Still Alive! Lakers Win Game 5 to Move the Series Back to Boston

Coming into game 5 in Los Angeles, the NBA finals was all but over for the Lakers who were facing elimination (3-1) and coming off the biggest comeback in NBA finals history from the Boston Celtics who have clearly been the better all around team in this series.

Even me, a die hard Lakers fan , thought the Celtics were going to finish off the Lakers in game 5, but after Kobe Bryant's 15 point first quarter and another big lead going into the second quarter for the Lakers I started to believe yet again.

In the first quarter Kobe was on fire! Hitting three after three after three, Kobe looked like he was on a mission to prove something, prove that the Celtics may have a very good defense, but he is the best player in the world and no one was going to stop him this time.

As the first quarter continued on with the Lakers in control and Kobe making all the right decisions it seemed as though the Lakers just might be able creep back into this series and make Boston work for that elusive 17th title against their arch rivals, but once again the Celtics began to chip away at the Lakers big 19 point lead and slowly, but surely get back into the game.

Although I'm not a big fan of the Celtics, I can't help but point out a few things that they do better than anyone, especially on defense. The Celtics are the only team I have seen this season that can make Kobe Bryant only shoot jump shots and keep him out of the lane. I am not talking about stopping this year's MVP once or twice during the game, the Celtics have consistently kept Bryant out of the paint and at times completely out of his game. That to me is very impressive and will definitely be something the Lakers have to correct in order to win this series or just win game 6 for that matter. If Kobe can't score like only Kobe can, then this series might as well end right now because there is no way the Lakers will be able to win two row in Boston without Kobe Bryant keeping the Celtics defense on their heels and in constant foul trouble. Also the Celtics seem to want it more, they are out hustling the Lakers and playing the some of the best defense I have seen in a long time. The way the Celtics are playing defense, it is amazing to me that both the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Atlanta Hawks were able to take them 7 games.

I big reason for the Celtics success has been Paul Pierce he had been huge for the Celtics in this series. Before this series I thought Pierce was a good player, like a Tracy McGrady or , but after the way he has played against the Lakers in these finals the guy is just a baller. Inside, outside, he can bust you up from anywhere on the offensive end and he proved that in game 5 scoring a game high 38 points and dishing out 8 assists, much like Kobe, once he gets going, he is hard to contain.

Another big problem for the Lakers in this series is the Pau Gasol and Lamar Odom who seem to disappear when the team needs them the most, both guys played pretty well in game 5, but they are going to have to play just as well if not better for the next two games in Boston.

One of the best attributes of Pau's game is his high basketball IQ, always making the smart play, knowing when to pass and when to be aggressive with his back to the basket, but we have still haven't seen Gasol play at the top of his game in this series. He did have his best game of the series in game 5 with 19 points and 13 rebounds, but it did take him 5 games to finally put some good numbers. If the Lakers are going to make a run at history being the first team to comeback down 3-1 in the NBA finals, then Pau is going to have to play like this or possibly even better in order to take down the Eastern conference champs in their house.

Lamar, Lamar, Lamar...what can I say, the guy shows you how unstoppable he can be one minute and then completely disappears the next by being passive and trying to become a distributor rather than the aggressive scorer that many teams find hard to stop once he gets going. The only thing it boils down to with Lamar is mental toughness, he just doesn't have it and it continues to hurt the Lakers throughout this series.

One bright spot for the Lakers in game 5 was Jordan Farmar finally coming back to life scoring 11 points off the bench. Not huge point production from UCLA's finest, but I think the kid might be starting to get his confidence back and the right time too as Sasha "The Machine" Vujacic having probably his worst game of the season only scoring two points on 2 for 10 and 0 of 5 of which were from beyond the arc.

So if Kobe Bryant can figure out a way to beat this tough Celtics defense and Pau and Lamar Odom at a high level in Boston then the Lakers have a fighting chance, if not, then the Boston Celtics will be raising another championship banner into the rafters next week.

NBA FINALS GAME 6: Los Angeles Lakers at Boston Celtics Tuesday, June 17 6pm PST

WATCH GAME 6 OF THE NBA FINALS LIVE ON YOUR PC: CLICK HERE

NBA Finals Game 5 Recap