Celtics-Lakers Preview

By MATT BECKER
Posted Mar 10 2012 4:28PM

Thursday's trade deadline can't arrive fast enough for the Los Angeles Lakers' Pau Gasol and Boston's Rajon Rondo, as both have heard their names rumored in deals since before the season began.

For the time being, though, the two will suit up in Sunday's matinée between the Lakers and Celtics at Staples Center.

Gasol and Rondo were both linked to trades for All-Star point guard Chris Paul prior to the start of the season, and with the deadline just days away, those trade rumors have intensified.

"People already assumed I was basically gone," Gasol said after Friday's 105-102 victory over Minnesota. "There were some thank you tweets for your services and good luck and all that."

Both Gasol and Rondo have done a good job of handling the distractions.

Rondo, who made his third All-Star game appearance two weeks ago, had a career-best 35 points in a win over Detroit last month and finished with 18 points, 20 assists and 17 rebounds for the Celtics (21-18) in last Sunday's 115-111 overtime victory over New York.

Gasol, who averages 16.7 points and 10.5 rebounds, has been a big part of Los Angeles' strong defense, but realizes a possible trade and the swirling rumors are part of the game.

"Nothing surprises me anymore," he added. "I guess it's easy to start a rumor. Anybody can start a rumor. It's never pleasant because it puts you a little bit on edge, but it's going to be like that, I think, for the next (five) days."

The Lakers (24-16) play three more times before the deadline, starting with a Celtics team they beat in overtime 88-87 in Boston on Feb. 9.

Andrew Bynum tipped in a miss from Kobe Bryant with 1:29 remaining in the extra session for the game's final basket. The Celtics missed their final four shots after Los Angeles took the lead, which included Gasol's block on a Ray Allen putback attempt at the buzzer.

Neither team had much success offensively - the Lakers shot 39.6 percent while the Celtics converted 39.2 percent. This shouldn't come as a surprise considering Los Angeles is among the league leaders in opponent field-goal percentage at 41.9, just ahead of Boston's 42.0.

"We've got the Celtics game coming up and we really have to just play some defense," Bynum said after Friday's victory. "It's going to be a defensive struggle like it was in Boston."

The Lakers could have an edge with a rematch at Staples Center, where they're 17-2 as the home team and allowing an average of 86.9 points.

The Celtics have averaged 81.3 points in dropping six of seven away from Boston and are opening a season-high eight-game road trip.

They take to the road in good spirits, however, routing Portland 104-86 on Friday for their sixth victory in seven games. Boston, which suffered a 103-71 loss at Philadelphia on Wednesday, led the Trail Blazers by as much as 43.

"It was just a good response, especially with the way we played down in Philadelphia," said Paul Pierce, who had 22 points on 7-of-13 shooting in 26 minutes. "A good way for us to head out west."

The Lakers are also feeling good, returning home from a three-game road trip with a win over the Timberwolves after losing to Detroit and Washington.

"Anytime you lose two in a row, you want to bounce back and win," said Bryant, the league's leading scorer at 28.9 points.

Bryant scored 34 Friday, Bynum added 26 points and 10 rebounds and Gasol finished with 12 points and 11 boards.

In Boston last month, Bryant had 27 points, Gasol had 25 points and 14 rebounds and Bynum added 16 points and 17 boards.

Allen had 22 points in the loss, while Pierce scored 18 and Rondo had 14 points and seven assists.

Lakers rally past Celtics in another thriller

By GREG BEACHAM
Posted Mar 11 2012 7:44PM

LOS ANGELES (AP) The Lakers needed a last-minute basket to hold off the Boston Celtics, and Kobe Bryant knew everybody in green would expect him to take the shot.

That's why Bryant suggested Andrew Bynum should do it - and the All-Star center leaped at the opportunity to seal Los Angeles' latest win in the NBA's most storied rivalry.

Bryant scored 10 of his 26 points in the fourth quarter and hit a go-ahead jumper with 41.7 seconds to play, and Bynum's hook shot over Kevin Garnett capped the Lakers' 97-94 victory Sunday.

Bynum had 20 points and 14 rebounds as the Lakers rallied from a five-point deficit in the final 2 1/2 minutes, scoring the final eight points. Bryant and Bynum had four apiece - but only after Kobe urged coach Mike Brown to use him as a decoy.

"Andrew is too big. You can't teach that," Bryant said with a grin. "I knew it was going to be a high-percentage shot."

After Bynum coolly scored out of a timeout with 15.5 seconds left, Boston couldn't get a good look at a tying 3-pointer, sending the Lakers to their third straight victory over their longtime rivals.

Bynum appeared to take particular satisfaction in his decisive role in the victory after years as a supporting player to Bryant's late-game heroics.

"It was crazy," Bynum said. "Kobe came up with that play. He said, `They're not going to be able to know what to do.' I was able to get deep position and go to work."

Rajon Rondo had 24 points and 10 assists for the Celtics, who opened an eight-game road trip by blowing a late lead. On Boston's final possession, Ray Allen failed to get free for a 3-pointer before Rondo badly missed a desperate tying attempt.

The Lakers earned their 18th victory in 19 home games, stylishly finishing their third straight victory over Boston in yet another thrilling meeting.

"We love beating this team," Bynum said.

The game might have been the final meeting for the current veteran cores of the franchises that met in the NBA finals in 2008 and 2010, adding new chapters to the rivalry's history. Boston's Big Three could be broken up after this season, while both Pau Gasol and Rondo are the subject of rampant trade rumors.

If this was the finale, both clubs went out in style.

"You come into (this rivalry) with the mindset that, `This is it,"' said Allen, who scored 17 points. "It's almost as if this is for the championship every time we play them. It definitely was an entertaining game. ... Competitively speaking, we always will go at each other and play hard. There's talent on both sides, so it's always a great matchup whenever we meet."

Boston erased an early 15-point deficit before clinging to a small lead down the stretch. Allen's 3-pointer put the Celtics up 94-89 with 2:41 left, but Los Angeles trimmed the lead to one point on baskets from Bryant and Bynum before Bryant nailed his 14-footer to put the Lakers ahead.

Allen hit three 3-pointers and had six assists for the Celtics, while Brandon Bass scored 15 points before missing a go-ahead jumper in the final minute. Paul Pierce had 13 points on 4-for-14 shooting and nine assists, while Garnett had 14 points and 11 rebounds.

"They made shots down the stretch, and we didn't," Rondo said. "We had some good looks at the rim, but the shots didn't fall and we couldn't get a stop the last couple of minutes. ... It's not difficult to win on the road. We're just not getting it done. We just have to close out quarters better and continue to work on our execution."

Metta World Peace scored 14 points for Los Angeles, which has won 10 of 14 overall. Gasol had 13 points and 13 rebounds, including two key boards in the final seconds as the NBA's best rebounding team outrebounded the worst 42-34.

The Lakers returned to California for a single home game in a stretch with five of six on the road. Ugly losses at Detroit and Washington last week worried fans who believe a major restructuring is the only way to turn the Western Conference's fourth-place team into a title contender, but Bryant has repeatedly discounted the Lakers' road woes, blaming them on the shortened season and the new coaching system.

The Lakers led 37-22 before Boston got rolling midway through the second quarter, closing the first half on a 20-7 run capped by Rondo's buzzer-beating 3-pointer.

Boston took its first lead early in the third quarter, but World Peace led the Lakers back after getting into a brief scuffle with Pierce and Garnett under the basket. World Peace responded with 10 points in less than 3 minutes for Los Angeles' streakiest player, capped by a steal and a length-of-the-court drive for a dunk on Pierce.

Notes: Boston swingman Mickael Pietrus played despite a sore knee, scoring five points. ... Boston will be back at Staples Center on Monday to face the Clippers. ... World Peace is the Lakers' worst shooter at just 35 percent, but the erstwhile Ron Artest gets up for big games, scoring 17 points against Miami a week ago. ... Fans near courtside included Patriots QB Tom Brady, Adam Levine, Tobey Maguire, Seal, Maria Menounos and David Beckham.

Notebook: Lakers 97, Celtics 94

Posted Sunday March 11, 2012 7:48PM

By Dan Arritt, for NBA.com

THE FACTS: After falling behind by five points with 2 minutes 41 seconds remaining Sunday afternoon, the Lakers held the Celtics scoreless the rest of the way. During that same span, Kobe Bryant and Andrew Bynum scored four points each to lift the Lakers to a 97-94 victory, their 18th win in 20 games at Staples Center this season.

QUOTABLE: "They made the shots down the stretch and we didn't. We had some good looks at the rim, but shots didn't fall and we couldn't get a stop."
-- Celtics guard Rajon Rondo

THE STAT: Bryant came in averaging 25.5 points in 25 career games against the Celtics. He gave the Lakers the lead for good and scored his 25th and 26th points of the game on a pull-up 14-foot jumper with 41 seconds remaining. The Lakers beat the Celtics on their home floor for the first time since December 2008.

TURNING POINT: After the Lakers went ahead, 95-94, on Bryant's final basket, Brandon Bass had a wide-open look from 19 feet out but clanked his shot off the rim with 34 seconds remaining. Bass had made his two previous shots in the quarter from similar distances. The Lakers then called timeout and Bryant asked to run a play for center Andrew Bynum, who scored on a short jump hook with 15 seconds remaining for the final three-point margin.

QUOTABLE II: "Kobe came up with that play. He said they're not going to know what to do and, sure enough, the way they designed it, Kevin Garnett started guarding me on the top side by the 3-point line, so it definitely worked."
-- Bynum

HOT: The Celtics shot 13-for-16 from the floor in the third quarter to help erase a 15-point second-quarter deficit. Unfortunately, the Lakers were able to match their scoring by getting to the free-throw line 14 times in the quarter, compared to zero trips for Boston.

NOT: Celtics forward Paul Pierce returned to the city where he grew up, but didn't leave a lasting impression this time around. He shot 4-for-14 and scored 13 points. Pierce, the team's leading scorer coming in at 18.4 points, shot 2-for-11 in the first half, when Boston was forced into catch-up mode. A 44.8 percent career shooter coming in, Pierce has shot below that mark in three of the last four games and 14 of the last 19.

GOOD MOVE: The Lakers don't have a starter who can guard Rondo one-on-one, so they played a zone defense for most of the first half while the shifty point guard was on the floor. That seemed to limit his options early on. Rondo had 10 points and three assists in the opening half before finishing with 24 points, 10 assists and two rebounds. Bryant guarded Rondo when the Lakers switched to a man defense down the stretch.

BAD MOVE: Bryant ripped off his protective mask following a no-call with 4:09 remaining in the first half, earning his eighth technical foul of the season. The whistle came seconds after Ray Allen argued a foul call while fighting for position with Bryant away from the ball. Bryant appeared to get away with an elbow on the play, so it shouldn't be a surprise he didn't get the next call.

NOTABLE: All five starters scored in double figures for the Celtics ... Bryant played 42 minutes, the third time in the last four games he has gone over the 40-minute mark ... Metta World Peace scored 10 of his 14 points in the third quarter, the third straight home game he has scored in double digits. World Peace came in averaging a career-low 5.6 points.

UP NEXT: For the Lakers, Tuesday @ Memphis, Wednesday @ New Orleans, Friday vs. Minnesota. For the Celtics, Monday @ L.A. Clippers, Wednesday @ Golden State, Friday @ Sacramento.

• Celtics: O'Neal, Wilcox
• Lakers: Morris

• Celtics: Pierce
• Lakers: Bryant, World Peace

• Lead Changes: 14
• Times Tied: 11

• Arena: Staples Center, Los Angeles, CA
• Officials: #17 Joe Crawford, #40 Leon Wood, #74 Curtis Blair
• Attendance: 18997
• Duration: 2:31