Lakers-Celtics: Pierce the Hero as Boston Takes Game One

Many Celtic fans found themselves jumping off a bridge as soon as Paul Pierce went down to the floor, clutching his knee.

There was a collective gasp from the entire stadium, which turned into dead silence as he was carted off the court in a wheelchair.

It must have come as a shock to Boston fans since their team was playing well up to that point.

The game began as many expected—close. The score bounced back and forth for the first two quarters. Only at the end of the first half did a team start to make some space for themselves.

Los Angeles entered the intermission with a five point advantage over the jump-shooting Celtics.

The Lakers did a good job of hitting their shots in the first half, both inside and out. One of the few downsides of the half was Bryant getting denied in the paint. Without Kobe driving to the hole every few plays, it was either up to his jump-shooting ability or the playmaking ability of the rest of the team.

For the majority of the game, other Laker teammates basically stood around and waited for Bryant to get it done. They should have been looking for ways to get open and find the seams so that their superstar could dish it out to them.

Bryant got it done in the first half, but things went downhill from there.

The second half is where the Lakers crumbled. Los Angeles allowed Boston a four-point lead going into the critical fourth quarter.

With the Celtics disrupting any potential drive from Bryant—or the rest of the Lakers squad—it was relatively easy for them to maintain and expand their lead late in the game.

Even without Pierce.

Los Angeles had the perfect opportunity to force the tempo of the game and work their way back while the best scorer on the Celtics was out of the action.

The Celtics defense probably doesn't deserve as much credit as I'm giving them. The blame for the Lakers' struggles rests mainly on themselves, and their soft offense.

When Pierce came back to the cheering of thousands of fans and the pumping of Garnett's fist, almost all Lakers fans knew it was over.

Pierce went berserk in the fourth quarter, scoring 11 of his 22 points after his return with 5:04 remaining.

Garnett led the scoring for the Celtics with 24, as well as providing a towering presence inside as he grabbed 15 rebounds. Ray Allen also had a big game, racking up 19 points and eight rebounds. Rajon Rondo scored 15.

Over in the purple corner, things didn't look as bright. Los Angeles' illustrious star, Kobe Bryant, was held to only 24 points and three rebounds. Both Pau Gasol and Derek Fisher scored 15 points, while Lamar Odom scored 14. Gasol, Fisher, and Odom combined for a total of 18 rebounds.

The Lakers will look to bounce back in Game Two on Sunday night. The game will be televised on ABC, starting at 9 pm EST.