2010 NBA Playoffs: Los Angeles Lakers vs. Boston Celtics, NBA Finals, Game 6

Information about game 6 of the L.A. Lakers vs. Boston Celtics series in the 2010 NBA Playoffs, with score, recap, pictures, stats, highlights, quotes and Kobe Bryant and Pau Gasol performance.

Los Angeles Lakers

2010 NBA Playoffs NBA Finals
Los Angeles Lakers vs. Boston Celtics

Boston Celtics

Series Index:

Game 1: Lakers 102, Celtics 89 at Los Angeles   Game recap & pictures
Game 2: Celtics 103, Lakers 94 at Los Angeles   Game recap & pictures
Game 3: Lakers 91, Celtics 84 at Boston   Game recap & pictures
Game 4: Celtics 96, Lakers 89 at Boston   Game recap & pictures
Game 5: Celtics 92, Lakers 86 at Boston   Game recap & pictures
Game 6: Lakers 89, Celtics 67 at Los Angeles Game recap & pictures
Game 7: Lakers 83, Celtics 79 at Los Angeles Game recap & pictures

Back to Playoffs 2010

Los Angeles Lakers 3 - 3 Boston Celtics

GAME 6: L.A. Lakers 89 - Boston Celtics 67

Leaders Points Rebounds Assists
Lakers Bryant: 26 Gasol: 13 Gasol: 9
Celtics Allen: 19 Davis: 9 Rondo: 6
1st 2nd 3rd 4th Tot
LAL 28 23 25 13 89
BOS 18 13 20 16 67
click for Lakers 2010 Playoff pictures (LA Daily News), NBA Finals vs. Boston Celtics Game 6
Picture Gallery (LAT)

June 15 - Staples Center, Los Angeles. The Lakers don't want to lose against the Celtics again and to prove it they got an emphatic 89-67 win at home to send the 2010 NBA Finals to a Game 7.

They played as good as they can play as if game 5 was just a bad memory. Led by Kobe Bryant who got 26 points, 11 rebounds and 4 steals and Pau Gasol and his 17 points, 13 rebounds and 9 assists the Lakers gave the Celtics no chance, building a big lead early and never losing their intensity and concentration even when it was clear that the game was over way before it ended. It was like if Los Angeles wanted to stablish which the better team is.

And they really played like a team this time, with contributions that came from players who weren't having a good series. Ron Artest added 15 points and was a part of a defense that left the Celtics with the second lowest point total in NBA Finals history (trailing only Utah's 54-point game in 1998). Ron-Ron had 8 points in a first quarter the Lakers won 28-18. Kendrick Perkins, the Celtics starter center went out with an injured knee in that opening period which opened some spaces in the paint but to even things Andrew Bynum played just 16 minutes limited by his own knee problems.

The Lakers domination was as clear as the 31 points they allowed Boston in the first half. Kobe Bryant controlling almost every ball and Pau Gasol intensity and all around performance compensated Bynum's absence while the bench, one of the lowest points so far, was key to sustain a lead that was as big as 22 in the second quarter and had grown to 25 when the third ended. At that point the Celtics bench had 0 points.

Sasha Vujacic making a couple of threes, Jordan Farmar and Lamar Odom diving for every loose ball and Shannon Brown with a couple of unbelievable dunks contrasted with the Celtics players attitude who with their confidence reduced to nothing couldn't even make the easy layups.

Rajon Rondo, who is the man who carries Boston was always left alone, no defender over him, like daring him to shoot but he got just 10 points, shooting 5-for-15. A symbol of the Celtics 33.3 % from the field and 21.7 % from beyond the 3-point line.

Now everything is reduced to one winner-get-all Game 7 to be played Thursday. In their 11 previous Finals meetings Lakers and Celtics have played a Game 7 four times (all Boston wins). For Jackson who has taken his teams to 13 NBA Finals this will be his first Game 7.

The Quotes

Phil Jackson (LAL Coach): ""Our defense was good, our rebounding was better. It's really a high-tension situation. Players have come down to putting a lot on the line at this particular point. It's not about the coaching at that point. They've already got it in them. It's really a high-tension situation. It's about who comes out and provides the energy on the floor."

Kobe Bryant (Lakers): "I was very happy. We did a great job defensively. We kept them out of the middle, kept them out of the paint, did a good job on the boards. It was a solid effort by us." "We're used to being in must-win situations, the way we look at it, [Game 7] is just a game we've got to win. ... I don't mean to be a buzzkill. I know what's at stake, but I'm not tripping."

Pau Gasol (Lakers): "We want to carry everything we did tonight to [Game 7], and then I think we'll be in a very good place to win. When you bring the intensity we did tonight, good things are going to happen."

Jordan Farmar (Lakers): "We didn't have a choice. We had to be aggressive. We had to play with passion and heart. There was no other way."

Doc Rivers (Celtics Coach): "I thought we'd play better, obviously, I thought we were ready. ... We played an individual game tonight on both ends. We never gave ourselves an opportunity offensively, because we never trusted each other. Everybody was out to make their own place."

Rajon Rondo (Celtics): "To me, the game is over. We have one game [left]. They have one game. All or nothing. [Game 6] is in the past."

Ray Allen (Celtics): ""I won't use any excuse or make any reason. They had more energy than us."

Highlights

Los Angeles Lakers Boston Celtics
Leaders: Pts Reb Ast St Bl More
Kobe Bryant 26 11 3 4 -  
Pau Gasol 17 13 9 1 3  
Ron Artest 15 6 - - 1  
Lamar Odom 8 10 1 1 2  
Sasha Vujacic 9 1 1 1 -  
Leaders: Pts Reb Ast St Bl More
Ray Allen 19 2 3 - -  
Paul Pierce 13 4 2 1 - 5 TO
Kevin Garnett 12 6 3 1 -  
Rajon Rondo 10 5 6 2 -  
Nate Robinson 6 4 3 - -  

Complete Boxscore

BOSTON CELTICS
Starters Min FG 3P FT Off Def Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF +/- Pts 
Kevin Garnett, PF 31 6-14 0-1 0-0 0 6 6 3 1 0 0 3 -18 12
Paul Pierce, SF 34 6-14 1-4 0-0 1 3 4 2 1 0 5 1 -26 13
Kendrick Perkins, C 7 0-1 0-0 0-0 0 1 1 0 0 0 1 1 -6 0
Ray Allen, SG 36 7-14 2-5 3-3 2 0 2 3 0 0 0 2 -18 19
Rajon Rondo, PG 33 5-15 0-1 0-2 1 4 5 6 2 0 3 1 -18 10
Bench Min FG 3P FT Off Def Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF +/- Pts 
Rasheed Wallace, C 17 0-7 0-6 0-0 0 3 3 0 0 0 0 4 -11 0
Marquis Daniels, SG 4 1-2 1-1 2-2 1 0 1 0 0 0 1 1 +3 5
Shelden Williams, PF 14 0-1 0-0 0-0 0 3 3 0 0 0 2 2 +7 0
Tony Allen, SG 17 1-4 0-0 0-0 1 0 1 0 3 2 0 3 -10 2
Michael Finley, SG 3 0-1 0-1 0-0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 +4 0
Nate Robinson, PG 16 2-8 1-4 1-1 1 3 4 3 0 0 2 0 -1 6
Glen Davis, PF 27 0-3 0-0 0-2 4 5 9 0 1 2 0 3 -16 0
Totals 28-84 5-23 6-10 11 28 39 17 8 4 14 21   67
Percentages: 33.3% 21.7% 60.0%
  Fast break points:   9
Points in the paint:   32
Team TO ( points off ):   14 (14)
+/- denotes team's net points while the player is on the court.
LOS ANGELES LAKERS
Starters Min FG 3P FT Off Def Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF +/- Pts 
Ron Artest, SF 32 6-11 3-6 0-0 0 6 6 0 0 1 2 3 +26 15
Pau Gasol, PF 41 6-14 0-0 5-6 5 8 13 9 1 3 2 2 +20 17
Andrew Bynum, C 16 1-4 0-0 0-0 3 1 4 0 1 1 0 1 +9 2
Kobe Bryant, SG 40 9-19 1-4 7-7 3 8 11 3 4 0 2 2 +15 26
Derek Fisher, PG 15 1-1 0-0 2-2 0 2 2 0 2 0 3 4 +1 4
Bench Min FG 3P FT Off Def Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF +/- Pts 
Lamar Odom, PF 28 3-9 0-2 2-2 1 9 10 1 1 2 1 2 +14 8
Josh Powell, C 8 0-2 0-1 0-0 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 +2 0
Luke Walton, SF 6 0-2 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 -3 0
Shannon Brown, PG 19 2-4 0-1 0-0 0 2 2 2 0 0 0 1 +8 4
Sasha Vujacic, SG 14 3-6 2-4 1-2 0 1 1 1 1 0 1 1 +10 9
D.J. Mbenga, C 3 0-1 0-0 0-0 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 1 -1 0
Jordan Farmar, PG 17 2-6 0-1 0-0 0 1 1 1 3 0 2 0 +9 4
Totals 33-79 6-19 17-19 12 40 52 17 13 8 13 17   89
Percentages:   41.8% 31.6% 89.5%
  Fast break points:   10
Points in the paint:   40
Team TO ( points off ):   13 (7)
+/- denotes team's net points while the player is on the court.
Flagrant Fouls: None
Technical Fouls: PLAYERS: 1 LALAKERS ( K Bryant 1 ) - TEAMS (def3sec): LALAKERS (1) - COACHES: None
Officials: Ken Mauer , Monty Mccutchen , Joe Derosa
Attendance: 18,997
Time of Game: 02:31

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