The Final Score: Boston’s "A-Team

In each chapter of this unfolding epic, one Prince Valiant or a set of heroes saves the day. In Game 1 of the NBA Finals between the Los Angeles Lakers and the Boston Celtics, Pau Gasol flexed his toughness. In Game 2, Ray Allen and Rajon Rondo sparkled in record-setting style. In Game 3, Derek Fisher showed his heart. In Game 4, Glen Davis and Nate Robinson startled with their brilliance. In Game 5, with Shrek and Donkey nowhere to be found, Boston’s “A-Team" emerged to push the NBA’s other dynasty to the edge of oblivion.

Like Hannibal, Face, B.A. Baracus and Murdock, the Celtics’ Big Four took turns sniping at the enemy. It’s a scheme that has worked well for Boston’s scoring democracy. Entering the Finals, no Celtic has led the team in scoring for two straight play-off games this season. Paul Pierce changed all that with a team-high 19 in Game 4 and a team-high 27 in Game 5. Upon closer inspection, one realizes nothing changed at all. Even if Pierce scored 19 in Game 4, that game was clearly defined by the 18 points of Davis and the 12 points of Robinson. Pierce’s 27 points in Game 5 was accompanied by solid games by Kevin Garnett (18 points, 10 rebounds, five steals, two blocks), Rondo (18 points, five rebounds, eight assists plus a crucial steal late in the game) and Allen (12 points, three rebounds). Although Pierce is Team Captain and longest serving Celtic on the entire team, the Celtics are by no means his kingdom alone. He knows how it feels to be the franchise’s singular hope. He has left those dark days far behind. In contrast, Kobe Bryant was a lonely figure set against the craziness of Game 5. For most of the night, before Gasol barely reached double-figures with 12 late in the game, Bryant was on his own. In a sense, Game 5 was all about Bryant’s singularity. There was Bryant, who scored 23 straight points during one stretch, and there was everyone else. Boston’s defense shut-down everyone else. Even if Bryant finished with 38 points, the Celtics still limited the Lakers to 39% FG shooting. Bryant knows he can score 81 points in a regular season game and get away with it. He’s also intelligent enough to know that the Celtics aren’t the Raptors. As we head into Game 6, I imagine Jerry West fiddling with his 1985 championship ring, the ring he cherishes the most since it symbolizes his first ever NBA Championship at the expense of the Celtics. He was already the Lakers General Manager at the time. I also imagine Red Auerbach, grinning from ear-to-ear, enjoying every thundering “Beat L.A." chant, smoking his victory cigar in the afterlife. The Celtics lead the Lakers, 9-2, all-time in championship duels. Boston leads the Finals, 3-2. Hence, it’s never a Lakers-Celtics finale unless Auerbach’s team is winning as a unit and megastars like West, Bryant are hurting from the weight of history. -- Mico Halili, GMANews.TV