Kobe Bryant did not go off. But he will. He played a game very reminiscent of the two he came up with in Boston's two regular-season (Yes, we know: pre-Gasol) triumphs, shooting a shaky 9 for 26 while only threatening to take over the game. A few more like that and the Celtics will be making parade plans. Ah, don't count on it.
But there was a little lesson to be gleaned from last night's affair, and that was the following: The Celtics have a guy who can mess up your defensive plans, too. I'll say it again. Paul Pierce is the most explosive offensive force who has ever put on a Celtics uniform, and he proved it in the third quarter when he scored 15 vital points as the Celtics turned a 51-46 halftime deficit into a 77-73 advantage and were able to protect it in the fourth, when the Lakers were never able to creep closer than 3 points (81-78).
Pierce did his vital third-quarter scoring in two bursts, sandwiched around a mysterious injury to his right knee. He started the third by taking a Kevin Garnett feed and laying in power lefthanded layup. He followed that by up-faking Vladimir Radmanovic, drawing contact, and then banking a three from the far right reaches of the Celtics' kingdom. This time, in contrast to the goings-on in Auburn Hills, Mich., he got the call, and he sank the free throw for an honest-to-God 4-point play. Bryant hit a jumper, but Pierce responded with a jumper in the lane, giving him 8 points in the first 1:13.
"That flurry they came out with in the third quarter put us back on our heels," said Laker mentor Phil Jackson.
The great drama came at the 6:52 mark of the period, when Bryant scored on a runner to cut the Celtics' lead to 62-58 and Pierce went down on the baseline, grabbing his right knee. He looked to be in great distress, and he was carried off the floor. No one had a handle on what had happened, and there was no way to regard this as anything less than The End Of Everything.
