Boston forward Kevin Garnett looks to pass around Detroit center Rasheed Wallace in Game One last night.

The Providence Journal / Kris Craig

BOSTON — Kevin Garnett displayed all of the hunger, the fire, the passion, the determination to win in Game Seven of the Eastern Conference semifinals. But because team captain Paul Pierce was having a career night — 41 points, 5 assists, 4 rebounds — Garnett deferred to Pierce and finished with a 2008 playoff-low 13 points with 13 rebounds.

Last night, in Game One of the Eastern Conference finals against Detroit, Garnett felt like it was his turn to carry Boston to a victory.

Mission accomplished.

Garnett had a monster game. He knocked down jumper after jumper, pulled down one rebound after another and played stellar defense, leading the Celtics to a 88-79 triumph by scoring 26 points and corralling 9 rebounds with 4 assists.

“We wanted to establish Kevin,” Boston captain Paul Pierce said. “We know the success he’s had against Detroit. We feel like Kevin has an advantage almost every night, especially on the one-on-one or on the block, on the wing, so we try to get him the ball and establish that.

“Once you start doing that, it makes my life easier and guys on the perimeter because his unselfishness, his aggressiveness, it opens up the lanes once he swings it.”

Detroit coach Flip Saunders said Garnett was the player of the game.

“He just got aggressive,” Saunders said of Garnett. “You know, he got in situations, pick-and-pop situations, knocking down the 17-footer. He played well. KG is one of those [players] that if he gets off to a good start and hits the first two or three jumpers, he can get it rolling.”

Detroit had no answer for Garnett.

“I’m just playing basketball man,” Garnett said. “I try not to think. I try to react and be aggressive, at the same time trying to make it easy for Paul, Ray [Allen], [Rajon] Rondo, and [Kendrick Perkins] to make plays out there, trying not to be so one dimensional.”

“Anytime he’s knocking down shots like that, he’s tough to stop,” Perkins said.

Garnett was a mission from the opening tip. He scored Boston’s first four points, and had eight of Boston’s 22 first-quarter points.

He didn’t stop there.

After Detroit took a 34-33 lead on two Rodney Stuckey free throws with 4:41 remaining in the first half, Garnett scored six of Boston’s next eight points to give Boston a 41-40 lead at halftime.

In addition, the 2008 Defensive Player of the Year got Detroit All-Star center Rasheed Wallace (11 points, 5 rebounds) in early foul trouble, forcing him to the bench.

“They are two talented players that have a lot of pride and they go at each other,” Boston center P.J. Brown said of Garnett and Wallace. “Both of them were trying to will their team to win and it is good competition. It’s good to see two guys like that at the top of their game playing great basketball.”

Saunders said: “I think he was extra excited to play against Rasheed. He gets pumped up to play him. He came out and, I thought, set the tone early.”

After a stellar first half where he scored 14 points, Garnett continued to shred Detroit’s defense in the third quarter in which he added another eight points to help Boston build a 69-57 lead.

Garnett was Boston’s first option on offense for much of the fourth quarter. When he wasn’t going to the basket, he was getting open looks for his teammates because he was drawing so much attention from Detroit’s defenders.

“He was very aggressive attacking the paint tonight,” Boston coach Doc Rivers said. “He was going in the paint more than going away from the paint. That was a point of emphasis not only for Kevin, but overall for our team is that we have to score in the paint.”

roblee@projo.com