NBA Finals 08

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Paul Pierce made a dramatic return after being injured in the third and the Celtics put away the Lakers 98-88 in the NBA Finals opener.

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BOSTON (AP) -- Big moments have defined the Lakers-Celtics blood feud, and in their first get together in 21 years, a kid from Los Angeles gave Boston one to remember.

Paul Pierce, who used to sneak into Lakers games as a youngster, came bounding out of the tunnel from the locker room after leaving with an injured knee and led the Celtics to a tense 98-88 victory over Los Angeles on Thursday night in Game 1 of these tradition-soaked finals.

Pierce's dramatic return after being carried from the court and then wheeled down a hallway for treatment will be added to the annals of Celtics-Lakers lore, taking a spot alongside Magic Johnson's baby sky hook and Kevin McHale's clothesline of Kurt Rambis.

Kevin Garnett scored 24 points, Pierce finished with 22 -- 11 after getting hurt -- and Ray Allen, the third member of Boston's Big Three, added 19 for the Celtics, who are chasing a 17th NBA championship. The trio was making its first finals appearance, and for a short time it appeared only two of them would finish their long-awaited debut.

In the third quarter, Pierce was deep in the lane when teammate Kendrick Perkins crashed into him from behind, crumpling Boston's No. 34 to the court. The 10-year veteran, who last summer thought his days with Boston might be nearing an end, had to be carried from the court in extreme pain and was taken to Boston's locker room in a wheelchair.

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"When I came down I thought I felt a pop, I thought I tore it," Pierce said.

The sight of Pierce leaving drew gasps from some Celtics fans and coach Doc Rivers' heart sunk.

"I thought the worst," Rivers said. "When they carried him off, I just though it was the knee."

However, everyone's worries were soothed just moments later when Pierce returned to Boston's bench and checked back in with 5:04 remaining. As Pierce jogged onto the court with a black elastic wrap on his knee, Garnett clinched a fist and screamed, "Yes!"

Soon, more than 18,000 others were screaming as Pierce made two 3-pointers in just 22 seconds to give the Celtics a 75-71 lead.

"When I got in the back I could put some weight on it," Pierce said. "I knew I needed to be out there for my team."

Kobe Bryant led the Lakers with 24 points, but the regular-season MVP was just 9-of-26 from the field as the league's top defensive team kept close tabs on him. Bryant had numerous shots rattle out and spent most of his 42 minutes in the game searching for a rhythm.

Derek Fisher and Pau Gasol had 15 points apiece and Lamar Odom added 14 for the Lakers, who had won the first two games of their previous three series this postseason. Los Angeles will try to even the series in Game 2 on Sunday night.

This is the 11th meeting in the finals between the Celtics and Lakers, and the first one since 1987 has been treated like the return of a lost friend by basketball fans aching for the days when Magic Johnson and Larry Bird went sneaker to sneaker.

Game 1 lived up to the hype as both teams challenged every shot, sprawling for loose balls and intensely defending their baskets. Bill Russell, Bob Cousy, Jerry West and the rest of the greats who made the rivalry special would have been proud.

With their crowd breaking into the familiar "Beat L.A." chants from the outset, the Celtics led 77-73 after three quarters and quickly pushed their lead to eight in the fourth following a 3-pointer by James Posey. Fisher and Sasha Vujacic scored to get the Lakers within 86-82, but Pierce countered with a jumper and made two free throws to put Boston up 90-82.

The Lakers again got within six, but Garnett, who missed nine shots in a row, followed up a miss with a ferocious dunk to crown Boston's win.

Unable to find his shooting touch in the first half, Bryant decided to focus on his defense. After 16-year veteran Sam Cassell came off Boston's bench and scored six quick points at the start of the second quarter, Lakers coach Phil Jackson switched Bryant onto the 38-year-old with the aching back and one of the few Celtics who knows his way around the finals.

Although their superstar wasn't doing his usual thing, the Lakers stayed close, and when Pierce had to sit down after picking up his third foul with 5:14 left, Los Angeles went on a 14-6 run -- Gasol and Odom scored four points apiece -- to open a 51-46 halftime lead.

Surprisingly, it was Fisher, not Bryant, who led Los Angeles with 13 points and Gasol had 12.

Despite their collective lack of finals experience, the Celtics didn't display any nervousness early. Strangely, it was Bryant who appeared to have some jitters, starting 1-for-7 from the field and not getting any clean looks at the basket.

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Allen's 3-pointer from the right wing gave the Celtics a 19-14 lead, but the Lakers got a basket from Jordan Farmar, a 3 by Vujacic and Bryan't second bucket to pull within 23-21 after one quarter.

As the clock ticked down toward tipoff, Celtics fans, some who weren't even alive the last time the NBA's two marquee franchises clashed, scooped up T-shirts and bought other finals souvenirs marking the fierce rivalry's rebirth.

On a section of Union Street, adjacent to historic Faneuil Hall and not far from statues of patriot Sameul Adams and hoops patriarch Red Auerbach, Bostonians young and old warmed up their voices with chants of "Let's Go Celtics" and lubricated their throats before walking en masse toward the new "Gah-den," which had never hosted an event of this magnitude.

Game notes
Jackson isn't a fan of the 9 p.m. tipoff. "I don't enjoy it at all," he said. "I think it takes guys out of their rhythm and out of their lifestyle. I know [the NBA] is trying to reach both audiences on the coasts, but there's another way to do that." ... Fueled by five players from outside the U.S. on the Lakers' roster, the series has drawn a record 280 international media members from 35 countries and territories. The finals are being televised to 205 countries. When the teams met in the 1987 finals, the games were televised to 28 countries. ... This is the Lakers' 29th finals appearance with the first six coming when the franchise was in Minneapolis. ... Among the celebrities in attendance were actor Bruce Willis and New England Patriots stars Randy Moss and Tedy Bruschi.

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Celtics hold off furious Lakers’ comeback with a 108-102 victory, Taking a 2-0 series lead heading back to the Staples Center

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BOSTON (AP)—Kobe Bryant couldn’t take it anymore, so he took it out on his teammates.

With Game 2, and perhaps Los Angeles’ season slipping away, the league’s MVP looked around the huddle and used some harsh words to fire up the Lakers.

They responded, dug deep and made a remarkable comeback that fell short. Now they have to make a bigger one.

Trailing Boston by 24 points with less than 8 minutes left, the Lakers got within two before losing 108-102 on Sunday night to the Boston Celtics, who are heading out West feeling a little lucky to have a 2-0 lead in the NBA finals.

Only three teams—Boston in 1969, Portland in 1977 and Miami in 2006—have overcome an 0-2 deficit to win the title. With the next three games on their home floor, where they haven’t lost since March 28, Bryant thinks the Lakers can become No. 4.

“We’ve come too far to really sweat being down 2-0,” said Bryant, who scored 13 of his 30 points in the fourth quarter. “We’re going to go home and handle our business.”

That’s what the Celtics did—barely.

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Paul Pierce darted around the parquet floor with ease to score 28 points and unknown Leon Powe added 21 as the Celtics held serve at home in these trip-down-memory-lane finals. But coasting to a blowout win, the Celtics nearly blew up.

“We’re happy because we won, but we definitely learned a lesson,” Pierce said.

The Lakers trailed 95-71 with 7:55 remaining but used a 31-9 run to pull to 104-102 on two free throws by Bryant with 38.4 seconds left. Pierce, though, made two free throws, then blocked a 3-pointer by Sasha Vujacic, and James Posey made two free throws with 12.6 seconds left to ice it for Boston, which improved to 12-1 at home in the postseason.

“We’ve got to play through the game for 48 minutes, and I didn’t think we did that,” Celtics coach Doc Rivers said. “I thought we got cute when we got the lead.”

The Lakers, who dropped 41 points on the league’s defensive team in the final 12 minutes, simply ran out of time.

During a timeout in the fourth quarter, Bryant, who has struggled against the Celtics all season, tore into the Lakers with a few well-chosen words that would have never gotten past the network TV censors.

So, what did he say?

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“Get our beep in gear,” he said, sounding as if he was dictating in Morse code. “Play beep harder, a bunch of other beeps. It’s beep, beep, beep, beep, beep. ‘Eddie Murphy Raw’ times 10.”

Beyond Bryant’s tirade, the Lakers were also peeved about a huge disparity at the free-throw line. Boston attempted 38 free throws to just 10 for Los Angeles.

Known to whistle at his players, Lakers coach Phil Jackson felt the tweeting sounds he heard out of the officials were too one-sided.

“I’ve never seen a game like that in all these years I’ve coached in the finals,” said Jackson, who is going for his 10th title in 11 finals appearances. “Unbelievable.”

Pierce wasn’t slowed by a sprained right knee suffered in the series opener, when he was carried from the court and plopped into a wheelchair. The Boston captain paced the Celtics, who are back in the finals for the first since 1987, when Larry Bird was the main man and gasoline cost 91 cents per gallon.

As usual, Boston’s Big Three—Pierce, Ray Allen (17 points) and Kevin Garnett (17)—were the ringleaders but Powe, a second-year reserve had the game of his career, adding his 21 points in 15 minutes that may make him a Celtics fan-favorite for life.

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Powe, who played a total of 68 seconds during one stretch of 13 games during the season, scored six points to close a 15-2 run ending the third quarter that gave the Celtics a 22-point lead. The quick burst had the Lakers California dreaming. At one point in the fourth quarter, Boston fans discarded the familiar chants of “Beat L.A.” for cries of “Le-on Powe!”

“He was terrific,” Celtics coach Doc Rivers said.

Rajon Rondo had a career-high 16 assists and Garnett added 14 rebounds for the Celtics, back in the finals for the first time since 1987.

Pau Gasol had 17 points and 10 rebounds for the Lakers, who were so far down in the fourth that many of their purple-and-gold clad fans who came to cheer them on, headed toward the exits and maybe to Logan Airport for the trip out West.

But Bryant brought them back—almost all the way.

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His 3-pointer made it 102-91 and then the self-proclaimed “Black Mamba” slithered down the lane for two quick baskets that got the Lakers within 104-95. The Celtics, meanwhile, began to stand around on offense, thinking the game was in hand.

It was anything but.

After Vujacic hit a 3-pointer, Vladimir Radmanovic made a steal and dunk to make it 104-100 and Celtics fans, who had been dancing moments earlier, began to panic. None of Boston’s players seemed to want the ball as it moved around like a hot potato before Rondo missed a jumper with 44 seconds left.

Bryant’s free throws brought Los Angeles to 104-102 before Pierce slashed down the lane and got fouled by Derek Fisher. As a few of his teammates locked arms on the bench like a college team trying to advance in March, Pierce knocked down both foul shots. Then, on defense, he got just enough of Vujacic’s shot from the left wing with 14 seconds left.

Posey was fouled on the play and calmly made his two free throws. The Lakers rushed the ball down but missed on a couple jumpers, and when the final horn sounded, a collective sigh of relief rushed through the exits as the Celtics and their fans left the building confident, if not shaken.

“We’re not settling on a 2-0 lead,” Garnett said. “We want to go out there and win two games in L.A.”

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Notes

This is the sixth time in the Lakers-Celtics rivalry that a team has taken a 2-0 lead. … Celtics G Sam Cassell sprained his right wrist in the second quarter and didn’t return. … The Lakers made seven 3-pointers in the fourth, tying a finals record. … Jackson, a renowned world traveler who often reviews trips to his destinations, was asked for an overview of his extended stay in Boston, where the weather this week ranged from chilly, October-like conditions to sweltering heat. “It’s very green,” Jackson deadpanned, drawing laughter at the reference to the Celtics’ primary colors. “Boston Commons, the Public Gardens. Very green.”

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West: Don’t count out Kobe and Lakers

LOS ANGELES (AP)—Don’t count out Kobe Bryant and the Los Angeles Lakers yet, Jerry West advises.

“Everyone wants to look at him, `Well, he’s not shooting very well.’ Boston is limiting his opportunities, has done a heck of a job on him,” the Hall of Famer said. “They’re making people shoot that they probably want to shoot. But this series is not over, by any stretch of the imagination.

“He provides everything for the Lakers. He provides the energy, the toughness, the heart and soul of this team. He’s carried the team this far. I wouldn’t be surprised to see him take it upon himself maybe to try to get the ball to the basket a little bit better.”

Although Bryant wasn’t able to help the Lakers pull out either of the first two games in Boston, he still averaged 31.4 points on 49.6 percent shooting.

As the finals shift to Los Angeles, West participated in a sort of welcoming ceremony for the Larry O’Brien championship trophy at the airport on Monday. With the Celtics up 2-0, the trophy may be in town for just a brief visit.

West, a member of the Lakers’ 1972 championship team, smiled at how times have changed.

After using the ground crew’s red sticks to help wave the Southwest “Dunk One” plane painted with basketballs and the NBA logo into its parking spot, West carried the trophy down the steps.

“I think this tells you how the NBA has grown, flying the trophy around. In it’s own seat, by the way,” he said.

He expects the Lakers to be quite a different team on their home court, where Game 3 will be Tuesday, Game 4 on Thursday and, if necessary, Game 5 on Sunday.

West said Boston is a very good team and “represents a unique matchup for the Lakers,” adding, “but the Lakers can play better.”

“They will be a much more aggressive, confident team (at home). But having said that, with the 2-3-2 format, I think it’s imperative that the Lakers find a way to win these three games,” he said. “If the Lakers play well, then all of a sudden, Boston has a problem.

“I think you’ll see a great deal more energy, and really a much more aggressive offensive game for the Lakers. They can’t just shoot jump shots all the time.”

He said Bryant will take care of his end of things and “You shouldn’t worry about Kobe Bryant. His effort is always there. That’s not the person. You should look at everyone else (on the Lakers) and what their effort and contribution is going to be.”

Talking about the glaring spotlight on players, teams and coaches in the finals these days, West said, “So this is a great time to play. But frankly, I don’t know if I were playing today I would want to deal with the press. Too much.”

CLOTHESLINE NOW COSTLY

When Boston’s Kevin McHale clotheslined Kurt Rambis of the Los Angeles Lakers to the floor in Game 4 of the 1984 NBA finals, he was back on the court the next game.

That wouldn’t be the case these days.

David Stern, who was only months into his term as commissioner at the time, said the league deals with plays like that differently today.

“I think there might have been some games lost by the player involved,” Stern said. “We have, over the years, made a determination that the sport is really quite beautiful and quite graceful and quite extraordinary, and that our players are capable of inflicting great harm on each other if we don’t regulate it.”

There are two categories for flagrant fouls, with the more severe leading to an automatic ejection. The plays are then reviewed by the league office to determine what other sanctions might be warranted.

McHale’s takedown of Rambis was shown plenty of times in the days leading up to these finals as a way to show how rough the game used to be, especially when the Celtics played the Lakers. Everyone involved recognizes it’s not that way anymore.

“As a kid watching games, I enjoyed that aspect of the game. I knew it was going to be a fight when the Celtics played the Lakers. I knew somebody was going to get their (butt) whipped,” Celtics guard Sam Cassell said. “You whip somebody’s (butt) now, it’s going to cost you a lot.”

Cassell remembers having to ice for hours after the game as a rookie when his Houston Rockets beat New York in the 1994 finals. He said it’s impossible to get away with the rough tactics teams like those Knicks used.

“Them days are over with,” he said. “We have all these cameras in here … we got a floating camera nowadays picks up everything. We got microphones under the backboard hears everything, so the league office sees and hears everything that goes on in this court.”

NOTING 2-0

James Posey has seen a 2-0 lead evaporate in the NBA finals, so he knows the Celtics can’t relax after winning the first two games.

Posey was on the Miami team that dropped two games in Dallas to open the 2006 finals, then stormed back behind Dwyane Wade to win four straight. So even though Boston seems in control against Los Angeles, the reserve forward knows how quickly things can change.

“Never get too comfortable, and at the same time you have to realize the things we didn’t do well and the things we did do well,” Posey said. “Once we have practice, we have to come up with another game plan so we can go out and execute and try to get a win on the road.”

Only three times in 29 chances have teams falling behind 2-0 in the finals come back to win, with the Heat the last to do it. Boston pulled it off against the Lakers in 1969, and Portland rallied to beat Philadelphia in 1977.

The Lakers still believe they can be the next one.

“We just have to go home and protect our home court,” reserve guard Sasha Vujacic said. “That’s all they did is protect their home court, so it’s going to be a different story in L.A.”

DON’T PASS IT UP

Rajon Rondo had one of the best passing games in Celtics’ history in Game 2, when he handed out 16 assists.

Maybe he gave the ball up a little too much.

Boston coach Doc Rivers said Rondo passed up open shots down the stretch, something he planned to discuss with his second-year point guard.

“If he doesn’t shoot the jumper, we just want him to make quick plays, quick decisions,” Rivers said. “I thought down the stretch, it wasn’t just Rondo, I thought overall we all did that. We’ll watch film and show Rondo where his spots, where his shots are.

“We’ve got to convince him that it’s all right to miss a shot and then take another one, and then take another one. If they’re going to leave you open, you’ve got to keep shooting it or making plays. I thought for three quarters he made plays. I thought in the fourth quarter he just looked more to get the ball out.”

Rondo took only four shots, two in the final quarter, and finished with four points in 42 minutes. His jumper is considered the weakness in his game, and teams often leave him open to shoot while double-teaming Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce or Ray Allen.

Rondo got his stars the ball plenty Sunday. Only Bob Cousy, who twice had 19, and Dennis Johnson, with 17, had more assists by a Boston player in a finals game.

“That’s what I take pride in, getting guys the ball,” Rondo said. “Like I said, tonight they made shots, I just got them the ball.”

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Pierce, headed home, has a chance to knock out Lakers

BOSTON (AP)—Paul Pierce leaned into the camera with a mock scowl and a message for the friends he grew up with: “I know you all go to the games. But if I see any of you with a Lakers jersey on, I’ll know who my real friends are.”

The Boston swingman is bringing the Celtics back to his hometown to play the Lakers, and they’re taking along a 2-0 lead in the best-of-seven NBA finals. For the L.A. native who used to sneak into the Forum to watch the Lakers as a kid, it’s a chance to show the people who knew him back when that he’s all grown up now.

“This means everything. It’s a dream,” Pierce said Sunday night after scoring 28 points to lead Boston to a 108-102 victory over the Lakers in Game 2. “It’s a dream for me to go home and play in a place where I grew up, against a team I grew up with, with the Boston Celtics, with the opportunity to win an NBA championship. Couldn’t have scripted it any better.”

Despite a knee injury that might or might not have required the help of three people to carry him from the floor in Game 1, Pierce returned to hit back-to-back 3 pointers in the series opener to give the Celtics the lead for good and propel them to victory.

In Game 2 on Sunday night, he led Boston in scoring and hit a pair of crucial free throws with 23 seconds left after the Lakers cut a 24-point deficit to 104-102. Then, with L.A. down four, Pierce blocked Sasha Vujacic’s 3-point attempt to protect the lead.

Thanks to the 2-3-2 format in the finals—the earlier rounds feature two home games for each team before alternating home courts for Games 5-7—the Lakers can take the lead in the series on their home court. The Celtics steamrolled through the regular season but they’re just 2-7 on the road in the playoffs this year.

But L.A. isn’t exactly away for Pierce.

In visits back home with the Celtics, Pierce averages almost 28 points and seven rebounds per game against the Lakers, including a 33-point game at the Staples Center in Boston’s 110-91 victory in its only visit there this season. (He also averages 25.5 points and eight rebounds against the Clippers in L.A.)

“Paul has home cooking in L.A.,” Celtics coach Doc Rivers said. “That’s not all bad.”

As a kid growing up in Inglewood, Pierce would sneak into the Forum where the Lakers used to play to see his heroes, such as Magic Johnson, go head-to-head with the Celtics in some of the NBA’s classic confrontations. After starring in high school and at Kansas, he slid to a disappointing 10th in the draft before he was picked by, of all teams, the Celtics.

“I thought, ‘Damn, not the Celtics!”’ he said. “Then I thought, ‘Damn, not Rick Pitino.”’

Pierce survived Pitino’s notoriously difficult practices and developed into a star with the Celtics, but he and Antoine Walker developed a reputation as hardheaded and difficult to coach. Pierce didn’t help matters when he clashed with U.S. team coach George Karl at the 2002 world championships.

The Celtics had enough of Walker by the end of the 2002-03 season, when new general manager Danny Ainge decided to clean house. He traded Walker and considered doing the same with Pierce, but decided to keep him at the center of the roster instead of rebuilding around the Celtics’ new, young players.

“Luckily, we all said we still have time with Paul,” owner Wyc Grousbeck said. “I want Paul here his entire career, and I want to retire his jersey when he’s done. It comes from me growing up in Boston and seeing Carl Yastrzemski.”

It also comes from seeing Pierce.

Grousbeck was sitting courtside in 2002 when the Suns’ Amare Stoudamire hammered Pierce as he drove to the basket and broke two of his teeth. The pieces of the teeth slid across the floor and came to rest at the owner’s feet.

“I can’t get that out of my head. We’re looking at these two bloody teeth,” Grousbeck said. “I said, ‘There’s a competitor there. There’s a Celtic.’ That’s all I needed to see. Then I watched him another 150 games and I saw the same thing.

“There were never any doubts. We just needed to get him some help.”

Pierce finally got his help this year.

After reaching the conference finals in 2002 and advancing out of the first round the following season, Pierce went four years without winning a playoff series as Ainge tore the team apart in a run at the draft lottery. Meanwhile, Pierce languished as the only star on a young team that was going nowhere.

He clashed with Rivers, who wanted him to move the ball around the offense instead of holding it while the shot clock ran down and trying to outplay his defender one-on-one. Rivers understood that it was difficult for Pierce to trust his young, inconsistent teammates, but he kept pushing and Pierce pushed back.

“Me and Doc definitely bumped heads from the beginning. That’s what makes it so special,” Pierce said. “Right now, I love the guy. But I didn’t think it was going to work between me and him.”

Although Pierce has shown signs of maturity this year—laughing off bad calls that would have set him off in previous seasons—it doesn’t hurt that he has teammates he can rely upon. Things didn’t work out with the pingpong balls, but the offseason moves that brought in Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen have the Celtics in position to win their 17th NBA title—and first since 1986.

“It was so easy to stay where he was, because he was getting good numbers,” said Rivers, who compared Pierce’s overhaul to Tiger Woods revamping his swing even though he was already the best player in golf. “But he wasn’t really efficient. So many stars wouldn’t do that. I was asking him to change a whole bunch of what he does—on a bad team.”

Pierce eventually came around, and that’s one reason why he’s headed back to Los Angeles with a chance at his first NBA title.

It’s where he spent his childhood.

But he grew up in Boston.

“He was the guy that gave in, and realized he was the better for it,” Rivers said. “He’s matured.”

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L.A.'s stars (those above and courtside) were aligned Tuesday night. But it was a little shooter from Slovenia who stole the show in Game 3, as Sasha Vujacic (20 points) came up big down the stretch in support of Kobe (36) as the Lakers held off the Celtics 87-81.

Here are the highlights from game 3 of the finals:
http://sports.espn.go.com/broadband/video/videopage?videoId=3436775&categoryId=2459788

LOS ANGELES (AP) -- On his floor and on his game, Kobe Bryant revived the Los Angeles Lakers -- and the NBA finals.

With his team one loss from having to make an impossible climb, Bryant was close to MVP form, scoring 36 points on an assortment of spins, drives and jumpers and reserve Sasha Vujacic added 20 points as the Lakers beat the Boston Celtics 87-81 in Game 3 on Tuesday night.

A change of time zones, jerseys and attitude did wonders for the Lakers, who staggered home from Boston in an 0-2 hole and couldn't afford to fall any further behind in the first best-of-seven matchup between the league's marquee teams since 1987.

No team in NBA playoff history has ever overcome an 0-3 deficit.

Bryant made sure the Lakers won't have to.

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And this time, the superstar got some help.

Vujacic, the self-proclaimed "Machine," made three 3-pointers, including a crucial one from the left corner with 1:53 left that gave the Lakers an 81-76 lead. Pau Gasol finally flexed his muscles with two inside baskets in the fourth quarter and Derek Fisher, who took an $8 million pay cut to come back and play for the Lakers, made two free throws with 1:33 remaining as the Lakers held on.

"We just wanted to play," said Bryant, whose only flaw was an 11-of-18 night from the foul line. "I don't think anyone was feeling desperate."

Game 4 is Thursday night at the Staples Center, where the Lakers are 9-0 in the playoffs and unbeaten in 15 games since March 28.

But it took everything they had to keep that streak alive as the Celtics, two wins from their 17th NBA title, made the Lakers play a more physical, Eastern Conference-style game.

Ray Allen scored 25 points -- 15 on 3-pointers -- for the Celtics, but only one-third of Boston's Big Three showed up.

Kevin Garnett scored 13 points on just 6-of-21 shooting and Paul Pierce, playing a short drive from his childhood home, had only six points, missed 12 shots and was in foul trouble all night.

After Garnett's dunk brought the Celtics within 83-78 with 1:28 to go, Bryant made sure that it was he who took L.A.'s next shot. He drove on Allen to get some space, pulled up and drilled the kind of jumper he has practiced tens of thousands of times.

Eddie House, who gave Boston big minutes when Rajon Rondo went out with an injury, countered with a 3-pointer, and suddenly the Lakers' glitzy crowd, which included Jack Nicholson in his familiar courtside seat, grew uneasy.

But Bryant calmed their twitching nerves quickly.

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On the Lakers' next possession, Bryant backed down in the lane and dropped in a short jumper to make it 87-81.

House missed for Boston, both teams committed silly offensive fouls in the closing seconds, and when the final horn sounded, the Lakers could finally relax.

Los Angeles is trying to become the fourth team to come back from an 0-2 deficit, and with two more games at home, they've got a chance to turn this renewed rivalry around.

This game won't be remembered as one of the better ones in the storied Lakers-Celtics rivalry, but it did have a few moments of the physical nastiness that defined their matchups during the 1980s.

With the Lakers down by two and running out of time in the fourth, Bryant took a pass from Luke Walton at the top of the key. Knowing he was about to try a shot that could have lasting importance, Bryant gathered himself, measured the rim and let fly with a 3-pointer that gave Los Angeles a 69-68 lead with 6:55 left.

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Fisher made two free throws and Bryant, who had missed seven from the line, knocked down two more foul shots as the Lakers went up 73-68.

Pierce grew up in Inglewood, Calif., where he learned to play in the shadow of the Fabulous Forum, the Lakers' former home where Magic Johnson, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and "Showtime" had an extended run of championship seasons.

But Pierce's finals homecoming was homely.

The Celtics' star forward, who came in averaging 25 points in the series, went just 2-for-14 and missed all four 3-pointers.

Despite his struggles, the Celtics were only down by six in the first minute of the third quarter when Rondo went down with a sprained left ankle. As he laid on the floor, his teammates rushed over to check on Rondo, who limped off the court without aid -- or a wheelchair -- like Pierce needed after hurting his knee in the opener.

House, who hadn't played in a minute in the series, replaced Rondo and drilled a 3-pointer and Garnett scored underneath before finally making a jumper as Boston took a 51-49 lead. Moments later, Allen stuck a 3-pointer that sent Boston's bench bounding onto the floor when the Lakers had to call a timeout.

The Lakers didn't have to endure the deafening chants of "Beat L.A." Instead, they warmed up to Randy Newman's "I Love L.A" and Los Angeles fans screamed "Boston (Stinks)" every chance they could.

Unlike Game 2, when so much of the pregame attention was on Pierce's sprained knee, the chatter before tipoff included uneasy discussions about past officiating.

The league was again having to deal with allegations made by former referee Tim Donaghy, who claims in court do***ents that NBA referees rigged the 2002 playoff series between the Lakers and Sacramento Kings.

Commissioner David Stern reiterated the league's stance that Donaghy acted alone and feels his lawyers were using Game 3's platform to help their client.

After Game 2, coach Phil Jackson, Bryant and a few other Lakers had made pointed and sarcastic comments about the lopsided whistles. But if they were worried about there being any favoritism toward Boston, they were mistaken as the Lakers attempted 14 free throws -- four more than in all of Game 2 -- in the first quarter.

Los Angeles took 34 free throws to Boston's 22.

With Vujacic and Bryant doing most of the damage, Los Angeles built an 11-point lead in the second quarter and the West's best moved the ball better on the offensive end than they did in either game in Boston. The Lakers were up by 10, and everything was going according to plan when Bryant got slapped with a technical for complaining about a non-call with 2:18 left.

The Celtics then closed the half with a short burst, capped by Allen's 3-pointer and were within 43-37 at the break despite getting just 2 points apiece from Garnett and Pierce, who shot a combined 2-for-16. Garnett's only basket came on an alley-oop dunk.

Game notes
Informed that Red Sox pitcher Curt Schilling, who sat courtside and within a few feet of the Lakers bench in Game 2, blogged about Bryant criticizing his teammates, Jackson said he wished fans were further back. "I've been against that for as long as I've been coaching," he said. "Those people don't belong there, somebody is going to get hurt. But that becomes part of what the NBA is about, being close to the action and close to the scene. We have to suffer the consequences because of it." ... American Idol winner David Cook sang the national anthem

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Rondo skips practice with ankle injury

LOS ANGELES (AP)—Rajon Rondo side-shuffled down the floor during the Boston Celtics’ off-day stretching drills Wednesday, lagging behind the teammates he usually sprints right past.

When the time came to jump, Rondo stood in place, unable to participate because of the ankle injury that left him on the bench for most of the second half during Game 3 of the NBA finals.

The speedy point guard said he has no intention of missing Game 4 against the Los Angeles Lakers on Thursday night, but he left open the possibility that he wouldn’t be effective enough to help his team.

“Nobody in this league is 100 percent, but I’m sure I’ll play,” he said during the media availability period before practice at Staples Center. “There’s no way I’m going to miss the game, probably. I don’t want to hurt the team and go out there and not give it my all, but I think I’m sure I’ll be playing tomorrow night.”

Wearing a hard plastic brace on his left ankle—and, when talking to reporters, no shoes—Rondo described the injury as a bone bruise. He felt less pain after treatment with ice and a night of rest, and he expects to feel even better with another 24 hours to heal.

“I can walk on it,” Rondo said, adding that he wouldn’t be able to wear that brace during the game. “I made a walk around the hotel and I was limping a little bit, but the farther I walked the better it got.”

On Wednesday, Rondo was on the floor for the stretching drills, but he took part in about half of them and appeared to be going at about half-speed. The rest of practice was closed to the media, and the Celtics were not planning a shootaround on Thursday morning.

“He’s very important to this team. He’s a big reason why we win,” forward Kevin Garnett said. “He’s the anchor of our defense. He’s totally matured over the course of the year.”

Rondo rolled his ankle early in the third quarter on Tuesday night, when the Lakers won 87-81 to trim their deficit in the best-of-seven series to 2-1. He returned in the fourth quarter for 3 1/2 minutes and made a basket to give him eight points in the game.

“It felt pretty good, but I was just running off adrenaline,” he said. “After the game it swelled up a little bit, it got a little tight. But other than that, like I said, it’s just time. It’s going to be all right.”

In Game 3, the Celtics made up for Rondo’s absence with backups Eddie House and Sam Cassell. Coach Doc Rivers said he would also consider using Tony Allen at point guard because of his success covering Kobe Bryant during the regular season.

“It’s the finals. I don’t want to hold anything back,” Rondo said. “If I’m going out there at 50 percent, I don’t want to hurt the team. Eddie and Sam do a great job of running the team, so I’ll let them have it.”

All of the possibilities offer something.

Cassell is a fearless shooter who has won championships before. House had the long-range shooting touch that would keep the Lakers from double-teaming Garnett in the lane. Allen is a tough defender.

“Everybody brings something different to the table,” Garnett said. “We shouldn’t miss a beat.”

But none of them have Rondo’s speed.

“And he’s the one pure point guard on our team that has the ability to make plays, and that’s what we would lose,” Rivers said. “I’m concerned because if Rondo can play but he doesn’t have speed, then that’s a concern.”

If he can’t play, Rivers said, he’ll find some other combination.

“I don’t worry about guys (being) out; I just don’t. That’s why we play them all,” he said. “If a guy is out, somebody else has to step up and play. That’s what we’ve done all year.

“Having said that, Rondo’s value is extremely important to the team. We understand that. He gives us speed; he gives us great point guard play. He has the ability to pressure the ball. But if he can play, it’s going to be great. But if he can’t, we’re not going to use that as a crutch, I can tell you that.”

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Lakers and Celtics looking to play better in game 4

LOS ANGELES (AP)—Maybe the NBA finals should book an appointment with one of Southern California’s finest plastic surgeons.

After a shabby, sluggish Game 3, featuring enough air balls and air-headed plays for seven games, the Boston Celtics and Los Angeles Lakers could use a few nips, tucks and lifts. Another good night’s sleep or afternoon nap might help, too.

“It wasn’t the prettiest game,” said Celtics center Kevin Garnett, who missed two dunks and seems to have left his shooting touch back in May.

For two franchises that have combined for 30 titles won by a Who’s Who of Hall of Fame hoopsters, it was indeed a night to forget.

But playing in front of Jack, Denzel, Hef and the rest of their celebrity-laden crowd in Staples Center, where they’re 9-0 in the postseason and perfect over the past two months, the Lakers, despite missing 13 free throws, pulled within 2-1 in the reborn rivalry series with an 87-81 victory Tuesday night.

Boston, for its many warts, which included a 35 percent shooting performance, still had a chance win.

As the teams practiced for Thursday night’s Game 4, several players blamed the six-hour flight from Boston to Los Angeles for the sloppiness.

“I think most of the players out there struggled physically,” Lakers center Pau Gasol said. “You could tell the travel and Game 2 and 3 being so tight together, going across the country pretty much is an overseas trip. It was like going back to Spain. I think that was a factor.”

Celtics coach Doc Rivers, too, noticed players may have been feeling the affects of jet lag and fighting fatigue.

“This was the first game that I had four or five different players during the game signal to pull them out,” he said. “I had to blow a timeout, one that I didn’t want to use late. I thought it was a very tough turnaround and I think rest is very important.”

One guy seems refreshed. Kobe Bryant soared as usual.

The Lakers’ superstar scored 36 points, and showing why he’s the league’s MVP, did what he had to do to get his team back into the finals. Bryant went 12-of-20 from the floor, dropping jumpers, hanging in the air to sink floaters and drawing double teams to set up his teammates.

However, only one of them—Sasha Vujacic—matched Bryant’s production. The 24-year-old came off the bench and scored a career-high 20 points, but “The Machine,” as he dubbed himself, was the only Lakers player besides Bryant to rise to the occasion in the must-est of must-win games.

Los Angeles’ other four starters—Gasol, Vladimir Radmanovic, Lamar Odom and Derek Fisher—combined for 22 points on 7-of-28 shooting. For the second straight game, Odom was plagued foul trouble, which forced Lakers coach Phil Jackson to distribute the forward’s minutes to others.

“I have to stay aggressive,” Odom said, “but it’s hard to when you’re not out on the floor.”

The Celtics have their own problems, like getting Garnett going and hoping that Paul Pierce, who had a horrid homecoming in Game 3, doesn’t choke under the pressure of playing in front of folks from his neighborhood in nearby Inglewood.

There’s also the playing status of point guard Rajon Rondo, who injured his left ankle early in the second half of Game 3 and was kept out of practice on Wednesday.

Rivers said if the speedy Rondo is slowed by the injury that backups Eddie House and Sam Cassell would see more time. Rivers also may use Tony Allen, who hasn’t played in the series but did a solid job of guarding Bryant during Boston’s two wins over Los Angeles during the regular season.

Cassell is one of the few Celtics with championship experience. He won two championship rings with the Houston Rockets and has been trying to tell his teammates to relax and not be overwhelmed by the enormity of the finals.

“It’s the same game, it’s just a bigger stage,” Cassell said. “You’re not at your high school auditorium any more. This is Carnegie Hall.”

And so far in the series, Garnett hasn’t appeared ready for it.

The Celtics’ inspirational leader has displayed his usual intensity and has been his customary force on the boards. But he’s just 22-of-62 (36 percent) and missed 15 shots in Game 2. Without Garnett as an offensive threat, the Celtics have to count on Pierce and Ray Allen to carry the scoring load.

“We’ve got to get Kevin going, clearly,” Rivers said. “He’s shooting below 40 in the series, and that’s something he doesn’t do. Paul, I honestly never worry about a lot offensively. He’s a great offensive player. He had a tough night, and he’ll get it going.”

Pierce admitted feeling nerves in his return to L.A., and his stats line: 2-for-14 from the field, 0-for-4 on 3-pointers, six points in 32 minutes, reflected it. He said he wasn’t bothered by the sprain knee he suffered in Game 1, but the strain of being home may have been too much.

“I was probably a little more anxious than normal being that I’m at home in front of more family and more friends,” he said. “I’ve got to block that out and go out there and leave it on the court. I’ve done it in the past, I’ve been out there and played and played well, and it’s time for me to do it again.”

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Red Sox pitcher Curt Schilling blogged about overhearing Kobe Bryant cursing at his teammates. Bryant's response? Go Yankees!

LOS ANGELES (AP)—Curt Schilling called out Kobe Bryant on the Boston Red Sox ace’s blog for yelling at his Los Angeles Lakers’ teammates in their Game 2 loss.

Schilling sat courtside in Boston wearing a Larry Bird jersey and flashing his World Series championship ring for TV cameras. He was within earshot of the Lakers’ bench and made some observations on Bryant.

“He’d yell at someone, make a point, or send a message, turn and walk away, and more than once the person on the other end would roll eyes or give a ‘whatever dude’ look,” Schilling wrote on his web site www.38pitches.com.

Asked if he was disappointed in Schilling’s comments, Bryant responded, “Go Yankees!” and pumped his fist, drawing laughter from reporters Wednesday.

Schilling wrote that Bryant came to the bench angry at every timeout and “yelled about something they weren’t doing, or something they did wrong. No dialogue about `hey, let’s go’ or whatever.” Schilling said Bryant’s comments were peppered with expletives.

Bryant was unapologetic.

“After the time of all those bleeps, we almost pulled off one of the greatest comebacks in history,” he said. “It seemed to motivate them pretty well.”

The Lakers rallied from 24 points down in the fourth quarter to get within two before losing 108-102. They won Game 3 Tuesday night and trail the series 2-1.

Bryant said he doesn’t worry that he’s too hard on his teammates.

“They’re used to it, and we all have thick skin around here,” he said. “We’re brutally honest with each other. We all love it.”

CALLER ID: Occasionally, Luke Walton picks up his phone and gets an earful.

“This is Paul Pierce,” the caller says. “You’re a bum, and all your teammates are bums.”

Only it isn’t actually Pierce—or Carlos Boozer or Carmelo Anthony. Instead, it’s just an attempt by Walton’s Hall of Fame father to motivate his son in the NBA finals.

“He wouldn’t even change his voice,” Luke Walton said.

Everyone in the NBA wants to win a title, but Walton has an added motivation: He won’t have to hear from his dad about their disparity in championships any more.

Or not as much, at least.

“It would be a lot easier to have dinner with him,” said the younger Walton, who played at Arizona. “He already talks trash about me not winning an NCAA championship.”

Bill Walton went to UCLA and won two championships, then added to his haul in the NBA when he won three more. He gave the championship rings to his parents, and Luke remembers seeing the baubles when he’d visit his grandparents.

So, if Luke wins one, would he give the ring to his dad?

“I don’t think a Lakers ring is safe in that house,” he said. “It might get mistakenly thrown out.”

STUDENT OF THE GAME: Kevin Garnett’s preparation begins long before he steps on the court.

The Boston Celtics star watches film of previous games once, sometimes twice. He looks for the defensive scheme being used against him and then tries to adjust accordingly in the next game.

It didn’t work so well in Game 3. He was limited to 13 points on 6-for-21 shooting in the Celtics’ 87-81 loss.

“I guess the consistency is the big question mark here,” he said. “Just being consistent with attacking, never letting Pau (Gasol) or whoever is in front of me off the hook. Got to be more consistent with that.”

Garnett is often seen yapping on the court and he says half of his comments are directed at teammates and half at himself.

“I’ve always said I’m my biggest critic, and Doc (Rivers) and people can tell me stuff, but it’s up to me,” he said.

Lakers coach Phil Jackson knows Garnett, along with Paul Pierce and Ray Allen, will play better.

“If two of the three have good games, we have to keep one of those guys at a sub-par game if we’re going to have a chance to win,” he said.

BLAST FROM THE PAST: Doc Rivers reached into the past when he took over Boston’s storied franchise, inviting former Celtics to attend practice.

Sometimes, he didn’t know who they were.

“I actually met some Celtics that I didn’t know were Celtics, some of the newer guys that played one year,” he said, laughing. “I’m very protective about our locker room. I asked, `What the hell is he doing in the locker room?”’

And Rivers was told, “He used to be a Celtic.”

Rivers’ personal favorite is John Havlicek.

“He doesn’t say a lot, he just comes around and he’s him,” Rivers said. “I think that’s enough.”

The late Red Auerbach, who coached the Celtics to a record nine NBA titles, gave Rivers the best advice he’s heard.

“Be you,” Rivers recalled. “Don’t ever be concerned what anybody wants you to be as a coach or as a person.”

Auerbach offered two bits of basketball advice: “Be the agitators, don’t be the retaliators” and “Get the ball, don’t give up the ball.”

“I use both of those a lot with our players,” Rivers said.

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The Celtics are suddenly one win from claiming the NBA championship. Down 24 in the first half and 18 at halftime, Boston found a way past the Lakers 97-91 in Game 4. After one of the most unlikely victories in NBA Finals history, the C's can win the title in L.A. on Sunday.

Checkout The historic highlights of game 4:
http://sports.espn.go.com/broadband/video/videopage?videoId=3440983&categoryId=2378529

Paul Pierce after the game:
http://sports.espn.go.com/broadband/video/videopage?videoId=3440992&categoryId=2378529&n8pe6c=1

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LOS ANGELES (AP) -- In their comeback season, the Celtics saved the biggest one of all for the NBA finals.

Boston rallied from a 24-point deficit and beat the Los Angeles Lakers 97-91 on Thursday night to take a commanding 3-1 lead in this history-rich series and move within one victory of a 17th championship that seemed impossible a year ago.

A rivalry between the league's two most storied franchises -- with some of the game's biggest names and biggest moments -- now has its biggest rally.No team had ever overcome more than a 15-point deficit after the first quarter, and Elias Sports Bureau said it was the biggest comeback in the finals since 1971. One thing's for sure, it will forever be remembered in the annals of Celtics-Lakers lore.

When the final horn sounded, Paul Pierce, an L.A. kid playing in front of family and friends, doubled over in exhaustion and exuberance. The Celtics, the team he stuck with through 10 years, including a 24-win season in 2006-07, had done the impossible.

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"We sucked it up," Pierce said. "We said we weren't going to back down.

"At the end of the third quarter I looked up at the scoreboard and told the fellas, 'We just have to go out there and compete and let the chips fall where they may."

Pierce scored 20 points, Kevin Garnett had 16 points and 11 rebounds and Ray Allen had 19 points as Boston's Big Three, thrown together last summer by general manager Danny Ainge to revive a franchise accustomed to hanging banners from the rafters, put the Lakers on the brink of a summer vacation.

It took an epic comeback to do it, and now the Celtics can reclaim their place atop pro basketball with a win in Game 5 on Sunday night in Los Angeles.

No team has ever recovered from a 3-1 deficit in the finals.

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"It can always happen. We aren't counting on that statistic," Pierce said. "We want to take care of this on Father's Day."

Kobe Bryant scored 19 points on 6-of-19 shooting but the league's MVP couldn't rescue the Lakers when they needed him most. Lamar Odom had 19 points -- 15 in the first half -- and Pau Gasol, whose addition in a midseason trade was supposed to give the Lakers their final piece to complement Bryant, had 17 points and 10 rebounds.

Trailing by 18 points at halftime and seemingly done when they fell behind by 20 with 6:04 left in the third quarter, the Celtics outscored the Lakers 31-15 in the third quarter to pull within 73-71 going into the fourth.

The remarkable rally was reminiscent of what Los Angeles did in Game 2, when the Lakers trimmed a 24-point deficit to two in the fourth quarter before the Celtics regrouped to open a 2-0 lead. But Boston had another 12 minutes to finish off theirs, and the green-and-white did.

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Boston's comeback included a 21-3 run over the final five minutes, fueled by two 3-pointers from Eddie House, who was getting more playing time because of Rajon Rondo's tender left ankle. The Celtics were still down by double digits with 2 minutes left in the third but closed the quarter with a 10-1 run, capped by P.J. Brown's dunk -- a slam that could be felt all the way back to Boston's North End.

The Celtics finally caught the Lakers at 73-all on Leon Powe's jumper in the lane with 9:05 remaining, tying the score for the first time since it was 2-2 in the first minute.

At that point, the Lakers looked lost, confused, you name it. And when House hit an 18-foot jumper with 4:07 remaining, the Celtics had their first lead, 84-83. Boston's bench erupted, Lakers fans gasped and it was just a matter of time before they were heading out of Staples Center wondering what went wrong.

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Bryant, who except for a 36-point performance in Game 3 has been an ordinary superstar in his try for a fourth championship ring, tried to rally the Lakers and got them within 89-87 with one of his patented twisting layups. But James Posey drilled a 3-pointer for Boston to make it 92-87 with 1:13 left. Derek Fisher's long jumper got the Lakers within three.

But Pierce was fouled and made two free throws, forcing Los Angeles coach Phil Jackson to call a timeout with 47 seconds to go. As the Lakers headed toward their bench, Pierce pumped his fists, flexed his muscles and let out a yell.

Surrounded by Hollywood stars on their own back lot sound stage, the Lakers were seeking their 10th straight win at home in the postseason and were about to drop the "if necessary" tag from Game 6. Now, they have to hope they can force the series back to Boston.

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For the third time in this series, commissioner David Stern met with the media before the game. It was an unusual step for the league's long-tenured leader, who went on the offensive to defend the integrity of NBA officials under fire in the Tim Donaghy scandal.

Maybe the next investigation should focus on what happened to the Celtics in the first quarter.

L.A's crowd, notorious for arriving late, leaving early and spending more time text messaging and talking on cell phones than clapping, was much more involved than in Game 3. They roared when Lakers Hall of Fame center Kareem Abdul-Jabbar presented the game ball to officials and were on their feet when Los Angeles blasted to a 16-6 lead.

By then, Odom had scored eight points, doubling his total from Game 3 and the enigmatic forward finished the first quarter having made all six field goal attempts and scoring 13 points. Moments later, Garnett went out with his second personal, and with the NBA's best defender on the bench, the Lakers ran wild.

Odom made consecutive jumpers from the top of the key to put Los Angeles ahead 26-7. The Lakers eventually pushed their lead to 45-21 when Sasha Vujacic, whose 20 points sparked his team in Game 3, nailed a 3-pointer and it was the Boston Massacre, West Coast style.

But the Celtics wouldn't quit.

"Once we got the lead, obviously, we were thrilled to death," Celtics coach Doc Rivers said. "As far as we were down, nothing was going right for us, and we just hung in there."

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Game notes
Some of Hollywood's brightest stars glimmered, including the usuals: Jack Nicholson, Denzel Washington and Dyan Cannon. They were joined by former NFL star Jerry Rice, actress Jennifer Garner with husband Ben Affleck, singer Justin Timberlake, Flea of the Red Hot Chili Peppers and Arizona quarterback Matt Leinart. ... The Celtics and Lakers finished with the best records in their respective conferences. It's the first time teams with the top marks have met in the finals since Indiana and Los Angeles in 2000. The last team to have the league's top record and win the title was San Antonio in 2003. ... Two hours before tipoff, two seats in the lower bowl were going for $3,500 apiece through an on-line ticket brokerage.

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L.A. Scripts New Ending
Lakers lead early. Celtics rally to lead late. Boston rejoices. Familiar plot, right? Only, L.A. stayed alive Sunday by altering the finish in a 103-98 win that forces Game 6 Tuesday in Boston.

Game 5 Highlights:
http://sports.espn.go.com/broadband/video/videopage?videoId=3445814&categoryId=2459788

LOS ANGELES (AP)—Pack up the championship trophy and book a flight back to Boston, the NBA finals aren’t over yet.

The Los Angeles Lakers are headed East to try a historic comeback of their own.

Kobe Bryant scored 25 points, including a decisive dunk in the final minute — and Lamar Odom added 20 as the Lakers, playing with pride on their star-studded stage, prevented the Celtics from winning a 17th title with a 103-98 win in Game 5 on Sunday night to close to 3-2 in this restored rivalry.

“We didn’t want to see any champagne popping,” Odom said. “It wasn’t easy. I wouldn’t expect it to be.”

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No team has overcome a 3-1 deficit in the finals to win a title. The first 28 failed, and now the Lakers, who blew a 24-point lead and lost Game 4 and nearly squandered a 19-point lead in Game 5, have a chance to do something extraordinary.

They’ll have to win on the Celtics’ parquet floor Tuesday night to force a winner-take-all Game 7, where anything is possible.

Especially with Bryant, the game’s best player, on hand.

“We’ve won on the road before,” Bryant said. “We’ve played in tough environments before.”

But the league’s MVP and uberforce, who spent much of last summer grumbling to Lakers management for help to get him a fourth championship ring, didn’t have to fly a solo mission to extend L.A.’s season for at least another game.

Pau Gasol had 19 points and 13 rebounds, Odom had 11 rebounds and four blocks and Derek Fisher added 15 points.

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“We were aggressive. We played hard,” Lakers coach Phil Jackson said. “Not smart all the time, but we played hard.”

Paul Pierce led the Celtics with 38 points, Kevin Garnett added 13 points and 14 rebounds, and Ray Allen had 16 points. But Boston’s Big Three couldn’t close their first chance at winning it all, and now will get two cracks at home to finish the job.

“Guys are down and upset because they thought they could have, they thought they should have,” Celtics coach Doc Rivers said. “We played all year to have home court.”

After scoring 15 points in the first quarter, Bryant went cold from the floor and finished just 8-of-21. But he made a big steal, poking the ball away from Paul Pierce and streaking down to deliver a two-handed dunk with 37.4 seconds left.

“I just was kind of reading the play and I was able to get my hands on the ball and get out and get a dunk,” Bryant said.

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The Celtics called a timeout, Jack Nicholson jumped to his feet and the scoreboard in Staples Center flashed: Not In Our House!

When the final horn sounded, purple and gold streamers fell from the ceiling and the public address announcer said, “Game 6 will be Tuesday night in Boston. This is not over yet.”

On Saturday, Bryant had said “this is far from over,” and he could be right.

Accused of being selfish and too tough on his not-as-talented teammates, Bryant can bow to the other Lakers for sending the series back across country.

Gasol, the 7-foot Spanish center criticized for being pillowy soft, didn’t back down underneath and was able to get Garnett into foul trouble.

But just as they did in Game 4, when they staged the biggest comeback in finals history, the Celtics pushed the Lakers to the brink of summer with another rally. This one fell a little short, but the outcome was still in doubt when Pierce, who grew up hating Boston like every other kid from L.A., made two free throws with 1:14 remaining to get the Celtics to 97-95.

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Fisher then missed a jumper and the Celtics appeared to be in business when Pierce fought off two Lakers for a rebound. But as he dribbled toward the basket, Bryant reached around and knocked the ball away to Odom, who then fed Bryant for his slam.

Still, the Celtics wouldn’t go away.

After Bryant missed one of two free throws with 16 seconds left, Eddie House nailed a 3-pointer to make it 101-98 with 14 seconds left. House then nearly stole the ensuing inbounds pass, but Bryant, sprawled out on the floor, got the ball to Fisher, who drew a desperation foul.

Fisher then made two free throws and stole Boston’s last pass as Lakers fans, stunned to silence a few nights ago, left the building dreaming of seeing another improbable comeback.

This is the 11th meeting—and first since 1987—between the league’s two most stories franchises, and it could be headed for a crescendo befitting the matchups between Bird and Magic, McHale and Abdul-Jabbar, and Russell and West.

Before the game, Lakers coach Jackson said the only way for his team to approach a close-out game was to keep playing.

“A lot of things can happen,” he said. “We’re young enough and dumb enough to be able to do this.”

With Bryant, they have the smarts and skills to get it done.

He made four 3-pointers in the first eight minutes and his free throw gave the Lakers a 25-15 lead. The Celtics were forced to extend their defense, and Bryant made them pay when he faked a long-range shot and fired a pass underneath to Vladimir Radmanovic to make it 29-15.

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Odom, a model of inconsistency in the series, drove the lane for a hoop to put the Lakers ahead by 16, and Gasol’s bucket in the final second made the overhead scoreboard read: Lakers 39, Celtics 22.

Most teams might panic. Not the Celtics. They were in a bigger hole—21 points—after the first quarter in Game 4 when they staged their epic rally.

And, sure enough, back Boston came.

When Sasha Vujacic scored, the Lakers’ lead bulged to 19 and the oh-so-trendy L.A. faithful were carrying on like a rowdy East coast crowd. That’s when the Celtics began chipping away as Pierce scored six points and Allen, Tony not Ray, scored two quick baskets.

The Celtics’ rally seemed short-lived when Garnett picked up his third personal, but with the Lakers unable to get anything to drop, Pierce made a layup and 3 to make it 43-39 before Odom finally ended Los Angeles nearly six-minute scoring drought.

The Lakers briefly regrouped but P.J. Brown scored on a putback and Pierce hit another 3-pointer with 5.2 seconds left as the Celtics closed to 55-52 at half and bounded toward their locker just 24 minutes from a title.

Notes

The Celtics played their 25th game of these playoffs, equaling the most by any team in one postseason. New York (1994) and Detroit (2005) also played 25, each ending with Game 7 losses in the finals. … NFL star Terrell Owens and rap mogul P. Diddy were among the new celebrity faces, joining Hollywood A-listers Nicholson, Denzel Washington, Dustin Hoffman and soccer star David Beckham. … Pierce denied a report that he he’ll have surgery on his sprained knee, although he may need one once he decides to have an MRI in assess the damage.

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Make room for a 17th NBA championship banner in Boston. The '07-08 Celtics are back on top of the basketball world, completing an extreme makeover Tuesday night in Game 6 of the NBA Finals via a 131-92 rout of the Lakers.

Celtics smash Lakers, bring home 17th NBA championship

17 Championship Highlights:
http://sports.espn.go.com/broadband/video/videopage?videoId=3449933&categoryId=2459788&n8pe6c=2

BOSTON (AP) -- On a new parquet floor below aging championship banners, the Boston Celtics won their 17th NBA title and a first one -- at last -- for Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen -- their Big Three for a new generation.

After 22 long years, the NBA has gone green.

Carried by ear-splitting chants of "Beat L.A." early and cries of "Seven-teen" in the closing seconds by their adoring crowd, which included Boston legends Bill Russell and John Havlicek, the Celtics concluded a shocking rebound of a season with a stunning 131-92 blowout over the Los Angeles Lakers in Game 6 on Tuesday night.

With the outcome assured, Boston fans sang into the night as if they were in a pub on nearby Canal Street. They serenaded the newest champs in this city of champs, and taunted Kobe Bryant and his Lakers, who drowned in a green-and-white wave for 48 minutes.

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Garnett scored 26 points with 14 rebounds, Allen scored 26 and Pierce, the Finals MVP, added 17 as the Celtics, a 24-win team a year ago, wrapped up their first title since 1986.

This was total domination. The Celtics obliterated the Lakers, who were trying to become the first team to overcome a 3-1 deficit in the Finals.

No way. No how. No chance.

Boston's 39-point win surpassed the NBA record for the biggest margin of victory in a championship clincher; the Celtics beat the Lakers 129-96 in Game 5 of the 1965 NBA Finals.

Pierce doused Celtics coach Doc Rivers with red Gatorade. Owner Wyc Grousbeck, who named his group Banner 17 to leave no doubt about his goal, put an unlit cigar in his mouth -- a tribute to Red Auerbach, the patriarch who had a hand in the franchise's first 16 titles.

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Garnett dropped to the parquet and kissed the leprechaun at center court and then found Russell, the Hall of Famer who taught him the Celtic way, for a long embrace.

"I got my own. I got my own," Garnett said. "I hope we made you proud."

"You sure did," Russell said.

Rivers pulled Pierce, Garnett and Allen with 4:01 left and they shared a group hug with their coach, who was nearly run out of town last season. In the final minute, Rivers, who lost his father at the beginning of this remarkable season, was soaked by Pierce, the Celtics' captain who decided to stay when things were bad and was rewarded for his loyalty.

It's was Boston's first title since the passing of Auerbach, whose signature victory cigar was the only thing missing on this night. Even Auerbach, who died in 2006, got some satisfaction. Led by Rivers, Auerbach's beloved team denied Lakers coach Phil Jackson from overtaking him with a 10th championship.

A perfect ending: a 17th title on the 17th of June.

The Boston-Los Angeles rivalry, nothing more than black-and-white footage from the 60s and TV highlights of players wearing short shorts in the 80s to young hoops fans, remains tilted toward the Atlantic Ocean. The Celtics are 9-2 against the Lakers in the Finals.

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They missed their first crack at closing out the series in Game 5, but didn't miss on their second swing, running the Lakers out of their gym.

Bryant, the regular season MVP, finished with 22 points.

Garnett and Allen were All-Stars in other cities, stuck in Minnesota and Seattle, respectively, on teams going nowhere. But brought together in trades last summer by Celtics general manager Danny Ainge, a member of the '86 Celtics champions, they joined Pierce and formed an unbreakable bond, a trio as tight as the club's lucky shamrock logo.

With Garnett scoring 17 points and Pierce adding 10, Boston built a 23-point halftime lead, and unlike Game 2 when they let the Lakers trim a 24-point lead to two in the fourth quarter before recovering, the Celtics kept coming in waves.

They pushed their lead to 31 in the third quarter, and with Boston still up by 29 after three quarters, plastic sheets started going up in the Celtics' locker room in preparation for a champagne celebration.

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Bryant started 4-of-5 from the field, but he missed seven shots in a row and went only 7-of-22, capping a forgettable Finals. Everywhere he went, L.A.'s No. 24 ran smack into a wall of Boston defense as high as the Green Monster a few miles away at Fenway Park.

"Defense," Rivers said before the game. "Is what we do."

In the second half, Celtics fans chanted "You're not (Michael) Jordan" at Bryant, who will have to wait for his fourth title and first without former teammate Shaquille O'Neal. The Lakers, who stole Pau Gasol away from Memphis in a mid-season trade to help Bryant, will have the all summer to think about what went wrong.

No team had to work harder for a championship than these Celtics, who were playing in their record 26th postseason game. They were pushed to seven games in the first round by Atlanta, another seven by Cleveland and then took care of Detroit in six to win the Eastern Conference title.

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They entered Game 6 of the Finals slowed by injuries as Pierce, Kendrick Perkins (shoulder) and Rajon Rondo (ankle) were less than 100 percent. There was also uncertainty surrounding Allen, who stayed behind in Los Angeles following Game 5 after his youngest son became ill.

But just as they had while winning 66 games during the regular season, the Celtics got plenty of help from their bench as P.J. Brown, James Posey, Leon Powe and rookie Glen "Big Baby" Davis came in and contributed.

It was a group effort by this gang in green, which bonded behind Rivers, who borrowed an African word ubuntu (pronounced Ooh-BOON-too) and roughly means "I am, because we are" in English, as the Celtics' unifying team motto.

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The Celtics gave the Lakers a 12-minute crash course of ubuntu in the second quarter.

Boston outscored Los Angeles 34-19, getting 11 field goals on 11 assists while holding Bryant to three points, all on free throws. The Celtics toyed with the Lakers, outworking the Western Conference's best inside and out and showing the same kind of heart that made Boston the center of pro basketball's universe in the '60s.

House and Posey made 3-pointers to put the Celtics ahead by 12 points and baskets by Pierce, Garnett and Rondo put Boston ahead by 18.

In the final minute, Garnett floated in the lane, banked in a one-handed runner and was fouled. His free throw made it 56-35, and after Perkins scored, the Celtics ran to the locker room leading by 23.

On his way off the floor, Garnett screamed, "That's that."

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And so it was.

The Celtics didn't get back to Boston until late Monday night. They sat on the runway at LAX for nearly four hours, a delay Rivers joked may have been caused by some gremlins under orders from Lakers GM Mitch Kupchak and Jackson.

Allen stayed behind to be with his youngest son, who had taken ill during Game 5 in Los Angeles and had to be hospitalized. Allen didn't arrive until Tuesday, taking an early morning flight from the West Coast and missing the team's shootaround.

That was one red eye, he got another in the first quarter when he got poked in the left eye by Lamar Odom while scoring on a layup. Allen doubled over in pain and was taken to the locker room. By the time he came back to the bench -- much like Pierce did from a knee injury in Game 1 -- the Celtics were up comfortably ahead and on their way to restoring their glory.

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Game notes
The Lakers had won their previous eight straight Game 6s in the Finals. ... Since the Finals began in 1947, 16 have gone seven games, the most recent in 2005 when San Antonio had to go the distance to beat Detroit. ... It was the second biggest margin in Finals history behind Chicago's 96-54 win over Utah in 1998. ... It wasn't as starry as L.A.'s crowd, but Game 6 brought out celebrities including Aerosmith frontman Steven Tyler, actor Leonardo DiCaprio, Patriots coach Bill Belichick, who got a huge ovation when he was shown on the scoreboard, and Miami Heat star Dwyane Wade.

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Celtics schedule “rolling rally” for Thursday

BOSTON (AP)—Boston’s streets will be crowded again with screaming fans celebrating a championship—but this time they’ll be wearing green.

Mayor Tom Menino announced plans Wednesday for a “rolling rally” at 11 a.m. Thursday to celebrate the Boston Celtics’ win over the Los Angeles Lakers in the NBA Finals. The parade will start at the TD Banknorth Garden and wind its way through downtown to Copley Square. The parade also will be broadcast on a Jumbotron in Copley Square and Boston Common.

Sixteen World War II-era amphibious “duck boats” will carry the Celtics players, owners and staff. The team’s dancers, former Celtics greats and championship trophies from previous years will ride on two flatbed trucks.

City officials urged the hundreds of thousands of fans expected to attend the parade to use public transportation, with streets around the route closed to traffic beginning at 9:30 a.m.

The city has held five other championship parades since 2002—three when the New England Patriots won the Super Bowl and two when the Boston Red Sox won the World Series. The last one was on Oct. 30, after the Red Sox swept the Colorado Rockies.

But Celtics fans haven’t had much to cheer since 1986, the final time Larry Bird and Boston won the NBA championship. That all changed Tuesday night, when Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen helped secure the franchise’s 17th championship.

“We’re a city of champions,” Menino said. “We are ‘Title Town.”’

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Celtics’ 17th championship is one for the ages

BOSTON – A year ago today, the Boston Celtics were a hapless, hopeless cabal. Kevin Garnett wouldn’t consider leaving a 32-win lottery team to join them. In terms of relevance and water-cooler chat, the Celtics were on par with Ivy League squash.

On Thursday, they will be treated like royalty in Boston, complete with the now obligatory Duck Boat tour and parade through the meandering downtown streets to celebrate their 17th NBA championship. There will be hundreds of thousands of fans, and, had you been asleep for the last 11 months, it would be a definite, back-to-the-future moment. Where’s Larry? Where’s Kevin? Where’s Red?

That is why this latest NBA championship has its own, special place in Celtics history. There really was none like it among the previous 16, most of which were won by a team with presumptive greatness going into the season and previous achievement on their résumés. This one? Who knew?

It happened so fast and so implausibly as if it was in its own time warp. How could a 24-win team turn around in one year and turn away all comers, finishing with a Secretariat-in-the-Belmont flourish against their most storied and dreaded rival?

The 131-92 humiliation of the Los Angeles Lakers on Tuesday night ended a 22-year championship drought for Boston. But “drought” is a relative term here, compared with another city’s famine and pestilence. Atlanta, for goodness sakes, hasn’t won a single, best-of-seven series since 1970. Garnett’s old team, the Timberwolves, has won only two best-of-seven series in its history (and both in the same year) and has now gone four years without seeing the playoffs.

Those situations mirrored the Celtics’ situation last year at this time. You put Boston right in the same basket with all the other clueless wannabes for whom a May date in Secaucus was as much of a yearly lock as the coming of the seasons and the turning of the leaves. As late as March of 2006, coach Doc Rivers was saying the Celtics didn’t need high-priced veterans; that their young talent was growing, improving and one day would be the envy of the NBA. That team won 33 games and the next one won 24 games, second-worst only to Memphis. But when the 2007 ping-pong balls did not deliver Greg Oden or Kevin Durant to Boston, the team used the next six weeks to try and turn dross into gold.

Danny Ainge, the man entrusted with the job of delivering a title to Boston, wasn’t so much of a trader over that span as he was a sports alchemist. He picked up Ray Allen, Garnett, kept Paul Pierce, and somehow managed to convince two teams that his 24-win roster was so chock-a-block with promising players and expiring contracts as to make the deals look even. Or close to even. That he did speaks as much to the aptitude of his colleagues and their respective, dire situations as it does to Ainge’s brilliant bargaining. But either one of those deals would have fallen apart had Sam Presti in Seattle or Kevin McHale in Minnesota demanded that Ainge surrender Rajon Rondo. Both asked. Both were told “no way.” Both eventually relented.

But while the fans, ticket buyers and Vegas wise guys went wild after the Garnett trade, there were legitimate concerns about where the 2007-08 Celtics might wind up. They’d be better, for sure. They’d be a playoff team, for sure. They might even get home-court advantage for the first round.

But could they also be like those Sonics’ teams of the 1980s with Tom Chambers, Xavier McDaniel and Dale Ellis – good but not great? Or the Denver teams in the early 1980s with Alex English, Kiki Vandeweghe and Dan Issel – prolific at one end of the floor, pathetic at the other? If Garnett was so good, how come he couldn’t get his team into the playoffs?

Now, those observations look silly. At the time, they were as valid as any other because the team had done nothing. It looked good on paper. But, after adding key free agents like James Posey and Eddie House, the 2007-08 Celtics had nine new players on their roster. Nine! It would add two more before the season was out. It had a coach who had never won a playoff series and its three mainstays all had failed to make the playoffs the previous season. Two of those three also missed significant time in the 2006-07 season with injuries. All were in their 30s with a lot of miles on their respective bodies.

But, as Rivers noted in the glow of Wednesday morning, “we got them at the right time.” He’s right. It was a lot easier sale when all you had to do was hold up the 2007 NBA Standings in front of those three to make your point. All three were hungry – voracious, really. They had to stay healthy and, for the most part, they did. They had to stay committed and they did, never wavering. And they had to learn to play a new system, with new teammates, learning on the fly. They did that, too.

There’s really no parallel in Celtics history for what we just witnessed. The Celtics’ teams of the 1950s were already playoff-caliber when Red Auerbach worked his magic to acquire Bill Russell. The teams of the 1970s were built brick-by-brick, with draft picks (Dave Cowens, JoJo White, Don Chaney) and trades (Paul Silas.)

The situation in Celtics history, which comes the closest to 2008, was in 1978-79, the year before Larry Bird arrived. That team was uniformly horrible and had the added distinction of being utterly dysfunctional. Bird and M.L. Carr were the promising newcomers in 1979 and Nate Archibald was the returning-to-good-health veteran. It took that unit two years to win a title.

It took this group only one. That was Rivers’ message from the start – seize the moment because we can’t afford to wait. He told Garnett, Allen and Pierce that they have to play the 2007-08 season as if it’s their one and only chance to win. Because, in reality, it might be. Yes, all three guys are signed for multiple years going forward, but all that really means is that they’ll get paid.

Who knows what next season’s Celtics will look like? The starting five will be back, but key subs Posey and House are free agents and P.J. Brown can now retire for good, knowing he went out with a bang. But Garnett, Pierce, Allen and Rivers have made Boston relevant again, a desirable destination for veterans who want to have a chance to win. (Or, in Posey’s case, win again.) The San Antonio Spurs have had that cachet for the last decade. The Portland Trail Blazers might have that cachet for the next decade.

But in the here and now, Boston is a pretty attractive star in the NBA firmament. It’s a cir***stance that was unthinkable in June 2007 – and every bit as real in June 2008.

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Game 6 draws best NBA finals ratings since 2000


NEW YORK (AP)—Game 6 drew the highest NBA finals television ratings in eight years.

The Boston Celtics’ deciding victory over the Los Angeles Lakers on Tuesday night earned a 10.7 rating on ABC, the network said Wednesday. It’s the highest since Game 6 of the 2000 finals on NBC between the Lakers and Indiana Pacers.

The series averaged a 9.3 rating, up 50 percent over the 6.2 last year, when the San Antonio Spurs swept the Cleveland Cavaliers. But it fell short of the last finals involving the Lakers in 2004, which averaged an 11.5.

The rating is the percentage watching a program among homes with televisions.