It was right there for the Celtics, who first came back from a 19-point (43-24) second-quarter deficit to take a 2-point (62-60) third- period lead and then extricated themselves from a 14-point hole in the fourth quarter, when a run of 16-2 in the tidy span of 4:42 brought them back from an 88-74 situation into a tie at 90 with 4:35 to play.
Three missed free throws by Kevin Garnett (a quiet, foul-plagued 13 points) loomed large in this one. The first one came when he had a chance to tie the game at 92 with 3:54 remaining, and the second two came when he had a chance to tie the game at 95 with 2:31 to play. Let's just say that the KG detractors had some ammo coming out of this one. He did his expected job on the boards (14), but this was not one he'll be showing the grandkids.
In direct contrast was the performance of Paul Pierce, who, had the Celtics pulled this one out, would be walking around town as the 2008 NBA Finals MVP after his 38-point, 6-rebound, 8-assist gem. With the exception of that bizarre 2-for-14 in Game 3, he has been bringing a game ranging from A to A-plus to the gym every night.
But he was responsible for the biggest turnover of the night. Talk about an amazing juxtaposition. With the Celtics trailing, 97-95, Pierce came down with a Man's Man of a traffic rebound, outwrestling every Laker this side of Rudy LaRusso for a Derek Fisher miss. So here they were, down 2, with the ball and 50 seconds left.
Before Pierce or anyone else had a chance to tie the game, Kobe Bryant came up with a huge play, sneaking up behind Pierce and knocking the ball away. Lamar Odom fired a return pass, and Kobe dunked the sneakaway, and that was pretty much that. Fuel up the plane and head it to Boston.
The first quarter was eerily similar to the goings-on in Game 4. This time the charged-up Lakers came out of it with a 17-point lead (39-22), as opposed to the 21-point margin (35-14) they had emerged with Thursday night. The Celtics contributed mightily to their own demise, turning the ball over four times in their first four possessions. Three minutes into the game, they were down, 10-2, and then it was 21-7 and right away we were talking deja vu.
