Lakers vs. Celtics, Game 3: Road Warriors From L.A. Punch Back with Vengeance

Everybody was calling Game Three pivotal for a variety of reasons.

Throughout history, when a series is tied 1-1, the winner of Game Three usually wins the series.

Twenty-eight out of 32 times it has happened.

Even worse if your a Celtics fan, it has happened 10 out of 10 times since the Finals went to a 2-3-2 format in 1985.

In a game that meant so much to both teams, it was a very sloppy and poorly executed game on both ends of the floor.

The referees used instant replay to confirm who touched the ball last before it went out of bounds on three different occasions in the final two minutes.

What makes this Lakers team different than the Cavaliers and Magic is they have the mental toughness that those Eastern Conference teams lacked.

Down 2-1, Boston has little margin for error come Thursday night.

Kobe Bryant shot 10 of 29 from the field, but still managed to score 29 points and get the win. Pau Gasol and Andrew Bynum both struggled from the field. The difference was the Lakers were tremendous at the free throw line, and they had the clutch play of Derrick Fisher down the stretch.

Boston got a terrific game out of Kevin Garnett. He led the Celtics scoring 25 points, more then he scored in the first two games in LA combined. Yet his team still lost, and that is a cause for concern.

What a difference a day makes if your Ray Allen. That cross country flight must have done something to his system because the guy who couldn't miss on Sunday night couldn't make a shot to save his life at home.

No really, he finished the game zero for 13 from the field, and zero for eight from three. He came into the game shooting a staggering 44 percent from three point range.

Paul Pierce didn't play much better shooting five of 12, but he was plagued by foul trouble the entire night with

After starting the game up 12 to five, the Celtics basically went missing. The Lakers came back and ended up leading the game by 17 points at one point. It was a deficit that Boston chipped away at, but they were never able to tie it up.

Down the stretch Boston had costly turnovers that were the difference maker. Fisher was huge for LA, scoring 11 of his 16 in the final quarter. When Kobe started the fourth zero for four, his longtime back court mate was there to pick up the slack.

Now the Lakers have regained home-court advantage, and sorry to tell you Paul Pierce, but this series is headed back to LA, assuming the Celtics can win Game Four or Five.

Rondo didn't play bad, but wasn't spectacular. Anything less than exceptional play from Rajon and it is going to be tough for the Celtics to win three out of four. The Lakers are that tough to beat, and determined to win this championship.

Boston needs to forget about this game. Both teams played terrible but the Lakers were able to come out on top. Just like they did against the Cavaliers, the Celtics need to come out with a new mindset and win Game Four.

This series is all but over if they can't win Game Four—it is that simple. The Lakers aren't blowing an NBA Finals series leading three games to one. 

The Celtics need to regain their perimeter shooting in time for Game Four. When they aren't knocking down three-point shots, they are going to have a difficult time beating the Lakers.

Kobe is too good, and the Lakers big men are too strong. Yes, you could say the Celtics are over matched and out of position right now, but LA is showing that dominance out on the floor.

It's now or never for the Boston Celtics. The Lakers have proved they aren't scared to go out and win on the road. They were able to close it out in Oklahoma City, took two in Utah, and closed it out in Phoenix.

This team brings it game in and game out.

These road warriors are on a mission.

One that the Celtics better get their act together and stop before it's too late.