So, I’m going to be trying something different tonight. Instead of the usual post-game recap that I normally do, I’m going to be posting my in-game thoughts and reactions. Yes, it’s absolutely a rip-off of a Bill Simmon’s running diary… but I want to remember what it was like to actually watch and enjoy the game, not just what happened.  If my effort/results suck, I’ll be the first to admit it and you won’t see me try it again. But if I enjoy it, and it turns out well, then we’ll keep this rolling throughout the finals.  Remember, like the Big 3, this is my first time doing this, so be easy on me...

8:55: Nothing sucks the energy and excitement out of the air quite like a James Taylor rendition of the Star Spangled Banner. If you're making a list of the top 5 musicians you'd listen to when you wanted to fall asleep, isn't James Taylor a staple on that list?  Then why is he kicking off the NBA Finals?

8:55: Cameras cut to Doc who looked like he was about to have a heart attack. Not a good sign.

8:57: Just introduced Gasol.  He looks like he spent all night snorting coke and burying murdered hookers. Don’t know if that's a good thing for Boston, or if we should be worried.

8:59: Tony Allen has his jersey on… worth mentioning.

9:00: Neither KG nor Pierce stood on the podium during their introduction.  Reminiscent of the Patriots being introduced as a team before the Super Bowl.

9:00: Doc still looks like he’s going to crap his pants.  That makes me want to crap my pants. 

9:09: Tip-off, Gasol immediately hits a mid range jumper – first points of the finals.

9:11: Not surprisingly, LA is leaving Rondo alone, double-teaming the ball.  Rondo attempts and misses a corner jumper, but on the other end disrupts a Lakers offensive rebound attempt– Boston ball.  These are the little things he's going to do to the Lakers that won't show up on the stat sheet, but will be represented in the final score.  I love that little man.

9:12: Boston has their first points of the finals on KG elbow jumper.  Fitting.

9:13: KG comes up with 2 offensive rebound in a row… I smell trouble for LA.  They have nobody, and I mean NOBODY, who can keep us off the glass.

9:14: Pierce with a beautiful drive off of a KG pick for two – he converts, and is hammered on the way up.  No foul!?! Of course he gets called for ticky-tack shooting foul on Fisher on the other end. Different round, same story… luckily Fisher missed both FTs.

9:16: Round hits jumper giving Boston a 7-6 lead… With Rondo looking good and composed, I’m feeling good right now. 

9:16: Perk gets offensive rebound off KG miss… goes back up and gets fouled. We are going to eat them alive on the boards.

9:18: KG with a Monster dunk through the non-existent Lakers post defense. 

9:19: Halfway through the 1^st Kobe is scoreless, shooting 0-3. He’s looking to get his, though, just taking (and missing) 2 contested jumpers over Allen.

9:19: Tied up 10-10 at the first commercial break.  So far the Lakers have tried to cover KG with both Odom and Gasol… it's very apparent that neither can guard him.  He looks a little anxious with his shots, but once they start to fall, LA is done. Ray Allen doing a good job defending Kobe so far. I thought we'd see Pierce on Kobe, but I'm not arguing with the results... yet.  Kobe is the only player on the court not to score through the first 6 minutes. Like we did against Cleveland, the D is focusing on Kobe, letting the other Lakers do their thing.

9:24: Perk doing great job guarding Odom away from basket, contesting his shots.

9:24: KG is just way too good for Gasol to guard.  He's able to face up and do whatever he pleases... tonight he appears to be in the mood for some baseline drives.  If he gets a killer mentality, and realizes the caliber of defender he's facing, KG could have himself a 40 point game this round.

9:25: Kobe scores his first basket on mid-rang jumper with just over 5 min. left in quarter – game tied at 12.  Solid defense thus far from Boston.

9:26: Lakers are sticking with leaving Rondo alone… he makes them pay with a great cross-court pass to KG for an open jumper.

9:27: Ray Allen hits a beautiful runner off a screen for 2.  He looks like he's in the groove early.  Great, great sign.

9:27: Kobe misses another jumper, this time being guarded by Pierce. He’s 1-5 so far, and isn’t even trying to get to the rim.

9:28: Ray Allen puts Boston up 19-14 with a big 3 over Vujacic, forcing Jackson to call a timeout.  If Ray keep this up, it is going to be a long night for LA.

9:32: Kobe comes out of timeout and misses another jumper. Jackson is clearly looking to get Kobe going.  Boston pushes the ball up the court, Ray Allen finds Rondo cutting to the hoop.  Rajon attempts to dunk over Vujacic – gets fouled, hits both FTs.  That's what we need Rondo to do when he cuts to the hoop!  Fearless!

9:35: Rondo with a beautiful, perfectly placed alley-oop attempt to KG who missed the dunk. A minor flare-up on the other end.  Off of KG's miss, Kobe cut down the middle, got fouled, whistle blew, but Kobe kept driving to the hoop.  Posey (in for Pierce) pulled on Kobe’s arm to prevent him from scoring the bucket that wouldn’t count anyway. Phil Jackson does not approve.

9:37: First quarter ends, Boston up 23-21. KG with 8 points, with Kobe notching 4 points on 2-8 shooting. Rondo looks confident, cool and like he’s going to be the X factor for Boston. LA cannot guard him when he has the ball. Boston owns the area around the basket, LA has nobody to match with Perk and cannot guard KG. I’m feeling pretty, pretty, pretty, pretty confident about Game 1.  Everybody in purple not named Kobe has shot 8-13.  Gotta cut down on that if we want to win.

9:41: The NBA Store Kevin Durant commercial plays where he walks out to the court pulling off all of his jerseys.  Has it really been over a year since I went into a brief depression over the draft lottery?  My, what a couple trades can do.

9:42: Back from Commercial, Leon and Cassell, PJ, Posey and Allen in the Game for Boston… Leon immediately scores. Next possession he draws a foul pulling down an offensive rebound. Is it me, or does Powe always seem to make an immediate impact when he steps on the court?

9:44: Cassell is ball-hogging and puts up a terrible shot… but it went in, so… Boston up by 4, 27-23.

9:46: Fisher trying to guard Cassell full-court, picks up immediate foul. Lindseey Hunter, you are not.

9:46: Cassell is ball-hogging and puts up a terrible shot… but it went in, so…

9:47: Pierce not getting it going yet… Each time he's getting the ball on the wing, LA is flashing out to double him. He's only 1-3 from the floor.

9:52: Cassell is ball-hogging and puts up a terrible shot… but it went in, so… maybe he does come up big in big games?

9:53: LA guarding Cassell with Kobe… perhaps its time to bring Rondo back in, Doc?

9:54: The Garden crowd chants MVP for KG who's on the line after another drive past Gasol that drew a foul. Nice.

9:55: KG pulls up over Gasol, Boston up 36-33… he is just having his way with Pau.

9:58: KG hits another jumper over Gasol, scoring the last 8 points for Boston and leading all scores with 16. Boston up 40-35 with just under 6 minutes to go in the first half.

10:02: First possession back from commercial break, Sam freakin’ Cassell managed to draw an offensive foul on Kobe… I hate to say it, but he's having himself quite the impact on this game... Oh, then goes and bricks a shot he shouldn’t have taken, killing a Boston possession and wiping out the good he's just done. Where’s Rondo already??

10:04: Why, there’s Rondo!  Doc puts him in with 5:11 to go in the half. Pierce gets called for offensive foul, which is his 3^rd and has to go to the bench.  Tough, tough first half for Pierce.

10:06: Terrible play by Boston. Perk picks up Kobe, gobbles him up and forces Bryant to lose the ball.  Full court pass the other way to Posey who controls it too far under the rim and throws a pass to Rondo, who can’t handle it (wasn't sure if he was expecting it), ball rolls to sideline, some players dive for it and Boston ends up getting called for the loose ball foul.  What should’ve been an easy two off of a turnover turns into Laker’s ball.  These are the plays we need to avoid if we want to win this series.

10:07: Next possession: beautiful ball movement by Boston, Rondo hits a huge 20 foot jumper before the shot clock expires.  These are the plays we need if we want to win this series.

10:07: Gasol with another easy dunk… Boston seems to have stopped defending the post.

10:08: Odom gets to the hoop with ease… nobody there to contest him.  LA now up 45-43. Doc Rivers timeout.

With Pierce on the bench, our D seems to be crumbling. We're not looking good on offense either, with only 2 players (Rondo and Ray Allen) having any assists. LA has figured out that they can pull Perk and KG away from the hoop with their shooting big men, leaving the paint open. We better counter this quick.

10:14: Ray Allen is cold again... He’s 2-7 now and hasn’t scored since early in the 1^st. We’re also getting beat down the court in transition.  Lakes up by 5, 49-44.  We can't let this get away now...

10:15: Rondo throws his first arcing pass for the series.. aaaand it's picked off. Fortunately, Kobe can’t convert on the layup on the other end, and Rondo knocks down his 10^th point of the game on a nice jumper.

Halftime: LA 51 – 46

Boston lead by 7 at one point in the half… then they got lax on defense, sloppy on offense, and with Pierce off the court everything seemed to stall. We’re doing a great job on Kobe, but we’re letting the rest of the Lakers, Fisher and Gasol in particular, kill us. Kobe has 8 points on 3-10 shooting with 2 turnovers. Fisher leads LA with 13 points and has 8 FT attempts already. Gasol has 12 points, 4 assists and is 5-7 FG. Pierce only has 3 points and has only attempted 2 points. We need him to come out of the lockerroom ready to take over the game.

10:28: Oddly creepy Larry Bird – Magic “There Can Only Be One” commercial… The Bird half of the screen looks more like Bill Clinton than Larry Legend. I don’t like it.

10:39: Second half starts, Boston immediately gets Pierce the ball on the block and he gets to the hoop for 2.

10:39: Second possession of half, Pierce gets Radmonovic in the air on pump fake from beyond 3 point line, draws the contact, gets the foul and banks the shot – converts the FT for 4 point play… It was just like in Detroit but without the terrible officiating – Boson up 52-51

10:40: 3^rd possession… more Pierce. Knocks down contested elbow jumper. 8 points in first minute and ½ of quarter.  This is exactly what we needed.  The Captain coming through.

10:43: Lakers now have Kobe guarding Pierce after Rad picks up his 4^th foul… no matter, we’ll go to KG who knocks down his 4^th point of quarter.  Kobe ties game at 58 with turnaround fadeaway.  His jumper is starting to fall.

10:46: Lakers defensive scheme is going back to double-teaming Boston, leaving Rondo open.  They're pestering Pierce anytime he gets the ball on the baseline.  Seems to be taking Pierce back out of the game.  Doc needs to find better places to get Pierce the ball.

10:47: Pierce covering Kobe who drives and pulls up for baseline runner… Perkins and Pierce’s legs get tangled up. Pierce crumbles to the court holding his right knee… this could be devastating. He is carted back to the lockerroom… is this a joke? Am I dreaming?  Is this Check Mate?

10:52: Boston isn't wilting with Pierce off the court.  Rondo takes it to the hoop and gets toe the line.  He misses his second shot and the Lakers maul Perkins under the boards -- Fisher falls on his leg, knocking him to the ground. Somehow Perk gets called for the foul, and limps off the court and heads to the lockeroom… 2 C’s down.  I feel sick.

10:53: Ray Allen responds with an open 3, Boston ties it up at 62 halfway through the 3^rd.  Don't count us out yet, Aaron!!

10:55: Oh my!!  Paul Peirce comes hopping back out of the tunnel and down to the court with a sleeve on his knee. The crowd is insane!! Michelle Tafoya is calling it a sprained knee, and Pierce immediately checks himself back into the game.  Did I mention that the crowd is absolutely wild right now?

10:59: Oh no... It’s thundering and lightning right now, and the only thing I can think of is that the power is going to go out. You better keep yourself in check, electricity!!  Don't screw me over like this!!

11:01: Pierce takes an elbow to the face from Kobe, hits 1 of 2 FTs to put Boston up by 3, 65-62. Pierce gets a steal on other end, pushes the ball to Ray, sprints down the court (knee looks OK), but Ray kills the fast break with a stupid behind the back pass that’s intercepted by Fisher.

11:03: Wow, Perkins coming back out of the lockerroom… he has a left ankle sprain and should re-enter the game.  So says Tafoya.

11:04: As Kobe Bryant slams an amazing alley-oop double-clutch dunk, a Severe Thunderstorm warning is scrolling across the screen… you’d better not, Weather… you’d better not!!

11:06: Kobe gets his 18^th point on nasty turnaround jumper with time winding down on shot clock, giving LA a 2 point lead, 71-69.  If he's going to start knocking down those shots, we're in some serious trouble.

10:07: KG seems to have gone cold in the quarter, missing his last few shots... not a good sign.

11:07: Pierce puts Boston back up by one with an open 3

11:08: Back to back 3’s for Paul!!  This one was from the same spot in transition from a nice pass from Rondo.

11:08: Boisterous "Beat LA!" chant from the crowd -- always nice to hear.

11:09: Pierce picks up his 4th foul and heads to the bench with 45 seconds left in the 3^rd.

11:11: End of 3^rd, Boston up 77-73.

What a gutsy performance so far from our Captain.  Pierce is truly the catalyst tonight. When he’s not on the floor, we wilt on both ends of the court. He’s been our emotional leader, for not just the team but crowd as well. He has 18 points, 3-3 from downtown. KG with a double-double already, 20 points 10 rebounds. Kobe is 8-20 with 20 points. Gasol and Fisher end the quarter with 14 and 13 points respectively… nice halftime adjustments by Doc to stop those two from hurting us.

11:18: Doc has his second unit in with Ray Allen, and… you guessed it, Sam puts up a horrible shot, that does not go in.

11:18: I’ll be right back… rain is crazy right now. Gotta shut the windows. I’m about 6 feet from a window and can actually feel the rain coming in. Must be that “sideways rain” Forrest Gump was talking about.

11:20: Annnnnd we’re back, just in time to watch KG save a horrible pass from Allen from being a backcourt violation. Cassell gets the ball and actually takes (and makes) a good shot! Who knew!?!

11:21: Posey knocks down an open 3, forcing Jackson to call a timeout, and gives Boston their largest lead of the nigh, 86-78.

11:25: Boston has outscored LA 28-16 since Pierce’s injury.  Talk about rising up in the face of adversity.

11:25: Cassell destroys a fast break with a quick, terrible shot.. odd. Rondo, please.

11:27: Cassell actually turned down up a wide open shot… too bad there was only 2 seconds left on the shot clock so he screwed us. Turover.  Rondo, please.

11:27: Vujacic responds with a long-range two, bringing the Lakers within 4.  We need to get some offense back on the court, quick.

11:32: Back from commercial, Rondo and Pierce are back in the game with KG, Allen and PJ… Thank you, Doc.  Not looking like we'll see Perkins back on the court this evening.  Pierce knocks down a turnaround jumper over Fisher for his 20^th point, Boston up 88-82.

11:33: PJ gets and offensive rebound off a Rondo miss.  As long as we can keep gathering those offensive boards, we'll be OK.  I've just learned that KG has missed his last eight shots… ouch.

11:35: Four minutes left, Boston up by 6, Ray Allen dribbles the ball off his foot, goes right to Fisher…. These are the sloppy mistakes that we keep making when we should be burying teams.  Let's put these guys away!

11;36: Pierce puts Boston up by 8 with 2 free throws.

11:37: Kobe seems to have gone into assassin mode.   He's not looking for his teammates, dribbles into two Celtic defenders and misses a contested shot.

11:37: KG misses again… 0-for last 9

11:42: Ray Allen, being smothered by Vujacic, jumps into Sasha, drawing a foul… misses first FT attempt, makes second. Boston up by 6, 91-85 with 2:30 to go

11:44: 1:49 left in the game… Boston up by 5 after a Gasol FT.   Lakers are trying to trap Rondo.  Luckily, Lindsey Hunter no longer plays for them.  Rondo dribbles right by Fisher, drawing a blocking foul, sending him to the FT line… Rondo knocks down one of two, but KG kept rebound alive, knocking it off of Radmonovic, giving Boston the ball back with a fresh 24. Doc brings Posey in for PJ.  Good job, Doc!  I'm truly impressed.

11:46: Holy-- Rondo, pick and roll with KG, throws it out to Posey who misses an open 3, but KG power slams back the rebound!  Absolutely thunderous! Highlight of the game. No Laker put a body on KG, allowing him to soar in and put the ball back home.  Plus, that ends KG’s miss-streak… he’s now 1 for last 10.

11:47: Lakers are forced to guard KG with Radmonovic.  KG abuses him, sheds him, gets the hoop, drawing the foul – Hits both free throw attempts, putting Boston up 96-88 with 1:01 left in regulation

11:50: Boston still up 96-88.  Lakers don’t foul, letting Boston run some time off the clock… Ray Allen going to the line for 2 with only 16 seconds left. Ray converts both, giving Boston a 10 point lead. As the old NBA Jam game used to say, “He put the nail in the coffin”.

11:53: Rondo gets a rebound after a couple Laker missed 3 attempts… dribbles down the court and let’s the clock expire.

Celtics Win!!  98-88!!

MVC: Paul Pierce.  I have no idea what his knee is going to look like tomorrow morning, and frankly I don't care.  His performance tonight, whether Boston wins or loses this series, is going to go down in Celtic history.  Within 10 minutes of Pierce literally being carried off the court by his teammates, Paul came back into the game and just sank dagger after dagger into the Lakers.  He finished with 22 points (70% from the field), 3 three's, 4 rebounds and 2 assists.  Gutsy game from Paul, and exactly the type of game we need if we want to win this series.

Lastly, great win for Boston.  None of the Big 3 shrank on the biggest stage they've ever faced.  Each had a run where they just couldn't get it going, but there was always someone else who had their back.  KG finished with 24, Pierce with 22 and Allen 19... couldn't draw it up any better.  The defense was solid, if not spectacular, and Doc coached a good game as well.  The bench stepped up, especially PJ in Perk's absence.  As long as our injuries don't carry over to Sunday, this emotional win is going to keep the momentum in our pocket for Game 2.  I wonder what all those "experts" who picked us to get dominated will say tomorrow....  BEAT L.A.!!