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Fisher powers Lakers past Celtics
Source: Agencies |
June 10, 2010, Thursday
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THE Los Angeles Lakers stunned the Boston Celtics 91-84 on Tuesday to take a 2-1 lead in the National Basketball Association finals and snatch back homecourt advantage in the best-of-seven series between the league's fiercest rivals.
Kobe Bryant led the Lakers with 29 points but it was his 35-year-old backcourt sidekick Derek Fisher who tormented the Celtics by scoring 11 of his 16 points in the final period.
Fisher was also a demon on the defensive end, holding Ray Allen to just two points. The Celtics guard had 32 points in Game 2 but misfired on all 13 of his attempts on Tuesday.
Allen was spared of matching the worst shooting performance in NBA finals history when Kevin Garnett was called for an offensive foul away from the ball in the final minute while Allen clanged another shot off the rim.
Baltimore's Chip Reiser missed all 14 shots in a 1948 finals game against Philadelphia, and Dennis Johnson was 0 for 14 for Seattle against Washington in 1978.
"To come through again for this team, 14 years in, after so many great moments, it's always quite surreal and quite humbling to experience," Fisher told reporters.
A five-foot jumper by Garnett pulled the Celtics to within 82-80 with 2:03 left but Bryant responded with a 15-foot pull-up jumper.
Fisher then drove home the dagger, a three-point play hiking the Lakers' lead to 87-80 with just 48 seconds remaining to send the 19,000 at the soldout Boston Garden streaming for the exits.
"Derek Fisher was the difference in the game," said Celtics coach Doc Rivers. "We lost our composure a little bit down the stretch. A four-point game, with 47 seconds left.
"All you need is a stop. We let Derek Fisher dribble the ball all the way up the court, unattended, and get a three-point play. If you get a stop there, we had plenty of time."
Bryant hit only 10 of 29 shots, including just one of seven from beyond the arc, but the visiting team's 43-35 edge on the boards played a key role in the outcome.
"You win championships with your defense and rebounding," said Bryant. "That's something that we continue to talk about, we continue to stress."
Boston held a 14-13 first-quarter lead before the Lakers went on a 24-6 run to take a 37-20 lead midway through the second period. The Celtics recovered to make a game of it but never led after their first-half dry spell.
"We went through a drought, obviously, and playing a team like this, you can't dig yourself a hole," said Garnett, who paced the Celtics with 25 points.
The next two games of the series are also in Boston, with Game 4 set for tomorrow.
"It's a big loss until the next game," said Rivers. "No one thought this was going to be an easy series. We didn't. And so it's not. We'll bounce back."
Kobe Bryant led the Lakers with 29 points but it was his 35-year-old backcourt sidekick Derek Fisher who tormented the Celtics by scoring 11 of his 16 points in the final period.
Fisher was also a demon on the defensive end, holding Ray Allen to just two points. The Celtics guard had 32 points in Game 2 but misfired on all 13 of his attempts on Tuesday.
Allen was spared of matching the worst shooting performance in NBA finals history when Kevin Garnett was called for an offensive foul away from the ball in the final minute while Allen clanged another shot off the rim.
Baltimore's Chip Reiser missed all 14 shots in a 1948 finals game against Philadelphia, and Dennis Johnson was 0 for 14 for Seattle against Washington in 1978.
"To come through again for this team, 14 years in, after so many great moments, it's always quite surreal and quite humbling to experience," Fisher told reporters.
A five-foot jumper by Garnett pulled the Celtics to within 82-80 with 2:03 left but Bryant responded with a 15-foot pull-up jumper.
Fisher then drove home the dagger, a three-point play hiking the Lakers' lead to 87-80 with just 48 seconds remaining to send the 19,000 at the soldout Boston Garden streaming for the exits.
"Derek Fisher was the difference in the game," said Celtics coach Doc Rivers. "We lost our composure a little bit down the stretch. A four-point game, with 47 seconds left.
"All you need is a stop. We let Derek Fisher dribble the ball all the way up the court, unattended, and get a three-point play. If you get a stop there, we had plenty of time."
Bryant hit only 10 of 29 shots, including just one of seven from beyond the arc, but the visiting team's 43-35 edge on the boards played a key role in the outcome.
"You win championships with your defense and rebounding," said Bryant. "That's something that we continue to talk about, we continue to stress."
Boston held a 14-13 first-quarter lead before the Lakers went on a 24-6 run to take a 37-20 lead midway through the second period. The Celtics recovered to make a game of it but never led after their first-half dry spell.
"We went through a drought, obviously, and playing a team like this, you can't dig yourself a hole," said Garnett, who paced the Celtics with 25 points.
The next two games of the series are also in Boston, with Game 4 set for tomorrow.
"It's a big loss until the next game," said Rivers. "No one thought this was going to be an easy series. We didn't. And so it's not. We'll bounce back."
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