"They flat-out beat us" - Danny Ainge was humbled when the Pistons ended the Celtics' run in '88
The Boston Celtics dominated the '80s. However, after winning three NBA championships in five Finals appearances, their dynasty was finally halted in the 1988 Eastern Conference Finals by the Detroit Pistons.
Losing to the "Bad Boys" was a hard pill to swallow for everyone on the Celtics' roster. Still, Danny Ainge made sure he was gracious in defeat after a near-decade of dominance.
Bird on where Boston lost the series
Larry Bird was the head of the Celtics' snake during that time. Going into the series, the Pistons' head coach Chuck Daly recognized that containing him was pivotal for his team to end Boston's run.
In the end, Detroit contained Bird to just 19.8 points per game in the series. Their defensive performance on "Larry Legend" was crucial in the Pistons advancing to the NBA Finals.
"I've watched Bird carefully for a lot of years," Daly told United Press International. "I've always said, if you're going to beat the Boston Celtics, you're going to have to control him at least part of the game. We watched a lot of film. We were always running one, two, or three people at him, trying to disrupt his shot."
The Pistons beat the Celtics in six games after being tied at 2-2 going into Game 5. That's when, according to "The Great White Hope," the series took a decisive turn.
"I've always said that Game 5 is the most important game in any series; when you've got the home court, you've got to win it. We didn't," Bird said.
Isiah Thomas led his team to a 102-96 road victory with 35 points before returning to Detroit and closing out the series with a 95-90 win in Game 6. The Pistons advanced to the Finals but ultimately fell to the Los Angeles Lakers in seven games.
Ainge gloriously accepted the defeat
Ainge admitted that the Conference Finals defeat was difficult to accept, especially since it came at the hands of the Pistons. However, he gracefully acknowledged that Detroit had outperformed them in every aspect, rightfully earning the distinction of being the superior team.
"It's tough to lose," Ainge said. "When you lose to Detroit, that's even worse. But at the same time, we can hold our heads up. We gave it a good effort. Do I think Detroit's better? Yeah, I do. They've proved it. We got beat. They beat us. They flat-out beat us."
This was Boston's last journey to the conference finals before a string of injuries to pivotal players like Bird, Kevin McHale, and Robert Parish prevented them from returning to this stage.
The Pistons, meanwhile, got their revenge in the 1989 Finals with a sweep against the Lakers. They won their second straight title in 1990 before the Michael Jordan-led Chicago Bulls ended their run in the 1991 Eastern Conference Finals.
