BOSTON, June 17 -- The names most responsible for the Boston Celtics’ 17th NBA title are familiar ones: Ray Allen, Kevin Garnett and Finals MVP Paul Pierce. When the history of the 2008 Finals is written those three players will dominate the narrative.

A thick chapter, however, will need to be devoted to the impact Boston’s reserves had in the Celtics defeating the Los Angeles Lakers in The Finals for the ninth time in 11 tries. In the series, the Celtics’ reserves had more points (175-131), more rebounds (76-42) and more assists (25-21) than their counterpart.

“They did a great job,” the Lakers’ Lamar Odom conceded. “It’s what they have been doing all year. It’s not surprising.”

Sam Cassell, P.J. Brown and Tony Allen each contributed to the Celtics’ title win. But the substitutes likely to get the majority of the ink are Eddie House, James Posey and Leon Powe, players whose designation as reserves belied the influence they had on Boston’s win. While Posey averaged 25 minutes in the series, Powe averaged fewer than 10 and House actually had to wait until Game 3 to see action. Each player, however, answered the call when Coach Doc Rivers called his name. And in a big way.

In the second quarter of Tuesday’s 131-92 Game 6 clincher, Posey and House combined for thirteen points and Boston’s bench matched the Lakers’ output, 15-15, as the Celtics blew the game open.

“You can’t get mixed up with trying to think like a coach,” said House earlier in the series, talking about the inconsistent playing time he received. “You just have to go out and play and prepare yourself, so when your number is called, you can be successful.”

House, whose peripatetic career has taken him to eight teams in 10 seasons, came up huge in Boston’s historic Game 4 comeback, scoring 11 points, including two three-pointers in the final five minutes of the fourth quarter, as the Celtics came back from as many as 24 points down to win 97-91 and take a commanding 3-1 series lead.

“He can shoot the basketball,” Doc Rivers said of House the following day. “He knows he can shoot the basketball, and he knows when he comes in that's probably why we're bringing him in is to shoot the basketball, so he's very comfortable in that role. He has the greatest role of a team player that you can have when you think about it. When you're open, shoot the ball with no hesitation, and that's what he does.”

As huge as House’s 11 points were in that win, they were overshadowed by Posey’s contribution. Posey, who made plays for Boston on both ends of the court, scored 18 points, which included four three-pointers that forced the Lakers to abandon their traps. Without House’s and Posey’s shots from long-distance, the floor wouldn’t have opened up for Boston and the Celtics likely wouldn’t have been able to fight back.

“When Pose made those shots, I knew that from that point on, we were going to have one on one coverage,” said Rivers. “Whether we made shots from that point on was up to us. But the trap stopped, the floor was spaced, and once the floor was spaced our scorers could score.”

Powe, who started Game 5 at center in place of the injured Kendrick Perkins, who suffered a left shoulder sprain in Game 4, will be remembered for his Game 2 heroics. The second-year forward scored 21 points – most from close range -- in 15 minutes in helping the Celtics go up 2-0 with a 108-102 win. Powe’s 13 free throws were three more than the Lakers attempted as a team.

“Leon's minutes fluctuated a lot during the playoffs and there's been some DNPs he's got, but he's always prepared,” said Brown, who had his own moments off the bench during the series. “He's a consummate professional, and to see him have the type of game he had tonight, I was definitely happy for him and was just flying high with him.”

“Powe really played hard, took advantage of the opportunities he had down there and converted pretty well,” said the Lakers’ Pau Gasol, a frequent victim of Powe’s damage down low. “So, obviously, he did good. He runs the floor, goes to the boards, does all the little things, and that was enough for him to have a 21 point game in an NBA Final [game] and make an impact on the game.”

On the eve of Game 5 and with the Celtics holding a commanding 3-1 series lead, House talked about Boston’s, and specifically its bench’s, mentality throughout the postseason. “You have to play the game,” he said. “You can’t just think you’re going to get the trophy without playing the game. So, you have to go out and give everything you have.”

Boston’s reserves did that throughout The Finals.

That’s how their chapter will be written.