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Dates: | June 5 - June 17 | |||||||||
MVP: | Paul Pierce (Boston Celtics) |
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Television: | ABC (U.S.) TSN (Canada) Others |
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Announcers: | Mike Breen, Mark Jackson and Jeff Van Gundy | |||||||||
Radio network: | ESPN Radio | |||||||||
Announcers: | Mike Tirico and Hubie Brown | |||||||||
Referees: | ||||||||||
Game 1: Dick Bavetta, Scott Foster, Eddie Rush | ||||||||||
Game 2: Dan Crawford, Bob Delaney, Ken Mauer | ||||||||||
Game 3: Joe Crawford, Bennett Salvatore, Mark Wunderlich | ||||||||||
Game 4: Joe DeRosa, Steve Javie, Tom Washington | ||||||||||
Game 5: Dick Bavetta, Scott Foster, Ken Mauer | ||||||||||
Game 6: Joe Crawford, Eddie Rush, Bennett Salvatore | ||||||||||
Hall of Famers: | Coaches: Phil Jackson (2007) |
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Eastern Finals: | Celtics defeated Pistons, 4–2 | |||||||||
Western Finals: | Lakers defeated Spurs, 4–1 | |||||||||
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The 2008 NBA Finals was the championship series of the 2007–08 NBA season, and the conclusion of the season's playoffs. The Boston Celtics, top-seeded champions of the Eastern Conference, defeated the Los Angeles Lakers, top-seeded champions of the Western Conference, four games to two in a best-of-seven series. This was Boston's first title since 1986 and 17th overall.
2008 marked the first time since 2000 that the top seeds from both conferences met in the Finals and the first time since 2003 that any top seeded team played in the NBA finals. The Lakers appeared in the Finals for the first time since 2004 and a record 29th time overall. The Celtics appeared in the Finals for the first time since 1987 and second-best 20th time overall.
Going into the series, the Celtics had won the most championships all-time with 16, and the Lakers were second with 14. The two clubs, the most successful teams in NBA history, looked to renew a longstanding rivalry 21 years after their last Finals meeting in 1987. They narrowly missed meeting each other in 2002, when the Lakers advanced to the Finals, but the Celtics, who led 2-1 in the Conference Finals, eventually fell to the favored New Jersey Nets 4-2. This was the 11th time the teams met in the championship round; the Celtics won eight of their previous ten Finals meetings against the Lakers, winning in 1959, 1962, 1963, 1965, 1966, 1968, 1969 and 1984 - the Lakers won in 1985 and 1987.
The Celtics' 66–16 record gave them home court advantage over Los Angeles (57–25). This was the first time since 1997, when the Chicago Bulls beat the Utah Jazz for the championship, and the only time in the 2000s decade that an Eastern Conference team had the home court advantage and the first Finals since 1998 not to feature either Tim Duncan or Shaquille O'Neal.
Rodd Houston narrated the Boston Celtics' championship season documentary on NBA Entertainment. The made-for-TV version of this documentary is narrated by Kevin Harlan.
Contents |
Road to the finals
Los Angeles Lakers | Boston Celtics | ||
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57–25 (.695) 1st Pacific, 1st West, 3rd overall |
Regular season | 66–16 (.805) 1st Atlantic, 1st East, 1st overall |
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Defeated the (8) Denver Nuggets, 4–0 | First Round | Defeated the (8) Atlanta Hawks, 4–3 | |
Defeated the (4) Utah Jazz, 4–2 | Conference Semifinals | Defeated the (4) Cleveland Cavaliers, 4–3 | |
Defeated the (3) San Antonio Spurs, 4–1 | Conference Finals | Defeated the (2) Detroit Pistons, 4–2 |
Regular season series
The Boston Celtics won both games in the regular season series:
November 23 | Recap | Los Angeles Lakers 94, Boston Celtics 107 | TD Banknorth Garden, Boston | KCAL, CSN |
December 30 | Recap | Boston Celtics 110, Los Angeles Lakers 91 | Staples Center, Los Angeles | NBA TV |
Series scoring summary
Game | Date | Home team | Score | Road team | Score |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Thursday, June 5 | Boston Celtics | 98 | Los Angeles Lakers | 88 |
2 | Sunday, June 8 | Boston Celtics | 108 | Los Angeles Lakers | 102 |
3 | Tuesday, June 10 | Los Angeles Lakers | 87 | Boston Celtics | 81 |
4 | Thursday, June 12 | Los Angeles Lakers | 91 | Boston Celtics | 97 |
5 | Sunday, June 15 | Los Angeles Lakers | 103 | Boston Celtics | 98 |
6 | Tuesday, June 17 | Boston Celtics | 131 | Los Angeles Lakers | 92 |
Boston beats L.A. Lakers 4-2
Game summaries
All times listed below are Eastern Daylight Time.[1]
Game 1
June 5 9:00 pm |
Recap | Los Angeles Lakers 88, Boston Celtics 98 | TD Banknorth Garden, Boston Attendance: 18,624 Referees: |
ABC, TSN, Cuatro, Canal+, Canal 7 | |||
Scoring by quarter: 21–23, 30–23, 22–31, 15–21 | |||||||
Pts: Bryant 24 Rebs: Gasol 8 Asts: Bryant, Fisher 6 TOs: Bryant 4 |
Pts: Garnett 24, Pierce 22 Rebs: Garnett 13 Asts: Rondo 7 Stls: Posey 2 |
Paul Pierce scored 15 points in the third quarter to give Boston the lead for good, and Kevin Garnett paced the Celtic attack with 24 points and 13 rebounds including a powerful two-handed putback dunk late in the game. Kobe Bryant struggled with his shooting touch, finishing 9–26 from the field with 24 points.
Pierce apparently injured his knee by falling awkwardly on Kendrick Perkins' leg, and was taken off the court in a wheelchair. Despite what Pierce's reaction suggested was a highly debilitating injury, he returned to action minutes later to raucous cheering from the crowd. Some suggested [2] later that the episode was orchestrated by Pierce as an inspirational "Willis Reed moment". He soon hit two three-pointers on consecutive offensive possessions that gave Boston the lead for good and finished with 22 points.
The Lakers, who had had home court advantage throughout the first three rounds and had not trailed a series in that same time, now had to do without both luxuries for the first time.
Game 2
June 8 9:00 pm |
Recap | Los Angeles Lakers 102, Boston Celtics 108 | TD Banknorth Garden, Boston Attendance: 18,624 Referees:
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ABC, TSN, Cuatro, Canal+, Canal 7 | |||
Scoring by quarter: 22–20, 20–34, 19–29, 41–25 | |||||||
Pts: Bryant 30 Rebs: Radmanović, Gasol 10 Asts: Bryant 8 TOs: Bryant 4 |
Pts: Pierce 28, Powe 21 Rebs: Garnett 14 Asts: Rondo 16 3P-FG: Pierce 4/4 |
The Lakers jumped out to an early 15–8 first quarter lead, but the Celtics answered with a 10–0 run at the start of the second quarter and ended the first half with a 54–42 lead.
The Celtics held a 24-point lead with less than eight minutes to go in the 4th quarter before the Lakers cut the lead to two points with 38.4 seconds to go with a 31-9 run. Paul Pierce and James Posey then closed out the game with two free throws each. The Lakers had a chance to cut into Boston's four point lead with 14 seconds left, but the ball failed to get into the hands of Kobe Bryant, resulting in a shot by Saša Vujačić that was blocked by Pierce. Bryant finished the game with 30 points and 8 assists.
Leon Powe, a second year bench player, scored 21 points on 6–7 shooting in 15 minutes of play, including back-to-back dunks in the last minute of the 3rd quarter.
Despite injuries suffered by Pierce (sprained knee) and Kendrick Perkins (high ankle sprain), both players started in Game 2 and appeared to be mostly unhampered by the injuries, especially Pierce who finished with 28 points.
Boston finished the game 27-for-38 from the line, while the Lakers were 10-for-10. Some analysts viewed this as favorable treatment toward the Celtics,[3][4] while others noted that a difference in playing styles may have led to the discrepancy, and that the actual foul discrepancy was only 28–21 in favor of Boston.[5]
Game 3
June 10 6:00 pm |
Recap | Boston Celtics 81, Los Angeles Lakers 87 | Staples Center, Los Angeles Attendance: 18,997 Referees:
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ABC, TSN, Cuatro, Canal+, Canal 7 | |||
Scoring by quarter: 20–20, 17–23, 25–17, 19–27 | |||||||
Pts: Allen 25 Rebs: Garnett 12 Asts: Garnett 5 FG: Pierce 2/14 |
Pts: Bryant 36, Vujačić 20 Rebs: Gasol 12 Asts: Farmar 5 3P-FG: Vujačić 3/5 |
The Lakers won game 3 on a strong shooting night from regular season MVP Kobe Bryant, who scored a series-high 36 points, leading the Lakers to their first series win and adding to their undefeated streak at home in the 2008 post-season. Saša Vujačić scored 20 points in 28 minutes, Paul Pierce had a poor shooting game, making only two of his 14 field goal attempts. Kevin Garnett also had trouble shooting, finishing with only 12 points. Ray Allen was the only member of Boston's Big Three that scored over 13 points, with 25.
Game 4
June 12 6:00 pm |
Recap | Boston Celtics 97, Los Angeles Lakers 91 | Staples Center, Los Angeles Attendance: 18,997 Referees:
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ABC, TSN, Cuatro, Canal+, Canal 7 | |||
Scoring by quarter: 14–35, 26–23, 31–15, 26–18 | |||||||
Pts: Pierce 20, Allen 19 Rebs: Garnett 11 Asts: Pierce 7 Stls: Allen 3 |
Pts: Odom 19 Rebs: Gasol, Odom 10 Asts: Bryant 5 FG: Bryant 6/19 |
The Lakers jumped out to a 35–14 lead after the first quarter, which was the largest first-quarter lead in NBA Finals history. The Lakers held their ground for most of the third quarter, leading by as many as 24 points. However, the Celtics went on a 21–3 run to end the third quarter, closing the deficit to only two points (73–71). With 4:07 remaining in the fourth quarter, the Celtics took their first lead in the game when Celtics' reserve Eddie House made an 18-foot (5.5 m) jumper. With House's shot, the Celtics were in the lead for good. The Celtics' victory in Game 4 was the largest comeback in the NBA Finals since 1971.[6]
Kobe Bryant had 17 points on 6 of 19 shooting from the field to go along with 10 assists. The Celtics bench outscored the Lakers bench 35–15, 29 of those points coming from House and James Posey. Kevin Garnett finished with 16 points and 11 rebounds in support of Allen(19) and Pierce(20).
Game 5
June 15 6:00 pm |
Recap | Boston Celtics 98, Los Angeles Lakers 103 | Staples Center, Los Angeles Attendance: 18,997 Referees: |
ABC, TSN, Cuatro, Canal+, Canal 7 | |||
Scoring by quarter: 22–39, 30–16, 18–24, 28–24 | |||||||
Pts: Pierce 38 Rebs: Garnett 14 Asts: Pierce 8 3 PTs Allen 3 |
Pts: Bryant 25 Rebs: Gasol 13 Asts: Gasol 6 Blks: Odom 4 |
As in Game 4, the Lakers jumped out to an early lead, leading 43–24 with 11 minutes to play in the second quarter. And as in Game 4, the Celtics came back, taking a 62–60 lead behind the strong play of Paul Pierce.
The Lakers finally regained their composure, outscoring Boston 24–18 in the 3rd quarter. In previous games, the Lakers were outscored by Boston in the 3rd quarter (22–31 in Game 1, 19–29 in Game 2, 17–25 in Game 3, and 15–31 in Game 4) by a total of 43 points (73–116).
The Lakers built a 14-point lead in the 4th quarter, but the Celtics again came back with a 16–2 run to tie the game at 90. With less than one minute left in the game, the Celtics had the ball with the Lakers leading 97–95. Pierce beat Bryant off the drive, but Bryant knocked the ball out of Pierce's hands from behind. Lamar Odom picked up the loose ball and passed downcourt to Bryant for a breakaway dunk, giving the Lakers a 99–95 lead. The Lakers went on to win 103–98, pushing the series to six games.
Kobe Bryant shot 8 of 21 from the floor for 25 points, to go with five steals. Pau Gasol contributed 19 points, 13 rebounds and 6 assists, Odom 20 points and 11 rebounds. For Boston, Pierce had a memorable 38 point effort, but outside of Allen (16 points) and Garnett (13 points and 14 rebounds) did not receive enough support from his teammates to clinch the championship at Staples.[7]
As for the odds stacked against the Lakers to come back from a 3–1 deficit, Jackson said, "We're young enough and dumb enough to do this."[8]
Game 6
June 17 9:00 pm |
Recap | Los Angeles Lakers 92, Boston Celtics 131 | TD Banknorth Garden, Boston Attendance: 18,624 Referees:
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ABC, TSN, Cuatro, Canal+, Canal 7 | |||
Scoring by quarter: 20–24, 15–34, 25–31, 32–42 | |||||||
Pts: Bryant 22 Rebs: Odom 10 Asts: Odom 5 FG: Bryant 7/22 |
Pts: Allen, Garnett 26 Rebs: Garnett 14 Asts: Pierce 10 Stls: Rondo 6 |
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Boston wins series, 4–2 |
Entering Game 6, the Celtics set a record of most playoff games played in one season, with 26, breaking the previous record of 25 set by the 1994 New York Knicks. However, for those Knicks, the first round was a best-of-five.
After a rocky first quarter, the Celtics dominated the rest of the game. Maintaining a lead of more than 25 points, the Celtics' Big Three performed phenomenally, while the whole team smothered the Lakers' offense with their tight defense. Boston dominated in numerous statistical categories, including rebounds (48–29, with a 14–2 disparity in offensive boards), turnovers (7–19), steals (18–4), assists (33–16) and blocks (4–0). Five Celtics finished in double figures. Allen hit seven three pointers to tie a Finals record, Rajon Rondo had an all-around spectacular performance (21 points, 8 rebounds, 7 assists, 6 steals), the Celtics only turned the ball over seven times and set a Finals record with 18 steals, and every Boston player who saw action scored.[9]
The 39-point margin of victory was the largest ever in an NBA championship-clinching game, breaking the old record of 33, also set by the Celtics over the Lakers in Game Five of the 1965 NBA Finals, 129–96.[10] This lead was close to the Finals point-spread record set in Game 3 of the 1998 NBA Finals where a Michael Jordan-led Chicago Bulls team beat the Utah Jazz by 42 points, 96–54.[11][12][13] The Celtics also improved their overall record against the Lakers to 9-2 in Finals meetings, beating them in the Finals for the first time since 1984.[9]
This was the Celtics' 17th championship, their first since 1986, extending their record for most NBA championships won by a single team. All this capped off the Celtics' best regular season (66-16) since their previous championship season in which they went 67-15.
The Celtics' win was also seen as an addition to the recent success of Boston-area sports teams, following the wins by the New England Patriots in Super Bowls XXXVI, XXXVIII, and XXXIX and the Red Sox's World Series wins in 2004 and 2007.
Awards
- 2008 NBA Champion: Boston Celtics
- Finals MVP: Paul Pierce
Rosters
2008 Los Angeles Lakers Finals roster | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Roster • Transactions |
2008 Boston Celtics Finals roster | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Roster • Transactions |
International broadcasts
Aside from ABC (U.S.) and TSN (Canada), other broadcasters across the world covered the Finals:[14]
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See also
- Lakers–Celtics rivalry
- Curse of Len Bias - the alleged curse that had kept the Celtics from winning the NBA Finals since 1986, which was broken in this series.
References
- ^ "2008 NBA Finals Schedule". ESPN. http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/playoffs2008/news/story?id=3418220. Retrieved 2008-05-31.
- ^ "Willis Reed comparison sore spot for Phil Jackson - BostonHerald.com". Archived from the original on 2009-06-10. http://www.webcitation.org/5hQ2053Jt. Retrieved 2009-06-07.
- ^ ESPN - Whistle disparity in Game 2 leaves Lakers feeling foul - NBA
- ^ ESPN Page 2 - Simmons: C's and the city: Both looking very good
- ^ ESPN - Daily Dime: Lakers need more in paint, beyond arc - NBA
- ^ Furious comeback gives Celtics 3-1 lead - NBA - NBCSports.com
- ^ Lakers Survive Celtics' Rallies
- ^ Daily-Jeff.com - Lakers still alive, beat Celtics in Game 5
- ^ a b "NBA Basketball". Boston Globe. June 18, 2008. http://boston.stats.com/nba/boxscore.asp?gamecode=2008061702&home=2&vis=13&meta=true. Retrieved 2008-06-18.
- ^ "Celtics Seize First NBA Title In 22 Years". Associated Press. CBS News. June 17, 2008. http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2008/06/18/sports/main4188880.shtml. Retrieved 2008-06-18.
- ^ "Largest margins of victory in NBA Finals". NBCSports.com. http://nbcsports.msnbc.com/id/25227077/.
- ^ 1998 NBA Finals
- ^ Bucher, Ric (June 8, 1998). "Bulls Roll to Game 3 Victory, 96-54". The Washington Post. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/sports/nba/longterm/1998/finals/articles/nba8.htm. Retrieved 2009-10-01.
- ^ Global NBA Programming, NBA.com