Pistons Enjoy a Home-Dome Advantage : Detroit Takes 2-1 Eastern Series Lead After Beating Boston, 98-94

PONTIAC, Mich. —  Shy guy Joe Dumars, the adroit Piston, scored 29 points Saturday to key a 98-94 victory and keep Detroit a step ahead of the Boston Celtics in the National Basketball Assn.’s Eastern Conference championship series. Understandably, he was invited into the interview room.

“I’m not used to being in here,” Dumars said when he got there. “What am I supposed to say?”

“Say something outrageous,” someone teased him.

“Well, this was a big win for us,” Dumars said.

“Say something real outrageous,” the someone persisted.

“Well, this was a real big win for us,” Dumars said, sort of smiling.

Sure was. The Pistons again hold the upper hand in this series, 2 games to 1, and can find their way to the NBA finals just by winning games they play host. That’s all it takes: holding serve. If they take Game 4 at home Monday and Game 6 here Friday, it does not matter what the Celtics do in-between at Boston Garden.

Can the Pistons do it? Maybe. They have beaten Boston nine times in a row in Pontiac, where 26,481 thundered the dome Saturday for Game 3. Even a crummy 14-point fourth period did not bring down Detroit’s house. The Pistons had plenty of surplus points left over from their 13-point bulge after three quarters.

“It’s all about protecting your home court now,” Dumars said.

And that’s what makes Game 4 so vital to the Celtics. If they don’t take that one, they might never win another game here. Not just this year--ever. The Silverdome closes shop for basketball purposes once this season is done, because the Pistons have raised a brand new barn for next season, in Auburn Hills, a mile up the road.

“I’ll be happy to see the last of this place,” said Celtic guard Danny Ainge, speaking more of his team’s bad luck here than the building’s bad aesthetics for basketball.

Boston’s other starting guard, Dennis Johnson, made a promise that his team had not won here for the last time.

“We’ll win another one here, mark my words,” Johnson said. “Maybe Monday, maybe later in the week. We’ll win one of them, I guarantee you.”

Lots of guarantees flying around this season. Pat Riley’s. Karl Malone’s. If only somebody could guarantee Larry Bird that he would get his shooting touch back, Bird might guarantee that the Celtics might survive this struggle with the Pistons. Bird’s beginning to wonder if those are rims up there or hubcaps. He can’t get anything to fall through.

In three games, Bird is 20 of 57 from the floor. This from a guy who wins All-Star game shooting contests and makes jumpers with Band-Aids on his fingers, a guy who usually could sink 20 of 57 using his feet. Bird botched 11 of 17 shots in Game 3 and left the premises totally baffled.

“It’s not like there’s something physically wrong with me, and it’s not that I haven’t been trying,” Bird said after an 18-point day. “I’m not missing by far. Some of them are going in and out. Usually when I’m off my game, I’m either short or off to the left. I’m just barely missing these. It’s going toward the rim just the way I like to see it go. It just won’t go down. No question, I’m definitely doing something wrong. I must be.”

About all Bird could do was donate club highs of 11 rebounds, 8 assists and 3 steals while hoping that somebody--other than Kevin McHale, who has been Boston’s only sure shot the whole series--would pick up the slack. Nobody did. Ainge scored 15 but shot poorly. Johnson scored only 11. Center Robert Parish made two baskets. Boston’s hands-of-stone second-string went 5 of 15 from the floor. And four Celtic shots got blocked. Not much of an afternoon.

Detroit, on the other hand, felt right at home, making half its field goal attempts and riding the combined 52 points of starting guards Dumars and Isiah Thomas. The Pistons didn’t care a bit that center Bill Laimbeer didn’t hit one basket. They got off to a good start and had plenty of reinforcements, led by forward John Salley, who had 9 rebounds, and backup center James Edwards, who supplied 11 points and stopped Parish cold.

Dumars and Thomas came out firing, scoring 20 of Detroit’s first 24 points. No reason for that, they said. Just a coincidence.

For the Celtics, after the first quarter ended tied, 29-29, there came the big chill. They missed their first seven shots of the second period, Detroit seizing the opportunity for a 10-point lead. Rick Mahorn, aching back and all, got them there with a left-handed hook over McHale, and Adrian Dantley followed with a rebound layup in heavy traffic, plus a free throw after he was hacked.

At halftime it was 58-50, and for Boston it got no better. Dumars made the first six Detroit points of the second half, with two long jumpers and a drive off a steal. It took the Celtics four minutes to match the six points.

Only when Bird finally managed to drop two jumpers did Boston make one more run, cutting it to 70-64. Edwards promptly entered for Laimbeer and claimed the lane, making an off-balance 5-footer, a 13-foot jumper and a nice little post-up from 12. By the time Edwards ended the period with a little finger-roll, the Pistons were ahead, 84-71.

“Nothing James does surprises me,” said Dennis Johnson, who played with Edwards at Phoenix. “Also, when a guy goes from the cellar to a contending team, it’s like being reborn. He’s better than ever.”

Vinnie Johnson, who scored 8 of Detroit’s first 10 points in the final period, broke the game open, 90-74. Only a couple of three-pointers, by D.J. and Ainge, kept Boston alive. The four-point final margin was deceptive as could be, because the Celtics scored the game’s last six points, after their coach had cleared his bench.

“The Celtics aren’t done yet,” Daly said. “I know for sure that they’re going to be at their best Monday, because they want to steal one in our place. Then Bird can say, ‘You had your opportunity,’ just like he did to Atlanta.”

Dumars had a different view.

“I don’t know,” Dumars said. “We’re not in bad shape at all, but we could have swept this thing if we’d gotten a break in Game 2. All I know for sure is if they can’t beat us at the Silverdome, they can’t beat us at all.”

Playoff Notes

Thursday’s Detroit-Boston Game 2 drew the largest audience of any NBA game televised on cable. The 8.1 rating and 14 share for TBS meant the game was on in an estimated 3,639,000 homes. The previous high was a 7.6 rating and 12 share for last year’s Piston-Celtic Game 5. . . . Hot gossip: Free agent Moses Malone to be signed by the Chicago Bulls, if General Manager Jerry Krause can get his payroll under the salary cap. . . . Monday’s Game 4, a holiday matinee, starts at noon, Pacific time.