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Lakers beat Celtics in game one
Tougher Lakers beat Boston 102-89 in finals opener
By GREG BEACHAM, AP Sports Writer Jun 4, 4:51 am EDT
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LOS ANGELES (AP)—Ron Artest(notes) proved it in his opening-minute scuffle with Paul Pierce(notes), tumbling to the ground with a vise grip on the Celtics star’s elbow.
Kobe Bryant(notes) emphasized it one last time with a rub-it-in 3-pointer in the waning seconds of an NBA finals opener that was already a rout.
These aren’t the same Los Angeles Lakers who got pushed around by their biggest rivals on the NBA’s biggest stage two years ago. They’re rougher and tougher—and surprisingly willing to play the Boston Celtics’ bad-tempered game.
Bryant scored 30 points, Pau Gasol(notes) had 23 points and 14 rebounds, and the defending champion Lakers did a remarkable job of the dirty work in a 102-89 victory over Boston in Game 1 on Thursday night.
Artest scored 15 points after his tangle with Pierce in the opening minute of the 12th finals meeting between the NBA’s most decorated franchises. Artest and Pierce backed into each other with their elbows locked while battling for rebounding position. Both got technical fouls after they crashed to the court and got up ready to rumble.
“That’s not a tone that we want to set,” Artest claimed. “I was a little emotional, and I had a little bit of anxiety at that point, and I was fired up.”
Yet other Lakers were grateful for the tone, and they weren’t surprised Artest set it. The Lakers’ defensive stopper is their only new player this season, and he quickly showed Pierce—the 2008 finals MVP—that trophies won’t be quite so easy to earn against the Lakers this time.
“I knew it was going to be physical. That’s a given,” Gasol said. “After consecutive finals, we understand the nature of the game. We understand who our rival is, how they play. You’ve got to compete, and you’ve got to match that physicality, that aspect of the game to be successful.”
The Lakers overwhelmed the Celtics in the third quarter, taking a 20-point lead with sturdy defense and a quick-strike offense. Los Angeles outrebounded the Celtics 42-31, outscored them in the paint 48-30 and put up a lofty shooting percentage until a fourth-quarter slump.
Bryant added seven rebounds and six assists to his 12th 30-point game of the postseason. Andrew Bynum(notes) scored 10 points on his injured right knee as the Lakers improved to 9-0 at home in the playoffs, with 12 straight postseason home wins dating to last year’s championship run—and not many were more physical than this one.
Pierce scored 24 points and Kevin Garnett(notes) added 16 after a slow start for the Celtics, who might not want to know Lakers coach Phil Jackson’s teams in Los Angeles and Chicago have won 47 straight playoff series after winning Game 1.
The Celtics were frustrated after giving up 100 points for just the second time in their last 10 games.
“They were the more physical team by far,” Celtics coach Doc Rivers said. “They were more aggressive. They attacked us the entire night. I didn’t think we handled it very well.”
Game 2 is Sunday night at Staples Center.
While the Lakers played to their strengths, the Celtics’ ostensible advantages—toughness, defense and veteran savvy—weren’t so much in evidence. Rajon Rondo(notes) had 13 points—just three in the second half—and eight assists for Boston, which went 1 for 10 on 3-pointers.
“You can’t ease into the game, especially in the finals,” Pierce said. “That’s one of the better rebounding teams in the NBA. We’ve just got to do a better job rebounding the ball, eliminating easy opportunities. When I look up and we’ve given up 100 points, I haven’t seen that in a while.”
Ray Allen(notes) scored 12 points in just 27 minutes, saddled with constant foul trouble while trying to guard Bryant. Pierce also picked up early fouls, while Garnett simply struggled, going 7 for 16 from the field and grabbing just four rebounds—even inexplicably missing an open layup with 5 1/2 minutes to play.
That’s mostly because of Gasol, the Spanish 7-footer determined to assert himself after admittedly getting pushed around by Garnett two years ago. Gasol capped a strong game by sprinting downcourt and catching a long pass in stride for a dunk with 6:21 to play.
“Pau played a big game tonight,” Jackson said. “I thought they did a good job on him in the post, but his movement and his activity was important.”
After Artest and Pierce got wrapped up, the mood didn’t improve much in a game featuring 54 fouls. Yet the Lakers’ aggressiveness was reflected in 10 free throws apiece for Bryant and Gasol, who made 16 of them, along with steady guard penetration from Bryant, Derek Fisher(notes) and backups Jordan Farmar(notes) and Shannon Brown(notes).
Bryant also praised the defensive effort of Artest, whose block on Glen Davis(notes) triggered the fast break that led to Gasol’s dynamic dunk.
“I think he does a great job for us of setting the tone defensively with his intensity and with his energy,” said Bryant, who greeted Artest with a hug after that block. “I was just letting him know it was well appreciated.”
NOTES: An entertaining jump ball occurred midway through the second quarter when 5-9 Nate Robinson(notes) tied up the 7-foot Gasol. The Spaniard won the tip. … Celtics C Kendrick Perkins(notes) didn’t get his seventh technical foul of the postseason, which would have resulted in an automatic one-game suspension, but technical-foul legend Rasheed Wallace(notes) got one for arguing late in the third quarter. … Fans near courtside included Jerry West, Leonardo DiCaprio, Charlize Theron, David Duchovny, Will Ferrell, boxer Floyd Mayweather Jr., Terrell Owens, Steven Spielberg, Snoop Dogg, Mike Epps and Hilary Swank. Chris Rock, David Spade, Kevin James and Adam Sandler sat together at courtside to promote their “Grown Ups” movie, opening in three weeks.
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Series at a Glance
(http://l.yimg.com/a/i/us/sp/v/nba/teams/1/50x50w/bos.gif) vs. (http://l.yimg.com/a/i/us/sp/v/nba/teams/1/50x50w/lal.gif)
Lakers lead series 1-0
1. Game 1: at LAL
BOS 89, LAL 102 - Final
2. Game 2: at LAL
Sun, Jun 06 - 8:00 pm EDT
3. Game 3: at BOS
Tue, Jun 08 - 9:00 pm EDT
4. Game 4: at BOS
Thu, Jun 10 - 9:00 pm EDT
5. Game 5: at BOS
Sun, Jun 13 - 8:00 pm EDT
6. Game 6: at LAL
Tue, Jun 15 - 9:00 pm EDT
7. Game 7: at LAL
Thu, Jun 17 - 9:00 pm EDT
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lakers ko :D
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congratulations La Lakers for the win last Thursday. hope you will win again tonight.
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congratulations La Lakers for the win last Thursday. hope you will win again tonight.
hope so.. go go go celtics.. ;D
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hope so.. go go go celtics.. ;D
Celtics? 8)
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Celtics? 8)
yes i am.. ;D and its a tie now 1-1 for lakers & celtics whew!
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hope so.. go go go celtics.. ;D
go go go go lakers!
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go go go Laktics
go go go CelKers
;D ;D ;D ;D
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Boston Celtics even NBA Finals series vs. Los Angeles Lakers in Game 2
By Jimmy Smith, The Times-Picayune
June 06, 2010, 11:24PM
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LOS ANGELES – Boston Celtics Coach Doc Rivers insisted early Sunday evening he team would do nothing different than it did in a Game 1 NBA Finals loss.
What they did, however, they did a whole lot better than last Wednesday night, across the board.
The result was a stunning 103-94 victory in Game 2, tying the NBA Finals at one game apiece, sending the sellout Staples Center crowd home numb.
Point guard Rajon Rondo put up a triple-double with 19 points, 12 rebounds and 10 assists, and Ray Allen, burdened with foul trouble in the Game 1 loss, was on fire from beyond the 3-point line, hitting eight of 11 for a game-high 32 points as the Celtics stole away home-court advantage in this best-of-seven series.
The Finals move to Boston for the next three games beginning Tuesday night.
“It was just an entire team effort,” said Rondo, “and that’s what we’ll need to win this. We just stick with it, and it was a total team effort.”
But it was Allen’s incredible shooting night, especially in the first half, that sparked the Celtics.
And while Phil Jackson-coached teams entered this series 47-0 when winning the first game of any series, the Lakers have been somewhat ordinary historically in second games of Finals’ series: the Lakers are just 14-16 in Game 2s, 12-12 in Los Angeles and 2-4 in Minnesota.
That could set the tone for a seven-game Finals, despite the fact that the Celtics, for the second straight game, got relatively nothing from power forward Kevin Garnett, who finished with six points and four rebounds after early foul trouble, which continued throughout the game.
But the Celtics insisted they played poorly in Thursday’s loss and would redeem themselves on Sunday.
“It’s interesting that when you watch the tape,” said Allen, “it doesn’t lie. We were out of position a lot in Game 1. We were giving them driving gaps. But tonight, we got into position and made them uncomfortable. And we got into transition a lot more. Everybody did their job tonight.”
As Rivers predicted beforehand.
“They both were terrific,” said Rivers of Rondo and Allen. “Ray in the first half, when he gets into those zones, I was happy. Our team could see it and did everything they could to get him the ball. Most of (the points) were in transition, though.
“To do that, we had to get multiple stops. And if our bigs ran, our shooters would get open. We needed points. Ray gave them to us.”
The first half, for example, indicated just how important foul calls can be to game flow.
Allen, who could not buy a favorable whistle in Game 1, saddled with foul trouble all night, which limited his minutes and his scoring, was the beneficiary of a great acting call, drawing a charge on Kobe Bryant with 3:20 to go in the second quarter.
It was Bryant’s third personal. He would finish the game with 21 points.
And it merely added to the phenomenal half Allen was already displaying offensively.
Allen’s effort in Game 1 was off-kilter primarily because of the foul difficulty, to which Lakers guard Derek Fisher admitted players must adjust their games.
“I mean, completely,” Fisher said. “The referees aren't in control of necessarily how you play in terms of your focus, your attention, the things you're trying to do out there. But if they decide to call a tighter game and make sure things don't get out of hand, it's something you have to adjust to and still try to figure out how to be effective out there on the floor. You have to trust if you get into a bad situation or you pick up a couple fouls extra that you have guys next to you that can pick up the slack and get the job done.”
Allen wasn’t getting that much help in Game 1.
But Game 2 was a different story altogether.
The Celtics, who chastised themselves for lacking Game 1 aggression, made a point to come out differently Sunday night, attacking the glass, which resulted in improved rebounding but as a result opened Boston’s transition game.
Rondo was running and facilitating, picking up eight first-half assists, several on Allen 3-pointers in the transition attack.
Allen hit seven straight 3-pointers before missing for the first time with 58 seconds remaining in the half.
But Boston had built a 14-point lead, which the Celtics saw whittled to six at halftime thanks to a 9-2 Los Angeles run in the final four minutes, capped by Bryant’s 3-pointer off a steal of an errant pass with 0.2 to go before the break.
The Celtics came into the game with a different mindset, and it showed.
“You can’t run unless you get stops,” Rondo said, “and we didn’t get any (in Game 1). If they continued to score (as in Game 1), we’ll be a half-court team.”
But the Lakers turned things around in the second half, opening the third quarter on a 9-2 run and regaining the lead (57-56) for the first time since the 4:08 mark of the first quarter when Pau Gasol, who led the Lakers’ with 25 points, hit a jump shot with 10:03 to go in the third.
It was clear that, though it appeared earlier that it might, Game 2 wasn’t going to be a blowout.
And that this series was going to be a close one.
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NBA finals: Lakers win, take 2-1 lead vs. Celtics
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Boston Celtics forward Kevin Garnett (5) and Los Angeles Lakers forward Pau Gasol, right, jockey for position during the third quarter in Game 3 of the NBA basketball finals Tuesday, June 8, 2010, in Boston. Townson) (AP)
BOSTON — The Los Angeles Lakers took a 2-1 lead in the NBA finals by taking an 91-84 victory Tuesday at TD Garden.
Game four is at 6 p.m. Thursday in Boston (KATU 2).
Kobe Bryant scored 29 points to lead the Lakers. Derek Fisher added 16, including a three-point play on a driving layup with 43 seconds left that gave L.A. a seven-point lead.
Kevin Garnett scored 25 points to lead Boston. Ray Allen, who connected on a record eight 3-pointers in the Celtics’ win Sunday in L.A., who 0 for 13 overall and 0 for 8 on 3-pointers.
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congratulations Lakers and for this occasion, si babat mag cheer talaga
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kosog pa jud diay ang lakers...
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kosog pa jud diay ang lakers...
daghan pod ug fans
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sikat man koby ... bro...
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sikat man koby ... bro...
i'll cheer for kobe bryant ;D
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Lakers vs. Celtics Game 4: Boston Bench Lifts Celtics To Tie Series With Lakers
byLouie Longoria
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Another epic chapter in the Celtics-Lakers series will be added to the books this year, and if Boston and Los Angeles keep alternating wins the way they have in the first four games of this series, there could be a Game Seven coming soon.
Glen "Big Baby" Davis and Nate Robinson led an offensive attack, combining for 30 points off the bench to defeat the Los Angeles Lakers 96-89 in Game Four of the NBA Finals to tie their best-of-seven series 2-2.
Davis had 18 points in 22 minutes, and Robinson scored 12 points in 17 minutes to give Boston much needed production from the bench. The bench sparked Boston's victory, scoring 21 of the 36 Celtics points in the fourth quarter.
However, the Celtics' starters gave the bench plenty of help as they led a balanced attack tonight, with four players reaching double figures.
Boston's transition defense also improved dramatically as they had 15 fast break points while allowing only two fast break points to L.A.
Paul Pierce led the way for the Celtics scoring 19 points, and adding six rebounds and five assists.
Rajon Rondo had 10 points for Boston, the biggest two coming in the final minute of the game, when, with the game still up for grabs, he intercepted a Kobe Bryant pass and drove down the court for a wide open lay-up to the cheers of the Boston crowd.
After a horrific 0-for-13 shooting performance in Game Three, Ray Allen bounced back with a decent game, scoring 12 points on 4-for-11 shooting.
Boston needed to play with a sense of urgency to avoid trailing the series 3-1, and that is exactly what they accomplished.
The more aggressive team was undoubtedly the Celtics, as they outrebounded the Lakers, 41-34, and dominated L.A. in offensive boards, 16-8.
Kobe Bryant had 33 points and six rebounds but committed seven turnovers in a losing effort for the Lakers.
After suffering a knee injury in Game Three, Andrew Bynum only scored two points in limited action.
Pau Gasol finished with 21 points.
If the Lakers want to win Game Five and take the lead back in the series, rebounding would be a good start. In the first four games of these NBA Finals, the team that outrebounds the other has won all four times.
When trailing in a series in the 2010 NBA Playoffs, Boston is 4-0 in the game after they fall behind in the series.
Game Five will be paramount for both teams and expect a physical, intense battle.
Out of the 25 occurrences when a series is tied 2-2 in the NBA Finals, the team that wins Game Five has won the series 76 percent of the time.
Game Five will be Sunday night in Boston.
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Celtics handle Kobe onslaught and lead LA 3-2
By JIMMY GOLEN, AP Sports Writer
(http://l.yimg.com/a/i/sea/ph/4/392ap_celticslakersgame5.jpg)
BOSTON (AP)—It’s looking a lot like 2008 again, with Paul Pierce(notes) carrying the Boston Celtics to victory in the NBA finals and leading them to the brink of yet another title.
Pierce scored 27 points—his best performance of this year’s finals—and the Celtics withstood 38 points from Kobe Bryant(notes) to beat the defending NBA champion Los Angeles Lakers 92-86 on Sunday night and take a 3-2 lead in the best-of-seven series.
Game 6 is Tuesday night in Los Angeles, and a victory then or in Game 7 in L.A. on Thursday would give the Celtics a record 18th NBA title.
The Celtics have never blown a 3-2 lead in the NBA finals.
“You don’t want to go out to LA down 3-2. It was our biggest game of the year,” Pierce said. “We’re in a good spot. We have two games in L.A.; now we have to get one.”
Pierce was the MVP of the ’08 finals, when the new Big Three beat the Lakers to raise an NBA-record 17th banner to the rafters at Boston’s TD Garden. Bryant was the finals MVP last year, when the Lakers beat the Orlando Magic to win their 15th championship.
“I wasn’t in a personal duel,” Pierce said. “I didn’t notice that we were going back-and-forth scoring at the time. He’s a tough player. He makes shots.”
Bryant outscored Pierce this time, but the Lakers’ guard got little help from his teammates. And the stretch where he was most dominant was also the time when the Celtics pulled away.
Lakers coach Phil Jackson defended Bryant’s attempts to take over the offense.
“He’s the kind of guy (where) you ride the hot hand, that’s for sure,” Jackson said. “We were waiting for him to do that. … He went out there and found a rhythm.”
With the “Beat L.A!” chant reverberating at the Garden, Kevin Garnett(notes) scored 18 points with 10 rebounds and Rajon Rondo(notes) had 18 points, eight assists and five rebounds to help Boston become the first team in the series to win two games in a row. If Los Angeles can’t do the same at home, the Celtics will improve to 10-2 against them in the finals dating back to a 4-0 sweep over the Minneapolis Lakers in 1959.
“It’s basically home-court,” Jackson said. “That’s the way it’s supposed to be, isn’t it?”
Bryant did everything he could to send the Lakers home with the edge.
He scored 23 straight Lakers points between the 4:23 mark of the second quarter until there was 2:16 left in the third. But over that span, the Celtics expanded the lead from one point to 13.
“I just tried to keep telling them, it’s only 2 points each time he scores. It’s not 10,” Celtics coach Doc Rivers said. “It’s just like if someone else was scoring. … I love that our guys for the most part, they understood what he was doing. But we defended everyone else. And I thought it was big.”
And Pierce was having his best game of the series, too.
The Celtics’ captain scored seven points in the last 3 1/2 minutes of the second quarter and added nine more in the first 5 minutes of the third. Ray Allen(notes), who hasn’t hit a 3-pointer since making an NBA-record eight in Game 2, made a pair of baskets that gave Boston a 71-58 lead with 3:08 left in the third.
Jackson, wearing a microphone for the TV broadcast, told his players during a late timeout, “This team loses more games in the fourth quarter than any team in the league. They know how to lose games, and they’re showing us that now.”
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The Lakers got within six points several times, but never within five until Bryant made three free throws to make it 87-82 with 90 seconds left.
The Celtics got a break from a review when replays showed Allen’s 3-pointer barely nicked the rim, giving them the ball with a fresh 24 seconds and 1:05 left. Rasheed Wallace(notes) missed a 3-pointer, but the rebound wound up tied up between the 6-foot-11 Garnett and 6-foot-1 Derek Fisher(notes).
Fisher won the jump ball, tipping the ball ahead to Ron Artest(notes) for a breakaway; Pierce fouled him to keep him from scoring an easy layup, and he missed both free throws. Bryant grabbed the rebound, but Pierce ripped it out of his arms and dribbled off to the side to call timeout.
A desperate inbounds pass went to Pierce, who fed Rondo under the basket before falling out of bounds, and Rondo made an over-the-head layup to make it 89-82 with 36 seconds left.
“I was just showing off my Randy Moss and my (Tom) Brady the whole play,” Pierce said. “I was Randy when I caught it; then Brady on my pass to Rondo.”
Bryant missed a series of desperation 3-pointers down the stretch, and when Allen made two free throws with 19 seconds left and Garnett one of two with 8.9 to play, it was over.
“He’s the best shot-maker in the game. There’s probably better athletes and all that, but there’s no better shot-maker than Kobe Bryant,” Rivers said. “You’ve just got to live with it and play through it.”
Pau Gasol(notes) scored 12 points with 12 rebounds and Fisher, the Game 3 star, scored all nine of his points in the first quarter as no other Laker reached double figures in scoring until Gasol hit a free throw with 2:25 left. Andrew Bynum(notes) played on his sore right knee for 31 minutes, but he scored all six of his points and his only rebound in the first quarter.
The Celtics bench, which was the star of a 96-89 victory in Game 4 on Thursday, helped them extend the lead to 30-22 early in the second quarter. The Lakers came back to take a 37-36 lead on Bryant’s basket with 3:58 left in the half, but Pierce answered with a 3-pointer and two late jumpers for a 45-39 advantage at the break.
NOTES: Of the 25 finals that have been tied at 2-all, the winner of Game 5 has won 19 of them. … Rondo was called for a technical foul in the second quarter when he pushed Artest in retaliation for a hard foul on Garnett. Artest embellished the shove, but got the call. … Celebrities in the crowd: sprinter Usain Bolt, actress Eliza Dushku, Red Hot Chili Peppers bassist Flea and singers Glen Frey and Jimmy Buffett, Philadelphia Phillies slugger Ryan Howard and New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick.
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Celtics handle Kobe onslaught and lead LA 3-2
By JIMMY GOLEN, AP Sports Writer
(http://l.yimg.com/a/i/sea/ph/4/392ap_celticslakersgame5.jpg)
BOSTON (AP)—It’s looking a lot like 2008 again, with Paul Pierce(notes) carrying the Boston Celtics to victory in the NBA finals and leading them to the brink of yet another title.
Pierce scored 27 points—his best performance of this year’s finals—and the Celtics withstood 38 points from Kobe Bryant(notes) to beat the defending NBA champion Los Angeles Lakers 92-86 on Sunday night and take a 3-2 lead in the best-of-seven series.
Game 6 is Tuesday night in Los Angeles, and a victory then or in Game 7 in L.A. on Thursday would give the Celtics a record 18th NBA title.
The Celtics have never blown a 3-2 lead in the NBA finals.
“You don’t want to go out to LA down 3-2. It was our biggest game of the year,” Pierce said. “We’re in a good spot. We have two games in L.A.; now we have to get one.”
Pierce was the MVP of the ’08 finals, when the new Big Three beat the Lakers to raise an NBA-record 17th banner to the rafters at Boston’s TD Garden. Bryant was the finals MVP last year, when the Lakers beat the Orlando Magic to win their 15th championship.
“I wasn’t in a personal duel,” Pierce said. “I didn’t notice that we were going back-and-forth scoring at the time. He’s a tough player. He makes shots.”
Bryant outscored Pierce this time, but the Lakers’ guard got little help from his teammates. And the stretch where he was most dominant was also the time when the Celtics pulled away.
Lakers coach Phil Jackson defended Bryant’s attempts to take over the offense.
“He’s the kind of guy (where) you ride the hot hand, that’s for sure,” Jackson said. “We were waiting for him to do that. … He went out there and found a rhythm.”
With the “Beat L.A!” chant reverberating at the Garden, Kevin Garnett(notes) scored 18 points with 10 rebounds and Rajon Rondo(notes) had 18 points, eight assists and five rebounds to help Boston become the first team in the series to win two games in a row. If Los Angeles can’t do the same at home, the Celtics will improve to 10-2 against them in the finals dating back to a 4-0 sweep over the Minneapolis Lakers in 1959.
“It’s basically home-court,” Jackson said. “That’s the way it’s supposed to be, isn’t it?”
Bryant did everything he could to send the Lakers home with the edge.
He scored 23 straight Lakers points between the 4:23 mark of the second quarter until there was 2:16 left in the third. But over that span, the Celtics expanded the lead from one point to 13.
“I just tried to keep telling them, it’s only 2 points each time he scores. It’s not 10,” Celtics coach Doc Rivers said. “It’s just like if someone else was scoring. … I love that our guys for the most part, they understood what he was doing. But we defended everyone else. And I thought it was big.”
And Pierce was having his best game of the series, too.
The Celtics’ captain scored seven points in the last 3 1/2 minutes of the second quarter and added nine more in the first 5 minutes of the third. Ray Allen(notes), who hasn’t hit a 3-pointer since making an NBA-record eight in Game 2, made a pair of baskets that gave Boston a 71-58 lead with 3:08 left in the third.
Jackson, wearing a microphone for the TV broadcast, told his players during a late timeout, “This team loses more games in the fourth quarter than any team in the league. They know how to lose games, and they’re showing us that now.”
(http://d.yimg.com/a/p/sp/getty/30/fullj.5309c893e383d1360849b5882c6d619d/5309c893e383d1360849b5882c6d619d-getty-bkn-nba-_final-lakers-celtics.jpg)
The Lakers got within six points several times, but never within five until Bryant made three free throws to make it 87-82 with 90 seconds left.
The Celtics got a break from a review when replays showed Allen’s 3-pointer barely nicked the rim, giving them the ball with a fresh 24 seconds and 1:05 left. Rasheed Wallace(notes) missed a 3-pointer, but the rebound wound up tied up between the 6-foot-11 Garnett and 6-foot-1 Derek Fisher(notes).
Fisher won the jump ball, tipping the ball ahead to Ron Artest(notes) for a breakaway; Pierce fouled him to keep him from scoring an easy layup, and he missed both free throws. Bryant grabbed the rebound, but Pierce ripped it out of his arms and dribbled off to the side to call timeout.
A desperate inbounds pass went to Pierce, who fed Rondo under the basket before falling out of bounds, and Rondo made an over-the-head layup to make it 89-82 with 36 seconds left.
“I was just showing off my Randy Moss and my (Tom) Brady the whole play,” Pierce said. “I was Randy when I caught it; then Brady on my pass to Rondo.”
Bryant missed a series of desperation 3-pointers down the stretch, and when Allen made two free throws with 19 seconds left and Garnett one of two with 8.9 to play, it was over.
“He’s the best shot-maker in the game. There’s probably better athletes and all that, but there’s no better shot-maker than Kobe Bryant,” Rivers said. “You’ve just got to live with it and play through it.”
Pau Gasol(notes) scored 12 points with 12 rebounds and Fisher, the Game 3 star, scored all nine of his points in the first quarter as no other Laker reached double figures in scoring until Gasol hit a free throw with 2:25 left. Andrew Bynum(notes) played on his sore right knee for 31 minutes, but he scored all six of his points and his only rebound in the first quarter.
The Celtics bench, which was the star of a 96-89 victory in Game 4 on Thursday, helped them extend the lead to 30-22 early in the second quarter. The Lakers came back to take a 37-36 lead on Bryant’s basket with 3:58 left in the half, but Pierce answered with a 3-pointer and two late jumpers for a 45-39 advantage at the break.
NOTES: Of the 25 finals that have been tied at 2-all, the winner of Game 5 has won 19 of them. … Rondo was called for a technical foul in the second quarter when he pushed Artest in retaliation for a hard foul on Garnett. Artest embellished the shove, but got the call. … Celebrities in the crowd: sprinter Usain Bolt, actress Eliza Dushku, Red Hot Chili Peppers bassist Flea and singers Glen Frey and Jimmy Buffett, Philadelphia Phillies slugger Ryan Howard and New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick.
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BOSTON - JUNE 13: Rajon Rondo(notes) #9 of the Boston Celtics smiles while addressing the media after Game Five of the 2010 NBA Finals against the Los Angeles Lakers on June 13, 2010 at TD Garden in Boston, Massachusetts. The Celtics won 92-86. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)
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(http://d.yimg.com/a/p/sp/getty/d8/fullj.e72cbaa14d861b60ac2e76a1f0e4051a/e72cbaa14d861b60ac2e76a1f0e4051a-getty-bkn-nba-_final-lakers-celtics.jpg)
Boston Celtics Guard Rajon Rondo(notes) (L) drives to the net as Los Angeles Lakers Guard Kobe Bryant(notes) (R) defents the net during game 5 of the NBA Finals June 13, 2010, at TD Garden in Boston, MA. AFP Photo/Paul J. Richards (Photo credit should read PAUL J. RICHARDS/AFP/Getty Images)(Photo Credit should Read /AFP/Getty Images)
(http://d.yimg.com/a/p/sp/getty/ed/fullj.1aae059d93c0bf6c22d6c6ecbe6b00b6/1aae059d93c0bf6c22d6c6ecbe6b00b6-getty-bkn-nba-_final-lakers-celtics.jpg)
Boston Celtics Forward Kevin Garnett(notes) (R) drives to the net as Los Angeles Lakers Center Andrew Bynum(notes) (2R) defents the net during game 5 of the NBA Finals June 13, 2010, at TD Garden in Boston, MA. AFP Photo/Paul J. Richards (Photo credit should read PAUL J. RICHARDS/AFP/Getty Images)(Photo Credit should Read /AFP/Getty Images)
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LATICS ko...ahahaha! ;D
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LATICS ko...ahahaha! ;D
Hahaha! Kana kay sigurado jud daug.
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Hahaha! Kana kay sigurado jud daug.
diba ms krissy, segurista.hahaha!....sunod ila uniform katunga green katunga golden yellow..LOL! ;D
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diba ms krissy, segurista.hahaha!....sunod ila uniform katunga green katunga golden yellow..LOL! ;D
(http://i467.photobucket.com/albums/rr31/mkthpl/DSC03043.jpg)
Murag ako...a Lakers fan in Celtics clothing? hehehe ;D
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(http://i467.photobucket.com/albums/rr31/mkthpl/DSC03043.jpg)
Murag ako...a Lakers fan in Celtics clothing? hehehe ;D
wow!. :)...pildi man ag lakers so gibutang ag mug for now.hahaha! ;D
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wow!. :)...pildi man ag lakers so gibutang ag mug for now.hahaha! ;D
Hahayy...mao gyud. Kung modaug sa sunod game, balik suot tanan Lakers paraphernalia. hahaha!
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basta LAKERS ako.. they still have home court advantage.. if im not mistaken, my prediction was Game 6 at LAKERS.. maybe its Game 7 at LAKERS! woooohh!!!
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when is the next game?
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Tomorrow na pud.
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Tomorrow na pud.
home court na ba gyud?
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home court na ba gyud?
Home court na gyud, hope they win.
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Home court na gyud, hope they win.
unsa guy naa sa home court advantage na ingon nila?
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basta LAKERS ako.. they still have home court advantage.. if im not mistaken, my prediction was Game 6 at LAKERS.. maybe its Game 7 at LAKERS! woooohh!!!
unsay prediction bah? don't you know ba na mo champion na ang celtics ugma hahaha
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unsay prediction bah? don't you know ba na mo champion na ang celtics ugma hahaha
that will not happen yet because Lakers will put up a fight and a good show
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unsay prediction bah? don't you know ba na mo champion na ang celtics ugma hahaha
Simbako jud! ;D ;D ;D
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ugma na gyud ihagbong ag mga balloons but sad to say sa staple center hihihi
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Simbako jud! ;D ;D ;D
dapat simba ka ugma krissy b4 sa game...hahaha!
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absent ko ugma sa buntag just watch game six ui!!
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absent ko ugma sa buntag just watch game six ui!!
ayaw nalang bro oi, sulod nalang diha kay basin masuko napud na mapildi ag lakers kay mo champion na baya ag celtics ugma hehehe
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labaw najud ang boston sa standing...
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ugma na gyud ihagbong ag mga balloons but sad to say sa staple center hihihi
celtics diay gyud ka bro?
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dapat simba ka ugma krissy b4 sa game...hahaha!
Magluhod ug novena jud ko. hahaha!
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absent ko ugma sa buntag just watch game six ui!!
Wow! Die hard jud! :D
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Magluhod ug novena jud ko. hahaha!
isayaw pod apil hon kay nag offer sila vingo sa ilahang dance hall adto tan aw while nag line dancing
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isayaw pod apil hon kay nag offer sila vingo sa ilahang dance hall adto tan aw while nag line dancing
Lamia ana uy...kung duol pa lang.
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Lamia ana uy...kung duol pa lang.
lageh no pero sa next time na lang pod
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Mukhang may kalalagyan ang celtics ngayon!!! ;D ;D ;D
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Mukhang may kalalagyan ang celtics ngayon!!! ;D ;D ;D
mananalo ba?
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celtics got obliterated ;D ;D
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basta, lakers won, so happy gyud
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Woohoo!!! ;D ;D ;D
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see u all in game 7...go go go go LAKERS
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yeheeeyyyy...lakers sab kooohhh.. kmusta brader Josh?
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Dia ra man diay akong mga kauban nga fans. hehehe. Modaug na jud ang Lakers ani. ;D ;D ;D
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maglipay lipay ta ugma
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Sa Hwebes na inigka champion sa Lakers. ;D
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Sa Hwebes na inigka champion sa Lakers. ;D
sa sabado diay ta padayun celebrate kay ing tawag si
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sa sabado diay ta padayun celebrate kay ing tawag si
Bitin man ang balita...si? hahaha
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Bitin man ang balita...si? hahaha
ay sakto, si tita jean jamero diay
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ay sakto, si tita jean jamero diay
Sayang, work ko that day.
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Sayang, work ko that day.
saturday man yun, work ka diay? hapon na man siguro ni magsugod?
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saturday man yun, work ka diay? hapon na man siguro ni magsugod?
Yup, work ko sa 19, naa mi workshop. We'll see lang...
Dawat nimo akong email about Sunday?
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Yup, work ko sa 19, naa mi workshop. We'll see lang...
Dawat nimo akong email about Sunday?
wala pa, lemme check ha
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Lakers rout Celtics, force Game 7 in NBA finals
By GREG BEACHAM, AP Sports Writer
(http://l.yimg.com/a/i/ww/news/2010/06/15/lakers7.jpg)
LOS ANGELES (AP)—The trophy, the champagne, the hats, the T-shirts. Even Bill Russell and Kevin McHale. Everything was in place at Staples Center for the Boston Celtics to wrap up their 18th NBA championship.
And then the Lakers shoved everything back in its boxes and sent all the Celtics in sight back to their hotels for two more days.
With an emphatic, historic blowout win in Game 6 Tuesday night, Los Angeles earned the right to host the grand finale to both the NBA season and this scintillating chapter in the league’s most glamorous rivalry.
Kobe Bryant(notes) scored 26 points, Pau Gasol(notes) added 17 points and 13 rebounds, and the Lakers held Boston to the second lowest-scoring performance in NBA finals history in an 89-67 victory, setting up a winner-take-all Game 7 on Thursday.
Faced with elimination for the first time in this postseason, the defending champion Lakers didn’t flinch. Just look at Bryant, who still hasn’t cracked a smile during the quest for his fifth title—the same number as Magic Johnson, and one behind Michael Jordan.
“We’re used to being in must-win situations,” Bryant said. “The way we look at it, (Game 7) is just a game we’ve got to win. … I don’t mean to be a buzzkill. I know what’s at stake, but I’m not tripping.”
He left that to the Celtics, who fell all over themselves after falling behind by 22 points in the first half. Boston memorably eliminated the Lakers in the sixth game of the 2008 finals with a 39-point blowout—but this time around, the Celtics lost their series lead and their starting center in one disastrous Game 6.
“We didn’t get in any rhythm early, and it affects our chemistry,” said Ray Allen(notes), who scored 19 points. “We each tried to make the home run play early. As a starting unit, we take responsibility. We have to do a better job next game.”
Ron Artest(notes) added 15 points for the Lakers, who got their backs off the wall with a dazzling first half and a strong finish built around defense that held Boston to 33 percent shooting. Only Utah’s infamous 54-point performance against Chicago in 1998 was worse.
Bryant grabbed 11 rebounds, and Gasol led the Lakers with nine assists in a remarkable bounce-back game for Los Angeles, which dominated from the opening minutes by vacuuming up rebounds—13 more than Boston—and playing relentless defense.
“I was very happy,” Bryant said after the defending champions stretched the finals to the limit for the first time since 2005. “We did a great job defensively. We kept them out of the middle, kept them out of the paint, did a good job on the boards. It was a solid effort by us.”
These rivals have played a Game 7 four times in their 11 previous finals meetings, with Boston winning all four. But it hasn’t happened since 1984—and it hasn’t happened to Bryant, who looks determined to stake a spot among the NBA’s highest circle of greats.
But while Bryant was a one-man band for much of the Lakers’ three-game stay in Boston, Los Angeles was a symphony in Game 6. Gasol was a constant low-post presence and playmaker after disappearing for long stretches of the series, while Artest harnessed his wildly inconsistent jumper and hit three 3-pointers.
“We want to carry everything we did tonight to (Game 7), and then I think we’ll be in a very good place to win,” Gasol said. “When you bring the intensity we did tonight, good things are going to happen.”
With first lady Michelle Obama watching from a luxury box, the Lakers were on their best behavior—and the Celtics responded terribly to the chance to clinch a title.
Paul Pierce(notes) scored 13 points and Kevin Garnett(notes) added 12, but the Celtics’ offense was a jumbled, stand-around mess. Rajon Rondo(notes), the late-game hero in Boston’s last appearance in Los Angeles, got off to a 1-for-8 shooting start before finishing with 10 points and six assists.
“I thought we’d play better, obviously,” Boston coach Doc Rivers said. “I thought we were ready. … We played an individual game tonight on both ends. We never gave ourselves an opportunity offensively, because we never trusted each other. Everybody was out to make their own place.”
The Celtics lost starting center Kendrick Perkins(notes) in the first quarter to a sprained right knee when he landed awkwardly under the hoop, but his absence couldn’t explain the Lakers’ utter domination of the first half—a 30-13 rebounding edge while holding Boston to 34 percent shooting and frustrating Rondo.
“To me, the game is over,” Rondo said. “We have one game (left). They have one game. All or nothing. (Game 6) is in the past.”
There hasn’t been a winner-take-all finals game since San Antonio finished off Detroit five years ago, and Thursday’s Game 7 will be the 17th in NBA history. The Spurs’ victory over the Pistons was the first Game 7 since 1994, when the Houston Rockets capped a comeback with two home victories over the New York Knicks and their point guard—Rivers.
“It’s really a high-tension situation,” said Lakers coach Phil Jackson, a 10-time champion who has never coached a Game 7 in the finals. “Players have come down to putting a lot on the line at this particular point. It’s not about the coaching at that point. They’ve already got it in them. It’s about who comes out and provides the energy on the floor.”
The Lakers improved to 10-1 in the postseason at Staples Center, while the Celtics dropped to 3-4 in closeout playoff games this season—including 0-3 on the road. Boston had nine chances to finish a playoff series away from home in the past three postseasons, but has been successful only once.
NOTES: Los Angeles got two points and four rebounds in 16 minutes from injured C Andrew Bynum(notes), who spent part of the second half in the locker room. Jackson said Bynum asked to come out after feeling tightness in his leg, which will require surgery in the offseason … Allen hit two 3-pointers after hitting a finals-record eight in Game 2 in Los Angeles. He didn’t make a 3-pointer during the last three games in Boston.
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this is a very good game 3 all, whew!
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pit pitan na ng balls ito!!!;D ;D ;D
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pit pitan na ng balls ito!!!;D ;D ;D
magdilang anghel ka sana john para masaya ang lahat sa california for them to win,LOL
(http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc3/hs082.snc3/15013_121420721210677_100000282495721_238277_6010625_n.jpg)
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Lakers rout Celtics, force Game 7 in NBA finals
By GREG BEACHAM, AP Sports Writer
(http://l.yimg.com/a/i/ww/news/2010/06/15/lakers7.jpg)
LOS ANGELES (AP)—The trophy, the champagne, the hats, the T-shirts. Even Bill Russell and Kevin McHale. Everything was in place at Staples Center for the Boston Celtics to wrap up their 18th NBA championship.
And then the Lakers shoved everything back in its boxes and sent all the Celtics in sight back to their hotels for two more days.
With an emphatic, historic blowout win in Game 6 Tuesday night, Los Angeles earned the right to host the grand finale to both the NBA season and this scintillating chapter in the league’s most glamorous rivalry.
Kobe Bryant(notes) scored 26 points, Pau Gasol(notes) added 17 points and 13 rebounds, and the Lakers held Boston to the second lowest-scoring performance in NBA finals history in an 89-67 victory, setting up a winner-take-all Game 7 on Thursday.
Faced with elimination for the first time in this postseason, the defending champion Lakers didn’t flinch. Just look at Bryant, who still hasn’t cracked a smile during the quest for his fifth title—the same number as Magic Johnson, and one behind Michael Jordan.
“We’re used to being in must-win situations,” Bryant said. “The way we look at it, (Game 7) is just a game we’ve got to win. … I don’t mean to be a buzzkill. I know what’s at stake, but I’m not tripping.”
He left that to the Celtics, who fell all over themselves after falling behind by 22 points in the first half. Boston memorably eliminated the Lakers in the sixth game of the 2008 finals with a 39-point blowout—but this time around, the Celtics lost their series lead and their starting center in one disastrous Game 6.
“We didn’t get in any rhythm early, and it affects our chemistry,” said Ray Allen(notes), who scored 19 points. “We each tried to make the home run play early. As a starting unit, we take responsibility. We have to do a better job next game.”
Ron Artest(notes) added 15 points for the Lakers, who got their backs off the wall with a dazzling first half and a strong finish built around defense that held Boston to 33 percent shooting. Only Utah’s infamous 54-point performance against Chicago in 1998 was worse.
Bryant grabbed 11 rebounds, and Gasol led the Lakers with nine assists in a remarkable bounce-back game for Los Angeles, which dominated from the opening minutes by vacuuming up rebounds—13 more than Boston—and playing relentless defense.
“I was very happy,” Bryant said after the defending champions stretched the finals to the limit for the first time since 2005. “We did a great job defensively. We kept them out of the middle, kept them out of the paint, did a good job on the boards. It was a solid effort by us.”
These rivals have played a Game 7 four times in their 11 previous finals meetings, with Boston winning all four. But it hasn’t happened since 1984—and it hasn’t happened to Bryant, who looks determined to stake a spot among the NBA’s highest circle of greats.
But while Bryant was a one-man band for much of the Lakers’ three-game stay in Boston, Los Angeles was a symphony in Game 6. Gasol was a constant low-post presence and playmaker after disappearing for long stretches of the series, while Artest harnessed his wildly inconsistent jumper and hit three 3-pointers.
“We want to carry everything we did tonight to (Game 7), and then I think we’ll be in a very good place to win,” Gasol said. “When you bring the intensity we did tonight, good things are going to happen.”
With first lady Michelle Obama watching from a luxury box, the Lakers were on their best behavior—and the Celtics responded terribly to the chance to clinch a title.
Paul Pierce(notes) scored 13 points and Kevin Garnett(notes) added 12, but the Celtics’ offense was a jumbled, stand-around mess. Rajon Rondo(notes), the late-game hero in Boston’s last appearance in Los Angeles, got off to a 1-for-8 shooting start before finishing with 10 points and six assists.
“I thought we’d play better, obviously,” Boston coach Doc Rivers said. “I thought we were ready. … We played an individual game tonight on both ends. We never gave ourselves an opportunity offensively, because we never trusted each other. Everybody was out to make their own place.”
The Celtics lost starting center Kendrick Perkins(notes) in the first quarter to a sprained right knee when he landed awkwardly under the hoop, but his absence couldn’t explain the Lakers’ utter domination of the first half—a 30-13 rebounding edge while holding Boston to 34 percent shooting and frustrating Rondo.
“To me, the game is over,” Rondo said. “We have one game (left). They have one game. All or nothing. (Game 6) is in the past.”
There hasn’t been a winner-take-all finals game since San Antonio finished off Detroit five years ago, and Thursday’s Game 7 will be the 17th in NBA history. The Spurs’ victory over the Pistons was the first Game 7 since 1994, when the Houston Rockets capped a comeback with two home victories over the New York Knicks and their point guard—Rivers.
“It’s really a high-tension situation,” said Lakers coach Phil Jackson, a 10-time champion who has never coached a Game 7 in the finals. “Players have come down to putting a lot on the line at this particular point. It’s not about the coaching at that point. They’ve already got it in them. It’s about who comes out and provides the energy on the floor.”
The Lakers improved to 10-1 in the postseason at Staples Center, while the Celtics dropped to 3-4 in closeout playoff games this season—including 0-3 on the road. Boston had nine chances to finish a playoff series away from home in the past three postseasons, but has been successful only once.
NOTES: Los Angeles got two points and four rebounds in 16 minutes from injured C Andrew Bynum(notes), who spent part of the second half in the locker room. Jackson said Bynum asked to come out after feeling tightness in his leg, which will require surgery in the offseason … Allen hit two 3-pointers after hitting a finals-record eight in Game 2 in Los Angeles. He didn’t make a 3-pointer during the last three games in Boston.
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celtics ra ba akong gidamgo..picture2 daw me sa mga players...hahaha.
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celtics ra ba akong gidamgo..picture2 daw me sa mga players...hahaha.
Celtic at heart diay ka, Zuls? ;D
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celtics ra ba akong gidamgo..picture2 daw me sa mga players...hahaha.
tag as ra ba sila kaayo zuls
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tag as ra ba sila kaayo zuls
unsa ba gud ning tag-as bro?
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lakers made it! watch gyud ko tom!!!
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lakers made it! watch gyud ko tom!!!
for sure see you tom the result huh!
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unsa ba gud ning tag-as bro?
sila kobe bryant ba and his lakers teammates
(http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc3/hs082.snc3/15013_121420721210677_100000282495721_238277_6010625_n.jpg)
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sila kobe bryant ba and his lakers teammates
(http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc3/hs082.snc3/15013_121420721210677_100000282495721_238277_6010625_n.jpg)
yes indeed, as you can see na man sa pic eh.. hihihihi
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yes indeed, as you can see na man sa pic eh.. hihihihi
modikit ra gyud na puhon ba
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modikit ra gyud na puhon ba
i agree
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last 10 seconds,LOL
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last ball to touch was Kobe Bryant, congratulations Los Angeles Lakers, I love you all!!!
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Great job, Lakers!
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Celtic at heart diay ka, Zuls? ;D
dili man..nadamguhan ra Ms.K..pildi..heehehe//congrats to lakers..
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sila kobe bryant ba and his lakers teammates
(http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc3/hs082.snc3/15013_121420721210677_100000282495721_238277_6010625_n.jpg)
ka sweet ba nila Bryant.kinsa ni iya partner???cheesy...hehehe..
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ka sweet ba nila Bryant.kinsa ni iya partner???cheesy...hehehe..
love it,LOL
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ka sweet ba nila Bryant.kinsa ni iya partner???cheesy...hehehe..
yepeh daug ang lakers hehehehe
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yepeh daug ang lakers hehehehe
daghan na pod mahitabo ani ba,LOL :)
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congratz lakers!
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Lakers edge Celtics in Game 7, win 16th title
By GREG BEACHAM, AP Sports Writer Greg Beacham, Ap Sports Writer – Fri Jun 18, 6:13 am ET
(http://d.yimg.com/a/p/rids/20100618/i/r2181768424.jpg?x=400&y=282&q=85&sig=TMuyT0QPpg7M.ti9Jl6Z6g--)
LOS ANGELES – Kobe Bryant sprinted after the ball, which Lamar Odom joyously flung downcourt to burn the remaining seconds in Game 7 of the NBA finals. With the celebration starting behind him, Bryant chased it down and then held it aloft to his teammates.
The Los Angeles Lakers' 16th championship was secure following a gritty 83-79 victory over the Boston Celtics. Bryant's legs may have been dead, but he didn't stop running until the buzzer.
(http://d.yimg.com/a/p/rids/20100618/i/r514892455.jpg?x=400&y=323&q=85&sig=OIsv59SmDw.Pj21gw4VKgA--)
The two-time finals MVP has a ring for every finger on one hand precisely because he never slows down, even with injuries, the Celtics' defense and his own erratic shot conspiring against him. That's why this ring will have a special place in his collection, and this banner in the Staples Center rafters will loom a little larger than the rest to Kobe.
"I wanted it so, so bad," Bryant said. "On top of that, I was on E. Man, I was really, really tired, and the more I tried to push, the more it kept getting away from me."
Out of an unsightly 6-for-24 shooting performance, Bryant led the Lakers to a sweet repeat with 23 points and 15 rebounds Thursday night. While he could barely make a shot or even hold onto the ball at times, Bryant relentlessly drove the lane to earn nine free throws in the fourth quarter while Los Angeles erased a 13-point second-half deficit.
The Lakers earned their rings by winning a gritty, grind-it-out Game 7 for the first time in their franchises' history.
(http://l.yimg.com/a/i/sea/ph/5/392ap_kbryantgame7.jpg)
"This one is by far the sweetest, because it's them," Bryant said after the Lakers beat Boston for the first time in a Game 7. "This was the hardest one by far. I wanted it so bad, and sometimes when you want it so bad, it slips away from you. My guys picked me up."
While the basketball in Game 7 wasn't terribly attractive, as evidenced by the Lakers' 32.5 percent shooting and 12 missed free throws alongside the Celtics' 15 turnovers and 53-40 rebounding disadvantage, the teams' collective will and determination still were stirring — and they'll only get more beautiful with age.
Lakers coach Phil Jackson also has his 11th championship, matching Boston great Bill Russell's total and possibly putting a cap on Jackson's remarkable career if he decides to leave the Lakers. The Zen Master will have trouble walking away from the chance for a fourth threepeat next year.
"Well, it's done. It wasn't well done, but it was done," Jackson said. "I thought our defense was terrific. We were able to step in and play the kind of defense that we've established as a calling card for this team, and we found a way to generate some points."
Exactly two years to the day after Boston beat the Lakers by 39 points to clinch the 2008 title, Los Angeles got revenge for perhaps the most embarrassing loss of Bryant's career — even if that revenge was as cold as Bryant's jumper.
Bryant said he had to downplay the magnitude of the rivalry during the series, but he came clean while sitting at the podium with his daughters, Natalia and Gianna.
"I was just lying to you guys," Bryant said. "When you're in the moment, you have to suppress that ... but you guys know what a student I am of the game. I know every series the Lakers have played in, and I know every Celtics series. I know every statistic. It meant the world to me, but I couldn't focus on that. I had to focus on playing."
And when Bryant was asked what the title means to him personally, he answered without self-censorship: "Just got one more than Shaq. You can take that to the bank. You know how I am. I don't forget anything."
As if anybody could forget, Shaquille O'Neal and Bryant teamed up for three titles from 2000-02, with Shaq winning his fourth in 2006 with Miami. The Lakers' last two belong to Bryant and Pau Gasol, who had 19 points and 18 rebounds after a slow start in Game 7.
Ron Artest added 20 points for the Lakers, who didn't exactly show a champion's poise while making just 21 shots in the first three quarters, even hovering around 50 percent at the free throw line. Los Angeles finished with just 32.5 percent shooting.
Yet the Lakers' defense slowed Rajon Rondo and the Celtics' offense to a trickle in the fourth quarter. Los Angeles reclaimed the lead midway through and hung on with a few more big shots from Gasol, who had nine points in the period, and a remarkable clutch performance by Artest, a first-time champion as the only newcomer to last season's roster.
"I had 20 points, and I still think we did this as a team," said Artest, whose 3-pointer with 1:01 to play was the Lakers' last field goal of the season. "We fought together. This was one of the best games in, I don't even know, man. I don't want to be in a game like this, where the game can go either way. ... I'm just like, OK, what did I get myself into?"
He might be into a budding dynasty, with most of the Lakers' core locked into long-term contracts. With their fifth title in 11 seasons, the Lakers moved one championship behind Boston's 17 titles for the overall NBA lead.
Paul Pierce had 18 points and 10 rebounds for the Celtics, who just couldn't finish the final quarter of a remarkable playoff run after a fourth-place finish in the Eastern Conference. Kevin Garnett added 17 points and Rasheed Wallace had 11 before tiring while starting in place of injured center Kendrick Perkins, but Boston flopped in two chances to clinch the series in Los Angeles after winning Game 5 back home.
"We were scratching and clawing, trying to do everything we could to try to pull this out," said Ray Allen, who had 13 points on 3-of-14 shooting, his legs worn out from chasing Bryant on defense. "We had an opportunity to win, but it just didn't go our way down the stretch. I don't think we ran out of steam. Lady Luck just didn't bounce in our corner. ... There were a lot of tears, a lot of tears."
The Celtics had never lost a seventh game in the finals. Despite nursing a lead through most of the night while holding the Lakers to that ridiculously low shooting percentage, Boston couldn't close it out on the coast, becoming just the seventh team to blow a 3-2 finals lead after winning Game 5.
Boston faces even more offseason uncertainty than the Lakers, with Allen's free agency and coach Doc Rivers' decision atop the list.
"There's a lot of crying in that locker room," Rivers said. "A lot of people who care. I don't think there was a dry eye. A lot of hugs, a lot of people feeling awful. That's a good thing. Showed a lot of people cared."
The Celtics had much more poise from the opening tip in Game 7, playing vicious defense that forced Los Angeles to miss 21 of its first 27 shots. Bryant and Gasol were a combined 6 for 26 in the first half.
But forget how it looked early on, because history will. Bryant even did something Jerry West and Magic Johnson never could: He beat the hated Celtics in Game 7 of the finals.
"Close is not enough," said Glen Davis, whose six points and nine rebounds were the Celtics' only contributions from their bench. "You've got to win it. I don't know what's going on with who's coming back, but I'll be ready when training camp comes around."
NOTES: The Lakers will hold a parade Monday, with the team riding floats from Staples Center down Figueroa Street to the USC campus in downtown Los Angeles. A rally at the Coliseum last year attracted 95,000 fans, but the Lakers are skipping the arena in favor of a more interactive celebration. ... Home teams improved to 14-3 in Game 7 in the finals. No road team has won a title in Game 7 since 1978.
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see you on Monday for the grand parade of the world champions. I'm sure nadoon si dawg, babantayn ang mga bad boys for me,LOL
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Artest and Gasol played the game of their lives in game 7.
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Artest and Gasol played the game of their lives in game 7.
should be MVP's for that game
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pwede, bro...co-MVPs.
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pwede, bro...co-MVPs.
for that night lang gyud coz Kobe Bryant did an excellent job the entire season
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see you on Monday for the grand parade of the world champions. I'm sure nadoon si dawg, babantayn ang mga bad boys for me,LOL
Paki kiss na lang kang Kobe.... ;)
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Paki kiss na lang kang Kobe.... ;)
inig parade krissy :D ;D
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Paki kiss na lang kang Kobe.... ;)
lisod baya kay daghan sad manghawid,hehehe
(http://d.yimg.com/a/p/rids/20100618/i/r514892455.jpg?x=400&y=323&q=85&sig=OIsv59SmDw.Pj21gw4VKgA--)
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pildihan ko usa ka case RH
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pildihan ko usa ka case RH
nabayran na nimo gitz?
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hope so.. go go go celtics.. ;D
Celtics? 8)
yes i am.. ;D and its a tie now 1-1 for lakers & celtics whew!
i luv my boston babies too--cgeh lng ffa Roj, bawi tah sa sunod.hehe congrats to the Lakers..and the Laker buffs too. ;) ;) 8)
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nabayran na nimo gitz?
ge utang lagi bro! palista ra sa karton sa sigarilyo
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ge utang lagi bro! palista ra sa karton sa sigarilyo
asa man kana dapit? kay ako nay bahala ana, ingna lang roger,hehehe
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sukit gyud akong absent in the morning kay midaug ang LAKERS. hehehehe
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three on three nalang ta sunod
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three on three nalang ta sunod
i love that idea!!
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i love that idea!!
apil ko ha...bisan asa ko nga side
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i love that idea!!
apil ko ha...bisan asa ko nga side
three on three nalang ta sunod
Unsa gud ni!!! Threesome!! ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D
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Unsa gud ni!!! Threesome!! ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D
love it guys,LOL
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inig parade krissy :D ;D
lisod baya kay daghan sad manghawid,hehehe
(http://d.yimg.com/a/p/rids/20100618/i/r514892455.jpg?x=400&y=323&q=85&sig=OIsv59SmDw.Pj21gw4VKgA--)
Taas pud sya uy. :)
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i love that idea!!
byuti...
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Taas pud sya uy. :)
kontra ni Kobe Bryant, who is he?
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kontra ni Kobe Bryant, who is he?
Si KB akong buot pasabot ba. hehehe
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Si KB akong buot pasabot ba. hehehe
ah, kang Kobe Bryant, taas man gyud
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murag moron nga suman
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ah, kang Kobe Bryant, taas man gyud
Kita na ka? ;)
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Kita na ka? ;)
ay oo, kapila na
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ay oo, kapila na
Maayo pa ka...kutob ra intawn ko sa picture
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Maayo pa ka...kutob ra intawn ko sa picture
damggo ra pod ko oist ;D