Lakers get off to hot start once again but this time hold on

The Lakers obtained another thought-to-be insurmountable lead, and this time Kobe Bryant was leading the charge. The Lakers star scored 15 points in the opening period, helping his team jump out to a 17-point, 39-22, lead heading into the second. Once again the Lakers couldn’t hold the Celtics from coming back as they cut the lead 55-52 going into half. It was Paul Pierce’s 21 first half points that helped Boston out of a huge hole once again. The Lakers were shaking their heads heading into the locker room, pondering deja vu.

During the previous games in this series, the Celtics gained the upper hand in the third quarter, outscoring them by a wide margin. This was not the case in this game however as the Lakers stormed back with a efficient third period, stretching their shortened lead to nine by taking advantage of a few costly turnovers and poor offensive possessions by Boston. Though Los Angeles looked in control with the lead, they weren’t. The Celtics climbed back into the game. Yes because of very sound offense but also because of some very poor defense by L.A.. Los Angeles’s starters weren’t helping themselves on the defensive end as they repeatedly had trouble on the pick-and-roll. The Celtics took advantage as much as they could of the stand-still defense but came up short in the end.

Hoisting the trophy will have to wait until Tuesday as the Celtics head back home as they try to capture the franchise’s first title in 21 years. Paul Pierce ended up with 38 points, but made a horrible turnover in the closing minute that ended his performance on a sour note. Kevin Garnett scored 13 points and 14 rebounds, but didn’t put the numbers needed after a hot first quarter start. Ray Allen chipped in 16 points, but shot only 4-13 from the field.

Speaking of poor shooting, Bryant had another abysmal performance from the field, posting just 8-21 for his 25 points. This time he got enough from the rest of his starters and his bench to help the Lakers take game 5. Lamar Odom scored 20 points to go with 11 rebounds and 4 blocks. Pau Gasol, though soft on defense, was solid on the offensive end, scoring 19 points, as well as 13 rebounds and 6 assists. Jordan Farmar saved another below average outing by the Lakers bench, chipping in 11 much needed points.

We now head back to Boston.