"This is a big game for us, man," Garnett said. "The winner of this wins the tiebreaker. It was just a big game. It had everything written around it. It was a huge game, a huge game for us.
"We know that the Eastern Conference is going to be won by [one of] three teams, and this is one of them. Statement? You can say that. But it was an important game for us. I can't even put anything really on it. But it was a huge game for us and we knew that from Day One. This is not an easy matchup."
Garnett made 13 of 22 field goal attempts and 5 of 6 free throws in 41 minutes. He reached the 30-point mark for the first time this season and surpassed his previous high of 27, set against Atlanta Nov. 9. He sparked the Celtics to a 47-37 halftime lead by scoring 20 points on 8-of-12 shooting.
"I was in the flow early and I just never looked back," Garnett said.
Garnett played his ninth game since missing nine with an abdominal strain that seems to be a thing of the past. But with that injury in mind, coach Doc Rivers will be cautious with Garnett's minutes the rest of the way.
"He is back to normal and his conditioning is back, his timing is back," Rivers said. "The way we can tell usually is his jump shot, not his post game. When he's making little elbow jump shots, that means he has good rhythm. When he's not, that usually means he's going too fast. He doesn't have but one gear, and it's fast and faster. He was good."
The game was tied at 69 with 10:50 left in the fourth quarter after a lay-in by Detroit's Tayshaun Prince. The Celtics responded with a 16-8 run culminating in a Paul Pierce lay-in after a steal with 2:56 remaining for an 85-77 lead. Rajon Rondo, who had 16 points, sealed the decision on a 3-point play with 1:59 remaining that made it 88-77.
The Pistons never had the lead and were limited to 36.4 percent shooting from the field, 25 percent (4 of 16) from 3-point range.
