''I would favor them to go the Finals over whoever comes out of the other series because of their shot-making, and because [Paul] Pierce is a bona fide great player, and [Antoine] Walker is a legitimate All-Star. They're well-coached, they're very hard to deal with, and they defend.''  These are the words, reports Michael Smith of the Boston Globe, of Detroit?s Coach of the Year Rick Carlisle after his Detroit Pistons were humbled by the Celtics 4-1 to progress to the Eastern Conference Finals.

''They're definitely deep enough to beat Charlotte or New Jersey,'' said Michael Curry. ''Boston is playing well, they've got a team that can go on the road and win, they're really, really tough at home. So they have a good chance.''

Opponents are starting to believe in the Boston Celtics are for real after the team disposed of the suprising Detroit Pistons rather easily in the end, winning four straight to take the series in five games.  The team now waits for the results of today?s Charlotte ? New Jersey game to see if the Nets will be their next opponents or whether they will have to wait longer to find out.  New Jersey leads the series 3-1 with Game 5 to be played in New Jersey.