Physical Education
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The officials finally let them play tonight, but the Lakers weren’t ready for the physical nature of the contest. The Celtics were more than happy to oblige, outplaying the Lakers, outhustling them and playing with much more fire and passion. The result was a 96-89 Boston victory, tying the series at 2 games each, in a rough and tumble affair tonight in the Garden.
Boston forced the Lakers out of their offense in the second half and found its own down the stretch. The Celtics’ bench played a major role in the outcome as Glen “Big Baby” Davis and the latest version of the leprechaun, point guard Nate Robinson, keyed a run in the 4th quarter and wiped out a 2-point Laker lead to pull away.
Davis, who finished with 18 points and 5 rebounds, was one of 6 Celtics in double figures, but none exhibited more zeal that the 300-pound forward, who has a habit of slobbering like a mad dog. The emotional Robinson also was a spark plug with 12 points and his short-man attitude.
Davis and Robinson ignited Boston’s 9-0 run to start the 4th and it never looked back.
“This is what legends are made of (and) this is where you grasp the moment,” Davis told the Associated Press.
Paulie Pierce led the Celtics with 19 points, shaking off a sub-par performance in Tuesday’s Game 4 loss. Kevin Garnett (13 points and 6 rebounds) and Ray Allen (12 points) also made crucial contributions when Boston needed it most.
The Lakers were hurt by the limited play of center Andrew Bynum, who played only 12 minutes because of his ailing right knee. He played only 7 minutes in the 1st half and didn’t emerge from the locker room until after the start of the 3rd quarter. His status for Game 5 is unknown.
Bynum’s absence was pivotal. It allowed the Celtics to push Pau Gasol out of his comfort zone inside and forced the Lakers to become a jump-shooting team, negating their effectiveness on offense.
The Celtics also hammered the Lakers on the boards, finishing with a 41 to 34 advantage. But Boston had 16 offensive boards to only 8 for the Lakers with several coming in key moments late when the Lakers tried to rally.
Kobe Bryant led the Lakers with 33 points, but he was practically a 1-man show when they needed offense. Gasol finished with 21 points, but he wasn’t a factor with the outcome on the line.
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