Celtics-Lakers Preview

By GREG BEACHAM
Posted Jun 02 2010 8:07PM

LOS ANGELES (AP) When Kobe Bryant joined the Lakers and Paul Pierce landed with the Celtics in the late 1990s, they both learned most of what they needed to know about their franchises' histories and expectations simply by looking at the forests of fabric high above the court.

These teams only hang banners for championships, and they're usually in big groups.

Multiple titles are the only metric of success, the only validation still interesting to Bryant and Pierce. Bryant is trying to accomplish the rarest of NBA feats for the second time in his career, while Pierce's Celtics get their first chance when the NBA finals begin Thursday night at Staples Center.

``It's going to mean everything for my career, because a lot of guys have won one, and not many have won a couple,'' Pierce said Wednesday before Boston practiced at Staples Center.

Pro basketball's most successful franchises are together in the NBA finals for the second time in three years and the 12th time overall. These teams will have won 33 of the league's 64 titles when they finish a potentially fascinating series with plenty of modern subplots.

``We're always focused on winning a championship,'' Bryant said. ``And when you do it, you want to do it again and again.''

Bryant is enjoying a dynamic postseason despite hobbling through injuries during a third straight finals run by his remarkably steady Lakers, who are 8-0 at home in the playoffs and haven't even trailed in a series.

Boston's swift rise from a 50-win regular season as a No. 4 seed has been even more surprising, with Rajon Rondo making a quantum leap into stardom during what might be the last stand for Boston's Big Three of Pierce, Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen.

But on the biggest scoreboard of all, the one these players claim they seldom check, it's Celtics 17, Lakers 15. Don't expect fans in either basketball-crazy city to forget that score when their team takes it all again.

And just in case the Staples Center fans didn't have enough reason to go crazy in Game 1, Pierce threw out the first volley against his own hometown.

``Our fans are, I want to say, a little bit more knowledgeable to the game,'' said Pierce, a Lakers fan growing up in Inglewood. ``I think a lot of celebrities come here to get out of the house (rather) than to watch a game - to see the other celebrities. It's an interesting crowd, whereas I think our fans really come to watch the actual game.''

L.A. should be fully focused on this historic matchup, however. Most players on both teams already have jewelry after Boston beat Los Angeles in six games in 2008, and the Lakers routed Orlando last season. But just one ring isn't enough now - not for the veterans who appreciate the rare opportunity to go for two.

``If you look at the great players in Celtic history, the great teams, they've all won a couple of championships at least,'' said Pierce, who dumped his baseball dreams for basketball mostly because of this rivalry's irresistible pull in the 1980s. ``I want to be mentioned up there with the great Celtics of all time, cement my name in history with the group by winning more than one championship. ... To win another one, and to come close to it, is pretty impressive.''

Celtics coach Doc Rivers subtly emphasized this point all season at Boston's training complex with a blank banner hanging above their practice court, right next to the 2008 banner. Rivers claimed it was put there by the late Red Auerbach, whose coaching record for NBA titles was broken by Lakers coach Phil Jackson last year.

Jackson wasn't quite so explicit in his gym, although the banner for a 16th title would fit neatly in a spot on the east wall.

``It's very rare that you have this occasion when a team has won a championship, another team (went) off and won a championship, and now you have the renewal of the rivalry,'' Jackson said. ``It's a special thing. I mentioned that to the players, that it's a special thing for us - not so much about the (Bill) Russell era, or the (Dave) Cowens era, or the (Larry) Bird and Magic era.''

Only nine NBA teams have won more than one title, and just five franchises besides the Lakers and Celtics repeated as champions within the same half-decade, further winnowing the ranks in which this season's champions will find themselves after the series.

Allen got a perspective on the achievement from no less an authority than Michael Jordan during a conversation last week.

``He told me, 'The first one you win, you're lucky,''' Allen said with a grin. ``I didn't win six, so I don't know what it feels like to be able to do it that many times. ... It adds to your (legacy) to be able to be here and say that you won multiple times. It's not just some fluke where you gave it all for one moment. To be able to get back to it multiple times, it definitely shows your commitment.''

Bryant chooses to deal with history's ghosts and the future's possibilities by utterly ignoring them, at least in public. Yet with the bulk of his 30s still in front of him, there's little doubt Bryant grasps what a fifth title would mean - the same number won by Magic Johnson, and just one fewer than Jordan, to whom Bryant was recently equated by NBA commissioner David Stern.

``I only think about this one matchup,'' Bryant said. ``The happy times of Magic winning against Boston, or the sad times of Jerry West losing to them, has no impact on me whatsoever. I have a series to play. I have a series to win. I'll just focus on that.''

Bryant is in his seventh NBA finals, winning his first three and then losing twice. He was the 2008 regular-season MVP, yet Pierce outplayed him in that meeting, winning the finals MVP award.

Bryant responded by propelling the Lakers to last season's title, and his current playoff run has been even more impressive - 29.4 points, 6.2 assists and 5.1 rebounds per game despite having his knee drained during the first round.

``I don't think there's any doubt that this is one of the great playoff performances,'' Jackson said. ``This year particularly stands out simply due to a lot of speculation at the end of the season, and how he's really recovered and led this basketball team during this playoff. This is an outstanding performance up to this point.''

Copyright 2010 by STATS LLC and Associated Press. Any commercial use or distribution without the express written consent of STATS LLC and Associated Press is strictly prohibited

Lakers' defense shines in Finals-opening win over Celtics

By Bryan Chu, for NBA.com
Posted Friday June 4, 2010 1:58AM

LOS ANGELES (NBA.com exclusive) -- The talk coming into the game circled around how the Celtics' defense may rival that of the 2008 championship team.

On Thursday, the Lakers showed their rendition of defense.

They took charges. They caused deflections. They altered and rejected shots inside. In short, they frustrated Boston.

That defense coupled with a late third-quarter spurt helped the defending champs deliver an emphatic blow to the Celtics, winning 102-89 in Game 1 of the NBA Finals at Staples Center.

"I think people forget how good we are defensively," Lakers forward Lamar Odom said.

No one is forgetting how dominating Phil Jackson's teams are after winning Game 1 in a series as his teams are a perfect 47-0. But a reminder of the Lakers' ultimate goal was apparent in the locker room after the game.

Scribbled in black on a white board directly across Kobe Bryant's locker was the phrase "3 Mo."

"We're counting down," said Odom, whose team is now 9-0 at home in the postseason with Game 2 on Sunday.

Leading the way for the Lakers in the series opener was Bryant, who had a game-high 30 points, seven rebounds and six assists. He has now scored 30-plus in 10 of his last 11 contests. Pau Gasol had a terrific all-around game with 23 points, 14 rebounds and three blocks. Ron Artest chipped in 15.

The dominating fashion in which the Lakers, who led by as many as 20 points, took Game 1 was surprising, even to Boston's Paul Pierce.

After the game, Pierce, who a team-high 24 points, was quick to mention how many points the Celtics have given up. That's because they have only given up 100 or more points four times this postseason coming into the series.

"It wasn't typical," said Pierce of the atmosphere in the locker room after the loss. "There were some angry people in there and they showed us.

"The (Lakers) definitely pushed us tonight and had us on our heels."

The Lakers built their lead off their swarming defense, a 16-0 advantage on second chance points and a 48-30 differential on points in the paint.

They also held Boston to 43.3 percent shooting and neutralized their best player.

The Lakers' length was a big factor in slowing down Rajon Rondo in the paint. Rondo, who typically gets a half-dozen easy layups, had a pair of what appeared to be easy lay-ins rejected by Odom and Gasol. It also helped that Bryant guarded Rondo all night.

"They did a great job getting back on the fast break," said Rondo, who had 13 points and eight assists. "They did a good job of collapsing when I did get a chance to get inside the paint ... they did a great job mixing it up."

The third quarter was huge for the Lakers as they outscored the Celtics 34-23.

Bryant had his prints all over the period, scoring 14 points. None was prettier than Fisher's alley-oop to Bryant, who threw it down with two hands to give Los Angeles a 75-62 lead. The Lakers finished the period on a 16-4 run to go up 84-64 heading into the fourth.

"It was horrible," said Celtics coach Doc Rivers of his team's defense.

Boston did show some fight at the start of the fourth quarter. Trailing by 20 points, the Celtics whittled the deficit to 85-74 after a 10-1 run. But the Lakers answered.

The play that seemingly sapped the energy out of the Celtics was a block by Artest on Glen Davis, which led to a Gasol dunk.

"It was a big play for us," Bryant said. "He does a great job for us setting the tone for us defensively."

The "intriguing" matchup -- as Jackson called it -- between Kevin Garnett and Gasol was on display in the third quarter when the two went at each other. Garnett did his best to keep the Celtics close, hitting several tough fallaways with Gasol in his face and had 16 in the quarter.

Gasol didn't back away from the challenge, however.

"He's more aggressive," said Rivers of Gasol this time around versus in the 2008 matchup. "I thought he was the best player on the floor."

Facing the Suns' zone defense helped the Lakers sharpen their ball movement and cuts to the basket. Gasol and Andrew Bynum showed that early on with with Gasol scoring 11 first-half points and Bynum looking as spry as a person with a torn meniscus in his right knee can. Bynum, who had fluid drained from his knee on Monday, had a pair of two-handed dunks in the first half and finished with 10 points and six rebounds.

This game had its fair share of physical play, especially early.

Twenty-seven seconds into the game, Artest and Pierce got tangled up under the basket and took each other down to the floor. They were separated and then given technicals. That physical play led to a free-throw parade in the opening quarter as both teams combined to commit 18 first-quarter fouls.

Foul trouble plagued the Celtics' Ray Allen, who picked up his fourth in the opening minutes of the third quarter. Allen, who finished with 12 points in 27 minutes, returned late in the third quarter and 20 seconds later, picked up his fifth foul.

"We didn't come out with that fire that we've been showing these playoffs," Celtics forward Tony Allen said.

"They outhustled us today. ...I don't think we took that first punch like we should have."

• Celtics: Daniels, Gaffney, Lafayette
• Lakers: Morrison

• Celtics: Pierce, Wallace
• Lakers: Artest

• Lead Changes: 1
• Times Tied: 2

• Arena: Staples Center, Los Angeles, CA
• Officials: #17 Joe Crawford, #14 Joe DeRosa, #9 Derrick Stafford
• Attendance: 18997
• Duration: 2:48

Boston Celtics (50-33)		Los Angeles Lakers (58-25)
Start of 1st Quarter
(12:00) Jump Ball Bynum vs Perkins (Rondo gains possession)
Rondo Layup Shot: Made (2 PTS) Assist: Pierce (1 AST)	11:47 [BOS 2-0]
Allen Foul : Personal (1 PF)	11:33
	11:33	Double Technical - Artest, Pierce
	11:21	Gasol Turnover : Bad Pass (1 TO)
Rondo Driving Reverse Layup Shot: Missed	11:03
	11:02	Team Rebound
	10:48 [LAL 2-2]	Fisher Jump Shot: Made (2 PTS) Assist: Bryant (1 AST)
	10:34	Fisher Foul : Personal (1 PF)
Allen Jump Shot: Missed	10:23
	10:23	Fisher Rebound (Off:0 Def:1)
	10:14 [LAL 4-2]	Bryant Running Layup Shot: Made (2 PTS)
	09:58	Fisher Foul : Personal (2 PF)
	09:58	Fisher Substitution replaced by Vujacic
Pierce Turnover : Bad Pass (1 TO) Steal:Artest (1 ST)	09:50
Perkins Foul : Personal (1 PF)	09:44
	09:34 [LAL 6-2]	Bynum Slam Dunk Shot: Made (2 PTS)
Allen Jump Shot: Made (2 PTS) Assist: Rondo (1 AST)	09:19 [BOS 4-6]
	09:03 [LAL 8-4]	Artest Jump Shot: Made (2 PTS) Assist: Vujacic (1 AST)
Allen Turnover : Bad Pass (1 TO) Steal:Bryant (1 ST)	08:46
	08:41	Artest Layup Shot: Missed
	08:41	Team Rebound
Garnett Foul : Personal (1 PF)	08:41
	08:30	Bynum Layup Shot: Missed
Pierce Rebound (Off:0 Def:1)	08:28
Garnett Jump Shot: Missed	08:18
	08:17	Bynum Rebound (Off:0 Def:1)
	08:06 [LAL 10-4]	Gasol Jump Shot: Made (2 PTS) Assist: Bryant (2 AST)
Rondo Jump Shot: Made (4 PTS)	07:49 [BOS 6-10]
	07:38 [LAL 12-6]	Bryant Floating Jump shot: Made (4 PTS)
Rondo Hook Shot: Made (6 PTS) Assist: Garnett (1 AST)	07:22 [BOS 8-12]
Allen Foul : Personal (2 PF)	06:57
Allen Substitution replaced by Allen	06:57
	06:48	Bynum Hook Shot: Missed
Pierce Rebound (Off:0 Def:2)	06:46
Allen Driving Layup Shot: Missed	06:43
	06:42	Bynum Rebound (Off:0 Def:2)
	06:34	Gasol Turnover : Traveling (2 TO)
Pierce Layup Shot: Made (2 PTS)	06:22 [BOS 10-12]
	06:04	Artest 3pt Shot: Missed
	06:03	Gasol Rebound (Off:1 Def:0)
	06:00 [LAL 14-10]	Gasol Driving Layup Shot: Made (4 PTS)
Garnett Jump Shot: Missed	05:46
	05:45	Bynum Rebound (Off:0 Def:3)
	05:37	Bryant Layup Shot: Missed
	05:35	Gasol Rebound (Off:2 Def:0)
	05:35 [LAL 16-10]	Gasol Putback Layup Shot: Made (6 PTS)
Team Timeout : Regular	05:30
	05:25	Artest Foul : Personal (1 PF)
Pierce Jump Shot: Made (4 PTS)	05:14 [BOS 12-16]
	04:49	Artest Jump Shot: Missed
	04:47	Team Rebound
	04:47	Team Turnover : Shot Clock Turnover
	04:31	Bynum Foul : Shooting (1 PF)
Perkins Free Throw 1 of 2 (1 PTS)	04:31 [BOS 13-16]
Gasol Violation:Lane	04:31
Perkins Free Throw 2 of 2 Missed	04:31
	04:29	Gasol Rebound (Off:2 Def:1)
Allen Foul : Shooting (1 PF)	04:17
	04:17 [LAL 17-13]	Bryant Free Throw 1 of 2 (5 PTS)
Perkins Substitution replaced by Wallace	04:17
	04:17	Bynum Substitution replaced by Odom
	04:17 [LAL 18-13]	Bryant Free Throw 2 of 2 (6 PTS)
Rondo Driving Reverse Layup Shot: Missed Block: Odom (1 BLK)	04:01
	03:59	Vujacic Rebound (Off:0 Def:1)
	03:51	Bryant Jump Shot: Missed
Team Rebound	03:50
Garnett Turnaround Jump Shot: Missed	03:39
	03:37	Odom Rebound (Off:0 Def:1)
	03:28	Vujacic 3pt Shot: Missed
Garnett Rebound (Off:0 Def:1)	03:27
	03:24	Artest Foul : Personal (2 PF)
Pierce Free Throw 1 of 2 Missed	03:24
Team Rebound	03:24
Garnett Substitution replaced by Davis	03:24
	03:24	Artest Substitution replaced by Farmar
Pierce Free Throw 2 of 2 (5 PTS)	03:24 [BOS 14-18]
	03:13	Odom Turnover : Out of Bounds Lost Ball Turnover (1 TO)
	03:03	Bryant Foul : Personal (1 PF)
Pierce Free Throw 1 of 2 (6 PTS)	03:03 [BOS 15-18]
Pierce Free Throw 2 of 2 (7 PTS)	03:03 [BOS 16-18]
	02:50	Farmar Turnover : Bad Pass (1 TO) Steal:Allen (1 ST)
	02:50	Farmar Foul : Personal (1 PF)
	02:50	Team Timeout : Regular
	02:50	Vujacic Substitution replaced by Brown
Allen Free Throw 1 of 2 (1 PTS)	02:50 [BOS 17-18]
Allen Free Throw 2 of 2 (2 PTS)	02:50 [BOS 18-18]
	02:30	Brown Driving Layup Shot: Missed
	02:30	Gasol Rebound (Off:3 Def:1)
Allen Foul : Shooting (2 PF)	02:30
	02:30 [LAL 19-18]	Gasol Free Throw 1 of 2 (7 PTS)
	02:30	Gasol Free Throw 2 of 2 Missed
Wallace Rebound (Off:0 Def:1)	02:27
Allen Turnover : Bad Pass (1 TO) Steal:Gasol (1 ST)	02:16
	02:10	Bryant Running Layup Shot: Missed
	02:10	Odom Rebound (Off:1 Def:1)
Wallace Foul : Shooting (1 PF)	02:10
	02:10 [LAL 20-18]	Odom Free Throw 1 of 2 (1 PTS)
	02:10	Odom Free Throw 2 of 2 Missed
Davis Rebound (Off:0 Def:1)	02:09
Allen Foul : Offensive (3 PF)	01:56
Allen Turnover : Foul (2 TO)	01:56
Allen Substitution replaced by Finley	01:56
	01:37	Farmar Driving Layup Shot: Missed
Pierce Rebound (Off:0 Def:3)	01:35
	01:23	Odom Foul : Shooting (1 PF)
Davis Free Throw 1 of 2 Missed	01:23
Team Rebound	01:23
Davis Free Throw 2 of 2 (1 PTS)	01:23 [BOS 19-20]
Pierce Foul : Shooting (1 PF)	01:11
	01:11 [LAL 21-19]	Bryant Free Throw 1 of 2 (7 PTS)
	01:11 [LAL 22-19]	Bryant Free Throw 2 of 2 (8 PTS)
	00:59.1	Bryant Foul : Personal (2 PF)
Pierce Free Throw 1 of 2 (8 PTS)	00:59.1 [BOS 20-22]
	00:59.1	Bryant Substitution replaced by Walton
Pierce Free Throw 2 of 2 (9 PTS)	00:59.1 [BOS 21-22]
	00:38.8 [LAL 24-21]	Farmar Driving Layup Shot: Made (2 PTS)
Pierce 3pt Shot: Missed	00:29.9
	00:28.8	Brown Rebound (Off:0 Def:1)
	00:24.5 [LAL 26-21]	Brown Driving Layup Shot: Made (2 PTS)
Rondo Turnover : Lost Ball (1 TO) Steal:Farmar (1 ST)	00:22.7
	00:02.9	Odom Running Jump Shot: Missed
Wallace Rebound (Off:0 Def:2)	00:02.9
End of 1st Quarter
Boston Celtics (50-33)		Los Angeles Lakers (58-25)
Start of 2nd QuarterBack to Top
	11:42	Farmar Turnaround Jump Shot: Missed
	11:39	Farmar Rebound (Off:1 Def:0)
	11:36 [LAL 28-21]	Bynum Slam Dunk Shot: Made (4 PTS) Assist: Walton (1 AST)
Wallace Jump Bank Shot: Made (2 PTS) Assist: Rondo (2 AST)	11:16 [BOS 23-28]
	10:55	Walton Turnover : Bad Pass (1 TO) Steal:Davis (1 ST)
Pierce 3pt Shot: Missed	10:48
Rondo Rebound (Off:1 Def:0)	10:46
Rondo Layup Shot: Missed Block: Walton (1 BLK)	10:46
Rondo Rebound (Off:2 Def:0)	10:46
	10:46	Odom Foul : Shooting (2 PF)
Rondo Free Throw 1 of 2 Missed	10:46
Team Rebound	10:46
Rondo Free Throw 2 of 2 Missed	10:46
	10:46	Odom Rebound (Off:1 Def:2)
	10:34	Odom Foul : Offensive (3 PF)
	10:34	Odom Turnover : Foul (2 TO)
	10:34	Odom Substitution replaced by Gasol
Wallace 3pt Shot: Made (5 PTS) Assist: Pierce (2 AST)	10:14 [BOS 26-28]
	09:54	Gasol Jump Shot: Missed
Pierce Rebound (Off:0 Def:4)	09:53
Robinson Layup Shot: Missed	09:43
	09:41	Bynum Rebound (Off:0 Def:4)
	09:26	Gasol Jump Shot: Missed Block: Wallace (1 BLK)
	09:24	Gasol Rebound (Off:4 Def:1)
	09:18 [LAL 30-26]	Brown Running Bank shot: Made (4 PTS)
Davis Foul : Offensive (1 PF)	09:02
Davis Turnover : Foul (1 TO)	09:02
	08:43	Pierce Violation:Kicked Ball
	08:43	Timeout : Official
Pierce Substitution replaced by Allen	08:43
Davis Substitution replaced by Perkins	08:43
	08:43	Farmar Substitution replaced by Fisher
	08:43	Walton Substitution replaced by Vujacic
	08:31 [LAL 32-26]	Brown Running Finger Roll Layup Shot: Made (6 PTS) Assist: Vujacic (2 AST)
Allen Running Hook Shot: Made (4 PTS) Assist: Robinson (1 AST)	08:09 [BOS 28-32]
	07:53	Bynum Turnover : 3 Second Violation (1 TO)
Perkins Layup Shot: Made (3 PTS) Assist: Rondo (3 AST)	07:35 [BOS 30-32]
	07:35	Vujacic Foul : Shooting (1 PF)
Rondo Substitution replaced by Allen	07:35
	07:35	Vujacic Substitution replaced by Bryant
Perkins Free Throw 1 of 1 (4 PTS)	07:35 [BOS 31-32]
Robinson Foul : Personal (1 PF)	07:31
Wallace Substitution replaced by Garnett	07:11
	07:11	Jump Ball Gasol vs Robinson (Bryant gains possession)
	07:05 [LAL 34-31]	Bryant Jump Shot: Made (10 PTS)
Allen Jump Shot: Missed	06:43
	06:42	Bynum Rebound (Off:0 Def:5)
Robinson Foul : Shooting (2 PF)	06:32
	06:32	Bynum Free Throw 1 of 2 Missed
	06:32	Team Rebound
	06:32 [LAL 35-31]	Bynum Free Throw 2 of 2 (5 PTS)
Allen Substitution replaced by Pierce	06:22
Allen Jump Shot: Made (6 PTS) Assist: Robinson (2 AST)	06:12 [BOS 33-35]
	05:55	Bryant Turnover : Lost Ball (1 TO) Steal:Perkins (1 ST)
Robinson 3pt Shot: Missed	05:49
	05:45	Bryant Rebound (Off:0 Def:1)
	05:38 [LAL 37-33]	Bynum Slam Dunk Shot: Made (7 PTS) Assist: Fisher (1 AST)
Allen Layup Shot: Missed	05:20
	05:20	Gasol Rebound (Off:4 Def:2)
	05:07	Bryant Turnover : Bad Pass (2 TO) Steal:Garnett (1 ST)
Garnett Turnaround Fade Away shot: Made (2 PTS)	04:54 [BOS 35-37]
	04:46	Team Timeout : Regular
Robinson Substitution replaced by Rondo	04:46
	04:46	Brown Substitution replaced by Artest
	04:29 [LAL 39-35]	Gasol Jump Shot: Made (9 PTS) Assist: Bryant (3 AST)
Allen Jump Shot: Missed Block: Gasol (1 BLK)	04:03
Team Rebound	04:03
Team Turnover : Shot Clock Turnover	04:03
	03:40	Bryant Jump Shot: Missed
Pierce Rebound (Off:0 Def:5)	03:39
Pierce 3pt Shot: Missed	03:28
	03:27	Gasol Rebound (Off:4 Def:3)
	03:16	Bryant Layup Shot: Missed Block: Garnett (1 BLK)
Perkins Rebound (Off:0 Def:1)	03:14
Allen 3pt Shot: Missed	03:08
Rondo Rebound (Off:3 Def:0)	03:06
Garnett Layup Shot: Missed Block: Gasol (2 BLK)	03:00
	02:58	Fisher Rebound (Off:0 Def:2)
Pierce Foul : Personal (2 PF)	02:54
Team Timeout : Regular	02:54
	02:47 [LAL 42-35]	Artest 3pt Shot: Made (5 PTS)
Garnett Turnover : Bad Pass (1 TO) Steal:Fisher (1 ST)	02:35
	02:32 [LAL 44-35]	Artest Driving Layup Shot: Made (7 PTS) Assist: Fisher (2 AST)
Rondo Jump Shot: Missed	02:15
Perkins Rebound (Off:1 Def:1)	02:14
Rondo Jump Shot: Missed Block: Gasol (3 BLK)	02:03
	02:01	Bryant Rebound (Off:0 Def:2)
Allen Foul : Personal (3 PF)	01:53
Allen Substitution replaced by Allen	01:53
	01:44	Artest Layup Shot: Missed
Rondo Rebound (Off:3 Def:1)	01:43
Garnett Alley Oop Dunk Shot: Made (4 PTS) Assist: Rondo (4 AST)	01:38 [BOS 37-44]
	01:22 [LAL 46-37]	Bryant Driving Layup Shot: Made (12 PTS)
Garnett Jump Shot: Missed	01:01
	01:00	Bryant Rebound (Off:0 Def:3)
	00:56.6 [LAL 48-37]	Fisher Jump Shot: Made (4 PTS) Assist: Bryant (4 AST)
Team Timeout : Short	00:56.6
	00:56.6	Artest Substitution replaced by Farmar
	00:56.6	Bryant Substitution replaced by Walton
	00:56.6	Fisher Substitution replaced by Brown
Rondo Jump Shot: Made (8 PTS)	00:45.4 [BOS 39-48]
Perkins Foul : Shooting (2 PF)	00:27.2
	00:27.2 [LAL 49-39]	Gasol Free Throw 1 of 2 (10 PTS)
Perkins Substitution replaced by Wallace	00:27.2
	00:27.2 [LAL 50-39]	Gasol Free Throw 2 of 2 (11 PTS)
	00:07.1	Walton Foul : Personal (1 PF)
Allen Substitution replaced by Robinson	00:07.1
Rondo Jump Shot: Made (10 PTS)	00:00.3 [BOS 41-50]
	00:00.0	Instant Replay - Support Ruling
End of 2nd Quarter
Boston Celtics (50-33)		Los Angeles Lakers (58-25)
Start of 3rd QuarterBack to Top
Perkins Foul : Shooting (3 PF)	11:47
	11:47	Bynum Free Throw 1 of 2 Missed
	11:47	Team Rebound
	11:47 [LAL 51-41]	Bynum Free Throw 2 of 2 (8 PTS)
	11:36	Artest Foul : Personal (3 PF)
	11:29	Fisher Foul : Shooting (3 PF)
Allen Free Throw 1 of 2 (7 PTS)	11:29 [BOS 42-51]
Allen Free Throw 2 of 2 (8 PTS)	11:29 [BOS 43-51]
	11:10 [LAL 53-43]	Bryant Jump Shot: Made (14 PTS)
Garnett Jump Shot: Made (6 PTS) Assist: Rondo (5 AST)	10:47 [BOS 45-53]
	10:35 [LAL 55-45]	Bryant Floating Jump shot: Made (16 PTS)
Rondo Layup Shot: Missed	10:18
	10:17	Bynum Rebound (Off:0 Def:6)
	09:53 [LAL 57-45]	Bynum Turnaround Jump Shot: Made (10 PTS)
Rondo Running Jump Shot: Made (12 PTS) Assist: Pierce (3 AST)	09:28 [BOS 47-57]
Allen Foul : Personal (4 PF)	09:04
Allen Substitution replaced by Allen	09:04
	08:51	Bryant Turnover : Bad Pass (3 TO)
	08:36	Bynum Foul : Shooting (2 PF)
Rondo Free Throw 1 of 2 Missed	08:36
Team Rebound	08:36
Rondo Free Throw 2 of 2 (13 PTS)	08:36 [BOS 48-57]
Garnett Foul : Personal (2 PF)	08:27
	08:13	Bryant Layup Shot: Missed Block: Allen (1 BLK)
	08:11	Gasol Rebound (Off:5 Def:3)
	08:10	Gasol Layup Shot: Missed
	08:10	Team Rebound
	08:10	Team Turnover : Shot Clock Turnover
Perkins Turnover : Out of Bounds Lost Ball Turnover (1 TO)	08:00
Rondo Foul : Shooting (1 PF)	07:50
	07:50 [LAL 58-48]	Gasol Free Throw 1 of 2 (12 PTS)
	07:50 [LAL 59-48]	Gasol Free Throw 2 of 2 (13 PTS)
Pierce Jump Shot: Made (11 PTS) Assist: Perkins (1 AST)	07:38 [BOS 50-59]
	07:15	Bryant Fade Away Jumper Shot: Missed
	07:13	Artest Rebound (Off:1 Def:0)
	07:07 [LAL 61-50]	Bryant Jump Hook Shot: Made (18 PTS) Assist: Gasol (1 AST)
	06:41	Bynum Foul : Shooting (3 PF)
Perkins Free Throw 1 of 2 (5 PTS)	06:41 [BOS 51-61]
Perkins Free Throw 2 of 2 (6 PTS)	06:41 [BOS 52-61]
	06:28 [LAL 63-52]	Fisher Jump Shot: Made (6 PTS) Assist: Artest (1 AST)
Pierce Turnover : Bad Pass (2 TO) Steal:Artest (2 ST)	06:15
	06:11 [LAL 65-52]	Bryant Driving Dunk Shot: Made (20 PTS)
Team Timeout : Regular	06:10
Garnett Jump Shot: Made (8 PTS) Assist: Rondo (6 AST)	05:53 [BOS 54-65]
	05:38	Bryant Turnover : Bad Pass (4 TO)
Perkins Layup Shot: Made (8 PTS) Assist: Rondo (7 AST)	05:19 [BOS 56-65]
	04:53 [LAL 67-56]	Gasol Layup Shot: Made (15 PTS)
	04:48	Gasol Foul : Personal (1 PF)
Garnett Free Throw 1 of 2 (9 PTS)	04:48 [BOS 57-67]
Garnett Free Throw 2 of 2 (10 PTS)	04:48 [BOS 58-67]
	04:31	Gasol Layup Shot: Missed
	04:30	Gasol Rebound (Off:6 Def:3)
	04:30	Gasol Tip Shot: Missed
	04:29	Gasol Rebound (Off:7 Def:3)
	04:29 [LAL 69-58]	Gasol Putback Layup Shot: Made (17 PTS)
Rondo Reverse Layup Shot: Missed	04:14
	04:11	Fisher Rebound (Off:0 Def:3)
	04:04	Fisher Jump Shot: Missed
Perkins Rebound (Off:1 Def:2)	04:03
Garnett Jump Shot: Made (12 PTS)	03:51 [BOS 60-69]
Allen Foul : Shooting (4 PF)	03:34
Perkins Substitution replaced by Wallace	03:34
	03:34	Bynum Substitution replaced by Odom
	03:34 [LAL 70-60]	Bryant Free Throw 1 of 2 (21 PTS)
	03:34 [LAL 71-60]	Bryant Free Throw 2 of 2 (22 PTS)
Allen Slam Dunk Shot: Made (4 PTS) Assist: Rondo (8 AST)	03:19 [BOS 62-71]
	03:03	Fisher Jump Shot: Missed
	03:03	Team Rebound
Pierce Foul : Loose Ball (3 PF)	03:03
	03:03 [LAL 72-62]	Artest Free Throw 1 of 2 (8 PTS)
	03:03 [LAL 73-62]	Artest Free Throw 2 of 2 (9 PTS)
Allen Layup Shot: Missed Block: Bryant (1 BLK)	02:47
	02:44	Bryant Rebound (Off:0 Def:4)
	02:25	Fisher Floating Jump shot: Missed
Wallace Rebound (Off:0 Def:3)	02:24
Garnett Jump Shot: Missed	02:17
	02:16	Artest Rebound (Off:1 Def:1)
	02:11 [LAL 75-62]	Bryant Alley Oop Dunk Shot: Made (24 PTS) Assist: Fisher (3 AST)
Team Timeout : Short	02:10
	02:10	Team Timeout : Regular
Garnett Substitution replaced by Davis	02:10
Allen Substitution replaced by Allen	02:10
Davis Jump Shot: Missed	02:00
	01:59	Bryant Rebound (Off:0 Def:5)
Allen Foul : Shooting (5 PF)	01:39
Allen Substitution replaced by Allen	01:39
	01:39 [LAL 76-62]	Bryant Free Throw 1 of 2 (25 PTS)
	01:39 [LAL 77-62]	Bryant Free Throw 2 of 2 (26 PTS)
	01:31	Gasol Foul : Personal (2 PF)
Wallace Free Throw 1 of 2 (6 PTS)	01:31 [BOS 63-77]
Wallace Free Throw 2 of 2 (7 PTS)	01:31 [BOS 64-77]
Wallace Foul : Personal (2 PF)	01:19
	01:19 [LAL 78-64]	Fisher Free Throw 1 of 2 (7 PTS)
	01:19 [LAL 79-64]	Fisher Free Throw 2 of 2 (8 PTS)
Pierce 3pt Shot: Missed	00:57.9
	00:57.4	Odom Rebound (Off:1 Def:3)
Pierce Foul : Shooting (4 PF)	00:46.3
	00:46.3	Gasol Free Throw 1 of 2 Missed
	00:46.3	Team Rebound
	00:46.3	Bryant Substitution replaced by Brown
Wallace Technical	00:46.3
	00:46.3 [LAL 80-64]	Fisher Free Throw Technical (9 PTS)
	00:46.3 [LAL 81-64]	Gasol Free Throw 2 of 2 (18 PTS)
Rondo Foul : Offensive (2 PF)	00:39.1
Rondo Turnover : Foul (2 TO)	00:39.1
	00:28.0 [LAL 84-64]	Artest 3pt Shot: Made (12 PTS)
Wallace 3pt Shot: Missed	00:05.9
	00:03.9	Artest Rebound (Off:1 Def:2)
	00:00.2	Artest 3pt Shot: Missed
	00:00.0	Team Rebound
End of 3rd Quarter
Boston Celtics (50-33)		Los Angeles Lakers (58-25)
Start of 4th QuarterBack to Top
Wallace Slam Dunk Shot: Made (9 PTS) Assist: Davis (1 AST)	11:43 [BOS 66-84]
	11:21	Bryant Jump Shot: Missed
Wallace Rebound (Off:0 Def:4)	11:20
Wallace Turnover : Bad Pass (1 TO)	11:20
Wallace Foul : Shooting (3 PF)	11:09
	11:09 [LAL 85-66]	Gasol Free Throw 1 of 2 (19 PTS)
	11:09	Gasol Free Throw 2 of 2 Missed
Robinson Rebound (Off:0 Def:1)	11:08
Pierce Running Finger Roll Layup Shot: Made (13 PTS)	10:52 [BOS 68-85]
	10:23	Odom Jump Shot: Missed
Pierce Rebound (Off:0 Def:6)	10:22
Pierce Turnover : Palming Turnover (3 TO)	10:18
	09:57	Gasol Layup Shot: Missed
Davis Rebound (Off:0 Def:2)	09:55
Davis Layup Shot: Made (3 PTS) Assist: Robinson (3 AST)	09:38 [BOS 70-85]
	09:12	Bryant Layup Shot: Missed
Team Rebound	09:11
Wallace Substitution replaced by Garnett	09:10
Garnett Jump Shot: Made (14 PTS) Assist: Robinson (4 AST)	08:57 [BOS 72-85]
	08:41	Odom 3pt Shot: Missed
Pierce Rebound (Off:0 Def:7)	08:40
	08:28	Gasol Foul : Shooting (3 PF)
Timeout : Official	08:28
	08:28	Bryant Substitution replaced by Artest
Pierce Free Throw 1 of 2 (14 PTS)	08:28 [BOS 73-85]
Pierce Free Throw 2 of 2 (15 PTS)	08:28 [BOS 74-85]
	08:12 [LAL 87-74]	Farmar Layup Shot: Made (4 PTS) Assist: Gasol (2 AST)
Robinson 3pt Shot: Missed	07:54
Garnett Rebound (Off:1 Def:1)	07:53
Garnett Tip Shot: Missed	07:53
	07:49	Gasol Rebound (Off:7 Def:4)
	07:31 [LAL 89-74]	Gasol Hook Shot: Made (21 PTS) Assist: Odom (1 AST)
	07:17	Odom Foul : Shooting (4 PF)
Allen Free Throw 1 of 2 (9 PTS)	07:17 [BOS 75-89]
Allen Free Throw 2 of 2 (10 PTS)	07:17 [BOS 76-89]
	06:56	Brown Jump Shot: Missed
Robinson Rebound (Off:0 Def:2)	06:55
Pierce Jump Shot: Missed	06:42
Davis Rebound (Off:1 Def:2)	06:42
	06:42	Odom Foul : Loose Ball (5 PF)
Davis Layup Shot: Missed Block: Artest (1 BLK)	06:26
	06:24	Farmar Rebound (Off:1 Def:1)
	06:20 [LAL 91-76]	Gasol Slam Dunk Shot: Made (23 PTS) Assist: Farmar (1 AST)
Team Timeout : Regular	06:20
Robinson Substitution replaced by Rondo	06:20
	06:20	Farmar Substitution replaced by Fisher
	06:20	Brown Substitution replaced by Bryant
	06:12	Gasol Foul : Shooting (4 PF)
Allen Free Throw 1 of 2 (11 PTS)	06:12 [BOS 77-91]
Allen Free Throw 2 of 2 (12 PTS)	06:12 [BOS 78-91]
	05:48	Team Turnover : Shot Clock Turnover
Allen 3pt Shot: Missed	05:39
Rondo Rebound (Off:4 Def:1)	05:38
Garnett Layup Shot: Missed	05:35
Garnett Rebound (Off:2 Def:1)	05:33
Garnett Layup Shot: Missed	05:32
	05:31	Artest Rebound (Off:1 Def:3)
	05:17 [LAL 93-78]	Odom Jump Shot: Made (3 PTS) Assist: Gasol (3 AST)
Team Timeout : Regular	05:17
Pierce Pullup Jump shot: Made (17 PTS)	05:07 [BOS 80-93]
Pierce Foul : Personal (5 PF)	04:45
	04:32	Fisher Jump Shot: Missed
	04:31	Bryant Rebound (Off:1 Def:5)
	04:16	Bryant Jump Shot: Missed Block: Pierce (1 BLK)
Pierce Rebound (Off:0 Def:8)	04:14
	04:11	Bryant Foul : Personal (3 PF)
Pierce Free Throw 1 of 2 (18 PTS)	04:11 [BOS 81-93]
Pierce Free Throw 2 of 2 (19 PTS)	04:11 [BOS 82-93]
	03:51 [LAL 95-82]	Odom Layup Shot: Made (5 PTS) Assist: Bryant (5 AST)
Pierce Layup Shot: Missed	03:36
	03:35	Bryant Rebound (Off:1 Def:6)
	03:14	Odom 3pt Shot: Missed
Rondo Rebound (Off:4 Def:2)	03:13
Rondo Jump Shot: Missed	02:56
	02:55	Gasol Rebound (Off:7 Def:5)
	02:33	Bryant Jump Shot: Missed
Garnett Rebound (Off:2 Def:2)	02:32
Allen Turnover : Out of Bounds Lost Ball Turnover (2 TO)	02:18
	02:18	Jump Ball Gasol vs Davis (Bryant gains possession)
Garnett Foul : Shooting (3 PF)	02:15
Davis Substitution replaced by Wallace	02:15
	02:15	Bryant Free Throw 1 of 2 Missed
	02:15	Team Rebound
	02:15 [LAL 96-82]	Bryant Free Throw 2 of 2 (27 PTS)
	02:07	Bryant Foul : Shooting (4 PF)
Pierce Free Throw 1 of 2 (20 PTS)	02:07 [BOS 83-96]
Pierce Free Throw 2 of 2 (21 PTS)	02:07 [BOS 84-96]
	01:47 [LAL 99-84]	Artest 3pt Shot: Made (15 PTS) Assist: Bryant (6 AST)
Garnett Jump Shot: Made (16 PTS) Assist: Pierce (4 AST)	01:32 [BOS 86-99]
	01:14	Gasol Turnover : Bad Pass (3 TO) Steal:Garnett (2 ST)
Pierce Jump Shot: Missed	01:07
	01:04	Gasol Rebound (Off:7 Def:6)
	00:45.9	Bryant 3pt Shot: Missed
	00:44.9	Gasol Rebound (Off:8 Def:6)
	00:28.9	Fisher Jump Shot: Missed Block: Pierce (2 BLK)
Pierce Rebound (Off:0 Def:9)	00:27.6
Pierce Driving Layup Shot: Made (23 PTS)	00:26.5 [BOS 88-99]
	00:26.5	Artest Foul : Shooting (4 PF)
Pierce Free Throw 1 of 1 (24 PTS)	00:26.5 [BOS 89-99]
	00:03.6 [LAL 102-89]	Bryant 3pt Shot: Made (30 PTS)
End of 4th Quarter

broadcast information
country		channel			time
usa			ABC	National	9:00 pm ET
canada			TSN	national	9:00 pm ET