The Big Three of Ray Allen, Paul Pierce, and Kevin Garnett combined for 75 points tonight. Sounds like a formula for a win.

Think again.

While Boston's offense ran on all cylinders, the defense stumbled in tonight's 103-97 loss to the Pistons. Detroit shot 49 percent from the floor and 50 percent from beyond the arc. The Pistons committed just 9 turnovers.

"I thought we were a step slower than we were in Game 1," said Celtics forward Paul Pierce. "I think they did a great job at getting the ball from strong side to weak side because we're a strong‑side defense. So it was tough once they reversed the ball and made us rotate those guys. We were a step late and those guys knocked down shots."

There are always two sides to the story, and Pistons coach Flip Saunders credited his team for their play on offense.

"I think we ran our stuff better," Saunders said after the game. "We kind of went back to more of our basics, actually...Our guys are starting to understand a little bit how they help out. They're such a good defensive team on the strong side. We emphasized spacing and ball movement, and if we do that and not turn the ball over, we've got a chance to have some success, which we did tonight."