Hitik

The Celtics overcome a late Lakers rally, go up 2-0 in the NBA Finals.

I was somewhere in my head, dreaming, when I felt something. It was my phone, vibrating. I took the phone, read the messages, and then hung like a Pentium 1 trying to run Quake 3.



"Oh, shit."

Celtics-Lakers, Celtics-Lakers, Celtics-Lakers. With hopes of seeing at least the second half action, I quickly sprung out of my bed, plugged the cable box, clicked 6-2 in its analog, and then turned the TV on.

To my dismay, the fourth quarter was about to start. Won't be able to turn back time, so pwede na din.

The Celtics were up twenty. Gasol, Odom, Garnett, and Pierce were on the bench.

With only Kobe and Allen on the floor, this Game 2 of a star-studded Finals match-up seemed over. Leon Powe was having the game of his life, while the Lakers reserves were having the exact opposite. Dunks, free throws, lucky shots, it was all Boston. Time and time the Lakers would score, but the Celtics would come back. It was that kind of game. Garbaage time. Pretty much the type of late games the Sonics and the Heat play. Well, not quite.

Kobe was still on the game. And though the Celtics were blowing the game wide open, you couldn't help but feel that it wasn't over.

And well, it wasn't.

The Lakers caught the Celtics off-guard, and made it rain threes from all sides. Vujacic, Radmanovic, Fisher, and then Bryant, all pitched in, as the Lakers chipped within single digits, from a 20-point deficit. Then, with less than 40 seconds left in the game, Kobe made it a two-point game. The Boston fans were in a daze, as the Lakers were on a verge of another miraculous comeback.

Pierce wasn't moved, though. Not behind the free-throw line, not on his turf, not on the Garden, not under 16 banners.

The Lakers fouled Paul Pierce on a drive attempt. Pierce sank two pressure-packed free throws to make it a four-point game, and then blocked a Vujacic 3-pointer on the other side.

Over. Done. Sigh of relief for Doc Rivers and the Celtics. Disappointment on the Lakers side.

There's still Game 3-5 at the Staples Center, though. 3-2.

It's the Celtics in 7 for me, still.