Category: Games

The AP reports: With Russell and Havlicek sitting courtside, and Red surely lighting up a victory cigar somewhere, these Boston Celtics returned to glory like the great teams before them. Dominant in every way. On a new parquet floor below aging championship banners hung in the rafters two decades back, the 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. Lifted by ear-splitting chants of “Beat L.A.” early and cries of “Seven-teen” in the closing seconds by their adoring crowd, 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… Garnett scored 26 points with 14 rebounds, Allen scored 26 and Pierce, the finals MVP who shook off a sprained right knee sustained in Game 1, added 17 as the Celtics, a 24-win team a year ago, wrapped up their first title since 1986. Rajon Rondo had 21 points, eight assists, seven rebounds and six steals as the Celtics, who built a 23-point halftime lead and obliterated the Lakers, who were trying to become the first team to overcome a 3-1 deficit in the finals… Bryant, the regular season MVP, finished with 22 points on 7-of-22 shooting… With Garnett scoring 17 points and Pierce adding 10, Boston built a 58-35 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 never stopped.

Ticker reports: Holding a four-point lead after the first quarter, the Celtics embarrassed the Lakers, outscoring their archrivals, 34-15, in the second period en route to a 58-35 lead at halftime. The half ended with a bang thanks to Garnett, who completed a three-point play by banking in a circus shot while parallel to the floor – practically on his back – to highlight a 26-6 run to close the opening half. And that’s where Los Angeles spent most of the night – belly up. The Lakers shot just 27 percent in the first half and failed to grab a single offensive rebound during that span. Not only did they fail to execute, but their spirit seemed irrevocably broken. “The last two minutes of the second period buried the team emotionally, and we went into the locker room at halftime and tried to get our guys back on bearing and really couldn’t turn the momentum around,” Lakers coach Phil Jackson said. League MVP Kobe Bryant, who completed a lackluster series, scored just 22 points on 7-of-22 shooting for Los Angeles, which was outscored, 73-57, in the second half with the game already decided.

InsideHoops.com Stat Notes: The Celtics shot 49.4%, the Lakers 42.2%. But the Celtics took 87 shots, the Lakers just 64. Boston hit an awesome 13-of-26 threes, Los Angeles a good 10-of-27. Both teams shot almost the same free throw attempts but Boston hit a few more. The Celtics dominated rebounds, 48-29, and dominated assists, 33-16. And the Lakers had 19 turnovers, the Celtics just 7.

For the Celtics: Kevin Garnett (10-of-18) had 26 points, 14 rebounds, 4 assists and 3 steals. Ray Allen (8-of-12, 7-of-9 threes) had 26 points, 4 rebounds and 3 steals. Rajon Rondo (8-of-20) had 21 points, 7 rebounds, 8 assists and 6 steals. Paul Pierce (just 4-of-13) had 17 points, 10 assists and 2 steals. The Celtics bench was incredible, scoring 39.

For the Lakers: Kobe Bryant (awful 7-of-22) had 22 points and more turnovers than anything else. Lamar Odom (awful 2-of-8, 10-of-14 free throws) had 14 points, 10 rebounds and 5 assists. Jordan Farmar (3-of-5, 3-of-4 threes) had 12 points but 4 turnovers off the bench. Pau Gasol (4-of-7) had 11 points, 8 rebounds, and 5 turnovers. No other Lakers did much of anything.

Live Game Notes: See raw, totally unedited game notes taken live as the action happened.

The AP reports: 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… No team has overcome a 3-1 deficit in the finals to win a title… Pau Gasol had 19 points and 13 rebounds, Odom had 11 rebounds and four blocks and Derek Fisher added 15 points… 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… 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.

Ticker reports: Los Angeles wouldn’t allow Boston to steal a win this time, despite some resistance from Paul Pierce, who poured in 38 points – including 12 in the fourth – to keep his team in the hunt. Bryant’s basket with 9:16 remaining in the fourth quarter gave the Lakers an 11-point lead before the Celtics followed with an 11-0 run over the next five minutes to make it 90-90 after Garnett’s jumper. The Celtics were able to stay within two points but failed to capitalize with the opportunity to tie it or go ahead in the waning minutes. Garnett missed a pair of free throws with 2:31 left followed by Pierce turning the ball over on Bryant’s pivotal play. Pierce had made it 97-95 with a pair of free throws and, following a Lakers’ miss, proceeded up court where he had the ball poked away from behind by Bryant, who streaked up in the other direction and received Odom’s pass for the uncontested finish and a four-point lead.

Ticker reports: Paul Pierce scored 20 points as the Celtics used one of the most remarkable turnarounds in league history to come away with a 97-91 victory over the Lakers in Game Four of the NBA Finals on Thursday night. Kevin Garnett added 16 points and 11 rebounds for Boston, which climbed out of a 24-point, first-quarter hole to take a commanding 3-1 lead in the best-of-seven series. No team in Finals history has recovered from such a deficit, making the Celtics an odds-on favorite to hoist its NBA-best 17th championship trophy.

InsideHoops.com reports: James Posey was a huge star for the Celtics, nailing big buckets, including 4-of-8 threes, for 18 off the bench and providing tons of great hustle plays, as he’s known to do. Also, aside from Kobe not stepping up on offense, the Lakers bench was terrible: Sasha Vujacic and Jordan Farmar combined to shoot 2-of-15.

The AP reports: The Celtics 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… No team had ever overcome more than a 15-point deficit after the first quarter, and Elias Sports Bureau said it was the largest comeback in the finals since 1971. One thing’s for sure, it will forever be remembered in the annals of Celtics-Lakers lore… 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.

Ticker reports: Boston took its first lead of the game at 84-83 on reserve Eddie House’s jumper with 4:05 remaining. Less than two minutes later, Garnett’s short jumper completed an 8-0 run and gave the Celtics a five-point advantage with 2:11 to go. After Pierce went 1-of-2 from the line, Bryant hit two free throws and a jumper to cut the Lakers’ deficit to two with 1:30 left, setting up the wild final sequence. Los Angeles came out flying after a sluggish Game Three for both teams, running out to a 26-7 lead with 3:15 left in the first quarter on a 20-foot jumper by the slumping Odom, who had an extraordinary opening period.

InsideHoops.com Stat Notes: The Celtics shot 45.2%, the Lakers 41.6%. The Celtics hit 8-of-22 three-pointers (James Posey hit 4), the Lakers just 6-of-21. Both teams shot just under 30 free throws, but Boston was a bit better. Rebounding was close. The Lakers had 23 assists, the Celtics 15. Turnovers and steals were close.

For the Celtics: Pierce (6-of-13) had 20 points, 4 rebounds and 7 assists (4 turnovers). Ray Allen (6-of-11) had 19 points, 9 rebounds and 3 steals. James Posey (5-of-10, 4-of-8 threes) had 18 points and very few other stats but did far more than just score. Kevin Garnett (7-of-14) had 16 points, 11 rebounds and 2 steals. Eddie House on 9 shots scored 11. Rajon Rondo played little and did little.

For the Lakers: Lamar Odom (8-of-11) had 19 points, 10 rebounds and 4 assists. Kobe Bryant (just 6-of-19) had 17 points, 10 assists and 4 steals. Pau Gasol (6-of-13) had 17 points, 10 rebounds but more turnovers than assists. Derek Fisher (4-of-5) had 13 points but equal turnovers/assists. Vladimir Radmanovic (3-of-8) had 10 points and 5 rebounds. Sasha Vujacic and Jordan Farmar combined to shoot 2-of-15 off the bench.

The AP reports: With his team one loss from having to make an impossible climb, Kobe 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… 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… 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… 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.

InsideHoops.com Stat Notes: The Lakers shot 43.5%, the Celtics 34.9%. Both teams shot well from three-point range and struggled from the free throw line, though the Lakers hit 21-of-34 from the charity stripe, the Celtics 15-of-22. Rebounds, assists and turnovers were all close. The Celtics had a few more steals and blocks.

For the Lakers: Bryant (12-of-20, 11-of-18 free throws) had 36 points, 7 rebounds, 2 steals, but more turnovers than assists. Sasha Vujacic (7-of-10, 3-of-5 threes) had 20 points and 4 rebounds in 28 bench minutes. No other Laker scored double-digits. Pau Gasol (just 3-of-9) had 9 points, 12 rebounds and more turnovers than assists. Derek Fisher (just 1-of-6) scored 6. Jordan Farmar had 5 points, 4 rebounds, 5 assists and no turnovers off the bench. Lamar Odom (just 2-of-9) had 4 points, 9 rebounds and more turnovers than assists.

For the Celtics: Ray Allen (8-of-13, 5-of-7 threes) had 25 points and 5 rebounds. Kevin Garnett (just 6-of-21 and only two free throw attempts) had 13 points, 12 rebounds, 5 assists and 3 blocks. No other Celtics scored double-digits. James Posey did more than his stats show with 9 points and 7 rebounds. Rajon Rondo scored 8 with 4 assists. Kendrick Perkins had 8 with 6 rebounds, 3 steals and 2 blocks. Paul Pierce (awful 2-of-14) had just 6 points and 6 rebounds.

The AP reports: 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… 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… 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.

Ticker reports: Ray Allen scored 17 points and Kevin Garnett added 17 and 14 rebounds for the Celtics, who are now just two wins from their league-best 17th title… Bryant fought early foul trouble but still managed a game-high 30 points and Pau Gasol added 17 for the Lakers, who head home down 2-0 in the best-of-seven matchup, with Game Three set for Tuesday night at Staples Center in Los Angeles… Bryant and the Lakers ran into serious foul trouble in the second. Bryant picked up his third personal with 1:53 remaining in the first half, and his backcourt teammate Derek Fisher followed with his third infraction with 23.9 seconds remaining.

InsideHoops.com Stat Notes: The Celtics shot 52.9%, the Lakers 49.4%. The Celtics shot an amazing 9-of-14 three-pointers (Pierce 4-of-4, Ray Allen 3-of-6, James Posey 2-of-3), the Lakers a terrific 47.6% (Sasha Vujacic 2-of-3), Jordan Farmar 3-of-4). Huge: The Celtics had 38 free throw attempts (hitting 27), the Lakers just 10 attempts (hitting all 10). Boston dished 31 assists, L.A. 13.

For the Celtics, Pierce (9-of-16) had 28 points, 4 rebounds and 8 assists (plus 5 turnovers). Leon Powe (6-of-7, 9-of-13 free throws) had 21 points off the bench. Garnett (7-of-19) had 17 points and 14 rebounds. Ray Allen (6-of-11) scored 17. Rajon Rondo only scored 4 but dished 16 assists (just 2 turnovers) plus 2 steals.

For the Lakers, Bryant (11-of-23) had 30 points, 4 rebounds, 8 assists and 3 steals. Pau Gasol (8-of-12) had 17 points, 10 rebounds and 4 assists. Vladimir Radmanovic (5-of-12) had 13 points and 10 rebounds. Lamar Odom (5-of-11) was contained all night and had 10 points, 8 rebounds and not much else. Derek Fisher needed 8 shots for his 9 points and 3 steals. Farmar scored 9. Vujacic scored 8.

The AP reports: Paul Pierce, who as a kid growing up in Los Angeles used to sneak into Lakers games, returned from a knee injury to inspire and lead Boston to an emotional and tense 98-88 victory on Thursday night in Game 1 of these tradition-soaked NBA finals… Kevin Garnett scored 24 points, Pierce finished with 22—11 after going down—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. With 6:49 left 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… 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, attempting to win a fourth NBA title—and first without Shaquille O’Neal—had numerous shots rattle out and spent most of his 42 minutes in the game searching for a rhythm.

Ticker reports: And it was most evident late in the first half, when Bryant – who is known for hoisting up shots in bunches – passed up a wide-open 3-pointer, drew Garnett out to him and dished off to Gasol, who was fouled. The ensuing two free throws gave Los Angeles a 49-44 lead with 1:36 left before halftime, when the Lakers held a 51-46 lead. But Bryant, who scored 24 points on 9-of-26 shooting, was forced to be a one-man show by the Celtics’ defense in the second half. “We got a little stagnant,” Bryant said. “I think our rhythm wasn’t there, wasn’t what we like it to be. Still, we played well enough to almost steal the game – some balls bounced their way tonight. They scrapped and they clawed their way to this victory.” Boston also was buoyed by Allen, who scored 19 points to help his team to its fourth straight Game One victory this postseason.

InsideHoops.com Stat Notes: Both teams shot around 42%, and both struggled from three-point range, but Boston fared a bit better from outside. The Celtics also hit 28-of-35 free throws, the Lakers 21-of-28. The Celtics won the rebounds category, 46-33. Assists were close. The Celtics committed 7 more turnovers.

For the Celtics, Kevin Garnett (just 9-of-22) had 24 points and 13 rebounds. Paul Pierce (7-of-10, 3 threes) had 22 points and not too much else. Ray Allen on 13 shots had 19 points, 8 rebounds and 5 assists (but 4 turnovers). Rajon Rondo had 15 points, 5 rebounds and 7 assists. Off the bench, James Posey and PJ Brown combined for 2-of-10 shooting.

For the Lakers, Kobe Bryant (just 9-of-26) had 24 points, just 3 rebounds, 6 assists but 4 turnovers. Derek Fisher on just 9 shots had 15 points, 4 rebounds, 6 assists and 3 steals. Pau gasol (6-of-11) had 15 points, 8 rebounds and 4 assists. Lamar Odom (6-of-11) had 14 points, just 6 rebounds, and little else. No other Lakers were particularly good.

Game 2 is Sunday in Boston. The next three games (if Game 5 happens) are in los Angeles. Games 6 and 7, if they happen, are in Boston.