The Celtics were down by 24 points in the first half, and they turned that into a 6 point win.
The Lakers set a record by being up by 21 points at the end of the first quarter, and by the end of the first half, they were up 58-40. Then, the Celtics dominated the third quarter by outscoring the Lakers 31-15. So then the score was 73-71 Lakers. And then the Celtics ended the game 97-91 by outscoring the Lakers 57-33 in the second half.
I will admit it was an amazing comeback, I just hated it.
Paul Pierce shot 6-of-13, but he had 20 points for the Celtics. But it was Ray A! llen who led Boston to the win by making huge shots, including a layup in which he drove past Sasha Vujacic and had a wide open lane. That layup pretty much capped the game. Allen finished with 19 points and 9 rebounds. Also, James Posey made some key 3 pointers, and finished with 18 {He actually went 4-of-8 from the three line}. Kevin Garnett had 16 points and 11 rebounds, and backup guard Eddie House had 11.
The Lakers were led by Lamar Odom's 19 points and 10 rebounds. Pau Gasol and Kobe Bryant each had 17, with Gasol adding 10 rebounds, and Kobe adding 10 assists. Derek Fisher added 13 and Vladimir Radmanovic had 10 points {two 3 pointers} and 5 rebounds.
May I remind deep and true Celtic fans, the ones who stuck with Boston last year and didn't just join the club this year after grabbing KG and Ray Allen, that getting a title seemed impossible last year for Boston. Paul Pierce wanted to get t! raded, and so did Garnett. Allen knew the Sonics were grabbing! someone like Kevin Durant, but instead he was placed on Boston with Pierce. Pierce saw the team going somewhere, but not the NBA Finals.
Before the Celtics snatched Allen, the Celtics were interested in Garnett. When KG heard about him getting traded there, he refused. Then, he heard the Celtics got Allen, and he was interested in going to Boston. What a selfish jerk.
Now Boston is a win away from their 17th title. But, Lakers coach Phil Jackson had something to say:
"Some turnaround in that game. The air went out of the building,'' is what he said to his players, then he said, "Well, it's not over. This is not over. The series is not over.''
Just some Notes: Many Hollywood stars were at the game, and many of them were disappointed. The list included regular Laker fans Jack Nicholson and Denzel Washington. But t! here were more, former NFL star Jerry West was there, Arizona quarterback Matt Leinart was there, Justin Timberlake was there, and many others were there.
This series is the first time to have the top two records in both conferences in the Finals since Indiana and the Lakers met in 2000. And the last team to have the best record in the league, and win the title was San Antonio in 2003.
Thank you to NBA.com for the game's information.
