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Don’t call it a comeback. A determined Celtics team rallied from 21 points down after a quarter to stun the Lakers in Hollywood 97-91 last night pulling within one game of a 17th world title.

The stunning reversal saw Boston comeback from as many as 24 down in the first half outscoring Los Angeles 57-33 in the second half. Just how much of a turnaround was it? Considering that LA led 35-14 after a quarter, the Celtics from that point went on to outscore them by 27. It was the biggest turnaround according Elias Sports Bureau since 1971. Previously, no team in the NBA Finals had ever overcome as much as a 15-point first quarter deficit.

So, what the heck happened to a hyped up series which looked headed to 2-2 with a pivotal Game Five on Father’s Day? Apparently, the Lakers stopped playing thinking they had it after 12 minutes. Did they not realize that the next 36 counted?!?!?!?!?! There are 48 total minutes in an NBA regulation game the last I checked at least.

So, while I was out doing a three mile workout, the Celtics were busy getting back in the game with better defensive intensity and big contributions from bench long range bombers James Posey and Eddie House. Somehow, these two combined for six three’s and 29 big points. By themselves, they outgunned the entire Laker bench by 14 (29-15). The Celtics held a 20-point bench edge which was the biggest reason for the historic comeback.

How in the world is it possible to let those two guys beat you on the world’s biggest stage when your season is basically on the line with a 3-1 death sentence which nobody’s ever comeback from in NBA playoff history?

I wish I knew the answer. To say I was stunned when Posey and House were knocking down big three after big three in crunch time would be an understatement. How could a Kobe Bryant-led Laker team blow a 24-point lead on their home court? It had to be one of the worst scripts ever written in Hollywood. This wasn’t supposed to be how it would go.

So much for expectations. Yes. This series has severely disappointed thanks to weak performances from Pau Gasol and even the league MVP who wasn’t in form shooting a dismal 6-of-19 with only 17 points despite still handing out 10 assists. As for Gasol, that was the weakest 17 and 10 hands down. Where the heck was he in the final quarter? I liked that one sequence where Lamar Odom (19 pts, 10 rebs, 4 assists), who had a decent game fumbled the ball to the ex-Grizzlie who didn’t even bother diving on the floor to get it beaten by a hungrier Celtic. If that didn’t epitomize this series, I don’t know what else could.

Just pathetic. On a night where all five Laker starters hit for double digits and spread the ball out with eight more assists than the Celts, it didn’t matter because they panicked once the game got close and couldn’t execute against a more physical opponent who when push came to shove, wanted it more.

Paul Pierce had another solid night finishing with a team high 20 points and seven assists. Kevin Garnett picked up his play in the final 12 minutes showing the fire to finally win a championship by hitting on at least three tough buckets while playing excellent D on his way to a double/double (16 and 11) with three assists and two steals.

Ray Allen also continued his turnaround hurting the Lakers for 19 on 6-of-11 shooting with a couple of treys while grabbing nine boards. The ex-Sonic had the biggest hoop in the final 60 seconds taking and beating Sasha Vujacic one-on-one for a reverse lay-up which gave Boston a four-point lead to help salt it away. It was a great call by the Celts spreading it out and allowing the quicker Allen to take advantage of the mismatch. Why didn’t the Lakers come to help. There’s no way he should be allowed to go coast to coast for such a backbreaking bucket. In that situation, you can’t allow that to happen. Brutal to say the least.

I definitely am very disappointed in Kobe this series. He just hasn’t been able to impact these games the way you want a big superstar to. If this was Michael Jordan, he’d will his team to victory. No way would these Celts have stood a chance down by that much.

Now Boston stands a game away from going from a laughingstock to another huge winner in their city. Will the Lakers fight? We won’t know till Sunday.