Game 2 musings

What makes the Boston Celtics such a dangerous team? When you look at the box score from Sunday night's Game 2, it becomes pretty evident.

Emotional leader Kevin Garnett played 23 minutes, scored six points and grabbed four rebounds. Leading scorer Paul Pierce shot 2-for-11 and had four rebounds in 40 minutes. And the Celtics scored in triple figures and beat the Lakers 103-94 to even the series as it heads back to Boston.

Shooting guard Ray Allen carried the team on his back for the first 24 points, scoring 27 points. That included a 7-for-7 showing from behind the 3-point line. That tied the NBA finals record, which he broke in the third quarter when he knocked down his eighth trey.

After a tough Game 1 in which he played only 27 minutes because of foul trouble, Allen was everyone two nights later. He ran the Lakers ragged, and nobody - not even Kobe Bryant - could follow him. When he rose and shot in that first half, you just knew it was going in.

And despite finishing with a game-high 32 points, Allen wasn't the player of the game. That honor has to go to Rajon Rondo, who notched his second triple-double of the playoffs with 19 points, 12 rebounds and 10 assists. The point guard shook off a rough first half (he was making bad passes and putting up lousy shots) and really flexed his muscle in the final 12 minutes.

His putback of a Kendrick Perkins blocked shot put the Celtics ahead for good, and his 20-foot jumper extended the lead. He also made a huge defensive play (albeit a risky one) when he knocked the ball away from Bryant from behind.

I said after Game 1 that this was a must win. And I'll add that two out of three in Boston is mandatory. If that ends up being the case, the Celtics will need just one win in the final two games in L.A., where we now know they can win.