December 30, 2007
10:00 PM EST (Comcast SportsNet)
Staples Center (Los Angeles, CA)
Announcers: Mike An-Gorman-agement and Donny "We Are" Marshall ; Gary PoonTanguay and Tommy "Want to Touch the" Heinsohn (in-studio) ; Greg "Old Saint" Dickerson (sideline reporter)
Celtics Starting Lineup: Rayden, Allan Tony, Perk'd Off, Kevvy G, Da Troof
Lakers Starting Lineup: Black Mamba No. 5, Derek Fisher-Price, Andrew Bynumb3r, Lamar Odom and Domber, Trevor Raisin' ArizONa
As if the resurrection of the Lakers-Celtics rivalry isn't enough of a story this season, there's yet a new wrinkle to be added to tonight's matchup ... Phil 'Er Up Jackson is currently tied with the legendary Red Auerbach for 7th most coaching wins in NBA history at 938 (sports.espn.go.com).
So, for those who can't connect the dots, that means that if the Lakers pull out the victory tonight, then Mister Jackson will have surpassed his old nemesis against the very team where Mister Auerbach earned his place in the history books ... Now, we certainly can't let that record be broken on our watch, can we?
Hell no we can't! We gotta win tonight for Red!
Not only can the C's put the skids on Jackson's quest for history (if only for one more night), they could also cap off this West Coast road trip with a perfect 4-0 record ... Now, that certainly would be a great way to close out 2007!
Unfortunately, they'll have to do so without the services of I've Got a Rajon Rondo, who will sit out tonight's contest with cramping in his right hamstring (suffered during last night's game in Utah).
FIRST QUARTER
Oh man, I need to let you people know that tonight is "Eighties Night" at the Staples Center. So, not only are the Lakers sporting their retro jerseys, but they also brought back the short-shorts (sportsillustrated.cnn.com) and they look absolutely TERRIBLE ... Seriously, Odom looks like a skinny Kareem Abdul-Jabbarwocky, while Derek Fisher appears to be wearing pantyhose!
Awful, just awful. Luckily, the Celts aren't committing the same fashion faux paus (I shudder to think of Glen "Macrosomia" Davis wearing a pair of those) ... Anyway, Fisher buries a jumpshot to open the game, while at the other end Tony drives down the lane and draws the foul on Derek; he makes both free throws to keep the score tied (2-all 11:18).
Ariza then misses the shot, and Perkins controls the rebound. He passes to Pierce, who makes his way up the floor, then gets the ball inside to KG; he draws the double-team, so he gives it to Perk and he finishes with a layup (4-2 10:54) ... We've seen that play - or variations of it - between Kevin and Kendrick many times thus far this season, and it never gets old!
Kobe then takes his first shot of the night, but is wide of the mark, and Pierce comes down with the rebound. He takes it upcourt himself, then passes inside to Perk; his shot misses, however he gets his own rebound and tries to take it back up for the layup ... unfortunately, that shot is blocked from behind by Odom!
The ball goes out of bounds, so the Celts still retain possession ... Ray takes advantage of the opportunity, as he's left wide open for the 20-footer (6-2 10:25).
We're off to a great start, as a basket by Pierce makes it a six-point lead with 7:45 left in the quarter. LA calls for time, and when play resumes Bryant frontrims the jumpshot, but Odom collects the offensive board ... He tries to score on the putback, but blows the layup (ha HA!); the play's not over, though, as Lamar gets another rebound, and this time Pierce commits the foul.
The Lakers retain possession, but Kobe tries for the alleyoop pass to Bynum, and the ball winds up going about three feet over his head and sails out of bounds! Whoopsie ... That makes it Celtics' ball, and Garnett scores on the hook shot over Odom (13-5 6:50).
Two free throws by Kobe (those are his first points thus far, as he's missed all three of his field-goal attempts) cut the lead to six, as the crowd is already trying to get an "MVP!" chant going ... At the other end, Ray tries to work the baseline against Kobe, but misses the shot and Ariza pulls down the rebound. He takes it coast to coast and finds Odom in the paint, where he misses the little floater, but Bynum grabs the offensive board and lays it in (13-9 6:02).
Ray is then fouled and makes one-of-two free throws (hmmm), but Ariza quickly answers by blowing past Pierce and finishing with the strong one-hand slam (14-11 5:28).
Fisher then strips Tony from behind, and the ball goes off his knee and out of bounds; the Lakers regain possession, as Kobe tries to force up a shot over Ray (that seemed unnecessary) that barely grazes the rim. Pierce takes the rebound and pushes it up the floor for the fast break, as he finds a hustling Ray Allen who takes it in and scores the basket (16-11 5:03). However, after the play Ariza and Garnett are called for double technicals ... Not sure what initiated that, but there's a lot of talkign going on between the two.
Teammates come out and separate the two, but cooler heads prevail and nothing comes of it ... Anyway, the Lakers have possession, but that ends quickly as Fisher misses the outside shot and Hugh Laurie (just into the game for Tony) gets the rebound; he takes it back the other way, and passes inside to Ray, who misses the shot but Odom fouls KG going for the rebound.
More words are exchanged, as things are getting a little chippy right now ... However, KG maintains his composure and steps to the line to knock down both free throws (18-11 4:42).
At the other end, Kobe nails the turnaround jumper over Ray, plus he was able to draw the foul; that gives Bryant a chance for the three-point play, as he steps to the line with 4:31 remaining in the quarter. While he prepares to take the shot, Tony Allen comes back into the game to replace Ray.
Meanwhile, Kobe misses the free throw (ha HA!) and Perkins grabs the rebound. He quickly gets the ball to Tony, who dribbles up the floor and tries to drive to the basket against Bryant ... He succeeds in drawing the foul, but (after the play is already dead) he still manages to throw down a wild dunk and nearly does a complete somersault while letting go of the rim!
Man, it's nice to see Tony finish strong to the hoop, but please, not THAT strong! My heart can't take it ... Anyway, the Lakers are over the limit, so he heads to the line and makes both foul shots (20-13 4:25).
Odom scores with the three-pointer to cut Boston's lead to four, but at the other end Garnett makes the nice spin move on Bynum and finishes with the basket (22-16 3:48).
Fisher answers with a deep jumper, then Tony misses the shot and Bynum collects the rebound. He passes upcourt to Odom, who finds Fisher open behind the three-point line; the shot rims in and out (ooh, that was close) and Perk collects the carom.
He gives the ball to Pierce, who takes it back the other way, and dishes inside to Garnett ... As soon as the ball is in his hands, he sends a bullet pass over to Perk for another layup attempt; he's stripped of the ball by Bynum, but is able to recover and finishes with the loud dunk (24-18 2:56)!
However, the refs - apparently - felt that Kendrick was a little too "expressive" after the dunk, and give him a technical for taunting (please). Fisher makes the free throw, as the Lakers still have possession, and Odom tries to drive to the basket against KG. However, his shot misses, and Perk grabs the rebound; he gets the ball to House, who makes his way up the floor, then finds Tony for the easy layup (26-19 2:20).
Scotty 2 Hotty and Parker Posey are on the floor for the final two minutes of the quarter, but it's Pierce who draws the foul on Kobe while scoring the fallaway jumper; Bryant isn't happy with the call, and earns himself yet another technical! Paul makes the one free throw, then steps back to the line and makes one more for the unconventional four-point play (30-19 1:08).
Kobe answers by taking it right at Posey and scoring the basket, then Pierce backrims a three-point attempt and Odom collects the rebound. He passes to Jordan "Old McDonald Had a" Farmar who takes it upcourt, then he finds Kobe about three feet behind the three-point line ... He launches it anyway, and misses the shot (tee hee).
Pollard grabs the rebound and gives it to Tony, who takes it back the other way; he finds Pierce at the top of the key, and he drives down the lane where he's fouled from behind by Odom. That puts him back at the charity stripe, for two more free throws to put the lead back into double digits (32-21 :28.5).
Kobe is fouled by Pollard with 5.9 seconds left on the clock, so he steps to the line (as Scotty takes a seat and Just Pruitt sees his first action of the night) and makes both free throws ... Pruitt tries to dribble the length of the court and score on the layup, but Ronny Turiaf-terglow is able to block his shot as the buzzer sounds. That keeps the Celtics' lead at nine (32-23) at the end of one.
SECOND QUARTER
Glenn Rivers M.D. goes with a lineup of House, Posey, Pollard, Tony, and Pierce to begin the quarter. As for Kobe, he starts things off on the bench (9 PTS, 2-8 FG) ... Meanwhile, Paul knocks down the jumper to give Boston an early 11-point lead. At the other end, Kwame "A River" Brown takes it to the basket and draws the foul on Pollard, earning himself a trip to the line for one-of-two free throws (34-24 11:23).
Pierce then makes a slick move around Ariza, but runs right into Kwame (no foul called) and misses the shot. Trevor collects the rebound and heads back the other way, where he finishes with the basket over Posey (34-26 10:34).
Tony answers with a nice layup, then Pollard knocks away a pass by Odom (that was intended for Kwame) and Allen collects the loose ball. He takes it back up the floor, then passes inside to Posey for the layup (38-26 10:11).
At the other end, Odom misses the shot, then tries to tip it in himself but can't convert. Pierce comes away with the rebound, and takes it upcourt himself; he winds up with the big man Kwame on him, so tries to take advantage of that matchup. However, Brown actually ends up knocking the ball otu of his hands, and both Ariza and Posey dive to the floor to try and save it (that could've been a very ugly collision).
Trevor winds up with the ball, and passes upcourt to Farmar. He has only House to beat, so he takes it right to the basket and finishes with the one-hand dunk (38-28 9:34); impressive.
Tony buries the trey (he now has 11 points on 3-for-4 shooting), then Farmar tries to answer but throws up an airball from behind the three-point line (ha HA!). Posey collects the "rebound", and passes upcourt to House; he gives it back to James, who proceeds to send it right back to Eddie for a three-point attempt of his own.
That misses (dang) and Kwame comes away with the rebound. He passes to Farmar, who takes it coast to coast and makes a strong move to the basket with Tony right on him. He ends up missing the shot, and Allen grabs the rebound; he takes it back the other way, then passes inside to Pollard where he's fouled by Javaris Crittenton 2: The Main Course with 8:04 on the clock.
KG comes back into the game at this point (as Pollard sits), as it's still Boston possession and Garnett makes the bullet pass inside to Posey for the layup (43-28 7:55)!
Gorman notes that "the Lakers have lost a little bit of that enthusiasm in their body language" (maybe those shorts are squeezing the life out of them) ... LA doesn't do anything to disprove his theory, as Kobe is back on the floor at the 7:17 mark, but misses the jumpshot and Odom tips the loose rebound out of bounds. That makes it Celtics' ball, and Tony explodes past Farmar before finishing with the layup (45-28 6:47)!
At the other end, Kwame is fouled by Ray trying to break up the alleyoop attempt from Farmar; that's his third, so The Scals of Justice is in the game to replace him. Meanwhile, the Lakers still have possession, as Kobe passes up the shot (!) to get the ball to Odom. He responds with an airball that is about two feet wide right of the basket!
That gets a chuckle out of the announcing team (Marshall: "I think somebody opened the door in here, Mike, the breeze just blew that one!"), as the Lakers have now missed seven of their last eight shots ... Boston regains possession, but Posey misses the outside jumpshot (the Celts are still 6-for-10 shooting in the quarter) and Kwame snares the rebound. He passes to Farmar, who makes his way up the floor and finds Odom behind the three-point line; without hesitation, he puts up the shot and buries it (45-31 6:01). Hey, a shooter has to keep shooting, as they say.
Garnett then misses the shot over Kwame (there should've been a foul called on Odom for reaching in) and Brown gets himself another rebound. He passes to Farmar, who quickly brings the ball upcourt, and gets it to Odom; he tries to score over Scals but comes up short, and Ariza can't tip in the miss as Posey collects the rebound. However, he gets tripped up by Trevor and falls out of bounds ... and the refs say it's Lakers' ball!
Man, I am not happy with that call ... and neither is Doc Rivers, as he picks up another technical! Fisher steps to the line for the free throw, but the C's catch Jackson in a bit of chicanery as Derek was just subbed into the game and thus is ineligible to take the shot (nice try Phil). Kobe steps to the line instead and makes the free throw, then Ariza inbounds the ball to Kwame and he finds Bryant spotting up in the corner. Rather than putting up an outside shot, though, he takes it in against two defenders and still manages to score on the layup (45-34 5:28).
Scals tries to answer with the three-point attempt, but misses and Kwame grabs the rebound. He passes to Fisher, who takes it upcourt, then swings the ball around to Kobe. He tries to get the ball inside to Vladimir "Totally" Radmanovic, but it actually bounces off his shoulder and goes out of bounds. Boston regains possession ... but not for long, as Fisher pulls off an acting job worthy of Hollywood - Tony uses his elbow (which admittedly was a stupid move) to try and clear some space between the tow, and Derek goes flying like he was shot!
Nevertheless, the refs buy his act and whistle Allen for the offensive foul ... That makes it Lakers' ball, as Tony almost immediately commits another foul (his third) trying to guard Kobe. That puts the super-duperstar at the line, and he makes both free throws (45-36 4:34).
House comes back into the game, as Tony has to take a seat ... Meanwhile, Garnett is called for the travelling violation trying to make a spin move around Radmanovic (Boston's sixth turnover). The Lakers take back control of the ball, as Fisher passes inside to Bynum, where he goes up for the dunk but is fouled from behind by Perkins.
Not only that, but Bynum catches KG across the right eye with his elbow on the way down ... Garnett comes out of it with a bloody face, as he takes the opportunity to point at his "crimson mask" and yell at the refs "Now THAT'S a foul!"
He appears to be okay, but still has to go to the locker room to have the cut closed; "Big Baby" comes into the game to replace him, as Bynum heads to the line and makes both free throws (45-38 3:20).
At the other end, Perk takes the ball right at Bynum and draws the foul (that might have actually been a clean block by Andrew); in any event, Kendrick goes to the line with 3:13 remaining for two free-throw attempts of his own ... but misses both of them!
The Lakers take possession with a chance to get within five (or better) ... however, Kobe misses the layup (!) and Ariza grabs the rebound while stepping out of bounds.
It's Celtics' ball, as House brings it up the floor and Fisher tries to perform another flop job by hitting the deck after Eddie barely touches him ... Luckily, the refs don't fall for it this time, so House is left wide open and knocks down the jumper (47-38 2:46).
Two free throws by Kobe make it a seven-point game again, then Davis misses the fallaway jumper over Odom, and Luke Walton-Disney takes down the rebound. We head back the other way, as Bynum makes his way into the paint and scores with the hook shot over the outstretched hand of "Big Baby" (47-42 1:27).
Doc calls for time at the 1:18 mark, as KG (with four stitches and one big band-aid over his eye) comes back into the game to replace Davis. Pierce then slices down the lane and draws the foul on Bynum, earning himself a trip to the line where he makes one-of-two free throws (48-42 1:15).
Kobe then misses the fallaway jumper over Perkins, and Pierce grabs the rebound. He takes it upcourt himself, then passes inside to KG; he's double-teamed with nowhere to go, so he kicks it back out to Pierce and he buries the trey (51-42 :50.2)!
Kobe tries to answer with a deep three-point attempt (as Paul is right in his face); that misses, but Kwame takes the offensive board and kicks it out to Fisher, who tries a three-point shot of his own. That too misses (tee hee) and Garnett controls the rebound; he passes upcourt to Pierce, where he's fouled by Kobe (his third) ... LA is over the limit, so Paul heads to the line and makes both free throws (53-42 :23.8).
The Lakers hold for the final shot, as Sasha Vuja-cicle is having some real problems trying to keep the ball away from Posey ... He's finally able to get it to Fisher, and he throws up an off-balance three-point attempt at the buzzer; sure enough, he buries it (!) as the Celts' lead is cut to eight (53-45) at halftime.
That's still a pretty good lead, though, as the C's have effectively limited Kobe to "only" 16 points (3-15 FG, 10-11 FT) ... Paul Pierce was able to score his sixteen in a much more efficient manner (4-8 FG), while Tony Allen has settled in nicely to his starting role as point guard (13 PTS, 4-5 FG, 2 AST).
THIRD QUARTER
The Lakers have decided to dump the short shorts to start the second half, and are back to their normal attire (thank goodness, those were proving to be a major distraction for yours truly, I couldn't focus on the game) ... Anyway, Pierce buries a trey to open the quarter, then Kobe tries to answer but misses the three-point attempt; Paul comes away with the rebound, and passes up ahead to Tony, who dishes the ball inside to Garnett. He finishes with the turnaround jumper over Odom (58-45 11:19).
Lamar scores with the left-handed floater over Perk, then Ray blows past Ariza and hits the layup (60-47 10:32).
Trevor then takes it to the basket against KG, and gets bumped while scoring the bucket; he makes the free throw to complete the three-point play (60-50 9:55) ... At the other end, Ariza appears to strip Tony of the ball, but the refs whistle him for the foul (his third). Boston retains possession, as Ray misses the outside shot, but Garnett grabs the offensive board and scores with the putback (62-50 8:49).
Kobe knocks down the jumper (he's now 4-for-17 shooting), then Pierce misses the three-point attempt. However, KG gets himself another offensive rebound (reaching up over Ariza to snatch the ball away) and throws down the LOUD one-handed dunk (64-52 8:04)!
Odom then makes the nice move around Pierce along the baseline, and finishes with the one-hand slam of his own; the ref also blows his whistle, but it turns out that the foul was on Fisher away from the ball ... So, count the basket as the Celts take possession, and Paul makes a strong move to the hoop (maybe he wants to get in on the dunking act) where he draws the foul on Bynum. That brings Kwame up off the bench to replace him, as Pierce steps to the line and makes one-of-two free throws (65-54 7:32).
Odom scores again (he's got 14 points), then Fisher strips Paul of the ball and takes it up the floor for the 3-on-1 fast break. He gives it up to Kobe, who goes in over Tony for the layup (65-58 6:51).
The crowd is chanting for defense (while Turiaf is hopping up and down on the Lakers bench like a moron), as Paul misses the pullup jumper over Odom, and Bryant takes down the rebound. He brings it up the floor himself, then tries for the fallaway "jay" over Ray, but misses the shot (he still can't find the touch) and Garnett comes away with the rebound.
He passes to Pierce, who slowly brings it upcourt, then gives the ball to Ray and he passes inside to Garnett. He tries to make a move to the basket, but instead draws the foul on Kwame ... Brown doesn't like that call, and actually gets up in the ref's face to argue (or more accurately, looks down at the ref's face to argue); considering how the techs have been flying tonight, that's not a wise move, and sure enough Kwame gets one of his very own.
So, Ray makes the free throw, then Garnett steps to the line and adds two more (68-58 6:00) ... Celts are starting to build some momentum, as Odom backrims the jumpshot and KG grabs the rebound. He quickly gets the ball upcourt to Allen, who tries to work the baseline against Kobe, but instead kicks it out to Tony open behind the three-point line. His shot misses, but Ray grabs the offensive board and kicks it out to Pierce, who drives on Walton (Gorman: "Luke grabbed Pierce's jersey from behind!") and has his layup attempt blocked by Odom. Luckily, Garnett controls the loose ball and finishes with the layup (70-58 5:20).
Walton answers with a trey, then Ray fakes the three-point attempt before instead passing the ball inside to Perk; he's fouled by Kwame, so Kendrick heads to the line with 4:53 remaining but proceeds to miss both free throws (whoopsie) ... The Lakers have a chance to cut the Celtics' lead further, however Walton has his shot partially blocked by Garnett, and Ray collects the loose ball. He heads back the other way, and passes to Pierce, but Fisher knocks the ball out of his hands and out of bounds at the 4:11 mark.
Posey comes into the game to replace Ray, as Paul frontrims the three-point attempt but KG comes away with the offensive board. He passes back to Pierce, who just wipes out Fisher trying to make a spin move in the paint; no foul is called (which the crowd doesn't like) so he passes inside to Perkins and he finishes with the layup (72-61 3:58).
Kwame scores, then Posey airballs a three-point attempt (!) and Walton collects the rebound. He passes up ahead to Bryant, who finds Fisher open behind the line and he buries the trey (72-66 3:18).
Now that the crowd likes, as Boston calls a timeout. When play resumes, KG is on the bench (18 PTS, 11 REB) and House is on the floor ... Meanwhile, Walton commits the foul trying to steal the ball from Pierce, and the Lakers are over the limit so Paul heads to the line and makes both free throws (74-66 3:07).
At the other end, Walton sets the screen on Tony to try and free up Kobe, but Pierce steps into Bryant's path and draws the offensive foul call! Nice play by Paul, as the crowd voices their displeasure ... Sure enough, the refs decide to kowtow to the home fans, as they immediately whistle a "makeup call" on Perk setting the pick on Walton (boo).
That offensive foul call gives LA back possession, but Fisher misses the jumpshot and Posey pulls down the 'bound. He passes to Pierce, who takes the ball up the floor and makes a nice spin move to elude Walton and get himself into the paint; it's there where he's hacked by Kwame while going up for the shot (no call) and Walton collects the rebound.
He passes to Odom, who takes it back the other way; he passes inside to Fisher, and he has his shot blocked by Perkins (yes!). Posey scoops up the loose ball, as the Celts have a chance to extend their lead ... but Tony blows the easy layup (!) and Odom takes the rebound. He passes upcourt to Kobe, who tries for the pullup jumpshot but comes up short and Pierce comes away with the carom.
He passes to Tony to start the Celtics' fast break, and he gives the ball right back to Paul; he drives to the hoop and knocks Kwame to the floor as he makes the shot, but the refs call Brown for the blocking foul ... Okay, I'll take that, as Paul makes the free throw to complete the three-point play (77-66 1:30).
Now the Lakers are coming unglued, as Vujacic airballs a three-point attempt (ha HA!) and Pierce hauls down the rebound. He takes it up the floor himself, as Posey sets the pick on Ariza, so Paul uses the space to pull up behind the three-point line and buries it (80-66 :36.7)! Yowza, Pierce now has 12 points in the quarter!
Not only that, but he strips Walton of the ball and gives Boston a chance for the final shot of the quarter ... Paul is covered by Luke, so he blows right past him and pulls up over Vujacic for the short jumper at the buzzer! That makes the score 82 to 66 (Celtics) heading into the final stanza.
An awesome quarter for Pierce, as he now has 30 points (8-16 FG, 11-13 FT) on the night!
FOURTH QUARTER
Paul earns a rest on the bench to start the quarter, as the C's have Tony, Ray, House, Pollard, and Posey on the floor ... Meanwhile, Crittenton has his shot blocked by Scotty, and Posey picks up the loose ball. He passes up the floor to House, and he finds Ray for the pullup jumper over Farmar (84-66 11:31).
Bynum then loses control of the ball, and Posey dives to the floor to save it (hustle until the very end); he calls a 20-second timeout to save the possession, and when play resumes Ray is covered by Radmanovic but has no problem pulling up and knocking down another jumper (86-66 10:50)!
That might just be the final nail in the coffin ... Kobe comes back into the game with 10:33 (Radmanovic sits) as Bynum hits two free throws, then Ray is able to elude Odom and drains the three-pointer (89-68 10:20).
Bryant tries to answer but misses his own three-point attempt (he's now 5-for-21 from the field!), and Ray grabs the rebound. He takes the ball upcourt himself, then finds Tony at the top of the key; he makes the nice pass inside to Posey, where he's hacked by Bynum, so it's time to go to the line where he makes one-of-two free throws (90-68 9:56).
Farmar then bricks a three-pointer, as Kobe gets the offensive board but can't bank in the shot (it's just not his night). Bynum fouls Posey going for the rebound (his sixth), so he has to go to the bench to end a very quiet night (22 MIN, 8 PTS, 2-2 FG, 2 REB, 2 TO); Boston regains possession, and House drains a trey (93-68 9:26)! The Celts are now shooting four-for-four to start the quarter, while the Lakers have yet to make a basket (0-5 FG).
Okay, NOW that's the final nail in the coffin ... However, before I wrap things up, let's fast forward to the final few minutes of the game; there's a little "incident" that I feel I must document for posterity's sake.
It's a 19-point lead (103-84) with 3:03 remaining in the game. Crittenton then tries to make an alleyoop pass inside to Odom, but KG rejects his layup attempt (and let's out an audible "Get that shit outta here!" for good measure). Ray collects the loose ball and is just dribblling the ball, when Lamar decides to give him a shoulder tackle right into the Celtics bench!
Seriously, without any provocation, he just decided that he was suddenly trying out for the NFL ... I don't know if he was angry that he just had his shot blocked and wanted to take that aggression out on somebody, but it was completely uncalled for and the textbook definition of a "dirty play".
Nothing comes of the incident (just a lot of shouting) ... but the really weird thing is that the ref (aside from assessing Odom with an obvious flagrant foul) decides to whistle Ray Allen for a technical foul as well! Now, the logic behind that truly escapes me.
Odom is sent to the bench (he should've been kicked out of the game), as Farmar makes the undeserved free throw, then Ray steps to the line and makes both of his (105-85 2:57).
It's Celtics' ball, as Garnett rises up above Turiaf and buries the 18-footer (107-85 2:44); so there!
KG then blocks a shot by Farmar (think he's a little miffed right now?), and Farmar fouls Posey going for the loose ball ... That sends James to the line, as Kevin takes a seat (to a mix of cheers and boos), where he makes one-of-two free throws (108-85 2:22).
An ugly ending to a great game, as the Celtics dominate 110 to 91 ...
FINAL SCORE: Boston 110, Los Angeles 91
GAME RATING:
19
KILLER
BOSTON TOP PERFORMERS:
- Pierce: 37 MIN, 33 PTS (9-19 FG, 11-13 FT), 8 REB, 4 STL, 3 AST
- Garnett: 30 MIN, 22 PTS (9-13 FG), 12 REB (5 OFF), 6 AST, 3 BLK, 2 STL
- R. Allen: 28 MIN, 19 PTS (6-13 FG), 6 REB
- T. Allen: 42 MIN, 16 PTS (5-10 FG), 4 AST, 4 TO, 1 STL
- Posey: 30 MIN, 8 PTS (3-6 FG), 8 REB, 3 AST
- Bryant: 37 MIN, 22 PTS (6-25 FG, 10-11 FT), 6 REB, 3 AST
- Odom: 41 MIN, 14 PTS (6-17 FG), 10 REB, 2 BLK
- Fisher: 25 MIN, 11 PTS (4-10 FG), 3 AST
POST-GAME NOTES:
- The Lakers shot just 35 percent from the floor (29-82 FG), including 29 percent from three-point land (7-24 3PTers) ... The Celtics, meanwhile, were 46 percent shooting (37-80 FG).
- Last time Boston won four straight West Coast road games was in 1986 ... See, it's Eighties Night, it all ties in!
- As expected, Pierce was tonight's Tommy Award winner.
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