Garnett vs. Bryant tied, but Celtics win

24 points for both superstars, Kevin Garnett and Kobe Bryant. But 98-88 for the Boston Celtics against the Los Angeles Lakers, which means a 1-0 lead in the best-of-seven NBA finals series.

Despite Garnett had 13 rebounds and three assists, the deciding player on the court of TD Banknorth Garden that Thursday night might have been Boston’s Paul Pierce. When the Lakers led 62-58 in the third quarter, Pierce had to be hoisted off the floor with a sprained knee by teammates. He was placed in a wheelchair and sent to the locker room grimacing in pain.

"We didn’t show any panic," explained Celtics coach Doc Rivers the effort his time expended. Less than two minutes after his supposed retirement, Pierce returned, cheered frenetically by the home crowd for his brave appearance and ended up with 15 points in the third quarter and 22 for the whole game.

After the match, Pierce illustrated how he experienced the moment of shock in his first NBA finals, the ones he had always dreamed of playing in: "A lot was going through my head. It can’t be over like this, I thought."

Now it is Kobe Bryant, the MVP and his teammates who hope that it won’t be over like this for them. The second match will be played in Boston again on Sunday, before the Lakers are going to have their home support for match three on Tuesday.

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by John Ellroy,
June 6, 2008

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