Yeah, I Said It!Kobe Bryant scored 36 points as the Los Angeles Lakers beat the Boston Celtics at home 87-81 to pull within 2-1 in the National Basketball Association Finals. That's what we're talking about here at 3BAAS!!!!!
The Lakers outscored the Celtics 27-19 in the fourth quarter to improve to 9-0 at the Staples Center this postseason. The Celtics fell to 2-8 on the road in the playoffs.
Game 4 of the best-of-seven championship series will be played in two days in Los Angeles. The fifth game will also be at the Staples Center. While Bryant scored 10 of his points in the Lakers' fourth quarter surge, the NBA's Most Valuable Player got help off the bench from Sasha Vujacic, who added 20 points while hitting 7-of- 10 shots. The Lakers avoided falling behind 3-0 in the series, a deficit no NBA team has overcome in a playoff series.
"We tried to stay calm,'' Bryant said. "They did a good job defending home court. We knew we had to do the same.''
Ray Allen led the Celtics with 25 points and hit 5 3- pointers. Paul Pierce was held to 6 points on 2-of-14 shooting, while Kevin Garnett finished with 13 points and 12 rebounds while hitting 6-of-21 shots.
"Putting Kobe on Pierce was a difference in tonight's game,'' Lakers coach Phil Jackson said at a news conference. "He had to work to get free."
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The Lakers outscored the Celtics 27-19 in the fourth quarter to improve to 9-0 at the Staples Center this postseason. The Celtics fell to 2-8 on the road in the playoffs.
Game 4 of the best-of-seven championship series will be played in two days in Los Angeles. The fifth game will also be at the Staples Center. While Bryant scored 10 of his points in the Lakers' fourth quarter surge, the NBA's Most Valuable Player got help off the bench from Sasha Vujacic, who added 20 points while hitting 7-of- 10 shots. The Lakers avoided falling behind 3-0 in the series, a deficit no NBA team has overcome in a playoff series.
"We tried to stay calm,'' Bryant said. "They did a good job defending home court. We knew we had to do the same.''
Ray Allen led the Celtics with 25 points and hit 5 3- pointers. Paul Pierce was held to 6 points on 2-of-14 shooting, while Kevin Garnett finished with 13 points and 12 rebounds while hitting 6-of-21 shots.
"Putting Kobe on Pierce was a difference in tonight's game,'' Lakers coach Phil Jackson said at a news conference. "He had to work to get free."
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