BOSTON — So Ray Allen, who set a Finals shooting record in Game 2, goes 0-of-13. Paul Pierce incurred serious foul trouble and early frigid shooting. Plus, the Lakers led by 17 points before 15 minutes had elapsed.
So if you’re the Celtics, just how do you overcome all that?
You don’t. No secret-to-life answer here. Sometimes the odds stacked against you are simply too much.
Especially when Derek Fisher has a fourth quarter like he did for the Lakers.
“Just Derek being Derek,” Kobe Bryant said of his Lakers teammate. “It’s a huge thrill for him and all of us to see him come through like that. But truthfully, he’s done it over and over and over again.”
Fisher, as he has so often in his 13-year career, saved his best for last and scored 11 of his 16 points in the fourth quarter, as the Lakers found a way around a second-half rejuvenated Celtic defense for a 91-84 victory and a 2-1 lead in the NBA Finals here last night.
“Won the game for them. Derek Fisher was the difference in the game,” said Celtics coach Doc Rivers. “A gutty, gritty player and he gutted the game out for them. Kobe was struggling a little and Fisher basically took the game over.”
The Celtics started exactly how they wanted — they got Kevin Garnett going early as he scored 10 of his 25 points in the first quarter. But after that, there was way too little for far too long. Allen, who put in an NBA Finals record eight 3-pointers in Game 2, missed everything except for two free throws this time. Along the way he took a knee to the thigh, but the nightmare had been established long before.
“It’s a helluva swing,” Rivers said of Allen going from the penthouse to whatever is under the sub basement in the matter of one game.
The Celtics, who had trailed by 37-20 at 9:10 of the second quarter, roared all the way back and, with a huge assist from their bench, specifically Glen Davis (12 points) and Tony Allen (terrific defense on Bryant), were within 68-67 early in the fourth. So Fisher drove. When it was 72-70, he threw in one off his hip. And he kept going and going. Two more scores and it was 78-73. And at :48.3, he supplied the back-breaker.
After Allen missed his final shot — a 3-pointer — Fisher broke out and beat three Celtics for a transition three-point play that produced an 87-80 lead and set a wave of reality through the crowd.
“Derek made a number of plays in the fourth quarter, contested shots and taking things to the basket,” said L.A. coach Phil Jackson. “He just got out there ahead of the field.”
And they needed it. Kobe Bryant scored 29 points in an uneven offensive night — he was 10-of-29, didn’t score in the fourth until 1:41 remained and in the third quarter especially, dominated the ebb and flow and everything in the Lakers’ offense.
“We did a lot through Kobe in the third quarter and it got us in trouble,” said Fisher, who explained the Lakers were slow getting into their offense that left Bryant hurling too often at the end of the shot clock.
The Lakers finally had a Lamar Odom sighting. After having more fouls (10) than points (eight) in the first two games, Odom had an active, 12-point performance and along with Andrew Bynum and Pau Gasol gave the Lakers a decided edge in length (43-35 in rebounds).
The Celts, who got 11 points and eight assists from Rajon Rondo, had one last gasp. Pierce (15 points) drove at :40 to make it 87-82 and drew a foul. The Celts got the rebound through the game’s third replay review but an offensive foul on Garnett dimmed the hope.
The Lakers have to like the historical perspective. Since the NBA went to a 2-3-2 format in 1985, the Finals have been tied 1-1 after two games 11 times. In the previous 10 series, the Game 3 winner won the title.