Welcome to Game 6

LOS ANGELES — Welcome to Staples Center, where the Boston Celtics will take on the Los Angeles Lakers in Game 6 of the NBA Finals at 9 p.m. The Celtics lead the best-of-seven series, 3-2.

The Celtics can earn the franchise’s 18th NBA championship with one more win against the Lakers, which goes well with their one-game-at-a-time approach.

A lot is being made of the Lakers coming back to their homecourt, and for good reason: The Lakers are 9-1 at home in the playoffs after going 34-7 at home during the regular season. But that one home playoff loss came to the Celtics last week. And the Celtics — 6-4 on the road this postseason and 26-15 on the road during the regular season — are no ordinary road team. The Orlando Magic hadn’t lost consecutive home games all season before losing Games 1 and 2 of the Eastern Conference finals on their home court to the Celtics.

If any team can win tonight it’s this group of Celtics.

I snapped my usual grainy, iPhone pregame photo of Ron Artest because Artest could be the key for the Lakers tonight. Artest (7.8 points, 30 percent shooting) has been terrible during the Finals, but what if he isn’t? What if Artest gives Kobe Bryant the help he needs? It would lessen the pressure on Bryant, and it would lessen the pressure on Pau Gasol to have a monster game alongside Bryant. If the Lakers can get solid contributions one through five (or six), they’re a much different team.

The Celtics need to keep doing what they’ve done since Game 2, which is play solid team defense. They’ve proven they can win without a big game from their Big Four. If one or two of the four go off and the defense holds, the Celtics will be just fine. If not, we could be looking at a Game 7.

That’s something the NBA would be thrilled with, but the Celtics would be better off not letting it get there.