Man! Almost spoke too soon. Celtics stopped playing, basically, and let that lead dwindle to two points before Pierce stepped up to hit a few FTs and ice it. Big momentum builder, but LA fell short. We'll see how that affects the dynamic back at the Staples Center...

Hah!

The statement told to me yesterday that "Boston was the first team to reach 40 wins this year" is not true.

Go Cubbies!

(FYI: both reached 40 wins on June 8, the Chicago Cubs win was sadly a loss for the Dodgers.)

CELTICS 98 4th QUARTER
LAKERS 101

0:14

LA! LA! LA! LA! LA! LA! LA!

Those Celtics three-pointers are like acid rain.

CELTICS 98 4th QUARTER
LAKERS 102

0:09

CELTICS 98 4th QUARTER
LAKERS 103 0:09

Staples Center, Los Angeles, CA
CELTICS 98
LAKERS 103

FINAL


Lakers hang on and win Game 5 to stay in!

BOSTON leads the series 3-2.

(Is it realistic to imagine LA winning in Boston? And for that matter, twice?)

The last few seconds:

2:20 Left
Kevin Garnett just stepped to free throw line and misses both of his free throws with a chance to tie the game as the Lakers still lead 95-93 with 2:20 left.

2:00 Left
Kobe Bryant gave the Lakers a little cushion, hitting both his free throws to give the Lakers a 97-93 lead with 2 minutes to go.

1:14 Left
Paul Pierce is back at the free-throw line and hits both his attempts to make it a 97-95 game with 1:14 left to play. Pierce now has 38 points in the game.

37.4 left - Odom Tips Pass, Kobe Dunks
Lamar Odom may have just made the play of the game as he tipped the ball away from Paul Pierce and tossed it towards Kobe Bryant for a breakaway dunk to give the Lakers a 99-95 lead with 37.4 seconds left. If the Lakers can get one more stop this one is going back to Boston for Game 6.

Lakers 68, Celtics 95, 26.8 Left
11:59 PM | With 26.8 seconds left in the game and 20 seconds left on the shot clock, the Celtics will have to foul as the Lakers take the ball out.

Fisher Fouled
12:01 AM | Derek Fisher was fouled by Ray Allen and missed his first attempt, his third miss from the line, but hit his second to give the Lakers a 100-95 lead with 24.8 seconds remaining in the game.

House Miss, Kobe Fouled
12:04 AM | Eddie House missed a wide-open three and Pau Gasol got the rebound, passing it to Kobe Bryant, who was fouled by Ray Allen, who fouled out of the game. Kobe stepped to the line and hit one of two to give the Lakers a 101-95 lead with 16.4 seconds remaining. This game would be in the proverbial refrigerator had that not missed seven free throws down the stretch.

9 seconds left - House Hits Three, Fisher Fouled
12:08 AM | Eddie House hit a three-pointer to bring the Celtics to within three and the Celtics nearly stole the ball on the Lakers's next possesion. Derek Fisher, however, was fouled and hit his free throws and sealed the game with a steal as streamers came flying down the ceiling the Lakers won 103-98 to push this series to Game 6 on Tuesday.

Lakers 103, Celtics 98
12:15 AM | The Lakers found a way not to squander another big lead at home. After being up by 19 in the first half and 14 with nine minutes to go in the game, the Lakers won despite giving up the lead to Celtics late in the game.

The Big Three were exactly that for the Celtics as they combined to score 67 points, led by Paul Pierce, who had a game-high 38 points. After sizzling 15-point first quarter, Kobe Bryant only scored 10 points in the final three quarters as Lamar Odom and Pau Gasol stepped up to pick up the slack. Odom finished with 20 points and 11 rebounds while Gasol had 19 points and 12 rebounds.

The series now shifts back to Boston where the Celtics will have two shots in front of their home fans to win their first championship in 22 years. The Lakers meanwhile hope to become the first team to ever come back from being down a 3-1 in the NBA Finals to win the series.

Boston, Boston, Boston.

NBA Champs in six games.

Lakers hid in the Garden and were destroyed. 131-92

Quote::

For Boston, the first title since 1986 meant validation. Validation for Pierce, who had laboured for a decade with various degrees of unworkable Celtics teams. Validation for fellow stars Allen and Garnett, neither of whom had been this deep in the playoffs before. Validation for beloved coach Doc Rivers, who was on the verge of being fired a year ago. And validation for general manager Danny Ainge, who put this entire team together. No team in memory has been overhauled in the summer, and then won the championship a year later. This one did. It was not quite validation for deceased Celtics patriarch Red Auerbach, but he remains tied with Jackson at nine titles for at least another year. And Red would have loved that. All season, this Celtics team crushed obstacles, over and over. Last night, they did it one last time, emphatically. They are champions.

*snort*

Outstanding cap to a tough playoff run for the boys from Beantown! Congrats to the Celtics. The league is just more fun with some of those old-school teams and rivalries flaring up again. Now, if someone could only figure out how to wake up the Knicks so that they could get back to just falling short year after year again, like they're supposed to (as opposed to the complete waste that they currently are...)