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Comeback of epic proportions for Celtics
By Jeremy Kahn June 12, 2008 |
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When the Los Angeles Lakers took what looked like an insurmountable 24-point lead in the first half, few probably thought that the Boston Celtics would come back. Unlike the Lakers, who were unable to comeback from a 24-point deficit on Sunday night in game two at the TDBANKNORTH Garden, the Celtics did just that. Los Angeles native Paul Pierce, who played his high school basketball of the Forum in Inglewood at Inglewood High School scored 20 points, as the Celtics came all the way back and defeated the Lakers 97-91 before 18,997 at Staples Center. With the victory, the Celtics take a commanding 3-1 lead, and move within one victory of their first NBA Championship since 1986, and the 17th championship in team history. Things looked to be going great for the Lakers from the outset, as they jumped out to a 35-14 lead at the end of the first quarter. The 21-point lead by the Lakers was the largest lead at the end of a first quarter, breaking the record of 20 points. As fate would have it, the Lakers would break their own record that they set, when they ended the first quarter of game six of the 1970 NBA Finals, when they led the New York Knicks 36-16. The Lakers would go on to win that game by the final score of 135-113 setting up game seven, in which Willis Reed would make his dramatic entrance onto the Madison Square Garden floor. Lamar Odom scored 15 points in the first half, as the Lakers led at the half by the score of 58-40. Ray Allen played every moment of the game, as he added 19 points and Kevin Garnett chipped in with 16, as the “Big Three,” look to close out the Lakers on Sunday. James Posey, who was a member of the 2006 Miami Heat team that won the NBA Championship over the Dallas Mavericks, led the Celtics bench players with 18, while former James Logan High School star Eddie House added 16 off the bench. Former Oakland Tech and CAL star Leon Powe scored just three points in nine minutes of action. Kobe Bryant shot just six-for-19, and scored 17 points for the Lakers, while Odom, who scored 15 in the first half scored just four in the second half and led the Lakers with 19. Pau Gasol also scored 17, while Derek Fisher added 13; however, the Lakers are on the brink of elimination, trailing their long-time rivals three games to one. In the long history of the NBA Finals, no team has ever comeback from a 3-1 deficit to win the championship. |
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