The Los Angeles Lakers aren't quite ready to give up on their championship aspirations just yet.
Los Angeles forced a sixth game in the NBA final with a 103-98 win over the visiting Boston Celtics on Sunday.
It was hardly the prettiest win of these playoffs for the Lakers, but with their season on the line, they had just enough to get by a shorthanded Boston team playing without starting centre Kendrick Perkins, who sat out with a shoulder injury.
"We were aggressive, we played hard," Lakers head coach Phil Jackson said. "Not smart all the time, but we played hard."
Kobe Bryant led the way for Los Angeles with 25 points, but it was another baffling performance for the league's MVP.
Bryant scored 15 first-quarter points but scored just 10 the rest of the way to finish 8-21 from the floor. But he delivered with a key steal on Boston's Paul Pierce and a dunk in the game's final minute to give Los Angeles a two-possession lead at 99-95.
"I just was kind of reading the play, and I was able to get my hands on the ball and get out and get a dunk," Bryant said.
Lamar Odom and Pau Gasol each added double doubles of 20 points, 11 rebounds and 19 points, 10 rebounds respectively for Los Angeles, which will attempt to become the first team in NBA history to rally from a 3-1 deficit to win a title.
To do what 28 teams before them never could however, they'll need to steal not one, but two games in Boston. Game 6 will go on Tuesday (9 p.m. ET) and, if necessary, a winner-take-all Game 7 will be played on Thursday.
"In training camp if you told us, 'We'll give you two games that you have to win to win a world championship,' we would have taken it in a heartbeat," Bryant said. "This is a great opportunity for us."
Pierce was strong in defeat for Boston, scoring 38 points and adding eight assists and six rebounds. Ray Allen chipped in with 16 points, while Kevin Garnett finished with 13 points and 14 rebounds for the Celtics, whose pursuit of a 17th title will continue for at least one more game.
"We wanted to go back home, but we didn't want to play," Celtics head coach Doc Rivers said. "But now we have to play, and we earned that right. That's why the regular season is so important. We fought for it all year. We have Game 6 at home, and that's not a bad place to be."
But they almost didn't need another game to get the job done.
Just as they did in Game 4, the Celtics overcame a significant double-digit deficit to make a game of it late. On Sunday, Boston entered the fourth quarter down 14 points and came all the way back to tie the game at 90-90 on a jumper from Garnett.
That set up a foul-filled finish that became a tight free-throw shooting contest until Bryant's dunk gave the Lakers some breathing room.
Bryant and Derek Fisher each added a free throw to boost the lead to 101-95, before the Celtics' Eddie House drilled a corner three-pointer to cut the lead to three.
House nearly stole the ball on the ensuing inbounds play, but Bryant recovered it and dished off to Fisher, who was fouled and hit both shots from the line to ice the win.
Lakers come out shootingBryant was a force from beyond the arc to start the game, hitting four three-pointers in the opening seven minutes to stake the Lakers to an early 24-10 lead.
As a result of Bryant's long-distance daggers, the Celtics had to extend their defence, which opened things up for the other Lakers starters.
Vladimir Radmanovic, Fisher, Odom and Sasha Vujacic all earned lay-ups as the quarter progressed and by the time Gasol converted another easy basket as the quarter expired, the Lakers were up 39-22.
But after rallying from a deficit as big as 21 points in Game 4, Boston didn't panic as Pierce sparked them in the second quarter.
The versatile swingman scored 11 points during a 15-0 Boston run, capping it with a three-pointer that saw the Lakers lead shrink to 43-39.
It was then Odom's turn to carry his team, as he scored nine of the Lakers last 12 points in the quarter to give his team a 55-47 lead with 1:46 to play before halftime.
The Celtics used a put back from P.J. Brown and another three-pointer from Pierce with 5.2 seconds left in the half to close to 55-52.
Celtics level score in thirdThe Celtics came all the way back to tie the game at 57-57 on a three-pointer from Allen at 10:27 of the third.
Pierce gave Boston a brief one-point lead with a free throw moments later before Bryant reclaimed the Lakers' lead on a three-point play.
The teams exchanged leads until Fisher and Radmanovic sparked an 8-2 Lakers run to build a 73-66 advantage.
After Boston reserve guard Sam Cassell hit a jump shot to cut the lead to 74-70, Los Angeles rattled off five more points to end the third with a 79-70 lead.
A Luke Walton jumper gave the Lakers an 88-74 lead with just over nine minutes in the game before Boston stormed back with a 16-2 run to tie the game and set up the close finish.
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Contact Us About Us HomeMonday, December 1st, 2008