2008 NBA Playoffs: NBA Finals, Los Angeles Lakers vs. Boston Celtics, Game 4

Information about game 4 of the L.A. Lakers vs. Boston Celtics series in the 2008 NBA Playoffs, with score, recap, pictures, stats, highlights, quotes and Kobe Bryant and Pau Gasol performance.

2008 NBA Playoffs NBA Finals
Los Angeles Lakers vs. Boston Celtics

Series Index:

Game 1: Celtics 98, Lakers 88 at Boston   Game recap & pictures
Game 2: Celtics 108, Lakers 102 at Boston   Game recap & pictures
Game 3: Lakers 87, Celtics 81 at Los Angeles   Game recap & pictures
Game 4: Celtics 97, Lakers 91 at Los Angeles Game recap & pictures
Game 5: Lakers 103, Celtics 98 at Los Angeles   Game recap & pictures
Game 6: Celtics 131, Lakers 92 at Boston   Game recap & pictures

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GAME 4: L.A. Lakers 91 - Boston Celtics 97

Lakers prove too green for these Finals

Leaders Points Rebounds Assists
Lakers 19: Odom 10: Odom/Gasol 10: Bryant
Celtics 20: Pierce 11: Garnett 7: Pierce
1st 2nd 3rd 4th Tot
LAL 35 23 15 18 91
BOS 14 26 31 26 97
click for Lakers 2008 Playoff pictures (LA Daily News), NBA Finals Game 4
Picture Gallery (LADN)

June 12, 2008 - STAPLES CENTER - LOS ANGELES. After having the best first quarter in Finals history, the Lakers showed no reaction in the second half and the game turned out to be one of the worst loses in Lakers history 97-91. The Celtics came back from a 24-point deficit to leave L.A. in a 1-3 situation no team has ever reverted.

It was a dreamed first half. Lamar Odom said present for the first time in the these Finals to lead the team with 13 points in a first quarter the Lakers won 35-14, a 21-point margin that is the biggest for such a quarter since the NBA started to record play-by-play in 1970-71.

With 6:45 left in the second quarter, Sasha Vujacic's three-pointer gave the Lakers a 45-21 lead. Although nobody could have suspected it at the moment, those 24 points of distance were the top of the mountain and everything would start slowly going downhill after that for the Lakers who by halftime led 58-40 even though Kobe Bryant had not made a field goal yet.

It was still a comfortable 70-50 with 6:03 left in the third quarter, but with point guard Rajon Rondo limited by a sprained left ankle and center Kendrick Perkins leaving the game after sustaining a strained left shoulder minutes earlier Celtics coach Doc Rivers went small and put in more shooters with James Posey and Eddie House just to see his team make a 21-3 run and close the gap to 71-73 going into the fourth. Paul Pierce had 9 of his 20 points in the quarter.

The Lakers had already disappeared from the game, and nothing would bring them back. The Celtics finally caught them at 73 on Leon Powe’s jumper with 9:05 remaining, tying it for the first time since it was 2-2 in the first minute. Kobe, who was having another bad shooting night (made only 6 of 19 shots for 17 points) tried to saved his team, scored 6 points in the next 3 minutes but there was always an answer from Boston who finally had their first lead 84-83 when House hit an 18-foot jumper with 4:07 remaining.

The Lakers never led again. James Posey's 3-pointer made it 92-87 with 1:13 left. Derek Fisher’s long jumper got the Lakers within 3 but Pierce invented a fouled and made two free throws. Gasol dunked it assisted by Kobe but in an isolation play Ray Allen left Sasha Vujacic behind to make it 96-91 and secure the victory with 16 seconds left.

In a series full of history the Celtics had written one of the greatest chapters with a comeback that will be remembered forever. The Lakers on their part had just added another bad memory to their big list of bad memories against Boston.

The second half melt down, that unless a big miracle happens will be remembered as the beginning of the end of the Lakers season, left many awful numbers for L.A.: they were outscored, 57-33, made only 13 of 39 shots (33.3%), missing all eight of their three-point attempts. After a strong first half, Lamar Odom made another disappearing act with 4 points.

Sasha Vujacic, the hero in Game 3, had three points on 1-for-9 shooting. Pau Gasol had 17 points and 10 rebounds but he's not having a good time against Kevin Garnett and his lack of confidence is pretty clear, he shot 6-for-13 and is not filling the role of a reliable scorer to complement Bryant.

For the Celtics Pierce scored 20 points, nine of the in the third period, Garnett had 16 points and 11 rebounds and Ray Allen added 19 points.

No team has ever recovered from a 3-1 deficit in the finals.

The previous biggest comeback in records in the Finals was in 1995 when Shaquille O'Neal and his Orlando Magic saw Houston recover from a 20-point deficit in Game 1.

The Quotes

Phil Jackson (LAL Coach): "They're (the players) very depressed about that, with the kind of momentum they carried into the locker room at halftime and having a 20-point lead in the [third] quarter, it's very difficult right now."

Kobe Bryant (Lakers): ."

Sasha Vujacic (Lakers): ""There's nothing to describe (about Allen's final play), the whole game, the minute I came in, they called a foul on me. I was trying to find a way to guard him for 48 minutes and everything I did was a foul, so he got me. He went to the basket. Good basket. I don't know what to say."

Paul Pierce (Celtics): "It’s definitely a great win, one that you’re going to put up there in the library and break back out one day for your kids to watch. But I want nothing more than that ring right now.”

Highlights

Los Angeles Lakers Boston Celtics
Leaders: Pts Reb Ast St Bl
Lamar Odom 19 10 4 - 1
Kobe Bryant 17 4 10 4 -
Pau Gasol 17 10 2 - -
Derek Fisher 13 - 3 - -
Vlade Radmanovic 10 5 2 - -
Leaders: Pts Reb Ast St Bl
Paul Pierce 20 4 7 1 1
Ray Allen 19 9 2 3 1
James Posey 18 2 - - -
Kevin Garnett 16 11 3 2 1
Eddie House 11 4 1 - -

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