Game 5 musings

Kobe Bryant was outstanding, but the Boston Celtics were better.

Much like it did against LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers, Boston allowed the superstar to have a superstar night and shut down the supporting cast en route to a win. It's been evident from the outset of the NBA finals that the Lakers have better pieces around Kobe than LeBron has in Cleveland, but none of them showed up Sunday night.

And because of that, the Celtics are one win away from their 18th championship.

Paul Pierce finally had a breakout game, scoring 27 points on 12-for-21 shooting. He was absolutely torching Ron Artest, who missed two free throws late in the game that could have made things interesting. I also noticed that Pierce pulled a Cornbread Maxwell move, walking through the lane and saying something to Artest before his second shot from the line.

The captain's performance offset that of Bryant, who scored a game-high 38 that included a number of tough jumpers from inside and outside the 3-point line. But while Bryant was taking over the game, his teammates were held silent. Pau Gasol was the only other Laker in double figures, scoring 12.

Pierce, meanwhile, got a number of strong contributions from his teammates. Kevin Garnett connected on some huge shots in crunch time en route to 18 points, and Rajon Rondo, despite having his worst performance turnover-wise, tipped in a rebound in the waning minutes.

Game 6 is Tuesday night, and I'd like to see the Celtics end it there. A Game 7 is far too unpredictable, especially in Los Angeles.

A couple of extra notes:

- Whoever threw something on the court while Kobe was at the line with less than two minutes to go needs to be slapped in the head.

- Ray Allen needs to start stretching that court again, like he did in Game 2. Maybe the best shooter in the history of the game, Allen hasn't hit a 3-pointer in two games. Perhaps he'll have more success on the West Coast, like he did in the second game, when he knocked down a record eight, including seven straight.

- Tony Allen's block on Gasol in the fourth quarter was one of the best blocks I've ever seen. Allen continues to show he can make strong contributions, as long as it's not on offense. When he took that corner jumper in the first half, I was actually surprised it went in.

- I absolutely hated Nate Robinson when he played for the Knicks, but man, I really love the energy he brings. And let's give Rasheed Wallace some credit for being the anti-Artest. Both have had issues on the court throughout their careers, but Wallace is making a big impact while the Artest signing seems a bit of a mistake at this point.