sentences:  Despite his controversial statement around the start of the next season, the Pistons were able to make it back to the 2008 NBA Playoffs as a second seed, in which they managed to defeat Philadelphia after rallying from a 2 games to 1 deficit and Orlando in the next round 4 games to 1, before reaching the Eastern Conference Finals again and ending up losing to the eventual champion Boston Celtics for the third year in a row.That would lead to the downfall of the team following the start of the 2008-09 NBA season, in which several players from their 2004 championship team either ended up departing or retiring.During a 2009 playoff series between the Boston Celtics and Chicago Bulls, many Bulls fans felt that the referees were favoring the Celtics.