Celtics

The most storied rivalry in the NBA had some sizzle again, and the Lakers were hot when it mattered in the final minutes. The Lakers scored the last eight points of the game during a 97-94 victory over the Boston Celtics on Sunday afternoon at Staples Center, with Kobe Bryant and Andrew Bynum coming up big at the end. Bryant made a couple of jumpers and Bynum had a layin off an alley-oop feed from Bryant and scored on a hook shot to gave...

Big Baby and Nate Robinson were like two cartoon characters, ramping up the energy for the Celtics in Game 4. There was Robinson flexing and gesturing, and later looking like he wanted a piece of the much taller Lamar Odom, a laughable notion. Then you had the excitable Glen Davis (Big Baby), who, at one point, appeared to be practicing his dance moves at the free-throw line. But their antics cut both ways Thursday. They energized and inspired their teammates. But the talking and gesturing pulled the Lakers in, and it seemed to take them out of their game in a 96-89 loss to the Celtics that left the NBA Finals tied, 2-2. "That shouldn't play a factor at all," Lakers reserve Shannon Brown said.

Reporting from Phoenix -- Throughout his career, Kobe Bryant has never been one to forget a slight, a doubter or an opponent who has defeated him and his Lakers. Now that Bryant and the Lakers are about to face the Celtics in the NBA Finals, the same Boston team that defeated Los Angeles in Game 6 of the 2008 Finals by an embarrassing 39 points to win the championship, he didn't make this out to be revenge. The Lakers had just defeated the Phoenix Suns, 111-103, Saturday night to win the Western Conference finals in six games and Bryant was saying after the game that he "didn't give a damn" who the Lakers played in the Finals.

Last man gets the court. Make that the last defender(s). Which is why Paul Pierce was one of the first Celtics, if not the first, off the court, as Staples Center buckled and gave way to bedlam and celebration to the NBA champion Lakers. Which is why Ron Artest, wearing his 2010 champions hat, was still out there, leaning back in joy amid the chaos. His teammate, Kobe Bryant, had pounded the verbal point home, time and time again during the long-and-winding and seemingly never-ending playoffs, that defense would be the difference.

The Lakers were divided into three teams for drills, one group wearing purple jerseys, another in gold and a third, the one with Rick Fox, in scrimmage vests of a different color. Green. Barely removed from six years in Boston, breaking away isn't so easy after all. For instance, when players broke the huddle after a training-camp drill in Palm Desert with a shout of "Lakers!" Fox almost blurted out, as if by habit, "Celtics!" He caught himself just in time.

One old nemesis was summarily dismissed by the Lakers, the sight of the vanquished Suns looking spectacular in the rear-view mirror in the aftermath of the Western Conference finals. Redemption accomplished? Not quite. Next up: The biggest, baddest Lakers nemesis of all: the Celtics. They may have shelved memories of twin past playoff losses to the Suns, with a 111-103 victory over Phoenix in Game 6 at US Airways Center, winning the best-of-seven series, four games to two. It was anything but straightforward because of a thrown elbow by the Lakers' Sasha Vujacic early in the fourth quarter, which almost single-handedly revived the Suns.

The green sweater vest resides in what Mike Brown describes as "the dungeon area" of his house, never to be seen again. At least not around the Lakers. Being new to the team, the first-year coach once made the mistake of dressing in a color that makes everyone associated with the franchise see red. "I wore green and somebody walked up to me and said, 'Nah nah nah nah nah nah,'" Brown recalled in January. "And I said, 'Why?' I didn't understand that the Boston-Lakers rivalry was that deep that I couldn't wear a green sweater vest, so it's been shelved ever since.

Mike Dunleavy, former coach and general manager of the Clippers, is The Times' guest analyst on the NBA Finals. Dunleavy has coached four NBA teams -- the Clippers, Lakers, Milwaukee Bucks and Portland Trail Blazers. He was NBA coach of the year in 1999 with Portland. The Lakers dozed off on Boston's backcourt Sunday, and the Celtics guards made them pay for that mistake. Ray Allen set a Finals record with eight three-pointers, but Rajon Rondo was the show. His ability to rebound and get the Celtics into the open court kept the Lakers back on their heels.

Once again, CBS Sports should change its name to "Crummy Broadcasting System." CBS performed a major goof when it did not show the beginning of the Lakers-Celtics game Sunday. Instead, it showed the end of the Daytona 500 and switched to the game with 2:55 left in the first quarter. The two premier teams in the NBA deserve better treatment from the networks. Please add my voice to all those others who called CBS to complain. SUZANNE GENIT North Hollywood

Hello, Boston. I'm your new owner. I don't own the city, just the basketball team, the Celtics. Actually, I don't own the Celtics outright, but when the club went public last week I purchased five shares of Celtic stock at about $18 per share. This makes me, I believe, the first newspaper sports columnist to own a major league team. I promise to use my new power wisely and judiciously. But I alert you, dear citizens and front office personnel, there will be changes.