Projo Sports Blog

BY KEVIN McNAMARA
Journal Sports Writer

BOSTON — East Coast grit trumped West Coast flash in Game One of what looks like a very evenly-matched NBA Finals last night at TD Banknorth Garden.

With Kobe Bryant and his Los Angeles Lakers within striking distance through all of the second half, the Boston Celtics’ defense made just enough tough stops down the stretch to escape with a 98-88 victory. Game Two comes up Sunday in Boston.

The Celtics clung to a 92-86 lead with less than two minutes to go when Kevin Garnett slammed in an offensive rebound and sank two critical free throws. When Bryant couldn’t muster a final charge, the Celts’ defense had preserved a critical series-opening win.

Garnett led the Celtics with 24 points and skied high for 13 rebounds. Paul Pierce shook off a mid-game knee injury and finished with 22 points. Ray Allen added 19 points.

The dynamic Bryant wasn’t at his best, yet still finished with 24 points. He shot 9-of-25 from the floor. Neither Pau Gasol (15 points) or Lamar Odom (14) hurt the Celtics badly, either.

The game featured plenty of back-and forth action as this band of Celtics and Lakers showed they’re ready to make fans forget about Bird, Magic and the other old caretakers of basketball’s premier rivalry.

Both teams waded through an inconsistent first half as they clearly struggled at times figuring out just how they hoped to attack one another. The Lakers led 51-46 at the break thanks to 50 percent shooting but they did much of their damage in a strong second quarter.

Neither team got rolling in the first 12 minutes as Bryant missed six of his eight shots and the Celtics led 23-21. The Lakers chose to play Gasol on Garnett for most of the first half and Garnett shined with eight points in both quarters. The Celts also received a boost, as usual, from a bench brother. This time it was Sam Cassell. The veteran guard knocked home three jumpers over Derek Fisher to help the Celts to a 31-26 lead and the home team led 40-35 after six straight Garnett points.

The Lakers closed the half best with Gasol scoring twice in a 10-2 run and Fisher finishing the scoring with a jumper.

The Celtics needed improvement both on defense and in sparking some dormant offensive stars, mainly Pierce. The captain responded right out of the gate in the third as he tallied his team’s first eight points with four coming on a 3-point heave while getting fouled by Vladimir Radmanovic. When Garnett swished a 16-footer over Odom, the Celtics led 56-53.

The game’s most curious moment, or at least the one packing the most drama, came with 6:51 left in the third quarter. With Bryant driving to the hoop, Pierce slid over to help on defense but crumpled to the court as Bryant’s shot fell in for a 62-58 lead.

Pierce remained on the court through a full timeout and was eventually carried into the locker room by Tony Allen and Brian Scalabrine. He appeared to be holding his right knee and was clearly in pain and he disappeared into the tunnel.

After a Rondo free throw and Ray Allen 3-pointer tied the game at 62-62, a roar went up at one end of the arena as Pierce began jogging back to the bench. Pierce was back in the game at the 5:04 mark. Time elapsed: about five minutes.

Bryant kept firing and making tough shots, the most difficult a spinning corner jumper over Allen that put the Lakers up, 71-69. But Pierce answered by swishing an open 3-pointer and then Garnett deflected a Gasol shot at the rim. The Celts ran the miss back up the floor and when Pierce nailed another 3-pointer, the Celts were up 75-71. The exciting third quarter ended with Pierce scoring 15 points, Bryant netting 12 and Boston clinging to a 77-73 lead.

Boston opened the final frame with an important early rush with its bench players on floor. Leon Powe crashed inside for an offensive rebound and two free throws and a James Posey 3-pointer gave the Celts a 86-78 cushion. Hoops by Fisher and Sasha Vujacic cut the deficit to four points but Pierce knocked home another shot and then made two free throws for a 90-82 lead with 3:43 on the clock.

The Lakers weren’t done just yet. Odom floated down the lane for a finger-roll and foul over P.J. Brown.

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