Boston Celtics defeat Los Angeles Lakers, 104-94

LOS ANGELES — The script seemed tailor-made for a stocky guy styling courtside in the designer shades.

Yo, that guy, “Rocky’’ Stallone.

Three nights after Ray Allen sat helplessly foul-ridden on the Celtics bench while his teammates pursued an NBA title, Allen last night played the avenger, rising from basketball’s version of the canvas with such record-setting force that he changed the course of the championship series.

Pow. Allen all but KO’d the Lakers defense sin...

LOS ANGELES—For once, the fourth quarter didn't belong to Kobe Bryant.

The Los Angeles Lakers superstar picked up his fifth foul early in the final period, when Bryant's defensive matchup, Rajon Rondo, carried the Boston Celtics to a 103-94 victory Sunday night that tied the NBA finals at a game apiece.

Bryant finished with 21 points, six assists, five turnovers and four steals in the Lakers' first home loss of the postseason. They dropped to 9-1 at Staples Center.
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LOS ANGELES — It may not have taken an entire village to slay the monster. But it did take a roster.

Oh, sure, Rajon Rondo’s mighty 19-point, 12-rebound, 10-assist triple-double was a transcendent performance in which his impact went far beyond the numbers. But what really distinguished this vital series-knotting 103-94 victory over the Lakers last night was the collective effort it took to win a game in which Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett shot 4 for 16.

You start wi...

LOS ANGELES — Their internal clock was ticking. The moment was bursting with pressure. The sequence couldn’t have been more critical. But the Celtics’ bench couldn’t help but laugh.

An eight-second violation was about one second away, and coach Doc Rivers was desperately trying to call a timeout.

Desperate for a stop trailing, 95-90, with less than two minutes left, the Lakers were hounding the Celtics. Kendrick Perkins came down with a rebound and tried to outlet to...

LOS ANGELES — The young men in green honored those who came before them.

Rajon Rondo (19 points, 12 rebounds, 10 assists) was every bit as good as Bob Cousy, Ray Allen (32 points) paid homage to Sam Jones, and coach Doc Rivers had the kind of game that would have made Red Auerbach light up a Hoyo de Monterrey.

On a night when they had almost everything working against them, the Celtics defeated the Los Angeles Lakers, 103-94, last night at Staples Center, squaring th...