Celtics, Lakers Deliver a Classic In Boston

February 1, 2010 on 10:53 am | In Memorabilia, Basketball |

Rajon Rondo lived up to his billing as an All-Star point guard Sunday, but it was Kobe Bryant who stole the stage in the game’s final seconds. A classic Boston-L.A. battle, one filled with arguing, shoving, screaming and some damn good basketball, rightfully came down to the wire as the Lakers bested the C’s on a game-winning shot from the NBA’s 2008 Most Valuable Player. Rallying down from an 11-point fourth quarter deficit, the Lakers closed the gap to one before Kobe Bryant, cloaked with near-perfect defense from Ray Allen, sank a fade-away jumper from the top of the key with just 7.3 seconds remaining. A Ray Allen desperation three missed the mark, and fans in Lakers merchandise at the Garden celebrated their team’s third consecutive victory over the recently-struggling Celtics 90-89.

It was a game no fan or serious NBA merchandise collector should have passed on. As if it wasn’t enough the franchises have won a combined 32 NBA Championships, throw in the demonstrative personalities of Rasheed Wallace and Ron Artest and you have the best Sunday afternoon television this side of Labor Day.

Despite the loss, a 21-point, 12-assist performance showed the entire national audience exactly why Rajon Rondo autographs have become such hot commodity for anyone hunting Celtics collectibles. Rondo dominated from whistle to whistle, often drawing the attention of three and four Lakers anytime he’d enter the paint.

With the loss, the Celtics have now gone an abysmal 6-10 since Christmas.

With 19 points, Kobe Bryant is only 28 behind Jerry West as the Lakers’ all-time leading scorer.