The Boston Celtics reached the NBA Finals on Friday night with an 89-81 win over the Detroit Pistons.

The victory was just the second road win for the Celtics this postseason - with the first coming in Game Three in Detroit - and allowed them to avoid a third Game Seven back home in Boston.

Paul Pierce had 27 points and 8 rebounds, and Kevin Garnett added 16 points and 6 boards in the win for the Celtics, who shot 44% from the field and attempted six more free throws than Detroit.

Ray Allen added 17 for Boston on 6-for-12 shooting.

The Celtics trailed by six heading into the fourth quarter but outscored the Pistons 29-13 over the final twelve minutes to advance to their twentieth NBA Finals.

Chauncey Billups, 29 points, 6 rebounds, and 6 assists, and Richard Hamilton, 21 points despite a bum elbow, were fantastic for the Pistons, but everyone else struggled.

Rasheed Wallace was just 2-for-12, finishing with 4 points and 5 fouls in the loss.

With Wallace in foul trouble, Theo Ratliff brought his defense to the floor but was unable to help the Pistons offensively.

Detroit Coach Flip Saunders replaced Ratliff with Jason Maxiell to bring some semblance of an offensive attack to the paint, but the Celtics withstood Maxiell's 7 points.

Antonio McDyess, a huge factor through the first five games of the series, was just 2-for-3 from the floor as defenders like Kendrick Perkins, Garnett, and Pierce combined to keep him out of the game.

The last time the Celtics made the Finals was in 1987, when they lost to the same team they will play next week - the Los Angeles Lakers.

The Finals will begin Thursday in Boston.