Where 24-Point Comebacks Happen
It's where amazing happens.
It's where 21-point first quarter deficits happen.
In Game 4 of the NBA Finals, it was where 24-point comebacks happen.
That's nothing short of amazing.
Game 4 was all but over for the Boston Celtics from the second it began. They were down by a record-setting 21 points after the first quarter and spiraled into a 24-point deficit on enemy territory. But then they began to play Celtics basketball. The kind of basketball that won 66 games during regular season. The kind of basketball that put them up 3-1 over the Los Angeles Lakers in the NBA Finals.
"We said coming out of the third quarter that regardless of what the score is we're not going to look at the score. We're just going to go out and play and compete," Celtics captain Paul Pierce said, adding, "We just went out there and played as hard as we could, and we believed and we stuck together and was able to pull off this win. Incredible."
The Lakers crumbled under the Celtics' suffocating defensive pressure and fearlessness at the basket. Kobe Bryant was limited to 17 points and the Lakers scored just 33 in the second half. The once deafening Staples Center crowd was silenced as they watched their team lose the critical game by six points. Now the Cs are just one win away from winning it all.
"The whole key was that they just didn't give up," Celtics head coach Doc Rivers said. "And that comes from them, nothing I did. They just had enough mental toughness to hang in there long enough, and I'm really proud of them in that fact."
Just as the game seemed over for the Celtics, this season seems over for the Lakers. Historically, teams are 28-0 in the NBA Finals when leading 3-1. Even if the Lakers scrap out a win in Game 5 on Sunday, their backs will be up against the cold concrete walls of the TD BankNorth Garden. If they weren't able to protect the lead on their home court, how will they be able to win in Boston?
"Well, it's not over," Lakers head coach Phil Jackson said. "This is not over. The series is not over."
No matter where the final game is played, the Celtics are prepared to fight this battle to the very end.
"I don't want to get overjoyed," Pierce said. "I want to go out there and try to win Game 5 on Father's Day, and then I'll be able to breathe. Right now I'm just waiting to exhale."
In Game 4, the NBA was where 24-point comebacks happened. Now the Celtics are just one win away from making it the place where 17 World Championships happen.
And that is nothing short of amazing.
About the Author: JESSICA CAMERATO
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Jessica Camerato is a member of the Professional Basketball Writers Association and has covered the NBA for HOOPSWORLD for two years, powering HOOPSWORLD.COM and HOOPSWORLD Magazine.
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