Boston Celtics vs. Los Angeles Lakers – Game 6 – Review
On Tuesday night, the Lakers emphatically earned a grand finale with an 89-67 victory over the Celtics. In the match, Pau Gasol added 17 points whereas Kobe Bryant scored 26 points. With a dazzling first half, Lakers got their backs off the wall and Ron Artest added 15 points. This limited Boston to second lowest-scoring performance in NBA Finals history. In 1998, Utah had the worst 54-point performance against Chicago.
Gasol led the Lakers with nine assists in a remarkable bounce-back game for Los Angeles and Bryant grabbed 11 rebounds. Lakers dominated from the opening minutes with 13 rebounds more than Boston. For Boston, Los Angeles turned this Game 6 into a long nightmare.
For much of the Lakers’ three-game stay in Boston, Bryant was a one-man band, although in Game 6, Lakers was a symphony. Artest hit three 3-pointers. Celtics’ offense was a jumbled, although Kevin Garnett added 12 points and Paul Pierce scored 13. Before finishing with 10 points and six assists, Rajon Rondo got off to a 1-for-8 shooting start.
The Celtics must win on the road again to avoid becoming just the third team to blow a 3-2 series lead in the 2-3-2 Finals format, after earning the NBA’s second-best road record during the regular season. In the first quarter, Kendrick Perkins sprained right knee. He landed awkwardly, injuring himself, just under the hoop.
After winning three of the last four games, the Celtics were on the verge of finishing off the Lakers. To clinch another title, the Celtics needed just one win in the final two games but lost the chance. The Lakers kept their championship cool while facing their first series deficit and elimination game of the postseason.
In closeout playoff games this season, the Celtics dropped to 3-4, including 0-3 on the road. In the past three postseasons, Boston had nine chances to finish a playoff series away from home, although they have been successful just for once.
In the second quarter, Los Angeles’ 49-27 lead was the biggest for either team in the series. At the break, the Lakers led 51-31, then in third quarter, they stretched the lead to 25 points and in fourth, they were 27 points ahead.
