CelticsBlog: Celtics Need Just One More Win

With Sunday night's Game 5 victory, the Celtics are now just one win away from winning their 18th NBA Championship. It's been a surprising ride for this Boston team in the playoffs, and a run that has gone a long way in silencing critics, says Jimmy Toscano over at CelticsBlog.

They're too old.

They'll never be healthy enough.

They don't seem to want it like they did back in 2007.

They don't have what it takes to win a championship.

All of this was said throughout the regular season, and all of it seemed to be warranted at the time. All of it has been proven false.

The only fact that remains is that the Boston Celtics are one win away from becoming the 2009-10 NBA Champions.

One win away from proving the doubters wrong. One win away from raising that 18^th Banner. One win away from vindication.

VIDEO: Garnett To Pierce To Rondo, To A 3-2 Series Lead

With Boston up 87-82, and with just 38.9 seconds left in the game, the Celtics were inbounding the ball from under their own basket, needing to put a stop to the Lakers' 7-0 run that had turned a comfortable 12-point lead into a two-possession contest. 

Game 5 hung in the balance -- Trey Kirby at Ball Don't Lie called it the Celtics' "most important inbounds play of the season" --  and while it worked out (rather amazingly), something tells me it's not quite how Doc drew it up in the huddle.

Pierce picked quite a moment to showcase his receiving skills, what with Bill Belichick and Wes Welker in attendance, plus a handful of other past and present Patriots.

"I was just showing off my Randy Moss and my Tom Brady in one play, that's all," Pierce told reporters. "Going up to catch it, then I went to my Brady mode when I was falling out of bounds to find Rondo for the receiving end."

Kevin Garnett probably shouldn't have made that pass. Derek Fisher certainly should have fouled Paul Pierce. Pierce probably shouldn't have made his pass, either. And there's certainly an argument to be made that Rajon Rondo shouldn't have attempted his layup, and instead just dribbled the ball back out to take time of the clock.

But it all worked out perfectly, and now the Celtics have yet another timeless play to join Havlicek and Bird on the highlight reels, and more importantly, a 3-2 series lead.

Lakers Blog: 'Brink, Meet The Lakers. Lakers, Brink.'

After Sunday night, and the Celtics win over the Lakers, 92-86, it should be interesting to read the opposing fans' view of the game. Dexter Fishmore of SB Nation's Lakers blog, Silver Screen and Roll, gives the perspective of a fan wearing purple and gold, beginning with Kobe Bryant and how he stood alone in last night's game.

The Celtic defense put the Lakers on lockdown tonight. They were incredibly sound in their positioning and rotations. They hardly ever blew an assignment and were almost always in the right spots. The Lakers didn't miss a lot of open shots because there weren't a lot of open shots to miss. Except for Kobe, no one was good enough to beat their man one-on-one. The screening wasn't forceful, and the cutting wasn't quick. Had it not been for Kobe's one-man heroics, this would've been a blowout.  

But it wasn't just Kobe's jaw-dropping third quarter that kept the game close and the Lakers within striking distance in the final minutes. In fact, there were a number of things L.A. did better than Boston in Game 5.

They committed fewer turnovers, they got to the line more, they shot better on threes, and despite occasional weak spots they won the overall rebounding battle. The problem is that the one, most crucial thing they did worse than the Celtics - namely, make their two point shots- they did way, way worse. The Celtics converted 63% of their twos, compared to an abysmal 41% for the Lakers. That's on the Laker bigs. They didn't guard the paint well, they didn't protect the rim, and when they got the ball themselves in the post, they got shut down by the Celtic frontline.

Their free-throw shooting was pretty bad as well. The Lakers missed nine of their 26 freebies. Artest, Gasol, Odom and Bynum combined to honk six of 10 attempts. If they miss, say, only three of 10, it's a very different game down the stretch. Basically, the Laker frontline couldn't have been owned any worse unless Bill Simmons hooked up with Khloe Kardashian and then made a Karate Kid joke about it in his column tomorrow.

Read more reaction and analysis at Silver Screen and Roll.

VIDEO: Rajon Rondo 'Pushes' Ron Artest

On the same night as the Tony Awards, the best performance on Sunday may have come from Ron Artest in the second quarter of Game 5.

"If Rondo got a head-start from the other baseline, and pushed him with two hands, he wouldn't push him that hard."

CelticsBlog: 'Paul Pierce Played His Best Game Of This Series In The Most Important Game'

Game 5 nearly became the Kobe Bryant show. Kobe scored 19 points in the third quarter alone, hitting one ridiculous shot after another on his way to a game-high 38 points on 13-of-27 shooting. But in the end, it was the complete effort of the Celtics that proved to be difference as four different Boston plays finished with 12 points or more, including Paul Pierce, who had his best game of the series, with 27 points.

In fact, the Celtics actually managed to extend their lead during Kobe's Assault.

Trouble for L.A. was that the Celtics entered the frame with a six point lead and actually extended that advantage to 13 during Bryant's reign of terror. Boston's five starters each scored a bucket over the first three minutes of the third quarter to push the lead to double digits despite seven points from Bryant (he ultimately went 9 for 14 during the stretch, while his teammates were 0 for 7). The Big Three then took turns scoring in bunches to preserve a double-digit advantage until late in the frame.

There were so many great performances and great plays in Game 5, that it was perhaps best summed up by CelticsBlog: "Wow. What a game." Some of Jeff Clark's Greg Payne's thoughts on Pierce after Sunday night's win: 

Paul Pierce played his best game of this series in the most important game of this series. He scored a series-high 27 points, owned the Lakers in pick-and-roll and isolation situations, and submitted perhaps the most important play of the game when he took a Kevin Garnett inbounds pass with 35.4 seconds left and fed a cutting Rajon Rondo for a layup as he was falling out of bounds. Rondo's bucket gave Boston an 89-82 lead. 

Pierce has a knack for the ball, or at least wanting it more. Back in 2008 he took that jump ball away from LeBron James, and earlier tonight he ripped a rebound away from Kobe with less than a minute left. The guy just wants this. 

The Celtics won the battle of the boards, barely, 35-34. But hey, the trend continues. The team that's won the rebounding column in this series has won the game. 

Kendrick Perkins picked a good time to block his first shot of the series, as a rejection on Gasol led to a Pierce three-pointer in the left corner with 11:11 left in the third quarter, which put Boston up 50-39.

And speaking of blocking Gasol, how about Tony Allen? That was an insane block with 1:26 left in the third quarter. Insane.

The Celtics are now just one win away from their 18th championship, and their second in the past three seasons. Read more at our Celtics blog, CelticsBlog.

Celtics 92, Lakers 86: Boston One Win Away From 18th Championship

Boston, MA (Sports Network) - Paul Pierce netted 27 points and the Boston Celtics overcame a big night by Kobe Bryant and held off the Los Angeles Lakers, 92-86, in the pivotal Game 5 of the NBA Finals.

Kevin Garnett tallied 18 points and 10 rebounds, while Rajon Rondo contributed 18 points and eight assists for the Celtics, who hold a 3-2 lead in the best- of-seven series and are a victory away from their second title in three years. They polished off the Lakers in six games in 2008.

The Celtics can finish off the Lakers in Game 6 Tuesday in Los Angeles. If the Lakers win, a deciding Game 7 would be Thursday, again at Staples Center.

Bryant scored 28 of his 38 points in the second half for the Lakers, who had won their previous 14 playoff games when a series was tied. Bryant had little offensive support as the next best scorer was Pau Gasol with 12 points and 12 rebounds.

Coming off their 96-89 Thursday win, the Celtics were up by 12 points with under three minutes left, but had to hold on to take the lead in the series.

Lakers-Celtics, Game 5: Enough With The Revisionist History

We are minutes away from the tip-off of Game 5 Boston, so we'll keep this brief.

If you want to follow along with the game form the computer, head over to CelticsBlog. They have you covered, not only with a Game Thread, but also with a Live Chat. It's quite the community they have over there if you haven't checked it out before.

It's time for the pivotal Game 5, so enough already with the revisionist history, says Jeff Clark at CelticsBlog.

Celtics fans complaining that "if we had KG we'd be working on a three-peat."

Lakers fans complaining that "if we had Bynum and Ariza in 08 we'd be working on a three-peat."

Well you didn't.  Get over it. [...]

The Celtics and Lakers are tied up 2 games apiece.  The better team will win. I think it will be the Celtics but that's why they play the games.

If the Celtics win the Lakers won't have to give back thier rings from last year.  If the Lakers win you won't see us bringing the 08 banner down from the rafters.  History is history.  The next few games will determine who takes the next page in the history books.

Now It's A Best Of Three: Celtics Host Lakers In Pivotal Game 5 Sunday Night

(Sports Network) - The latest chapter in basketball's most storied rivalry will be written tonight as the Boston Celtics host the Los Angeles Lakers in the pivotal Game 5 of the 2010 NBA Finals.

Glen "Big Baby" Davis led a charge off Boston's bench in the fourth quarter on Thursday as the Celtics downed the Lakers, 96-89, to even the series after four games.

With a win tonight, Boston will pull within a game of its record 18th NBA title, while the Lakers would be a step away from their second consecutive crown and 16th overall.

Davis helped breathe life back into the C's in Game 4 with 18 points, nine of which came in the fourth quarter. Nate Robinson also came off the pine for 12 points, half of which were in the last period.

The Boston win essentially created a best-of-three series with Game 5 tonight is Beantown. After that, the series will end in Los Angeles.

Davis had eight points in the final frame of the a 91-84 Game 3 loss, but the rest of Boston's bench was held scoreless in the period. It was a much different story in Game 4, as Boston held a 36-27 overall scoring advantage in the last period. The Celtics had 21 points from their reserves in the final quarter.

"I just felt like a beast. I felt like I couldn't be denied," said Davis, who went 7-of-10 from the field. "I have to seize the moment here."

Paul Pierce ended with 19 points, while Kevin Garnett scored 13 for the Celtics, who were 12-of-19 overall from the field in the game's final 12 minutes.

Kobe Bryant went 6-of-11 from beyond the arc and ended with 33 points for the Lakers. He also had seven of his team's 16 turnovers. Pau Gasol chipped in 21 points and six boards.

"They're a great scheming team," Bryant said. "They have a strategy in place, and they execute extremely well. I feel pretty comfortable. I wasn't pleased with the way I took care of the ball. I thought I did a horrible job of that, but it's a great defense."

Lakers center Andrew Bynum, who suffered a slightly torn meniscus against Oklahoma City in the first round of the playoffs and had his right knee drained before the finals started, suffered more swelling after Game 3 and was only able to play a little more than 12 minutes.

"We want Andrew out there as much as possible, but it's just a matter of how he's feeling and how much he can do," Gasol said. "But I think we have enough in our bench and in our team to be able to be aggressive and productive out there."

Bynum, the key to LA's interior defense, had fluid drained from his knee again after the Game 4 loss and was encouraged that the swelling had not returned.

"I'm 100 percent sure that I'm playing come Sunday," the 7-footer said at practice on Saturday. "As long as I'm able to be out there and be effective, that's what counts. And I know this game is the biggest game because it can change the whole series."

Bynum managed to play 28 minutes in the opener of the set, 39 in the second game and 29 in the third, recording 40 points and 22 rebounds as the Lakers took a 2-1 series lead. He had just two points, three rebounds and no blocks in the Game 4 setback.

Meanwhile, the stifling Celtics defense may have figured out the Lakers' vaunted triangle offense. Boston held Bryant, who is shooting just 40.9 percent in the series, to just two field goals in the fourth quarter of Game 4, after limiting him to only one over the last 12 minutes of the previous game.

"They don't want me to beat them, so they put three guys there," Bryant said. "Nothing we haven't seen before, it's just when you win those games, like Game 3, nobody talks about that because we take advantage of it. And if you lose the game, everybody talks about that. It's part of the process."

Wary of waking a sleeping giant, Boston coach Doc Rivers tried to temper the talk of slowing Bryant.

"Kobe is pretty competitive from what I hear, so there's no doubt that the more you talk about it, the more the target is on," Rivers said.

The NBA Finals have been deadlocked at two apiece 15 times and the winner of Game 5 has gone on to win the series 19 times. The last time the Finals were tied 2-2 and the Game 5 winner didn't win the series came in 1994 when the Rockets lost Game 5 to the New York Knicks, then won Games 6 and 7 in Houston to win the title.

The 2010 Finals marks the Lakers' 31st trip to the championship series and Boston's 21st appearance with 12 of those overlapping.

Their finals history dates all the way back to the 1958-59 season when the Lakers still called Minneapolis home. Boston and the game's ultimate winner, Bill Russell, dominated the early years of the rivalry. The Red Auerbach-era Celtics took the Lakers all seven times they met in the finals, although the Jerry West, Elgin Baylor-fueled LA clubs did manage to take Boston to seven games on three different occasions.

The rivalry lay dormant for 15 years until Larry Bird and Magic Johnson "saved" the NBA by bringing their own storied college rivalry to the pros. Bird avenged his loss at Indiana State to Magic's Michigan State Spartans in the 1979 NCAA Finals when the Celtics got past the Lakers in seven games to win the 1984 NBA title.

Johnson and his Lakers responded the next season as LA finally beat Boston in the finals for the first time. Magic also won the rubber match two years later before the rivalry went cold again, this time for 20 years as the Celtics struggled mightily in the post-Bird era.

Boston basketball chief Danny Ainge re-ignited things by acquiring both Garnett and Ray Allen before the 2007-08 season. The two All-Stars teamed with Pierce to create the "Boston Three Party" and the Celtics were relevant again. A 17th Boston championship was the result as Garnett and his Celtics got the best of Bryant's Lakers.

A rematch could have been in the offing last season but a knee injury to Garnett derailed any hopes of a Celtics repeat. Instead, LA earned its 15th championship by taking Orlando in five games.

The Lakers and Celtics have combined to win 32 of the NBA's 63 titles coming into this series.

Game 6 of this best-of-seven series is scheduled for Tuesday back in Los Angeles.