NBA Finals Game 4: Celtics 96, Lakers 89

Rajon Rondo stole the ball, but the Celtics bench stole the show in Game 4.

Rondo’s steal and layup with 31 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter put the game out of reach, but the game was won over a 9:09 stretch to start the fourth in which the Celtics bench erased a Lakers lead and ended three quarters of ineffective offense for the home team. After the bench had done its job, Boston’s starters came in at the 2:51 mark and finished off a 96-89 win over the Lakers in Game 4, evening the NBA Finals 2-2.

“Rondo and all of them, they were begging me to keep [bench] guys in,” said Celtics coach Doc Rivers. “‘Don’t take them out! Don’t take them out!’ It was great. That was the loudest I’ve seen our bench, and it was our starters cheering from the bench. I thought it was terrific.”

Terrific doesn’t begin to describe the energy Glen Davis and the Celtics bench provided in the second half. With the game tied at 64, the Celtics went on a 7-0 run, capped by a Davis putback and foul at the 8:22 mark in the fourth quarter.

“Just will, determination,” Davis said regarding his offensive rebounding. “You know they’re long, you just gotta go out there and put a body on somebody and make sure they don’t touch the ball.”

That could have been it, but Rivers wasn’t satisfied with a cameo from his reserves, leaving the backups in for the first nine-plus minutes of the fourth quarter. While Davis crashed the boards, Nate Robinson slashed his way to the basket for six points of his own. His solid decision-making and command of the offense allowed Rivers to spell Rondo for much longer than usual. All told, the a group of Celtics backups consisting of Robinson, Tony Allen, Davis, Rasheed Wallace, and Ray Allen went on a 25-15 run before being lifted for the starters at the 2:51 mark in the fourth.

“We just knew we had to bring our energy,” said Robinson. “That’s the main thing for us, the more energy we bring, the better defensively we are, the better offensively we are.”

Davis would finish with 18 points and 5 rebounds, while Robinson finished with 12 points, 2 assists, and 1 steal.

“Davis, Robinson gave us a little bit of that activity level that we didn’t meet and match,” said Lakers coach Phil Jackson. “I think that, you know, you can still play with that cool head, but you have to meet the physical activity.”

Rivers was forced to extend minutes for his bench in part because of the offensive ineptitude of his starters. The Celtics played well but shot terribly in the first quarter, their 8-for-22 performance somehow netting them a 19-16 lead after one. The shots weren’t going down, but two other factors were on the home team’s side: The Celtics weren’t whistled for a foul the first 7:18 of the game, and Paul Pierce, who’d struggled through the first three games of the series, was driving to the hoop. Pierce’s 10 points in the first were a team-high, and — the narrow lead on the scoreboard aside — the Celtics got all they wanted out of the gate.

The Celtics continued to throw up bricks in the second, but just as both teams looked close to setting offensive basketball back 40 years, Kobe Bryant caught fire midway through the quarter, hitting back-to-back three-pointers. Bryant followed with another jumper, and Lamar Odom’s lay-up at the 3:12 mark capped an 11-4 run that would have seemed minor in other games but was substantial in a first half marked by suffocating defense.

Pierce didn’t let the Lakers get any breathing room before halftime, captaining his team with five assists before the break. He and Kevin Garnett combined for 16 shot-attempts in the first half, but the way the two were playing, it probably should have been more.

Ray Allen’s first made jump shot since Game 2 knotted the score at 56 with 4:24 left in the third. Miraculously, the Celtics stayed within two points of the Lakers despite shooting 39 percent through three quarters.

In a series marred by loud criticisms of the officiating by both teams, the most crucial call of Game 4 went to the Celtics. With 1:17 left in the fourth quarter, Pierce drove down the lane, absorbed contact from Bryant, and rolled the ball over the rim and through the basket. Bryant fell to the floor and the official on the baseline put his hands on his hips.

Blocking on Bryant. Basket good. Pierce’s free throw increased the Celtics’ lead to nine.

After three games in which the officiating was hotly contested, the Lakers and Celtics were whistled for 23 and 21 fouls respectively in Game 4.

“This is an extremely physical game, but it was a clean game,” said Rivers. “There was some talking, but you know, whatever. I just thought both teams were allowed to play, and it was terrific. It was good basketball. You know, there’s frustration all the time, but I thought overall it was a really well played game.”

Final: Celtics 96, Lakers 89: It’s all over. The 2010 NBA Finals are tied, 2-2.
17.7 4th quarter, Celtics 94-86: The Celtics get the inbounds to Kevin Garnett, who nails two free-throws to put this one out of reach.
22.2 4th quarter, Celtics 92-86: With the Lakers in need of a couple of three-pointers, everybody in the building knew Kobe Bryant was going to shoot, except Bryant didn’t shoot. Rajon Rondo stole Bryant’s pass and took it all the way for a bucket.
1:17 4th quarter, Celtics 85-77: The most crucial call of the game goes the way of the Celtics, as Paul Pierce drives and gets the blocking foul called on Kobe Bryant. Pierce converts the three-point play.
3:57 4th quarter, Celtics 85-74: Pau Gasol picks up his fourth personal, sending Glen Davis to the line. Davis and Robinson have been phenomenal for the Celtics in the fourth quarter.
5:39 4th quarter, Celtics 79-72: Wallace redeems himself with a three-pointer to give the Celtics their largest lead, but Nate Robinson picks up a technical foul of his own.
7:25 4th quarter, Celtics 74-66: Rasheed Wallace picks up his fifth personal foul and also a technical foul. A very bad time for that technical, but Kobe Bryant missed the free throw.
8:22 4th quarter, Celtics 71-64: And there it is. Glen Davis caps a 7-0 run, bailing out Tony Allen, who missed a wide open lay-up. Davis is fired up and so is this crowd.
10:09 4th quarter, Tied at 64: Nate Robinson ties up Jordan Farmar and gives the ball back to the Celtics. Fans here are still expecting the Celtics to go on that mini-run and take this game over, but it hasn’t happened.
End 3d quarter, Lakers 62-60: Kobe Bryant’s three-pointers have been the only offensive constant in this game. Bryant is 5 for 6, with two of the daggers coming at the end of the third quarter.
The Lakers are going to need Bryant, because Andrew Bynum has played just 12 minutes today with a bad knee.
4:03 3d quarter, Tied at 56: Ray Allen first made jump shot in two games has the teams square. Could the Celtics actually shot 42 percent and win a Finals game?
5:30 3d quarter, Lakers 53-52: Defense is keeping the Celtics in this game no matter how badly they try to screw it up on offense.
8:24 3d quarter, Lakers 53-48: A tough three-seconds call goes against Kevin Garnett posting up on Gasol. This game is as flow-less as the other three.
10:00 3d quarter, Lakers 49-44: Pau Gasol now has now made 9 of 10 free-throw attempts.
Halftime, Lakers 45-42: Kevin Garnett hits a last-second turnaround to keep the Celtics close at the break. Big, big shot from Garnett.
The Lakers used an 11-4 run to gain the lead, but the Celtics are hanging tough thanks to Pierce, who has 12 points, 5 assists, and 4 rebounds. Pierce has taken nine shots and Garnett seven, but they should have taken more. They’re by far the two most effective players for the Celtics right now.
3:10 2d quarter, Lakers 39-33: Two three-pointers by Kobe Bryant and a breakout by Lamar Odom have the Lakers suddenly surging. It doesn’t take much offense to establish a nice little lead in a game like this.
5:42 2d quarter, Celtics 29-28: This game is setting offensive basketball back 40 years. The Celtics are completely lost on offense with Rondo off the floor. And yet they still lead.
9:11 2d quarter, Celtics 27-24: The Celtics are once again getting quality minutes from Glen Davis, who has 5 points and 2 rebounds. Davis gives the Celtics hands and scoring touch down low, something they lack with Kendrick Perkins in the game.
END 1st quarter, Celtics 19-16: Nate Robinson nails a three-pointer to give the Celtics the lead after one.
Rasheed Wallace came in and picked up two quick fouls. The first was a hard takedown of Pau Gasol, which drew a standing ovation from the crowd. The second was a totally blown call. Wallace backed out of the way and Gasol tripped over his own feet, but Wallace picked up his second foul anyways.
1:06 1st quarter, Celtics 16-14: Paul Pierce just blew by Ron Artest again, drawing a foul on Artest. Pierce was not given a continuation foul for his trouble, however.
4:41 1st quarter, Lakers 12-11: The first team foul was just called on the Celtics. Remarkable considering the series to this point.
5:30 1st quarter, Lakers 12-11: There are lots of encouraging things to take away from that start for the Celtics, who have made just 5 of 14 field goals but trail by just one. Ray Allen has yet to hit a jumper, but at least he’s made a field goal. Kevin Garnett looks very good once again. And Paul Pierce (seven points) is taking it to the basket.
11:23 1st quarter, Lakers 2-1: Paul Pierce goes right at Andrew Bynum on the first possession of the game, drawing Bynum’s first foul. Will we get the aggressive Paul Pierce tonight?
Pregame: Anita Baker with the national anthem.