Celtics-Lakers, Game Five, Third Quarter: A Series First

The Celtics start this quarter as a +43 for the thirds in the first four games. I'm predicting that if they have a lead at the end of this quarter, this series is over. (And with the Celtics hanging in without Perkins, Garnett in foul trouble and Rondo still less than 100%, they've clearly gotten all of the excuses they need if they don't win this game...)

Lakers begin with a turn and the announcers blathering about bowling and obesity. Oh dear. Pierce turns on a catch, and Green is starting Brown instead of Powe. Pierce picks up a cheap one, and have we entered The Bavetta Zone? Odom scores on a nice drive over Garnett, who is babying the three fouls. Allen scores off a ridiculously easy inbounds play, the second one of the game. Kobe misses on Garnett pressure, and Rondo steals from Radmanovic. Garnett gets a board that Gasol can't bother to move for, and Allen makes the 3 to tie it. The Lakers Are Gutless.

A missed Lake Show 3, and Pierce gets to the line for the Celtics' first lead of the night, but he misses the second. 58-57. Radmanovic misses in tight. Odom D's up, but Gasol misses in transition, and Bryant gets the O-board and scores with a free throw. Fisher looks hurt, and as Bryant makes for a 2 point lead, you wonder why they don't get him out of there.

Garnett is starting to look comfy, with an easy drive and score on Gasol. Tie game. Rondo pokes Fisher, and Bryant picks up his third foul on Pierce taking a charge. Rondo makes from distance, and it's the Celtics' biggest lead, but Gasol erases it on a nice post move. Tie game. Game gets very chippy, as Garnett gets away with a moving screen on Fisher, then gets the O-board and a foul call. Gasol has no chance with him righ now. After a distance miss from Green, Gasol drives, scores, and gets to the line with Garnett's 4th foul -- huge play. Lakers by 3, and after the Rondo miss, the refs change the foul back to Brown. Yeesh. KG turns after a Lake turn, and the game's gone sloppy.

Odom can't get a roll; KG clears, and Pierce drives at will, scores, and collects a Jackson timeout from sheer disgust. On that last play, I think he scored on guys who weren't even in the game. He's been the best player in the series, assuming you don't pay attention to Game Three, which in the long run, no one will.

After the turn, Bryant is called for his fourth foul on another drive, and he doesn't even challenge the call. After a Rondo miss, it's an ugly possession, and Fisher is tied up for a jump ball. No one, not even Bryant, looks like they want to shoot right now. Fisher than banks in a shot with contact, and that resuscitates the crowd; bad foul by Rondo, and the Lake Show lead is 4. Raqdmanovic picks Rondo, who will be bench bound soon. A Radmanovic 3, and the LA crowd is as loud as they've been all night, and that had to be sweet for Vlad, who hit in front of many howling and hopping Celtics on the bench. The 7-point lead is the largest that LA has had this half, and... we're back to the ads. Woo hoo!

Pierce out of the timeout owns Radmanovic, and the 11-2 run seems a long time ago. Odom is stripped by Posey on a drive for the 13th Laker turn. Pierce misses, while still making Radmanvoic look sad, and House gets a call. Not sure why Jackson hasn't thrown Ariza at Pierce at this point, given that Walton and Vlad have no chance with him, and Bryant has four. Fisher makes two at the line, and the lead is back to 7 with 16 minutes left to play. Fisher with 10 now, his best game of the Finals, which isn't saying much.

Sloppy ball-handing -- turns by House, Bryant, Radmanovic and several others in a five second span -- ends with Allen at the line, and he (of course) hits both. He's got 16, and the back and forth game continues. House has a cut, so Cassell comes in. Fisher is fould by Pierce, his third, on a jump shot for no good reason. Fisher misses the first and makes the second, so the lead's back to 6.

Lakers switch Odom on Pierce, but Cassell hits from baseline on good ball movement. Bryant turns it again, and Pierce has owned him. A Green miss, and Garnett hammers Gasol on another non-dunk -- maybe he just can't jump that high? -- and that's KG's fourth foul. Gasol makes both and has 16. Odom fouls Posey, his second, on an o-board. Vujacic can't fight through the screens. Allen misses another open look, and eventually turns it on bad foot position. With 100 seconds left in the third, the Lakers are actually up for the quarter, a first for this series.

Bryant misses another open look off an o-board; he's terrible right now, though he is getting some boards. The Lakers miss several open looks as both teams are squeezing it too hard. Walton in and he makes a nice pass to Odom, who scores. House counters with a bad turn. Brown fouls Gasol before a make, and with one of two from the line, he's got 19, 9 and 5 -- but many of those numbers were early. At the end of three, it's Lakers 79, Celtics 70.