-for-8, and then the Giants beat the Eagles in Philly. Given that I went 3-1 in fantasy football this week and I've got a case of TaB in my apartment, I'd say I'm having a good evening.

[recap] [box score]

Even fully recognizing that Detroit is still adjusting to Iverson and that Rip Hamilton's mind might be elsewhere, the Pistons are still not the kind of team you whip on their home floor, particularly when your two best players combine to go 7-for-25 and score 15 points between them. But that's exactly what the Celtics did Friday night against the Pistons at the Palace. Tony Allen scored 23 points to pick up Pierce, who was whistled for three fouls (and a tech) in the first quarter. Pierce didn't play at all in the second quarter, because we didn't need him. We outscored Detroit 30-10 in that period, turning a two-point deficit into a comfortable lead. Tony had 12 in the second, and Leon Powe had six. Hats off to Ray Allen, too, who scored 17 points. We've played two big road games thus far this year (Houston and Detroit) and Ray has come up biggest of the Big Three in both.

Doc called this one the best defensive effort of the year, and it's hard to disagree with him. The boxscore tells most of the story, but keep in mind that Detroit's final numbers are actually quite a bit better than they were for most of the game. The Pistons were 10-of-40 in the first half, and scored 29 points (our bench had 24 points by halftime).

Eddie House also hit three jumpers tonight, which means I can stop keeping track of how many games he goes without hitting more than one jumper. Hopefully this gets him going for good.

We've got Toronto Monday night in Boston (7:30 Eastern, no national TV), and the blowout tonight helps in that Pierce played just 28 minutes tonight and Garnett 33. That could be crucial, as this is just a brutal week, with Atlanta coming to town Wednesday, Denver in on Friday, and then a road date at Miwaukee Saturday night. The Raptors will be in the second night of a road back-to-back, as they beat Charlotte 89-79 Sunday afternoon behind 30 points and 15 rebounds in 43 minutes from Chris Bosh. I haven't had a chance to scout the Raps yet, but if I do, I'll post some thoughts. If not, I'll see you after the game.