C's Rout Pistons Behind Rondo's 9 points, 17 Dimes
Paul Pierce stood in the corner with the ball and paused a little longer than he needed to, as if daring the Detroit Pistons to come out and guard him. Then he calmly made another open shot to give Boston a 20-point lead.
It was that kind of night for the Celtics. Even without Shaquille O'Neal, Boston rolled past Detroit 109-86 on Tuesday night, executing its offense brilliantly against the downtrodden Pistons. Pierce scored 21 points, and Rajon Rondo added 17 assists.
And Boston's team totals were just as impressive.
"There's not a coach in America who wouldn't take 33 assists and eight turnovers," coach Doc Rivers said.
Rondo had a triple-double with 24 assists Friday night against New York, and his big night Tuesday gave him 67 assists through Boston's first four games. The way Rondo was playing, the Celtics didn't even need O'Neal, who sat out the game because of a bruised knee.
