Mary Schwalm / AP

Celtics star Paul Pierce says he believes Boston will be an underdog against the Pistons in the Eastern Conference finals.

“I try not to even put any emphasis on it,” Allen said. “I think you approach the situation (as) we’re going out here to win a game, regardless of where we are.”

Detroit also was solid on the road, going 25-16 in the regular season, with one of those wins in Boston. The Celtics were 35-6 at home.

“That’s a big plus for us that we have won there in a season that they won most of their home games,” Billups said. “We know we’re a great road team in anybody’s building and that’s to our advantage. Our whole mind-set is to go there and win Game 1.”

If they do, the Celtics would be in a big, early hole. The best they could get, then, would be a split before the series shifts to The Palace, where the Pistons were 34-7.

But that wasn’t on the Celtics’ minds Monday when they went through a light workout after Sunday’s draining game that wasn’t decided until the final minute.

On Monday, Pierce and his teammates awoke with a rare feeling for the franchise. They were in the conference finals for the first time in six years.

“When you’re waking up you notice that the sun’s been out. It’s been warm outside,” Pierce said. “It’s very rare that you’re playing in the Eastern Conference that you’re still playing when it’s 70 degrees, so you know you’ve gone pretty far in the playoffs and I think some guys wake up and say, ‘hey, we’re still playing,’ and they get excited about it.”

And the Pistons don’t expect to take comfort in the fact that the Celtics were pushed to the limit in both series.

“We’ve got to go in and play this team like they swept everybody,” guard Lindsey Hunter said. “They were the best team in the NBA. They didn’t accomplish that by chance. We’ll come in as though they’re fresh as we are.”

Besides, overcoming all the setbacks of a seven-game series should harden the Celtics for what’s ahead of them.

“We’ve learned a lot about each other. It’s good for us because as a team this is our first time together,” Allen said. “Our valleys that we’re going through, seven games, adversity on the road. All that stuff that people say is a reason why we won’t win, it’s a reason why we will win.”

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