Billups was hamstrung by rust

Strain was apparent in guard's return

Chauncey Billups used to play for the Celtics, but that was a long time ago, when Boston, frankly, was in another country. The landscape was bleak, the weather dismal and dreary, and nothing came through the door year after year but chill winds that pierced the body and made players and fans more miserable.

The Celtics were beginning the Rick Pitino Era; the first-year coach tapped Billups third overall in the 1997 draft. After only 51 games and a scoring average of 11.1 points, Billups was abruptly traded to Toronto. Since then, he has played in Denver, Orlando, Minnesota, and Detroit, which is where he has established himself as a leader and a three-time All-Star.

The 31-year-old Pistons point guard was back in the Garden last night, for Game 1 of the best-of-seven Eastern Conference finals, which the Celtics won, 88-79. Billups's matchup with the Celtics' 22-year-old point guard, Rajon Rondo, figured to dictate the tempo, and perhaps the direction, of the game, particularly since Billups was playing his first game in 13 days.

While the Celtics were absorbed with a game every other day as they struggled to get past the Cavaliers, the Pistons finished off the Magic in five games and then waited. And Billups had been on the sideline for the last two games of the series with a strained right hamstring.

Whether it was hamstring or long layoff, Billups looked out of synch.

In his critical matchup with Rondo, Billups came up short on the stat sheet, scoring only 9 points (he had been averaging 15.8 in the postseason), while shooting 3 for 6 from the field and 2 for 4 at the line.

The energetic Rondo scored 11 points, shooting 5 for 9 from the field and 1 for 1 at the line, and played with confidence and conviction. Billups played as if he were just trying to get his toes in the water.

"I felt good, it was good just getting back out there," said Billups. "Obviously my explosiveness wasn't really there. But I felt good, I was happy to be there, and I know I did better as the game went along."

Billups didn't limp so much as hesitate.

"I think he's healthy and I think he's 100 percent," said Celtics coach Doc Rivers, "but when you sit out that many games or that many days in a row, without having an exhibition game, and you come back and your first game is a playoff game, that's difficult.

"He'll keep getting better, we understand that."

The Celtics were sharp from the opening tip, and the Pistons were chasing. Billups got his team's first points, on a 3-pointer from 24 feet that made it 8-3, but it was his only trey in three attempts. And his offense was erratic, which affected the team. The Pistons shot only 36.8 percent in the first quarter. By the end of the game, they had bumped that up to 42.4.

"We got some pretty good looks and did nothing about it, though," said Billups. "We got a little too excited, which is bad for us. I think we were just rushing the shots we had."

Billups said the team will look at film today to decide what went wrong, but they could need just a little more time on the floor.

Billups said the Pistons need to be more aggressive with their offense.

"But you have to do it in the right way," he said. "You can't just come down, you have to find a way, you have to do it through our offense, and get the ball to the strong side from the weak side.

"They are a great team when you try to iso, they load up. So you won't be able to get a lot of looks like that, so you have to get back in the offense, we definitely have to be more aggressive."

Barbara Matson can be reached at matson@globe.com.