Kobe is laying off Rajon Rondo to the point that I'm not sure he's in the same time zone as the Boston PG. It'll be interesting to see how long Doc Rivers stays with that matchup. 

9:32 - Kobe misses a jumper - he's come out firing tonight, but penetration, not jumpers will be the key.  And as I type that, Kobe drives, kicks to Vlad on the perimeter, who swings to Fish on the left wing.  Wide-open jumper, and the Lakers are up 8-2. 

And next time down, Kobe works from the high post to hit the mid-range jumper.  That's a better spot.  Next trip, he backs Allen down on the left block, and tries the turnaround jumper, which is blocked and heads out of bounds.  The Lakers miss a chance to score on the inbound, but it's good to see Kobe working from closer to the rim on consecutive possessions, after going for longer jumpers a few trips before.

7:22 - Great play from Gasol, penetrating on Garnett from the left wing all the way to the hole, then dishing to Vladimir Radmanovic underneath for the easy bucket.  Next trip, Pau collects his own miss, fights fro the board and the rebound, and drops in the shot for the bucket and the foul on Leon Powe.  He makes the FT, and it's 15-5 LAL. I don't think they'll relax with this lead, though.

The answer to my question about how long Doc would stay with Rondo?  About five and a half minutes.  House in for Rondo out of the TO. 

Rondo misses on the other end.  As long as he's not hitting that shot, Kobe can leave him alone. 

6:36 - Kobe hits over Rondo, for three. The Lakers got the ball up in a hurry off the Rondo miss.  Kobe was able to get set on the right wing, and Odom hit him. With only Rondo in front of him, Kobe was easily able to elevate for the good look in rhythm. Bucket. Lakers up 18-5, Doc takes a timeout.

4:52 - Kobe hits another three over Allen - fair to say he's feeling it right now. He nearly took the same shot a few seconds before, but passed before getting it right back on the left wing, and going with a big time quick trigger. 

3:40 - Terrible play by Radmanovic, who leaves Allen along the left side of the three-point line to shade to Eddie House, despite Kobe being there to rotate and help.  As a result, House makes the easy pass to Allen, who buries the three.  I realize you don't want to leave House open, but at the same time, it might be worth paying attention to what's going on, and making sure not to leave Allen open, either. 

He makes up for it with a nice play a trip or two later, flashing to the low block and making himself available for a nice pass from Kobe. Easy layup.

Great block from Pau on the defensive end - he's played a very strong opening quarter.

2:04 - Timeout on the floor, Lakers. They lead 31-15. I'm going to go out on a limb and say they can coast from here.

Walton, Sasha, Farmar in out of the TO, Posey in for Boston.

1:08 - KG picks up his second, going over Gasol's back in the high post. Lakers get a pair of FTs, Garnett takes a seat. 

:39.1 - Pierce posts up Walton, drives left into the lane, and draws the foul.  He'll shoot two.  Both good.  JF comes back on the other end, blows by House on the left side and gets the easy layup. Next trip for Boston, Walton gets dinged again trying to stick Pierce going around the screen.  PP misses the first, makes the second.  Lakers up by 15.

The Luke Walton/Pierce matchup isn't one PJ will want to stay with very long. 

END OF THE FIRST:

Kobe sets up as if he's going to penetrate or shoot from the top of the key, then zips a pass inside to Gasol, who puts up a quick shot, but goaltending is called.  Bucket for L.A., giving L.A. a 39-22 lead after one.  A great quarter for the Lakers, who have been aggressive from the get-go, have taken advantage of the Rondo matchup defensively to limit the Celtics early, have got the ball inside to Gasol, penetrated, and done all that other good stuff we like to see from them. 

It helps too that Kobe is four of five from downtown. That's a nice little spark too - 65% from two, 63% from three. Obviously, that'll come down.

AK for the second quarter, which will include a Mihm sighting!

SECOND QUARTER:

Lawrence Tanter actually paused for a second announcing Chris Mihm, apparently struggling to remember his number.  It has been a while since he has been out there, for sure.

11:03 - Farmar penetrates inside, then dishes to a side cutting Sasha Vujacic, who cans one from just inside downtown. 

10:25 - Pierce draws the foul on Sasha while taking to the basket (Mihm swats the shot from possibly going down), then earns a pair at the line. Trevor Ariza checks in for Walton.

9:56 - Mihm air-balls a hook shot, then picks up his third whistle while pushing Pierce off the baseline after Inglewood's finest tracks down the miss.  Rusty minutes from Mihm, who later turns the ball over on an inbound. 

9:14 - It's been a very bad second quarter from nearly the jump, with the lead slipping from 17-11.  I imagine most, if not all, of the starters are gonna be out there again once play resumes. This group (Sasha, Farmar, Ariza, Mihm, LO) hasn't played much together, and it shows.

By the way, for those wondering why Phil doesn't mess too much with the rotations or combinations during the Finals, this would be why.

Lionel Richie is shown on the Jumbotron with "All Night Long" playing. These Lakers fans love them some Lionel. Frankly, who doesn't?

8:10 - Tough luck for Ronny, who picks up a charging call about one minute after checking in.  Bad call.  Allen wasn't close to set before absorbing the contact. 

7:37 - Big development for L.A. KG hasn't even worked up a sweat upon checking back in before sending Pau to the line with a third foul.  He gets whistled for getting as much of Pau as the ball on a block attempt. 

7:06 - A trey from Pierce strokes nylon, one possession removed from a completely - and I do mean COMPLETELY - undetered drive to the rack. This is beginning to feel like deja vu all over again right now. That big lead is dwindling rather quickly right before our eyes. 

6:09 - Some stutter-stepping and dribbling from Fish can't shake loose his defender, and the results are an air-balled mid-ranger. 

5:44 - Time out. The Lakers have looked absolutely awful since this quarter began.  Boston is in the midst of a 17-4 run, with its shooting percentage climbing from 40% to 50%.  The Lakers, in the meantime, have dropped from 65% to 53% on two-for-12 shooting. They've also been beaten on the glass and generally been less aggressive.

4:03 - A layup by LO finally snaps the Lakers' scoring funk. Boston calls time out. 

3:34 - As LO scoops up Kobe's missed trey and lays it in, Vlad gets upset about something (I can't figure out what even watching the replay) and screams right in the ref's face, picking up an immediate tech.  With the type of game he has been having tonight, I can only imagine that puts him further into PJ's good graces.  Actually, check that. At the next dead ball, Farmar checks, pairing him and Fish in the backcourt, sliding Kobe to the 3 and putting Vlad on the bench, where I picture him for a spell.

1:57 - With Allen at the line to shoot a pair, double T's are called against him and Fish.  Getting kinda chippy.

59.0 - Farmar's block on Allen's layup goes for naught as the new Celtics possession (courtesy of an LO turnover) ends up a five-footer gone good by Brown.

The half winds down on a Pierce three (buried with Fish in his face), a missed 10-foot runner by Kobe and a Staples crowd very nervous about a precarious 55-52 lead. To say the least, not a very productive 12 minutes for the Lakers. Six turnovers, no trips to the line and very choppy play. Things picked up some on the offensive end when the starters re-entered the game (Phil's shakeup attempt with Mihm and a generally unfamiliar group struck me as seriously odd, bore no fruit and should have been abandoned quicker), but the defensive end was still lacking. In particular, the Lakers need to figure out an answer for Pierce and fast - 24 minutes to make things right.  BK will monitor the first 12 of them when the game resumes. 

THIRD QUARTER:

Lakers start with the ball, and Mihm, Ariza, Newble, Kobe and Sasha on the floor. 

Just kidding, but you were fooled for a sec, weren't you? 

Not a good start, as a Fish pass to Vlad goes off his outstretched arm for a TO.

11:15- LO gets a pass from Vlad in the mid-post, and attacks Garnett, finishing with the layup. KG has the three fouls and doesn't want to pick up an early fourth. That's something the Lakers need to exploit.  Next trip, Kobe gets the ball deep and misses the little jumper, but it was a good look. Not a bad start offensively.

In between, though, the Lakers made a terrible play, losing Allen underneath for an easy bucket off an inbounds play, then giving the Celtics two offensive boards that eventually turned into an Allen triple. 

9:59 - Kobe fouls Pierce on the right wing, biting on the pump fake. Pierce makes one of two, and the Lakers are down a point, 58-57.  Boston's first lead, I believe.

9:46 - Kobe picks up his third, getting the charge call against Pierce as he tried to penetrate against Garnett. Then on the other end, Rondo finally makes Kobe and the Lakers pay for not covering him, hitting the open jumper along the left baseline.

Pau gets good post position, beats the double-team and hits the layup. 

On the other side, though, he gets outmuscled by PJ Brown for the board, and it results in a loose-ball foul on Fish, who had no choice but to grab KG on the resulting play or risk giving up an easy shot. 

7:16 - Pau again attacks PJ Brown, facing up near the left elbow.  He drives left, and initially it looked as if they called the foul on Garnett, but the call gets changed back to Brown. That would have been a huge break for L.A. But Gasol is doing a great job going at Brown, generating looks, etc.  As a team, the Lakers are doing well getting the ball inside.

6:25- Lakers up, 65-62.

6:21- Check that. Pierce blows by Vlad on the perimeter, makes the layup.  Lakers by one. Time out, Lakers.

Kobe comes out of the TO waving his arms, trying to get the crowd riled up. 

Then he picks up his fourth personal, barreling over Posey in the lane.  He certainly went in hard, but I couldn't tell whether Posey was set or not.  Either way, that's four on Kobe, and he'll have to be very careful.  PJ leaves him in - doesn't have another choice at this point, I don't think.

5:17 - Kobe drives, draws the crowd and kicks to Fish in the right corner. An up-fake gets Rondo off his feet, then one dribble. He goes up for the jumper, is hammered by Rondo, and makes the shot anyway.  Fish converts the free throw, and the Lakers are up by four. 

5:00 - Great sequence for Vlad Rad - haven't said that yet tonight - as he gets a steal on one end, jumping the passing lane off Rondo, then hits the triple from the left corner on the offensive side. That was a huge shot for a guy who has struggled to make himself useful tonight on either end. Lakers up,  71-64.

Posey and House return for Boston. Rad tries to body up on Pierce in the left corner, and PP blows by him for the easy layup. They can't afford to put Kobe on him, though, b/c of the foul situation.

2:31 - Good work from Gasol running the floor, and beating KG back to the other end.  He ends up with Sam Cassell on his back, gets the pass, and turns it into KG's fourth foul, tralining the play.  He makes both, and the Lakers are up 76-70.

Allen loses Sasha, but misses the three in the corner.  Unfortunately, LO doesn't have position on Posey, and Boston gets the board. On the ensuing play, the Lakers again get disorganized, and give up another offensive board. No harm, as Allen steps on the left sideline, but they have to clean up on the boards. 

Under a minute to go, Walton in for Kobe, so he doesn't get a cheap fifth.

Gasol to LO underneath off the inbound, Odom attacks the rim and lays it in with, I believe, the right hand. Boston turnover on the other end, and the Lakers again get it inside - this time to Pau in the post.  He's fouled by PJ Brown on the floor - that's his fifth.  Pau to the line.  Big play for L.A., since without Perkins, the Celtics are already thin up front. 

He makes the first, misses the second. Lakers by nine.

END OF THE THIRD:

Well, for one night at least, the Lakers have solved the whole third-quarter conundrum, as they emerge with a 79-70 lead, pushing out a three-point halftime edge.  Kobe was quiet, but the Lakers are getting good work from Pau and LO, and are keeping the game inside the three-point line for the most part, attacking the rim whenever possible.  Some good ball movement.  Defensively, Pierce hurt them a little, but unless you missed the memo, he's pretty good.

They're in position to take the series back to Boston, if they can hold the lead.  Kobe, Walton, Farmar, LO, Sasha start the quarter. AK to take over.

FOURTH QUARTER:

The frame kicks off with Emimen's "Lose yourself" blasting.  Certainly an appropriate mood-setter.  Indeed, the Lakers only got one shot.

11:47 - After getting beat, Walton wraps up Pierce in an effort to keep him from hitting a layup and in the process, spins PP into LO's groin.   That's a tough fallout for both Odom and the Lakers (with both falling). 

11:04 - I guess Lamar ain't hurting too badly, because he makes good on a Walton pass outside the arc.  Three-ball strokes nylon, pushing the Lakers lead to a dozen and forcing Doc Rivers to call for time.  The energy in the building has immediately picked up. 

10:00 - Gasol battles Allen underneath the Lakers basket for a Boston miss, drawing the loose ball foul on Jesus Shuttlesworth.

8:52 - Sam Cassell may be 100 years old by now, but the dude is still young enough to post up a much smaller Farmar.  Two points for Sam-I-Am.

8:04 - Another crafty move by Sam.  He starts to rise, then as Farmar follows suit, he leans into the youngster and draws the contact while sinking the shot. Freebie is good.

7:43 - Walton dribbles out of trouble in the corner trapped by Posey, then scoots the ball to Kobe, who takes it a few steps inside to bury the long jumper. 

5:40 - After a turnover by Kobe, Pierce looks as if he's about to follow suit losing his balance on a drive to the rack. But as he hits the deck, he manages to shuffle the rock to Posey in the corner.  Dude proves again why he can be seriously dangerous (as if more was needed after Game 4).  Three-ball is good.   

4:35 - We're at 90 apiece after a 14-footer from a very quiet KG drops.  But the Lakers quickly regain the advantage. Pau patiently gets position on KG, receives the dump-off from Kobe, then works his way further inside, absorbing a lot of contact from KG as he reaches point-blank range.

3:54 - KG hits one of two at the line.

3:31 - Within about 10 seconds of each other, Garnett and Pierce pick up their fifth personals.  This is a big opportunity for the Lakers. They need to attack both hard and repeatedly, either drawing the DQ or taking advantage of what's likely to be some tentative D. They're up by a point now. A driver's seat has to be assumed.

3:23 - Posey sends LO to the line for two very big freebies. Two very big freebies are converted. 

3:07 - Steal by Fish, the drive, the foul by Allen.  Fisher gets sent to the line, but can drop only one of two. That could come back to haunt L.A.

2:31 - Bad break for the Lakers, as Gasol and KG's tussle for Pau's miss underneath leads to Pau getting called for a rather shady loose-ball foul shove (Garnett pulled a bit of a Meryl with that one).  But justice of sorts is served when KG bricks both tries at the line, and Gasol snags the second miss.  The Lakers  ensuing possession ends with Kobe at the line for a pair of good ones.

1:14 - LO gets called for a loose-ball foul while snagging an errant triple by Kobe. He's hot under the collar and gets me worried he might pick up a T in the process of complaining.  Thankfully, the refs don't penalize him.  PP hits his pair. 

37.4 - Kobe and LO team up with what could end being up the game saver. Kobe strips Pierce while making a move along the perimeter. The ball trickles out to LO, who immediately tosses the bomb to Kobe for a dunk.  Excellent work by Kobe to set up the sequence. 

30.7 - Huge miss by KG on a point-blank put-back by Garnett. This is about as easy as it'll get for KG (not to mention a potential game-changer), and he didn't come through. Rough game for the Big Ticket in general. 

24.8 -  Fish gets the inbounds pass from LO and is immediately fouled by Allen (his fifth, putting all Big 3 members in DQ danger). Again, he misses the first and hits the second.

9.0 - House drains a three-ball and the Lakers almost meet disaster after the inbounds pass to Kobe is bobbled, then retained by the Mamba.

After Fisher ices a pair at the line (it's about time these guys stopped shooting themselves in the foot at the line down the stretch), he snags the inbound pass, putting this baby to bed at a 103-98 score. It was hardly dominating (beyond the first quarter), and they had to work very hard to make it happen, but the Lakers held their opponent well enough at bay to send the contest back to Boston.  From there, the goal is just to get it done again.