He got the ball rolling
McDyess delivered from the beginning
AUBURN HILLS, Mich. - Maybe the benefit of going to the Eastern Conference finals and losing is that you know the disappointment of not taking that one extra step.
Antonio McDyess was part of last season's Pistons team that lost in the conference finals to Cleveland in six games. The veteran forward averaged 5.8 points in that series and was left feeling like he could have done more.
Last night, McDyess left nothing unfinished, scoring a game-high 21 points and grabbing 16 rebounds in Detroit's 94-75 victory over the Celtics that tied the Eastern Conference Finals at 2-2. McDyess hit 8 of 14 field goals and 5 of 6 free throws in his best performance this postseason.
"I'm almost to the end of the road," said the 33-year-old McDyess. "You only have so many opportunities. I'm at the end of my career [and] I just feel like leaving everything out there on the floor. There won't be any excuses. Last year, I was disappointed in the way we lost. This year, I don't want any excuses if we lose."
The Pistons' slow start in Saturday's Game 3 gave the Celtics the momentum they needed to win their first road game of the playoffs.
McDyess said he and his teammates were determined to play better out of the gate last night, and he took matters into his own hands.
McDyess scored 8 consecutive points in the game's early moments as the Pistons jumped to a 10-0 lead. He ended the first quarter with 11 points, hitting 4 of 6 shots and 3 of 4 free throws.
Seven of McDyess's 16 rebounds came on the offensive glass, and he was also effective defensively. He even found himself guarding Kevin Garnett (16 points) at times when Rasheed Wallace was out with foul trouble.
"He did everything, offensive rebounds, defensive rebounds," Pistons coach Flip Saunders said.
McDyess, who is averaging 9.4 points and 7.7 rebounds per game in the series, said he has noticed that the Celtics tended to leave him open in the first three games.
After his performance last night, they'll surely pay him more attention.
"He's been the X-factor for them in a lot of ways," Celtics coach Doc Rivers said. "He's very comfortable right now, and we've got to get him out of his comfort zone."
McDyess wasn't the only unsung Piston to step up. Jason Maxiell contributed 14 points off the bench, hitting all six of his shots from the field.
"That's too efficient, it's tough to beat that," Rivers said.
The win was what the Pistons needed as the season returns to Boston for Game 5.
"There are only so many opportunities that we're going to have," McDyess said. "Next year is going to be harder and the year after that is going to be harder."
Monique Walker can be reached at mwalker@globe.com
