It’s Another Classic Derek Fisher Win

In a classic battle reminiscent of those from 1985, the Los Angeles Lakers went into enemy territory and beat the Boston Celtics, 91-84 at TD Garden to take a 2-1 lead in the 2010 NBA Finals. Derek Fisher (16 points on 6-12, 3 rebounds, 1 assist) scored 11-points in the deciding 4th quarter to carry the team to victory. His 3-point play with :48 seconds remaining gave the Lakers an 87-80 advantage and the all-important Game 3 win. On the game clinching play, Fish grabbed the defensive rebound and began heading upcourt. But he soon realized that none of the Celtics were paying much attention to him so he stepped on the gas pedal and drove hard for the basket. Finally aware of their gaffe, Garnett, Davis and Allen converged on Fish as all three Celtics got a piece of him on the drive, but not before he lofted his left-handed layup off the backboard and into the hoop. Fisher went tumbling to the floor as did Boston’s hopes for a comeback win. Kobe Bryant (29 points on 10-29, 7 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 steals, 3 blocked shots) had an off-night from the field but made up for it by coming up with big defensive plays when Boston mounted their comeback. Kevin Garnett (25 points on 11-16, 6 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 blocked shot) led the way for Boston but the hero of Game 2, Ray Allen, (2 points on 0-13, 4 rebounds, 2 assists) had a horrible night after his record setting performance on Sunday.

The Celtics came out fired up and furious straight out of the gates as Garnett quickly gave them a 6-0 lead. KG appeared more fluid and fresh, scoring on a difficult layup and converting two lob passes. As the delirium subsided, it became apparent that this was going to be a grind-out affair as both teams had difficulty finding the range. Rajon Rondo (11 points on 5-11, 8 assists, 3 rebounds, 2 steals) scored the next three baskets to give Boston a 12-5 advantage, forcing Phil Jackson to burn a time-out. And while the Lakers were trying to regain their offensive composure, the whistles continued to blow as players began dropping like flies once again. Ron Artest (2 points on 1-4, 3 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 blocked shot in 23-minutes) picked up his second foul at 9:45 into the game. In his place entered Luke Walton (2 points on 1-1, 2 rebounds, 1 assist in 13-minutes) who was given the chore of guarding All-Star Paul Pierce. Pierce (15 points on 5-12, 2 rebounds, 2 assists in 34-minutes) could not take advantage as he also struggled through a night of constant foul trouble. Walton would score on a 16-footer as the Lakers went on a 13-4 run to take an 18-16 lead. Pierce would pick up his second foul moments later as the Celtics went ice cold. The Lakers would close out the first quarter with an 8-1 run good for a 26-17 lead at the end of the period. KG and Rondo combined for 16 of the team’s 17 points while Kobe paced the Lakers with 7-points while a much more assertive and productive Lamar Odom (12 points on 5-5, 5 rebounds, 1 assist in 28-minutes) chipped in six.

An 11-3 run to start the 2nd period gave the Lakers their biggest lead at 37-20. But the Lakers would go on a 4-minute drought as Boston methodically started to make its way back. Rondo’s layup at the 5:24 mark made it 9-consecutive points by the Celtics, trimming the lead all the way down to 37-29. Andrew Bynum (9 points on 3-9, 10 rebounds, 1 blocked shot in 29-minutes) started getting the ball deep inside the paint to keep the lead hovering around double digits. And with Kobe continuing to be a steadying factor as the game progressed, the Lakers quieted the TD Garden crowd by going into halftime with a 52-40 lead. Kobe led the way with 16-points, 6 assists, and 3 rebounds. The Lakers shot a respectable 19-40 for 47.5% while the Celtics were a paltry 16-40 for 40%. The difference in the first half was at the free throw line where the Lakers enjoyed a 13-15 to 6-12 advantage. They also out-rebounded Boston 27-21 to take the 12-point halftime lead.

Boston began chipping away again as the 3rd period got underway. KG continued getting good looks as the Lakers began to run amok of their offense. Kobe began having difficulty from outside as the rest of the squad stood and watched. The Lakers were turning the ball over and shooting early in the shot clock, giving Boston an opportunity to take advantage on offense before the Lakers defense was set. A pair of Kendrick Perkins (5 points on 1-4, 11 rebounds, 1 assist) free throws trimmed the deficit to 58-51. Kobe responded with a trio of buckets including a 3-pointer to make it 65-57 with 1:27 left in the period. But Boston’s reserves would continue to provide a spark as Tony Allen’s (7 points on 3-4, 2 rebounds, 1 assist in 20-minutes) layup would further reduce the lead to 65-61. Pau Gasol’s (13 points on 5-11, 10 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 blocked shots) 16-footer would close out the period with the Lakers clinging to a 67-61 lead.

Glen Davis (12 points on 4-5, 3 rebounds) began bullying his way to the basket. His second, easy layup of the 4th quarter came within the first minutes of play and brought Boston to within 68-65, but not before Pierce picked up his 5th foul. Kobe would continue to struggle from outside as his teammates straddled him by giving him the ball with time running out on the shot clock. Rondo’s bucket made it a one-point game with 9:45 still remaining. Fisher would score on a layup to keep the Lakers afloat and on top. KG answered with a 21-footer but LO responded back with a pretty 6-footer in the lane. D-Fish would drain a 19-footer for a 76-70 lead at the 5:33 mark. Big Baby’s 3-point play cut that in half as Kobe got caught on the large backside of Davis for the foul. But Fisher came up big again, scoring this time with a 16-footer.

Pierce’s trey sliced the lead to 78-76, but because he was unable to defend anyone due to his foul trouble, he gave up a layup to Odom. KG sank a difficult baseline fallaway, but Gasol responded with a 8-footer of his own. Boston called time-out with 2:16 left to play, trailing 82-78. They immediately found KG again for the score but Kobe finally nailed a shot as he took Allen off the dribble for the 15-foot pull-up jumper. Allen continued to miss from distance and the ball wound up in Fisher’s hand as he surveyed the court for an opening. That’s when the veteran point guard noticed that Boston was napping and headed hard for the basket. The Lakers converted their free throws down the stretch as a quiet TD Garden crowd made their way to the exits. Game 4 is Thursday night as the Lakers look to take a stranglehold on the series in their quest to repeat as NBA Champions.