Lakers beat Celtics on Ray Ray's big night

The fans that packed the TD Garden last night got what they wanted: Ray Allen broke Reggie Miller's NBA record for 3-pointers with a pair in the first quarter but the game (an afterthought) didn't turn out as perfectly as the Lakers won 96-92 in their only regular season visit to Boston.

It was a nice moment even though they didn't stop the game right away which was puzzling. The usually emotionless Ray got to hug Miller (commentating for TNT) and his family who were all courtside.

Buoyed by the momentum of Allen's (20 points) memorable night, the Celts (38-14) got up by as many as 15 points in the second quarter but LA (37-16) eventually wore them down with their big bodies.

More than ever (which is saying something), the Celtics have so many injuries. Nate Robinson went down in the second quarter with a knee injury (don't think it's too serious) while Shaq, Delonte West, Jermaine O'Neal and Marquis Daniels are still out.

Boston dressed only 10 players which leads to wacky things like Avery Bradley covering Kobe Bryant (23 points) for a couple minutes in the third quarter.

Pau Gasol had 20 points and 10 rebounds, Andrew Bynum scored 16 points with nine rebounds while Lamar Odom (10 points, 12 rebounds) and Shannon Brown (12 points) were superb off the bench.

Paul Pierce had 15 points, Rajon Rondo notched 12 points and 10 assists, Kendrick Perkins put up 12 points and nine rebounds while Kevin Garnett had a quiet 10 points and 11 rebounds.

Von Wafer was great off the bench with eight points while Glen Davis scored nine but struggled shooting (3 of 10).

The Cs were up 27-20 after the first quarter and 53-45 at halftime. LA worked them in the third quarter (27-15) and Kobe helped finish it off in the fourth (20-18).

For the game, the Lakers shot 47.9% to 40.2 for the Celtics. Boston hit two more 3-pointers (5-3) but LA made four more free throws (19-15). LA grabbed 11 more rebounds (47-36) but Boston had five more assists (25-20). The Lakers pounded it inside to the tune of 50-32 points in the paint while the Cs didn't get to run much (9-2) fast break points.

This gauntlet of games ends on Sunday as the Celtics host the Miami Heat. Boston has won both matchups so far this season but truth be told, those were very early in the season.

Ain't no party like a West Coast party, cause a West Coast party don't stop

Can we just fast forward to June and the trilogy finale of the Boston Celtics vs. Los Angeles Lakers in the NBA Finals for the third time in four seasons?

It seems only fitting. Yes, if the Celts get to the Finals this summer, I'm not going to complain about who they're playing (San Antonio would also be fun) but come on, you have to want the Lakers. Unfinished business, right?

The teams met yesterday afternoon at the Staples Center in LA for the first time since last June when the Lakers beat the Celtics in seven games.

This being the NBA, regular game meetings mean zilch (see Boston losing to Phoenix on Friday and the Lakers falling to the Kings-think they both were looking ahead?) but it's always nice to get a win in front of the beautiful people and frauds of LA.

Boston (36-11) came out on top of Los Angeles (33-15) 109-96.

Kobe Bryant scored a game-high 41 points but he also did it without recording one assist. Props to him, that's pretty hard to do.

As the Celts did in 2008, they used more balance and defense (something the Lakers are still allergic to) to take this one. The teams meet again in Boston a week from Thursday and from then on, we have to hope and pray that they do it one more time in June.

Paul Pierce led Boston with 32 points, Ray Allen had 21 points, Kevin Garnett put up 18 points, 13 rebounds and five assists while Rajon Rondo notched 10 points and 16 assists.

The Celtics bench was great mainly thanks to Glen Davis (13 points) and Nate Robinson (11 points).

With the way the Lakers have struggled at times this season, it was still interesting to see it up close. They seem to be in the same boat as the Celtics, they coast through the regular season because it doesn't really matter (except for home court).

When Lamar Odom (15 points) is your most consistent second option, you're probably not going to win a championship, sorry Khloe. Pau Gasol (12 points) looked too European as usual and Andrew Bynum (11 points) is just wasting time until he suffers another knee injury.

Ron Artest (3 points) appears lost and Derek Fisher (5 points, 4 assists) might finally be washed up, those look like the biggest issues for LA since they don't have anybody to pick up the slack in those positions.

The Cs were up 22-21 after the first quarter but the Lakers took a 52-50 lead into halftime. For once, Boston came out strong in the third quarter (27-18) and capped it off with an even more impressive fourth quarter (32-24) as they withstood LA's pathetic comeback attempt ie. getting out of Kobe's way while he took every shot.

Boston shot a season-high 60.3% to Los Angeles' 44.4%. Thanks to Pierce, Allen and Robinson who all made three 3-pointers, the Celts made five more 3-pointers than the Lakers (9-4). LA hit eight more free throws (20-12) which is a no-brainer at home but Boston grabbed 13 more rebounds (43-30). The craziest stat is assists, which the Celts won 34-10, not a misprint. The Cs had seven more turnovers (15-8) and the Lakers scored 13 more fast break points (18-5).

Don't you wish there were more regular season games like this? Ah well. Boston concludes its West Coast road trip with a game in Sacramento tomorrow night. It has trap game written all over it but with such a superior team, the Celts should be able to survive and come home 3-1 on a tough trip.

KG returns from the dead but Derek Fisher says not so fast Big Ticket

It might have been the fact that I was watching it late at night on DVR by myself (since I went to a concert last night) and already knew the final outcome but Game 3 of the 2010 NBA Finals was even stranger than Game 1.

Kevin Garnett played out of his mind with 25 points and six rebounds but it wasn't enough as the Lakers won 91-84 behind Kobe Bryant's 29 points (10-for-29 shooting) and seven rebounds while Derek Fisher was the real closer with 16 points.

Los Angeles took back the homecourt advantage and leads 2-1 with Game 4 tomorrow night at the TD Garden.

Boston came out on fire and led 12-5 as the home crowd was going crazy but it was fool's gold as the Lakers led by 17 in the second quarter and controlled the rest of the game, even though the C's whittled it down to one point or two points numerous times in the fourth quarter.

After setting an NBA Finals record with eight 3-pointers in Game 2, Ray Allen looked completely lost, shooting 0-for-13 overall and finishing with two points on two free throws.

Joining him on the milk carton were Paul Pierce (15 points) and Rajon Rondo (11 points, 8 assists), who had decent numbers but didn't leave their imprint on the game by any means.

Other than KG's resurgence, Glen Davis (12 points) and Kendrick Perkins (11 rebounds) were the only other Celtics that stepped up in the pivotal game.

LA's twin towers of llama Pau Gasol (13 points, 10 rebounds) and Tracy Morgan's half-brother Andrew Bynum (9 points, 10 rebounds) weren't nearly as effective as they had been in their dominant Game 2 performance.

The Lakers were up 26-17 after the first quarter and 52-40 at halftime. Boston recovered with a 21-15 third but thanks to Fisher's clutch plays, including an And-1 where he got hammered by three Celtics, LA won the fourth 24-23.

Los Angeles made five more free throws (21-16) and once again they owned the glass (43-35) but the Celtics had seven more assists (20-13).

Game 4 is a must-win and the most important game of Boston's season. These teams are so even that it seems like it'll go seven games either way but the Celts can't go down 3-1 and hope to win three straight including two at the Staples Center.

The rivalry that the NBA desperately needs, continues to get better

It pains me to say it but for the second time this season, the Lakers beat the Celtics when Boston came in with a double-digit win streak.

LA (40-9) came to the TD Banknorth Garden last night for its third game in four nights and escaped with a 110-109 overtime win. It snapped Boston's 12 game win streak, earlier in the year they had won 19 straight before choking at the Forum.

It was surely one of the best regular season games in the NBA and unfortunately, it enabled the Lakers to sweep the season series after they also beat the Celts on Christmas day in Los Angeles.

Boston (41-10) had to a chance to win it at the end of regulation but a sloppy possession ended with Eddie House (16 points) firing up a prayer of a 3-pointer.

At the conclusion of overtime, Ray Allen (22 points) attempted a three that was blocked by Pau Gasol (24 points, 14 rebounds). Allen and the Celtics' bench wanted a foul but there wasn't enough contact to make that call.

Two games after dropping 61 on the Knicks at Madison Square Garden, Kobe Bryant struggled to find his shot but still finished with 26 points, 10 rebounds and five assists. Lamar Odom (one of the NBA's most up and down players) added 20 points and six boards while Derek Fisher scored 13 points.

The Celts got plenty on the offensive side, they just couldn't get any stops when it mattered. Paul Pierce had 21 points, eight rebounds and five assists while Kevin Garnett (in his first game back after missing two with the flu) posted 16 points and 12 rebounds before fouling out on a shaky (at best) call in the fourth.

Rajon Rondo almost had a triple-double with 16 points, 12 assists and eight rebounds. A bright spot was Leon Powe, who had his best performance in a while with 10 points and eight rebounds.

The Lakers led 23-20 after a defensive first quarter. The Celtics started to run in the second quarter which worked well with Andrew Bynum out. Boston outscored LA, 32-28 in the second as the Green took the slim 52-51 halftime lead.

The Celtics continued the strong play with a 29-26 third quarter but the Lakers made enough plays in the fourth (24-20) to send it to overtime.

Odom's two free throws late in overtime sealed it as it put LA up one.

The best thing for the Celtics is that they can quickly forget about this loss since they go to NYC tonight to face the Knicks. In a perfect world, Boston will jump out to a big lead and get their starters some rest in the fourth ahead of Sunday's big showdown with the Spurs.

a championship will be that much sweeter at home

Did you think Kendrick Perkins was the difference between the Celtics winning and losing a championship? I would have laughed at that crazy question a few days ago but not after watching the Lakers beat the Celtics, 103-98, in Game 5 of the NBA Finals.

Boston leads the series 3-2 and now comes home for two (if necessary) chances to pick up their first title since 1987 and 17th overall.

This one had the distinct feel of Game 4 as the Lakers got out to a huge first quarter lead (39-22 at the end of one) and as high as 19 before the Celtics cut it to three at the half (55-52).

The Celts grabbed the lead in the second half but quickly lost it as LA built it back to 14 before Boston came back one last time. It was not meant to be though as the Lakers continually got to the basket (since Perk was out with an injured shoulder) and either scored or drew a foul.

Five Lakers found double figures, led by Kobe Bryant (25 points, 7 rebounds, 5 steals, 4 assists). The inside combo of Lamar Odom (20 points, 11 rebounds, 4 assists) and Pau Gasol (19 points, 13 rebounds, 6 assists, 2 blocks) were the difference as Boston couldn't stop them as they rotated an overmatched group (P.J. Brown and Leon Powe) while Kevin Garnett (13 points, 14 rebounds) was never much of a factor since he had five fouls.

Derek Fisher added 15 points and Jordan Farmer (owner of the biggest ears this side of Mitch Albom) notched 11.

Still, the game was there for the taking as the Lakers continually bumbled and couldn't put Boston away. The biggest plays were a Kobe strip of Pierce and dunk while KG missed three of four free throws in crunch time.

Paul Pierce (again) was the best player on the court by far. The Truth imitated Ray Allen from the last game by playing all 48 minutes. Pierce had 38 points, eight rebounds and six assists. Ray Allen had 16 points while Sam Cassell had nine points off the bench.

Other than Perk, the C's other big worry is Rajon Rondo. Is he hurt? Is he simply playing bad? The second-year point guard was 1 of 7 from the floor, finishing with three points and three assists in 15 minutes.

History is completely on Boston's side as no team has come back to win a championship after being down 3-1, the C's have also never lost in the Finals when they're up 3-2.

However, with the health of Perk and Rondo in mind, the C's would be best served to end this on Tuesday. You don't want to let a team hang around that has Kobe Bryant-who's only had one real superstar game so far. I don't have to be bias (even though I am) to say that the Celtics are the better team, I really don't see them losing twice in a row at the Garden. Stranger things have happened though, meaning that Game 6 is supremely vital.

Where were you when the Lakers submitted one of the great choke jobs in sports history?

Down 24 points on the road in the first quarter and 18 at the half, the Boston Celtics looked dead in the water in Game 4 of the NBA Finals at the Staples Center last night.

The horrific start by the Green only sweetened the win as the Celtics outscored the Lakers, 57-33 in the second half to take the game, 97-91.

Boston now leads the series 3-1 with Game 5 on Father's Day (Sunday) back at the Staples Center.

It was a hallmark win that will be talked about forever (assuming Boston can win one of the next three games).

Both teams had five players score in double figures but the Celtics were the ones stepping up in the third and fourth quarter. Front-running LA resembled the team that dominated the Western Conference playoffs in the first half as their passing was crisp and everyone was hitting their shots. But when things started to fall apart in the second half, not even Kobe Bryant (17 points on 6 of 19 shooting, 10 assists and 4 steals) could save them.

Paul Pierce shook off another slow start to finish with a game-high 20 points, seven assists and four rebounds. Ray Allen (who has been Boston's most consistent player through the first four games) had 19 points, nine rebounds and three steals. James Posey had 18 points and Kevin Garnett totalled 16 points and 11 rebounds.

Lamar Odom came out on fire (making his first five shots) and finished with 19 points and 10 rebounds. Pau Gasol had 17 points and 10 rebounds. Derek Fisher had 13 points and Vladimir Radmanovic added 10 points.

Everything went the Lakers' way in the first half, including a traveling, buzzer-beating 3-pointer by guard Jordan Farmar to end the second quarter.
Boston couldn't possibly play worse as they were down 35-14 after one (the NBA record for biggest deficit in a Finals game after one quarter) and 58-40 at the break.

The story of the game so paralleled the setting, it was uncanny. The flashy Lakers came out and played their best basketball of the series for two quarters. Their botox-injected, clueless millionaire fans cheered (most likely cause the scoreboard told them to) and all was right in Tinseltown. However, like a bad movie (which Hollywood has been known to turn out from time to time), Los Angeles completely unraveled in the second half.

Phil Jackson-the slobbered over coach-was outclassed by Doc Rivers (HA!). Rivers chose to space the floor with a small, shooting lineup and LA never really adjusted. Eddie House (11 points, 4 rebounds in 25 minutes) played most of the second half as Rajon Rondo (5 points, 2 assists in 17 minutes) was clearly not himself with his ankle injury. Kendrick Perkins popped his shoulder out of its socket in the third quarter and didn't return.

A 21-3 Celtics run cut it to 73-71 going into the fourth. By then, Los Angeles had fell apart as all their finesse, offensive-minded clowns shied away from the moment. Sure Kobe had no hesitation to take the tough shot but on this night, it wasn't falling for the Black Mamba.

House's jumper gave Boston its first lead of the night with four minutes left and the Celtics never looked back. Pierce made key free throws, Posey hit a 3-pointer, Ray collected an offensive rebound (along with two clutch hoops) and Garnett had a great assist to House.

The Celtics are a better TEAM, one who thrives on the defensive end and that's why they find themselves one win away from a championship.

There are two days off between games as Game 5 won't happen until Sunday night but you can't underestimate the psychological damage of the loss on LA. They are a team that had seemingly come into its own during the second half of the year and one that wasn't tested much throughout the playoffs. The Celtics stumbled big time coming out of the gates in the playoffs but seemed to have found their rhythm in the Detroit series and carried it over to the Finals.

The close-out game is always the toughest but I like the Celtics' chances of winning one more game out of a possible three (with two if necessary at home).

California Love

California specifically Los Angeles is a very unique place. It's filled with fake boobs and utterly fake people. Even the Lakers towel boy wears a head band. Get a life buddy, nevertheless everybody believes they're somebody in LA.

In the ultimate sign of substance winning over style, the Celtics took care of the Lakers for the second and final time this season, 111-91.

With numerous celebrities and pseudo-celebs sitting courtside, the Lakers (19-11) made the interesting decision to not only wear the throwback jerseys but also rock the 80's short shorts. Really, it happened in a 2007 NBA game.

A bizarre idea, quickly looked stupid as the Celtics proved to be the far superior team led by Paul Pierce (game-high 33 points, 8 rebounds, 4 steals, 3 assists), Kevin Garnett (22 points, 12 boards, 6 assists, 3 blocks, 2 steals) and Ray Allen (19 points, 6 rebounds).

The unlikely hero for the C's (26-3) was Tony Allen, who started in place of Rajon Rondo (hamstring). Tony has looked terrible since he came back from that knee injury but last night was his reemergence as he submitted 16 points and four assists from the point guard position. He even dunked after a foul call (although it didn't count). Something he seemingly hadn't been able to do until then. James Posey had eight points and eight rebounds while Kendrick Perkins had seven points and seven boards.

For once, the crowd in LA was there before the tip-off, giving this a playoff-like atmosphere. Both teams came out hard with chippy play evident all night. However, only Boston could focus and execute through all of the Lakers talking and cheap plays.

Kobe Bryant was off all night, going 6 for 25 from the floor but making 10 of 11 free throws for 22 points. Lamar Odom had 14 points and 10 rebounds but he wasn't much of a factor besides his ridiculous play late in the game. For the second time this season against Boston, Lakers center Andrew Bynum was completely shut down. He had only eight points and two boards before he fouled out.

Boston outscored LA, 32-23 in the first quarter then the Lakers got one more than the C's in the second, making it 53-45 at the half. Late in the first half, Garnett's face was bloodied as he got elbowed by Bynum down low and somehow KG was called for a foul. Garnett went back to the locker room, got two stitches and a bandage and soon returned without skipping a beat. The guy is an animal.

The Lakers changed into their regular shorts at the break but that didn't seemed to change anything, they're still not quite ready for prime time.

Playing in his hometown where he always plays great, Pierce did not disappointment as he went on a 10-0 run in the third quarter, effectively putting the game out of reach. After nailing a three-ball, he was blowing his fingers (like guns) while he jogged down court. Only in Los Angeles.

Things got crazy in the fourth quarter as the Boston lead got up to as much as 25 points. Most "fans" left before seeing something straight out of the old Lakers-Celtics rivalry. After Garnett blocked a Odom shot late in the fourth quarter (when he could be heard yelling "get that shit outta here!"), Odom responded by tackling Ray Allen into the Celtics bench. Lamar was assessed a flagrant foul and he'll likely get fined and/or suspended by the league. It was a complete bush league play.

The Celtics shot 46.3% from the floor and held the Lakers to 35.4%. Boston also grabbed eight more boards (49-41) and had five more steals (11-6).

There were six technicals in the game, three on the Lakers (Trevor Ariza, Kwame Brown and Kobe) and three on the C's (KG, Perkins and Doc Rivers). Ariza baited KG in the first half while Perkins got a dumb technical for staring down the Lakers after he dunked. Kwame, Kobe and Doc all got theirs from talking back to the refs.

So there you go. The first West Coast trip of the season and the Celtics passed it with flying colors (4-0). They come back home and next play the Rockets on Wednesday. Houston has been up and down but with Yao and T-Mac (who's been out lately), they certainly present a challenge. Happy New Year to the best team in the NBA, the Boston Celtics.