-If that’s what all the talk is about with Greg Oden a year finally back from micro fracture reconstructive knee surgery, then he should permanently change his name to Greg Olden. At least it would help explain the lack of production (no FGs, no Pts, 5 rebs, block, 2 fouls in 13 mins) before leaving a season opening 96-76 blowout loss to the Lakers with an ankle sprain with an MRI later today.

It looks like the Blazers former 2007 No.1overall pick is going to be rusty and more of a project than most expected. Especially with how poor his finishes were around the basket badly misfiring on four attempts while showing that his hands still need improvement.

For now, Portland might be more concerned with what the MRI reveals cause it’ll help determine how long the 20 year-old former Ohio State star will be out. They should heed on the side of caution based on what we saw.

As for the rest of his teammates who are expected to compete for a final playoff berth, they stunk it up against the defending Western Conference champs getting taken to school in both ends. Offensively, with the exception of promising Spanish rookie guard Rudy Fernandez (5-of-10 FG, 16 Pts, 4 assists), they were way too stagnant forcing up shots leading to the Lakers’ vastly improved transition attack which had good results.

Pau Gasol had some nice finishes in a strong first half netting all 15 while rating league MVP Kobe Bryant slowly picked apart the Blazers to the tune of a game high 23, 11 boards and five assists. With Metuchen, New Jersey’s own Andrew Bynum (8 pts, 3 BS) back healthy in the lineup, Christ The King product Lamar Odom came off the bench in a new Sixth Man role combining with ex-Knick Trevor Ariza and Jordan Farmar to help a strong Lakers second unit score 36 of their 96 total.

Not bad production from arguably the deepest bench in the league which is a big part of why they should go very far next Spring.

-In the other two league’s openers, the defending champion Celtics got past LeBron and the Cavs 90-85 on championship ring night in Boston. Paul Pierce made up for running mates’ KG and Ray Allen’s struggles by scoring 27 and got bench help from Leon Powe (13 big Pts including couple of jams) and Tony Allen (11 Pts).

LeBron paced the Cavs with 22, seven rebounds and eight assists with new teammate Mo Williams getting 12 including three treys.

-It was a much better debut for Derrick Rose, who helped lead the Bulls past former coach Scott Skiles’ Bucks 108-95. The 20 year-old former Memphis star who Chicago took No.1 overall finished with 11 points, nine assists, four boards and three steals in over 32 minutes leading a balanced attack which included Tyrus Thomas’ double double (15 and 10), Drew Gooden’s 13 and 8 (6 offensive) along with Ben Gordon’s 18 (three treys) and Kirk Hinrich’s 15 and 7 off the bench.

If they’re going to bring both Gordon and Hinrich off the bench, that’s going to be a huge edge for the Bulls because they could start on most teams. The move by new coach Vinnie Del Negro helped Chicago score  46 bench points. Not bad.

Michael Redd paced the Bucks with 30 on 10-of-19 shooting including four from downtown. In his Milwaukee debut, former Net Richard Jefferson was held to 5-of-17 from the floor for 15 points, four rebounds and two assists in 38-plus.

-We haven’t made any league predictions yet but here’s one tip for Knicks and Nets fans. Your teams aren’t as good as the Celts, 76ers and Raptors. Loose Translation: Enjoy fighting for the Atlantic cellar with non-playoff rosters.

We’ll have some picks later with seeds and teams contending for the lottery. Stay tuned.

Copyright Getty Images

Alright. I’ll readily admit that I didn’t believe in this Boston Celtic team which sliced up opponents during the regular season to a league best 66 victories. When Danny Ainge who most Bostonians wanted as far away from Massachusetts as humanly possible made the blockbuster draft day trades a year ago for Kevin Garnett with an assist from former teammate Kevin McHale and Ray Allen, I openly pondered if adding two superstars to a lineup which featured Paul Pierce could work.

Would the vaunted “Big Three” put their differences aside for the betterment of delivering a 17th NBA title back to Beantown? Almost immediately, they gave a strong reply jumping out on the rest of the league blowing out opponents in embarrassing fashion. Just ask team Dumb and Dumber.

Sometimes, when you have three stars on a basketball court, it doesn’t work because there’s not enough touches for each and eventually, one tunes out and begins complaining. However, the three veterans proved to be the polar opposite sacrificing shots and more points to lead a once proud franchise rich in history and tradition back to the promised land.

It was back in Round One that you wondered whether to take this group of Celtics seriously when they couldn’t win in Atlanta being forced seven before blowing them out of the building. The second round wasn’t much better as LeBron and the Cavs put up a tremendous fight with each team again holding serve. Even with the man child scoring at will, Pierce who is the one holdover since entering the league a decade prior wouldn’t allow them to lose.

So, here they were having won the first couple of rounds without winning once away from TD Banknorth Garden with the experienced Pistons standing in the way. When Detroit bounced back to gain a split, suddenly the Celts knew they had to win on the road or it meant everything they worked for this special season. More determined in Game Three, they went out and took home court back without much of a push from the Pistons.

Ultimately, when push came to shove at 2-2, Boston was too tough taking the final two games including an amazing fourth quarter which helped them comeback to oust Detroit.

Now, they would be faced with an old familiar foe from the past bringing back images of those classic 1980’s battles between Magic and Bird. It was the 11th ever meeting between LA and Boston for all the marbles. Most including this space liked Kobe’s Lakers who had breezed through their conference including an impressive five games over the defending champion Spurs. The West had always been perceived to be tougher. But all year, the Celts had beaten up on it including sweeping the purple and gold during the regular season.

Still, I didn’t feel it was a good measure for what would take place in the NBA Finals as the Lakers were playing much better with key acquisition Pau Gasol playing well and Lamar Odom doing the job. With them owning the best player in the game and league MVP, it seemed like a no-brainer to take LA in six.

Maybe the Celts who were playing not just for pride and all those ghosts which still include Hall of Fame legend Bill Russell and his trademark white beard in the front row realized that they couldn’t allow that to happen under any circumstance. What would Red Auerbach think up above if Phil Jackson passed him with a record 10th NBA championship at his team’s expense?

Almost from the outset, you could tell which team wanted it more. The Celts spread the ball around working the pick n’ roll to perfection and finding wide open three-point shooters all series long. It was as if the Lakers had suddenly morphed into the Knicks on the defensive end. When it came to locating the open man from the perimeter, they didn’t seem to bother. Pierce, Allen and sharp shooters James Posey along with even Eddie House ripped up LA.

Whenever they needed a big bucket, someone stepped up. Conversely, the Lakers struggled offensively due to a ferocious Celtic D which played physical and forced an ineffective Kobe into tough shots. He never could get into rhythm due to all the double teams he saw which came high forcing him to give up the ball. Most of his shots were rushed and explained why he never shot well.

Still, I wonder how this series would’ve played out if Kobe and ‘mates had had more edge when they got out to that big 21-point first quarter lead which even extended to 24 in the first half of Game Four. What if LA had more of a killer instinct instead of letting a focused Celtic squad outscore them 57-33 in one of the most amazing turnaround in playoff history?

Think Michael Jordan would’ve allowed that to happen to one of his Bulls teams on their own home court?

For whatever reason, Boston wanted it more and played like a lion ready to do battle and claw their way to victory. As a frustrated Magic pointed out following Game Two, it was the players wearing the green and white jerseys who got to most of the loose balls, rebounded with vigor destroying the guys in purple and gold on the offensive glass for second and sometimes third chances. They were the aggressors going hard to the basket while their opponents played soft looking disinterested at times.

How disappointing was last night’s Celtic coronation where they did whatever they wanted hammering the Lakers 131-92 for the largest margin of victory in a clincher for the Larry O’Brien Trophy? There’s not enough words in the English dictionary to describe how overmatched LA looked.

This series disappointed. While it went six, you never really got the sense that the Lakers were ever in it and could win. They easily could’ve been swept. At least during the Stanley Cup Finals, the outmanned Penguins pushed the Red Wings before losing in a much closer and competitive six games.

The Lakers should be ashamed with how they played.

Still, it was amusing watching an emotional KG kiss the Celtic floor and then basically be at a loss for words even flirting with ABC sideline reporter Michelle Tafoya screaming at the top of his lungs:

“Anything seems possible!!!!!”

The gatorade bath Pierce gave Doc Rivers -who has always been one of the classiest former players and now coaches who finally won one being haunted by a couple of those great Celts teams when he played point for the Hawks- was really cool stuff.

Why shouldn’t they have had fun after how badly they outplayed their opponents? It almost looked like a scene out of a video game.

Garnett had dreamed of this moment and you could tell how much it really meant. This was what he was brought over from Minnesota for. Though I did feel Tafoya stuck with him too long when it was obvious the former T-Wolve big man couldn’t contain himself acting like a kid in a candy store. Still, it was pretty cool. How often do you see professional athletes lose control from the joy of winning like that? There wasn’t anything fake about it a la a Terrell Owens press conference.

For a franchise which had become a laughingstock recently, this was what Ainge envisioned as they completed the greatest turnaround in NBA history. Their record 17th NBA championship and first since 1986 when Larry Legend, McHale and Parrish beat the Rockets was truly a special moment.

They never stopped playing either toying with the Lakers. Impressive to the very end.

Copyright Getty Images

The Lakers survived on Father’s Day. That’s really all it was about despite all of ABC NBA analysts Mark Jackson and Jeff Van Gundy’s hoopla due to them looking shaky closing out the Celtics to win Game Five 103-98 at Staples Center and extend the series back to Boston.

No team has ever rallied from a 3-1 deficit winning the final two on the road in Finals History. The Celtics will return home where they’ve only lost once in this postseason and have two more chances at winning their 17th NBA title.

Maybe if Kevin Garnett didn’t tank down the stretch tonight, the Larry O’Brien Trophy would already be theirs. Despite a heroic 38-point performance from Paul Pierce (10-of-22 FG, 16-of-19 FT), Boston fell just short of taking the series in five despite a solid defensive effort. They once again forced Kobe Bryant (8-of-21 FG, four treys, 25 pts) into a poor shooting night. After a strong start, he was only three for his last 13 but one of those included a huge swipe and breakaway jam in the final 45 seconds extending LA’s lead to four instead of Pierce and Co. having a shot to tie or even take the lead.

The Celts were right there trailing by a deuce with KG at the line for a pair but the ex-Timberwolve didn’t even come close on either attempt showing nerves with an elusive championship within grasp. He also couldn’t putback a Ray Allen miss from in close which would’ve cut it to two. Still, Boston had opportunities due to a money Eddie House trifecta from the left baseline which cut the Laker lead to three. A near fatal mistake during an in bounds almost led to a turnover and a chance for the Celts to tie it. But Bryant saved the ball and got it to Derek Fisher, who split a pair at the charity stripe to make it a two possession game. The veteran guard hit on 8-for-11 from the line en route to 15.

Bryant’s supporting cast stepped up with their backs to the wall getting double/doubles from Pau Gasol (19 and 13 w/ 6 assists) and Lamar Odom (20 and 11).

Los Angeles also got a big performance from Jordan Farmar, who contributed 11 on five-of-nine shooting off the bench. The Celtics still held a 28-17 bench edge with vet Sam Cassell posting nine along with House and Tony Allen each adding six.

Still, the series will go back to Beantown Tuesday with Boston having a second chance to close it out. They once again fought back from an early hole climbing back from 17 down after the first to be right there in crunch time.

But the Lakers did just enough to stay alive. Now the pressure squarely is on the Celts who will get the chance to deliver in front of a home crowd with plenty of legends on hand to see if they can win their first NBA title in 22 years.

At the very least, it’s going six and that’s good for the league. Now we’ll see if Kobe and the Lakers have what it takes to push Boston the limit.

Stay tuned.

Copyright Getty Images

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.

Copyright Getty Images

It wasn’t pretty but the Lakers got the job done tonight to get back in the NBA Finals against the Celtics defeating them in a must win Game Three 87-81 at Staples Center. They now trail the best-of-seven series 2-1 with Game Four Thursday.

Los Angeles was led by Kobe Bryant and money shooter Sasha Vujacic. Bryant finished with a game high 36 on an efficient 12-of-20 shooting while the super shooting sub added 20 including three trifectas with one huge dagger coming late which essentially put the game away for Phil Jackson’s more desperate club.

With their backs to the wall, not surprisingly the Lakers came out with better energy playing more aggressive getting to the hoop early and often. Unlike Game Two where Boston sub Leon Powe had more free throws than the entire team, the Lakers got to the line 12 more times than their opponents taking 34 to the Celts’ 22.

A determined Kobe took 18 all by his lonesome but much like his team didn’t shoot a good percentage misfiring on seven to leave the door ajar for Boston to steal this game and take a commanding 3-0 lead. The Lakers as a team shot 61.8 percent missing 13 from the charity stripe. Following Game Two, they complained plenty about the free throw discrepancy (38-10). This time, they got the benefit of the whistles even if NBA commish David Stern didn’t want to lead credence about Tim Donaghy alleging to have fixed series. Oops. Nevermind!

If they had connected on more freebies, no way would this game have been so close because only one of Boston’s Big Three showed up ready to play. If Paul Pierce was the best player in the series first couple of games, he was the worst one by far tonight shooting a woeful 2-of-14 from the field including 0-for-4 from downtown with three turnovers and only six points in 31-plus. Kevin Garnett wasn’t much better finishing with just 13 (6-of-21 FG) though he did add 12 boards, five assists and three blocks.

Third option Ray Allen kept the Celtics in the game with splendid perimeter shooting nailing five of seven triples and 8-for-13 overall to pace the Eastern Conference winners with 25.

Amazingly, KG’s 13 was the only other Celt in double figures exemplifying how stingy the Laker D was. By switching Kobe on Rajon Rondo (16 Game 2 assists), they kept the speedy point guard from getting in the paint and finding open teammates. Instead, an ineffective Rondo finished with eight and only four helpers while getting into foul trouble in less than 22 minutes. That’s cause Bryant wisely played off the ball using his length to bother the second-year player out of Kentucky.

Despite playing more inspired D, the Lakers made it tougher on themselves by not putting away the Celts in the first half. They somehow allowed Doc Rivers’ club to stay within striking distance down six at halftime. Maybe if Pau Gasol and Lamar Odom bothered to try, it wouldn’t have been so dangerously close to a Celts’ comeback win which would’ve put a stranglehold on the Larry O’Brien Trophy.

Alright. I’m a bit mean. At least Odom and Gasol were more aggressive in crunch time with the latter finishing off two putbacks of Odom misses for huge hoops to at least hike his total to nine. And hey. The former Grizzlie did grab 12 rebounds including three on the offensive glass. As for Odom, the former Christ The King star again struggled hitting just 2-of-9 from the floor for four while grabbing nine boards and dropping four dimes including a vital one to a wide open Vujacic who increased a Laker two-point lead to five with a trey from the left corner which at least made an antsy Jack Nicholson relax a tad. He seemed to want this game pretty badly. Maybe he should be asked to give them a peptalk for the next game!

Watching Jack on the sidelines standing and even looking at the heavens as if to say, ‘Please let them prevail’ was entertaining in itself. How could you not love the legendary actor’s fire? It was pretty freaking classic.

Believe it or not, the Celts took a five-point lead thanks to Allen and some inspired play from sharp shooter James Posey (9 pts, 6-of-6 FT, 7 rebs). KG was also a little better late even though still not good enough to get his team within a game of the NBA title.

Overall, Boston had too many possessions where they forced bad shots resulting in nothing. Part of that was due to the Laker defense which was much better and kept the perimeter-oriented Celts at bay even though they still connected on 8-of-18 treys. The Lakers’ intensity was better.

Still, the Celts were right there despite two of their three big scorers having ineffective nights. So, they can at least take that out of this one. Heck. They even had a chance to tie it but Eddie House’s shot wouldn’t fall. A couple of money buckets by Kobe with Allen single covering him put the game out of reach. Why he was single covered deserved explaining.

Jordan Farmar was solid off the bench providing 20 effective minutes filling the stat sheet with five pts, four rebs and five dimes. Even one-time Knick Trevor Ariza got off the bench for eight minutes and hit two shots helping supply the Lakers with an eight-point bench edge (29-21). Vujacic remember had 20 of those or one fewer than the entire Boston bench. Not a bad night’s work.

With Derek Fisher (6 pts) still struggling and Vladimir Radmanovic reduced to the bench despite one early three, the Lakers bench needed to come up strong and did.

In order for them to get this series knotted and make believers out of Hollywood, they must get better performances from Gasol and Odom. Most nights, a combined 13 points and eight turnovers from options B and C won’t get it done. You can’t expect Pierce to be as off next time out and figure KG to play better.

Still, at least LA gave ABC something to talk about. Now Game Four at least means something. And that’s very good news.

This is supposed to be a “great NBA Finals.” Not the dud it’s turning out to be thanks to a dreadful display of basketball from the Lakers who have proceeded to get blown out by the much better Celtics in Game Two tonight on ABC.

If this is truly the greatest NBA rivalry renewed, how come only one team showed up tonight? Paul Pierce is everywhere on the court and Rajon Rondo suddenly has morphed into a combination of Steve Nash and J Kidd. What’s most disheartening though is the lack of passion and team unity exhibited by the Lakers. They got out to a decent start taking a five-point lead but since have shown no composure forcing bad shots early in the shot clock and failing to get out on the Celtics’ big gunners from the outside. Pierce and Ray Allen have been allowed to drain big three after big three.

What’s most stunning is how much more intensity Boston brought to the table than Los Angeles. I would’ve thought the Lakers would come out better and more determined but that’s far from the case which is why this has been about as watchable as the first pair of games of the Stanley Cup Finals. At least the Pens showed some pride and made that a series forcing the Red Wings to earn a six-game triumph for a fourth Cup in 11 years.

Can the Lakers bounceback from this kind of blowout? The good news is the next three are on their more friendly home court at Staples Center. The bad is that if they don’t win all three, they most likely have little chance of coming back to take this superhyped series.

How in the world do you let reserve Leon Powe slice and dice you for more than 20? Heck. He has attempted a few more free throws than the entire Laker team. Just disgusting.

Kobe Bryant has definitely struggled and really had to work for his points. Every shot is being contested and he’s seeing plenty of doubles by a very aggressive Celtic bunch who has done the job. The problem is the league MVP isn’t getting enough support from second and third options Pau Gasol and Lamar Odom. Sure. Gasol has scored tonight but he’s also played soft and failed to block out at key instances allowing even the miniscule Rondo to get an extra possession for the Celts which turned into an uncontested trey.

Even though the Lakers are making a last ditch effort with less than four minutes left erasing a 23-point second half deficit to 13, they’re going to come up short and be down 0-2 with the series shifting to Hollywood.

There’s so much they can do better like executing in the halfcourt and not turning the ball over. How about playing the sort of D they have until this series. The Celts have over 30 assists and have nailed nine triples on only 13 attempts. That’s ridiculous. They’re making it look like a video game. This isn’t NBA 2K8! It shouldn’t be that easy for Boston to score. We’re talking easy looks from the perimeter and plenty of lay-ups in transition.

Kevin Garnett has a double/double but hasn’t even had to carry the load in this one because that’s how well the rest of his teammates have played being very unselfish spreading the ball which is what wins at this crucial time of year.

So, can LA get back in this? They sure better get it figured out in a hurry before Tuesday because otherwise, this is going to turn into a complete dud.

Shocking Update: Somehow, the Celts have managed to turn a laugher into a close game. The Lakers have outscored them 29-9 cutting a once huge margin into a four-point game with 63 seconds left. Only in the NBA could something this improbable happen. They were down 24 with seven and a half to go.

Let’s see how this plays out.

Rondo misses an open 17-footer and the Celts foolishly foul Kobe while in the penalty with 38.4 ticks still remaining. He makes both to remarkably make it a two-point game.

The Celts do the wise thing putting the rock in Pierce’s hands and letting him get to the bucket and draw a foul. Their best player knocks both down to make it 106-102 with 22.8 to go.

LA is unable to get the ball to Kobe who is covered tight instead forcing it into Sasha Vujacic, whose three-pointer is blocked with 13 seconds left. James Posey sinks a couple of more free throws to ice it.

The Celts hang on for a 108-102 win. So, can the Lakers gain something from this? Their confidence should at least be up after getting badly outplayed for two-plus quarters until a furious rally which fell short.

ABC sure hopes they can get back in it or this will amount to a disappointing Finals despite all the fanfare. I have to figure the Lakers will rise up and make this a series. They got too much pride and can play much better.

[youtubeChris Bosh on Tonight Show With Jay Leno]
The video above probably won’t work cause they never seem to. So I’ll be sure to link it up. However, if anyone caught Raptors star big man Chris Bosh’s special report for The Tonight Show with Jay Leno live from the NBA Finals before Game 1 tipped off between the Lakers and Celtics, it was classic. Perhaps the NBA All-Star has a future in comedy when his career concludes.

He did an excellent job grabbing players from both sides and asking them random questions during a seven-minute bit for NBC. Maybe the funniest part was when Celtics rookie Glen “Big Baby” Davis was asked which Sex And The City character he would be. His long answer changing from Samantha to Carrie was classic.

Also loved when Bosh pretended to bury his jersey a la a construction worker on the new Yankee Stadium did with a David “Big Papi” Ortiz Red Sox jersey concluding, “Cursed again.”

Overall, this was a very entertaining segment and what you’d expect from the Leno show on the NBA Finals.

In case anyone missed it, the Celtics prevailed over the Lakers 98-88 in Game One last night at TD Banknorth Garden. Kevin Garnett paced Boston with a double/double (24 and 13) and Paul Pierce scored the first eight of the third quarter to spark the Celts to a great second half in which they outscored LA by 15 playing stifling D holding their opponents to only 37 points.

League MVP Kobe Bryant struggled shooting just 9-of-26 even though he scored a team high 24 along with six assists. He misfired on all three three-point attempts and turned the ball over four times.

The Celtics outrebounded the Lakers 46-33 and held second and third Laker options Pau Gasol and Lamar Odom to 15 points and 14 respectively.

Game Two is Sunday.

-We’re back up and running after a three-day hiatus. I apologize for the inconvenience as my pc was in the shop. Well, at least we got it back in one piece pretty thrifty.

-The NBA has gotten its wish as the dream Lakers/Celtics Finals is upon us after Boston outscored Detroit 29-13 in the fourth quarter to eliminate the Pistons 89-81 in Game Six at The Palace. A jubilant Paul Pierce couldn’t contain himself yelling to ESPN sideline reporter Michelle Tafoya how he waited 10 long years for this. The Celts’ leading scorer who put together a solid night shooting 8-for-12 from the floor with 27 points, eight boards and three assists also spoke of how as a kid he followed those classic LA/Boston series which got him into basketball. Definitely a dream come true. Especially for a player who’s been there his entire career through good and bad. Now, Pierce and teammates Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen will go for the whole marbles against league MVP Kobe Bryant and the Lakers. Bryant finished off the defending champion Spurs by exploding for 17 of a game high 39 in the fourth quarter the night before in leading Los Angeles back from 17 down ousting San Antonio 100-92 in Game Five at Staples Center.

It all should be pretty exciting as the league’s top two seeds will meet in a throwback NBA Finals Edition. Sure. It’s new players including Bryant supporting cast ‘mates Pau Gasol and Lamar Odom. And only Kobe has similar kind of appeal to what Magic and Bird did back in the heyday when Lakers-Celts was pretty common. Of course, Magic had James Worthy and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar while Larry Legend had Kevin McHale and Robert Parish.

The other notable difference is that a couple of decades later, you have different buildings involved. No longer will it be the feared Boston Garden against The Great Western Forum. Instead, it’s been replaced by TD Banknorth Garden and the Staples Center. There’s also ABC covering the Finals instead of CBS. And somehow, that just doesn’t feel right. But hey. Much has changed since the Lakers and Celtics last met for all the marbles in 1987 when Magic led LA past Bird.

So, will it be a good series? I’d have to say yeah cause you got the two best teams and an old rivalry suddenly renewed. And no. The two Boston regular season wins mean zilch. I only wish this anticipated match-up was starting a little earlier. Much like the NHL though, the NBA is taking an extended break before the series starts up next Thursday on ABC. Why such a long layoff? This is something I’ll never comprehend.

Anyway, again it’s nice to be back. And we’ll have more stuff later!

Kobe Bryant is MVP for a reason. The amazing Laker superstar was at it again rallying his team from 20 down midway thru the third quarter to a stirring 89-85 come from behind win over the defending champion Spurs in Game One of the Western Conference Final at Staples Center Wednesday night.

After being held to just two points on three first half attempts, Bryant exploded for 25 of his 27 in the second half carrying the Lakers all the way back to a stunning reversal over Tim Duncan and San Antonio. LA trailed 65-45 but then reeled off 14 straight thanks to Kobe heating up and involving teammates. By the end of the third quarter, a once big San Antonio 20-point cushion was down to seven leaving plenty of time for Bryant and the Lakers to complete the turnaround.

Trailing 81-75, the Lakers ran off the next 10 including a strong finish by Lamar Odom which tied it followed by a pair of Bryant free throws for their first lead all night. After another empty Spur possession, the scintillating 29 year-old Philly native hit a 14-footer over Bruce Bowen for a four-point lead with over two minutes left.

The Spurs didn’t go away easily scoring the next four on two Manu Ginobili free throws and a Duncan put back making it 85-85 with 41 ticks remaining. But a determined Kobe wasn’t about to let his team lose dribbling out of a double team before draining a 15-footer to put the top seeded Lakers on top again forcing Gregg Popovich to call for time.

San Antonio went for the three with Tony Parker drawing and kicking to a wide open Ginobili, who fired from the right baseline. But his shot fell short off the rim right to Sasha Vujacic, who iced the game with two freebies for the final margin with 7.3 seconds to go.

“I know I can make that push and I knew once I did, I could get the game back under control, get it under 10 where we knew we could be in striking distance,” the focused Bryant indicated to reporters after finishing 10-of-18 in the second half while handing out a game high nine assists along with five rebounds.

“In the first half, we were a little rusty, a little sluggish and a little tentative. Second half, it wasn’t there. It is big for a young team to come back from 20 against the defending champs.”

“We almost gave up home-court advantage to a great effort by the Spurs,” Lakers coach Phil Jackson philosophised.

“That was a big comeback. We were deep in the hole, there was no doubt about it. Twenty down and half the quarter gone in the third period. It was a struggle to fight back into the ballgame by the end of the third quarter.”

“They probably wore us down to some degree, I’m sure,” a disappointed Popovich admitted. “And then, with that, we made very poor decisions. The ball stopped moving. Shots at the end of the clock, no penetration to the rim, all jump shots and they deserve credit for that and they came back and had a hell of a win.”

This sort of implosion from such an experienced championship team was kind of stunning. You just don’t expect the Spurs to come apart like that. They never were able to get it together forcing bad shots. Twice in crunch time, sub Ime Udoka took ill advised shots which weren’t even close. The ball should’ve been in either Parker, Duncan or Ginobili’s hands even if the latter had an quiet game finishing with just 13 on an ineffective 3-of-13 shooting including 2-for-6 from downtown.

Credit must go out to the Lakers for the kind of D they played really ratcheting it up when they needed it most. Pau Gasol had 19 points, seven boards, three assists, two blocks and two steals. Odom only totaled eight but did have that big tying score from in close.

The Laker bench outscored the Spurs 21-11 getting 10 from Vujacic and eight from Jordan Farmar who helped key the run which got them back in it with Kobe staying out there instead of resting. A gamble from Jackson which paid dividends.

The Spurs lost despite a double/double (30 and 18) from Duncan along with four rejections. Parker also had a solid night notching 18 points, 10 boards and dropping six dimes.

It will be interesting to see how San Antonio reacts to such a tough defeat. Game Two is tomorrow night in Hollywood.

Later tonight, the Celtics try to make it 2-for-2 on their home floor against the Pistons. They’ve yet to lose at TD Northbank Garden in the playoffs taking a perfect 9-0 record into Game Two of the Eastern Conference Final. The Pistons will be looking for a sharper game from Chauncey Billups, who only had nine the other night with two assists in his return from a groin injury suffered last round against Orlando. He and Rasheed Wallace will be huge keys if they’re to steal homecourt.

So he wasn’t 100 percent. It still didn’t matter because Kobe Bryant made his Laker teammates better relying on them to take the crucial Game Five over the Jazz 111-104 at Staples Center in Hollywood.

Even with a bad back, the 29 year-old league MVP made an impact by scoring 26 while handing out seven assists and grabbing six rebounds to lead the home team to a 3-2 series lead- improving home teams in the second round to a ridiculous 19-1. The Celtics also prevailed in Game Five 96-89 over the Cavaliers earlier last night at TD Banknorth Garden.

Perhaps the extra day off helped Bryant or maybe it wouldn’t have mattered at all cause he’s that great a baller. He might’ve paced the Lakers in scoring but not one shot was taken in the deciding fourth quarter by the unselfish superstar. Instead, he got the ball inside setting up either Lamar Odom or Pau Gasol for dunks. Both had outstanding nights really coming through with Odom scoring 22 with 11 boards plus a couple of blocks while the versatile Gasol finished with 21, six boards, four blocks and a team high eight assists.

It was no accident that the former Grizzlie big man dropped that many dimes as he was that smart with the ball drawing doubles and finding a cutting Odom for easy finishes. The Christ The King product had at least three flushes and a three-point play in crunch time. It was a big time performance by a player who’s taken his share of abuse over the years. He dominated the paint wreaking havoc on Utah.

The Lakers even got 15 out of Vladimir Radmanovic placing all five starters in double digits. He hit two of three from downtown in a 10-point first quarter explosion. His reemergence allowed Phil Jackson’s club to rotate the ball effectively in the triangle offense. Even when a wide open perimeter shot was missed late by Sasha Vujacic, there was Gasol underneath to slam it home for a five-point lead. That critical play came at the wrong time for Jerry Sloan’s Jazz who once again never could get a lead at Staples and just didn’t come up with enough plays to steal home court.

The Jazz got the usual steady performance from Deron Williams, who paced them with 27 and 10 assists. Andrei Kirilenko had a solid game netting 12 with three assists and four steals. Corey Brewer contributed 16 mostly on dunks and lay-ins off nifty Williams’ feeds. Mehmet Okur added a double/double (13 and 13) with a couple of treys.

Who’s MIA? That would be Carlos Boozer, who despite 18 and 12 was very soft blowing numerous shots from in close. Sure. The numbers say he was adequate but anyone who watched knows better because that was the quietest 18 and 12 he’ll probably ever get. Why didn’t he just man up and take over? No Laker can really check him. Even if Odom and Gasol did a decent job. Come on!

He was brutal in this one and really came up small. So despite an 18-13 bench edge, the Jazz lost because Boozer wasn’t assertive enough. Okur and Kirilenko each could’ve had more.

Make no mistake about it. This game was there for the taking. Even if there were a couple of tacky calls against the guys in that ugly powder blue, they had plenty of chances to win it and have a shot at closing out LA in Salt Lake.

Instead, they’re headed home looking to extend it seven on Friday. Does anyone think they can win a Game Seven in LA? Thought so.