That’s where the history comes in. The Celtics and Lakers are jousting in the Finals for the 12th time since 1959. Boston holds a 9-2 advantage and four times beat the Lakers in Game 7.
The Celtics virtually invented Game 7. Boston owns Game 7 the way McDonald’s owns the Happy Meal; the way Tony Bennett owns “I Left My Heart in San Francisco.’’ The Celtics have never lost a Game 7 in the Finals. Bill Russell won 11 championships in 13 years and went 10-0 in Game 7s. The final game of Russell’s career was an epic Game 7 victory at the Los Angeles Forum in the spring of 1969.
Russell was in the house last night to witness the carnage. He saw the Celtics get outrebounded, 30-13, in the first half, which ended with the Lakers leading, 51-31. He saw the Lakers run to a 27-point lead. He saw the lazy, listless Celtics shoot 33 percent and take only 10 free throws.
He saw Celtics center Kendrick Perkins sprain his right knee midway through the first quarter. Perkins departed, did not return, and is questionable, at best, for tomorrow night’s finale.
“It doesn’t look great,’’ said Celtics coach Doc Rivers.
Only four Celtics broke into the scoring column in the first three quarters. If that’s not a record, it should be. Boston’s vaunted bench, which scored 36 points winning Game 4, was outscored, 24-0, in the first 36 minutes of Game 6. So much for Shrek and Donkey. In Game 6, they were all donkeys.
The Celtics looked like a team with six players over the age of 30. They looked like a team that went 27-27 over the final 54 games of the regular season. They looked like the fourth seed of the Eastern Conference. Ray Allen (19) was the only Celtic who scored more than 13 points.
“I thought we’d play better, obviously,’’ said Rivers. “I thought we played an individual game tonight on both ends. We never gave ourselves an opportunity offensively. Everybody was trying to make their own plays. When we’ve done that this year, we’ve lost games. We’ve been blown out in some of those games. If you do that against a team like the Lakers, who are really ready to play and play desperate, you’re going to lose.’’
