Still Standing

After a second-half meltdown which cost them a 21-point first quarter lead & eventually Game 4, Game 5 for the Los Angeles Lakers - on their home turf, no less - was a very big deal indeed. What with the series on the line & a determined Celtics squad who wanted to take out Los Angeles on their home court (as if!!), Game 5 was definitely do or die for Kobe & company.

And the Lakers made the most of their chances to keep the series alive after last night's gut-it-out win over Boston. Not only is Los Angeles back in the swing of things, but they're also looking for redemption as well, when you stop to think on how badly they choked in Game 4 (& at no other place but the Staples Center...eeks!!) This isn't to say that Game 6 will be a cakewalk for either team: With the Lakers, though, going out on the road & pulling out a win on the East Coast is going to be a major stretch. Add to the fact that no team in NBA Finals History has ever claimed the hardware outright after falling into a 3-1 deficit & you've got lots of reasons to worry about how things will turn out on Boston's home turf.

This isn't to say that all is lost now that Boston is resuming its homestand; anything can happen in a crucial game of this magnitude. But if Los Angeles wants to tie things up in this series, they need to play selflessly, aggressively, with fire in their eyes; of course the Celts know Kobe is a fearful presence on the court a la Lebron James or Michael Jordan but let's face it: the Lakers can't rely on Kobe to do it all. As we've already seen, this season his teammates have busted tail to make themselves a reliable supporting cast; if they can help Kobe out just this once, Game 6 could be an interesting one & worth the time in watching.

Los Angeles is still standing...albeit for the moment. If they want to keep their footing for one more game, they've got to be ready to play & winning on the opponent's home court this postseason has been a difficult task but none more so than now.