Final
Lakers rout Celtics, force Game 7 in NBA finals
Jun 16, 2010 - 8:08 AM By GREG BEACHAM AP Sports WriterLOS 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 scored 26 points, Pau Gasol 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, 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 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 scored 13 points and Kevin Garnett added 12, but the Celtics' offense was a jumbled, stand-around mess. Rajon Rondo, 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 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, 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.
- PLAYOFFS
NBA FINAL 1ST 2ND 3RD 4TH TOTAL
--- --- --- --- -----
BOSTON 18 13 20 16 67
LA LAKERS 28 23 25 13 89 FINAL
HIGH SCORERS: BOS - RAY ALLEN 19, PAUL PIERCE 13, KEVIN
GARNETT 12
LAL - KOBE BRYANT 26, PAU GASOL 17,
RON ARTEST 15
Jun 15 11:41 PM - #1 Cards Fan 25 point lead after the 3rd quarter and it still has a good rating on here...something seems horribly wrong with that since it's been a snoozer since the first half!
Celtics 51, Lakers 76 End of 3rdJun 15 11:04 PM - PLAYOFFS
NBA PLAYOFFS
BOSTON 51
LA LAKERS 76 END, 3RD QTR
Jun 15 11:01 PM - PLAYOFFS
NBA PLAYOFFS
BOSTON 31
LA LAKERS 51 HALFTIME
Jun 15 10:13 PM - SEGA128DC "Alright, Boston lets roll baby, same gameplan, let Kobe shoot and hassle everyone else. Win game six and it's all over!!!"
Exactly...
Celtics vs. LakersJun 15 4:21 PM - geeshep alright Boston lets roll baby, same gameplan, Let Kobe shoot and hassle everyone else. Game six and its all over!!!
Celtics vs. LakersJun 15 3:52 PM
Related News
- Lakers Reportedly Willing to Explore Adding Bronny James Feb 15
- Warriors Reportedly Attempted to Trade for LeBron James Feb 14
- Shaquille O’Neal To Be First To Have Jersey Retired by Magic Jan 4
- LeBron James Has Been At His Best for Many Birthdays Dec 29
- A successful road trip: 10 takeaways from Celtics/Lakers Dec 26
- Must C’s: Jayson Tatum gifts Derrick White late game turnover in win over Lakers Dec 26
- Lakers show potential vs. Celtics, but work still to be done Dec 25
- Celtics defeat Lakers 126-115 on Christmas Day thanks to well-balanced attack Dec 25
- Celtics handle Lakers despite Anthony Davis’ strong showing Dec 25
- Rumor: Boston showing interest in former Celtic Kelly Olynyk Dec 25
- Boston Celtics (22-6) at Los Angeles Lakers (16-14) Game #29 12/26/23 Dec 25
- Lakers vs. Celtics Preview and Game Thread: Rivalry renewed in Christmas tradition Dec 24