Boston, Put Away the Champagne

Faced with a must-win situation, the Los Angeles Lakers responded with a resounding 89-67 victory over the Boston Celtics at Staples Center to even the 2010 NBA Finals at 3-3. A seventh, and final contest will take place at Staples Center on Thursday evening. The Lakers wasted little time in returning to a semblance of the team that utilized its vast depth and size to overpower its opponents. And now, the once confident Celtics face the harsh reality of a rejuvenated and re-energized Laker squad on their home court in a deciding Game 7. Kobe Bryant (26 points on 9-19, 11 rebounds, 3 assists, 4 steals) set the tone from the tip-off, attacking relentlessly and staying aggressive on defense, and as a result, the Lakers fed off of their leader’s energy. Ron Artest, (15 points on 6-11, 3-6 from behind the arc, 6 rebounds, 1 blocked shot), much maligned for his wavering offense back in Boston, took it to the Celtics early, taking his defender off the dribble or stepping back for his corner three. Ball movement was good for the Lakers, as were the hustle plays that had them coming up on the short end for the past two games. Pau Gasol (17 points on 6-14, 13 rebounds, 9 assists, 1 steal, 3 blocked shots) bounced back from a disappointing Game 5 one assist shy of a triple-double. But the difference tonight was the Lakers’ bench.

With Derek Fisher (4 points on 1-1, 2 rebounds, 2 steals in 15-minutes) saddled with two early fouls, Shannon Brown (4 points on 2-4, 2 rebounds, 2 assists in 19-minutes) was forced into immediate action. Brown, who only registered one minute of play in the previous contest was assigned to the hot-shooting Ray Allen (19 points on 7-14, 2 rebounds, 3 assists), who had already scored 8-points in the opening minutes of play. And the high-flyer did not disappoint. He effectively helped shut down Allen and the rest of the Celtics as the Lakers defense amped up. With the Lakers holding an 18-12 lead, Kendrick Perkins (0 points in 7-minutes) landed awkwardly on a rebound attempt and appeared to injure his right knee. Perkins was assisted off the court and taken to the Boston locker room where he underwent x-rays. Perkins reportedly suffered a sprained knee and did not return. LA subsequently went on a 14-6 run to take total control of the game. Kobe paced the Lakers with 11-points, followed by Artest with 8, and Gasol chipping in 5 points to go along with 6 rebounds. The Lakers held a 12-5 rebound advantage, led 4-0 in blocked shots, and shot 12-20 (60%) from the field for a 28-18 lead after one.

The 2nd period saw a return of the long forgotten Bench Mob. Sasha Vujacic (9 points on 3-6, 1 rebound, 1 assist, 1 steal in 14-minutes) drained a 21-footer to open play. After an Allen trey, Lamar Odom (8 points on 3-9, 10 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal, 2 blocked shots) hit a 19-footer on the curl as the Lakers built a 32-21 advantage. Jordan Farmar (4 points on 2-6, 1 rebound, 1 assist, 3 steals in 17-minutes) dove head-first to track down a loose ball, then instinctively tapped the ball forward to a streaking Kobe. Kobe was fouled on his layup attempt, and his free throws extended the lead to 36-23. Farmar’s dive ignited the Lakers, catapulting them on a 11-2 run capped off by his slam dunk over Kevin Garnett (12 points in 6-14, 6 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal) on the fast-break. His bucket gave the Lakers a 45-25 lead, the momentum, and the opportunity to play a Game 7. The Lakers closed out the first half with a 51-31 advantage after limiting the Celtics to 14-41 (34.1%) from the field. The bench provided 15-points as the Lakers outscored Boston 23-13 in the period.

3rd quarter play opened with neither team being able to score. And as Staples Center took a collective breath of concern, it was coach Doc Rivers of the Celtics that was left shaking his head in disbelief. Boston had opportunities to cut into the lead, but missed two relatively easy layup attempts. And with Fisher picking up his third foul seconds into the second half, things looked to be turning in the Celtics favor. Paul Pierce (13 points on 6-14, 4 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal) drained a 3-pointer to make it 55-38 but Boston continued to be sloppy with the ball, allowing the Lakers to get out in transition. Pierce’s turnover led to Kobe feeding Brown for a thunderous slam that brought the house down.

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Similar to Farmar’s head-first dive, Brown’s dunk electrified the crowd and instantly recharged the Lakers and gave them a 60-40 lead. But if that wasn’t enough, the Lakers drew up a play coming out of a time-out that saw Gasol take the inbounds pass and throw a perfect lob pass to the cutting Brown for the tomahawk jam. Again, Staples Center exploded in unison just as the players on the Lakers bench fell over themselves in complete awe. A rattled Celtics squad managed to exchange baskets with the Lakers over the next few minutes, but with 2:13 remaining in the quarter, the Lakers still enjoyed a 70-51 lead. Boston went the final two minutes of the period without scoring another point while the Lakers’ Vujacic and Artest pounded the nails into their coffin with back-to-back 3-pointers and a 76-51 lead.

Boston was unable to make a dent in the 4th quarter and soon cleared their bench. The Lakers, for all of their success in forcing a Game 7, had one possible, major set-back. Andrew Bynum (2 points on 1-4, 4 rebounds, 1 steal 1 blocked shot in 16-minutes) pulled himself from the game after he re-tweaked his injured knee early in the third quarter. Although he returned to the bench with his knee wrapped in ice, his status for Game 7 is still up in the air. Perkins, for all intensive purposes, appears to be out, potentially leaving both teams without their starting big men. But tonight was a night of redemption for the Bench Mob after two consecutive poor outings by them. They now stand poised with renewed confidence for a showdown on Thursday. To illustrate the domination of this game, at the conclusion of the 3rd period, the Lakers bench had outscored that of Boston’s, 24-0. Points-in-the-paint also favored the Lakers, 40-32, with the majority of the Celtics points coming after the game had already been decided. The final rebound tally was 52-39, 8-4 in blocked shots, and 13-8 on steals, all in favor of the Lakers. And for a couple of more days, the champagne stays in the frig, but only until Thursday.