Miami Heat teammates Dwyane Wade (left) and LeBron James celebrate a big play in the fourth quarter of Game 2 of the 2011 NBA Finals. (GETTY IMAGES)

Chicago Bulls center Joakim Noah calls the Miami Heat “Hollywood as hell” and he may be right.

With a little over seven minutes left in the fourth quarter of Game 2 of the 2011 NBA Finals, Dwyane Wade hit a 3-pointer from the corner to give the home team an 88-73 lead over the Dallas Mavericks. Game over, right? Well, that’s what the Heat was thinking too because they started acting like they were getting ready to pose for postgame pictures.

After swishing the 3-ball, Wade held his hand up as he walked past the Mavericks bench. He was then met by LeBron James near midcourt and the two BFFs got caught up in the moment and began to celebrate excessively, with James yapping at Wade and punching him in the chest three times as they head to their sideline during a timeout. It was a bit over-the-top but nothing out of the ordinary. Heck, DeShawn Stevenson celebrates EVERY single 3-point shot he makes whether it’s the playoffs or not. However, it is the NBA Finals so every little moment and every little action caught on camera will scrutinized.

From that point on, the Heat stopped playing their usual suffocating defense and settled for long jump shots. Basically, they took their foot off the gas pedal and checked out of the game mentally. Wade and James thought they were flying to Dallas up 2-0 in the series. Instead, the Mavericks took advantage of a relaxed Heat squad and went on a 22-5 run to finish the game, including nine clutch points from Dirk Nowitzki.

“Right at that moment, it was a huge turning point in the game,” Mavericks guard Jason Terry said of the Wade-James early celebration.

With the game tied at 93, Nowitzki made a layup over Chris Bosh with his left hand with 3 seconds left to give the Mavs a stunning 95-93 come-from-behind victory. The Mavericks’ improbably comeback – or a Heat meltdown, depending on how you look at it – knotted the NBA Finals 1-1 with the next three games in Dallas.

Despite what appeared to be an obvious early celebration, LeBron denied it and thought it didn’t impact the outcome.

“There was no celebration at all. I was excited about the fact that he hit a big shot and we went up 15,” said James. “It was the same thing we’ve done over the course of the season. There was no celebration at all. We knew we had seven minutes to go still to close out the game. As far as celebrations, that word has been used with us all year. We knew how much time was left.”

Wade said a celebration involves confetti and champagne bottles, and he too thought it was a non-issue.

“First of all, every team in the league when they do go on a run they do some signal, whether its a chest bump. It’s part of the game of basketball. That was no celebration. If it pumped them up, they won the game. If won’t be the first time and it won’t be the last time that if we do a great play we’ll come to our teammates and do something. It had nothing to do with the outcome of the game.”

Despite what Wade and James said, the fact of the matter is they did celebrate a little too much and they compounded it by losing their edge in the final seven minutes of the game. And the Mavs were definitely irked by what will be known as “The Celebration,” and they used the Heat’s cocksure attitude as motivation.

When the Heat went up by 15 points, the Mavs’ defense got tighter and their ball movement on offense got sharper. Meanwhile, Heat kept jacking up 3-pointers and got real stagnant on offense, almost looking like they were just shaving time off the clock and trying to hit that home-run ball.

The Mavs made nine of their final 10 field goals, while the Heat missed 10 of their last 11 shots. LeBron had just two points in the fourth quarter and missed all four of his field goal attempts (two of them were 3-point field goal attempts with the shot clock winding down). Wade had a game-high 36 points, but he also settled for jumpers instead of attacking the basket.

The Heat can’t blame anyone but themselves in losing a 15-point lead in the fourth quarter and now face a rejuvinated Mavericks team that seem to have all the momentum heading into Game 3. Winning a championship is hard enough on its own, now the Heat made it more difficult on themselves because of their arrogance.

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Pau Gasol reacts after scoring a basket against the Celtics in Game 7 of the 2010 NBA Finals. (NBAE/GETTY IMAGES)

While accepting the NBA Finals MVP trophy from Bill Russell, Kobe Bryant appeared almost embarrassed that he was receiving an award despite a very subpar performance in Game 7 of the 2010 NBA Finals against the Boston Celtics.

Bryant may have been best player in the series against the Celtics, but it was his teammate Pau Gasol who proved to be more valuable. And deep down somewhere in his cold-blooded body, Bryant knew it.

“I can’t say enough about the Spaniard,” Bryant said, acknowledging the impact of his teammate Pau Gasol in front the 19,000 fans inside Staples Center who were celebrating the Lakers’ back-to-back NBA titles and the franchise’s 16th overall.

“The man was unbelievable. We couldn’t have won it without him,” Bryant continued.

As good as Bryant was in the series, the Celtics defense made him into a volume shooter and had a counter for his every move. However, the Celtics had no answer for the talented 7-foot Spaniard.

Kevin Garnett tried, but he ran out of gas. Rasheed Wallace tried, but he was too old and injured. Kendrick Perkins had some success, but his knee gave out. And Glen “Big Baby” Davis was stout, but he was just too short.

Gasol took on the entire Celtics’ frontcourt and won.

“Think about what we’ve accomplished since he’s come to this team. I don’t know if you can think of another player in the last five, six years that changed teams and had that kind of impact,” Lakers co-captain Derek Fisher said of Gasol. “His skill set and his ability to play the game all the way around: shooting, passing, ball-handling, length, size.”

Since acquiring (ahem! stealing) Gasol from Memphis in 2008, the Lakers have been to three consecutive NBA Finals and won nearly 80% of their games. Gasol immediately clicked with Bryant and the two have become the best 1-2 punch in the Association.

“There is a God,” Bryant said two years ago when the Spaniard first arrived.

Former TNT analyst and current Philadelphia 76ers coach Doug Collins calls Gasol “the most skilled big man in the game.”

I’ll take it one step farther. Pau Gasol is the BEST big man in the game.

His performance in the seven-game series against Boston was Hall-of-Fame stuff, and that alone should elevate him to first-team All-NBA status. In my book, he has surpassed Orlando’s Dwight Howard as the best low-post player in the NBA.

Howard (aka Blankman) relies solely on his athletic talents to dominate games. Gasol may not possess Howard’s brute strength and explosive legs, but his skill level is far greater than Howard’s. It’s not even close.

Gasol is so much more polished as a low-post player. He can score with either hand, passes well out of double teams, has an above-average mid-range jump shot, makes free throws, is a very underrated l0w-post defender and knows how to stay out of foul trouble.

Gasol also has a very high basketball IQ, which allows the Lakers to run their high-post sets through him. His ability to read defenses and make the correct play is about as good as any big man who has ever played the game. Just ask Steve Nash.

“He’s extremely long,” said the Suns All-Star point guard, whose team struggled to contain Gasol in the 2010 Western Conference Finals. “He’s a good shooter and passer for a big guy. He can look over the defense, look over double teams. He’s extremely versatile. He can put the ball on the floor and make plays. He’s a terrific player.”

Gasol was an absolute beast in the deciding game against Boston, scoring 19 points and grabbing 18 rebounds. When the Lakers, including Bryant, were launching brick, after brick, after brick, it was Gasol who kept giving his teammates extra possessions with his game-high nine offensive rebounds. His determined effort afforded the Lakers a 53-40 rebounding advantage – 23-8 on the offensive boards.

“If you don’t make shots you have to make sure you get your second-chance opportunities, and that’s pretty much what I figured early on in the game,” Gasol said. “So we had to work extremely hard to get those boards, pursue them to get our opportunities because we weren’t shooting the ball well. We were rushing a little bit. It’s Game 7. There’s a lot of pressure, there’s a lot going on. So we just continue to hustle, continue to work.”

In the last two games at Staples Center in Los Angeles, Gasol scored 36 points, grabbed 31 rebounds and had 13 assists. For the series, he averaged 18.6 points, 11.6 rebounds and 2.6 blocks.

“What I see from him is just a little actions that represent not backing down, getting hit, taking the blow, absorbing it, not reacting to it one way or the other with the mentality of looking at the referee or wonder about the blow or the legitimacy of it. Those are the things that he has learned in the last year and half or two,” Lakers coach Phil Jackson said of Gasol, who was heavily criticized for playing “soft” against the Celtics in the 2008 Finals.

He obviously learned his lesson and has gotten physically stronger.

The perception is that Gasol tends to shy away from contact. On the exterior, he appears to be this whimpy guy who easily gets bullied. But in reality, he’s about as tough as they come and he proved it Game 7.

Two plays late in the fourth quarter against Boston captured Gasol’s evolution as a clutch performer.

The first was his block on Paul Pierce that allowed the Lakers to maintain their four-point lead. Then, after a Bryant miss, Gasol gobbled up a rebound over Rajon Rondo and passed to a cutting Bryant, who then drew a foul that resulted in two free throws. Bryant’s free throws gave the Lakes a 76-70 lead.

“I was able to box him out, hold him with one arm and get it with the other one and kick it out,” Gasol recalled. “I’m pretty proud of that play. Those little plays, those little things make a huge difference, especially at that point of the game. I’m glad that things turned out the way they did and we’re enjoying this incredible victory.”

Gasol has come a long way in his basketball journey. He has supplanted Dirk Nowitzki as the best European player in the NBA, but he’s got bigger goals than just being a flag-bearer for European or international players. He continues to work because he wants to be considered the best.

And I think he’s there now.

“For me, it’s incredible. It’s like I’m living in a different dimension,” Gasol said of winning a second NBA championship ring. “If I could get a Genie and asked for a wish, this would be my wish as far as my basketball life and career. I’m so thankful for having this opportunity. I continued to work hard and it has really paid off.”

Though the Lakers didn’t play their best in the finale, the fact that they were able to grind out a come-from-behind victory against the supposedly more grittier team in the Celtics was quite an achievement, and Gasol was right in the middle of it.

“It just tells how much we wanted this, and how much will and determination we put into this,” Gasol said. “It’s very sweet. It feels amazing to win a championship. It definitely adds up when you beat Boston. Especially the rivalry, the history of the franchises and our individual and personal history in 2008. It feels that much better. We won the championship, and that’s the ultimate accomplishment.”

Gasol added: “We’ve definitely grown. We’ve definitely grown as a team, grown as individuals and obviously it shows. Back-to-back championships is a pretty tough thing to do and we’re proud of that. Now we want to enjoy it, embrace it and have a beautiful summer.”

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Ron Artest enjoys his first NBA championship. (NBAE/GETTY IMAGES)

A lot of people may not know this but Ron Artest is a loyal guy to the core. He has never forgotten where he came from (say Queensbridge!) and he goes out of his way to thank all those people who have helped him along the way – including his therapist.

During his proudest moment as a basketball player, just minutes after having a game for the ages in the deciding game of the 2010 NBA Finals to capture his first NBA championship, the ever unpredictable Ron Artest recalled his time with the Indiana Pacers and managed to recognize his former teammates and former managers Donnie Walsh and Larry Bird, saying how disappointed he was that he couldn’t share his greatest moment with them.

“When I was younger, I bailed out on my Indiana team,” Artest admitted after the Lakers’ 83-79 victory over the Boston Celtics in Game 7.

“I was so young, so egotistical and I bailed out on Donnie, Larry, Jermaine [O'Neal], [Jamaal] Tinsley, [Jeff] Foster, who never bails out. He just fights for you, for your team. Steve Jackson, who already had a ring, and he continued to fight for us,” Artest continued. “Sometimes I feel like a coward, you know, when I see those guys because, now that I’m on the Lakers, I had a chance to win with you guys. I never thought God would put me in this situation because of that.”

Artest feels that he owed the Pacers something after the ugly incident he ignited 16 years ago at The Palace in Auburn Hills, Mich., where he infamously went into the stands with Jackson and started an all-out brawl that still haunts the league to this day.

He may feel like he let down the Pacers but he certainly didn’t disappoint his new team, the L.A. Lakers, with the way he performed in Game 7 of The Finals against L.A.’s chief rival.

In the biggest game of his career, Artest played a superb all-around game, scoring 20 points, grabbing five rebounds and recording five steals in 46 minutes. And his defense throughout the series on Celtics forward Paul Pierce was top notch.

Lakers coach Phil Jackson said Artest was the Lakers’ MVP of Game 7 and was a big reason why the Lakers were able to escape with hard-fought victory and a big reason why the Lakers are celebrating their second consecutive NBA title and the franchise’s 16th overall.

“I want to thank Dr. Santi. She would come and help me relax in these moments because I’m not good at these moments,” Artest admitted. “And I know that about myself. So, what do I do to be good a these moments? We figured it out. I needed some type of way to relax during these moments. I missed a couple of threes, but then I trusted everything that she told me.”

So Ron Artest tells the whole world that he owes it all to his therapist. Great. Now, this surely validates the notion that a good therapy session can remedy all the craziness in Hollywood.

Artest’s outside shooting was absolutely therapeutic, though, because the Lakers badly needed offense on Thursday night against a very stingy Boston defense. With Kobe Bryant struggling and the rest of the Lakers were shooting just 28% from the field, Artest rescued the offense with some timely 3-point shots and his tenacity on defense kept Pierce and company from blowing the game open.

Artest said that even though Bryant was having an off night, he was still impacting the game.

“Kobe wanted to win. He didn’t want to lose. He was determined. He was Kobe Bryant, Black Mamba,” Artest explained. “Later in the second half, he started to move the ball and attack and pass. He trusted us and he made us feel so good, and he passed me the ball. He never passed me the ball.”

The “pass” Artest was talking about was the one Bryant fed him late in the fourth quarter. With the game hanging on the balance, Artest drained a 3-pointer from the wing with under two minutes remaining to put the Lakers ahead by six, 79-73. As Artest jogged back to play defense, he blew kisses to the crowd.

“Kobe passed me the ball and I shot a three,” exulted Artest while raising his arms up and down during his postgame press conference.

“And Phil didn’t want me to shoot the three. I heard him because he’s the Zen Master,” Artest said while pointed to his ear. “He can speak to you and he don’t need a microphone. You can hear him in your head, ‘Ron, don’t shoot. Don’t shoot.’

“I said, ‘Whatever. Pong! Three! Woo, hoo!’ ”

Of course, Artest was being overly dramatic with his story a little bit, but he’s Hollywood now. And you can’t blame the guy for being happy. He’s finally a world champion and this title can’t be taken away from him.

“My history in the playoffs is I’ll have two good games then I’ll have a bad game. Today was one of those where I trusted myself and I didn’t settle for shots. I just want to thank Coach Jackson and Kobe for having me and giving me this opportunity.

“I’m just really, really enjoying this. I just can’t wait to go to the club.”

Say Queensbridge! Say Queensbridge!

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Game 7 is here!

Staples Center in downtown Los Angeles is jumping early, but you can feel the tension in the building. Laker fans are in full force, with a few Celtic fans sprinkled around the arena.

Tons of streaks are on the line, as well as legacies. Game 7 is where star players become legends. This is one of those career-defining moments that would be replayed over and over again. It’s the Lakers against the Celtics. Amazing does happen! A quarter-by-quarter account of Game 7 of the 2010 NBA Finals:

FIRST QUARTER:

Derek Fisher opens the scoring with a 3-pointer. Lakers are pounding the offensive boards early and Pau Gasol is having his way against Kevin Garnett on the glass, but can’t finish. Gasol also missed two free throws, a clear message that he’s as tight as a low-rise jeans. Lakers have a 9-0 edge on the offensive boards, but are missing a lot of easy shots.

Ron Artest appears to be lost. Phil Jackson may need to buy him a GPS so he can finally re-join the action.

Rajon Rondo gets a couple of easy baskets and Rasheed Wallace is 2-for-3 from the field early. Wallace goes out with four minutes left in the quarter in favor of Big Baby Davis, who immediately contributes with a couple of layups and two free throws.

The opening tip of Game 7 of the 2010 NBA Finals at Staples Center in Los Angeles. (NBAE/GETTY IMAGES)

Artest’s inactivity has allowed Paul Pierce to sag on defense and is playing free safety. Lakers appear very tight, while the Celtics are in total sync defensively. The winner of the first quarter has gone on to win each game in the series. Not a good sign for L.A. CELTICS 23, LAKERS 14.

SECOND QUARTER

Despite shooting poorly from the field, Lakers continue to pound the glass and that is what’s keeping them in the game. Kobe Bryant makes a short jumper (he’s 2-for8 from the field thus far) and Artest gets a put-back off an offensive rebound to get the Lakers to within four, 23-19, with 10 minutes left in the quarter.

After Wallace missed a three, Lakers had three chances at 3-pointers but Artest, Jordan Farmar and Sasha Vujacic all missed. Bryant re-enters and immediately sets up Gasol for an easy layup. Artest takes the ball out of Ray Allen’s and scores a layup to tie the game, 23-23. Staples crowd finally has something to cheer about.

Celtics are in a serious drought, and haven’t scored in four minutes. Both teams are playing so hard that it is affecting their offense. More bricks than swishes in the first half.

Just saw Ellen Pompeo. Loved her in “Old School.”

Artest finally makes a 3-point shot and he points to the stands. I think he was giving props to his man Boogie. Lakers continue to jack up threes. Not sure why. Memo to the Lakers: If you have an open three, it doesn’t mean you have to take it. There’s a reason why you they’re leaving you open.

Bryant and Gasol are a combined 6-for-26 in the first half. Yikes!

Lamar Odom’s head is somewhere else besides Staples. LO has one more point than his wife Kloe Kardashian. LOL!

Artest and Pierce gets tangled up under the basket and both got double Ts for staring at each other. Brian Scalabrine sighting! Who gave him tickets to the arena? I guess Doc Rivers feels he can’t do any damage in 34 seconds. Lakers shoot a miserable 26% from the field and Pierce got to the free throw line late to give Boston a six-point cushion. CELTICS 40, LAKERS 34.

Halftime.

THIRD QUARTER

Celtics start the half with an alley-oop to Garnett on a feed from Rondo, who is playing a very controlled game. Celtics go up 42-34. Kobe misses a long three. He’s 3-for-15 for the game. Just as I was typing that, Kobe just missed another three. Make that 3-for-16.

Garnett’s 3-point play and Rondo’s floater in the paint gives the Celtics their biggest lead of the game, 47-36, at the 9:45 mark. After a Laker timeout, Bryant misses another jumper (3-for-17!). Rondo follow-up gives Boston a 49-36 lead. Bryant finally ends his drought with a short mid-range jumper to cut the lead to 10.

Celtics have stalled a little bit, allowing the Lakers to make a little run. Artest blows a layup, but Odom follows. His first field goal, cutting the lead to six at 51-45 five minutes remaining in the quarter.

Kobe turns the ball over and his teammates jog back on defense. Pierce hits a three to push Boston’s lead back to nine. Fisher heads to the locker room. Shannon Brown in the ballgame. Lakers had a chance to cut the lead to under five, but Bryant turns the ball over which leads to a Celtic fastbreak. Ray Allen is 1-for-9 from the field. He’s not walking on water in Game 7.

Odom follow up makes it a four-point game with under two minutes left. Odom has provided a nice spark off the bench. Both teams looked gassed. Starters played heavy minutes in that quarter so the benches will play a pivotal role in the fourth quarter. CELTICS 57, LAKERS 53.

FOURTH QUARTER

Gasol posts up Big Baby Davis, gets fouled and hits the shot. Lead down to two. Pierce overdribbles and turns the ball over. The two best players in the series are struggling mightily. Did I say both teams are gassed? Geez. This is like a marathon with both runners stumbling across the finish line. Water break!

Kobe is playing like someone with a 500-pound weight on his shoulders. Everything is a struggle, even with his ball handling. His timing has been off the whole game and he just can’t find a rhythm on offense. Still plenty of time to correct his issues, but as the game wears on that 500-pound weight becomes heavier and heavier by the minute.

Kobe Bryant protects the ball from Paul Pierce (left) and Rasheed Wallace during Game 7 of the 2010 NBA Finals. (NBAE/GETTY IMAGES)

Bryant catches a break when Ray Allen got his arms locked up with Kobe’s shooting arm. Three free throws for Bryant, which could get him going. Kobe hits all three. It’s now a 59-58 ballgame! Artest scores and gets fouled. His 3-point play ties the game, 59-59 with seven minutes left.

Fisher back in the game, which is key because he’s one of the best clutch shooters in the game. Lakers need his offense and leadership down the stretch. Gasol misses two free throws. Lakers are now 13-for-21 on the line. If L.A. ends up losing this game, they can point to the missed free throws as killers.

Fisher on cue! He hits a huge 3-pointer with 6:13 left to tie the game at 64. Rondo misses a shot and Kobe grabs the rebound and gets fouled. This could be a big five-point swing for L.A. I’m exhausted typing up the action. Imagine how those players feel on the court. Lakers role players have done enough to keep the Lakers in the game. Now it’s Bryant’s turn to close the deal.

Bryant’s FTs give the Lakers their first lead since the second quarter, 66-64, then hits a jumper over Ray Allen to give the Lakers a four-point lead. Doc Rivers is sensing this game is slowly slipping away. Timeout Celtics.

Boston’s offense is on a serious gridlock. Pierce is tired. KG is running on fumes. Where are the Celtics going to get some offense? It doesn’t appear C’s have enough left in the tank to finish this game. They are just fouling the Lakers at this point, which is a sign of a very, very tired team.

Lakers are two minutes away from an NBA championship.

Gasol may have just iced the game. He blocks Pierce’s layup on one end and then drops in a shot on the other end to give L.A. a six-point lead with 90 seconds remaining in the NBA season, 76-70. The crowd is sensing a big-time celebration. Cue the riot squad because there is a party about to happen on 11th and Figueroa.

Wallace, Artest and Ray Allen exchange 3-point shots. With under 40 seconds left, Bryant jacks up a three but Gasol gets the rebound (L.A.’s 23rd offensive rebound), feeds Bryant and he gets fouled. Gasol has been huge in the fourth quarter. I think he just elevated himself to first-team All-NBA status. Kobe makes both foul shots to make it 81-76 with 25 seconds left. Artest has been huge in this game. He’s got 20 points and has locked up Pierce on defense. Queensbridge in the house!

Rondo knocks down a miracle three to cut the L.A. lead to two, 81-79. Rondo then knocks the ball out of bounds with 13 seconds left. Vujacic is fouled by Allen. Facing the two biggest FTs of his life, Sasha swishes two HUGE free throws. Somewhere in Phoenix, Goran Dragic is cursing at his TV.

Rondo misses a 3-pointer and Gasol grabs the rebound (his 18th of the game), outlets to Odom and he flings the ball down the court to Kobe, who runs out the clock. As the great Chick Hearn would say: “The game is in the refrigerator. The door is closed, the eggs are cooling, the butter is getting hard and the Jell-O’s jiggling.” Lakers win the NBA title! LAKERS 83, CELTICS 79.

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Game 7. Celtics vs. Lakers. The NBA couldn’t have scripted this any better.

One game will decide the 2010 NBA Finals and it will come down to the two superpowers of the league. The Boston Celtics, winners of 17 world titles, take on the Los Angeles Lakers, owners of 15 world titles. The great Celtics’ defense vs. the Lakers’ triangle offense. Celtic Pride vs. Showtime. The 2008 NBA champion vs. the 2009 NBA champion.

“This is for all the marbles,” said Celtics captain Paul Pierce. “It’s the last game of the season. There’s no turning back and no excuses.”

Game 7 brings out the best and worst in teams. Some can handle the pressure, some can’t.

Celtics coach Doc Rivers certainly understands the enormity of the moment. “It is here and I hope we embrace it,” Rivers said.

Lakers forward Ron Artest and Celtics forward Paul Pierce will go head-to-head in Game 7 of the 2010 NBA Finals. (NBAE/GETTY IMAGES)

Lakers coach Phil Jackson describes Game 7 as a “really high tension situation” and theorizes that “a lot of times it’s not about the coaching. It’s about who comes out and provides the energy on the floor and play the kind of game that dictates the kind of game they want to dictate.”

Former Celtic Kevin McHale, who played in a Celtic-Laker Game 7 in The Finals in 1984, says the team that imposes their will is the team that wins Game 7, comparing it to a 48-minute fist fight.

However, you paint it or describe it, Game 7 of the NBA Finals is the ultimate game.

Celtics guard Ray Allen probably said it best: “This is definitely a special treat just for the NBA, knowing that we’re going to a Game 7, this is The Finals and it’s the Celtics and the Lakers.”

Kobe Bryant says if he has to tell his teammates how important this game is then his team doesn’t deserve to be champions. He is also approaching this game with the same fervor and intensity he has brought to the court since the start of the playoffs.

“No different to me. Hate to be a buzzkill,” Bryant claimed. “I know what’s at stake, but I’m not trippin. It’s a game we gotta win, it’s as simple as that. I’m not going crazy over it.”

Bryant continued: “My approach is doing what I always do. Because it’s a Game 7 you’d do anything different? If you play hard all the time you just gotta do the same thing you’re accustomed to doing.”

But Kobe is not the only one overflowing with confidence heading into the league’s ultimate game.

“We got some ballers on our team, guys that are ready to play,” Allen boasted. “You can’t shake the character on this team. We’re a group of trash-talking guys, and we compete at everything we do. Everybody believes they can make the shot or stop the guy from scoring. When it comes to Game 7, this is what we’re born to do.”

A few streaks are on the line as the Finals move into the final game of the season:

– Phil Jackson is 47-0 after he wins the first game of a playoff series, which his Lakers did.

– The team that wins Game 3 after a series is tied 1-1 is a perfect 10-0 (the Lakers won Game 3, 91-84) in the NBA Finals since the league adopted the 2-3-2 format.

– The Celtics have never lost a playoff series (7-0) when Kevin Garnett plays.

– The Celtics are 11-0 in their franchise history when leading 3-2 in a best-of-seven series in The Finals.

– The Celtics are 7-0 all-time in Game 7s and 4-0 against the Lakers in Game 7.

Pierce believes the Celtics can’t afford to put forth the same weak effort they displayed in Game 6, a game in which the Lakers dominated from start to finish and won going away, 87-69.

“We have to find a way to come out here and play to a certain level to compete with them,” Pierce said. “You have to understand they’re the defending world champs with a chance at a title. We gotta come out a lot harder. And I promise you, when I stand here Thursday, we will not be talking about energy.”

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Lakers center Andrew Bynum played only 16 minutes in Game 6 of the 2010 NBA Finals and told Phil Jackson that he felt a little tightness in the back of his right leg, which made it difficult for him to run up and down the court.

“He wasn’t able to move fluidly in the second half,” Jackson said. “He just said ‘Take me out, I can’t run.’ He had some swelling in the back of his leg, and we’ll have to work on that, ice it down and control that.”

Jackson added: “Of course it concerns us. Both teams are playing without players at this time. You just have to gut it through.”

Bynum, 22, has been playing with a torn meniscus in his right knee since the first round and he re-aggravated the injury in Game 3 of The Finals and has been limited since. He is averaging 9.6 points per game in the series.

The 7-foot center started Game 6 but scored just two points, was 1-for-4 from the field and had just four rebounds. He will be re-evaluated Wednesday, but is expected to play in Game 7.

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Kendrick Perkins is the anchor of the Boston Celtics and without him the Celtics sunk like the Titanic.

Seven minutes into Game 6 of the 2010 NBA Finals, the Celtics lost their starting center when he came down awkwardly on his right knee while trying to grab an offensive rebound away from Kobe Bryant and Andrew Bynum. Perkins fell to the floor and immediately pointed his right knee and called for the Boston medical staff.

He was helped off the court and taken to the locker room, and did not return. The initial report is that he tore two ligaments on his knee and is out for Game 7. He was seen leaving the arena on his own power, but definitely was favoring the knee.

Celtics coach Doc Rivers said not having the 6-10, 280-pound Perkins puts the Celtics are at a huge disadvantage against the bigger and taller Lakers. “He’s one of our guys that gives us great spirit. He gives us a lot of toughness and gives us size. I hope he can play. It’ll be tough if he can’t. Somebody else is going to have to step forward. He cleans the paint up. Not having him there made the Lakers awfully long.”

Kendrick Perkins lays on the floor after injuring his right knee in the first quarter of Game 6. (NBAE/GETTY IMAGES)

Without Perkins manning the middle and cleaning up Boston’s bricks, the Celtics were manhandled, 52-39, on the boards and the Lakers dominated the game, 89-67, Tuesday night.

Rivers added that not having Perkins in the lineup allowed the Lakers to rest Bynum, who is nursing a torn meniscus in his right knee. The Lakers were able to tread water when their starting 7-foot center was on the bench. The Celtics, on the other hand, absolutely drowned when their starting center was taken out of the game.

You could sense that as soon as Perkins left the game, the Celtics were not the same team. In fact, seeing Perkins getting helped off the court really killed Boston’s spirit.

“I think we were a little focused on when Perk was going to come back instead of continuing to play. As soon as halftime came we all ran to the training room to see if he was OK. Our energy went down for a little bit, but for the most part it’s not an excuse. We just didn’t have it,” said Celtics point guard Rajon Rondo, who suffered a gash on his chin after running into Ron Artest’s elbow in the second half.

“Perk is our enforcer. He’s the biggest body we have on Bynum. He cleans the paint up for us. He does a lot of the intangibles. He’s a great shot-blocker, rebounder and he’s the anchor of our defense.”

Former Celtic Kevin McHale, who was at Game 6 covering the game for NBATV, said Perkins is one of the toughest players in the league and for him to sit this one out shows the seriousness of the injury. “Kendrick’s got a fairly severe knee injury and when you do something like that the swelling would be hard for them to eliminate. Believe me, when you have an injury like that, you go to bed thinking ‘You know Coach, I don’t feel that bad.’ Then you wake up the next morning and you put that first step in and it’s like someone hit you with a sledge hammer.”

The Celtics say they are still confident they can win the series even without their best post defender, but realistically their NBA title hopes may have disappeared when Perkins’ knee gave out.

But one thing is for sure, they’re not going to use Perkins’ injury as an excuse.

“Perk brings rebounding and defense to the game, and his toughness so you lose that. But that’s not an excuse,” said Celtics captain Paul Pierce. “We’re a mentally tough team. We’ve had injuries all year, and we know how to win when guys go down.”

Video courtesy of NBA.com

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The L.A. Lakers are a proud basketball team that doesn’t easily back down from challenge – at least the leaders of the team don’t.

So, after losing two of three in Boston, Lakers head coach Phil Jackson and team co-captain Kobe Bryant were in very salty moods. And who can blame them? For the first time in the 2010 NBA postseason, the Lakers trail a best-of-seven series 3-2 and are on the brink of elimination. Bryant and Jackson have had to answer a boatload of questions regarding the team’s shortcomings, but in reality, the Celtics should be given credit for holding serve and now it’s the Lakers’ turn to do the same.

“If you look at it they’ve come home and carried the 3-2 lead back and it’s basically homecourt, homecourt. Now we’re going back to [our] homecourt, and that’s the way it’s supposed to be,” Jackson explained.

When Jackson was asked about the leaky Lakers defense, the Lakers coach pretty much dismissed it and thought L.A. defended well enough to win Game 5.

“If I’m not mistaken they scored 92 points, am I right? We’ll live with that and come back and play that game again, regardless of what they shot,” Jackson said. “They had their run, we know they’re gonna have their run and as I told the players before the game this team is going to shoot well one of these games. They haven’t shot well, yet, on their homecourt so they’re gonna have a game when they shoot well and you’re just going to have hang with them.”

Boston’s defense has gotten much of the credit for putting the Celtics ahead in this series, and Bryant believes the team dominates the hustle board and plays with more efficiency on offense has come out on top.

Kobe Bryant says the Lakers have a challenge ahead of them down 3-2 in the NBA Finals. (NBAE/GETTY IMAGES)

“They got all the hustle points, got all the loose balls and offensive rebounds down the stretch,” Bryant said. “They just got to every ball. They played with more tenacity than we did, and we have to do a much better job in Game 6.”

Bryant continued: “They do a good job defensively. We normally do a good job moving the ball. We missed a lot of shots. We shot 37 percent, but that’s a testament to their defense as well. To be honest with you, the offensive part of the game kinda comes and goes. I just felt like defensively we weren’t very good at all. We didn’t get any stops. They shot layup, after layup, after layup. Can’t survive when a team shoots 57 percent.”

So, how confident is Bryant that his Lakers can win these next two games at home to win the NBA title?

“Nah, I’m not very confident at all,” Bryant joked, then broke into a wide grin to accentuate his sarcasm.

“We have a challenge, obviously, down 3-2. It is what it is,” Bryant said. “You go home, you got two games at home that you need to win. Pull your boots up and get to work.”

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Kevin Garnett says Boston fans get a bad rap. (NBAE/GETTY IMAGES)

Back in the 1980s, what made the Lakers-Celtics rivalry extra heated was because of the cultural differences between the two ballclubs and their fans.

The Celtics were considered a hard-working, lunch-pail group that was more interested in substance that style. Fans who followed and admired the Celtics followers were predominantly white, mainly because the two best players on the team were white: Larry Bird and Kevin McHale.

The Lakers were considered flashy and more interested in style than substance, which was a direct link – whether it was justified or not – to black players. It didn’t help matters that the ’80s Lakers carried the moniker “Showtime Lakers” and the leader of the team went by the name of Magic Johnson. It certainly heightened the perception.

Flash forward to the new millenium and the Lakers-Celtics rivalry has been renewed. The faces have definitely changed and, more importantly, the racial division has disappeared.

“I think the perception of Boston is a lot different when you live here,” said Celtics forward Kevin Garnett. “I understand it now. I don’t think it’s a white or black thing, but winning does help everything.

“The Celtics are simply like this: if you are a Celtic and you believe in us, then you’re with us. Anything outside of that, we’re against. That’s what it is,” Garnett continued. “Nothing personal or nothing deliberate. I think there are a couple of cities they will say it’s kind of deliberate. But for the most of it, it’s not. If you’re an outsider, you’re not inside the bubble.”

Garnett said when he was in Minnesota he had the same perception that most players and fans had of the Celtics. Garnett didn’t elaborate on the perception, but it is well documented that Boston fans are very tough on black players. But once Garnett joined the Celtics in 2007 and became the face of the franchise, all of his preconceived notions were dismissed.

“Once you’re on the inside, you belong here. You are embraced from the minute you get here,” said Garnett, who has only been a Celtic for three seasons but has already become one of the cities most popular athletes, as well as one of the most beloved. Bringing home a championship in 2008 may have a lot to do with it.

“If you are a study of the game you understand the severity of the tradition here,” Garnett explained. “It all comes with the responsibility [when you] put the green on. It’s not a white or black thing here.”

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Andrew Bynum is expected to have his ailing right knee examined today and his status for Game 5 is uncertain.

Bynum has been playing with a torn meniscus since the first round of the 2010 NBA playoffs, but he reaggravated the injury in Game 3 of the NBA Finals. Lakers officials say there is swelling in the knee and Bynum has experienced some discomfort. He played just 12 minutes in Game 4 and scored just two points.

“I haven’t got any expectations. I don’t know what his condition is today,” Jackson said at his Friday morning news conference.

Jackson inserted Bynum in the starting lineup last night, but opted for Lamar Odom in the second half as Bynum received extra treatment at halftime. But when he returned, he was ineffective and appeared limited in his movement.

Not having Bynum for much of Game 4 really compromised the Lakers’ interior  defense as the Celtics outrebounded the Lakers, 41-34, and dominated them, 54-34, in points in the paint.

“They miss him,” Celtics coach Doc Rivers said of the Lakers’ 7-foot center. “He’s got great size and length. We attacked the paint and obvioulsy he wasn’t there. When he’s not on the floor there’s a big difference.”

Because Game 5 is not until Sunday, the Lakers will use these next two days to evaluate Bynum’s injury before making a decision on his playing status. Though it was a little bit of a struggle to get through Game 4 Jackson said Bynum still had an impact in the game.

“Even with him dragging the leg around a little bit, he still helped us in situations last night. Andrew still has the length and the strength to capture rebounds.

“We’ll use him if he’s available and able. But we’re certainly not going to put him in situations that’s going to hurt himself or the team.”

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