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LOS ANGELES: The Boston Celtics pulled off one of the
greatest comebacks in National Basketball Association history,
rallying from a 24-point hole Thursday to beat the Los Angeles
Lakers 97-91 in the NBA Finals.
Paul Pierce scored 20 points and
Ray Allen added 19 to spark an astonishing victory that put Boston
ahead 3-1 in the best-of-7 series, a lead no team in NBA Finals
history has ever squandered to lose a title.
“We sucked it up,” Pierce
said. “I said, ‘Don’t look at the score. We just have to go
out and compete and see where it is at the end of the day. I know
what it is to dig deep and get the win.’”
The Celtics would win their first
championship since 1986, and stretch their record total to 17, with
a victory in game five here Sunday after they trailed 45-21 in the
second quarter and 70-50 midway into the third quarter.
“It’s a great position to be
in. We’re thrilled with the win and it’s a great comeback, but
we still have to win one game,” Celtics coach Doc Rivers said.
“It’s a great comeback but you don’t get anything for it.”
The Celtics took their first lead
of the game at 84-83 on Eddie House’s jumper with 4:07 remaining.
Allen sank a reverse layup and Kevin Garnett followed to cap an 8-0
run that gave Boston an 88-83 edge.
NBA Most Valuable Player Kobe
Bryant hit two baskets to pull the Lakers with 89-87 but James
Posey, who came off the bench to score 18 points, sank a 3-pointer
from the left side to stretch Boston’s lead to 92-87.
The Lakers trimmed the gap to
94-91 on a Gasol dunk with 40 seconds to play but Allen answered
with a driving layup past Sasha Vujacic to put the Celtics ahead
96-91 with 16 seconds remaining.
Bryant, who made only 6-of-19
shots, missed a final attempt and the Lakers’ giveaway was
complete, snapping their home playoff win streak at nine games.
“I wanted to come out and guard
him in the start of the second half and just make him work,”
Pierce said. “It was the defense that got it done in the second
half.”
The Lakers surged to a 35-14 lead
after the first quarter, the largest lead in the opening period in
NBA Finals history, and led by 45-21 in the second quarter and 70-50
midway into the third quarter.
“They just had enough mental
toughness to hang in there and get it done,” Celtics coach Doc
Rivers said.
Lamar Odom led the Lakers with 19
points while Pau Gasol and Bryant each added 17 points. Odom and
Gasol each grabbed 10 rebounds while Bryant had 10 assists.
Garnett added 16 points and 11
rebounds for the Celtics.
--AFP
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