Celtics win Game 2

Celtics hold off furious Lakers’ comeback




BOSTON (AP)—Kobe Bryant couldn’t take it anymore, so he took it out on his teammates.
With
Game 2, and perhaps Los Angeles’ season slipping away, the league’s MVP
looked around the huddle and used some harsh words to fire up the
Lakers.
They responded, dug deep and made a remarkable comeback that fell short. Now they have to make a bigger one.
Trailing
Boston by 24 points with less than 8 minutes left, the Lakers got
within two before losing 108-102 on Sunday night to the Boston Celtics,
who are heading out West feeling a little lucky to have a 2-0 lead in
the NBA finals.
Only three teams—Boston in 1969, Portland in 1977
and Miami in 2006—have overcome an 0-2 deficit to win the title. With
the next three games on their home floor, where they haven’t lost since
March 28, Bryant thinks the Lakers can become No. 4.
“We’ve come too
far to really sweat being down 2-0,” said Bryant, who scored 13 of his
30 points in the fourth quarter. “We’re going to go home and handle our
business.”
That’s what the Celtics did—barely.
Paul Pierce darted
around the parquet floor with ease to score 28 points and unknown Leon
Powe added 21 as the Celtics held serve at home in these
trip-down-memory-lane finals. But coasting to a blowout win, the
Celtics nearly blew up.
“We’re happy because we won, but we definitely learned a lesson,” Pierce said.
The
Lakers trailed 95-71 with 7:55 remaining but used a 31-9 run to pull to
104-102 on two free throws by Bryant with 38.4 seconds left. Pierce,
though, made two free throws, then blocked a 3-pointer by Sasha
Vujacic, and James Posey made two free throws with 12.6 seconds left to
ice it for Boston, which improved to 12-1 at home in the postseason.
“We’ve
got to play through the game for 48 minutes, and I didn’t think we did
that,” Celtics coach Doc Rivers said. “I thought we got cute when we
got the lead.”
The Lakers, who dropped 41 points on the league’s defensive team in the final 12 minutes, simply ran out of time.
During
a timeout in the fourth quarter, Bryant, who has struggled against the
Celtics all season, tore into the Lakers with a few well-chosen words
that would have never gotten past the network TV censors.
So, what did he say?
“Get
our beep in gear,” he said, sounding as if he was dictating in Morse
code. “Play beep harder, a bunch of other beeps. It’s beep, beep, beep,
beep, beep. ‘Eddie Murphy Raw’ times 10.”
Beyond Bryant’s tirade,
the Lakers were also peeved about a huge disparity at the free-throw
line. Boston attempted 38 free throws to just 10 for Los Angeles.
Known
to whistle at his players, Lakers coach Phil Jackson felt the tweeting
sounds he heard out of the officials were too one-sided.
“I’ve never
seen a game like that in all these years I’ve coached in the finals,”
said Jackson, who is going for his 10th title in 11 finals appearances.
“Unbelievable.”
Pierce wasn’t slowed by a sprained right knee
suffered in the series opener, when he was carried from the court and
plopped into a wheelchair. The Boston captain paced the Celtics, who
are back in the finals for the first since 1987, when Larry Bird was
the main man and gasoline cost 91 cents per gallon.
As usual,
Boston’s Big Three—Pierce, Ray Allen (17 points) and Kevin Garnett
(17)—were the ringleaders but Powe, a second-year reserve had the game
of his career, adding his 21 points in 15 minutes that may make him a
Celtics fan-favorite for life.
Powe, who played a total of 68
seconds during one stretch of 13 games during the season, scored six
points to close a 15-2 run ending the third quarter that gave the
Celtics a 22-point lead. The quick burst had the Lakers California
dreaming. At one point in the fourth quarter, Boston fans discarded the
familiar chants of “Beat L.A.” for cries of “Le-on Powe!”
“He was terrific,” Celtics coach Doc Rivers said.
Rajon
Rondo had a career-high 16 assists and Garnett added 14 rebounds for
the Celtics, back in the finals for the first time since 1987.
Pau
Gasol had 17 points and 10 rebounds for the Lakers, who were so far
down in the fourth that many of their purple-and-gold clad fans who
came to cheer them on, headed toward the exits and maybe to Logan
Airport for the trip out West.
But Bryant brought them back—almost all the way.
His
3-pointer made it 102-91 and then the self-proclaimed “Black Mamba”
slithered down the lane for two quick baskets that got the Lakers
within 104-95. The Celtics, meanwhile, began to stand around on
offense, thinking the game was in hand.
It was anything but.
After
Vujacic hit a 3-pointer, Vladimir Radmanovic made a steal and dunk to
make it 104-100 and Celtics fans, who had been dancing moments earlier,
began to panic. None of Boston’s players seemed to want the ball as it
moved around like a hot potato before Rondo missed a jumper with 44
seconds left.
Bryant’s free throws brought Los Angeles to 104-102
before Pierce slashed down the lane and got fouled by Derek Fisher. As
a few of his teammates locked arms on the bench like a college team
trying to advance in March, Pierce knocked down both foul shots. Then,
on defense, he got just enough of Vujacic’s shot from the left wing
with 14 seconds left.
Posey was fouled on the play and calmly made
his two free throws. The Lakers rushed the ball down but missed on a
couple jumpers, and when the final horn sounded, a collective sigh of
relief rushed through the exits as the Celtics and their fans left the
building confident, if not shaken.
“We’re not settling on a 2-0 lead,” Garnett said. “We want to go out there and win two games in L.A.”

don't give up lakers!!!

jaypee cortez wrote:don't give up lakers!!!

You're dreamin' man.Your lakers will eat $hIT every game.

I'm also a fan of Boston Celtics but I don't think they can sweep the series.

hey!!! coachcarter you are so BOASTFUL

u think so that celtics will be the champ

ur wrong!!!

you will eat what u are saying

and btw......

i will repat

ur are so BOASTFUL BOASTFUL BOASTFUL

hey!!! coachcarter you are so BOASTFUL

u think so that celtics will be the champ

ur wrong!!!

you will eat what u are saying

and btw......

i will repat

ur are so BOASTFUL BOASTFUL BOASTFUL

jaypee cortez wrote:hey!!! coachcarter you are so BOASTFUL

u think so that celtics will be the champ

ur wrong!!!

you will eat what u are saying

and btw......

i will repat

ur are so BOASTFUL BOASTFUL BOASTFUL

You Fu*kin idiot. Scram! No way your Lakers will win the ring! Even if you call all the saints in the world like this one!